Leaders developing leaders.

Leadership

Year End Challenge

Challenge Yourself, and Your Team!

Challenge yourself!  Below are our 12 “Courageability” factors that impact leadership success:

  • Live and work with passion
  • Document and share your goals
  • Commit to addressing and tracking your goals
  • Understand and leverage your strengths and the strengths of others
  • Communicate with confidence and clarity
  • Manage conflict and understand how it can be inspirational
  • Develop others
  • Effectively delegate
  • Enrich your skill-set
  • Remain controlled
  • Reward and recognize others with regularity
  • Learn to succeed from your failuresWhich 3 do you find most challenging? Make development plans now to address growth areas.

    If you want to lead more effectively, shorten the distance between the future and present. Inspiring innovation and leading change call for more than process– they require the adoption of a cultural mindset.
    Mike Myatt Forbes – March 7,2013

Are Managers Leaders?

The Number One problem in organizations today is not a “lack of leadership.”
It is untrained people managers.-John G. Miller

We have shared that “Leaders want their organization to LEARN, so it can GROW, Enabling a TRANSFORMATION, Resulting in stronger RESULTS”.  Having said that, is it limited to “leaders” or does it also apply to “managers”?  It does indeed apply to both!

Our intent was never to diminish the skills and values managers provide; as a result, we wanted to share John G. Miller’s findings:

When people describe their boss as a “leader” and are asked to articulate specifically what that person does to “lead”—this is what we hear:

My boss communicated what I should do

     She followed up with me consistently.

     When I got it right, he praised me.

     She told me when I was off track.

     He talked to me—and listened.

     I was trained and coached.

     She spent time with me.

He showed me respect.

Guess what? Every item above is a people management
    skill. It’s what effective managers do, day in and day out,
    with and for their people.

Bottom line, we agree that effective managers ARE leaders!

Are you a manager of people? Then this is what you and all “aspiring leaders” need to know: Effective people management is leadership.
–John G. Miller

Black, White or Grey Leadership?

Black and white thinking is the tendency to think in extremes

Have you ever been told your thinking was too black and white? That your mind-set was limited? That finding middle ground with you was difficult? That grey areas DID exist? Have you ever been called an extremist? Or that it’s okay to incorporate “maybe” or “possibly” into your vocabulary?

On the favorable side, it’s said that black and white thinkers are “great resources for personal growth and understanding”. Also, that they drive results and are needed for goal attainment.

As with any style or behavior, over-using a strength can result in a weakness.

Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA suggests being aware of our usage of certain words. How often do you say:

  • always
  • never
  • impossible
  • disaster
  • furious
  • ruined
  • perfect

If over-used, she shares that not only can you sabotage your career and relationships, but your physical and mental health may suffer as well. Wow!

Enter the grey area. Effective leadership includes building relationships, supporting goals, driving results, and seeking advice when needed, while also taking into account what’s good for your work culture, the people, and your organization.

Author Jody Maberry says: If you are a leader, working in the gray is your new normal.

Do you agree?

Black-and-white thinking leaders are typically those who value processes and production over the individual concerns of the people.—Fred Jakoby, MA

Innovate – Make It Real

Innovative leaders are creative visionaries who have big ideas and, most importantly, can motivate people around them to turn those ideas into reality.
–Jeffrey Baumgartner

Would you be surprised to learn that the ability to produce innovative ideas is a shared issue for companies of all sizes?

Global staffing firm Robert Half Management Resources polled over 2,000 CFO’s from small to large companies, and asked how good their company was at innovation. Their findings were that only 30% of companies with 20 to 49 employees rated themselves as “very innovative” with ratings a bit higher (38%) for companies with 1000+ employees.

The survey also found that “too much bureaucracy”, daily tasks, and time required for problem resolution accounted for the low scores.

So how can scores increase?  Robert Half’s senior executive director, Paul McDonald feels that we as leaders are the greatest barrier.  We don’t always listen, we don’t always promote the ideas, and we don’t make coming up with new ideas a priority.

He recommends that:

  • Time be set aside to brainstorm with your team
  • Host internal events where employees can present creative business solutions to company leadership
  • Remove unnecessary red tape; simplify project requests and approval processes
  • Create a collaborative culture where employees can freely offer suggestions.
  • Make innovation an ongoing focus and support your employees ideas
  • Hire additional staff if heavy workloads are getting in the way of innovation

He also says DON’T:

  • Put creative thinking sessions on the back burner due to daily tasks
  • Restrict idea sharing for meetings
  • Be “absent”; listen to ideas
  • Stretch your team so thin their only focus – and measure of accomplishment – comes from crossing items off their to-do lists
  • Place unrealistic expectations on staff; expect results to take weeks or monthsDo you create opportunities for team innovation? Do you help ideas become reality?

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
—Steve Jobs

Inspire vs Motivate

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.—John Quincy Adams

Do you view the words “inspire” and “motivate” to mean the same thing? Marissa Levin, Founder and CEO, Successful Culture feels they are very different and provides the following differentiators:

  • “Inspire” translates to “in spirit.” Inspiration comes from within.
  • The root word of “Motivate” is “motive,” which is an external force that causes us to take action
  • Motivation pushes you to accomplish a task, or work through a difficult event, even when you would rather be doing anything else. We are motivated by a result.
  • Inspiration pulls you towards something that stirs your heart, mind, or spirit. We are inspired by a person, an event, or a circumstance.

How do you feel about these definitions? We think it makes sense that if your heart, mind, or spirit are “stirred”, a person will indeed be inspired and more engaged, and per a study by Bain Research, they will also be twice as productive. This links to our “Magic Dust”™ theory; when a person is in the position to do what they enjoy, and feel they add value, they thrive and results grow.

So as a leader, how can we increase inspiration levels? Surveys state:

  • Set stretch goals with your team
  • Commit to developing direct reports
  • Engage in collaborative behavior
  • Build emotional connections with team members and others you interact with
  • Establish, share, and continually talk about how your vision (or your organization’s vision) can be supported
  • Communicate clearly and often
  • Explain and manage change

It’s up to us as leaders to model these behaviors and recognize others when they display them. How are you helping others dream more, learn more, do more, and become more?

Leaders can be found at all levels of the company and it is through their efficacy, influence and ability to inspire that our company is reinventing itself.–IBM

Why Persist?

It takes the hammer of persistence to drive the nail of success.
–John Mason, writer

How well do you manage failure, missed deliverables, obstacles, and even difficult people?

As leaders we can expect that not everything will go as planned, and despite possibly feeling dejected, we need to persist and persevere.

We need to manage our feelings and each situation that challenges us, and we need to persist, which we’ll define as “the quality of continuing steadily despite problems or difficulties”.

Expect and plan for obstacles; they’re going to happen! Be purposeful in your efforts and analyze what went awry, and have trust in yourself that you CAN make things better and get back on course. We hope you find these failures inspiring:

Abraham Lincoln – Experienced 12 major failures before being elected the 16th U.S. President

Albert Einstein – His teachers said “he wouldn’t amount to much”

Ludwig van Beethoven – His music teacher once said “as a composer, he is hopeless”

Thomas Edison – was said to have tried 9,999 times to perfect the light bulb. His response was “I didn’t fail; I just discovered another way not to invent the electric light bulb.”

Colonel Sanders – (founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken) As a military retiree, all he had was his mother’s chicken recipe. He tried selling her recipe and was turned down 1,007 times before he received his first yes

Steve Jobs – He felt he was a public failure when he was fired from Apple

Walt Disney – Was fired from a newspaper for his lack of imagination

The Beatles – In 1962 they were told they “had no future in show business” and that “groups with guitars are on the way out”.

Diana Nyad – In her fifth try (at the age of 64), became the 1st person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

Why persist? Because successful leaders are clear about what they want to achieve, and set clear strategies and direction to obtain the results they desire, regardless of any obstacles they encounter.

Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself.–Khalid

Feedback Competencies

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.
–Albert Einstein

Do you have colleagues or direct reports that could be even stronger performers?  Have you given them feedback, but perhaps they don’t accept it as they’re only hearing it from you?

Conducting a formal 360 Feedback process may be the solution. You and the feedback recipient can jointly select who should provide the feedback.  It should minimally include:

  • Their immediate leader
  • All Direct Reports (if applicable)
  • Colleagues/co-workers

You can also include customers/clients and vendors and strategic partners (and any others with a working relationship).

We primarily use Wiley’s 360 feedback tool which focuses on 8 Competencies:

Pioneering
Finding Opportunities, Stretching The Boundaries, Promoting Bold Action

Energizing
Showing Enthusiasm, Building Professional Networks, Rallying People To Achieve Goals

Affirming
Being Approachable, Acknowledging Contributions, Creating A Positive Environment

Inclusive
Staying Open To Input, Showing Diplomacy, Facilitating Dialogue

Humble
Maintaining Composure, Showing Modesty, Being Fair Minded

Deliberate
Communicating With Clarity, Promoting Disciplined Analysis, Providing A Sense Of Stability

Resolute
Setting High Expectations, Speaking Up About Problems, Improving Methods

Commanding
Showing Confidence, Taking Charge, Focusing On Results

The recipient also rates themselves in these same areas, and part of the tool results includes showing how similar (or different) the self ratings are from those from others.

The results are debriefed by a coach in a non threatening way, with areas of strength as well as development opportunities discussed.

As a leader, this is a great way to help others grow – who do you think could benefit from hearing what others have to say?

I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.
–Elon Musk

Is Feedback Important?

Top performing companies are not only good at accepting feedback, they deliberately ask for feedback. — Susan E. DeFranzo

Is Feedback Important?  We say it’s not only important but that it’s critical for organizational success and personal and professional growth. What do you think?

Don’t confuse giving feedback with annual performance reviews; while both serve a purpose, if you want to move the performance needle and improve behaviors and skill-sets, giving regular, honoring, and well intended feedback will do the trick.

officevibe published the following feedback statistics:

1.    14.9% lower turnover rates in companies that implement regular employee feedback.

2.    2X as likely to be actively disengaged if employees are ignored by their manager.

3.    4 out of 10 workers are actively disengaged when they get little or no feedback.

4.   82% of employees really appreciate receiving feedback, regardless if it’s positive or negative.

5.    43% of highly engaged employees receive feedback at least once a week compared to only 18% of employees with low engagement.

6.    65% of employees said they wanted more feedback

7.    58% of managers think they give enough.

So what can we as leaders do?

Make time
Regardless how busy you are, create a feedback calendar and take it seriously!
If you become aware of a “positive” or “negative” action, acknowledge it immediately

Make it honest and meaningful
Be prepared to provide specifics about both negative and positive feedback
Think in terms of praise and constructive criticism – both contribute to growth

Use goal tracking
If you don’t know how to get started, review how the individual has helped (or hindered) the achievement of organizational or team goals

Commit to supporting continual learning
Review what in house programs are available
Ensure your budget adequately includes development opportunities
Investigate external training that can address your focus areas

Feedback will make your top performers even stronger, and will help motivate and guide those that may be under-performing.

Are you committed to “improve and enhance” others?

Top performing companies know that feedback is helpful only when it highlights weaknesses as well as strengths.– Susan E. DeFranzo

Skill Gaps?

Managers in almost all major industries are currently sending themselves into a tizzy trying to solve the skills gap problem. A long-standing concern, “skills gap” is the term for the void of qualified talent that may be recognized when it comes to a company filling positions.—Andre Lavoie

Would you say skill gaps exist for key roles within your organization? If you said “yes”, you’re not alone. According to a LinkedIn survey of 2000 business leaders, 57% said that soft skill gaps existed, and felt the top four development areas were:

  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Time management

Adding to the dilemma, Melissa Mapes reports that yet another LinkedIn Survey found that:

  • 93% of managers feel they needed more training
  • 47% claimed they never received any leadership training at all

It sounds like both seasoned as well as new leaders are in need of (and want to) continue to develop their skills. Leadership roles have evolved; more time is now being devoted to coaching and mentoring teams and individuals, and this includes being a masterful communicator for successes, needs, changes, progress, and feedback.

There’s still an obligation to ensure goals and deliverables are achieved, but equally important is the need to have a work culture where colleagues are comfortable and engaged, and where they feel trust exists among team members and their leadership team.
Other interesting findings include:

Communication
80% of managers think they’re transparent with direct reports; but, only 55% of employees agree.

Access
75% of employees say approachability is the most important quality in an effective manager; and, 50% of employees say they have an approachable manager.

Leadership
71% of managers say they know how to motivate their team; but, only 44% of employees agree.

Training
45% of managers report they have never received formal management training.

What did you find most surprising, and is there anything you could do to help reduce the skills gaps in your organization?

Very few new leaders receive sufficient training before taking the reins.
–Melissa Mapes

Being Truly Accountable

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.—John Maxwell

We all make mistakes; sadly, all too often that includes justifying why we did (or said) what we did. And to make us feel better, we self rationalize why we did it, and add “why” and “however” to what we’re saying in hopes of lessening our error.  Wrong!

Why is being accountable so difficult? Maybe because we don’t want to look bad? Because we fear others may lose their appreciation for us? That we’re unable to be vulnerable since relationships and maybe even job security could be impacted?

The reality is pretty much the opposite. We need to realize that the lack of accountability does not serve us well. We lose the trust of others, we sever relationships, we get avoided, we get labeled, and team morale is diminished when lack of accountability is not addressed.

Don’t make excuses, don’t ignore that an error has occurred (or that you dropped the ball), and don’t point fingers. If you erred – own it and learn from it. This builds levels of trust, helps with integrity, and earns respect.

Author John G. Miller shares what truly accountable people freely disclose:

  • I did it.
  • I was wrong.
  • It’s my fault.
  • I shouldn’t have said that.
  • I shouldn’t have done that.
  • I’m sorry.
  • I will change today.

Do you consider yourself truly accountable? Do you struggle using the phrases listed above?

Owning up to our mistakes takes courage, it isn’t easy, and our pride may suffer, but in the long run it will help us become stronger, more effective, and appreciated.

I just think we need more accountability and more transparency.
—John Thune