Professional Documents
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Key
Leadership
Christian Whamond
© C h r i s t i a n
W h a m o n d
2 0 1 2
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©Christian
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Table of Contents
CHRISTIAN WHAMOND 1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 11
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION. 12
KEY PRINCIPLES: 13
TRUST IS THE FOUNDATION OF LEADERSHIP. 14
LEADERSHIP IS A CHOICE NOT. NOT A POSITION. 15
TRUST. 16
CHAPTER 2. LEADERSHIP. 19
CHAPTER 4 COACHING. 80
COACHING STEPS 80
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CREATE A "COACHING ENVIRONMENT" FOR BETTER ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.
80
AN UNCONVENTIONAL GIFT 87
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPS DAILY, NOT IN A DAY. 89
HR. A COMPANY ASSET NOT JUST REFEREE 90
WHAT IS COMPETENCE? 91
LEADERSHIP TIPS - JACK WELCH STYLE. (WELCH, WINNING) 91
COMMITMENT AND CHANGE 93
A LEADER HAS WISDOM 100
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CHAPTER 8. PERFORMANCE. 123
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TOP 5 CAREER INVESTMENTS 151
1. SMALLER NETWORKS OF INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE 152
2. IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING AND NEGOTIATION SKILLS 152
3. DEVELOP YOUR WEALTH IN RESOURCES 153
4. PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY YOU SERVE 153
5. EVALUATE YOUR INVESTMENT AND YOUR OWN PROGRESS EACH MONTH 153
TOP TEN REASONS WHY LARGE COMPANIES FAIL TO KEEP THEIR BEST TALENT 154
6 PERSONAL TRAITS WILL ACCELERATE YOUR INFLUENCE AT WORK 156
1. YOUR GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS: 157
2. YOUR HERITAGE: 158
3. YOUR PASSION: 158
4. YOUR ADVERSITIES / STRUGGLES: 158
5. YOUR FAMILY/ CHILDHOOD: 159
6. YOUR HOBBIES 159
A LEADER DEVELOPS FRIENDSHIP. 159
MENTOR AND RETAIN PEOPLE 160
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES 161
ENCOURAGE PUSH BACK. 161
FOUR ELEMENTS OF TRUST. 161
WORKING TO WIN 162
WINNERS..... 163
CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT OF GROWTH AROUND YOU. 164
CUSTOMERS 201
10 TIPS TO HELP YOU SERVICE YOUR CLIENTS BETTER! 201
THE BIG BOSS. THE CUSTOMER. 203
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PITCH. 204
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND CUSTOMER NEEDS. 204
LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO SERVE CUSTOMERS AND KEEP EMPLOYEES PRODUCTIVE. 205
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA. 205
INDEX 230
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Acknowledgements.
Winston Churchill once said that writing a book goes through five phases. In phase
one, it’s a novelty or a toy. But in phase five, it becomes a tyrant ruling your life.
Without all the wonderful people who helped me through this process, giving me
reason to sit down night after night pondering my day’s and weeks, putting my
thoughts into words. For all the support and encouraging stories passed on about
how my impact has changes peoples days and even lives.
To all the great publishers who continue to produce these books which I devour and
take quotations from. To all the CEO’s of the world who take the time to put their
experiences into writing and sharing their stories to the world, Thanks you.
I special thank you to my wife Karen and two children Kyle and Jamie. This work has
taken me away from the time I could have spent with you all, the sacrifices you have
all made in support of my goals and dreams.
To the people in my life who I have encountered through my working life that has left
a mark on my life. These people are:
• Richard Austin
• Greg Nicolle.
• Steve Traplin
• Geoff Hoffman
• Cindy Clark
• Angela Torcha
• Andrew Thomson
• Richard Gordan
Lastly to my mentors who have guided me through the highs and lows of my career.
The Drucker institute and John Maxwell.
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Chapter 1. Introduction.
The content from this book is a collaboration of ideas and information gathered over
years as a manager and coach. I share these ideas to support you in your quest to
become a better leader.
Principles from top CEO such as Steve Jobs, Jack Welch & Richard Branson. Renown
coaches like John Maxwell, Marshall Goldsmith and Peter Drucker. Book writers
such as Patrick Lencioni, Dale Carnegie and Steven Covey.
Even though you could read this book from start to finish that was not the though
when I started writing it. You can pick up this b0ok and turn to a section of interest
or an area of problem and work through the idea’s. I encourage you to read through
the first section “Key Principles” then jump to the area of interest.
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Key principles:
A key principle about human behavior is that one individual cannot motivate
another, suggesting that leaders cannot actually motivate their people. Leaders are
however responsible for creating an environment that will bring out the best in their
people.
How they do this is to build relationships with their team that are based on trust. This
enables them to discover the needs that each individual wants satisfied. The leader
can then take steps to ensure that, wherever possible, these needs are met.
They will also need to be conscious of adapting their own behavior so that they
behave in ways that are appropriate for the person and the circumstances that they
are dealing with.
When they do this they are more likely to develop much higher levels of trust with
their team members, which in turn will lead to people being more open to sharing the
most critical needs that they would like their leader to address.
People's perception and thus experience of their environment plays a critical role in
their motivation to perform their best. By developing these skills leaders can make a
huge impact on the level of employee engagement in their workplace.
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Trust is the foundation of Leadership.
Trust is the foundation of leadership. It is the most important thing. Leaders cannot
repeatedly break trust with people and continue to influence them.
Your people know when you make mistakes. The real question is whether you’re
going to fess up. If you do, you can often regain their trust.
Character Communicates Respect – When you don’t have character within, you can’t
earn respect without. How do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, by
admitting their mistakes, and by putting what’s best for their followers and the
organization ahead of their personal agendas.
No leader can break trust with his people and expect to keep influencing them. Trust
is the foundation of leadership. Violate the Law of Solid Ground, and you diminish
your influence as a leader.
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Leadership is a choice not. Not a position.
In my work I come across people in leadership positions that have never made the
choice to lead. They act the part that the role expects from them, however leadership
is not about position, leadership is not about authority, leadership is not about
hierarchy, at it’s core leadership is a choice. It’s a choice to do the work of leadership.
To lead requires we respond to reality, that we accept responsibility to be the change
we want to see in the world, that we inspire hope in others, that we motivate others to
participate in a meaningful journey of change. Too many choose not to respond and
therefore fail to lead.
“I neither started the project nor suggested it. I simply responded to the call of the
people for a spokesman” – Martin Luther King, 1958
In the same way that Martin Luther King responded to the reality he found in his life
experience. We too are confronted with life and challenged with situations that
require us to make a choice. Everyday we’re faced with the a leadership choice. A
choice to lead, to accept responsibility, to live authentically, to be an example to
others, of the change we want to see in the world.
Leadership is not about having a particular set of skills and traits, it’s about our
personal decision to make a difference in the world and the lives of others. It’s about
making a meaningful difference in the world. Warren Bennis says it this way..
“No leader sets out to be a leader. People set out to live their lives, expressing
themselves fully. When that expression is of value, they become leaders. So the point
is not to become a leader. The point is to become yourself, to use yourself completely
– all your skills, gifts and energies – in order to make your vision manifest. You must
withhold nothing. You, must, in sum, become the person you started out to be, and to
enjoy the process of becoming.” – Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself:
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“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do
today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I
need to change something.” — Steve Jobs, Stanford University commencement
speech, June 2005
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is
to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all
matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it
just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t
settle.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005
It’s the choice that leaders make about what to do with their lives, about what
matters, about where to place their energy that separates leaders from the crowd.
Today, leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the
challenge, discomfort and to pay the price required to lead. Leadership is scare
because it costs and not many are selfless enough to pay the price.
All effective leaders have made a deliberate choice to lead, to do the work of
leadership, to respond to our reality, to accept responsibility to be the change we
want to see in the world, to inspire hope in others, to motivate others to participate in
a meaningful journey of change.
1. How are you responding to the reality and challenges facing you?
2. Have you made the choice to lead?
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” - Steve
Jobs
Trust.
I recently was involved in a seminar where the core of the discussion was building
trust with customers.
This has made me think about the impact of trust, or lack of, and who is our
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customers.
For a leadership group within an organization their customers are their internal staff.
We all have customers weather they are internal or external, we focus on building
great relationships and harboring trust with these external customers but sometime
forget about the more important customers to a organization, our internal customers.
Trust is not automatically given when a person becomes a manager, trust from
his/her pears and directs must be earned, it must be exhibited everyday with trust
worthy behaviors and actions. This means removing bad habits like checking on
everything people do, questioning their motives and looking to catch people out. I
once hear a manager say “inspect what you expect” this comment in itself is saying “I
don’t trust my staff and I need to check everything they do”
One of the greatest organizations I know whose complete business is based on trust is
EBay. EBay have over one million transactions everyday go through their system. The
model behind EBay allows a consumer to purchase goods from a total stranger from
around the world, hand over their money and hope that the seller will post the goods
and that they are as described.
If I was to describe this model to someone today that had no idea who EBay are they
would call this madness, they would say that it could never happen, it would open the
flood gates form fraudulent transactions, yet EBay has less that 28 fraud transactions
per day on average. This is an astonishing figure when you look at how many
transactions take place everyday. This tryst is based on a “feedback system” that’s in
place within EBay.
Distrusting people this is called self-deception, we see people as objects and no longer
as people. We then look to be right and look for confirmation of the deception, we no
longer see the good in people we are always looking to "catch them" and confirm our
own self-deception. This is called self-betrayal.
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Self-betrayal is an act contrary to what we feel is right and what we should do for
another person. When we betray ourselves we begin to see the world in a way that
justifies our self-betrayal. When we see the world in a self-justifying way, our view of
reality is distorted. Over time these self betrayal's become characteristics of me, and I
carry them around with me, this then provokes others to do the same, an the cycle
starts again.
Break the cycle. We need to start to trust our people, we need to start to believe that
the majority of our staff want an do the right things by the customer and the
organization, giving people the freedom and empowering them with the trust needed
to do their role will intern get a better result. To weed out the fraudulent activities we
need to give regular feedback everyday about their performance to our direct reports.
If you as a manager are not able to give feedback everyday because “it’s too hard” and
you feel that “inspect what you expect” is the right methodology, then don’t be
surprised when your start to loose staff and moral drops overall. This distrust that
you are passing onto your directs is then reflected onto your customers though your
directs. (Arbinger)
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Chapter 2. Leadership.
The responsibility of leadership is not taken, it's given. Only when others choose to
follow us can we truly lead.
"People ask the difference between a leader and a boss.... The leader works in the
open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives." (Theodore
Roosevelt)
Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right thing. You can’t
motivate other if you are not doing the right thing.
One of the worst habits a leader can have is excusing his behavior with claims like,
"That's just the way I am!"
Stop clinging to bad behaviors because you believe they are essential to who you are.
Instead of insisting that you can't change, think about how these behaviors may be
impeding the success of those around you. Don't think of these behaviors as character
traits, but as possibilities for improvement. You'll be surprised by how easily you can
change when it helps you succeed.
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“Effective leadership can be learned, and indeed should be learned, by those with
responsibility for the performance of their enterprises and their employees.”
I have concluded that effective leadership can be learned and indeed should be
learned, by those with responsibility for the performance of their enterprises and
their employees. I have also found that leadership benefits from an approach built
upon specific guiding principles that, taken together, create a clear road map for
navigating any situation. The Leader’s Checklist, a complete set of vital leadership
principles that are tried, tested and true.
Here are the fifteen essential principles that taken together, I believe, constitute an
irreducible checklist for leadership action:
2. Think and act strategically. Set forth a pragmatic strategy for achieving that vision
both short- and long-term and ensure that it is widely understood; consider all the
players and anticipate reactions and resistance before they are manifest.
3. Honor the room. Frequently express your confidence in and support for those who
work with and for you.
4. Take charge. Embrace a bias for action, of taking responsibility even if it is not
formally delegated, particularly if you are well positioned to make a difference.
Act decisively. Make good and timely decisions and ensure that they are executed.
6. Communicate persuasively. Convey messages in a way that people will not forget;
simplicity and clarity of expression help.
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7. Motivate the troops. Appreciate the distinctive intentions that people bring and
then build on those diverse motives to draw the best from each.
8. Embrace the front line. Delegate authority except for strategic decisions and stay
close to those most directly engaged with the work of the enterprise.
10. Manage relationships. Build enduring personal ties with those who look to you
and work to harness the feelings and passions of the workplace.
11. Identify personal implications. Help everyone appreciate the impact that the
vision and strategy are likely to have on their own work and future in the firm.
12. Convey your character. Through gesture, commentary and accounts, ensure that
others appreciate that you are a person of integrity.
13. Dampen over-optimism. Counter the hubris of success, focus attention on latent
treats and unresolved problems and protect against the tendency for managers to
engage in unwarranted risk.
14. Build a diverse top team. Leaders need to take final responsibility but leadership
is also a team sport best played with an able roster of those collectively capable of
resolving all the key challenges.
15. Place common interest first. In setting strategy, communicate the vision and
reaching decisions, common purpose comes first, personal self-interest last.
While the fifteen principles provide a solid template for action, suitable for most
leadership moments at most organizations at most times, “most” is not always good
enough. Customized checklists are required for distinct contexts, and among the most
important divisions are those of company, role, and country.
The Leader’s Checklist for General Electric, according to those highly familiar with
the company, would include, for instance, teaching others how to lead their divisions,
making tough – often wrenching – personnel decisions around performance, and
continually innovating. A checklist for Google, by contrast, would place greater
emphasis on pursuing individual creative sparks, keeping teams small, and guiding
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others in an even-keeled manner. A checklist for a major professional services firm
might identify nearly a dozen special capacities that it holds to be vital for its
managers, including seeing the world through its clients’ eyes, enthusiastically
engaging with clients, and working with them to transcend conventional thinking.
While the 15 principles provide a solid template for action, customized checklists are
required for distinct contexts; most importantly the divisions of company, role, and
country.
Role. Distinct positions necessitate their own unique additions to the core Leader’s
Checklist. The customized principles for top executives are different from those for
frontline managers. They, in turn, are different from those for company directors.
Country. Specific principles are essential for varied national locations as well. What is
required in Argentina or Great Britain is at least partially distinct from what is
essential in America or France.
Even the best checklist has no value unless it is routinely activated to guide a leader’s
behavior. Other examples exist within this book to help build your checklist.
Organizational leadership has its greatest impact in times of uncertainty and change.
It is when uncertainty becomes the norm that a Leader’s Checklist becomes most
valuable.
When markets are predictable, when change is not in the offing, leaders can coast, at
least for a while. It is when uncertainty becomes the norm and turbulence more
commonplace that a Leader’s Checklist becomes most consequential.
There are fundamental principles that inform and support the practices of leadership
that were true 30 years ago, are true today and will be true 30 years from now. They
speak to what the newest and youngest leaders need to appreciate and understand,
and they speak just as meaningfully to the oldest leaders, who are perhaps
repurposing themselves as they transition from their lengthy careers to other pursuits
in volunteer, community or public sectors. They are truths that address what is real
about leadership.
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Here are 10 fundamental truths about leadership and becoming an effective leader:
1. The first truth is that you make a difference. It is the most fundamental
truth of all. Before you can lead, you have to believe that you can have a positive
impact on others. You have to believe in yourself. That’s where it all begins.
Leadership begins when you believe you can make a difference.
3. The third truth is that values drive commitment. People want to know
what you stand for and believe in. They want to know what you value. And leaders
need to know what others value if they are going to be able to forge alignments
between personal values and organizational demands.
4. The fourth truth is that focusing on the future sets leaders apart. The
capacity to imagine and articulate exciting future possibilities is a defining
competence of leaders. You have to take the long-term perspective. Gain insight from
reviewing you’re past and develop out-sight by looking around.
5. You can’t do it alone is the fifth truth. Leadership is a team sport, and you
need to engage others in the cause. What strengthens and sustains the relationship
between leader and constituent is that leaders are obsessed with what is best for
others, not what is best for themselves.
6. Trust rules is the sixth truth. Trust is the social glue that holds individuals
and groups together. And the level of trust others have in you will determine the
amount of influence you have. You have to earn your constituents’ trust before they’ll
be willing to trust you. That means you have to give trust before you can get trust.
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8. The eighth truth is that you either lead by example or you don’t lead at
all. Leaders have to keep their promises and become role models for the values and
actions they espouse. You have to go first as a leader. You can’t ask others to do
something you aren’t willing to do yourself.
9. The ninth truth is that the best leaders are the best learners. Leaders are
constant improvement fanatics, and learning is the master skill of leadership.
Learning, however, takes time and attention, practice and feedback, along with good
coaching. It also takes willingness on your part to ask for support.
10. The tenth truth is that leadership is an affair of the heart. Leaders make
others feel important and are gracious in showing their appreciation. Love is the
motivation that energizes leaders to give so much for others. You just won’t work
hard enough to become great if you aren’t doing what you love.
These are enduring truths about leadership. You can gain mastery over the art and
science of leadership by understanding them and attending to them in your
workplace and everyday life.
1. Decide if you really want to be a leader. Many of the MBAs who report self-
confidence issues are brilliant technicians. They often find the uncertainty and
ambiguity of leading people very unsettling. They are looking for the 'right answers'‚
similar to the ones in engineering school. In some cases, brilliant technical experts
should continue to be brilliant technical experts ... and not feel obligated to become
managers.
3. Gather a reasonable amount of data, involve people, then follow your gut
and do what you think is right.
4. Accept the fact that you are going to fail on occasion. All humans do.
5. Have fun! Life is short. Why should you expect your staff to demonstrate
positive enthusiasm, if they don't see it in you?
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6. Once you make a decision, commit and go for it. Don't continually second
guess yourself. If you have to change course, you have to change course. If you never
commit, all you will ever do is change course.
7. And finally, demonstrate courage on the outside, even when you don't feel
it on the inside. We are all afraid on occasion -- that is just part of being human. If
you are going to lead people in tough times, you will need to show more courage than
fear. When direct reports read worry and concern on the face of a leader, they begin
to lose confidence in the leader's ability to lead.
RULE #1
Anyone who coaches young men and women is inevitably going to do a few things
wrong, lose some games, make some bad decisions, and have a few unfortunate
incidents. It may seem trite to say, but no matter how disappointing the loss, the
morning light will usher in new opportunities and challenges.
Our team is rarely as bad as we think in the moments immediately following a loss.
The next morning will usually provide a more objective outlook and the confidence to
make better choices.
RULE #2
When we get upset, it is because we care about something. But we should not dwell
on a negative experience too long. We are likely to find one loss turning into two or
more... So, get upset, reprimand if need be. But then forget about it and move on,
making sure to treat the young man or woman as we did before the errant incident.
RULE #3
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Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position
falls, your ego goes with it.
Young teams will not progress without change, and the ability to change will be
stifled by clinging to overly familiar ground.
RULE #4
It can be done.
Even when we cannot control the circumstances of a situation, we have the power to
control our attitude. Exhibit a positive attitude, whether you are chasing that elusive
conference championship or just trying to get your center to post up strong, and you
will give your team a better chance to succeed.
RULE #5
This is especially true in choosing people for your program. Having a "Yes-man" for
an assistant may make life a little easier, but it will also make one of you redundant.
Athletes with great skill but no sense of discipline or leadership may (or may not) win
games, but will likely produce few championships.
RULE #6
There is a scene in the basketball movie "Hoosiers" that dramatically illustrates this
point. Coach Norman Dale sees one of his best players re-injure a bad cut on his
shoulder during a playoff game.
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The coach has almost no bench and is behind late in the game in a hostile gym. He
starts to leave the player in the contest, but after a moment of self-questioning, calls a
time-out and removes the player.
There will always be adversity to face in the form of injuries, academic ineligibility,
upset fans, etc. As professionals, we cannot allow them to distract us from making the
right choices.
RULE #7
You can't make someone else's decisions. You shouldn't let someone else
make yours.
If you are operating within the rules and have the support of your administration,
make your own decisions and stick to them. This does not mean that you cannot ask
for help when needed, but it is your program to run. Nor does it mean that every
decision affecting your basketball programs is within your power to control.
Certainly, you are in a position to motivate, advise, influence, and even persuade, but
the reality is that the responsibility for others' choices belongs to them and you
cannot take it from them.
RULE #8
The best coaches are masters of details. For example, Tara Vanderveer made her 1996
Olympic basketball team carry both home and road uniforms with them to every
game just in case there was a discrepancy between the international team uniforms.
Coaches understand that games often hinge on things that fans may not even notice,
such as a poorly set screen or improper footwork. Coaches also know that a powerful
motion offense attack will not work without proper spacing and cutting. These are
small things that often make the difference in whether or not the big things happen.
RULE #9
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Share credit.
Nothing will discourage a person more than working very hard, achieving a
worthwhile goal, and then having someone else (especially the leader) take all the
credit. Coaches who like to believe that "We won because I coached good," or "We lost
because they (the athletes) played bad," will start losing their athletes quickly. While
it may be true that head coaches get too much of the blame when things go wrong, all
those connected with the program including players, assistant coaches, managers,
and the administration deserve credit when things are going right.
RULE #10
Basketball is a fast-moving game that requires anticipation. This can be very difficult
for a coach to accomplish when he or she is excessively emotional or reactive.
Coaches who stay calm will diminish their chances of saying or doing something they
will regret.
RULE #11
Truly dedicated coaches spend a lot of time watching film, working summer camps,
attending clinics, watching college practices, and studying the game in as many ways
as possible. They learn what they want the game and, ultimately, their program to
look like. Without this type of overall vision, coaches have nothing for which to strive.
RULE #12
Coaches simply cannot please everyone. As the saying goes "Coaches who listen to the
fans end up sitting beside them." In his book, The Fighting Spirit, Lou Holtz points
out that in decision-making, leaders cannot let themselves flinch. Once a decision is
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made, coaches have to commit to it. The time to worry, (says Holtz, is when you are
placing the bet, not after the dice has been thrown).
RULE #13
Enthusiasm is contagious. A positive can-do attitude among all the players increases
their strength and abilities. As coaches, we can never know how much we influence
the people we lead. The ripple effect of either our optimism or our pessimism can be
enormous.
Joe Paterno believes that if you do not truly believe your team has a chance to win,
you should not step into the locker room because the players will sense it.
General Powell says he would almost always choose to follow the unrealistic
aspirations of an optimist than the often-grim views of a realist.
Both the seasoned veterans of the coaching profession and the beginner must have a
solid, well-grounded foundation upon which to build. As basketball coaches, we have
to determine what works for us and commit to it.
These 13 rules, compliments of General Colin Powell, offer a great place to start.
(Powell)
One of the most often overlooked aspects of leadership is the need for pursuit. Great
leaders are never satisfied with traditional practice, static thinking, conventional
wisdom, or common performance. In fact, the best leaders are simply uncomfortable
with anything that embraces the status quo.
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develop, and ultimately, what you do or don’t achieve. Having a mindset focused on
pursuit is so critical to leadership that lacking this one quality can sentence you to
mediocrity or even obsolescence. The manner, method, and motivation behind any
pursuit is what sets truly great leaders apart from the masses. If you want to become
a great leader, become a great pursuer.
Smart leaders understand it’s not just enough to pursue, but pursuit must be
intentional, focused, consistent, aggressive, and unyielding. You must pursue the
right things, for the right reasons, and at the right times. Perhaps most of all, the best
forms of pursuit enlist others in the chase. Pursuit in its purest form is highly
collaborative, very inclusive and easily transferable. Pursuit operates at greatest
strength when it leverages velocity and scale.
I also want to caution you against trivial pursuits – don’t confuse pursuit with simple
goal setting. Outcomes are clearly important, but as a leader, it’s what happens after
the outcome that you need to be in pursuit of. Pursue discovery, seek dissenting
opinions, develop your ability unlearn by embracing how much you don’t know, and
find the kind of vision that truly does see around corners. Don’t use your pursuits to
shift paradigms, pursue breaking them. Knowing what not to pursue is just as
important as knowing what to pursue.
It’s important to keep in mind that nothing tells the world more about a leader than
what or who they pursue – that which you pursue is that which you value. If you
message to your organization you value talent, but don’t treat people well and don’t
spend time developing the talent around you, then I would suggest you value rhetoric
more than talent. Put simply, you can wax eloquent all you like, but your actions will
ultimately reveal what you truly value.
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Lastly, the best leaders pursue being better leaders. They know to fail in this pursuit
is nothing short of a guarantee they’ll be replaced by those who don’t. All leaders
would be well served to go back to school on what I refer to as the science of
pursuitology.
You probably come across many people who think they have the skills to be leaders,
but find very few who actually do. Leadership can be coached and it can be learned,
but too many of us disregard it as a triviality and hold on to the ego-supported notion
that we are born with leadership qualities. Thus, this crucial development stage is
often skipped.
Many people also have the TV-inspired view that all leaders are like heroes who are
there to save the day; they ignore the fact that leaders are mere mortals who are
prone to the same mistakes that befall us all.
But there is something truly different about leaders: They bounce back. After failure,
true leaders still have the poise and presence to convince us to follow them to the
edge once again.
The big question is: What are the traits that set these people apart and how does one
go about developing those same qualities?
Inspiration
A leader is more than an individual; he is the head of the pack. He is the one who
always seems to know what to do and the one people seek out for advice.
He not only has a vision, but he also knows how to communicate it. A good leader
must be able to convey his message both forcefully and convincingly, and so a certain
mastery of oral communication is necessary. The result is that people are often
bowled over by the clarity of his vision and the strength of his conviction, and they
quickly fall in line.
While people are often overawed by leaders’ abilities, the real source of inspiration
comes from two practices that most anyone can do: planning and goal setting. A
leader is someone who determines which goals are important and develops a plan to
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meet them. He is the one who seemingly has solutions for every problem because he
thought everything through before you even had a chance to begin.
Self-confidence
True leaders believe in themselves. They feel that they have a high capacity to rise
above the norm and make things happen.
Usually, this confidence stems from the fact that they are highly skilled individuals
and have a broad knowledge of what it takes to get the job done. On the other hand,
some successful leaders aren’t very skilled themselves, but they are able to identify
those who are.
Consistency
A strong leader must show consistency in his stance on issues and should not be
easily swayed by others’ opinions. However, this is not to be mistaken for
stubbornness, which can be a fatal flaw. Rather, a leader should be able to make
rational decisions that are devoid of bias.
If you want to be the head honcho, you’ll also need to develop these characteristics…
Many people refuse to take risks because they are afraid of failing. But if you are an
aspiring leader, you have to ask yourself this: Is the risk worth taking?
A true leader must be willing to lead by example if he has determined that the
benefits outweigh the potential dangers. But even so, many of us are not daring
enough to take the plunge, and the people who take the most risks are often those
who already have a good safety net in place.
If you have analyzed the risk and decided it is worth taking, you need to overcome
this mental barrier in your mind. If you find it difficult to do so, keep on planning; the
more prepared you are, the less risky a situation will be.
Persistence
Leaders don’t give up without a fight. Things do not always come easily, and leaders
must set an example by trying and trying again until they succeed. That said, leaders
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are also quick to see when they are fighting a losing battle and to resort to Plan B
when that point is reached.
Decisiveness
As a leader, you are expected to make hard decisions when others shy away from
them. Whether that means letting someone go or making dramatic changes that
affect your company, you are the one who must push it through.
A leader who is too soft often fails to get things done and has a tendency to be taken
advantage of. Be merciless when the business requires you to be and stick to your
decisions.
Multidimensionality
Leaders are generally familiar with all the aspects of their business and have a good
understanding of how things work. They are aware of what goes on from the front
lines to the top level. This wide perspective, combined with a meticulous attention to
detail, allows them to recognize oddities where others cannot.
Willingness to sacrifice
Are you willing to do what it takes to get the job done? Being a good leader can be a
demanding proposition because it requires a lot of face time and people management.
This can eat into your personal life; you have to decide whether you are willing to
make that sacrifice.
Adaptability
The business strategies that work well today might not tomorrow, and a leader must
be quick to recognize this. Just as the company must adapt, so must the leader; he
has to constantly learn new skills and find new approaches along the way.
A leader must not lose sight of his purpose or the purpose of those under his charge;
if he does, he risks becoming out-of-date and bringing others down with him. Thus, it
is important for a leader to demonstrate the foresight to bring about change and steer
others toward it.
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For aspiring leaders, the message is clear: Study the market and be critical of how you
need to adjust.
When was the last time you thought about how you influence others — how you
change minds, shape opinions, move others to act?
The ability to influence is one of the essential skills for leaders at all levels. It’s more
art than science, and it can be tough to get your arms around. But the bottom line is
that influence matters. And as we continue to morph (at breakneck speed) into an
interconnected, interdependent, increasingly global workplace, it will matter more.
Today, organizations are moving toward flatter, matrixed and team-based models.
The theory is that with change and complexity comes the need to be more nimble,
more inclusive of diverse thought, and more collaborative. In this model, power is
more about one’s ability to influence and get things done outside of traditional
reporting lines. In other words, the person with the influence has the power.
To be an effective influencer, you need both substance and style. Without a solid
foundation of credibility, even the most interpersonally adept leaders will fall short.
On the flip side, highly credible people can struggle with influence if they don’t
understand the interpersonal dynamics at play.
Recent research to identify and measure influence styles created five categories:
• Asserting: you insist that your ideas are heard and you challenge the ideas of
others
• Convincing: you put forward your ideas and offer logical, rational reasons to
convince others of your point of view
• Negotiating: you look for compromises and make concessions to reach outcomes
that satisfy your greater interest
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• Bridging: you build relationships and connect with others through listening
understanding and building coalitions
• Inspiring: you advocate your position and encourage others with a sense of shared
purpose and exciting possibilities
Each of these styles can be effective, depending upon the situation and people
involved. A common mistake is to use a one-size-fits-all approach. Remember that
influencing is highly situational.
2) Take stock of your situation. Who are the critical stakeholders you need to
win over to achieve an objective or overcome an obstacle? What influencing
style might be more effective as you interact with them? For example, if you’re
dealing with a hard-nosed CFO, consider using a convincing approach, which is based
in logic, data and expertise. If you’re in a crisis situation where people are relying on
you to be decisive and fast on your feet, an asserting style may be more effective. If
you’re working cross-functionally and need to win the support of a peer, a bridging or
negotiating style may be the way to go.
3) Identify your gaps. Once you understand your natural orientation and the
appropriate styles to influence those around you, figure out where you’re on solid
ground and where you need to shift gears and use a different approach to be more
effective.
4) Develop. After identifying your gaps, find ways to develop in those areas. It
might be a workshop, coach or internal role model who is particularly strong in the
style you’re trying to develop. For an added bonus, find a learning partner –
someone with whom you can role-play to gain confidence.
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5) Practice. Begin with small steps – low-stakes situations where you can test out
your new influencing approaches. Target a person or situation where you’d like to
achieve a certain outcome, think through the influencing style that will work best in
that situation, and give it a try. See what works and what doesn’t. As you build your
capability and confidence, move on to higher-stakes scenarios.
Whether you are leading, following, and/or collaborating, chances are you need to
influence others to be successful. Influence strategies can range from reliance on
position to education, encouragement and collaboration. The key is knowing which
approach to use in a given situation.
For leaders to be effective, they need to connect with people. All great leaders
recognize this truth and act on it almost instinctively. You can’t move people to action
unless you first move them with emotion. “People don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.” You develop credibility with people when you
connect with them and show that you genuinely care and want to help them. And as a
result, they usually respond in kind and want to help you.
1. Connect with Yourself – If you don’t believe in who you are and where you
want to lead, work on that before doing anything else.
3. Know Your Audience – When you work with individuals, knowing your
audience means learning people’s names, finding out their histories, asking about
their dreams. When you communicate to an audience, you learn about the
organization and its goals. You want to speak about what they care about.
4. Live Your Message – Practice what you preach. That’s were credibility comes
from.
7. Believe in Them – It’s one thing to communicate to people because you believe
you have something of value to say. It’s another to communicate with people because
you believe they have value. People’s opinions of us have less to do with what they see
in us than with what we can help them see in themselves.
8. Give Them Hope – French general Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Leaders are
dealers in hope.” When you give people hope, you give them a future.
◦Successful leaders who obey the Law of Connection are always initiators. They take
the first step with others and then make the effort to continue building relationships.
It’s not always easy, but it’s important to the success of the organization. A leader has
to do it, no matter how many obstacles there might be.
◦You connect with others when you learn their names, make yourself available to
them, tell them how much you appreciate them, find out what they are doing, and
most important, listen to them.
◦There’s an old saying: To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart.
That’s the nature of the Law of Connection. Always touch a person’s heart before you
ask for a hand.
The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills a manager can possess.
1. Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to
give. Plus, praise from a manager goes a lot farther than you might think. Praise every
improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable
delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others.
2. Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem
right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to
work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do
wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting
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your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with
their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early,
stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.
3. Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling
people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they
came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a
good idea if we do it this way?”
4. Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they
did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect
approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask,
“Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what
you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking
through solutions, not pointing a finger.
5. Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them
know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others.
You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a
leader.
7. Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms:
Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished.
Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that
everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things
like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.
8. Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a
company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don’t just wait until
the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind
your staff that you’re all in it together.
9. Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate.
This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for his or her hard
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work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company
succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high
performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and
transparent.
Leaders who insist on making all the decisions often find themselves with disengaged
employees. If people aren't taking charge in your organization, your leadership style
might be the problem.
If you have an overly directive approach, take a step back. Acknowledge your failings
with your team. Share your personal and organizational goals. Then, admit that you
don't have all the answers and you need your team's help in reaching those goals.
This will give your people room to actively participate in the organization's success.
This act of humility is often seen as courageous and inspires others to follow suit.
Persuasive or Manipulative?
All leaders are salespersons. Though they may not be peddling a product, leaders are
selling a picture of what the future could be and should be. They seek to persuade
others to buy-in to a particular vision.
Given how jaded people have become toward those in positions of authority, leaders
face a stiff challenge in persuading others to link up with their vision. In today’s
climate people distrust the motives of leaders, disbelieve their promises, and are
inclined to second-guess their decision-making. Increasingly, people perceive leaders
as having the same detestable qualities as the stereotypical used car salesman: self-
interestedness, underhandedness, and manipulation.
Leaders inevitably must convince others to support their vision and/or decisions, but
how can they gain influence with followers who hold them in suspicion? In short, how
can leaders be persuasive without being manipulative? Let’s examine three primary
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ways in which leaders behave manipulatively, and then look at three alternative
means of persuasion.
Leaders generally enjoy a positional advantage over their followers. That is, they have
the authority to issue rewards or mete out punishments. Leaders abuse their power
when they tilt the structure of incentives to secure personal advantages or to enhance
their own prestige. For example, they may reward unethical behavior if it brings them
financial gain, or they may leverage their power to sully the reputation of a
subordinate who frequently disagrees with them.
Leaders manipulate people through misinformation. The past decade has witnessed
corporate scandals in which executives have fudged numbers or completely “cooked
the books.” Yet, most manipulation happens far more subtly than financial fraud.
Leaders may simply mislead their constituents by accentuating the positives of an
arrangement while hiding its drawbacks.
For example, a used car salesman may not tell outright lies about the mileage or
features of an automobile. However, he may cover up aspects of the vehicle’s history
such as accidents or flood damage. Hence, the resonance of the advertising slogan
“Show me the Carfax!”
Manipulative leaders generally are not blind to the needs of others. In fact, the most
deceptive leaders are keenly aware of the wants and aspirations of their people, and
they use this knowledge to control others. To increase their influence, they appeal to
hopes and fears while downplaying reasoning and logic.
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Tactics of a Persuasive Leader
All too often organizations treat their employees as if they should be thankful just to
have a job. However, great leaders earn support by developing their people. Such
leaders proactively serve as mentors, networkers, equippers, and coaches; they are
always on the lookout for ways to empower employees to grow toward their potential.
Application:
With respect to those following your lead, ask yourself: “What’s in it for them?” That
is, what do they stand to gain during the process of pursuing the vision of your
team/organization?
In the long run, people trust leaders who help them discover the truth, even if it is
uncomfortable initially. Often, the shortest path to a trusting relationship crosses
through some feelings of discomfort. The truth isn’t always pleasant. Leaders help
people to get past temporary discomfort and to move toward decisions that will
benefit them long-term.
Application:
What unpleasant truths does your team presently face? Have you forthrightly
informed your team about the unpleasant aspects of your current reality?
Eager to close a sale or secure a commitment, leaders have a bad habit of promising
more than they can deliver. By over-promising, they create unrealistic expectations,
set up others for disappointment, and ultimately lose respect. The best leaders have
self-awareness of what they can offer, and they refuse to enter into agreements based
solely on optimism or best-case scenarios. Leaders not only are dealers in hope; they
also have the wherewithal to ensure that the hopes they engender are not
disappointed.
Application:
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What promises has your organization made to its customers or clients? Are you
meeting, exceeding, or failing to reach the expectations created as a result of those
promises?
What habits could you stop that are holding you back from getting to the top?:
1. Winning too much: the need to win at all costs and in all situations - when it
matters, when it doesn't, and when it's totally beside the point.
2. Adding value: the overwhelming desires to add our two cents to every discussion.
3. Passing judgment: the need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
4. Making destructive comments: the needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we
think make us sound sharp and witty.
5. Starting with "No," "But," or "However": the overuse of these negative qualifiers
which secretly say to everyone, "I'm right. You're wrong."
6. Telling the world how smart you are: the need to show people we're smarter than
they think we are.
8. Negativity, or "Let me explain why that won't work": the need to share our negative
thoughts even when we weren't asked.
10. Failing to give proper recognition: the inability to praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that we don't deserve: the most annoying way to overestimate our
contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses: the need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent
fixture so people excuse us for it.
13. Clinging to the past: the need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto
events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
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14. Playing favorites: failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret: the inability to take responsibility for our actions,
admit we're wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening: the most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude: the most basic form of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger: the misguided need to attack the innocent who are
usually only trying to help us.
19. Passing the buck: the need to blame everyone but ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be "me": exalting our faults as virtues simply because
they"re who we are.
Source: by Marshall Goldsmith, with Mark Reiter, "What Got You Here Won't Get
You There",
5. Smile.
6. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important
sound in any language.
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Win People to Your Way of Thinking
10. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
11. Show respect for the other person’s opinion. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
16. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
17. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.
Be a Leader
24. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
27. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in
your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
30. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.
3. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your
health.
b. What are the causes of the problem? c. What are the possible solutions?
1. Keep busy.
5. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more.
Cultivate a Mental Attitude that will Bring You Peace and Happiness
1. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope. 2. Never try to get
even with your enemies.
3. Expect ingratitude.
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4. Count your blessings — not your troubles.
1. Pray.
Prevent Fatigue and Worry and Keep Your Energy and Spirits High
a) Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at
hand.
c) When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to
make a decision.
(Carnigie)
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The 3 things that Steve Jobs taught us about creative
leadership
Like many others, I have been devouring books and articles about Steve Jobs ever
since he passed away. My fascination with his genius has less to do with technology
than creativity. I have been involved in advertising most of my adult life. To my mind,
in the past 25 years no other company, not even Nike or Disney, has been as
brilliantly and consistently creative as Apple. And there’s never been a better
advertising mind than Steve Jobs’.
Jobs was different from many other corporate leaders in that he always knew what he
wanted. When he returned to Apple after his decade-long banishment starting in the
mid-80′s, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. He actually wrote some of
the better lines of the famous “Think Different” manifesto ad that helped refocus the
company and bring it back from the brink, and even got personally involved in the
editing of the finished spot (see the rare Jobs-narrated tribute commercial,
below). The bar was always raised very high for his team, almost preternaturally. This
tyranny of unreasonableness in demanding of those around him to leap above and
beyond what they assumed was only just possible, was a reflection of his complete
belief, almost a religious devotion, in explosive inspiration over process.
Jobs traveled around India in the mid-1970s for 7 months, and in the process
discovered Zen. It influenced his thinking, and instilled in him a confidence to trust
in his intuition when it comes to making decisions. He famously said, “You can’t ask
customers what they want and then give it to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll
want something new”. Creative leadership is also about anticipating needs, and the
confidence to rely on intuition to complement market and consumer understanding
Lastly, to Jobs, design was never for its own sake, but for something greater – the
shaping of experiences. He thought as marketer but also as a consumer. And, from
that vantage point, he understood how to simplify design and make devices part of
our everyday experience, thereby enabling people more enjoyment of their
complicated lives. He believed in simplicity as a means of engaging people and letting
them feel close to something as overwhelming as technology. In an interview to
Business Week in 1998 he said, “That’s been one of my mantras — simplicity. Simple
can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to
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make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move
mountains.”
For Jobs creativity was about knowing what you want, applying intuition, and
keeping it simple. And maybe his genius is in how deceptively uncomplicated it
seems. Yet at the end his approach to creative leadership required raising the bar
remarkably high, inspiring others to do the impossible, and an almost unwavering
ability to focus.
In the words of Steve Jobs a reflection on what he hoped his legacy would be.
My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to
make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a
profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products,
not the profits, were the motivation. Sculley flipped these priorities to where the goal
was to make money. It’s a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything: the
people you hire, who get promoted, what you discuss in meetings.
Some people say, “Give the customers what they want.” But that’s not my approach.
Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford
once said, “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A
faster horse!’” People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s
why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the
page.
Edwin Land of Polaroid talked about the intersection of the humanities and science. I
like that intersection. There’s something magical about that place. There are a lot of
people innovating, and that’s not the main distinction of my career. The reason Apple
resonates with people is that there’s a deep current of humanity in our innovation. I
think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to
express themselves. In fact some of the best people working on the original Mac were
poets and musicians on the side. In the seventies computers became a way for people
to express their creativity. Great artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were
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also great at science. Michelangelo knew a lot about how to quarry stone, not just how
to be a sculptor.
People pay us to integrate things for them, because they don’t have the time to think
about this stuff 24/7. If you have an extreme passion for producing great products, it
pushes you to be integrated, to connect your hardware and your software and content
management. You want to break new ground, so you have to do it yourself. If you
want to allow your products to be open to other hardware or software, you have to
give up some of your vision.
At different times in the past, there were companies that exemplified Silicon Valley. It
was Hewlett- Packard for a long time. Then, in the semiconductor era, it was
Fairchild and Intel. I think that it was Apple for a while, and then that faded. And
then today, I think it’s Apple and Google—and a little more so Apple. I think Apple
has stood the test of time. It’s been around for a while, but it’s still at the cutting edge
of what’s going on.
It’s easy to throw stones at Microsoft. They’ve clearly fallen from their dominance.
They’ve become mostly irrelevant. And yet I appreciate what they did and how hard it
was. They were very good at the business side of things. They were never as ambitious
product-wise as they should have been. Bill likes to portray himself as a man of the
product, but he’s really not. He’s a businessperson. Winning business was more
important than making great products. He ended up the wealthiest guy around, and if
that was his goal, then he achieved it. But it’s never been my goal, and I wonder, in
the end, if it was his goal. I admire him for the company he built—it’s impressive—
and I enjoyed working with him. He’s bright and actually has a good sense of humor.
But Microsoft never had the humanities and liberal arts in its DNA. Even when they
saw the Mac, they couldn’t copy it well. They totally didn’t get it.
I have my own theory about why decline happens at companies like IBM or
Microsoft. The company does a great job, innovates and becomes a monopoly or close
to it in some field, and then the quality of the product becomes less important. The
company starts valuing the great salesmen, because they’re the ones who can move
the needle on revenues, not the product engineers and designers. So the salespeople
end up running the company. John Akers at IBM was a smart, eloquent, fantastic
salesperson, but he didn’t know anything about product. The same thing happened at
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Xerox. When the sales guys run the company, the product guys don’t matter so much,
and a lot of them just turn off. It happened at Apple when Sculley came in, which was
my fault, and it happened when Ballmer took over at Microsoft. Apple was lucky and
it rebounded, but I don’t think anything will change at Microsoft as long as Ballmer is
running it.
I hate it when people call themselves “entrepreneurs” when what they’re really trying
to do is launch a startup and then sell or go public, so they can cash in and move on.
They’re unwilling to do the work it takes to build a real company, which is the hardest
work in business. That’s how you really make a contribution and add to the legacy of
those who went before. You build a company that will still stand for something a
generation or two from now. That’s what Walt Disney did, and Hewlett and Packard,
and the people who built Intel. They created a company to last, not just to make
money. That’s what I want Apple to be.
I don’t think I run roughshod over people, but if something sucks, I tell people to
their face. It’s my job to be honest. I know what I’m talking about, and I usually turn
out to be right. That’s the culture I tried to create. We are brutally honest with each
other, and anyone can tell me they think I am full of shit and I can tell them the same.
And we’ve had some rip-roaring arguments, where we are yelling at each other, and
it’s some of the best times I’ve ever had. I feel totally comfortable saying “Ron, that
store looks like shit” in front of everyone else. Or I might say “God, we really fucked
up the engineering on this” in front of the person that’s responsible. That’s the ante
for being in the room: You’ve got to be able to be super honest. Maybe there’s a better
way, a gentlemen’s club where we all wear ties and speak in this Brahmin language
and velvet code-words, but I don’t know that way, because I am middle class from
California.
I was hard on people sometimes, probably harder than I needed to be. I remember
the time when Reed was six years old, coming home, and I had just fired somebody
that day, and I imagined what it was like for that person to tell his family and his
young son that he had lost his job. It was hard. But somebody’s got to do it. I figured
that it was always my job to make sure that the team was excellent, and if I didn’t do
it, nobody was going to do it.
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You always have to keep pushing to innovate. Dylan could have sung protest songs
forever and probably made a lot of money, but he didn’t. He had to move on, and
when he did, by going electric in 1965, he alienated a lot of people. His 1966 Europe
tour was his greatest. He would come on and do a set of acoustic guitar, and the
audiences loved him. Then he brought out what became The Band, and they would all
do an electric set, and the audience sometimes booed. There was one point where he
was about to sing “Like a Rolling Stone” and someone from the audience yells
“Judas!” And Dylan then says, “Play it fucking loud!” And they did. The Beatles were
the same way. They kept evolving, moving and refining their art. That’s what I’ve
always tried to do—keep moving. Otherwise, as Dylan says, if you’re not busy being
born, you’re busy dying.
What drove me? I think most creative people want to express appreciation for being
able to take advantage of the work that’s been done by others before us. I didn’t
invent the language or mathematics I use. I make little of my own food, none of my
own clothes. Everything I do depends on other members of our species and the
shoulders that we stand on. And a lot of us want to contribute something back to our
species and to add something to the flow. It’s about trying to express something in
the only way that most of us know how—because we can’t write Bob Dylan songs or
Tom Stoppard plays. We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep
feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that came before us, and to
add something to that flow. That’s what has driven me.
Coda
One sunny afternoon, when he wasn’t feeling well, Jobs sat in the garden behind his
house and reflected on death. He talked about his experiences in India almost four
decades earlier, his study of Buddhism, and his views on reincarnation and spiritual
transcendence. “I’m about fifty-fifty on believing in God,” he said. “For most of my
life, I’ve felt that there must be more to our existence than meets the eye.”
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He fell silent for a very long time. “But on the other hand, perhaps it’s like an on-off
switch,” he said. “Click! And you’re gone.”
Then he paused again and smiled slightly. “Maybe that’s why I never liked to put on-
off switches on Apple devices.”
(Isaacson)
Social media can be a potent way for Leaders within organizations to share personal
perspectives. But without the right approach, it turns into a double-edged sword.
Speak off-the-cuff and you risk hurting your reputation; don’t participate socially and
your company’s voice is muted, leaving ample room for others to shape your story.
Realize as a leader within a organization you shine bright in social mediums and you
will bring attention.
Social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and no even more so LinkedIn aren’t a
sounding board for a CEOs innermost thoughts; they’re an extension of other modes
of communication you use as the lead executive of your organization. There’s great
opportunity to share thoughts on your company or industry issues that get amplified
through networks that reach employees, investors, customers and staff. As with
existing communications efforts have a plan in place as you engage.
Avoid posting or tweeting on topics that you would never discuss aloud in a public
forum. Badmouthing competitors, going too deep into personal affairs, commenting
on staff or speaking about divisive issues is not the way to go. Don’t be gun-shy when
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engaging online, but anticipate that what you say will generate the same reaction as if
it were published in a email to all staff members.
Opinions on relevant industry issues and current events that affect your business are
fine. But steer clear of statements that might be controversial – unless you want to be
at the center of the storm. Off the cuff remarks can have a massive ripple effect to be
managed your staff, PR & HR team's and others tied to the issue after the fact. Pause
for a moment in private before you go public.
Words of caution don’t mean you can’t let your personality shine through. In fact, this
is one of the best ways Leaders can engage on a deeper, more human level with
stakeholders. Personal insights into what it’s like to lead an organization show
authenticity. Just remember that there are limits to what’s appropriate to share.
Any leader looking to engage through social media can harness the power, or suffer
from the peril, of the medium. While it provides a forum for new interaction, new
communications policies have similarities to traditional media guidelines.
Keeping that in mind will help you participate in ways that adds value, not
headaches, to your organization.
People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves. That’s how the Law of
Respect works.
People don’t follow others by accident. People who are an 8 in leadership don’t look
for a 6 to follow – they naturally follow a 9 or 10. The less skilled follow the more
highly skilled and gifted.
Occasionally, a strong leader may choose to follow someone weaker than himself. But
when that happens, it’s for a reason. For example, the stronger leader my do it out of
respect for the person’s office or past accomplishments. Or he may be following the
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chain of command. In general though, followers are attracted to people who are
better leaders than themselves.
When people get together for the first time in a group, take a look at what happens.
As they start interacting, the leaders in the group immediately take charge. But after
the people get to know one another, it doesn’t take long for them to recognize the
strongest leaders and to start following them.
In time, people in the group get on board and follow the strongest leaders. Either that
or they leave the group to pursue their own agenda.
1. Natural Leadership Ability – if you possess it, people will want to follow you.
They will become excited when you communicate vision.
2. Respect For Others – when leaders show respect for others – especially for
people who have less power or a lower position than theirs – they gain respect from
others. If you continually respect others and consistently lead them well, you will
continue to have followers.
3. Courage – Good leaders do what’s right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of
great danger and under the brunt of relentless criticism. Can you think of one great
leader from history who was without courage? A leader’s courage gives his followers
hope.
4. Success – When leaders succeed in leading the team to victory, then followers
believe they can do it again. As a result, followers follow them because they want to
be part of success in the future.
5. Loyalty – When leaders stick with the team until the job is done and look out for
their follower’s best interests even when it hurts them personally, followers will in
turn learn to respect them.
6. Value Added to Others – Followers value leaders who add value to them and
their respect for them carries on long after the relationship has ended.
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Grow an effective team and upgrade your
organizations leadership capabilities.
Train and embolden your staff members to grow their own leadership and then shoot
high when someone needs to be added to your team.
Positive Leadership
Cynicism is everywhere is many organizations. There are many cynical Junior and
middle managers that are going to stay that way: cynical and junior. The most
effective leaders have a positive outlook on their work, themselves and their lives.
Some people behave like this naturally. For the rest of us, the good news is that these
habits can be learned.
The first steps to becoming a positive leader are to become a professional leader.
Professionalism in today's business starts with respect. Respecting your people and
other managers. Its important to figure out what the accepted standard for
professionalism is in your organization and what falls below the line. Below are some
typical traps that fall below the line:
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• Mobile phones use in meetings;
Look within yourself and your team. What do you see that could be perceived as
unprofessional? Run an exercise with your team and create a list of actions and
behaviors that are regarded as unprofessional. Pick a number of areas for
improvement and hold each other accountable. Don't make your list to large; this will
become nightmare for you. Everyone can work on a few key area's to improve their
professional behavior. Once you have established these new behaviors over a few
months, you can move on to the next steps.
I often find that many people confuse leadership with positional power. We tend to
believe that a person in a position of authority or someone with a title has their
position or title due to their leadership qualities. However, in many cases there is no
correlation between someone’s position and their leadership ability.
Just having a title does not make you a leader, leaderships is about influence. Title
only buys you time to exercise true leadership, and in this time your leadership either
increases or diminishes and eventually fails. There is a huge difference between being
a boss and being a leader…! Consider the following…
• the boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace.
• the boss says, ‘Get there on time’; the leader gets there ahead of time.
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• the boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
People follow the boss because they have to if they want to keep their jobs. People
follow leaders because of who they are and were they are going. Too many leaders
today rely on their position to lead. How about you?
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others
and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pine.
Leadership not only involves knowing where you are going, but also how to work
effectively with people.
In working together with people, the leader needs warmth, enthusiasm and
sensitivity.
The loyalty of your people is priceless. It cannot be bought or secured with favours. It
cannot be won overnight and is not everlasting.
Loyalty is only given by your people if they think you are worth it. Effective leaders
make their people feel good about themselves and their work.
Help them be successful in their jobs and give and do everything you possibly can to
help them achieve their goals.
Employment engagement
Lack of employee engagement is like a cancer, eating away at your organizations vital
organs. It saps your organization's strength, directly affecting your organization's
ability to achieve the levels of customer satisfaction, productivity and profitability you
know you could achieve.
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You don’t have to be right all the time
A motivated leader is one who doesn't have to be right about everything. It's powerful
to say "now that I've listened to you, I've realized your right, I'm going to take some
steps to get it done."
Being right won't matter in the long run. What matters is achieving something. Focus
on the objective. You can be wrong about everything and still be a great leader if you
bring out the best in your people.
“If I could see further than others, it was because I stood on the shoulder of Giants”
-Isaac Newton.
So much of life’s frustration, pain and unhappiness comes because we make ourselves
the centre of our lives. We insist on living motivated by a self-regard that throws life
out of focus.
One of the surest evidences of greatness is a humble spirit. A humble person can
neither be put down or exalted – they remain the same under all circumstances.
Leadership requires that men and women recognize what they have to do and get on
with the job. They don’t expect recognition for every achievement.
True leadership happens when people want to see the work done and they care little
about who gets credit. There are those who humility and seek more praise for there
accomplishments, which gives them a greater assurance for there worth.
Leaders because of their nature, tend to have a blind spot. You may need a close
advocate and trusted friend to give you feedback on how you are coming across to
people. You are in a constant state of change, so leaders need constant appraisal.
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Are leaders born or made?
Is it possible to train people to be effective leaders -- or do you think that the best
leaders are just born that way? For some people, the question of whether leaders are
born or made is truly intellectual – fodder for a good classroom or dinner party
debate. But for people like you, in front-line positions to hire, promote, and fire, the
question, “Who has the right stuff to lead?” definitely has more urgency. Getting the
answer right can drive an organization’s culture and performance to new levels.
Getting it wrong can too -- downwards.
So what’s the answer? Of course, since we’re talking about real life here, it isn’t neat
or simple. The facts are, some leadership traits are inborn, and they’re big whoppers.
They matter a lot. On the other hand, two key leadership traits can be developed with
training and experience – in fact, they need to be.
Before going any farther, though, let’s talk about our definition of leadership. It’s
comprised of five essential traits. These traits, by the way, do not include integrity,
which is a requirement in any leadership position, or intelligence, which is likewise a
ticket to the game in today’s complex global marketplace. Nor do they include
emotional maturity, another necessity. These three characteristics are baseline –
they’re givens.
So let’s go beyond them. From our experience, the first essential trait of leadership is
positive energy – the capacity to go-go-go with healthy vigor and an upbeat attitude
through good times and bad. The second is the ability to energize others, releasing
their positive energy, to take any hill. The third trait is edge – the ability to make
tough calls, to say yes or no, not maybe. The fourth trait is the talent to execute – very
simply, get things done. Fifth and finally, leaders have passion. They care deeply.
They sweat; they believe.
As you may have figured, positive energy and the ability to energize are pretty hard-
wired. They’re basically personality. Similarly, passion feels inborn. Some people just
seem to come fully loaded with intensity and curiosity; they naturally love people,
life, and work. It’s in them. It is them.
Edge and the ability to execute are different. New hires rarely show up with them in
polished form, and even middle managers benefit from training in both. But the best
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teacher for these two traits is trench warfare. That’s because edge and execution are
largely a function of self-confidence. You can say yes or no a heck of a lot better when
you’ve done it a bunch of times and seen how well decisiveness works. Likewise, only
in real world challenges can managers truly feel the power of moving quickly,
demanding accountability, and rewarding results. They can also experience how
damaging it is not to execute – a mistake most effective leaders don’t make twice.
So are leaders born or made? The answer (perhaps not surprisingly) is both. Your
best strategy, then, is to hire for energy, the ability to energize, and passion. Go full
force in training and developing edge and execution. Promote the people who have a
good dose of all five traits. Always remember, though, that not everyone was meant to
be a leader. But as long as you are one yourself – and you are -- it’s your job to find
and build those who were (Welch, The GE Way).
Leadership skills are based on leadership behavior. Skills alone do not make leaders -
style and behavior do. If you are interested in leadership training and development -
start with leadership behavior.
The growing awareness and demand for idealist principles in leadership are
increasing the emphasis (in terms of leadership characteristics) on business ethics,
corporate responsibility, emotional maturity, personal integrity, and what is
popularly now known as the 'triple bottom line' (abbreviated to TBL or 3BL,
representing 'profit, people, planet').
3BL (triple bottom line - profit, people, planet) also provides an excellent multi-
dimensional framework for explaining, developing and assessing leadership potential
and capability, and also links strongly with psychology aspects if for instance
psychometrics (personality testing) features in leadership selection and development
methods: each of us is more naturally inclined to one or the other (profit, people,
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planet) by virtue of our personality, which can be referenced to Jung, Myers Briggs,
Etc.
Much debate persists as to the validity of 'triple bottom line accounting', since
standards and measures are some way from being clearly defined and agreed, but this
does not reduce the relevance of the concept, nor the growing public awareness of it,
which effectively and continuously re-shapes markets and therefore corporate
behavior. Accordingly leaders need to understand and respond to such huge
attitudinal trends, whether they can be reliably accounted for or not at the moment.
Cultural diversity is another topical and very relevant area requiring leadership
involvement, if not mastery. Large organisations particularly must recognise that the
market-place, in terms of staff, customers and suppliers, is truly global now, and
leaders must be able to function and appreciate and adapt to all aspects of cultural
diversification. A leader who fails to relate culturally well and widely and openly
inevitably condemns the entire organization to adopt the same narrow focus and bias
exhibited by the leader.
Bear in mind that different leadership jobs (and chairman) require different types of
leaders - Churchill was fine for war but not good for peacetime re-building. There's a
big difference between short-term return on investment versus long-term change.
Each warrants a different type of leadership style, and actually very few leaders are
able to adapt from one to the other.
If it's not clear already, leadership is without doubt mostly about behavior, especially
towards others. People who strive for these things generally come to be regarded and
respected as a leader by their people:
• Listening to and really understanding people, and show them that you understand
(this doesn't mean you have to agree with everyone - understanding is different to
agreeing).
• Always taking the responsibility and blame for your people's mistakes.
• Never self-promoting.
• Being honest but sensitive in the way that you give bad news or criticism.
• Always doing what you say you will do - keeping your promises.
• Encouraging your people to grow, to learn and to take on as much as they want to,
at a pace they can handle.
• Always accentuating the positive (say 'do it like this', not 'don't do it like that').
• Relaxing - breaking down the barriers and the leadership awe - and giving your
people and yourself time to get to know and respect each other.
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• Planning and prioritizing.
• Reading good books, and taking advice from good people, to help develop your own
understanding of yourself, and particularly of other people's weaknesses (some of the
best books for leadership are not about business at all - they are about people who
triumph over adversity).
• Achieve the company tasks and objectives, while maintaining your integrity, the
trust of your people, are a balancing the corporate aims with the needs of the world
beyond.
Respect in leadership
Respect is one of the values that we hear talked about a lot. Respect is a word that
always evokes a positive conversation. The problem has been that almost no one
really thinks about or understands what it means to respect someone, create a culture
of respect among people or for that matter what it means to be respected.
Most of us believe that respect is an important value and that it is good. We do not
normally think of respect as an action but as a feeling or judgment about other
people.
If we say we respect someone, we are “looking" at the other person in a particular way
— usually suggesting we are open to listen and honor each other’s views even if we
disagree. If we say we don’t respect someone, we are generally closed to certain
possibilities and conversations with them.
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dialogue. If we don’t respect them then we will more than likely be closed, not listen
or in some cases disregard and dismiss them and their views outright.
‘Respect’ is just a word, but what it means and what it distinguishes for us can make
all the difference in how we observe ourselves and others.
I believe that respect is the foundation for any serious discourse on coaching,
leadership or building satisfying relationships with others. Without respect there are
no possibilities for trust, sharing a vision, for empowerment or for creating powerful
teams and organizations.
Respect (or lack of it) is a core aspect of any recurring conflict situation as well as an
integral factor in most labour-management disputes. Many times, we use the term
and our feelings about respect to in effect say, “You should agree with me and behave
the way I want you to or it means you don’t respect me (or justifies my not respecting
you) and therefore I can rationalize doing just about anything I want without concern
for you”.
In an organizational or social context our judgments and level of respect become the
basis for how we relate to other people on a day-to-day basis.
When we have negative judgments, our assessments become the justification to give
or not give respect. In our everyday way of relating, we rarely notice that the
judgments and assessments are one thing, and the conclusions and actions that
follow are something else.
Respect can be seen as an action and that it is possible to create a culture in which
people naturally and authentically respect each other. To do this, however, we need to
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consider how we are looking at people already. That is, we need to observe that we
are normally judging others in terms of our own values and practices. Our baseline
for assessing others is essentially what we happen to believe at a given moment. The
implication of this has to do with whether we can take someone seriously if they don’t
meet or match our standards and beliefs.
If we can’t take someone seriously then we never have the conversations which could
make a difference in how we relate or what is or isn’t possible for us in the future.
When this occurs we become trapped in a vicious cycle of judgment-lack of respect-
reaction, and more judgment that justifies more lack of respect.
It is of course possible to partially finesse the issue by trying to separate the "human
being" from his or her behavior… “I respect YOU, but don’t respect your behavior”.
I am suggesting that we must respect everyone if the idea of respect is to make any
sense other than as a tool for judging and manipulating behavior. The reason for this
is that the simple act of judging whether someone (including ourselves) is worthy of
our respect is to separate us from the other person as a human being and assume a
"superior" relationship to them.
Human beings will always have judgments about themselves and others. It doesn’t
matter whether our judgments are positive or negative since no judgment is ever true
or false anyway, no matter how many may agree or disagree with it.
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Respect is one of many values we seek to "enculturate" in our organizations. Like all
values it cannot be legislated or regulated into existence. It can be learned, it can be
coached and leaders everywhere can demonstrate it.
Great leaders and great sales people share a common secret: the have two ears and
one mouth and they use them in that proportion. They listen twice as much as they
talk. Let people listen to there favorite voice, there own, and they will think you are
wonderful.
As I have learned over my time, you will never get in trouble for listening.
When you are selling a car, phone or an idea and concept, you follow the same
system. Below is a classic seven step sales cycle.
5. Pre-empt objections.
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The most important step is the first: agree the problem/opportunity from the other
person’s perspective.
The process is conversational in which you let the other person communicate about
what they are wanting to get out of this conversation.
The idea or concept you are trying to sell will probably make sense to you and you are
probably very enthused about your proposition, but not everyone will get excited
about your idea. You need to get into their shoes and their head and see the world
through their eyes.
Tap into the personas dreams and core values. Try and avoid selling features, work
out what the benefits are or ideally their dreams. Start with what the person wants,
not what you have.
• Leadership is seeing the possibility in a situation while others are seeing limitations.
• Leadership is the ability to submerge your ego for the sake of what is best.
• Leadership is the capacity to care, and in caring, to liberate the ideas, energy, and
capacity of others.
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• Leadership is above all, courageous.
Lifting people to a new level is a requirement for effective leadership, the saying “its
lonely at the top” is false in my opinion. Taking people to the top with them is what
good leaders do. What kind of leader would leave everyone behind on their journey. If
you separate yourself from your people you loose the feel for the pulse and feel on the
floor.
Few leaders are successful unless a lot of people want them to be. No one ever got to a
leadership role alone. Everyone needs a helping hand now and then.
Taking people with you is more for filling and pays dividends in time. A solo
mountain climber has huge risk involved. Its much safer, enjoyable and likely for
greater success if they have a guide supporting them by holding the rope below. If
they slip or fall there is someone their to hold the rope. They work together as a team.
The leader is finding and setting the path while his guide is supporting him along his
journey. To help others up you must stoop down. To be successful you must be
prepared to stoop.
Consider your employees as teammates, partners in success. Work with your people
and not enforce that they work for you, without them you cannot succeed. Without
me they cannot succeed. We are a team. We reach our goals together. We need each
other.
People working together for a common vision is an incredible experience. I was once
privileged to sit amongst an orchestra while they played. The conductor asked each
individual to play at their individual best and not worry or listen about others around
them. As good as each individual person in the team is at his or her own individual
skills; it wasn’t until they played as a team that the true experience was felt.
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Never climb the mountain alone. Make sure that the team make it to the top together.
Some people you invite along for the climb may overtake you and eventually climb
higher that you do. If you where there to give them a hand in there journey someday
they may return the favor and pull you up with them.
It's simple, but more powerful than you might realize. The words "Thank You" are
two words that some leaders neglect to say enough. Have you ever had the
unfortunate experience of doing something and not being thanked? How does it feel?
Why do I say these two words are powerful? Because by neglecting to say thank you;
you lose some respect. People will view you differently as a leader. You might
even possibly lose the opportunity for someone to do something nice for you again. I
would encourage all leaders to express gratitude often towards those they lead. Be
genuine, specific and timely in your gratitude and watch what a difference it makes.
Saying thank you can be as easy as verbally telling someone, writing a quick hand-
written note and placing it on the keyboard of the person you are thanking before you
leave for the night, making an unexpected phone call, sending a quick e-mail, giving a
candy bar or single flower, baking some cookies or providing a favorite snack. There
are a mulitude of ways to say thank you, just do it. People like grateful leaders.
There are the leaders who have an attitude of taking people for granted, and there are
leaders with and attitude of appreciation. I like people…for the most part….we all
have those people who get under our skin or we don’t really get on with, but no
matter who it is I want to make sure that I appreciate people.
People are our most valuable resource and we need to treat them as so. An attitude of
appreciation is so much more than saying “thank you” to people, but that helps. It’s
more than having a “volunteer appreciation day”, but that could be cool. An attitude
of appreciation is day in and day out cherishing the sacrifice people are making to
help build the kingdom. When you have that mindset it will ooze out of you. The way
you talk to people, the ora you give off, your accessibility…these things show your
appreciation.
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A Leader has vision.
“We grow by dreams. All big men are dreamers. Some of us let dreams die, but others
nourish and protect them, nurse them through bad days..to the sunshine and light
which always comes”~Woodrow Wilson.
Vision is the key to understanding leadership. A real leader have never lost the
childlike ability to dream.
The tragedy today is that we crush the ability of our children to dream by demanding
they grow up to soon.
“The greatest tragedy to befall a person is to have sight but lack vision.” ~Helen
Keller.
There is nothing that excites and motivates people like a vision to accomplish
something special. Leadership is that unique ability to influence people to move
toward goals that are beneficial and meet the group’s best interest.
Vision is a comprehensive sense of where you are, where you are going, how you are
going to get there and what you will do when you arrive.
It’s dreaming dreams about the future. I is seeing the big picture and personally
painting a part of it.
Vision is feeling challenged by the world and being compelled to make a mark on it
through the force of your own ideas, personality, resources and desire.
But vision must be focused and specific. If it is too broad you will flounder and
become discouraged. Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound
(SMART) goals otherwise you will become discouraged and discourage others.
Vision is blazing the campfire around which people will gather. It provides light,
energy, warmth and unity. But too many people stand away in the shadows and
refuse to come up to the fire and be part of the vision.
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Vision starts very much out of attitude. Forget the cynics and pessimists. Those who
can’t see beyond the first obstacle will always be around in abundance. But people of
vision are not afraid to fail.
1). Vision creates power. The enthusiasm that comes from vision results in
dynamic power. This then leads to greater productivity and feelings of productivity
increase your feelings of self-esteem. Enthusiasm is produced from vision and the
power from enthusiasm is the energy that drives every successful idea.
2). Great vision comes from being quiet, still, learning and developing
and often alone. Every leader needs to spend time in solitude, reflecting and
increasing his knowledge. In a quite place will come your best ideas.
3). Never allow your vision to escape you. Just as a fire will die without fuel so
too will your vision and dreams unless you keep them constantly alive. Your vision
should be so much part of you that you are living it day by day.
Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business
leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and
relentlessly drive it to completion."
What I liked most about this book is that the leadership insights are practical and can
be used daily to improve our leadership ability. I feel that this book should be the
required reading for all of us who are striving to improve their leadership. I found the
book to be easy to read and the examples provided were good.
The book creates a great foundation from which to build your leadership knowledge
and begin your personal leadership journey.
The Law of Process – Leadership develops daily, not in a day. Leadership is learnt
over time, it’s the capability to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes
leaders from their followers. Successful leaders are learners.
The Law of Navigation – Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart
the course. Leaders have a vision for their destination, they understand what it will
take to get there, they know who they’ll need on the team to be successful, and they
recognise the obstacles long before they appear on the horizon.
The Law of E.F. Hutton – When the real leader speaks, people listen. Don’t listen
to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Instead, watch the reactions of
the people around him. The proof of leadership is found in the followers. “Being in
power is like being a lady – if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” – Margaret
Thatcher
The Law of Solid Ground – Trust is the foundation of leadership. To build trust, a
leader must exemplify these qualities: competence, connection, and character.
Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible.
The Law of Respect – People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves.
People don’t follow other by accident. They follow individuals whose leadership they
respect. Followers are attracted to people who are better leaders than themselves.
The Law of Magnetism – Who you are is who you attract. Leaders are always on
the look out for good people. In most situations you draw people to you who possess
the same qualities you do. The better leader you are, the better leaders you will
attract.
The Law of Connection – Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.
Effective leaders know that you first have to touch people’s hearts before you ask
them for a hand. The heart comes before the hand. People don’t care how much you
know until they know how much you care. To connect with people in a group relate to
them as individuals. It’s the leader’s job to initiate connection with the people.
The Law of the Inner Circle – A leader’s potential is determined by those closest
to him. A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. All great leaders
have surrounded themselves with a strong inner circle.
The Law of Empowerment – Only secure leaders give power to others. The
people’s capacity to achieve is determined by their leader’s ability to empower. “The
best executive is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he
wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while
they do it” – Theodore Roosevelt.
The Law of Reproduction – It takes a leader to raise up a leader. More than four
out of every five of all leaders that you ever meet will have emerged as leaders
because of the impact made on them by established leaders who mentored them.
People cannot give to others what they themselves do no possess. The potential of an
organisation depends on the growth of its leadership.
The Law of Buy-In – People buy into the leader, then the vision. The leader finds
the dream and then the people. The people find the leader, and then the dream.
People don’t first follow worthy causes. They follow worthy leaders who promote
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worthwhile causes.
The Law of Victory – Leaders find a way for the team to win. Leaders believe that
anything less than success is unacceptable. And they have no Plan B. That keeps them
fighting.
The Law of the Big Mo – Momentum is a leader’s best friend. You can’t steer a
ship that isn’t moving forward. It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers catch
it. And managers are able to continue once it has began. But creating it requires
someone who can motivate others, not who needs to be motivated. Getting started is
a struggle, but once you’re moving forward, you can really start to do some amazing
things.
The Law of Timing – When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go.
Only the right action at the right time will bring success. If a leader repeatedly shows
poor judgement, even in little things, people start to think that having him as the
leader is the real mistake.
The Law of Explosive Growth – To add growth, lead followers – to multiply, lead
leaders. The key to growth is leadership. “It is my job to build the people who are
going to build the company.” – John Schnatter. To go to the highest level, you have to
develop leaders of leaders.
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Chapter 3. One on one’s
Creating great relationships is how careers, business and great teams are built.
One of the best ways to motivate others is to give them interesting things to do,
especially things that free up your time.
People who succeed in leadership and in sales transform the entire activity away from
the concept of managing and selling into a day-to-day concept of building
relationships.
The foundations for success is in one on one's, coaching, feedback and delegation..
"Know, Grow, Empower and Guide you people"
The best manager have great relationships with the people and make a effort to get to
know them well.
One on one's are a way to Continually monitor development levels and progress on
tasks. You can determine when adjustments in your leadership style needs
adjustments to suit your people's knowledge and environment levels.
In the one on one you should give directions and support as needed on achieving the
goals and tasks determined.
You have a opportunity to exchange information, give progress reports and help solve
problems. It is also a place where you can strengthen your relationship with you and
the people you lead. You build trust and credibility.
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One on One's need to be schedules regularly. Establish a weekly time that suit both
people involved. Communicate that the responsibility of the agenda lies with the
individual using the matrix of 10/10/10. This is:
Third 10 minutes are to discuss progress on goals and tasks agreed upon and re set
new goals and tasks if necessary.
To develop a better relationship with each of our directs we have regular one on
one’s. The reason we want better relationships is that the better our relationship the
better the results and retention, the two keys to being an effective relationship.
Managers who are clinging to the idea that they “talk to their people all the time” and
that gets you the relationship you need, its just not true.
One on one’s are a way of professionally addressing our desire to have a solid
professional relationship with each of our directs.
Make the one on one about the direct, help them be comfortable with a scheduled
time to meet.
The one on one is not a time for you to get a update on the projects their working on,
this is a different meeting, its a time where you discuss there goals, dreams, fears,
concerns and things that are important to them.
Most directs will start to talk about the work as this is a large part of their life. This
may take a few meetings but as you build trust and your relationship grows you will
both get what you need from these meetings.
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Think of your directs as people, as individuals not as directs. They are not like you
and shouldn't try and make them like you. Many managers continue to think of their
directs as directs as its easier they can keep a distance, get their work done and relate
to them as interchangeable parts, as directs as opposed to thinking about each one of
them and getting the most out of each of them.
We say to ourselves “They’re responsible for their motivation, not me, and they ought
to give me their best regardless of weather I know them well or not”
In theory and in principle these manager are right, each of your directs should give
you and the company their best regardless. But they don't.
The reason they don't is their reasonable fear of your role’s power, and their lack of
relationship with you to mitigate that role power.
Once we start thinking about having relationships with each of your team, rather than
the whole team, we start needing to spend time with each of them.
Some will cross their arms for a coupe of months, others will feed you what they
believe they need to stay out of your way others will open and embrace the
experience, either way persist with it and continue to create a great professional
relationship.
If your direct isn't one to share a lot of personal information about themselves,
hobbies, personal life or family, thats okay. It’s no required that they “Share”
anything at all.
I recommend starting all one on one’s with the same questions. It doesn't matter
what that questions is, as long as its an open ended questions and the same each
week. This sends a clear message that the agenda is now with the direct. I would
always record the reply in my notes. If one week the reply was very different from
previous weeks this would become an alarm bell that something could be bothering
them.
Be patient, sometimes it takes time for a direct to open up. They are not doing
anything wrong as its their agenda. Its your responsibility to allow them to discuss
what ever topic they wish. If the directs feel that we are using the one on one to get
what we want they will become guarded and it will become just another meeting
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about work and not a meeting about a professional relationship that leads to better
results.
Some directs will want to talk about work, Thats fine, good even. Some directs will
immediately be personal, thats fine too. Some of your directs will share, share, share.
One on one’s are designed to improve communication with each of your directs.
Thats each direct and its not to improve the results of the team - though that will
happen. Focusing on individuals by communicating with individuals gets better
“team” results because individuals perform better.
If your focused on individuals you've got to talk to them in a way that makes sense to
them and an environment that comfortable for them.
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Chapter 4 Coaching.
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully
upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us."
Don't talk about what you're not. People are drawn to those who know who they are,
where they're going and what they believe.
It's better to endure the discomfort of the truth now than suffer the discomfort of the
lie later.
Coaching steps
How many times have you trained a colleague in a task, only to have that person
come knocking on your door every five minutes with a question?
People learn by watching others, so instead of telling people how to solve a problem,
show them. Take them through each step, explaining the reasons behind each. Then
allow them to ask as many questions as needed. This will not only give them the
foundation they need to do the task, but will prompt you to master the task more
deeply as you provide a justification for each step.
Coaching has been and still is a passion I hold close to me. Traditional management
of "command and control" has serious limitations in a world that is changing rapidly.
Organizational "culture" is becoming a central concern for leaders and managers and
recognized it as the phenomenon that could either impede or facilitate the kinds of
changes that are necessary to maintain progress and effectiveness in what is a global
economy.
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The term "coaching" has become a catchall buzzword encompassing all kinds of
consulting, counseling and management concepts and activities. Coaching is in
fashion!
Unfortunately, as with any idea that becomes popular, the underlying potential of
"coaching" as a new paradigm of management and leadership can be diluted and
become a distinction without a difference. Specifically, the word is often now used as
a metaphor or sometimes synonymous with supervision, counseling, mentoring, and
the traditional role of manager.
Most of us know from personal experience that a relationship with a coach is not the
same as a relationship with a traditional manager. We know from experience that we
listen and respond differently to a coach and we are often empowered to accomplish
more with a coach than we accomplish when relating to a traditional manager. It is
not surprising that historically in virtually every field of human endeavor where
performance is the objective, "coaching" has been an integral aspect of the design of
the game and the more professional the players, the greater the demand for coaching.
The need to create "coaching cultures" in our organizations is more pressing than
ever. This is because a coaching culture is based on distinguishing, empowering and
coordinating individual commitment and action.
The need to clarify and integrate coaching competencies into our existing roles as
leaders and managers is essential. The reason for this is that in most organizations
today, leaders no longer have the luxury of time or the capability to maintain the
illusion that they "control" the decision-making and actions of the people who work
in the enterprise.
Coaching is not a replacement for solid management skills, but a new context, a new
way of observing and relating to people and action --- a different way of being.
From a perspective of action, coaching and leadership are virtually synonymous. Both
the coach and the leader are always engaged with other people, they work exclusively
in a medium of relationship and conversations, and they are both working to create
through others a "future" that is unpredictable and unprecedented. For coaches and
leaders, the future isn't a goal, it is a reality NOW and their job is to bring forth what
is missing or what needs to be eliminated so that their vision can be manifested in the
world.
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Learning to "be a coach" or "be a leader" requires more than appropriating new
techniques or understanding a new model. It requires a fundamental shift in how one
observes their world, themselves and other human beings. This shift begins when we
consider that all human beings normally behave and act based on how our world
"occurs" for us, not because of the "way it is". For example, we can all find situations
in our own experience where our actions were inconsistent with what we "knew' to be
the case such as in continuing to smoke, running away from something because we
were afraid even though no real threat existed or making a decision which we knew to
be wrong at the time, but rationalized or justified making it anyway.
As a premise, we could say that coaching enables people to change the way the world
"occurs" for them. When this happens, there are possibilities and actions available
that are not available otherwise. We often hear organizational leaders speaking about
the need to change people's "mindsets", to get "buy-in" to some radical new approach
or to overcome historical ways of working. We can also see myriad examples of
frustration and costs associated with trying to explain, justify, or rationally argue for
change only to find that people are more often than not acting and behaving in the
same ways they did previously.
The key to creating a "coaching culture" or any new culture is in exploring the
phenomenon of commitment. If our reality is a function of our actions and our
actions are a function of our commitments and we only commit to what is reasonable
and feasible, then we will obviously be generating more of the same.
It is not possible to coach someone or for that matter to be coached in the absence of
authentic commitment. I distinguish commitment here from wanting, wishing,
trying, hoping or any other notion such as "what is realistic" that we sometimes
substitute for commitment.
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a) everyone is always committed to something whether they are aware of it or not and
b) often our commitments are cultural in nature, that is we've become committed to
interpretations and practices given us from the past and relate to them as "truths"
without rigorous examination or choice.
In a coaching culture, the commitments to the future come first and then the
planning is about how to accomplish or deliver on those commitments. One must be
willing to authentically commit to a breakthrough BEFORE there is evidence that it
can be accomplished or it can never be accomplished except as a consequence of
"good luck" or some other circumstantial explanation.
• Grants total freedom, choice and power to those they coach --- is vulnerable
• Is more committed to the others commitments and results than the person being
coached is --- an unreasonable stand FOR the other person
• Observes the others behavior and conversations for inconsistencies with the stated
commitment or possibility, often revealing unexamined commitments and beliefs
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• "Comes from" the point of view that the results have already been accomplished and
has a creative relationship with the future --- does not play the game to cope with
circumstance or find out what will happen --- is inventing the future
• Operates with clarity and consistency of his or her own commitments and "walks
the talk" at all times --- speaks and listens commitment
• Maintains an active relationship and dialogue with his or her own coach --- "pushes
the envelope" of their own thinking, actions and accomplishment
These practices aren't unique or limited to only a context of coaching. They tend to
occur naturally in highly responsible leaders and people broadly in times of crisis. I
believe they are present in many instances of great accomplishment and leadership.
These are "contextual competencies" in that they all relate to distinguishing what is
missing or what is occurring in the background of a situation. One question that has
particular relevance to organizations, however, is "can they be systematically learned
or are they simply natural qualities that one must be 'born with', acquire through
fortuitous circumstances of life, or appear only when there is an organizational
crisis?"
The answer is clearly "yes". These competencies can be systematically learned and
mastered. Qualities and abilities such as committed listening, having compassion,
living as one's word, being responsible, generating trust, creating possibilities and so
forth are obviously desirable and often attributable to others --- however, they can be
elusive when we try to learn them ourselves or teach them to others.
These kinds of qualities and abilities all have to do with our way of being, with who
we are as committed human beings. Normally, when attempting to develop these
qualities in others, we are often perceived as "preaching" them as virtues.
If the focus shifts to "what are people's commitments" and "how are they 'seeing'
their situation", it becomes obvious that many other interpretations are possible such
as, "success depends on satisfying customers and other stakeholders including our
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families". In this context there isn't a problem, just a commitment and other
questions such as "how do I satisfy all my stakeholders in the time I am committed to
working. This in turn will often reveal new strategies, missing competencies and
networks of people who might help. A new context or cultural "opening" doesn't
proscribe action or solve problems, but leads to new thinking and actions depending
upon the commitments of those involved.
Being Responsible for the "Box". This involves various methods for displaying or
"showing" the existing culture. This is the "box" often referred to when challenging
people to "get out of their box". This is more than simple description and is the result
of questioning conventional wisdom and revealing AS CULTURE many of the hallway
conversations and points of view that are widely shared within the organization but
rarely addressed.
For example, if we ask, "what does everybody know about the way things get done
around here", people will begin to articulate this conventional wisdom such as "you
must get the boss's permission before you do something or you will be punished".
This kind of generalized belief can persist even when the boss has encouraged risk-
taking and independent action.
The result of this step is the recognition that our culture is not a problem but is the
phenomenon that blinds us to possibilities and actions that would allow us to create
an "unpredictable" future.
The result of this step is the alignment of the top team on the "game we are playing"
and an authentic commitment to learning and changing themselves as appropriate.
They are committed to "walking the talk" and demonstrating new ways of being as
models for the rest of the organization.
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Walking the Talk. To anchor the foundation and sustain "new ways of being" requires
a company solidify its new culture through design of processes and practices
consistent with this new worldview.
Coaching is a partnership between human beings in which one person can empower
another to accomplish more than is possible on their own. When commitment and
actions are aligned, the coach is able to assist in creating larger and larger
possibilities and learning becomes an "upward creative spiral".
The "coaching approach" allows an organization to get at what is beneath all the
things that are traditionally in the way of becoming the organization that they want to
be. It goes beyond addressing symptoms or problems or putting a band-aid on what
is wrong.
Coaching creates sustainable positive changes in "the way things are". The ontological
underpinnings of this approach, which deals with the nature of being, allow people to
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experience themselves and their world more directly and have a more responsible
relationship with whatever they see is limiting them.
"Coaching competencies" are the practices that allow a person to be effective in the
domain of context or culture. Coaching an organization's members to learn them in
practice and move toward mastery in these areas leads to having an organizational
culture where commitment to clarity and results in more important than the
historical and unexamined attachment to reasons, justifications, control and
predictable outcomes.
Creating a coaching culture is the fastest and most sustainable strategy for an
organization committed to continuously reinventing itself and for being successful in
a complex and globally interconnected world characterized by constant and
unpredictable change.
An Unconventional Gift
I think it’s fair to say that most managers like to do good things for the people who
work for them, to make them feel more appreciated, productive and fulfilled.
Unfortunately, many of them don’t seem to know what their employees really want or
need, and so they end up relying on the same traditional things: training classes,
monetary bonuses, small office perks.
Now, employees aren’t going to turn down a bonus or a perk, and in many cases,
they’ll be glad to attend a training class, but those things don’t have the
transformational affect on people that managers would like. And because they cost
real money, they’re not always available for managers to use, especially during
difficult times.
I have an idea about how a manager can meaningfully impact an employee’s sense of
esteem, enthusiasm and importance. It is completely free, and turns out to be almost
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as beneficial for managers as it is for the people who work for them. But it’s a little
counter-intuitive. Let me explain.
Instead of doing something for the people who work for you, find a way to let them do
something for you. I told you it was counter-intuitive. But it actually makes sense,
and isn’t at all selfish.
The best way to endear yourself to someone is not to offer to do something for them,
but rather to ask them to do something for you. The underlying logic is that people
actually feel better about themselves and about someone else when they are in the
position of being a helper, rather than a helpee.
That’s because helpers receive a sense of contribution and confidence, while helpees
often feel dependent and in debt to someone. As a college wants said to me, if you
want a girl to like you, don’t ask her if she wants help with her homework, ask her to
help you with yours. Who would have thought?
I realize that this might sound manipulative, and indeed, if used insincerely, it can be.
But with the right intentions, with a genuine interest in helping employees grow in
confidence and self-esteem, it can be transformational.
Here’s how it might work. Sit down and think about each of the people who work for
you. Identify something about them that you admire, that you genuinely believe they
do better than you. That shouldn’t be hard, because every employee has skills or
talents that exceed those of their bosses.
Once you’ve identified those skills or talents, take a moment to tell each employee
why you admire them. If you mean it – and that is absolutely essential – it will blow
them away. Be sure to be specific about what you admire about them and state the
fact you would like to learn from them. It doesn’t have to be right then, and it doesn’t
have to come in one fell swoop. Over time, you’d like them to coach you in that area.
This does not diminished your authority as their leader at work, but rather made it
abundantly clear that they have as much to offer me as I do them, in spite of the
hierarchy at work.
Now, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this is sometimes difficult for me, and probably
for any manager, to do this. There are times when I don’t want to acknowledge
another person’s superiority, and I know that, in my weaker moments, I’ve
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downplayed the talents of others out of pride. But overcoming that pride, and
allowing my staff members to shine, is something that is good and right and
liberating, and it will probably have a more lasting impact than any bonus, perk or
training class ever could.
During this Christmas season, as you remember that “it is better to give than to
receive,’ think about letting your people give you something. What you’ll be giving
them is the gift of admiration and importance. Of course, you might want to buy them
something too so they don’t just think you’re being cheap.
The relationship between growth and leadership: It’s the capacity to develop and
improve one’s skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.
Successful leaders are learners. And the learning process is ongoing, a result of self-
discipline and perseverance.
The Phases of Leadership Growth Phase 1: I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know – few
think of themselves as leaders and as long as a person doesn’t know the importance
of leadership he isn’t going to grow. D1 Phase 2: I Know That I Need to Know – at
some point we discover we need to learn how to lead. D2 Phase 3: I Know What I
Don’t Know – if we don’t get better at leadership, our careers will eventually get
bogged down. In this phase you develop a plan for personal growth on areas you need
improvement. D2 Phase 4: I Know and Grow and It Starts to Show – when you
recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily discipline of personal growth, exciting
things start to happen. You start becoming an effective leader but you have to think
about every move you make. D3 Phase 5: I Simply Go Because of What I Know – your
ability to lead becomes almost automatic. You develop great instincts which results in
incredible payoffs. But the only way to get there is to obey the Law of Process and pay
the price. D4
Benjamin Disraeli asserted, “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for
his time when it comes.”
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There is an old saying: champions don’t become champions in the ring – they are
merely recognized there. That’s true. If you want to see where someone develops into
a champion, look at his daily routine.
Trust. HR managers must earn the trust of employees. They need to take care of
those who do a good job, and “tell it straight” to those who are not performing well.
Rigorous evaluations, noting that no employee should wonder where he or she stands
in the company. Weak performers should be “traded out of the team.” That this does
not necessarily mean they should be fired. Often a weak performer will be a better fit
in a different position in the organization.
HR professionals can make their CEOs recognize their value to the company by over-
delivering. HR professionals have to make their bosses smarter by giving them more
than what they ask for. HR also has to insist on having a voice within upper
management.
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What Is Competence?
Competence is more than a skill. It is the ability to make and keep promises.... I
believe we can teach a skill, but need to coach people to be competent.
Jack Welch, respected business leader and writer is quoted as proposing these
fundamental leadership principles (notably these principles are expanded in his 2001
book 'Jack: Straight From The Gut'):
1. There is only one way - the straight way. It sets the tone of the organization.
2. Be open to the best of what everyone, everywhere, has to offer; transfer learning
across your organization.
3. Get the right people in the right jobs - it is more important than developing a
strategy.
9. Understand where real value is added and put your best people there.
10. Know when to meddle and when to let go - this is pure instinct.
As a leader, your main priority is to get the job done, whatever the job is. Leaders
make things happen by:
As a leader you must know yourself. Know your own strengths and weaknesses, so
that you can build the best team around you.
However - always remember the philosophical platform - this ethical platform is not a
technique or a process - it's the foundation on which all the techniques and
methodologies are based.
Plan carefully, with your people where appropriate, how you will achieve your aims.
You may have to redefine or develop your own new aims and priorities. Leadership
can be daunting for many people simply because no-one else is issuing the aims -
leadership often means you have to create your own from a blank sheet of paper. Set
and agree clear standards. Keep the right balance between 'doing' yourself and
managing others 'to do'.
Build teams. Ensure you look after people and that communications and
relationships are good. Select good people and help them to develop. Develop people
via training and experience, particularly by agreeing objectives and responsibilities
that will interest and stretch them, and always support people while they strive to
improve and take on extra tasks. Follow the rules about delegation closely - this
process is crucial. Ensure that your managers are applying the same principles. Good
leadership principles must cascade down through the whole organization. This means
that if you are leading a large organization you must check that the processes for
managing, communicating and developing people are in place and working properly.
Communication is critical. Listen, consult, involve, explain why as well as what needs
to be done.
Some leaders lead by example and are very 'hands on'; others are more distanced and
let their people do it. Whatever - your example is paramount - the way you work and
conduct yourself will be the most you can possibly expect from your people. If you set
low standards you are to blame for low standards in your people.
"... Praise loudly, blame softly." (Catherine the Great). Follow this maxim.
If you seek one single-most important behavior that will rapidly earn you respect and
trust among your people, this is it: Always give your people the credit for your
achievements and successes. Never take the credit yourself - even if it's all down to
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you, which would be unlikely anyway. You must however take the blame and accept
responsibility for any failings or mistakes that your people make. Never never never
publicly blame another person for a failing. Their failing is your responsibility - true
leadership offers is no hiding place for a true leader.
Take time to listen to and really understand people. Walk the job. Ask and learn
about what people do and think, and how they think improvements can be made.
Accentuate the positive. Express things in terms of what should be done, not what
should not be done. If you accentuate the negative, people are more likely to veer
towards it. Like the mother who left her five-year-old for a minute unsupervised in
the kitchen, saying as she left the room, "...don't you go putting those beans up your
nose..."
Have faith in people to do great things - given space and air and time, everyone can
achieve more than they hope for. Provide people with relevant interesting
opportunities, with proper measures and rewards and they will more than repay your
faith.
Take difficult decisions bravely, and be truthful and sensitive when you implement
them.
Constantly seek to learn from the people around you - they will teach you more about
yourself than anything else. They will also tell you 90% of what you need to know to
achieve your business goals.
Embrace change, but not for change's sake. Begin to plan your own succession as
soon as you take up your new post, and in this regard, ensure that the only promises
you ever make are those that you can guarantee to deliver.
"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak
boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is
making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year
after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of: the power to
change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism."
-Shearson Lehman
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Transforming organizational culture, building new competencies for leadership and
communication, and coaching people to accomplish what they say they want to
accomplish is a challenge to us all.
At the center of this is the notion of commitment—not just the word, the idea that
commitment is a universal phenomenon and basic to all human coordination.
Commitment is the foundation for any kind of intentional change.
From my perspective, there are two kinds of change in our everyday experience of
living: that which we make happen (such as starting a business, creating a new
market, producing unprecedented results or building a new product) and the kinds of
change which seem to happen around us in the course of life itself (such as climate
change, various “social” problems and shifts in fashion).
In the first instance, people are clearly committed to make something new happen. In
the second instance, our choice is often to change ourselves in relationship to changes
that we did not conceive or intend—to cope with or adapt to a “new reality”. In both
instances, however, the key to accomplishment is our capacity to commit ourselves to
creating something that did not exist for us previously—to invent new interpretations
and practices for having our reality be consistent with our commitments.
On one hand, it can be argued that without commitment nothing will change, at least
that we have anything to do with. We must accept whatever the circumstances of our
lives give us and learn to cope effectively. For many, this leads to a kind of resignation
and passive acceptance without real possibility for changing our world or ourselves.
On the other hand, if we only commit to what our common sense tells us is feasible
and possible, we will, by definition, have more of the same because common sense is
our collective understanding of the world based on past experience and practices.
Yet, anyone can identify dozens of examples of “realities” today that were
unimaginable or made no sense only a few years ago and yet are becoming ordinary
now. Consider the internet, cell phones, cloning, fax machines, the collapse of the
Soviet Union, expanding political awareness, terrorism and the global economy as
examples. Most of the people I meet in technological fields say they are working on
solutions to problems that will be obsolete by the time they are implemented. At the
current rate of knowledge expansion, we are rapidly approaching a time when almost
anything we learn will be obsolete before we learn it.
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In such a world, to organize our thinking and our actions around what has worked in
the past—our common sense—is a formula for ever-increasing anxiety and failure to
achieve our ambitions. I believe that some of the most pressing questions of our times
relate to how to thrive and prosper in an increasingly unpredictable world.
• what is it?
• how does our understanding of commitment shape our lives and possibilities?
• what are the consequences of making and keeping (or not keeping) commitments?
• what is our everyday relationship with commitments, our own and others?
• most importantly, how can our commitments enhance our satisfaction in living, our
effectiveness in accomplishing our ambitions and our capacity to empower ourselves
and other human beings.
All human beings make commitments. Even the biggest procrastinator will recognize
at some point he is committed to not making a decision. Sometimes we keep our
commitments, and sometimes we don't. It has been argued that one of the things
which distinguishes human beings from the rest of the animal kingdom is that we
have the capacity to generate and act consistent with our commitments (while the
behavior of animals is a function of instinct). Without commitment, we could not
coordinate actions. We would not have institutions such as marriage; enterprises
could not exist, even normal social interactions such as meeting someone for coffee
would not occur. Life would be a random event. The future could never be more than
a mechanistic extension of what has gone before and life, for the most part, would be
circumstantially determined.
The capacity to commit may be the most distinguishing and constitutive aspect of our
existence as human beings. In spite of this, the term ‘commitment' and what it refers
to is transparent for most of us most of the time. Most of us agree that commitment is
important, but live as though it is a mere convention and that outcomes are a
function of forces and factors outside ourselves.
The power of commitment is that it is the only action of which human beings are
capable in which the future and the present appear in the same moment. When I
promise to meet you, I am evoking the future time and circumstances of our meeting
in the same moment as I speak the promise.
An example of this can be seen when we speak with people in organizations and ask
how much time is spent in meetings and how do people evaluate the value of
meetings. Predictably, we will hear there are too many meetings and most of them
are a waste of time. At the same time, most people are complaining that they lack the
time to do many of the things which they say need to be done. The conclusion most
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often reached is to have fewer meetings. This is, in turn, followed by all the reasons
we can't really have fewer meetings or why we can't have our meetings be more
productive. The general mood becomes one of “resignation” until we simply accept or
put up with the status quo and go through the motions of meetings without concern
for or expectation that they can ever change.
Unfortunately, most of the work human beings do—in fact most of our lives—happens
in meetings with other people. Consider, for example, that a telephone or email
conversation is a kind of meeting, a sales call is a kind of meeting, and most planning
occurs in meetings. Even social events or having a romantic dinner can be viewed as
“meetings”.
Meetings are never a problem in and of themselves. We can all think of examples of
meetings that were extraordinary, even life-changing.
What people are saying is that they spend too much time in meetings that are
unproductive or unsatisfying. To a large extent, this is because people are speaking
without commitment or they lack competency in resolving differences and having
effective dialogue. If we ask ourselves what we are committed to making happen in
the meeting—then organize our conversations around that commitment—we will
begin to observe and experience a different meeting.
Not only do we empower ourselves as actors in the meeting (as opposed to reacting to
what is said), but we also begin to listen differently to what is occurring and have
many options not normally apparent.
The British writer George Bernard Shaw said, “Reasonable people adapt themselves
to the circumstances. Unreasonable people adapt the circumstances to themselves.
Progress depends on unreasonable people.”
This quotation highlights the dilemma that confronts us when we seriously consider
making fundamental changes in how we live, how we work, our business culture and
our practices for coordination. It suggests that if we expect anything to change, we
need to be UNREASONABLE. More specifically, we need to make unreasonable
commitments. If we only commit to what we think is reasonable or feasible, we are,
by definition, making commitments to more of the same—to living in the cultural
drift. “Reasons” are, by definition, products of past experience and common
understandings for why things happen and what is or is not possible.
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Being unreasonable is not the same as being unrealistic. Being unreasonable means
acting in a manner that is inconsistent with conventional wisdom and common sense.
Any example of significant change began with someone making a commitment to a
possibility that was viewed as unreasonable or impossible at the time. Commitment is
the difference between living in a context of responsibility for creating the future
versus living in a context of reasonableness in which we must cope with whatever the
circumstances give us.
One of the things I have learned is that people place a great deal of value on
intelligence and knowledge. In a world that doesn't change or that changes very
slowly, this value makes sense and is even practical since there is time to learn and
apply what we know. In a world that is changing at exponential rates, however,
conventional intelligence and knowledge are often obsolete before we have time to
apply them. If we need proof or established acceptance of knowledge before we act,
then it is often too late and our competitors have gone on to something else. We
become intelligent and knowledgeable followers.
Intelligence and knowledge may inform what we commit to, but in themselves change
nothing. The only thing that changes anything is commitment and action —
intelligence and knowledge are not action. At best, they are a potential for action. At
worst, they are a source of cognitive blindness and arrogance. In today's world, we
must be willing and able to commit to possibility and action based on our vision and a
view of what is needed to fulfil that vision.
In other words, the problems associated with effecting meaningful changes in our
lives and in our organizations are aggravated by the culture's tendency to reject
whatever might make a difference.
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Our actions, in turn, will correlate with how the world occurs for us. Since our actions
are producing whatever circumstances we have, we inevitably find ourselves in a self-
referential and self-fulfilling relationship with our view of our world. When people
recognize this for themselves, they recover the capacity to be responsible for their
point of view as just their point of view. When this occurs, people can interact with
others in new ways, have different conversations, make authentic commitments, take
new and unprecedented actions and thereby change or even transform their “reality”.
Commitment is also an action itself. Commitment doesn't occur until a human being
expresses the commitment either by speaking or by doing something intentionally
and directly. Commitment is choice. Commitment is the primary cause.
Commitments don't refer to action; they are actions that transform one's relationship
to the present and the past. Commitment is an action in language. I distinguish
commitment as conscious action in the present moment. I cannot make a
commitment yesterday and I cannot make a commitment tomorrow (until tomorrow
comes).
From the perspective of commitment as an action, we could conclude that the answer
to creating change to living a more productive and satisfying life and being more
responsible is captured in the Nike slogan, “Just do it”. Most will agree, however, that
knowing what to do and doing it are not the same. Cultures are constituted to persist.
The nature of this persistence can be heard in the rationale or conversations we have
about why we don't “just commit” and then do whatever it takes to fulfill our
commitments.
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the work of everyone else. The whole concept of “empowerment” is based in the
practical recognition that an enterprise cannot survive without everyone involved
self-generating results based in their own intelligence and commitments.
“Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts
of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream
of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen
incidents and meeting and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt
would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and
magic in it.'”
Wisdom resists group pressures, thinks for itself and is reconciled to use its own
judgment. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or if you where handed a
leadership role on a silver plate; everyone has to buy wisdom on a installment plan.
Wisdom is making the best use of knowledge. Develop the ability of discernment. The
effective leader has an “insight” needed given for and given situation.
One of the tests of a leader is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an
emergency.
Gaining knowledge will give you the facts you need so that you will not freeze in
making decisions.
Fear, doubt and worry will immobilize you from getting the job done. Reading and
studying will help you overcome many problems and propel you to proceed.
The failure to give appropriate and timely feedback is the most extreme cruelty that
we can conflict on any human being.
The managers who have the biggest trouble motivating their people are the one's who
give the least feedback.
If you cut of the feedback, people will manufacture their own feedback.
The same way you want more feedback from your manager on your performance,
your people are looking for feedback from you on how they are doing.
Describe the impact. Tell them what the result of their behavior are. Tailor the impact
the the social style of the person you are delivering it to.
Delivering feedback is one of business life’s most underrated art forms. When you
give effective feedback, you’re offering either comfort (to good performers) or
showing the path to improvement (for not-so-good ones). When you fail to deliver
straightforward feedback or deliver it too infrequently, you institutionalize
inadequacy. Chances are, you’re doing more of the second than the first.
That’s because of the way everyone is taught to give feedback. The usual advice is to
serve it up like a cheese sandwich. Start by saying something encouraging (the
bottom slice of bread), then move on to the behavior that needs to be improved (the
cheese) and close with some heartening parting words (the top slice).
What happens? Naturally, the recipient only tastes the corrective cheese, and forgets
all the positive reinforcement. That’s why I prefer to take the gluten-free approach:
Cut the bread and get to the point, in order to leave room for more. I prefer to deliver
positive and negative feedback as separate courses, while maintaining that everyone
can stomach some extra dessert. In other words, if you acknowledge good
performance as often as possible, the occasional constructive feedback you offer will
go down easier and will more likely be acted on.
Remember, though, the quality of cheese affects how the message is digested. (Okay,
I promise, this metaphor is reaching the end of its useful life.) When providing
positive or negative advice, phrasing is crucial: Pronouns are the secret sauce. When
you give a compliment, start the sentence with “You.” When you’re criticizing, it’s all
about “I.” As in “I get the sense that your heart isn’t in this task, Grimsley.” Or “I
didn’t understand the goal of your presentation, Smith.” Grimsley and Smith can’t
argue with your own perceptions, and you’ve given a constructive perspective on their
performance without backing them into a corner.
Many years ago, as a fresh new supervisor, I was asked to improve the performance of
the company’s weakest group of remote field engineers. I quickly learned that the
team felt alienated by scattershot criticism and a lack of recognition from the Head
Office. Something had to change. The team and I designed a review system to
evaluate each project on a 10-point scale. That transformed the feedback from
random critiques to consistent, objective assessments. After three months on the new
In my own business, I’ve noticed how my supervisors tend to say nothing about their
team members’ good performance until they feel it’s time to correct a mistake. Then
they serve the praise and criticism as a cheese sandwich that comes across as
patronizing and insincere—with criticism that overwhelms the bland praise. The
truth is, your employees (and suppliers) are hungry for feedback. You can’t give
enough. And if you serve it right, you will inspire better performance and a taste for
even more.
t can be incredibly frustrating when a co-worker agrees with a plan of action, only to
go off and do his own thing. This type of sabotage is all too common and can make it
difficult to achieve your goals. When you have a co-worker who says one thing and
does another, try this:
Give feedback. Explain to your co-worker what you're seeing and experiencing.
Describe the impact of his behavior on you and provide suggestions for how he might
change.
Focus on work, not the person. You need to get the work done despite your
peer's style, so don't waste time wishing he would change. Concentrate on completing
the work instead.
Ask for commitment. At the end of a meeting ask everyone (not just the
troublemaker) to reiterate what they are going to do and by when. Sometimes peer
pressure can keep even the most passive-aggressive person on task.
What do you believe about leadership? How do your beliefs drive your attitudes and
actions? How would people who know you answer these questions about you? What
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do they know about servant leadership by observing your attitudes and actions
toward them? If you want to know how you are doing in living out your beliefs, ask
those around you.
Consider this...who can you ask today for feedback? Every leader should have
someone they feel comfortable with receiving honest and frank feedback from.
To be angry with a weak person is proof that you are not very strong.
As a leader its your responsibility to give affirmative effective and adjusting feedback.
Even if the person disagrees with the feedback, never get angry.
Not getting angry does not mean you cant give feedback around your disappointment
or disapproval.
Always Smile. You cant get angry while you are smiling, you can give adjusting
feedback on behavior while smiling. If you feel yourself no longer smiling, stop.
Conflict management
Organizations are set up for conflict. This is a surprise to people who think that
organizations are meant to be as cooperative as bees in a beehive.
Different functions, business units and geographic will have different priorities.
Internal conflicts, be it nice or nasty, its how these conflicting priorities are resolved.
Conflict is good, provided it is contained. Uncontainable conflict and open warfare
are not good.
Do not take it personally; especially when it's meant to be personal. This is easy to say
but hard to do.
Fight furiously
Empathize.
Empathize: Listen past the bluster and blame. Listen past the emotion. Let the
person talk. Listen actively to show the person you understand. Do not try and put
your own point of view forward or justify yourself, it will only cause more conflict.
and my personal failing is to try to fight emotion with logic.
Agree the problem: Try to focus on the actions, outcomes and benefits desired. This is
where listening moves from paraphrasing to asking questions:
Resolve the way forward: Once you have all calmed down and agreed the situation
and the problem, then the way forward is often clear. Formally agree the next steps
forward.
If your in conflict it means that someone thinks you are wrong. In many
organizations, the standard operating procedure at this point is:
1. Deny and wrongdoing: It has all been misinterpreted; that is not what happened.
2. Spread the blame: you where told to do it or you where let down by someone else.
3. Change the subject: in a superior way point really should be focusing on a more
important issue.
4. Shoot the messenger: as usual, up to no good and poising the well of corporate
well-being.
Next time you feel yourself in conflict why not try this: apologize.
This needs courage and strength that few people have and it needs to be done right.
You will need to act fast. Get the apology out early: the longer things are left to fester,
the worse they become.
"I'm sorry"
You can expand on them once you get the hang of these two little words.
These 7 little words in the right situation could be the most powerful moments of
your career.
People like to know that you notice what they do. Staff rated a simple thank-you for
work well done as the most important non-financial reward. Think of yourself, do you
want to receive feedback from your boss? Majority of staff perform at a higher level
when they receive encouragement from their boss. The valuable role of positive
feedback is a fundamental tenet of behavioral psychology.
Staff also prefer receiving negative feedback to not being given any feedback at all.
Furthermore, if you let people know that you have noticed and disapprove of their
actions, they are far less likely to repeat that behavior. On the other hand, if you do
not let them know that you have noticed and disapprove of what they did, expecting
them to change is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Done well, negative feedback shows that you care about what your staff are doing.
Yet, leaders need to criticize with skill and finesse, and they need to know how to
balance their negative feedback with genuine praise. Research shows that staff rank
inept criticism by their boss as the number one cause of workplace conflict and stress
When you delegate tasks you get things done. But when you delegate responsibility,
others get done much more than you ever could
"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while
failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative
weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure."
~Jim Rohn
Staff meetings
The purpose of the staff meeting is efficient organizational and team communication.
As a manager we have a responsibility to communicate with your team. To your team
members, we are the company.
If your team doesn’t know something about the organization that they should we
need to take responsibility as we are the one’s who are meant to communicate to
them about what you’ve heard, Seen, Read, know, Think, Believe or surmise about
what’s going on upstream.
The most effective way to hold a staff meeting's is weekly. This is a time to catch up
and discuss the past week and the weeks coming. If you don’t do them weekly you’re
probably indulging a personal bias in tasks over people. Directive number one in the
Effective Leadership Triangle is “Stop putting personal preferences ahead of
organizational effectiveness”.
Have an agenda to everyone in advance. An agenda must have a start time for each
topic and the start times should be followed. Use a parking lot for items that need to
be re addressed. Set ground rules in the first meeting and continue to refer to them
through out the course of the meetings. Let you staff create and manage the ground
rules.
The staff meeting is for everyone to attend, no exception. If a person reports to you
they are to attend the staff meeting.
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Start the meeting with a welcome and go through the agenda which everyone should
have. Touch on the ground rules again if necessary.
Allow 15 minutes for a “waterfall” of information that has come from up stream and
need to be passed onto your directs. You are not communicated to; you are
communicated through. Include in the waterfall of topics “This is what it means for
us”
Each direct gets 10 minutes to brief the team on their achievements and progress to
goals and company objectives. Encourage each person to present using a flip chart
and highlight numbers for which they are accountable. Use the traffic light signal for
progress. Green light/Pen around a number means they are on track. Orange needs
focus. Red is at a stop and full resources are needed to get back to orange and then
green. Each team member will hold each other accountable.
Intermittently ask for feedback from staff on the meeting. What's working well and
what needs to be looked at for improvement.
Many of the Manager express concern about the lack of bench strength in their
companies. They are very worried that they lack sufficient "ready now" candidates to
replace planned & unplanned losses of key leaders. As a result, the future continuity
and performance of the business is at risk. Here are some practical ideas on how you
can get more impact from your organization's succession planning efforts.
This change of emphasis is important for several reasons. First, executives pay
attention to what gets measured and what gets rewarded. If leadership development
is not enough of a priority for the company to establish goals and track progress
against those goals, it will be difficult to make any succession planning process work.
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Second, the act of engaging with senior executives to establish these goals will build
support for succession planning and ownership for leadership development. Third,
these results will help guide future efforts and mid-course corrections.
The metrics a company could establish for Succession Development might include
goals like the percent of executive level vacancies that are actually filled with an
internal promotion vs. an external hire, or the percent of promotions that actually
come from the high-potential pool. Too often, companies measure only the percent of
managers that had completed succession plans in place.
Keep it simple.
Stay realistic.
While development plans and succession charts aren't promises, they are often
communicated as such and can lead to frustration if they aren't realistic. Bottom line;
don't jerk around high performing leaders with unrealistic development expectations.
Only give the promise of succession if there is a realistic chance of its happening!
Upgrade talent
Winners like to work with winners; losers like to work with winners; but winners
don't like to work with losers. Who are the losers? Ironically, many times it's not
those who are performing at a sub-par level; they often can be coached and supported
in ways that help them improve their productivity.
More frequently, it's those who violate the norms of the organization and can't
manage by the values shared by others. In the context of the organization and its
culture, they are regarded as "Jerks" (or similar more flavored descriptions) by their
colleagues ... jerks who are tolerated because of the ability to "make the numbers."
Now is the time to let go of the losers, thereby raising the average level of talent in the
organization. That doesn't mean a freeze on hiring, however. Instead, it may be a
great time to take advantage of a depressed talent market by making a few strategic
hires of long-sought candidates from competitors or other organizations.
Good leaders allow their people to see they are at the heart of things.
If people feel that what they are doing can make a difference to the success of the
organization they will feel centered and that gives their work meaning.
When employees feel connected to the purpose and vision of an organization, they
have a clear connection between what they do and the success of their organization in
fulfilling its purpose.
Effective communication.
To be an effective manager these days we have to learn how to get things done.
Delegating tasks and holding your people accountable is only the start of the process.
How do we effectively achieve this?
There are three types of power in most organizations. Each has different outcomes on
your effectiveness as a manager.
The first is role power. This is the power the organization formally grants you over
those who report to you. Expertise power is the ability to influence others by being
smarter or more knowledgeable than others. Finally there is relationship power, or
the ability to influence others based on a personal/professional relationship usually
developed over time.
To many managers today rely on role power. This is the least effective of the three
powers. This only works when you are seeking to avoid failure opposed to seeking
success. In today’s working environment this is a dangerous place for a manger or
sales professional to be. Role power is best relegated to those places where processes
specifically call for it.
Rather than telling, try asking. The persuasive part of asking is the ask itself. It’s far
more effective to ask your associate to do what you need them to do. Further to that,
you ask when they can do it, rather than imposing your own deadline. The way to
persuade others in not to convince them with data and tell them about your needs,
but rather by asking them for their help.
When asking for a commitment on a task, be nice. Don’t get mad and imply threats,
don’t let your “Role power” creep into the discussion. Ask without stress or tension
and smile. Once a commitment is agreed upon, say Thanks You and confirm the
commitment and deadline.
We all have a natural communication style - how we "talk" when we are not thinking
about it. We can be far more effective when we can tailor our style to be more like the
listener's.
Using DiSC for more effective communication with your people. Understand your
social style and the perception people have of your profile. Assess each person and
communicate to them using the language they will better understand.
Today, I would like to share the 8 Laws of Great Management defined by Mark
Horstman. The laws are timeless and actionable, two characteristics that the
Manager-Tools guys continually strive for in all their podcasts and other products.
HORTSMAN’S LAWS
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1. Its all about people- It’s actually a hard-nosed scientific and financial reality.
Any hour you spend on people is a better investment than an hour spent on systems,
processes or policies. Great people can overcome average systems; average people
won’t live up to great systems. Action- Spend time with your folks every week. Learn
their strengths and weaknesses. Learn their projects. Learn their children’s names.
3. You’re not that smart; they’re not that dumb- You can’t fool people. Ever.
The fact is, people know when you mislead them. Yes, they might go along with you,
but they know it doesn’t feel right. That you don’t feel right. After all, didn’t you used
to be “them?” Action- Tell the whole truth. Don’t leave anything out. When in doubt
tell everyone. Use candor as an advantage, rather than seeing it as a weakness.
4. Control is an illusion- There is no single person whom you think you “control”
who would agree with you. If you really think you’re so good as to control another,
then who in your organization thinks that way about you? Stop trying to control.
You’re wasting your time. Build relationships that allow you to influence. Action-
Build relationships based on trust. Say, “I trust you.” Let your team choose their path
at times, even when you disagree.
5. The river is wide, the currents are messy, but all water ends up in the
ocean- Watch water flow down river sometimes. It doesn’t march in nice straight
lines. It meanders. It’s messy. Scientists say 20% of it is actually going up river. Your
organization is organic – it’s made up of people -just like a river. Your projects and
timelines are going to be messy and defy control. Stop fighting it. Action- Don’t worry
about or punish every missed deadline-wait for a pattern. Think about a Chinese
finger puzzle. Sometimes a light touch is the way out. Let go – FLOW – to get ahead.
6. There are no secrets- If you think you can keep something quiet in your
organization, you’re kidding yourself. What everybody is talking about is what’s NOT
being said. Everybody knows already. The one associate or friend you felt you could
tell has already told someone else whom they trusted…and so on. If you try to keep
7. How you feel is your fault- If you find yourself saying, “that guy / situation /
boss makes me mad,” you’re wrong. They did something and then you decided how to
respond. Think about the word responsibility (Response-Ability) You’re able to
choose your response. Action- Choose the right response. Choose not to get angry.
Choose to understand why they behave the way they do. Your response will be more
powerful.
8. The “other” way often works just fine- There’s someone else out there who
has succeeded to the same level as you have with the exact opposite intuitions you
have. (They wonder how you got where you are, too) Your idea that your way is the
right way is routinely controverted. You just think it’s right because it’s yours. Action-
Try the opposite every once in a while. After you’re first thought, wait for a second –
different – one.
At first glance the laws appear to be common sense, and in fact they are. Much like
the law of gravity these concepts “just are”. It’s good, however, to remind ourselves of
laws such as these from time to time to keep us from falling into the trap of believing
that our current situation is somehow different and thus, immune to these facts.
Build relationships
People who succeed in leadership and in sales transform the entire activity away from
the concept of managing and selling into a day-to-day concept of building
relationships.
Your core responsibility at work is to deliver the results that truly matter within your
organization. However, as a leader, your ability to deliver these results is dependent
upon your staff and the way they go about their work. It is therefore critical that you
understand how to motivate people.
1. Clarify what you want. Staff need a crystal-clear knowledge of what results you
truly care about as well as the actions and attitudes that you want them to display.
How do you differentiate between exceptional, average and poor performers in your
mind? If staff know the criteria you use to assess their performance, they are more
likely to rise to the occasion.
2. Reward people who give you what you want. It is a fundamental tenet of behavioral
psychology that people are motivated to repeat behaviors that bring them some form
of reward. Not all managers control staff pay levels, but surely you have some degree
of control over the distribution of plum assignments and workplace perks. You can
also use zero- or low-cost gifts. Of course, not all rewards need to be tangible. People
value anything that makes them feel appreciated; a simple “thank you” can work
wonders. Regardless of which form of reward you choose, it is essential that you
explicitly tie the reward to a specific behavior or achievement and that you only offer
these extra rewards to people who deliver what you really want, the way you really
want it.
3. Show care and compassion for your staff. Put simply, people like working with
managers who care. Showing care and compassion is different than rewarding staff
through appreciation in that it is not tied to their attitudes, actions and performance.
Caring means making room mentally for taking a genuine interest in your staff and
their lives. Caring leaders understand how other people feel and can see the world
through others’ eyes. They therefore think to perform small acts of kindness because
they aware of other people’s needs as well as their own. Compassionate leaders go
even furtherby acting on that understanding. A common way for leaders to show
compassion is through coaching their staff—that is, giving them one-on-one time
when it’s requested, listening to their problems and then using questions to help
them move forward.
5. Challenge staff to make a real difference. People like to be challenged to leave their
mark on the people around them. Start by giving your staff interesting and
challenging work. Increase their autonomy in their daily work, tap into their personal
passions and specialist expertise, and delegate entire tasks in which they are
responsible for all aspects of meeting a specified goal.
Many people are terrible at hearing what is actually said. They think talking is more
important that listening. Learn to listen first and talk later.
Let others tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.
DISC You will see the DISC model often represented as DiSC®, which reflects the
ownership of this particular logoform by the US Inscape Publishing company.
Inscape has extensively researched and developed its own DISC systems, which
according to the company's publicity have been used by over 40 million people since
the early 1970s, which are used with the intention of enabling people to "...gain the
insight they need to be more successful, productive, and fulfilled at work..." Inscape
also say, "... DiSC® instruments are based on a simple idea - that the foundation of
personal and professional success lies in knowing yourself, understanding others, and
realizing the impact of your actions and attitudes on other people..."
The DISC model is attributed to Dr William Moulton Marston, whose book Emotions
Of Normal People (1928) first explained the model using the DISC terminology, and
which also provided the descriptive words on which the commonly used DISC
personality assessment systems were built. Marston didn't create an assessment tool.
This was done initially by researchers at the University of Minnesota, in 1972
according to Inscape. Inscape, and others, have continued to develop, test and
validate DISC assessment systems, which are marketed with gusto to the corporate
and organizational development communities.
There are several slightly varying interpretations of this model. Here's a general
outline.
DISC basic personality types model There are different interpretations of this model,
based on the same underpinning structure. This presentation of the DISC model
borrows from various interpretations. The colors mainly emphasize the columns -
they are not part of the original DISC theory - but they also reflect the logical
correlations to two of the Four Temperaments and Keirsey main types (D =
Phlegmatic/Rational; I = Choleric/Idealist) and the Jungian Extravert-Introvert
'attitudes'. Other than this there is no attempt here to overlay the DISC model or
personality traits directly onto any other personality model. There are overlaps and
correlations between DISC and other personality systems but not a direct overlay.
Logical comparisons and correlations between DISC types and the types contained in
the theories of Jung, Benziger, etc, are shown lower in the grid below.
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N.B. The closest equivalent types shown above from the models of Jung, Myers
Briggs® and Keirsey are just a guide, and have been arrived at by factoring in the
typical DISC dimensions of extraversion-introversion and proactive-passive, which
imply the obvious Extraverted or Introverted Jungian equivalents, and Judging
(proactive) or Perceiving (reactive) Jungian equivalents. As we've seen, none of this is
a perfect science, and the correlations are formed by logical extension rather than
clear admissions of statements from the originating theorists. Benziger's correlations
however are those stated by Katherine Benziger herself.
Unlike testing systems such as Myers Briggs® and Keirsey which typically match
people to defined 'types', The DISC model instead presents a series of four main 'type'
descriptions (titled above as Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance). The
DISC testing instruments tend to identify people's dominant or preferred type and
one or two supporting types from the four available, and this mixture is then
represented by a graph or personality description based on the mixture of the types.
In this respect no person is exclusively just one of the four DISC types. Most people
have a dominant or preferred main type, plus one or two supporting types in different
degrees depending on the person and the situation. DISC systems commonly not only
assess the person but also the person's mix of dominant types from different
perspectives.
It is important to note again that the DISC system of personality assessment, like all
personality models, provides a guide and a perspective of personality; it is not a 100%
reliable or definitive measurement.
I have always been fascinated by mistakes. As human beings, we share several things
in common; making mistakes is one of them. The vast majority of the time we
blunder into mistakes innocently. Obviously, if we could see mistakes coming, we
would take steps to avoid them. The mistake is usually like a mouse trap that is
sprung on us while our focus was on something else. The interesting thing is how we
react after a mistake.
Respect is not always increased if a mistake is admitted. For example, here are three
circumstances where admitting a mistake would reduce respect and trust:
1. If this was the third time you had made the same mistake
If you find yourself making these kinds of mistakes, it would be wise to reconsider if
you are right for a leadership position at all. The vast majority or mistakes are honest
lapses where something unexpected happened. For these so-called “honest” mistakes,
it is far better to admit them and ask for forgiveness than to try to finesse the
situation or blame others or circumstances. It is a tangible demonstration of your
integrity, and that improves trust.
We all have breakdowns in our interactions with others. In those interactions where
you are the “perpetrator,” how you recover will strengthen or weaken the
relationship. And in business, relationships are essential to doing good work. It’s vital
for leaders to contribute to meaningful, trusting relationships.
• Get straight to the apology. “I owe several apologies. My behavior was over the
top…”
• Leave room for others to respond. If they don’t that’s okay. More time may need to
pass.
• It may be necessary to talk about next steps. It depends on the severity of the
breakdown, however.
A leader who can say, “I’m sorry” sets a standard of interaction that deepens
relationships. It also lets others know that it’s okay to be human. Sure we all have
“stuff” going on in our lives, and sometimes we take out our stress on others. A
sincere apology lets others know the importance of team and camaraderie. It’s an act
of humility.
The leader who can say, “I’m sorry” signals to the team that community trumps
individuality
Team members must start to trust one another and become comfortable engaging in
open and passionate debate around important issues. Team members must open
themselves up to each other and admit their weaknesses and mistakes.
They must be willing to hold each other accountable. Never allow team members to
put their individual needs for career development and recognition before the
collective goals of the organization.
Unconsciously, managers without leadership habits will ofter seek to be liked. Rather
than holding people accountable, they let them of the hook. They give the feeling that
everything's fine.
They seek approval rather than success. This habit has a severe consequence. It leads
to a lack of trust in the workplace. A true leader focuses on the practice and
communications that lead to being respected.
"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while
failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative
weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure."
~Jim Rohn
Partnering for performance is the process of reaching agreements with people about
their development level and the leadership style needed to help them achieve
individual and organizational goals.
Open up communication and work with the individual to develop their competence
and communicate on specific tasks,
-Leadership is a partnership.
Compliant people do what you say when you are with them. Committed people do
what you say whether you are providing direction and support on a day-to-day basis
or not.
What's important as a leader is not what happens when you are there; its what
happens when you are not there.
If your people feel that the pip (performance improvement program) is a smack and
not a opportunity to improve, then your not using it correctly.
You can motivate people to succeed with fear but you won't inspire them to be there
best. Utilize your HR department to workout the most effective course to inspire
when delivering the pip. Everyone in your team should be on some from of pip, it's
not what you bring out as a last resort.
Treat your staff like family. Moving them to a PIP (Performance improvement Plan)
or even a Counseling warning without first giving weeks of daily feedback on their
performance and ongoing CAP's (Coaching Action plans) with regular meetings is a
slap in the face and a sign of lack of expertise on your behalf.
Staff should understand the reasons why they are moving to a PIP, even embrace it
and thank you for it. If this did not happen you need to take a look at your process
before you delivered a PIP in the future.
Don't use a PIP as a "Bully" tactic o get what you want or to stamp your authority, you
loose credibility with the rest of your team and will soon find yourself in a fast spiral
of destruction.
Performance implies evaluation after it occurs and therefore it suggests the presence
of some sort of measuring system. Motivation, on the other hand, is only one of
several psychological (internal) states that influence performance.
• Esteem - The need to feel good about one- self and one’s abilities; and to be
respected by others and to receive their approval
• Belongingness - The need to experience social inter- action, friendship and love
For lower-order needs, a satisfied need ceases to motivate behavior at that level. For
instance, when an employee decides that he has sufficient insurance coverage for
himself and his family, part of his security or safety need is met and he forgets about
it unless his situation changes in some way.
People have a need to grow and develop their full potential, and consequently, they
believe that promotions lead to greater need satisfaction. Therefore, career
management, mentoring programs and training and development all support self-
actualization.
Stress
But if we experience the request as a threat to our job prospects, then we are
experiencing distress – a negative mental or physical reaction to stress that always
involves a mix of anger or fear. Distress is the dysfunctional result of stress and its
appearance usually means that the employee is unsuccessful in adapting to or
removing the stressor from his work environment. When we experience challenge
stress it is a reflection of our successful adaptation to and control of stress in the work
setting.
The key to coping indefinitely with the marauding nature of the resistance stage is to
‘train for the long races’ in life and work. We must pace ourselves and optimist our
work performance without depleting our capacities to take satisfaction from other
important elements of our lives. It is a complex balancing act to be sure.
Individuals who perform emergency rescue and medical work, direct and coordinate
the flights of aircraft and perform police and military tasks all experience near-
constant alarm reactions in their work. It is therefore not surprising that these
workers often experience the symptoms of the exhaustion stage more quickly than
their counterparts in less taxing occupations. To keep people functioning in such
stressful positions, leaders of such work teams and military units value the
importance of rehearsal and emergency simulation. Constant practice and readiness
remove the temporary performance obstacles (panic, freezing, paralysis in decision
making) presented by the alarm reaction stage. Preparing people to be rational and
effective under extreme emergency conditions requires teaching them how to
suppress the alarm reaction through countless trials and practice runs.
The relationship between job stress and performance shown below. The logic of the
graph is that low to moderate stress levels stimulate and challenge employees to
increase their job efforts and thereby raise their performance as they become more
capable of handling job-induced stress. However, chronically high stress levels create
These questions help you assess your people on the job. Think about their job during
the last six months and rate how often each question’s symptom is true. Scale:
1, only rarely;
2, sometimes;
3, often;
4, frequently;
5, always.
2. You hear them communicate about the benefits of quitting or other jobs.
4. They are regularly late and "sleep in". This is possibly due to a fear and dread of
going to work.
5. They have been missing a lot of work lately due to avoidance or absenteeism.
6. Their job is expanding into their leisure hours and they have lost control of "Work
life balance".
9. They are often bored at work even though their is lots of work to do.
10. They have been using excessive alcohol and drugs to unwind from the pressures
of work.
Managing Stress..
Employees are now much more aware of their personal responsibilities for coping
with job stress and for maintaining healthy lifestyles. So much evidence of the
importance of healthy life styles exists that we don’t have to be convinced that we
should take responsibility for our well-being. We naturally want to improve the
quality of our lives and controlling our reactions to the stress we experience on the
job is a crucial component of work-life satisfaction.
You can also strengthen your relaxation response at work by ‘keeping your distance’
from work problems. For instance, when think you are in the middle of an intractable
work crisis ask yourself: ‘Will I be upset a month from now?’ When you ask this
question you are substituting calming rational thinking for emotion-driven,
catastrophic impulses. The more you practice this simple ‘distancing’ technique the
cooler you will become under pressure.
3. Diet. We are what we eat. Diet plays a significant, indirect role in stress
management. Good eating habits (moderation comes to mind) contribute to our
overall health, making us less vulnerable to diseases of resistance.
5. Build up your stress resistance. The key principle is learning to handle more stress
while you resolve to experience less of it. If you are a high-achieving Type A manager,
take more walks and don’t eat lunch at your desk! In addition, accept the fact that you
are not a weakling when you delegate some tasks to subordinates. The goal is to learn
how to control your anxiety by adjusting your breathing, correcting your posture
(drop your shoulders), and bringing your body back to a calm state.
Live by your values and encourage others to live by theirs. A top female manager and
her female subordinate took very different approaches to handling work and
Build respect based on trust and respect. A financial analyst did not expect time off
when her toddler needed a tonsillectomy. To her surprise, her boss looked at her and
said, ‘Your daughter comes first’. The gesture fostered intense loyalty in the
employee. As she was preparing for a long-awaited vacation her boss’s assistant
called for help in preparing a pressing management report. Without hesitation she
drove to work and helped get the report done.
Points
• Alarm reaction is the ‘fight or flight’ response that mobilizes the body and mind to
defend against physical threat.
• Stressors mount up and their effects are cumulative. At some point an employees’
resources and capacities to cope with stress begin to deteriorate and diseases of
resistance or adaptation ensue.
• Intermittent explosive disorder connotes angry outbursts that are inconsistent with
the demands of the situation.
• Exhaustion is the final stage of General Adaptation Syndrome, and is the wear and
tear on the body and mind created by chronic stress overload.
• Organizational stress factors increase in number and intensity in firms that are
contemplating downsizing or outsourcing to revitalize a flagging business model
(deteriorating competitive advantage).
(Edinburgh)
There's a lot written about the traits of strong leaders, and yet there are some
common traits among our organizations' worst managers, which are also worth
noting, and which are particularly relevant at the present moment.
Poor managers shift the bulk of the work to their highest performers while
simultaneously doing little or nothing to develop or correct the performance of low
performers. This approach can get the job done in the short run. In the long term it
burns out your stars, rewards your low performers, and sends a demotivating
message to the general population: there are no consequences for poor performance,
and the reward for hard work is more hard work.
This dynamic was not as toxic when the economy was booming, and there were more
financial rewards for the highest performers.
The economic downturn has left organizations leaner and flatter, with fewer financial
rewards and fewer promotions to recognize our increasingly taxed star performers.
Top talent is no longer waiting for the employment market to improve to take action.
There is going to be a mass exodus of the top performers as the economy starts to
turn around,
Now more than ever, it is critical that your managers are managing: managing low
performers--developing their skill sets, correcting poor performance and ongoing
feedback, while supporting work-life balance for top talent, and boosting initiative
among the entire staff.
If your people feel that the pip (performance improvement program) is a smack and
not a opportunity to improve, then your not using it correctly.
You can motivate people to succeed with fear but you won't inspire them to be there
best. Utilize your HR department to workout the most effective course to inspire
when delivering the pip. Everyone in your team should be on some from of pip, it's
not what you bring out as a last resort.
Unconsciously, managers without leadership habits will ofter seek to be liked. Rather
than holding people accountable, they let them of the hook. They give the feeling that
everything's fine.
They seek approval rather than success. This habit has a severe consequence. It leads
to a lack of trust in the workplace. A true leader focuses on the practice and
communications that lead to being respected.
The first step is to do your homework. There is nothing worse than having egg on
your face because you didn’t have all the facts. What have you seen and heard
yourself? What have you heard from others? What do you need to check? Would your
boss see this as something worth confronting head on?
The second step is to decide what you are going to say. Right at the outset, you need
to state the facts, how you came by them and how this falls short of your expectations.
This part needs to be clear and concise, so spend some time rehearsing your opening
statement. Then, you need to invite a response with a simple question such as, What
happened? Other than the opening question, this part cannot be pre-planned.
However, you can expect to spend some time listening to what they have to say and
asking further questions that help you better understand the situation from their
perspective. Finally, you need to remind them that their behavior needs to change
and then work with them to come up with ways that they can make this change
happen.
The third step is the meeting itself. Make a time in advance where you can meet with
them privately and then work through the stages in step two. During the meeting you
may discover that some personal issues (divorce, drug addiction, etc.) are
contributing to the problem. You should not discuss solutions to these sorts of
problems other than to offer to refer the person to a counselor from your company’s
Employee Assistance Program or similar. You need to focus your efforts on helping
the person change their attitudes and actions at work. This is essentially an open-
ended problem-solving exercise sandwiched between a pre-planned opening and
closing. I described the opening in step two (above). The closing is a simple
restatement of what they have agreed to do as a result of the problem-solving you
have just undertaken.
The fourth step is making a written record of the meeting. The degree of
detail needed in your notes will depend upon the seriousness of the issue being
discussed. However, it would generally include information about:
• The gap between their current behavior (factual) and your expectations
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• Any actions that you and they have agreed to take
Notes about personal problems should be general and minimal (e.g., Fred
talked about some personal problems that were contributing to this work issue and I
told him that I could arrange for him to talk to Sarah, our employee counselor, if he
wanted some help with these).
The fifth and final step is following up after the meeting. At a minimum, this involves
ensuring that you follow through on anything that you have agreed to do. However, I
suggest you go further. Get out of your office and observe what they are doing. People
are far more likely to do as they are told when they know that they are being watched.
Use this ongoing insight to acknowledge any positive changes that you see, while also
correcting any remaining undesirable behavior. Furthermore, you can set aside time
for ongoing meetings. Use these meetings to check progress on their commitment to
change, and if necessary, to work out solutions to any unexpected difficulties that
they have encountered.
“Discipline is the basic set of tools we need to solve life’s problems. Without discipline
we can solve nothing. With only some discipline we can solve only solve some
problems. With Total Discipline we can solve all problems.”
~Scott Peck.
One of the greatest failures of our generation has been to understand the importance
of discipline.
Very often people will reach a certain level of success and then plateau. They loose the
will and fight. They need to go back to their roots, back to where they started, back to
where it was really tough. They need the fight, the steel put back in their lives and the
fire back into their bellies.
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3 Reasons You Shouldn't Leave Your Job.
You may be unhappy, fed up, and ready to bolt from your job. Instead of running out
the door, take a deep breath and consider these three reasons to stay where you are --
at least for now:
1: Relationships matter more than money. You may think you can find a job
that will pay you more, but you will be leaving behind a wealth of relationships. When
weighing your options, don't forget the value of the network you have now.
2: It's less urgent than you think. Job seekers who are desperate to get out of a
job tend to do less research about potential employers. Strategically plan your next
career move instead of running away.
3: You're likely overestimating yourself. Research shows that most job seekers
overestimate their skills and prospects. Before you leave, take the time to do a
realistic assessment of what you have to offer.
A supervisor can create motivation problems by believing that happy workers are
productive workers. He may emphasise social and job security rewards over direct
extrinsic rewards such as pay and bonuses.
Also he may down play the importance of performance appraisal (PA) because he
does not want to ‘hurt anyone’s feelings’. Achievement-oriented employees are
motivated by challenging goals having regular and detailed feedback: they depend on
it for their satisfaction.
Having an unruly to-do list can be overwhelming. If you find yourself rushing around,
but not actually getting anything done, try the following process:
Write it all down. Put everything on one list. Determine which tasks are easy and
which are more difficult.
Do some easy things. Spend 15 minutes doing the easy tasks. Focus on speed: make
the quick phone calls, shoot off the brief emails. Cross as many tasks off the list as
you can.
Turn to a bigger task. Turn off your phone, close all the open windows on your
computer, and focus on one of the more challenging tasks. Do this for 35 minutes
without distraction.
Take a break. After 35 minutes, take a 10-minute break. Then return to step two.
GE is all about finding and building great people, in direct accordance with Jack
Welch’s passion for making people GE’s core competency. The secret to GE’s success
in this regard is the system it employs to select and develop great people. In a
company with over 300,000 employees and 4,000 senior managers, GE needed a
structure and a logic, so that every employee knew and understood the rules of the
game.
The heart of this process is the human resources cycle — full-day Session C human
resources reviews at every major business location (held in April), two-hour video
conference Session C follow-ups (held in July), and Session C-II’s, held in November,
which confirm and finalize the actions committed to in April.
And that is only the formal structure. At GE, there is an informal, unspoken
personnel review — in the lunch-room, the hallways and in every business meeting.
That intense people focus — testing everyone in a variety of environments — defines
managing at GE.
Differentiating People
Every year, the company asked each of its businesses to rank all of their top
executives, in an effort to force these business leaders to differentiate their
leadership. They had to identify the people in their organizations that they considered
in the top 20 percent, the vital middle 70, and, finally, the bottom 10 — by name,
position and compensation.
Those who did not perform to expectations generally had to go. While making these
judgments is not easy, doing so is how great organizations are built, Welch felt. Year
after year, differentiation raises the bar higher and higher, increasing the overall
caliber of the organization in a dynamic process that makes everyone accountable for
his or her performance. People (particularly those in the top echelon) must constantly
demonstrate that they deserve to be there.
3. Edge: Are you able to take tough decisions that are Yes/No without fear of being
disliked?
Welch found that many managers have two or even three of the above “E’s” and yet
did not seem to click to be put in the top 20% of the curve. "Execution" was this
missing 4th E which is this blog's favorite managerial and leadership ability:
4. Execution: Can you deliver ? Let us say that you are a supply chain manager who
is responsible for engaging a few small high tech innovative suppliers for a new
component development for a new product project. You asked one of your buyers to
send out emails from the supplier data base and perhaps none of the suppliers
responded. When you show up for the new product top team meeting you just say
that suppliers are not responding. Well you are not “executing.”
The “execution” focused manager would have figured out why suppliers were not
responding ( perhaps small suppliers worried about volumes down the road before
investing), then would have have put out a “development” financial advance proposal
and discussed, offline, how much the new product team was willing to spend in
supporting a new supplier. High “ability to execute” is the manger who actually walks
in with the prototype of the component into the next meeting, no excuses.
Such managers do not promise anything easily. Once they do, top management or the
board knows that it can “consider it done”!
5. Passion: is the “P” in the 4 E’s and one P. A manager who is passionate about
her/his job goals normally has some of the first 3 E’s and must focus a great deal on
executing.Passion is what holds the 4 E's together for the top 20% performers.
Rally people and they will come together. Lead people and they will come together to
achieve something great.
Your reputation is a point in time snap shot of how a selected group of people
perceive you. Your character on the other hand is what will go to the grave with you...
So be more concerned with your character than reputation for it lasts forever. ~
Richard Austin
Stand for people. Not a product or service or metric or number. Stand for real, living,
breathing people and you will change the world.
If you could get all the people in the organization rowing in the same direction, you
could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.
Even the most well-intentioned people will usually deviate towards dysfunction,
unproductive behavior. This is because we are human. Because most leaders are not
schooled in the art of building teams, small problems are left untreated and spiral
further and further into ugliness and politics.. Open and honest trust must be
established..
Team members must start to trust one another and become comfortable engaging in
open and passionate debate around important issues. Team members must open
themselves up to each other and admit their weaknesses and mistakes. They must be
willing to hold each other accountable. Never allow team members to put their
individual needs for career development and recognition before the collective goals of
the organization.
-Do team members sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team?
Executives are not working together as a team? Is the team is struggling with their
situation and are unable to come to agreement on an appropriate solution to their
problems? Is the team dynamics erode into naming, blaming and shaming, no one is
accepting responsibility, deadlines are being missed and moral is on the decline.…
Trust requires that team members have confidence in each other intentions, that they
are good and therefore have no reason to be protective and careful in the team. The
when I ‘m vulnerable it will not be exploited and used against me by the team. The
lack of trust amongst teams is a huge waste of time and energy as team members
invest their time and energy in defensive behaviors, reluctant to ask for help and to
assist others.
“…teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our
need for invulnerability.”
The primary role of the leader is to lead my example, be the first one to be vulnerable,
and create an environment where it’s safe to be vulnerable. Building trust makes
conflict possible!
Leaders need to encourage debate, support it and keep it productive. Teams who
avoid conflict spend much time “off-line” never making decisions that the group can
commit to. Healthy and productive teams accept that conflict is a normal part of
being in a team to learn to deal with it productively.
“…meetings and movies have a lot in common…A movie, on average, runs anywhere
from ninety minutes to two hours in length. Staff meetings are about the same…And
yet meetings are interactive, whereas movies are not…And more importantly, movies
have no real impact on our lives…. [and]…Every great movie has conflict. Without it,
we just don’t care what happens to the characters.”
When working with teams a leader need’s to understand the importance of conflict in
teams, being careful not to try and steer the team towards premature resolution of
conflict with the intention of protecting people. It’s important for leaders to help the
team members to learn and develop positive conflict resolution skills. The beast way
to do this is for leader to “lead by example”, modeling the appropriate behaviors,
rather than trying to smooth over the conflict.
At the end of the day everyone needs to get to the point where they can say, “I may
not agree with your ideas but I understand them and can support them.”
“When people don’t unload their opinions and feel like they’ve been listened to, they
won’t really get on board.”
Leaders can help to facilitate commitment by reviewing all key decisions made at the
end of team meetings, making responsibility and deadlines clear.
“People aren’t going to hold each other accountable if they haven’t clearly bought in
to the same plan.”
At the end of the day it’s about each team member being accountable to the team.
This means that a team member never lets the team down when is comes to meeting
commitments. The team needs to hold their peers responsible for achieving results
and working to high standards. It’s the responsibility of each team member to hold
one another accountable and accept it when others hold them accountable.
It’s often the case, that when teams are not holding one another accountable it’s
usually because they’re not measuring their progress. It’s important to make clear
what the team’s standards are, what needs to get done, by who and by when.
Ambiguity is the enemy of accountability.
“Our job is to make the results that we need to achieve so clear to everyone in this
room that no one would even consider doing something purely to enhance his or her
individual status or ego. Because that would diminish our ability to achieve our
collective goals. We would all lose.”
Leaders need to make the teams results clear for all to see, rewarding the behaviors
that contribute to the team’s results. It’s the responsibility of the leader to keep the
teams focus on results.
Cohesive Teams
A individual going through coaching on a new task goes through four levels of
development representing four different levels of competence and commitment.
The person has a high commitment to accomplish the goal or task yet doesn't know
how to do so without direction. They don't know what they don't know but are eager
and willing to learn and take direction. This is how a new employee feels.
Has more confidence but still does not know how to fully achieve the goal or task
without direction. commitment drops as the goals seems harder than originally
anticipated. The person becomes frustrated and discouraged. This person needs re
assurance that mistakes are part of the learning process.
This is the time of the learning where your person can get frustrated and lose
motivation due to unmet expectations. They need clear goals, perspective and
frequent feedback. Praise your direct for making progress and help in analyzing
success and failures. Give the permission to make mistakes and learn from them. You
need to regularly discuss concerns and share feelings. Most importantly give regular
encouragement and advice on additional steps or alternatives.
The person display high commitment and high competence to the task and goal. The
person still needs recognition and mini goals with new challenges to maintain high
level of performance.
A self-reliant achiever can very quickly fall back to a Capable tot cautious performer if
not careful. They only need low direction but this does not mean they need no
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support. An individual at level 4 who's needs aren't met met is a risk of falling back to
a Level 3, or worse, leaving the organization.
They need Variety and challenge's. They want a leader who is more of a mentor or
colleague than a manager. Ongoing acknowledgment and praise for contribution as
well as autonomy and authority will give the person confidence. Give them the
opportunity to share there knowledge and skills with others and most of all; Trust
them.
A good leader observes his people and engages them in a dialogue to determine there
development level on a specific goal or task before decided the best way to lead.
There’s no way I’m going to imply that every workplace is heaven, every boss is a
saint, and each and every coworker is the salt of the earth. That’s a leap of faith I
wouldn’t ask anyone to take. However, if you think your company is hell, your boss is
the devil, and your coworkers are political, backstabbing a–holes who would sell their
souls for a promotion, I’ve got news for you. There’s a better than average chance it’s
not them; it’s you.
Why do I think you’re the problem and not everyone else you’re always complaining
about and stressing over? Well, I think Will Shakespeare, one of the great observers
of the human condition, said it best in Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much,
methinks.”
You see, there are those among us who are never, ever the problem. It’s always
someone or something else. The truth is that those who do all the complaining are the
ones who give the rest of us so much to complain about. But we don’t, because we
know better. We know there are some things we just can't change.
Since everyone’s a chief something or other these days, I’ve created 10 new C-Level
titles to identify those who keep dysfunctional workplaces flourishing and
multiplying like amoebas in a Petri dish:
• CNO - Chief Negatron Officer. You’re the self-designated dissenter, the perpetual fly
in the ointment, always pointing out why it can’t be done - never how it can be done.
• CSO - Chief Stress Officer. Your boss stresses you out. Her boss stresses you out.
Your coworker stresses you out. Your job stresses you out. You couldn’t be creating
your own workplace stress. could you?
• CBO - Chief Blame Officer. Something goes wrong, it’s everyone’s fault but yours,
and you’re sure to be the one covering your ass, pointing the finger, heading the witch
hunt.
• CVO - Chief Victim Officer. You have an abusive boss. The head of HR or IT hates
you. Your peer makes life miserable for you. They’re all driving you nuts. Maybe
you’re the one behind the wheel.
• CDO - Chief Disruptive Officer. Always acting out or trying to get attention, the
drama queen, disrupting meetings and making everything about you. It’s always
about you.
• CPO - Chief Political Officer. The player, manipulator, man behind the curtain,
puppet-master, destroyer of enemies. Too bad politics doesn’t win business or keep
customers.
• CCO - Chief Clueless Officer. Always running around like a chicken with your head
cut off, asking everybody and his brother for help, never having a clue what to do,
how to do it, or even how to start.
• CUO - Chief Unreliable Officer. When there’s work to be done, finding you is like
shooting darts at jello. And when you do get tagged with a task, the only thing we can
count on is that it won’t be done right.
• CGO - Chief “Grass is Greener” Officer. Your friend works for a better company or a
better group. Everything is better there. Everything about this place sucks. Well, it
would suck a lot less if you quit.
Here is a SIMPLE model that managers can use to build personal accountability with
their staff:
S=Set Expectations
Your employees need to know what is expected of them before you can hold them
accountable for anything. If you assume they know what is supposed to be done,
when, and to what quality level, you will be disappointed. The more clearly you agree
expectations and goals up front, the less time you will waste later clarifying – or
worse, arguing about – what was really expected.
I=Invite Commitment
Just because your employees know what to do doesn’t mean they will do it. But how
do you get employees to commit after goals and expectations are set? Employees are
more likely to commit when they understand:
Once this connection is made they are more likely to buy into the goals, and actually
welcome you holding them accountable.
M=Measure Progress
What gets measured gets done. By measuring their ongoing performance you can
gauge whether or not they are meeting the goals and expectations to which they have
committed. Don’t wait to the end to do this. Agree some goal posts during the project
so you can both see if things are on track.
Feedback about the ongoing measurements will open the door for problem-solving
discussions if required and will also give you an opportunity to tell them when they
are doing a great job. Setting expectations followed by good feedback is the backbone
of holding someone accountable for results.
True feedback is a gift. To be effective, the feedback you offer must come from a
sincere desire on your part to help or support your employee, not to merely fix him or
her. If you can’t come at it from this perspective, you may fail, no matter what words
you choose or methods you use. Intent is more important than technique.
L=Link to Consequences
E=Evaluate Effectiveness
Look at the quantifiable goals you both agreed and determine how successfully they
have been reached and action the consequences, good or bad. Also, review how you
and they, handled the process and find ways to be more effective.
When you get into the habit of briefing properly at the start of a task, agree the goals
and expectations and measurable, (and it may only take 5 minutes to do this) you’ll
find that it becomes far easier to hold people accountable at the end. You will also
find that staff begin to hold themselves accountable for the work that must get done.
Setting clear, achievable, challenging, and unwavering (as much as possible given
today’s rate of change) measures is critical to employee success. Appropriate
measures are also strong motivators because most employees want to excel, and
knowing the target helps them self-measure.
1. Involve your employees to enhance their involvement and ownership. Your direct
reports are closest to the action and in the best position to provide information on
what's possible in their work.
2. Focus on results and not activity – unless the work to be accomplished has not
been done before.
3. Drill down into the goal to determine the “One Measure” that clearly determines
success. Set a single, discrete measure for each “fundamental” of the business that
equates to success. For example In-bound Sales answering each call within 3 rings.
4. Set aspirational targets for “Break-throughs”. For example, reducing cost or time
by 20% in a key business process.
6. Consider using a 3-point target. For example, Sears uses their quality measure of
Good, Better, and Best. Can you establish levels of performance that will encourage
achieving beyond the target?
7. Get your boss's input on metrics to ensure that you are all measuring the same
outcomes with the same language, measures and expectations. Your boss may have
some helpful suggestions based on his or her experience and understanding of unit
and company goals.
10. Ensure that targets are clearly aligned with corporate measures and goals so effort
is cumulatively productive.
11. Set the standard that employees measure their own progress against targets and
report their progress or slippage to you on an agreed-upon time frame. Establish the
up-front expectation that when slippage occurs the employee is to report results for
the period with a workable and realistic plan to reach the target before the end of the
performance period.
12. Provide routine opportunities for employees to review progress. Teach them how
to “brag” about their good performance, results achievement, and help them feel a
real sense of achievement as they are reporting progress that will enable target
accomplishment.
13. Make the rewards worth it. That means you may have to push your boss to permit
substantial rewards to be give for phenomenal performance – and then don’t “cheap
out” but really deliver. You may have to provide rewards that are counter-culture for
the organization. Be sure to determine the employee’s aspirations so you know what
rewards will create a real enticement. For example, many employees want barriers to
be removed so they can really produce. Others want better computers, a better desk
chair. Too many organizations fail to see the value in giving high performers what
they want for fear that the employees are going to want a million dollars each. And –
maybe an employee that gets enough business to produce a hundred million in profit
should get that million!
It’s almost New Year’s, and it’s time to get serious about investing in yourself, your
career and your immediate future. January is just around the corner – and that’s
reason enough to take action – and hold yourself accountable for a fresh beginning.
As you reflect upon 2011 – here are a few questions to get you started:
2. Did you help advance those around you? Are you a better leader?
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3. Are you more influential? Did you advance your organization’s goals?
6. Did your perspectives change about what you should be doing for a living?
10. Are you making more money? Do you feel more successful and significant?
If you answered “yes” to 80% or more of these questions – your momentum is strong
and your 2012 looks bright. If not, hear are a few investments you must strongly
consider to ensure that your 2012 gets started on the right track:
Invest in a smaller, more focused network of people that can add value to your career
and help give you the insights you need to broaden your perspective. Making the
right choices in people will save you time, money and frustration.
Unlike the stock market, when people you invest in aren’t adding value, it is unlikely
they will change. Remember your time is your most precious resource. Know that
your network values your time and what you bring to the table. Avoid spending time
with leeches and loafers.
Speaking and writing represent two of the most important skills for career success.
Mastering the art of communication is more important than ever at a time when trust
and relationship building is at a premium.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just a business term anymore; it’s a way of life. You don’t
need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial. In fact, entrepreneurship isn’t just
about making money but rather about creating the wealth in resources that authentic
relationships can bring.
Resources can have just as much value as money if you know what you are looking
for.
If you want to advance in your career, give back to your industry. You may be a hero
inside the corporate walls, but what do you mean to the industry that your company
is serving? Do people know who you are because of the company you represent or
because your talent is extraordinary and could help to develop the future generation
of industry leaders?
Make a mark and leave your legacy on your industry. Be active, contribute and earn
respect from your peers. Down the road they may help your career.
Also, use this opportunity to connect with the leaders in your industry. Know who
they are, what they represent and get to know their back stories. Learn how the
industry allowed them to succeed.
Always work to improve yourself by evaluating your own performance. Write your
career goals down, and the steps needed to get there. Evaluate the outcomes each
month and course-correct as needed. While getting feedback from your peers and
your boss is extremely important, over time you must learn how to evaluate
yourself. If you believe that you need to improve your self-discipline – hire a coach.
In the end, you’ll always know if you are making progress and if your investments are
paying off. Others can have an opinion, but your gut will tell you if you are making
the right investment decisions. Too often people focus on what others want them to
be rather than following their own passions. 2012 will be your year if you focus,
invest, and stick to your plan!
Yet, Yahoo!, GE, Coke, and other large established companies have a tremendous
advantage in retaining their top talent and don’t. I’ve seen the good and the bad
things that large companies do in relation to talent management.
1. Big Company Bureaucracy. This is probably the #1 reason we hear after the
fact from disenchanted employees. However, it’s usually a reason that masks the real
reason. No one likes rules that make no sense. But, when top talent is complaining
along these lines, it’s usually a sign that they didn’t feel as if they had a say in these
rules. They were simply told to follow along and get with the program. No voice in the
process and really talented people say “check please.”
2. Failing to Find a Project for the Talent that Ignites Their Passion. Big
companies have many moving parts — by definition. Therefore, they usually don’t
have people going around to their best and brightest asking them if they’re enjoying
their current projects or if they want to work on something new that they’re really
interested in which would help the company. HR people are usually too busy keeping
up with other things to get into this. The bosses are also usually tapped out on time
and this becomes a “nice to have” rather than “must have” conversation. However,
unless you see it as a “must have,” say adios to some of your best people. Top talent
isn’t driven by money and power, but by the opportunity to be a part of something
huge, that will change the world, and for which they are really passionate. Big
companies usually never spend the time to figure this out with those people.
7. Top Talent likes other Top Talent. What are the rest of the people around
your top talent like? Many organizations keep some people on the payroll that
rationally shouldn’t be there. You’ll get a litany of rationales explaining why when you
ask. “It’s too hard to find a replacement for him/her….” “Now’s not the time….”
However, doing exit interviews with the best people leaving big companies you often
8. The Missing Vision Thing. This might sound obvious, but is the future of your
organization exciting? What strategy are you executing? What is the vision you want
this talented person to fulfill? Did they have a say/input into this vision? If the
answer is no, there’s work to do — and fast.
9. Lack of Open-Mindedness. The best people want to share their ideas and have
them listened to. However, a lot of companies have a vision/strategy which they are
trying to execute against — and, often find opposing voices to this strategy as an
annoyance and a sign that someone’s not a “team player.” If all the best people are
leaving and disagreeing with the strategy, you’re left with a bunch of “yes” people
saying the same things to each other. You’ve got to be able to listen to others’ points
of view — always incorporating the best parts of these new suggestions.
10. Who’s the Boss? If a few people have recently quit at your company who report
to the same boss, it’s likely not a coincidence. We’ll often get asked to come in and
“fix” someone who’s a great sales person, engineer, or is a founder, but who is driving
everyone around them “nuts.” We can try, but unfortunately, executive coaching
usually only works 33% of the time in these cases. You’re better off trying to find
another spot for them in the organization — or, at the very least, not overseeing your
high-potential talent that you want to keep.
It’s never a one-way street. Top talent has to assume some responsibility as much as
the organization. However, with the scarcity of talent — which will only increase in
the next 5 years — Smart Organizations are ones who get out in front of these ten
things, rather than wait for their people to come to them, asking to implement this
list.
“They just don’t understand me!” This is one of the most popular excuses from
employees that are having trouble creating impact and influence in the workplace.
In fact, most employees who say that are just tired of a workplace culture that does
not encourage them to share their individuality.
Everyone has a backstory. Unfortunately, most people feel that if they disclose it, it
will weaken them. In fact, the reverse happens because all our stories overlap – and
those parts that we share connect us. Why do you think small groups and online
communities have become so popular? In today’s world, people want to connect with
others in ways that matter equally to their hearts, and their heads.
Here are (6) personal traits that will help you accelerate your influence at work:
Let others know about what you strive to become, where you are headed and / or
what path you desire to take in your career. It’s ok to be open about what you long
for. Discussions about goal setting are always enlightening and create great
dialogue. They connect people in profound ways that bring them closer together –
and that help people work more strategically with one another.
Perhaps you are in middle management and your goal is to lead a business division in
your organization. Not only can the right succession plan be put into place, but
maybe you can be assigned as the next employee resource group (ERG) leader that
2. Your Heritage:
Don’t ever assume that others know your cultural background based on your name
alone. In fact, even if they can figure it out, they may not understand the nuances of
your culture. Your heritage defines your customs, attitude and outlook. It
represents your roots and most likely how you were raised. It helps others
understand how you are wired as a leader, decision maker and individual.
For example, if you are from South Korea and are actively involved in your
community, you are well versed in the desires and market trends of your culture.
Based on how you share this trait with others, there can be an opportunity to work
with as an advisor to your organization’s multicultural marketing department.
3. Your Passion:
What excites you most? Share it with others. This cultivates an interesting dialogue
because it touches the core of what fuelsyou and gets you going each day. Your
passion defines the magnitude of the impact you seek to create. While you may
surprise some people, it may get you closer to the next opportunity in your
organization. Believe me, I always find ways to align the passion of my employees
with their responsibilities.
Coaches can be great mentors. I remember that one of my managers was passionate
about being a high school baseball coach. After he invited me to a few games I
realized that he would be a valuable asset to our organization’s mentoring program.
This one is delicate, but necessary. We have all faced hurdles in life and it amazes
me just how much we all have in common when adversities are shared. How you can
contribute to your organization by utilizing the lessons learned from your experiences
with adversity can make a big difference.
Like many of us who have aging parents, caring for elderly is challenging. But over
time you acquire patience and an aptitude and spirit of wanting to help others. This
experience can help you serve as small group leader to others that share the same
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struggle in your organization; but also gives you the opportunity to support your
company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Talking about your parents and/or siblings will give your colleagues a broader
understanding of who you are and what you represent as an individual. Your family
defines your fabric and materials that influenced your upbringing.
That is why your childhood can help others learn a lot about your perspectives. For
example, I grew up in a small town called Azusa, in Southern California. Because my
father worked at the Miller Brewing Company just down the street he would come
home for lunch every day and I was able to spend a lot of time with my Dad,
especially during the summer, where he would share stories about the impact of his
immigrant past and his experiences in Cuba before Castro.
Perhaps now you know why I write about the immigrant perspective.
6. Your Hobbies
What you do outside of work fuels your heart and soul. Whether it’s your desire to
play an instrument or give back to your local community. Share what drives you in
ways that others don’t know about. I remember I had a boss that played the guitar. I
also knew of (3) others in my work that played instruments and they formed a band
that performed for the organization.
These (6) personal stories represent the real you: why you think, act and innovate the
way that you do. Open your mind to seeing beyond the obvious ways to create
influence in your work. By sharing your personal stories, the impact that you can
have on those around you will be greatly magnified.
“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know
someone who thinks and feels with me, and who, through distant, is close to me in
spirit, this makes the earth for me a inhabited garden.”
-Goethe
Henry ford once said, “My best friend is the one that brings out the best in me”
Value your friends and tell them you appreciate them. A friend is a island of safety
where you feel secure and where communication is often without sound.
To gain friends become interested in other people instead of trying to get them
interested in you. Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves.
Smile often, it costs nothing but creates much – Dale Carnegie
The only way to have friends is to be one. Choose your friends for what they are and
not what they have or what you can get from them. Friendship is not only doing
something for someone, it is caring for someone, which is what everyone needs.
Companies with mentoring opportunities are more likely to retain their people. To
achieve this, offer a range of mentors for people at different career stages. Types of
mentoring you should consider:
Buddy or peer mentors. In the early stages of a person's career, a "buddy" can help
speed up the learning curve. This relationship helps the protégé understand how
things work at the organization.
Career mentors. After the initial period at a workplace, employees need to have a
senior manager serve as a career advisor and advocate.
Life mentors. A life mentor serves as a periodic sounding board when one is faced
with a career challenge. Organizations can't necessarily offer a life mentor but they
can encourage seeking one.
View your mistakes as a healthy inevitable part of the process in getting better.
We are all human and make mistakes. Admit them and ask for forgiveness. Failure is
inevitable, always act in a way that allows you to sleep at night. Put away pride and
pretense.
If you always do your best people will respect you, they will listen and give you a
second chance.
Deference to authority is deeply engrained in most of us. As a leader you need to fight
it in your direct reports. If people automatically defer to your judgment, you may
miss out on critical feedback.
Make it easy for people to speak up, and remember to actively ask for their opinions.
When talking about projects give some initial thoughts, but then ask for help fleshing
out ideas. Recognize people who speak up and reward those who challenge you. Most
importantly, try not to react immediately if you start to feel threatened, or you risk
shutting down the discussion.
The Ken Blanchard Companies has an interesting workshop on trust. The Workshop
model discovers the ABCD's of trust. It's highlights the following four elements of
trust:
As we are all aware trust is the foundation of all effective leadership, however trust
does not just happen. It’s something that a leader must consciously and constantly
work on developing. When it comes to developing trust, actions matter! “…people
need to see trust in action more that they need to hear about it.” It’s only as leader’s
act in a trustworthy manner, by example that trust is developed.
• Consider the four elements of trust how do you and other leaders in your
organization rate?
• What impact does this level of trust have on your ability to lead?
• What action can you take this week to improve the level of trust?
Working to Win
Athletes, like leaders, do not win by playing to their weaknesses and imagining
failure. They win by building on their strengths and rehearsing, visualizing success in
their minds. Leaders have a advantage over athletes: leaders can delegate other
people to look after their weaknesses.
• Play to your strengths.. Know what you are good at and in what context (occupation,
company and projects)
• Visualize success.. Walk through the necessary steps to success and what success
feels like, looks like, smells like and sounds like. Rehearse it as vividly as possible.
then make it happen.
• Create a team that compensates for your weaknesses.. If you are no good at
accounting, rest assured there are thousands of accounts out there to help.
Winners.....
•..Take chances. Like everyone else, they fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control
the.
•..Don't give up. When life gets rough, they hang in until the going gets better.
•..Are Flexible. They relies there is more than one way and are willing to try others.
•..Know they are not perfect. They respect their weaknesses while making the most of
their strengths.
•..Fall, but don't stay down. They stubbornly refuse to let a fall keep them from
climbing.
•..Don't blame fate for there failures not luck for their successes.
•..Are positive thinkers who see good in all things. from the ordinary, they make
extraordinary.
•..Believe in the path they have chosen even when its hard, even when others cant see
where they are going.
•..Are patient. They know a goal is only as worthy as the effort that's required to
achieve it.
Just as the growth of tropical fish is limited by the size of the aquarium in which they
live, our environment also affects us. If your current circumstances do nothing to
help you grow, you're going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your
potential. That's why it's crucial that you create an environment of growth around
you. That kind of place should look like this:
A life of continual growth is never easy, but a good environment makes the swim
upstream a little less difficult.
Today...
Once a goal is set, begin with the end in mind. Be proactive and not dwell on your
past. Set a new direction and focus on the future.
Work with your staff to set a SMART goal. Use GOSPA as a plan to set a frame work
for the goal.
SMART Goals and GOSPA will be covered in more detail later in the book.
Act. Take action and monitor the progress towards the goal. As each Mini goal is
achieved, celebrate! Give feedback throughout the coaching on adjusting or affirming
behaviors to achieve the goal.
I’ve long been a proponent of breaking seemingly impossible goals down into
achievable steps.
Set SMART Goals with the main points been Measurable and time bound. Break
them down in to manageable "mini" goals.
Set a strategy on how to manage the goal and a plan on what you can do daily to
increase the effeteness of achievement. then take action.
Committed employees are much less likely to leave their jobs and they are less likely
to be absent from work.
Once employees identify with the goals and values of the organization, they are less
likely to leave, even when they experience periods of job dissatisfaction. More
committed employees perform better and they usually expend more effort to find
creative ways to be productive. They set more ambitious goals when they participate
in goal setting.
Finally, committed employees adopt the goals and values of the organization in
personal terms. This means that committed employees are strong advocates for the
products, services and policies of their employers. Clearly, many of these valuable
outcomes are at risk in organizations that attempt to improve their competitiveness
by downsizing rather than by making investments in training and development to
deepen employees’ job skills.
The questions many have is "How Can Managers Raise Organizational Commitment
and Job Involvement?"
1. Demonstrate that they honestly care about their employees’ welfare. Often,
managers are too busy to demonstrate much concern for employee welfare beyond
creating safe working conditions. Both commitment and involvement depend on a
durable strong, positive personal connection between the employee and the firm’s
actions. If these actions address employee welfare in conjunction with challenging
tasks and participation, commitment and involvement will both form.
4. Find ways to reward and interact with employees regularly. If managers are
unavailable when employees encounter task problems, then both work attitudes are
less likely to form. Further, if managers only appear when problems surface,
employees come to associate them with negative outcomes like punishment and
criticism; neither of which obtains commitment and involvement.
5. Set goals with employees and be sure that some of them are personal development
goals valued by the employees. Not only should managers explain the importance of
goals, but they should actively encourage the development of managerial competence
in their subordinates.
Setting effective objective to guide your team and organization is very important for
leader to get right. Badly formulated objectives will steer an organization in the
wrong direction.
• Sort out the difference between objectives and aims, goals and/or targets before you
start. Aims and goals etc relate to your aspirations objectives are your battle-plan. Set
as many objectives as you need for success.
• SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results orientated and Time
bound.
• Don’t try to use that order M-A/R-S-T is often the best way to write objectives.
• Measurable is the most important consideration. You will know that you’ve
achieved your objective, because here is the evidence. I will know too! Make sure you
state how you will record your success.
• If it’s achievable, it may not be realistic. If it isn’t realistic, it’s not achievable.
• The main reason it’s achievable but not realistic is that it’s not a high priority. Often
something else needs to be done first, before you’ll succeed. If so, set up two (or
more) objectives in priority order.
• The devil is in the specific detail. You will know your objective is specific enough if
everyone who’s involved knows that it includes them specifically. Everyone involved
can understand it. your objective is free from jargon.
• Timely means setting deadlines. You must include one, otherwise your objective
isn’t measurable. But your deadlines must be realistic, or the task isn’t achievable. T
must be M, and R, and S without these your objective can’t be top-priority.
It is worth this effort! You’ll know you’ve done your job well, and so will others.
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Actionable
R: Results orientated
Example:
"Each team member will achieve 101% to the companies objective Christmas 2012"
The engineering mindset of solving the impossible problems is part of the culture
instilled in every group at Google.
Every quarter every group at Google sets goals, called OKRs, for the next 90 days.
Most big companies set annual goals like improving or growing something by x%, and
then measure performance once a year. At Google a year is like a decade. Annual
goals aren’t good enough. Set quarterly goals, set them at impossible levels, and then
figure out how to achieve them. Measure progress every quarter and reward
outstanding achievement.
The following observations and insights with the goal-setting process at Google:
• OKRs are Objectives and Key Results. They expect to see stretch goals that
seemed impossible to fully achieve. Most people ask, “Why set unrealistic goals?”
Google’s answer is “Because you can’t achieve amazing results by setting modest
targets. We want amazing results. We want to tackle the impossible”.
• Failure is not an option – Taken the wrong way, that actually conditions people
to set modest achievable goals that they are certain they can achieve. Because if they
fail…they are fired. Taking great risks, pushing innovation, and striving to achieve the
impossible will never happen at companies like that. Google’s culture is “I haven’t
failed, I’ve just found lots of approaches that don’t work, and I am closer to the
solution”.
• Rewards For Success – The rewards for achieving the impossible are significant.
Google attracts the best people in the industry for many reasons, maybe most
importantly because they give people the resources and support they need to achieve
the impossible. Financial rewards are significant, but they are not the primary
motivator. Working with the best people in the world and achieving greatness is the
ultimate reward.
GOSPA represents:
G: Goals
O: Objectives
S: Strategies
P: Plans
A: Actions
Find something you like to do so much you would gladly do it for nothing, then learn
to do it so well people are happy to pay you for it.
Your passion will energize and motivate the people you lead.
The power of passion can take a significant event and turn it into a unforgettable one.
Here are some other Steve Jobs principles that served me well:
• Do your best to make the product intuitive, so a user’s manual isn’t needed.
• Ensure that the products represent you and your traits as a person.
• Work through your people and celebrate as a unit with every success.
• Keep innovating to get closer and closer to your ideal, your vision of perfection that
goes beyond the currently achievable reality.
"Management means helping people to get the best out of themselves, not organizing
things." ~Lauren Appley
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude
determines how well you do it." ~Lou Holtz
Managers who's teams are not performing well stop doing the right things and look
for the quick fix.
Their time is consumed with non effective activities rather than stopping and
deciding "what is the right thing to do".
Teams need to be lead from the front. Start regular One on One's, Coaching and
feedback. Communicate to your people regularly about performance and give
feedback around effective behaviors, coach for better performance and measure the
steps.
Make sure when we schedule time together they keep the commitment.
What I need most from my manager is support, trust and belief in me.
Every week remind me of the things I need to do, to help me achieve my overall goal.
Time management
"Time is the scarcest resource of managers. If it is not managed, nothing else can be
managed" ~ Peter Drucker
The reality of today’s world is that we have to do more, better, faster, and with less.
Time, quality, and cost are in constant tension, especially during hard economic
times and the speed in which the world is changing. Often times, one or two of these
factors takes priority and plays a prominent role in our planning, setting priorities,
decision-making, and other time management issues.
Time escapes minute by minute and hour by hour. Nothing you do will stop or rewind
a clock or calendar. You all have the same amount of time, 1,440 minutes per day.
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There are no short-cuts to managing yourself more effectively. The key is to invest
your time in the most productive way, not only for the sake of your organization but
for your own peace of mind. Here are some quick tips to help you prioritize tasks so
that you can work more efficiently.
1. Record All Activities: Write down all your multiple demands, competing priorities,
tasks, and activities for the day or week
2. Determine Primary Goals: List your primary goals for the day or the week
3. Consider 80/20 Rule: Determine which 20% of activities will yield 80% the results,
Bringing you nearer to your goals
4. Evaluate Important vs. Urgent: Decide which of these activities are the most
important versus the most urgent. At this stage, take into account how certain items
affect others and the consequences for not accomplishing certain tasks (for example,
someone might need something from you in order to do their job)
5. Rank: Use a ranking system to begin planning. For example: • “A” tasks have high
priority and must be completed immediately • “B” tasks are moderately important
but can be done after the “A” tasks • “C” tasks are of low-level importance and can be
tackled in our spare time
6. Create a Schedule: Indicate deadlines for each task and estimate the time involved
to complete the task. Create a schedule, keeping in mind any tasks that may be linked
together to increase productivity. For example, can you couple something of lesser
priority with something of greater importance?
7. Revisit Goals and Adjust: Review your goal(s) and the rewards of doing the task on
time, and make any necessary adjustments.
8. Purge: Get rid of items on your list that remain at the bottom and will realistically
not get
It's tempting to make choices that justify past choices. For example, you may refuse
to end a suffering project because of the time and effort already put into it. But these
Get a second opinion. Listen carefully to people who were uninvolved with earlier
decisions and unlikely to be as committed to them.
Be easy on yourself. Even the best managers make mistakes and it's okay to reverse a
previous decision.
Don't encourage a fear of failure. When evaluating decisions, look at the quality of the
process, not just the outcomes.
engagement:
Be modest. Share both your mistakes and your successes. Subordinates will see that
you're both human and don't have anything to prove.
Don't have all the answers. Managers should catalyze problem solving. Be willing to
admit that you don't know what the answer is and invite your team to toss around
ideas.
First, here's something that is fast becoming the most fundamental aspects of
marketing to get right, especially if you want to build a truly sustainable high quality
organization (of any size) in the modern age:
Ensure the ethics and philosophy of your organization are good and sound. This
might seem a bit tangential to marketing and business, and rather difficult to
measure, nevertheless...
Price is no longer the king, if it ever was. Value no longer rules, if ever it did. Quality
of service and product is not the deciding factor.
Today what truly matters is ethical and philosophical quality - from the bottom to the
top - in every respect - across every dimension of the organization.
Modern consumers, business buyers, staff and suppliers too, are today more
interested than ever before in corporate integrity, which is defined by the
organization's ethics and philosophy.
Good sound ethics and philosophy enable and encourage people to make 'right and
good' decisions, and to do right and good things. It's about humanity and morality;
care and compassion; being good and fair.
Profit is okay, but not greed; reward is fine, but not avarice; trade is obviously
essential, but exploitation is not.
Putting a good clear ethical philosophy in place, and communicating it wide and far
lets people know that your organization always strives to do the the right thing. It's
powerful because it appeals to people's deepest feelings. Corporate integrity, based on
right and good ethical philosophy, transcends all else.
And so, strong ethics and good philosophy are the fundamentals on which all good
organizations and businesses are now built.
People might not ask or talk about this much: the terminology is after all not
fashionable 'marketing-speak', nor does it correlate obviously to financial
performance, but be assured; everyone is becoming more aware of the deeper
responsibilities of corporations and businesses in relation to humanity, and morality,
the natural world, the weak and the poor, and the future of the planet.
Witness the antagonism growing towards certain multi-nationals. People don't rail
against successful corporations - they rail against corporations which put profit ahead
of people; growth ahead of of society and communities; technology and production
ahead of the natural world; market domination ahead of compassion for humankind.
None of this is right and good, and these organizations are on borrowed time.
People increasingly prefer to buy from, deal with, and work for, ethical, right-minded
organizations. And whether an organization is ethical and right-minded is becoming
increasingly transparent for all to see.
So be one.
Aside from which - when you get your philosophy right, everything else naturally
anchors to it. Strategies, processes, attitudes, relationships, trading arrangements, all
sorts of difficult decisions - even directors salaries and share options dare we suggest.
And it need not be complicated. The ultimate corporate reference point is: "Is it right
and good?... How does this (idea, initiative, decision, etc) stack up against our ethical
philosophy?"
So as you start to write your marketing plan, be it for a new start-up, a huge
corporation, or a little department within one, make sure you put a 'right and good'
ethical philosophy in place before you do anything else, and watch everything grow
from there.
Code of ethics
Clearly defining and communicating a code of ethics and code of conduct for selling
will help your business meet its ethical selling obligations. Demonstrating ethical
sales practices is good business - it helps earn the trust and loyalty of your customers
and strengthens your reputation.
Developing a code of ethics for your business helps build a culture of ethical selling.
Your code of ethics might simply be a statement of principles defining the way you
operate, make decisions and treat your customers, suppliers and industry peers. For
example, your code of ethics might include statements such as:
*We make sure our customers' purchasing decisions are based on their preference,
not our pressure.
*We sell our customers products today that will encourage them to return to us
tomorrow.
Managing expectations
The power of expectation settings is well established: Expect your people to succeed
and they will do so. Expect them to fail and they will fulfill your expectations
completely. They rise or fall to the standard of expectations.
• Avoid surprises.
Leaders cannot expect there team members to be telepathic. It helps to set these
expectations explicit. The expectations need to be discussed, not mandated.
If the team members feel involved in agreeing and setting expectations, they are
much more likely to feel committed to them.
If you’ve got employees who are “seemingly always part of problems instead of
solutions,” get rid of ’em—and fast. That’s the word, anyway, from G. Michael
Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón of Maddock Douglas, a firm that consults with
companies on innovation.
“You don’t want the victims, nonbelievers, or know-it-alls,” the author wrote in a
recent piece for Bloomberg Businessweek titled “Three Types of People to Fire
Immediately.” “It is up to you to make sure they take their anti-innovative outlooks
elsewhere.”
If Peter Drucker were looking to hand anybody the pink slip, however, my guess is
that he’d pick Maddock and Vitón.
Drucker certainly believed in setting high standards, but he often took a dim view of
terminations as a way of bringing this about. That’s because all sorts of managerial
mistakes can take potentially good workers and turn them into bad ones. So it’s worth
answering these questions before wielding the axe:
1. Are your employees buried by trivial meetings and paperwork? “This is not job
enrichment,” Drucker warned in Managing For the Future. “It is job impoverishment.
It destroys productivity. It saps motivation and morale.”
2. Do your employees feel they can go straight to the top, if need be? “Every employee
at IBM had the right to go directly to the company’s chief executive officer, that is,
to Thomas J. Watson, to complain, to suggest improvements, and to be
heard,” Drucker pointed out in The Frontiers of Management.
3. Do your employees understand how what they do fits into the bigger picture? Many
fighter-plane factories during World War II had high turnover and bad morale. Then,
at one factory, the boss arranged to have a completed plane brought to the plant. “To
his amazement, this visit created the most intense excitement among the workers and
resulted in an almost unbelievable increase in morale and productive
efficiency,” Drucker recalled in Concept of the Corporation.
5. Have you made an honest effort to reassign someone who isn’t panning out into a
new role that better plays to his or her strengths? “People who fail to perform must be
removed from their jobs,” Drucker wrote in The Practice of Management. “Whether
the man should stay in the company’s employ, however, is a different matter. While
the policy governing the first decision should be strict, the policy governing the
second should be lenient. . . . A real job—not ‘made work‘—consonant with the
person’s capacities can almost always be found with effort and imagination.”
Yes, I know. Dr. House is dysfunctional; childish; addicted to Vicodin; and treats his
employees, friends, even his boss and ex-girlfriend like pawns that exist solely for his
amusement. But you have to look past all that and see the big picture. That’s not just
a key point of the show, it’s also one of the …
Focus on the big picture and a handful of top priorities. This is precisely why
micromanagers fail. They’re not just annoying, irritating, and demotivating. There’s
simply not enough time in the day to be a successful micromanaging control freak.
Instead, good managers learn to see the big picture and focus on a handful of key
priorities. Also, it’s important to remember that even the brightest stars have dark
spots. Don’t dwell on them.
Everybody lies. That’s right; it’s a major premise of the show. Don’t pretend to be
surprised; we all do. We have our rationalizations and justifications but we all tell
white lies, even if just to get out of doing something we don’t want to do. According to
surveys, roughly half of managers and employees lie or misstate facts for various
reasons. Why is that important? Savvy business people know to look beneath the
surface and do their due diligence before making big decisions or commitments.
Sometimes, the ends do justify the means. Now, before I get dozens of nasty
comments from all you “holier than thou” ethics experts out there, note that I said,
“sometimes.” For example, in a life or death situation - human or corporate - it’s
sometimes okay to break a few rules or sidestep a few niceties, as long as you’re not
breaking the law or doing anything amoral or unethical. And yes, that dilemma does
come up a lot in management, which brings us to our next lesson …
It’s often better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Rules and processes are there
for a reason, to improve the overall effectiveness of an organization and create some
semblance of order out of chaos. That said, successful managers and leaders are
always willing to stick their necks out and take some risks when they feel it’s
necessary to get things done and do the right thing. If they’re right, they rarely suffer
for those indiscretions. Always question the status quo and people who say, “That’s
the way we’ve always done it.”
There are 6 reasons why cold calling doesn’t work in today’s world:
1. Even the most ardent fan of cold calling would admit it’s less effective than it used
to be.
You must come across as not needing their business – and that you are ready to walk
away at any time; that you have options. You will never win unless you are prepaired
to loose.
But when a prospect receives a cold call from you, you are demonstrating the
complete opposite – that you need their business. At the same time you convey that
you are not busy; that you don’t have anything more important to do than ‘smile and
dial’.
So are you calling random prospects? You come across as needy and desperate. And
every time you make a call, you do a little damage to your brand, to your positioning
as a successful expert.
Here’s something no-one can argue with: People with power cannot be reached by
phone. Have you tried calling Gates or Obama or Winfrey recently? Gurus don’t have
their mobile numbers on their business cards. And if they mistakenly do, they
certainly don’t say “call me anytime, day or night. I’m there, just awaiting your call”.
How could it? It is not what cold calling is designed to do. It’s a numbers game;
a random numbers game.
And a large and growing proportion of buyers are like me: we don’t take unsolicited
sales calls – ever.
Because it’s now so easy to do research, most of us know we can find what we need
via Google when we need it, so we don’t need to be interrupted. And, most
importantly, we can dig out the sellers who are well regarded from our networks; who
come well recommended with lots of (meaningful) testimonials.
The problem is cold calling allows you to be in only one place at one time.
Making one phone call or opening one door. So your results are strictly finite. There
is no leverage in this one-by-one approach.
On the other hand, leveraging Social Networks and other New Media allows you to be
in many ‘places’ at one time. Create the system and it can almost run itself if you
have clear goals and a clear strategy. And the results are open ended, not finite. A
good B2B sales system builds over time. Money spent is money invested, unlike cold
calling where every day is a new day (and a day from hell!).
A sales system stops you from spending time with people who:
• And, god forbid, are already a customer! It happens if your CRM is out of date, and
whose isn’t?? One of the benefits of Social Networking is that it’s your ‘self updating
CRM’.
And over 90% of cold calls clearly fall into one or more of these categories. A truly sad
call could cover all four!
If there’s one thing that always annoys a busy, successful person, it’s wasting their
time. And it is precisely the busy and successful who are your best prospects. But
given it is unashamedly a numbers game, it has to be a waste of time for over 90% of
those you call, because the calls are unqualified and unfocused.
Why risk starting on the bad side of 90% of your business prospects? People who
otherwise might have bought from you?
So why choose failure by executing activities that you hate? Activity that in some
companies has come to dominate BDMs’ valuable time as they plan the calls, make
them, record them and finally prepare to justify to their Manager what they’ve done.
And, at best, sales people regard cold calling as a necessary evil. Unfortunately they
and their bosses don’t know there is another way. In B2B sales it is a system that
embeds LinkedIn amongst other online tools.
Overall, these are 6 compelling reasons to find a different approach to B2B sales. But
let’s leave the last word to Albert Einstein – one of his most famous quotes, and
incredibly apt when it comes to the dinosaurs of cold calling:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
When taking to with a new client, I make it my business to understand theirs. As part
of the brief, I have always asked, “When you think about sales people that have come
and gone within your organization, what is the most common reason why a sales
person fails to meet expectation?”
Surprisingly, the single most common reason has very little to do with a person’s
inability to sell. A large majority of the time, it’s a lack of discipline that brings sales
people undone. What do I mean by discipline? An ability to follow and stick to a
process when it comes to building and maintaining a sufficient pipeline of
opportunities. It’s a simple case of; it doesn’t matter how greater sales person you are
if you’re not selling to enough prospects.
We’ve all heard this from our sales managers and mentors in the past, especially early
in our careers when we started in a more ‘transactional’ sales environment. Now that
A few tips I’ve learnt from quizzing many sales directors on what they’ve seen from
successful people:
• Work out how many deals it’s going to take to get to budget for the quarter?
• How many new and / or existing client presentations does that mean you need to
make in the quarter? Break it down to weekly targets. How much activity do you need
to do in order to gain those appointments? It’s back to the things we learned early in
our career on this one, and it’s what many senior sales people lose sight of.
Set aside what I’ve known some sales people to call ‘Sacred BD Hours’. This time is
set aside in your diary and nothing else should impede on this time. You’ve planned
that this many hours will get you the result; if you don’t spend the time, the outcome
is almost inevitable.
This is why the ‘Sacred BD Hours’ should not be moved, rescheduled or put aside.
Most of the time, it’s simple procrastination that will hold you back.
Obviously you could write a book as many have on what makes a successful sales
person. This is just one thing that when good sales people don’t keep an eye on it,
failure can sneak up on them. I’ve found that it’s often not the best sales person that
is the ‘top performer’ in a team. It’s often a ‘good’ sales person who is motivated and
disciplined with their time that tops the team.
Today I see so many manager and coaches sitting behind their desk, Creating spread
sheets and sending out emails that never get read.
Get out from behind your desk and wandered around your department or
organization and just talk with the members of your department or organization?
There is a term for this activity – MBWA, management by walking around.
Presence Among Your Employees is Important The benefits of getting to know your
people and letting them know you care about them will go a long way toward
improving morale, communication, and employee performance. Time spent with
them will have dramatic, indirect, positive rewards for you as a manager.
You don’t have time? You have too much on your plate already? Excuses, excuses! If
you are stuck every day in meetings, conferences, research, doing paperwork, reading
email its time to get you S#@t together, Review your priorities and make some
commitments to work towards yours and the organizations goals.
You can’t manage and coach your staff from behind your desk. You can only coach,
train, inspect, lead, and direct when you are in the presence of your employees.
2. Catch people doing things wrong and modify behaviour through coaching.
7. Send the message to your employees that you care and are interested in them and
their jobs.
10. Determine common perceptions that people have about the business, their jobs,
customers, and so on.
Effective Managers and coaches are In Tune with Their Organization The most
effective managers and leaders get to know their people. They know their
frustrations, concerns, questions, beliefs, problems, dreams, goals, strengths, and
weaknesses. You can’t know any of this if you are barricaded behind piles of reports,
non-stop meetings, and a heavy workload. The job of a manager is to manage it, not
do it. The job of a coach is to coach not sit from a far and question.
Negative things are happening in your organization right now, and the sooner you
identify them, the sooner you can reduce, eliminate, or neutralize them. If you just
act as if everything is just fine, prepare for the consequences. Get your head around
what your role and responsibilities are.
Leadership, management and coaching are not easy, it’s not sexy its hard work. Its
repetitive, doing the same thing day in day out, setting expectations, measuring result
and adjusting with effective feedback. Coaching is ongoing, working with individuals
to achieve there goals and the organizations expectations. Now get going. Get out
from behind that computer and start talking to your people… Now!!
• Go on at least one sales call with each sales person each week.
• Schedule a weekly meeting with your boss to recap sales for the week.
• Work with the PD, Creative, or promotions department, not around them.
• Keep the “promotional sheets” in the sales bins fresh and current.
• Understand the role of the reps they sell- you motivate and lead.
• Learn your traffic system and inventory system so you can understand it.
• Demand 10 new sales contacts per week from your direct retail staff.
• Buy your own tape recorder and write your memo’s on it.
• Read the Wall Street Journal/Financial review every morning or other appropriate
business publication.
• Quit smoking.
• Exercise.
Managing Your Boss or a senior member of your organization is not something many
of us expect to have to do or a skill we need to excel at when we first start a new job.
Who hasn't started a new job, excited by the challenges ahead, the desire to prove our
worth running strong and to create new relationships with our boss and co-workers.
Then ...
... after a few months (often it's called the 100 day honeymoon) reality starts to kick
in.
Even the most inspiring of leaders can, at times, lead you into circumstances that are
stressful, discouraging or that leaves you feeling that not only is your boat not being
floated - you are on the wrong boat! So let's take a look at when you need to be
managing up (and other difficult people in the workplace) and how to do it
successfully.
• You aren't looking forward to going to work and interacting with your boss
• You feel the hairs on your body stand on end when s/he comes toward you
• You are starting to feel that you hardly ever get it done right
• You have a bigger work load than you have capacity for and things are starting to
slip
• You are consistently working late into the night and on weekends
What Not To Do When Managing Your Boss Here are some ways of managing your
boss that are worth avoiding:
• Complaining to everyone else except your boss - those you are complaining to
generally can't fix the problem. If you are guilty of this type of workplace gossip then
you must stop it if you want others to take you and your career seriously.
• Giving your boss a piece of your mind when you are in a high state of emotion - it
will only escalate the situation.
• Convincing yourself that you should get another job - unless you are absolutely
100% sure that you aren't contributing at all to the situation (most unlikely) - you go
with you and so does the problem.
• Not asking for his/her opinion of you (see below for what to do)
• Saying Yes to everything they ask of you - you'll probably end up under-delivering
and then they'll jump more on your case
• Ignoring or not saying anything about their poor behavior - no denying it, this one's
a challenge - see below for more details - but if you don't address their poor behavior
you are asking for havoc
• Not making sure you understand the key home runs you need to hit in order for
him/her to see you as successful. (Your job description and what the boss wants from
you can be two distinctly different things)
• Jumping the Chain of Command This will probably only increase the conflict
between you and your boss and you may even suffer some retribution. Only use it as a
last resort.
• Trying to hide problems - you'll end up in deeper water and definitely with your
boat sinking.
• Giving up after your first attempt at getting your boss to modify his/her behavior - -
Rome wasn't built in a day, the Titanic can't be turned on a dime: don't expect your
boss (or anyone else, for that matter) to change from one conversation
• Take a Good Long Hard Look At Yourself. What are you doing that is contributing
to the problem. Are you asking good enough questions when being assigned tasks?
• Change Your Behavior Try to identify what it is your manager wants more/less from
you, then make some modifications. Then, and only then, ask for your boss' feedback
and whether the changes you are making are in alignment with what s/he wants
• Get Clear About What You Want How much time have you spent thinking about and
writing down the type of work situation you want. You attract to you that which you
give focus to. So be deliberate and spend some time really thinking about how you
would like to be treated at work, what you'd like to achieve, how you'd like to
contribute, how you'd like to interact with others.
• Set Boundaries Decide what you are willing to accept and not accept. For example,
you may decide "I'm okay with my boss making sarcastic comments, but I will not
tolerate her shouting at me." Then get clear what you will do if your boss crosses that
boundary. This can be challenging, but very freeing when done well. You can do
anything from saying "Do you realize that you have (e.g. raised your voice?)" to
"Please be advised that I will not tolerate (e.g. you raising your voice at me). I request
that you stop right now". Done well this is often a show-stopper and the person may
never repeat that behavior with you again.
• Set it on The Right Track When the Work is Being Assigned When your boss is
assigning work to you make sure the discussion includes current workload you have,
order of priorities and dates s/he wants things delivered by. In effect you are
managing your boss by delegating up.
• Think Through Carefully the Conversation You need to have with your boss to
rectify any situation which isn't going as well as you would like.
• Manage Your Emotional State Make sure that you mentally and emotionally prepare
yourself before any interaction with your boss. Think about your Big Picture (taken
from the Planning Sheet) to ensure that you stay aligned with what it is you do want,
not just get caught up in the moment.
• Walk A Mile In Your Bosses Shoes Do you know the pressures your boss is facing?
Have you asked him/her what stresses/problems/challenges s/he is up against. You
may or may not be able to help him/her with any of it, if you can then terrific go
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ahead and be part of his/her solution. S/he will love you for it. If you can't help, at
least you'll be more understanding of why s/he is behaving the way they are
• Know Your Boss', Your Team's and Your Organization's Goals When you do, you
can link the impact of his/her behavior, on you, your issue and on the goals. It also
gives you a framework and context within which you can better understand why
things are being asked of you
• Understand Your Boss' Preferred Communication Style Use a tool such as DISC to
identify your own style of communication and then use it to assess your boss'
preferred style. This one thing may be all you need to get your relationship humming
if you are prepared to flex your style so that you can communicate in a way that s/he
can 'get'.
• Let Your Boss Know About Your Successes This doesn't mean running into his/her
office every time you do something, but do make sure that you accurately and
regularly communicate with your boss hurdles you've overcome and solutions you've
implemented.
• Let Your Boss Know When S/he Gets It Right This is often the most overlooked
technique when managing your boss! You love it when you get positive feedback
right? ... Don't you think your boss does too? You can do it in such a way that it
doesn't feel like you are fawning. If you stick to communicating to your boss the
specific behavior that you appreciated, it will come across as sincere and appropriate.
• Keep Work At Work This is probably a stressful time, so don't take it home and
dump on your family and friends.
If you've been shying away from managing your boss, you really don't need to. Yes, it
can be challenging and can have some risk attached ... however how is it working out
for you doing nothing? If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting
what you've always got - right?!
One of the first things you learn as a manager is that you cant control people.
Motivation comes from within your employees, not from you.
Power
A manager with a socialized need for power motivates his subordinates by expressing
confidence in their abilities, delegating authority to them and acknowledging their
success with recognition and praise.
Recruit team membersIn effective teams, members possess the talent, knowledge,
and experience needed to get the job done. If a particular competency is missing
among the members, or if one or more individuals have weaknesses that could
threaten the team's performance, recruit for the missing competencies or identify
ways to strengthen those weaknesses.
Define a clear, common goal Members of a successful team can articulate a clear,
shared purpose—in a concise way. Test for a clear, common goal with the elevator
speech test. Take each team member aside and ask: "If you were traveling by elevator
with our chief executive officer and she asked you what your team was working on,
what would you say?Define metrics for the goalHelp your team specify its goal in
terms of performance metrics. A good performance metric expresses how team
members will know if they have achieved the team's goal and the time frame in which
each objective will be achieved.
Also consider setting up performance metrics for interim milestones that team
members can strive to achieve on their way to the larger objective.
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Foster commitment to successIn successful teams, members are committed to the
goal. They feel motivated to do the necessary work and forge ahead even when the
going gets tough. How can you tell if the members of your team are committed to the
goal? They use language emphasizing the communal effort, such as, "We are making
good progress, but each of us needs to pick up the pace" or "Where do we stand with
respect to our schedule?"
Commitment to a shared goal occurs more easily in small teams. Some team experts,
therefore, recommend that teams have no more than ten members—and even fewer if
the members demonstrate all the required competencies.
You can also enhance commitment through rewards. If team members understand
that promotions, bonuses, or other rewards will come with their success in achieving
the team goal, their commitment will intensify.
Ensure all members contribute and benefitFor a team to succeed, all its members—
including the leader—must contribute to and support the goal. Team members who
simply show up at meetings to render their opinions but do no substantive work
impair team performance and demoralize active team members.
And just as each member must contribute to the team effort, each must also receive
clear benefits. These may include:
• Public recognition and credit that will position the team member for more
interesting and rewarding work in the future
• Provide team protection: Protect your team from powerful managers and
departments that, for whatever reason, don't back the team's effort.
• Maintain a nonhierarchical structure: Resist any urge to force your team members
to conform to a rigid hierarchical structure. They'll be more willing to share
information and collaborate across the company and will also feel a greater sense of
empowerment if they are not constrained by stiff reporting structures.
In an aligned team, the team goals support the organization's goals, and each
member's goals align—through the team—with those high-level objectives. Equally
important, rewards support this alignment.
When teams work well, they generate valuable benefits for their companies. These
include:
• Setting up a team with the right components of leadership, resources, and personnel
takes time and requires care and skill.
• There's a risk that team members won't join together around a common goal, or
that personal differences or self-interest will undermine the collaboration needed for
success.
A Team leader
• Coordinate activities
• Set milestones
• Mediate conflicts
• Ensure that everyone contributes to and benefits from the team effort and
Even the most well-intentioned people will usually deviate towards dysfunction,
unproductive behavior. This is because we are human.
Because most leaders are not schooled in the art of building teams, small problems
are left untreated and spiral further and further into ugliness and politics.. Open and
honest trust must be established..
• Does the team come to decisions quickly and avoid getting bogged down by
consensus?
• Do team members sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team?
There is no pat formula for being a CEO. Everyone does it differently, and there’s no
right or wrong way to go about it, no magic formula that is the right thing to do in all
cases. Jack Welch has, however, found a number of things that have helped him lead
GE over the years, among them the following:
● Maintain your integrity. Establish your integrity and never waver from it. People
might not have agreed with Welch on every issue, but they always knew they were
getting it straight and honest. He never had two agendas; there was only one way —
the straight way.
● Set the tone for your company. The organization takes its cue from the person on
top. Welch always told GE’s business leaders their personal intensity deter- mined
● Maximize your organization’s intellect. Getting every employee’s mind into the
game is a huge part of what being a CEO is all about; taking their best ideas and
transferring them to others is the secret. Be open to the best of what everyone, every
where, has to offer, then transfer that learning across the organization.
● Put people first, strategy second. Getting the right people in the right jobs is a lot
more important than developing a strategy — this truth applies to all kinds of
businesses. Without the right leaders in place, the best, most forward-thinking
strategies in the world will amount to little.
● Appraise all the time. Whether you are handing out a stock option, giving a raise, or
simply bumping into someone in the hallway, always let your people know where they
stand.
● Mind your culture. If your company joins forces with another through merger or
acquisition, establish the new entity’s culture on day one, to minimize confusion and
root out resistance to your goals.
Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Criticism is something you can avoid easily—by
saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”
Obviously, that isn’t an option for anyone who wants to be successful as a leader.
Good leaders are active, and their actions often put them out front.
Customers
You grow your business by getting more customers, getting more from each customer
and preventing customers from leaving. The Value of your products and/or service
are persevered by its benefits minus the cost.
If your not servicing a customer in your organization, the you should be servicing
someone who is...
1. Let Your Clients Know They Can Trust You - Building trust is essential, you
are the middle man or woman between your company and the client’s office. They
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must feel secure that the work can be accomplished on a period agreed upon and the
requirements given must be translated.
2. Let clients know your limits – Its a misconception for some account
management teams to think that they must give everything to their client just to
make them happy. There is such a thing as boundaries that i am sure your clients
already know. What is essential here is that it is discussed at the beginning of the
projects. What do i mean here. One is the work time. Of course, there are occasions
where you need to do overtimes, but working 24/7 can really drain you, plus always
consider the scope of work agreed upon again at the beginning of every project. You
can be a more efficient worker, if you are happy and have sufficient amount of rest.
3. Never say I Don’t know right away. Of course, we don’t know all the answers
to everything our clients asks us, but never use the words I don’t know, you can
always say, you will find out, or you are not sure and you would get back to them.
Making them feel that you are open to their suggestions and you just need some time
to figure things out will make them feel more at ease with you and assure them that
you have their best interest at heart.
6. Be on Time - When you are on time for any meetings, this shows your clients
that you value their time as well. Be at the meeting at least 20 minutes ahead of the
agreed time. This also allows you to make the necessary preparation, meaning setting
up your computer etc. Just in case you know that you will be late, it is always good
practice to text or call your client and tell them that you are on your way. Most
clients appreciate that.
9. Call Back Right Away when You Missed their call - Some clients gets so
dependent on you that they will always look for you when they have inquiries. Of
course there will be times when you are busy and missed their call. Call back as soon
as you can. They will appreciate that very much. What I usually do is i text them
back and tell them that I shall call them asap.
10. Be a Good Listener. – Only when you listen, will you be able to give them the
best advise and recommendations possible.
Experience will always be our greatest teachers. Always learn from your mistakes, its
not an easy job but can be fulfilling once you have mastered the skills in handling
your day to day dealings with your clients.
Our customers are the originating source, of all the money we have and all the things
we own.
The customer has the power to fire everyone in the company simply by spending his
money somewhere else.
Motivate your people accordingly. Show our people the joy of treating that customer
relationship as a real genuine friendship.
Before you make a pitch, remember that investors are more likely to support an
entrepreneur who's professional, well prepared, and knows her numbers. Here are
three tips to be just that:
Tell your business's story. Start with a persistent problem and then show how your
proposition will fix it. Make sure it's something the investor can relate to.
Back up your pitch with data. Investors are primarily interested in facts. Be sure your
numbers make sense. Be prepared for in-depth questions on turnover, sales figures,
break-even points, and gross and net margins.
The notion of going above and beyond customer needs is so entrenched that
managers rarely question it. But delighting your customers may be a waste of time
and energy. In fact, most customers just want a simple, quick solution to their
problem. Here are three ways to give it to them:
Prevent callbacks. Customers hate having to return when their issue isn't resolved.
Focus on heading off future issues, not just addressing current ones.
Make use of complaints. Use feedback from disgruntled customers to determine the
biggest pain points. Reach out to unsatisfied customers and find out what you can do
differently.
Empower the front line. Don't reward speed over quality. Measures such as "average
call time" encourage reps to get off the phone quickly rather than fully addressing
customer concerns.
Make sure you work seamlessly with IT and build strong relationships. When
problems arise, resist the temptation to place blame; work together to find a win-win
solution.
Give IT a seat at the table when making key decisions so they can advise you on how
to best meet your goals. Most importantly, don't just do these things when you are
working on a tech project; make sure IT is involved as a partner in all that you do.
After all, what project doesn't involve technology these days?
There’s bad news and good news about the way consumers interact with brands on
social media.
The bad news? When customers complain on social media, those complaints can
tarnish your brand’s name for a wide audience faster than ever.
The good news? Just as complaints travel at light speed thanks to social media, so do
compliments.
If you think you’re not “on” or “doing” social media, you’re wrong. Your company
may not be active, but I guarantee your fans and your non-supporters are there.
Because of this, it is the brand’s responsibility to create a social media experience that
can turn a dissatisfied customer into a raving fan.
To help your brand do this, here are seven ways to create a memorable customer
experience on social media.
1. Give Your Customers a Place to Talk Some companies are afraid to set up facebook
pages because they allow customers to comment, which means someone might write
something negative. It seems counterintuitive, but you should actually want
customers to complain on your company’s Facebook page. If your customers are
When customers complain on your brand’s Facebook page, you can respond and
resolve issues. If you do it right (and get a little lucky), unhappy customers will turn
their opinions around and recommend you to friends because of your fantastic
customer service.
2. Integrate Social Media Into Your Customer Service Neglecting your social media
properties when they’re full of customer complaints is suicide for your brand. It’s like
publishing a customer service hotline phone number that no one ever answers.
(Except worse, because the whole Internet can see your negligence.)
Don’t open up the floor for complaints without a plan to handle them. Predict the
complaints you may get and construct policies for replying to them. You should also
plan on responding to fans who compliment you. At the very least, you should thank
customers for the compliment. But if you really want to make customers happy, show
happy customers your appreciation with coupons or other rewards.
3. Activate Your Existing Customer Base Most brands have more customers than they
do Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Start building your social media fan base by
reaching out to your current customers — after all, they already “like” your brand in
real life.
Think about how you currently contact your customer base and how you can use
those communication channels to draw customers to your social media properties.
For example, you could run a contest or promotion on Facebook and then include
that promotion on your product’s packaging, in your next email, and in any touch
point you have with your customers.
4. Be Proactive Don’t just wait for someone to post on your wall or tweet your
account. It’s especially easy on Twitter to monitor for mentions of your name and
reach out when someone has a problem, even if they haven’t mentioned your account.
Set your brand apart by proactively interacting with customers who are talking about
your brand, whether you’re thanking them for a compliment or helping them solve a
problem.
5. Reward Influencers
Find the social media influencers for your audience and give them extras. This could
be as simple as giving them advance notice of a special promotion, or complex as
giving them a free trip and tour of your facilities. For example, check out what
Musselman's apple sause did for its blogger network. Making people feel special will
help turn them into advocates for your brand. Reward your brand ambassadors when
they least expect it and you’ll see some pretty phenomenal results.
6. Create Compelling Content Give your fans something of value on your page. For
example, Nordstom’s Beauty Central on Facebook provides a ton of relevant, useful
content. You can do something similar to this in every industry. If you’re a movie
producer, post behind-the-scenes photos, and if you’re a bank, write money saving
tips. It’s hard to get people to engage with your brand when you don’t have anything
interesting to say. Every brand can (and should) create quality content.
Social media can be a channel to make customers or followers feel special, like they’re
in an exclusive club with your brand because they follow you. Make them feel this
exclusiveness whether you have ten social media fans or 100,000.
7. Stand Out From the Crowd Some of the most memorable social media experiences
are created by going beyond text. This can be as complex as Starbucks’s Pumpkin
picture app, or simple as using voice applications to let your brand’s spokesperson
actually speak to your fans. The more interactive and engaging your social media
presence, the better. In part, social media is a little anti-social because there can be a
lot lost in plain text. By giving your fans a true voice on social media, or encouraging
participation through photos and videos, you humanize the experience that much
more. You’ll be doing so when most of the other companies out there aren’t really
participating effectively this way.
Has a brand ever given you a truly memorable social media experience? Let us know
in the comments.
Some of the best idea’s and products come from your front line staff but they don’t
have a clear channel to express these idea’s, or if they do, they are ignored which is
discouraging.
Business leaders want to promote a more idea-receptive environment; but most don’t
know how to do it. More than ever, the need for continuous innovation – in
developing new products and services, re-designing work processes, communicating
with external and internal customers, and more – is seen as a key to survival.
Though the stereotypic image of creativity is the lone inventor or artist dreaming up a
new technology or masterpiece on canvas, most creative thinking is done in groups,
where each individual can tap into both his/her own imagination, and that of others.
It’s what the term synergy really represents. But, as surely as the group dynamic can
exponentially increase the creative energy and output, it also has the power to quash
it. Those who roll their eyes when asked to participate in a brainstorming session
have undoubtedly experienced this. Engaging in a true creative session can be
exhilarating; however, when the session is filled with value judgments, selective
acceptance of ideas and lack of open-mindedness to new thinking, it can be
downright depressing.
Here are ways in which executives and managers can actively support and encourage
creative thinking and innovation:
Use a safe haven to encourage a broad range of ideas, including those not
immediately seen as feasible, or even “sensible,” for they are where the seeds of
innovation can be found.
Above all, people must feel safe in pushing the envelope. New or unfamiliar ideas are
almost surely “wrong” in their first iteration. They should be considered starting
points on which to build and encourage further thinking. An immediate negative
evaluation of the idea (however warranted) will kill it, along with any desire on the
employee’s part to offer another. Therefore, leaders should convey openness to ideas
that are imprecise, untested or even fanciful.
The key factor is an attitude by management that values the inherent creativity of
employees and envisions the long-term strategic benefits of empowering them to
exercise their imaginations.
Idea generation works best when there are differences in perspective, knowledge and
background. Ideally, a team attempting to come up with a fresh, new solution to a
tough challenge should consist of both experts in the area being discussed, as well as
so-called “naïve” idea-contributors who may see the problem in ways the experts
cannot. Also, because they’re not experts, they don’t know what doesn’t work!
While bringing such outsiders into your sessions may pose problems of a practical or
proprietary nature, there are still plenty of internal resources to draw upon. What
does an account executive have to say about a technical subject? An engineer about
marketing approaches? A line worker about company strategy? Creativity is a
product of organizational diversity, and even the smallest companies have that. Use
it to your advantage.
There are a thousand different ways for people to put down each other’s ideas. Some
are blatant (“It’ll never work,” “Been there, done that…”). Others are more subtle (a
Supporting such involvement needn’t be difficult nor complicated. It may only entail
giving people the time (company time, not their own) to periodically take part in a
two- to three-hour ideation session. Given a conducive climate most employees enjoy
the opportunity to exercise their creative muscles. It is a side of them they may not
often get to express, so it tends to be rewarding. What’s more, there is a definite
practice effect; the more people do it, the more comfortable they become, and as a
result, the greater the potential for coming up with innovative solutions.
Assure follow-through.
This is not to suggest that every concept developed will necessarily be implemented –
far from it. It does mean, however, that whatever steps are needed to take it to the
next level of possible implementation be specifically stated along with assignments
and timetables.
If a group has come up with a potential innovation, you could “lose” it through failure
to take immediate action. Another reason for rapid action is that it will overcome the
common scenario in which somebody wonders, weeks or months later, “Whatever
happened to that idea we were working on …?” Again, the entertainment value of
pure creative thinking is short-lived; task groups want something to show for their
efforts, even if the concept they were envisioning cannot be fully realized at the
present time.
It is easy in our digital age, where each new day seems to bring with it an eye-popping
new technology, to lose sight of the organizational conditions that engender high
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levels of innovation. At times it seems as if technology, itself, is responsible for such
progress, but this is not the case. Rather, it is people – working together in high-
performing collaboration – who reach beyond current boundaries to come up with
new ideas. Start putting these recommendations in place, and you too will begin to
experience the power of employees’ imaginations!
Apple founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs has passed away after several
years of battling against pancreatic cancer.
Although Jobs had been on medical leave since earlier 2011, and resigned from his
role several weeks ago, the news has shocked the tech industry.
From introducing the original Mac to the latest iPhone, Jobs has been responsible for
some of the biggest changes in the information technology industry – changes that
have informed how other companies and entire industries do business.
But although Jobs himself has died, his impact on the tech world will never be
forgotten. Here are five of his biggest innovations.
1. The Mac
This is the device that changed how everyday consumers use personal computers.
It can’t be overstated how significant the release of the Mac was in the 1980s. That
period in the information technology scene represents the transition from computers
being mysterious objects used by universities and rocket scientists into something
personable and useful. Jobs, (along with peers including Bill Gates), transformed the
perception of computers being cold and aloof to a must-have household item.
An early video of Jobs debuting the Mac to thunderous applause highlights its
significance. The first powerful, useful personal computer that would set the trend for
years to come.
2. The iPod
Apple never takes the first step. When Jobs debuted the iPod in 2001, it wasn’t the
first MP3 player on the market and it technically wasn’t even the best. But this device
– which has sold hundreds of millions of units in the past decade – represents Jobs’
vision.
By releasing the iPod, Jobs proved that consumers don’t necessarily respond to
technical specifications. Instead, they prefer stylish, well-designed objects that are as
much of a fashion item as they are music player.
Although Jobs’ obsession with design started in the 1990s, the first iPod represents
the strengthening of the relationship between technology and industrial design. Until
his resignation Jobs had always been obsessed with design – how gadgets look and
feel, rather than just what’s inside.
The iPod wasn’t the best MP3 player on the market – but Jobs proved that consumers
don’t really care.
3. The iPhone
Before the 2007 release of the first iPhone, smartphones were barely breaking any
ground. They weren’t good looking, they couldn’t browse the internet very well, and
they certainly couldn’t operate any comprehensive software.
Jobs’ vision for the iPhone changed not only how smartphones operate, but also how
they appear – nearly every major smartphone that is released now appears similar to
the original version of the iPhone that launched just four years ago.
The genius in Jobs’ vision isn’t the phone itself, but in his recognition that the phone
was slowly becoming more of a personal computer than just a calling device. Even
now experts and analysts constantly comment on how the phone is now becoming a
personal computing device with more power than some laptops currently on the
market.
Vision is everything. Part of Jobs’ skill as an entrepreneur was being able to see where
the market would be four, five or 10 years ahead of time. It’s only now that
smartphone makers are beginning to offer alternatives.
Having Macs and iPods is great, but devices are nothing without the content that fills
them. Two of Jobs’ most underrated innovations are the iTunes and App Stores, both
of which have changed how people interact with digital music and software forever.
Think back to the year 2003. There was basically no easy way to buy music online, so
most people pirated it from peer-to-peer networks. Music labels are in disarray,
publishers are fretting over what to do next, and consumers see no reason why they
should ever have to pay for music again.
The creation of the iTunes Store represents a fundamental shift in how we consume
content, and once again, highlights Jobs’ ability to not only see where markets are
going, but create entirely new ones when none exist.
Working with music labels to create an entirely new digital marketplace, Jobs created
a perfectly simple way for users to buy music – just click on a song. No mess, no fuss,
just clicks. And most importantly, it’s cheap. Users were given an easy alternative to
support artists and get high quality tracks.
Although the App Store wasn’t necessarily filling a gap in the market like the iTunes
Store, it nevertheless represents Jobs’ ability to spot a future opportunity.
Just as Jobs recognized smartphones were becoming more like computers, he also
recognized these computers need software to fill them. Giving developers the
freedom to create all different sorts of products and features, and then sell them, has
not only created new revenue streams for Apple but – put simply – has created an
entirely new industry out of thin air.
Jobs had a great eye for design, and loved to create well-built devices. But content is
king, and Jobs recognized that offering customers valuable material like music,
television shows, films and apps is just as big a part of the entire Apple experience.
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5. Pixar
Not a device, not a piece of content, but nevertheless technology that has changed
filmmaking forever. In the 1980s Jobs bought a small graphics technology group
from George Lucas that would later become Pixar, now renowned and celebrated for
its high quality feature films, and for being the first company to produce a film
entirely generated with computer graphics.
Jobs’ vision is obvious here. Recognizing that technology would not only change
consumer electronics forever, but also filmmaking, he set out on an opportunity to
have a stake in that change.
Pixar’s legacy is clear, and although Jobs has had less to do with the company as time
has gone on, it is nevertheless a key point in his career and represents a significant
leap forward for the use of technology in cinema.
For many Australian consumers, the first thing they think about when they consider
the legacy of Apple founder Steve Jobs will be sitting in the palm of their hand – the
iPhone, the iPod and the iPad have become such powerful symbols of the genius of
Jobs and Apple.
But what has always struck me about Jobs is the fact that he didn’t just create
brilliant products. At least two of his greatest innovations could be considered to have
created entire industries, or at least allowed struggling sectors to flourish.
While the iPhone and iPad are brilliant products, I have always thought that the real
genius of these devices was the way Jobs and Apple created content markets that sat
behind them in the form of the iTunes Store and the App Store.
Jobs realised that content is king in the digital world. It was no good building a sleek,
beautifully designed device with the power of a small laptop if you couldn’t listen,
watch, play and use content on it.
The way the iTunes and App Stores were set up – such that Apple gained the right to
approve what was sold in them and took a 30% cut of any items sold– guaranteed the
company’s devices would continue producing revenue for Apple long after that initial
sale. This closed ecosystem is hated by many users, but it’s hard to deny it’s very, very
smart.
No more was this true than in the App Store, where hundreds of thousands of
software developers – particularly those developing games – seized the chance. The
bar, at least initially, was relatively low.
Armed with a developer’s kit and time, games could be created over a weekend and
generating revenue the next week.
As well as the army of start-up app developers, the App Store allowed some genuinely
huge businesses to be built, even here in Australia.
Rob Murray, founder of games studio Firemint, enjoyed huge success with his games,
most notably Real Racing. After a few years he was able to merge with another
Australian games studio (Infinite Interactive) and in July he sold his business to US
giant Electronic Arts for an estimated $40 million.
A few weeks ago, Murray appeared on the BRW Young Rich list with a fortune of $24
million. Fellow app developer Andrew Lacy, who sold his development company
Tapulous to Walt Disney, was valued at $20 million.
Would this have been possible had Steve Jobs not created an ingenious platform for
entrepreneurship? I am not sure.
While the iPhone and the iPad will always carry Steve Jobs’ DNA, the pace of change
at a company such as Apple means that updated models will arrive very quickly.
Eventually, they may in fact become some other designer or CEO’s products.
But the impact of the App Store and iTunes Store will live on for much longer.
Hundreds of thousands of developers have been given the chance to launch their own
little businesses on this platform.
Some have made huge businesses out of this opportunity. The vast majority haven’t.
But the creation of this market has allowed so many people to get a taste of
entrepreneurship – who knows what great companies this could create in the future.
The secret to Jobs’ success lies not only in his keen eye for design and consumer
electronics, but for being able to create a vision, innovate new products within that
vision, and then do it again, and again.
If nothing else, Apple under Jobs’ leadership was focused on innovation, by staying
ahead of the pack and being focused on creating new ideas that no other company
was working on. It’s a legacy more entrepreneurs need to keep in mind.
Gallo’s webinar – which can be viewed here – took the several hundred attendees
through some of the biggest innovations they should learn from Steve Jobs’ success.
From getting more creative, to being in control of your company’s vision, here’s what
SME should learn from Jobs’ impressive track record of innovation:
Last year when speaking with Bill Gates at an All Things Digital conference, Jobs
responded to a question about how entrepreneurs can hope to have the same success
he has with Apple. His response was simple – you need to have a passion for what
you do, “otherwise any rational person would give up”.
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,” he said in his famous
commencement speech in 2005. “They somehow already know what you truly want
to become.”
Jobs was successful because he cared about his products. He was so hands-on that he
finalized key details, including the exact weight of products, to the type of wood that
was to be used in Apple’s retail stores.
Only someone who cared about these products would go to such a high level of detail.
But it is exactly this tendency to place such a high priority on seemingly unimportant
bits and pieces that makes Jobs’ dedication to innovation a lesson all entrepreneurs
must take to heart.
Part of Jobs’ skill was being able to see where a market would be two or three years’
ahead of time, and then creating products that suit the vision of the future. Jobs is
famous for saying Apple would rather gamble on its own vision rather than make
“me-too” products, and SMEs need to follow the same example.
Creating something new is always better than being a copycat. If you have a good,
different idea, then have the courage to follow it through. Your success will be greater
than if you had created a slightly better version of something that already exists.
Get creative
Plenty of entrepreneurs are intelligent thinkers, but not many are creative. You need
to have the ability to perceive information and then use it to create something totally
different.
Jobs once said that part of the reason the Mac was successful was that the “people
working on it were musicians, and poets, and artists, and zoologists, and historians,
who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world”.
Successful innovators need to be creative and foster creativity within their own
businesses. Don’t restrict your staff, or yourself, from bringing up new ideas – some
may even work.
One of the biggest fundamental mistakes marketers make is that they sell the actual
product, without the reasons someone should buy it.
Consider the tablet market. Plenty of Apple’s competitors have tried to sell
alternatives to the iPad, including the Motorola Xoom, and the Galaxy Tab. They
haven’t even come close to making a dent in Apple’s success, and here’s why: they sell
a product, rather than the benefits.
Motorola, Samsung and Research In Motion praise their devices’ various bells and
whistles, such as USB connectivity, a high definition screen, the ability to watch any
video file you want, and so on. But none of these companies actually show you what
you can do with it.
Key
Leadership
217
©Christian
Whamond
2012
Consider Apple’s own marketing. Its advertisements show families connecting via
FaceTime, children learning to write, and board members reading reports on the fly,
backed by the comforting, simple sounds of an acoustic guitar or piano. The message
is simple – the iPad will help you be creative, work and connect with your family, and
it’s easier than what you’re doing now.
Successful innovators identify problems, tell their customers how they can fix it, and
then introduce a product. Sell the idea of your product and what it can do, not just
the product itself.
Jobs once said that having focus is the ability to say “no”. He made that comment in
1997, less than a year after he returned to the company to help straighten things out.
He lamented that Apple was heading in too many directions without much focus.
Innovators need to say no. They need to learn when a product isn’t good enough, and
when you can do better. Just as an editor eliminates the worst part of a news story, an
innovator’s job is to cut the worst parts of a product, and then work on the promising
parts.
Here’s a secret – Apple’s products aren’t the most technically capable. Most
smartphones on the market can do more than the iPhone, and a Windows machine
will let you do much, much more than a Mac running OS X. But Apple still outsells
them all.
Most people want simplicity and power. They want to be able to do all sorts of things
with their computers, but don’t want the hassle of figuring out how to do it. Apple
products are powerful, yet simple. Their user interfaces are so easy to use that
children can operate them.
Innovators must not only create good products, but recognise the experience of using
them is just as important. Your product might be powerful, but if it doesn’t “just
work”, then you’ve wasted your time.
And this branding reaches throughout the entire company. Consider the slides used
at all of Apple’s presentations – they’re clean. Free of complicated graphs, with rarely
more than one graphic appearing on the screen at a time, they deliver the same
message as Apple’s products.
Part of being able to innovate is also being able to create a cohesive message. Too
many businesses fail because they don’t have a singular vision. Build one, and then
ensure it stays intact.
When Steve Jobs launched the iPad 2 in March 2011, I felt the biggest story out of the
event – other than the appearance by the ailing Jobs himself – was a little revelation
about the size of Apple’s customer base.
Jobs revealed that Apple now has 200 million accounts with credit card numbers on
its books, linked to its various online stores selling music, video, books and, of course,
applications.
“Amazon doesn’t publish their numbers. But it’s very likely that this is the most
accounts with cards anywhere on the internet,” Jobs said at the presentation.
As I have argued in the past, the real genius of Apple’s product releases over the last
decade has been the way it has rolled out marketplaces to accompany its products.
Yes, the iPod was cool, but it worked at its best when you put all your music into your
iTunes account and started buying new albums and songs from the iTunes store.
Yes, the iPhone was great, but it worked at its best when you loaded your phone with
applications from the App Store.
The clever part is that by developing these markets, Apple was able to get multiple
revenue streams. It sells its hardware once, but by creating these marketplaces and
taking a cut of anything sold by publishing companies, music companies and app
developers, it ensured customers would keep the money pouring in.
The marketplaces also work as a brilliant barrier to competition. Even if you are
tempted by a rival company’s smartphone or tablet, transferring your music, contacts
and other content from your Apple device isn’t easy. And in the case of apps, if you
switch to another phone brand, you’ve just taken a big loss.
Those are the reasons why Apple has been able to build a database of 200 million
credit cards.
The question I have is this: What could they do with that database in the future?
Clearly, Apple will expand into selling other forms of content – newspaper
subscriptions (as seen with Rupert Murdoch’s new publication The Daily) and other
forms of micro-payments would seem to be obvious targets.
But let’s think bigger. The new iPhone 5 is rumored to include near field
communications technology, which can allow for the phone to be used a payment
device – a lot like the cashless “swipe and go” technology Visa is rolling out with some
retailers.
Think about it. Before you head out for a day of shopping in the city, you log onto
iTunes, transfer cash from your credit card to your Apple account and then head off.
When you go to buy something in a retail store, you simply wave your phone at a
store’s terminal/chip reader and the money is transferred out of your Apple Account
to the store’s banks account.
That might be a long way away. Apple might not want to go down that path at all. But
its 200 million-strong customer database is just ripe for some serious monetising.
There is much that can be learnt from the legacy of Steve Jobs.
He took Apple from the brink of being dismantled in 1997, to America’s second-most
valuable company.
How did he do it? Of course, the iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes have all played a role,
but what has really driven Apple’s success isn’t any individual product, but its ethos.
In Apple’s case, that’s a brand of thinking that emphasizes perfection, innovation and
detail.
Here are a few thoughts on what can be learnt from Apple’s success that you might
apply in your own business:
Make it better
MP3 players and smartphones were around before the iPod and the iPhone. Yet the
iPod was an MP3 player so good it changed the face of the music industry, and, while
the iPhone didn’t do much that was new, everything it did, it did better.
Think about what’s wrong with the products in your industry – why aren’t they as
good as they could be? Apple have been adept at going back to the drawing board and
asking, “How should this product work?”
Steve Jobs made Apple a design-driven company, with creative people at the top and
engineers underneath who push the envelope to execute their ideas.
The process of moving from the design table to the production line is often one of
compromise. Make as few concessions as possible when translating your ideas into
products.
Think about the opportunities for your business to develop products that cater to
customers’ needs while effortlessly connecting to each other.
Focus on profitability
Think carefully about what spaces to be in, and how each fits with your overall vision.
Go global
Jobs was famous for his interest in ideas and his power to critique, and at Apple, his
final word is gospel. It’s this fact that – from phones, to computers to content –
delivers Apple its vision and direction.
2. The things that get measured are the things that get done
3. You cant manage time! You can only manage priorities and behaviors.
5. If your not fired with Enthusiasm, then you will be fired; with enthusiasm.
6. Good judgment comes from experience; Experience comes from bad judgment.
7. Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll
understand.
8. No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine interest in the successes of
those under them.
9. The best leaders not only lead but also reflect on their leadership long enough to
articulate what philosophies cause them to do so. They can pinpoint the rationale for
their actions and decisions with ease.
10. Real time coaching: if you notice something going awry on your team members,
try to figure out a way to question or coach someone right there on the spot. While
this approach seems time consuming in the moment, it has long term payoffs that are
hard to beat.
12. Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. Drucker
quote
13. Checking the results of a decision against its expectations shows executives what
their strengths are, where they need to improve, and where they lack knowledge or
information. Druker Quote.
15. Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate
non performing individuals in important jobs.
16. Management by objective works - if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the
time you don't.
17. Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility. Drucker
quote.
18. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product
or service fits him and sells itself.
20. The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.
21. The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.
23. Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.
24. Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves
their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following?
The extra mile.
25. Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of
satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our
best.
26. In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take
the experience first; the cash will come later.
27. One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it
becomes an emergency.
28. Leaders are failing to build trust with those who need their direction and
guidance, and as a result, they don't follow. A high level of trust is critical to
leadership success, and yet so many leaders fail to build trust, despite all the training
they have been given.
31. Lack of employee engagement is like a cancer, eating away at your organizations
vital organs. It saps your organizations strength, directly affecting your organizations
ability to achieve the levels of customer satisfaction, productivity and profitability you
know you could achieve.
32. When employees feel connected to the purpose and vision of the organization,
they have a clear connection between what they do and the success of their
organization in fulfilling its purpose.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Change the way you think.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
Stay in touch.
8. Release your children when they become adults, its their life now.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and
no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a
special occasion. Today is special.
22 Just because you believe you are right, doesn't mean you are. Keep an open mind.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
34. Your job is to love your children, not choose who they should love.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours
back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield...
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
E
G
E.F.
Hutton
·
77
EBay
·
18
gaps
·
37,
38
Edge
·
63,
146
General
Electric
·
23,
76
Edwin
Land
·
52
Goals
·
8,
9,
34,
39,
41,
61,
73,
74,
75,
81,
82,
83,
99,
effective
·
3,
5,
6,
10,
17,
21,
24,
36,
37,
38,
58,
62,
64,
110,
116,
117,
129,
130,
132,
143,
144,
147,
148,
65,
72,
81,
82,
92,
95,
103,
107,
108,
109,
111,
115,
153,
154,
155,
157,
158,
159,
160,
161,
162,
163,
116,
119,
120,
128,
131,
134,
140,
158,
159,
165,
168,
175,
176,
177,
178,
179,
180,
181,
186,
187,
173,
178,
184,
191,
195,
201,
209,
244
192,
197,
200,
201,
207,
210,
211,
214,
219,
240
Effectiveness
·
8,
159
God
·
53,
55
employee
success
·
8,
159
good
listener
·
46,
125,
171
Empowerment
·
78
Google
·
9,
23,
52,
180,
181,
196,
218
Encourage
·
9,
46,
116,
172,
211
GOSPA
·
9,
176,
181,
182
Key
Leadership
2
©Christian
Whamond
2012
great
management
·
7,
121
J
growth
·
9,
78,
79,
95,
96,
175,
190
Jack Welch · 6, 7, 10, 13, 76, 97, 145, 146, 213, 214,
H
215,
245
Jim
Rohn
·
115,
130
habits · 4, 18, 20, 44, 49, 59, 130, 134, 136, 140 job suck · 8, 155
Helen Keller · 74 judgment · 45, 67, 69, 70, 107, 115, 130, 172, 239
Honor · 20 Leader · 3, 4, 6, 9, 17, 21, 23, 24, 42, 43, 47, 74, 170
HR · 6, 56, 96, 131, 140, 156, 165, 198 leadership · 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
humility · 5, 20, 42, 62, 129 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 50, 51, 57, 58, 60, 62, 63,
Humor
·
20,
52,
125
64,
65,
67,
68,
71,
72,
74,
75,
76,
81,
86,
89,
91,
95,
97,
98,
99,
100,
107,
111,
117,
123,
128,
130,
140,
145,
146,
167,
173,
193,
212,
215,
231,
239,
240,
I
241,
244,
245
Leave
Your
Job
·
7,
143
IBM
·
53,
193
Legacy
·
79
improve
·
9,
40,
48,
59,
76,
77,
84,
95,
98,
110,
117,
Leonardo
da
Vinci
·
52
118,
127,
131,
135,
140,
162,
163,
172,
173,
176,
life
·
16,
26,
28,
35,
50,
55,
62,
63,
83,
89,
95,
100,
177,
185,
195,
240
102,
103,
106,
108,
109,
133,
135,
136,
140,
142,
influence
·
4,
8,
15,
16,
25,
29,
31,
36,
37,
38,
42,
43,
156,
163,
169,
170,
171,
174,
175,
195,
220,
241,
46,
60,
74,
76,
119,
121,
127,
132,
167,
168,
170
242,
243
Influential
People
·
8,
162
Listener
·
217
innovations
·
10,
226,
228,
230,
232
Inspiration
·
4,
33
Investment
·
8,
163
M
iPhone
·
11,
226,
227,
228,
230,
231,
232,
234,
235,
236,
237
Mac
·
10,
52,
53,
226,
227,
233,
234
iPod · 11, 227, 230, 235, 237 Management · 9, 20, 121, 184, 193, 194, 239, 240,
iTunes
·
11,
228,
229,
230,
231,
235,
236,
237
244
manager
·
9,
10,
13,
18,
40,
81,
82,
83,
86,
93,
94,
108,
115,
117,
119,
120,
137,
146,
147,
155,
171,
176,
178,
184,
185,
188,
194,
200,
201,
202,
206,
208,
239
Key
Leadership
3
©Christian
Whamond
2012
managers
·
22,
23,
26,
30,
40,
58,
59,
63,
79,
82,
83,
Passion
·
8,
9,
51,
52,
63,
64,
71,
85,
145,
147,
164,
85,
86,
93,
96,
98,
108,
117,
119,
123,
124,
130,
169,
182,
214,
224,
232,
241
132,
139,
140,
141,
145,
146,
147,
157,
169,
177,
Passive-‐Aggressive
·
6,
110
178,
186,
187,
194,
195,
199,
201,
203,
210,
218,
Patrick
Lencioni
·
13
224
PEOPLE
·
121
Managing
up
·
10,
204
people
Factory
·
7,
145
Manipulative
·
4,
42,
43
7
Performance
·
,
9,
14,
19,
21,
23,
31,
41,
63,
86,
89,
marketing
·
9,
169,
188,
189,
190,
195,
224,
233,
240
105,
108,
109,
110,
116,
123,
124,
130,
131,
132,
Marshall Goldsmith · 3, 4, 13, 26, 44, 46 133, 134, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 143, 144, 145,
Martin Luther King · 16 146, 155, 158, 160, 161, 163, 165, 176, 177, 180,
Measurable · 176, 179, 180 181, 184, 189, 191, 198, 200, 208, 209, 210, 211,
mistake · 7, 37, 64, 79, 110, 127, 128, 166, 171 Pixar · 11, 229
mistakes · 9, 15, 33, 40, 47, 49, 66, 89, 99, 127, 128, Positive Leadership · 5, 58
129, 148, 154, 171, 172, 187, 188, 193, 217, 233 power · 4, 10, 28, 29, 36, 42, 43, 56, 57, 60, 63, 72, 73,
motivate · 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 22, 29, 40, 79, 81, 123, 131, 75, 77, 83, 88, 100, 102, 103, 106, 107, 119, 120,
132, 140, 182, 184, 188, 203, 208, 218 165, 182, 191, 196, 208, 217, 223, 226, 228,
motivation · 10, 15, 25, 32, 51, 83, 108, 132, 144, 154, 230, 234, 238, 240
Myers
Briggs
·
64,
126,
150
praise
·
40,
45,
47,
62,
110,
114,
155,
173,
208,
224,
233
prey
on
the
emotions
·
4,
43
N
Priorities
·
79,
165
Products
·
10,
223
Navigation
·
77
Progress
·
8,
104,
158,
163
neglect
·
5,
73
Project
·
164
Negotiation
Skills
·
8,
162
Projects
·
40
push
back
·
9,
172
O
R
One
on
one’s
·
6,
14,
81,
82,
84
Open-‐Mindedness
·
166
realities
·
101
recognition
·
41,
45,
62,
91,
106,
110,
129,
148,
155,
participate · 4, 16, 41, 42, 55, 56, 177, 178, 185, 188, relationships · 6, 7, 14, 18, 22, 31, 37, 39, 68, 70, 73,
223
81,
82,
83,
88,
98,
121,
123,
128,
129,
133,
143,
Partnering
·
7,
130
150,
163,
170,
190,
199,
204,
219
Reproduction
·
78
Key
Leadership
4
©Christian
Whamond
2012
Respect
·
5,
15,
57,
67,
68,
69,
70,
77,
127
talent
·
6,
8,
32,
63,
118,
140,
145,
162,
163,
164,
165,
responsibility
·
16,
20,
21,
22,
29,
45,
58,
64,
65,
66,
166,
167,
182,
209
70,
71,
82,
84,
88,
99,
104,
111,
115,
122,
123,
team
·
5,
7,
8,
10,
14,
22,
25,
27,
28,
29,
31,
36,
40,
41,
133,
135,
137,
149,
167,
169,
173,
174,
178,
205,
43,
44,
50,
54,
56,
58,
59,
72,
73,
77,
83,
84,
91,
212,
219,
240
96,
97,
98,
110,
115,
116,
122,
124,
129,
131,
137,
Results
·
153,
179,
180
140,
147,
148,
149,
166,
174,
178,
180,
184,
185,
Reward
·
7,
108,
123,
137,
139,
221
188,
191,
192,
200,
203,
209,
210,
211,
212,
213,
rewards
·
41,
42,
99,
123,
139,
144,
161,
178,
181,
224,
239,
244
187,
200,
209,
211,
220
Team
leader
·
10,
212
risks
·
4,
34,
35,
56,
181,
195
teamwork
·
150
technology
·
10,
21,
50,
51,
190,
219,
223,
226,
227,
228,
229,
236
S
Thank
You
·
5,
73
Time
·
9,
179,
180,
186,
200,
217,
242
sacrifice
·
4,
35,
70,
74,
79,
149,
213
Time
bound
·
179,
180
sales
people
·
5,
10,
70,
198,
199,
200
Time
management
·
9,
186
Scott
Peck
·
142
To-‐Do
List
·
7,
144
Self-‐betrayal
·
19
Trust
·
3,
7,
9,
15,
16,
18,
25,
77,
96,
129,
149,
155,
Self-‐confidence
·
4,
34
172,
216,
244
Self-‐reliant
·
8,
155
truth
·
4,
24,
25,
31,
38,
44,
85,
106,
110,
121,
156,
SMART
·
9,
75,
121,
176,
178,
179
196,
208,
214,
245
Smile
·
46,
111,
171
truthfully
·
4,
44
Social
media
·
5,
10,
55,
219,
220,
221
TV's
House
·
10,
194
Sorry
·
7,
113,
128
Specific
·
23,
179
Staff
meetings
·
6,
115,
151
U
Steve
Jobs
·
5,
9,
10,
13,
17,
18,
50,
51,
182,
226,
229,
231,
232,
235,
237,
244
Unacceptable
Behavior
·
141
Steven
Covey
·
13
Unacceptable
Behaviour
·
7
strengths
·
40,
98,
121,
150,
160,
173,
174,
185,
193,
under-‐promise
·
4,
44
201,
239
Stress
·
7,
97,
114,
120,
129,
133,
134,
135,
136,
137,
V
138,
139,
156,
214
success
·
4,
9,
20,
22,
27,
39,
41,
42,
45,
58,
72,
73,
79,
Victory
·
78
81,
90,
95,
115,
119,
120,
125,
130,
136,
141,
143,
Vision
·
21,
74,
75,
166,
228
145,
154,
160,
162,
170,
173,
174,
179,
181,
183,
188,
195,
198,
208,
210,
212,
230,
231,
232,
233,
237,
241
W
Succession
Planning
·
6,
116
sunk
costs
·
9,
187
Walter
Isaacson
·
5,
51
Warren
Bennis
·
16,
127
Win
·
4,
9,
46,
73,
173
T
winner
·
97,
174,
214
Winners
·
9,
118,
174
tact
·
5,
61
Key
Leadership
5
©Christian
Whamond
2012
wisdom
·
6,
31,
32,
55,
90,
97,
104,
107,
136
Worry
·
4,
5,
47,
48,
49
withhold
information
·
4,
43
Key
Leadership
6
©Christian
Whamond
2012
Key
Leadership
2
©Christian
Whamond
2012