Are You Self-Leadable?
It's been said many times, in many places by many people:
"You can't expect to lead anyone else unless you can lead yourself!"
Yet, I find in my executive and leadership coaching that too many leaders are still struggling with this concept.
They fight with themselves and with others they are trying to lead with a "do as I say, not as I do" approach to leadership. And, surprisingly, they are surprised to find themselves frustrated over the lack of commitment of their employees, team members or committee workers.
It's time for a change.
Another old adage is "curiousity killed the cat."
Well, I like to say "Incongruency kills the leader!"
If you lead an organization, a team, a not-for-profit board of directors, a school or church committee, or even a family of two, you must be self-leadable*!
*The term “self-leadable” came to me from an idea by Scott Ginsberg, who just wrote a book called “-able” (pronounced a-bull).
How can you expect others to feel confident in following you if you fail to show up in a way that inspires others to show up in a positive, powerful way?
One client with whom I recently finished working had a terrible reputation for raising his voice and chastising his people in public anytime he became frustrated with a lack of performance by a member of his team. Yet, he was also frustrated with the fact that some of his employees were yelling and cursing at each other on the job in public places where customers, clients and subcontractors could see and hear.
Another client from many years ago came to me frustrated with the productivity and teamwork of his office staff. Yet, invested little time around the office to mentor, coach and monitor his employees in the desired behaviors he was hoping would manifest organically with no direction. In this instance, he showed little interest and expressed so little value in his people that his people showed little interest and value in the company or each other.
And, yet a third former client was frustrated with the lack of respect and commitment his employees showed to himself and his company. He couldn't understand it because they had created a strong list of company values that the team would recite and discuss together each week.
On my first day consulting with this firm I sat back and observed this team meeting. Not 2-minutes after this values recitation process the company owner replied to two of his employees in two separate incidents in a sarcastic manner with inappropriate tone.
As Gandi said “We must become the change we want to see.”
This means a person, a leader, must be “self-leadable” first! Are you?
How can you be “self-leadable?” Here are just four steps:
1) Commit to showing up with a higher standard:
In what areas are your words and actions inconsistent and incongruent? In what ways are you not walking your talk? In what ways are you expecting things of others you are not willing to do yourself? If you don’t know, become extremely humble and with humility ask some people around you that you trust.
2) Decide what that higher standard be:
Be specific as to what it would look like, sound like, feel like, talk like, walk like, believe like, expect like, etc.
3) Write it down in detail:
How would you speak, how would you walk, how would you feel inside, what would you have to believe to become this person.
4) Begin practicing one of those areas each day:
Focus on improving 1% each day and in 70 days you will be twice as good (thanks to one of my mentors Alan Weiss, the Million Dollar Consultant, for his “1% Solution.”)
I guarantee that if you apply the four steps above people will begin to notice.
If you’d like to get a sample of a standard I espouse and work with my executive/leadership clients to integrate into their approach and into their organizations, you can read my article on “The 5 Traits of a CHAMP Leader” at this link .
Additionally, this fall I am launching a Tele-Seminar Series titled, “The Champion Leadership Training Camp” during which about 50% of the program will be dealing with this issue and the issue of transferring the standard to your team so that it sticks and gets great results well into the future.
If you’d like to join me visit www.ChampionBusinessLeadership.com
If you like the idea of being “self-leadable,” you will probably want to read other “-able” strategies, which is a recently published book by Scott Ginsberg. You can learn more about it here .
You can read more of Scott’s innovative ideas for being a more effective in your business at www.HelloMyNameisBlog.com
'til next time, make it a great week!
Champion Leadership Tip #42 - The 5 Magical Management Strategies to Manifest Leadership & Teamwork in Any Organization
After taking last week off while on vacation here is a leadership and teamwork tip I've been working on developing the past few weeks.
I've been getting a lot of questions in my email from subscribers about how they can get their employees and team members to take more initiative in their jobs and to work better as a team.
So, it got me thinking on some of the specific keys to making that happen.
I've come up with these 5 steps:
1) Make "Teamwork" a Job Performance Expectation & Reward It
This sounds like a no-brainer, but I'm amazed at how many organizational leaders just expect teamwork to happen. Unfortunately, too many organizations have compensation and reward systems that do not promote the sharing of resources and helping fellow team members.
2) Make "Self-Leadership" and "Self-Responsibility" a Job Performance Expectation
This, too, sounds like a no-brainer, but few organizations set true standards for how people "show up" on the job in their attitudes and behaviors. As such, many leaders are frustrated with dealing with individuals who do not have the "can do" self-starter attitude but do look to blame others when things don't go as they hoped. But, it is their own fault because there is no measurable job performance standard for this area.
3) Create Opportunities for Teaching, Coaching and Mentoring the Organization's Next Leaders
In a couple of weeks I'll be starting my second leadership training program for a high-profile company in my region. When this program concludes around Thanksgiving roughly 1/3 of their staff and 100% of their youngest generation of employees will have gone through a 32-hour leadership training and development program. This organization will be ready for the next generation of leaders to step up, is yours?
4) Make Promoting from Within a Priority/Core Value and Communicate It Throughout the Organization
Another client whose leadership team completed my 'Champion Organizations' program back in the spring recently went through a mini-crisis with one of its leadership team members. Instead of going through a recruiting process to bring an experienced executive on board from outside, we worked on restructuring the team already in place to promote other high-performers giving them the opportunity to take on more. This allows others to see potential opportunities within their own agency and they will be more committed to their present roles knowing their is a possibility for advancement from within.
5) Help All Team Members Achieve their Aspirations Even If It Is With Another Company or Competitor
If all of the above strategies are followed you will be hiring and retaining high-level employees who are a great fit for your organization. But, that retention of key employees will create a backlog of talent, which will need to be addressed. For some you will be able find new challenges for higher contribution, for others you will not and they will wait for an opportunity only so long. Keep the lines of communication open and let them know you will help them get to the next level, whether it is in your organization or elsewhere. If you do, your people will reward you while they're with you.
If organizational leadership and teamwork development strategies like this are helpful to you, you are going to want to join me for my free teleseminar on Thursday, September 9th, during which I will be discussing "The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."
I've only reserved 100 phone lines for the event and when I got home from vacation this week I learned they are almost 3/4 taken, so don't get shut out, reserve you spot on the call today
www.ChampionBusinessLeaders.com
'til next time, make it a great week!
Champion Leadership Tip #41 - A Strong Bench Is Characteristic of Champion Teams & Vital for Business, Too!
I n athletics its called bench strength. It's managed via something called the depth chart. You've heard the terminology, first team, second team, third team, etc.
The "first team" are the players in the starting lineup, the second team are the "understudies" who give the first team a rest on certain strategic days during the season, or they come in to games at certain strategic times like for defense when a more conservative approach is desired. And, the third team is there to protect against serious injury and unexpected situations that may present themselves, (e.g., a player getting suspended for substance or steroid abuse or getting in trouble with the law, etc. where the second team player has to step up to the first team to fill that void.)
Well, the suprising resignation of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd last week has caught the high-tech bohemoth with its depth chart a little light.
According to a recent Wall St. Journal article there is no clear succession plan in place and no clear successor to the CEO role at H-P. This is surprising for such a large, multi-national firm.
It's not a surprise to me in dealing with the small-to-medium sized firm's I work with. But, it is no less important, and maybe even more important, for the smaller companies and not-for-profit agencies with whom I work to have a succession plan in place.
Few do.
I call it the "Mack Truck" scenario. What happens to your organization should the owner/CEO walk down the street for lunch and get hit by a Mack Truck crossing the street?
Hmmm, something to think about! Yet, too many organizations fail to plan effectively for this possibility.
That's why I was excited to get a call from a former client this week who asked me to help train their middle-level managers on leadership and high-performance management skills last winter asking me to take their younger executives, who are the next level on their depth chart, through the same training. This is a firm obviously looking to the future and wants to be ready for it.
I also have another client, a not-for-profit organization, that to this point has not invested time, energy and resources on its Mack Truck scenario. But, I've been moving them in that direction since I started working with them because I believe the health and vitality of its current executive director is vital to the long-term viability and sustainability (not just the success) of the agency. And, at this stage the agency lacks the depth chart to have a viable succession plan.
What about you? Too many company's and not-for-profit organizations procrastinate on this 'fundamental' of long-term success (it's no coincidence that the word 'success' is the core of the word 'succession' as in 'succession planning.')
That's why I have included 'succession planning' and 'depth chart' creation as a strategy within my program on "The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."
If you haven't downloaded that free white paper report you should do that now at this link.
You also may want to register for my upcoming Free TeleSeminar on September 9th as well, on which I will be discussing the strategies outlined in that report.
The Tele-Seminar on September 9th is titled ""The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."
Grab your seat today before the call fills up. I've been amazed at the number of registrations already and I haven't promoted much beyond last week's mention in my ezine that goes out to my list of 4,000 subscribers.
'til next time, make it a great week!
Champion Leadership Tip #40 - Leading Is Like Playing the Guitar
Every time I've picked up the guitar to play or practice this summer I've had to tune it. The varied humidity during the summer months makes the string tensions more varied than at other times during the year.
Each string has to be adjusted differently. Some are very far out of tune while others just need a slight tweak to get them back.
This morning with the guitar hanging from my neck I looked down at the tuner on the edge of the guitar's body and began to test and adjust each string.
After tuning the second string my focus pulled back slightly and I saw the entire six strings in full view and I recognized them as a unit, a team. And, I realized these were the 'team members' I needed to help me achieve my goal of playing the guitar properly in tune.
I then realized that the act of tuning the guitar is similar to leading a team of people.
Each one is different. Each is different in terms of its size, weight, texture, tension, its strength and the sound it makes. Each one also has strengths in certain situations and weaknesses in others.
Just like the people we lead in organizations.
Some days our people are in tune. Some days they need tuning. Some days they are ready to go and some days they need an attitude or motivation adjustment.
One day last week right in the middle of playing a song, one of the strings broke and I had to replace it with a new string. Sometimes that happens to our team members, too.
In leadership its important to remember that every person on our team is a unique human being with dreams, desires, aspirations, personal frailties and insecurities, but also great strengths.
As leaders we need to learn how to play those we lead. I don't mean in a manipulative, condescending way, but in a way that helps bring out the best in them.
We need to get to know them so that we can help them fine tune their approach, their attitudes, their skills and knowledge so they can help us, in conjuntion with their co-workers/teammates play beautiful music for our organizations.
If you would like to learn the techniques to lead like a champion so you can begin tuning your team into performing like a champion, join me on Thursday, September 9th for a FREE Tele-Seminar titled:
"The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted"
Registration is free but you must reserve your spot in advance to make sure you get access to this call, click here to learn more and grab your spot now.
'til next time, make it a great week!
Blinds.com CEO Adds To My Rules for More Effective Delegation
My third most popular and viewed blog post, and the most popular that doesn't have a reference to any contemporary news item, is on the topic of "delegation."
So, it was with great interest that I followed a link to a blog post written by Jay Steinfeld, founder and CEO of Blinds.com. (Blinds.com is the industry leader in online window covering sales, representing more than 50% of window treatments sold online with more than $80 million in sales annually. Steinfeld has been selling window coverings online since 1993 and sold his chain of retail store outlets to go fulltime online in 2001.)
Here is Jay's guest blog post which both supports and adds to my post on the topic of delegation. post on the topic of delegation. Enjoy!
A few years ago, my son Alec, who was fifteen at the time, asked me what I do at work. I told him as CEO of Blinds.com, I set the company’s strategy, help make people the best they can be, and ensure we execute according to plan. With a puzzled look, Alec responded, “So, you don’t really do any actual work.”
I assured him that the work I was doing was, ahem, critical to the success of the business. But in a way, Alec was picking up on something important: I’ve gotten to a point where I can work on my business instead of in it.
A lot of leaders can’t get to this point because they either don’t know how to or they’re afraid of delegating. Maybe they think it will take too long to train someone effectively, or if they delegate too much, they’ll have nothing left to do. And often the more competent they are, the harder it is to delegate. They’re afraid the work won’t get done at all, or more likely, it won’t be done according to their high standards. It’s difficult to give up control, especially when you won’t tolerate anything less than the perfectionism and high-level performance you expect of yourself.
Trust me, I know because I used to be one of these control freaks. But I reformed and I learned that I couldn’t do everything myself. The only way your career - and your business - will grow is by assuming increasingly higher levels of responsibility; the only way you’ll have time to do that, without spending your life at work, is to delegate. You have to work on your business and let everyone else work in it.
Want to free up some time and get ahead? Here are five ways to start delegating:
To read the rest visit BNET at this link
If you'd like help with improving your delegation skills and breaking through the mindset barriers that prevent you from delegating more a good place to start is with my End Procrastination NOW! System. Because once you know the tricks and rules for delegating from me and Jay, the reason you are not is FEAR. And, FEAR is at the heart of your delegation procrastination.
Just a thought?
'til next time, make it a great week!
Champion Leadership Tip #39 - 3 Reasons Why Your Employees Are Not Taking Initiative In Their Roles!
Happy August!
One of the biggest issues my clients and prospects express greatest frustration about regarding the motivation of their employees, is that they feel their employees are not proactive enough, and that they do not take initiative in their roles.
I believe there are 3 reasons why this is happening.
Below are three areas to look at regarding how you and your managers are communicating to them (and with them) and to identify what type of messages you are sending, and/or they are receiving (sometimes communication from managers and leaders in organizations sends mixed signals, causing confusion for employees keeping them from being more motivated and proactive in their roles. In some organizations the mixed signals equate to a labyrinth):
1) They don't know you want them to (I know you think you've probably told them you want them to, but...leaders need to understand that "the meaning of any communication is the response you get." So, if the response you get is counter to your intended and desired response, you need to review your communication, your style and ask for clarification and understanding);
2) They are unmotivated and don't care enough (this is a performance management issue. I would recommend having more frequent performance discussions and asking what is getting in the way of an individual failing to take initiative and responsibility in their roles. The response you get, if you ask, may surprise you!) ;
3) There are de-motivators in the environment that are preventing them from doing so (e.g., they've tried in the past and have gotten negative feedback just for doing so from either a supervisor or peer who felt they were not authorized to do so, they've done so in the past, made a mistake and were given reprimanded for it.
A great resource for understanding and addressing the manifold scenarios that may be causing the performance problem is the book:
Champion Leadership Tip #35 - A Quote from Leadership Expert John Maxwell
A few weeks ago a colleague gave me an audio CD copy of a keynote address by leadership expert John Maxwell. On a drive over this past holiday weekend I listened to it and found in his opening remarks a couple of great points I thought would work well within my Champion Leadership Tips.
Below is a summary of Maxwell's quote which I think has great value for all aspiring and experienced leaders:
"One of the first things you will realize as a leader is how disappointed you will get. Disappointed of the people you thought that would that don't, the people that could but can't. You're gonna get real disappointed...
Leadership isn't for the faint hearted. I'm gonna tell you something, if you've got a very big dream with a Mt. Everest type of goal there will be an amazing amount fo casualties along the way. And it will take its toll on you.
The fine line in leadership is the ability to love people that hurt you without being cynical about people. To keep that spirit of caring and empathy and unconditional love when in reality you want to smack someone!"
I know many of my clients prior to us working together often times act out on their desire to smack someone, usually not literally but figuratively and most often times with their language and communication style.
That's why I wrote the white paper "The 7 Deadly Sins of Organizational Leadership Communication."
If you haven't read it yet, I strongly recommend getting the white paper available as a free download at www.HowToImproveOrganizationalLeadershipCommunication.com
'til next time,
Leaders of Youth Today Are Teaching the Wrong Lessons for 21st Century Success!
The NY Times ran an article this weekend, "How Many Graduates Does It Take to Be No 1?" about the plethora of valedictorians at high school graduations this year.
It seems as if the trend in awarding more than one valedictorian is growing by leaps and bounds.
Because so many students are now getting "straight A's" schools are having a hard time distinguishing between their best students. So, to solve the problem instead of defining additional tie-breaking criteria they are just piling everyone into one big valedictorian group.
I'm not talking about just having two individuals tie for the top spot, this article says some schools are awarding the title of valedictorian to 6.5% of the graduating class!
This is a farce! It is teaching the wrong lesson!
In the Olympics there is one gold medal even though the silver medalist may have finished .00001 behind in the competition. Tough! Get Over It!
As the character "Ed" played by the late Bruno Kirby said in my favorite all-time movie "City Slickers" when speaking to "Mitch" (Billy Crystal), "Everything is a competition, life is a competition."
This is not the way to train champions!
It's time our parents, teachers, school principals and grandparents remember Ed's message. The sooner we start teaching that there is winners and losers in life, athletics and academics, the better the youth of our society will be able to compete on a world stage in this new 21st Century global economy.
If they want to teach them true lessons in self-leadership a good place to start would be with the "5 Traits of a CHAMP Leader", which you can read about in this recent article.
It's more important than ever, today!
'til next time, make it a great week and have a happy, healthy and safe July 4th holiday weekend if you are reading this from the United States.
3 Primary Reasons President Obama Had to Relieve General McChrystal
From the on-going BP Oil spill fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico to this week's Rolling Stone article on U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal current events never fail to give us fodder to teach leadership. Which, I guess, in my field is a good thing.
After reading the Rolling Stone article last night for myself I believe the General McChrystal situation gives us an opportunity to look at these 3 leadership issues:
- Leadership Traits
- Leadership Decision-Making
- Creating/Undermining Trust in the Workplace
I will address those in future blog posts but first want to address what I believe there are three key reasons why President Obama made the right decision.
From a leadership perspective (not political, in writing this I am making no political statement about whether I agree or disagree with the political direction of the country at the moment). I'm also pleased President Obama did it rapidly and decisively, which has been counter to his decision-making approach in the past.
The three reasons for the prompt dismissal of General McChrystal include:
- He aired the disagreements and personality conflicts he had with both his superiors and peers in public. Comments directly attributed to him about the President were relatively innocuous. But his comments, and those of his team members, about their other superiors (Vice President Biden) and his peers were inappropriate, undermined their authority and destroyed whatever trust may have been left between them.
- He allowed an outsider (and a media professional, to boot) to participate in what should have been closed, staff/team activities (at best! In my estimation the type of activities engaged in were completely inappropriate for a leader of his stature. You don't go partying to the point of intoxication with your subordinates, ever!).
- He showed total lack of respect for his position as leader and representative of the U.S. and the U.S. Military while in a foreign country and spoke, or allowed his team members to speak, in derogatory language about one of our few remaining allies in this initiative.
Although most of the quotes in the article were attributed to members of McChrystal's team, individuals at that level do not and will not speak publicly in that manner without the leader setting a tone previously.
It's my belief that although McChrystal wasn't quoted directly much of the derogatory comments about his superiors and peers came from others and most likely were not the first time those opinions had been expressed. Thus, McChrystal had to have known about those attitudes and opinions from those in his inner circle and may have even expressed them himself at times.
By doing so it created a culture where his team members felt it was appropriate to speak openly in that manner (and then the alcohol kicked in and inhibitions dropped causing a perfect storm for reporter Michael Hastings).
The situation is really a shame as the article pointed out other very positive leadership traits we can also attribute to McChrystal.
The one I was particularly impressed with was his direct response to soldiers in the field regarding the application of the counter-insurgency strategy and the guidelines he set forth that the soldiers felt were hurting their chances for success and putting them in harm's way.
McChrystal didn't hide behind a desk, he addressed their concerns directly and even met, and marched, with them in their world. At the end of the day the soldiers may not have agreed with his policies but at least they were allowed to address him directly and get their questions and concerns answered.
Only time will tell how this military action in the middle east will play itself out. Unfortunately for the U.
S., its allies and the innocent civilians of Afghanistan and Iraq it will not be resolved any time soon. Good luck and Godspeed to General David Petraeus.
For other resources in positive and powerful leadership traits you may want to read this article "The 5 Traits of CHAMP Leader."
And for specific lessons, techniques and strategies to become a more effective leader I recommend visiting this page which explains how "The Leadership Series" can make you a better leader.
'Til next time, make it a great day!
Champion Leadership Tip #33 - Two Resources to Help Leaders Develop the Habit of Humility
Those of you who have followed these Champion Leadership Tips over the past 33 weeks know I believe that one of the 5 Traits of a Champion Leader is "humility." (see Champion Leaderships Tip #11).
When I coach business leaders this is one of the most challenging transformations I have to help them make, as it is initiailly mis-understood. They often see it as being soft. But as I argue in Tip #11 it is actually a sign of strength.
Because I believe it is so important for leaders to develop and nurture the habit of humility I thought I would take this week's post to offer two resources to help.
The resources are two excellent books I've recently read that are outstanding at reinforcing the fact that leaders often are the cause of their team members failing to meet performance, behavior and attitude expectations.
The two books are:
"What Got You Here, Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith - this book provides case studies of Goldsmith's work with his high-level CEO clients as well as personal anecdotes of how he has applied the strategies to improve his own business and family relationships. In the book Goldsmith offers specific communication exercises that leaders can practice to improve the relationships with those they work with to transform the results they get through other people.
"Leadership & Self-Deception" by The Arbinger Institute -I was very impressed with this book. It offers tremendous insight into how our own internal thought process and communication style often times creates a belief system that causes us to see others through a filter. It is this filter which gets in the way of our perception of others to create a self-fulfilling prophecy of how we expect them to be.
The premise of the book is that leaders often times decieve themselves because of this filtered perception and communicate with people as if they are objects and not "people." In failing to see people as "people" with thoughts, feelings, and desires much like ourselves we dehmanize them, and then communicate at them in a way that causes them to behave in a way that supports our perception of them. This creates a downward and recurring spiral of behavior that reinforces our belief and destroys a relationship and a potentially high quality contributor to our life and business.
Read and apply the strategies in both books and you will significantly improve the results and satisfaction you get from both your personal and professional relationships.
These two books are great resources for leaders who are ready to embrace humility and look inside themselves so they can elevate their approach to truly become a Champion Leader.
'Til next time, make it a great week!