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 #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!
Steinbrenner's Legacy Reinforces the 3 Leadership Strategies of Champion Organizations
As a lifelong New York Mets fan I never thought I'd be writing a tribute to New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, but my priorities and focus have changed since the 1970s & 80s when Steinbrenner's Yankees were my most hated nemesis.
In looking at how Steinbrenner transformed a run down franchise in 1973 valued at $10 million into a multi-billion dollar empire, the argument could be made that he did it by applying "The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."
Here's how Steinbrenner applied each of the "3 Strategies:"
Creating a Powerful Vision & Strategy
From the very beginning Steinbrenner focused the team, the media and the fans on one vision and that was to bring the Yankees back to prominence and to become World Series Champions again.
Steinbrenner purchased the team on January 3, 1973 and within four seasons the Yankees were back in the World Series. In his fifth and sixth seasons his Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in back-to-back World Series.
His strategy of finding the right team members, paying them above market wages t attract them, and then demanding high-levels of performance brought the team high-levels of success.
Personnel & Performance Management Systems With Accountability
S teinbrenner's focus on managing personnel and their performance is legendary.
His reputation for pushing his personnel beyond their comfort zone is well-documented. Some would even say it was over the top and detrimental to achieving his desired results.
Yet, despite not being perfect and having a lull in the middle years of his rein, it got results. Because even when the team was not winning championships in the 80s the value of the franchise continued to climb.
Leadership & Teamwork Developed Throughout
Despite "The Bronx Zoo" era of the late 70s the Yankees under Steinbrenner always had great leaders. As a matter of fact it was Steinbrenner who resurrected the idea of a "team captain." In 1976 he named catcher Thurman Munson the first team captain since Lou Gehrig in 1941.
Subsequent team captains were Graig Nettles (1982-84), Willie Randolph (1986-89), Ron Guidry (1986-89), Don Mattingly (1991-95), and Derek Jeter (2003-present).
Now, despite the team captains and the consistent focus on personnel and performance management, the team wasn't always a cohesive unit off the field. But, there was never a waiver about the commitment to win when they crossed the white lines.
One of the quotes that resurfaced yesterday in the retrospectives on Steinbrenner's life and career was, "winning is the second most important thing next to breathing, its breathing first, winning second."
Many would think that a little over the top and his priorities a little out of sync. But, he was passionate about his teams performing at a high-level and providing his customers with a quality product on the field. That quote was meant to emphasize his commitment to the objective.
A key leadership trait many espouse is compassion. Compassion for those you lead. In public it seems Steinbrenner showed little compassion for those that worked for him. All we saw and heard about was his demanding and overbearing style. The softer, private side of Steinbrenner's personality was also being shared last night in the reports of his life and it seems he gave significantly to causes important to him and his family as well as those individuals closest to him in the game he loved.
If there is one thing we, as organizational leaders can take from Steinbrenner's legacy, I would offer his passion for what he did, his passion for excellence and offering customers a high-quality product that would return high-value for all investing in that product.
Three years ago I wrote a white paper report detailing how these three strategies create champion organizations titled, "The 3 Leadership Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted."
This month I am in the process of updating it and making it even more relevant for organizational leaders to apply.
It is going to include an exercise for strategic evaluation, and access to additional resources to manage performance and develop leadership and teamwork in any organization.
If you'd like to order this report while I'm still offering it as a free download, which I guarantee will be available before the end of this month click here to get on the list to receive it as soon as it is released.
As those of you know from reading my recent White Paper "The Secret 6-Step Formula for Creating a High-Performing Business Team That Gets Champion Level Results" recruiting and hiring "right" is just one of six components of creating that championship team.
The Miami Heat's signing of Lebron James and his two friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in the free agent shenanigans of the National Basketball Association will create a nice case study on building a championship team, don't you think?
The Miami Heat believe they have put the foundation in place to create a long-term culture of winning championships.
James, along with the Heat's other free agent signing Chris Bosh, will now team with the Heat's primary ('til now) star player Dwayne Wade to form 3/5 of a basketball team with a vision of winning a championship.
Now we'll have to see if their talent acquisition strategy can mesh with an implementation strategy to allow the franchise to achieve its Vision.
Many sports franchises have tried to "buy" superstar talent only to see buckets of money go down the drain when expectations failed to meet reality on the field of play. This happens often in baseball, hockey and football where it takes significantly more components to be successful than the five to eight key players on a basketball team.
LeBron, Wade and Bosh are saying and doing the right things today.
They are each probably going to earn less money than they could have in other scenarios. They are also saying there will be no egos or competition between them for the spotlight.
There are three components of creating a championship team that they each should be very much aware, as I'm sure their bosses Miami Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra are.
Talent, skill and chemistry.
There is no doubt the skills are there.
Talent is obviously there in a physical sense. But there is also a component of emotional and intellectual talent that is innate to all three that we will see play itself out as the pressure of the season(s) heats up.
How they handle those pressures will impact the chemistry between the three of them and between the three of them with the rest of the team.
How leaders apply their extensive leadership skills to the other five will determine the level of success of any team or organization with a Vision & Strategy to function at a championship level.
In my experience in both athletics and business it is always the "chemistry" part of adding team members (or employees) to the mix that is left out of the evaluation process. Let's hope that hasn't been the case with the Miami Heat situation.
Either Pat Riley, who has long been recognized as one of the great coaches and leaders in basketball history and has even been rumored to be moving out of the executive suite to return to coaching, or Spoelstra will be responsible, along with their new triumvirate of talent, for leading themselves and the rest of their teammates in the coming NBA seasons in a way that fulfills their awesome Vision & Strategy.
Good luck, we'll all be watching.
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!
Champion Leadership Tip #32 - The 3 Options Leaders Know They Always Have
Have you ever had someone come to you stressed and frustrated because they felt they had no options, no choices in a situation. They felt backed into a corner with no way out?
Great leaders are able to see through this and can guide their people through the darkest situations.
They do this because they know they are always options.
They also do this because they understand the "Law of Requisite Variety" -which states, "in any situation the entity with the most options at its disposal will always be the most successful." You can learn more about the "Law of Requisite Variety" here.
Sometimes I feel this way when it comes to election time. So many disenchanted voters stay home from the polls because they are unhappy or uninspired with the state of politics. So, instead of making their choice from among those on the ballot, they vote by staying home.
But, even in those less than ideal electoral scenarios we always have a choice and not making a choice on election day, for what many may see as a choice on the lesser of two or three evils, does not empower us to be part of the process and contribute to the greater good.
This is not a civics lesson in voting philosophy but a leadership lesson.
Because great leaders know they are always options, three options to be exact and they consistently apply and teach their team members about these three options.
The 3 Options are:
1) Choose to Influence
2) Choose to Accept
3) Choose to Remove
Let's take a brief look at each:
1) Choose to Influence
This is where leaders and teams decide to step up and take control over the things that are within their control. They evaluate the situation and make decisions to influence the areas over which they can. They take action in those areas and make adjustments and further decisions along the way to improve the situation.
2) Choose to Accept
This is where leaders and teams decide, of their own free will, that it is a battle not worth fighting. They consciously decide that the challenge is not a priority and energy would be better spent influencing other areas. With this choice it must be understand that "choosing to accept" is truly "accepting" the situation and "letting go" of any stress, ill will, desire for it to be different. There is no harboring of resentment against other people whom there may be a feeling of causing the situation.
It is true acceptance.
3) Choose to Remove
This is where a decision is made to move away from the situation. This may mean physically leaving the area, asking for a transfer to a new department or division, selling a home and moving to a new area, etc. This may be a leader has to remove an individual from the team because they are no longer a good fit for the team.
There can also be "mini-removals" that can be less draconian so that one can cope with a negative situation, such as limiting time spent with people that send negative energy or a just not a good fit with one's own personality.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
In leadership situations when the performance of others on a team impacts the results of the team, leaders have only two choices. Leaders can not choose to accept poor performance and behaviors detrimental to the team or the organization for which they have responsibility. But, they still always have two choices and it is the best leaders who consistently, and promptly work through those two choices to move their team forward.
What about you? How effectively do you manage the three options always at your disposal in your professional and personal life?
Those that do are happier and healthier as they do not live with nearly as much stress as those that fail to acknowledge the choices that are right in front of them.
'Til next time, make it a great week!
Teamwork never breaks down.
Teamwork never fails.
This again was proved in Saturday's U.S. vs. England World Cup tournament opener.
Despite outstanding teamwork that allowed the stronger team from England to control the ball for 57 percent of the game, they left their opening game with a disappointing 1-1 tie.
The reason? A misplay by England goalkeeper Robert Green on a shot by Clint Dempsey of the U.S. allowed the tying goal late in the first half.
It's plays like this that continue to reinforce my belief that breakdowns in what many consider "teamwork" rarely are the cause of achieving desired organizational performance results.
Teamwork is a buzzword in corporate america that continues to ask employees to strive for. They strive for ways to breakdown silohs that build up due to competition over resources between divisions and departments.
Yet, these requests, proclamations and teambuilding initiatives continually fail. They fail because the focus is mis-directed.
Teamwork fails in organizations and in athletics not because people do not understand the importance of working together so that "Together Everyone Achieves More."
Teamwork fails for three reasons:
1) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team are not strongly enough aligned for the individual to do so;
2) The rewards and benefits of giving of oneself for the betterment of the group/team actually create greater competition for resources between those who are supposed to be working together to share those resources.
3) One individual on o the team "drops the ball" (or fails to perform the necessary task or assignment) as England Goalkeeper Robert Green did in attempting to protect his goal against the U.S. in their opening World Cup match yesterday;
On athletic teams, when team members fail to perform to expectations and make mistakes that cost their teammates there is usually tremendous despair on the part of the teammate who didn't perform.
In today's Wall St. Journal, Robert Green was quoted "It was obviously a horrible mistake, a terrible mistake," said Mr. Green, bobbing his head incredulously after the game. He blamed neither the controversial new ball, the bounciest ever, nor the slickness of the pitch, and said his teammates left him alone after the mishap. "People don't say anything. You know you made a mistake. You've got to deal with it."
Yet, in many business situations, few individuals who fail to support their team members in situations when teamwork is required feel as though they've let anyone down, because many times they are performing in their own self-interests or truly have a blind spot and do not realize the negative impact of their parochialism.
If you would like to learn more about how to truly improve teamwork in your organization I want to know about it.
I'm presently working on a new White Paper titled, "The Myth of Teamwork - Why Teamwork Breaks Down and What Organizational Leaders Can Do About It."
Click this link and order the White Paper and you will receive notification as soon as it is ready for you to download, read and begin applying to improve teamwork in your workplace.
I was disappointed to read in this morning's Wall St. Journal that our beloved Team USA may not be applying my "3 Strategies of Champion 
Organizations" I wrote about in my blog post yesterday while competing in the World Cup Soccer tournament in South Africa.
According to the article written by Matthew Futterman, Team USA coached by my former college roommate Bob Bradley, for whom I have tremendous respect, is going in with a "we're just happy to be here and see how well we can do" attitude.
Hardly the attitude of Champions. And, an attitude that violates the first of the "3 Strategies of Champion Organizations" - "Create a Compelling Vision & Strategy."
In a video interview at the Wall St. Journal's website another writer Kevin Helliker points out that "no team has ever won the World Cup without going in to the tournament expecting to win it."
That's a pretty bold statement and I'm not sure he can prove it statement to be factual, but nonetheless I'd have to believe it is not far from the truth. In major league athletic competition the difference between winning a championship and second place is miniscule, and that difference is usually determined not by skill or talent but the mental approach.
It's that belief and mental approach that brought an underdog Team USA ice hockey team to a Silver Medal performance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Team USA took Gold Medal winner Team Canada in to overtime in the Championship Game before falling short of their goal. Without that deep belief they could win it all, even getting in to the medal round of the tournament would have been a stretch for Team USA.
Only time will tell in the next few days what lies in store for Team USA's World Cup effort. Although I'm a firm believer that part of a Champion's mindset involves humility, this is no time succumb to a mediocre mindset and placate the competition so as not to offend it.
To learn more about how the best in professional and amateur athletics apply "The 3 Strategies of Champion Organizations" and how they apply to business and non-profit organizations of any size, you can download a free White Paper Report and 45-minute MP3 audio file version here.