February 4, 2012

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Gaining Loyal Customer By Building a Strong Leadership Brand

January 30, 2012 By 1 Comment
Cover of "Leadership Brand: Developing Cu...

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LEADERSHIP BRANDING:     When you read this term, do you really know what it means?  I really did not know until the year 2008, when I read the book Leadership Brand by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood.  Because I had not heard of the term until then, it made me scratch my head and wonder if others found the term to be something they had not yet heard about.

So, I went out and polled a few business leaders, simply asked them to fill out a form based on what they knew, and many even admitted they did not know what the term really meant…but they took a stab at the questions I asked anyway.

We talk everyday about branding our “company” and making sure that our marketing collateral matches the “company brand”.  But what would be different if you branded your company through the eyes of your leadership brand?  My hunch is that it would be much tougher, and here is why:

When you build a brand based on true, enduring leadership, each person in the company not only speaks about the brand and and the promises you make to your customers in your marketing strategies, but each person in your company truly lives those promises every day in both their personal and professional lives, and that can be tough.   Because of the internet, blogging and social networking sites, every person and every company is now under a microscope and is scrutinized right and left for their actions on the inside not being consistent with the words they speak on television and in other advertising messages.  Leaders come and go everyday but strong, solid, committed and consistent leadership can help your company deliver strong bottom line results over and over again, making for happy, loyal customers.  When you ask for a commitment from everyone in your company to “live integrity 100%” or to “live innovation 100%” or to “give 110% to living customer service”, you are asking for a big commitment.  At the end of the day, it is better to ask everyone in your company to live it than to have your actions fighting against the words you speak to the world.

I have printed the answers from 14 business leaders below about the questions surrounding leadership branding.  And, if you want to know more, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book Leadership Brand:  Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood.

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Peg Donahue

Website   http://www.fengshuiconnections.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

For me this relates to one’s personal style and authenticity. Each of us leads based on our beliefs, experiences and perspective. I believe it is important to be genuine and lead from your heart. It is also important to “walk your talk” and be a good example for others.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Integrity

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

  • Bring integrity to all I do.
  • Regularly publish “thought leadership” articles and blog posts that demonstrate integrity.
  • Actively include integrity as a value in my consulting and teaching practices.

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Val Boyko

Website   http://www.motherwhisperers.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

The personal brand of a leader.  How someone is seen or perceived as a leader.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Understanding Others

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above

  • Using the word understanding in my message to people and reassuring my audience that they are not alone.
  • Sharing this message as part of my vision or mission statement
  • Telling stories that show my understanding of others
  • Using empathy in my conversations to show I understand the other person.
  • Embodying this value in how I relate to others. Making it a living practice. “Be the change I wish to see in the world”. Gandhi

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Name   Jeannette Paladino

Website   http://writespeaksell.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

A brand is what an organization or individual wishes to be known for. Defining your brand establishes the direction, leadership, clarity of purpose and inspiration for the organization’s missi

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  •  Strategic Thinking

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

In recent years I have re-branded myself as a business writer. But there is much more to writing than putting words on paper. It is understanding the client’s brand and taking a strategic look at what the company stands for and the key messages to be communicated to its target audiences. The specific steps would be to discuss how the company perceives itself, which is an inside-out-process: exploring what differentiates the individual or company from other companies offering similar services. I’ve just had conversations with two companies about this very topic and it is like unwrapping a present and discovering something wonderful inside — your brand essence. The branding and words flow from that.

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Name   Sue Porter

Website   http://www.AccidentalLeader.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

“Leadership Branding” is the way in which you have distinguished yourself as a leader. It reveals specific positive aspects of one’s influence. When people hear a particular name, they know what that leader stands for. Conversely, branding can also uncover a poor leader, but I prefer to describe positive branding. With this in mind, a leadership brand evokes feelings and thoughts of confidence, vision and wisdom. More importantly it should elicit a “knowing” ; knowing specifically how you and others will be treated. To develop a strong leadership brand encompasses values-driven behavior that gives people a desire to take notice and follow. Think of Seth Godin and you think “marketing guru, preeminent “out of the box” thought leader”; Dr. John C. Maxwell is synonymous with developing leaders and level 5 leadership; and, Marshall Goldsmith incites th oughts of servant leadership and equipping materials relevant for companies coaches, corporations, leaders and entrepreneurs. I don’t think most people realize that all they say, do, and live as a leader brands them. They not only should, but ought to strategically develop their leadership brand, monitoring it regularly.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  •  Developing Others

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above

I would implement a training program, using both a SWOT and a needs analysis that would uncover their skills, abilities, personality, strengths, weaknesses, motivations and past training. Utilizing coaching, together we would then develop a strategic growth plan where they would set goals and make an action plan that would not only met their needs, but as much as possible be in alignment with our company mission and vision. I would then provide ongoing coaching, support, and motivation to individually assist them in reaching their goal.

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Name   Dr. Jackie Black

Website   http://www.DrJackieBlack.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you

A brand is like a tattoo on the minds of my target market. When anyone in my target market thinks about me or my company I want them to instantly associate certain attributes or leadership skills or qualities to me, my business and the value/benefits they will receive from doing business with me

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Approachability

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?   I would insure that the photo I use for business purposes makes me look approachable; that the language on my web sites, blogs, sales/splash/squeeze pages, ect, and in all collateral materials makes me sound approachable; and that from the first contact with the media and with prospective clients through every contact with the media and long-term clients I demonstrate with words, behavior and company policies and procedures how approachable I am. I would train all employees, direct reports and independent contractors alike, how to speak about me and on my behalf with the public and vendors in ways and with language that clearly demonstrate how approachable I am.

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Leah Grace

Website http://www.evolvesuccess.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

Leadership brand means to me understanding who you are as a leader. We all have strengths and gifts that are uniquely ours, when we know what they are and own them, this is when our leadership brand and success is born

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Courage
  • Planning

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?
A huge part of owning your leadership brand is getting real about who you are. For many leaders, showing up as the true-self will be one of the most scary yet powerful processes they will experience in their lifetime. Putting yourself out there in a powerful way, will take a large dose of courage. It is the tendency to skirt around what we really have to offer. Courage is a process. Like a muscle courage grows and strengthens all of the time and growing our courage muscles is not always comfortable. One of the biggest reasons people don’t reach their biggest dreams is because they do not set themselves up for success in this journey of development. This is where the planning comes in. Being a successful leader is not something we are born with, it is something that we stretch towards each and every day.

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Frank Faeth

Website   http://www.faethconsulting.com 

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to

Several things: 1) Well-respected product/service of high quality, consistency, and dependability; 2) Creates a product/service worth considering, aside from price; 3) Provides a product/service not quite like any other — distinctive for what it is; and 4) A product/service I’m not embarrassed to say I purchase/useIf you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Business Acumen
  • Compassion
  • Customer Focus
  • Ethics and Values
  • Integrity

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

  1. Approach every project with the highest integrity and deliver an incomparable end product;
  2. Be honest and open with my clients and their stakeholders;
  3. Be someone others would unhesitatingly recommend; and
  4. Demonstrate that I know more about my subject area than my competitors through my words and actions.

___________________________________________________________

Name   Dolores Hagen

Website   http://www.sixtyandsensational.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

I’m not sure I know exactly what that means. I’d say that means the perception of how others see you.

 If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  •  Developing Others

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

At the end of each coaching session I would ask these questions:

1. In what way did our session today help you?
2. Would you be willing to send me comments on how today’s session helped you in writing through an email?

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Arlene Kahn

Website   http://www.arlenekahntherapy.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you

My first thought is that it means a style of leadership or a kind of leadership like a brand of spaghetti sauce that includes certain things.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Innovation

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

1. Learning about new ideas in the field, in this case the field of Psychology.

2. Combining important traditional approaches along with the new. For example:

  • Forming a support group based on traditional ideas of “Attachment” along with newer information about the brain in that area.
  • Using blogs, art, writing, and other creatuve and innovative approaches to mental health
  • Instituting a Community Focusing Night, free of charge.
  • Creating a business structure that supports these efforts.

_____________________________________________________________

Name   Shoya Zichy

Website   http://www.ColorQPersonalities.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

Defining the unique qualities that differentiate you from other leaders

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Action Oriented
  • Creativity
  • Developing Others
  • Humor
  • Listening
  • Understanding Other

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?   Create marketing materials, presentations and intellectual property that demonstrate those qualities.

_____________________________________________________________

Name:   Laura Schlafly

Website:   http://www.careerchoiceswithlaura.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?   I have never heard of this term before. If I had to take a stab at it I’d say that it means “how one has labelled themselves, or been labelled in terms of their leadership style”.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Approachability

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?   company name would look/sound approachable:

  • My photos would elicit approach-ability
  • My contact information would be readily available
  • I would offer an easy, low cost or free way to get to know me before engaging formally
  • I would be out in the public eye, networking and volunteering

____________________________________________________________

Name:   Alice Dendinger

Website:  http://www.gotoalice.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

Everyone has a personal brand – it is what others think of when they think of you. When I hear the term “leadership brand” – it means that it is a thought or perception assigned to someone based on how they “show up.” Does the individual speak about big picture, vision, systems impact, alignment of people and resources and getting results. Or are they worried about what is “in the weeds” and issues that are short sighted. People who are branded as a leader take a 30,000 foot view as opposed to ground level.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Action Oriented
  • Approachability
  • Command Skills
  • Composure
  • Courage
  • Delegation
  • Developing Others
  • Ethics and Values
  • Informing
  • Listening
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Understanding Others

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?   I would take a look at what I must accomplish and focus on the more elevated level and outsource the weed work.

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Name   Deborah Frey

Website   http://freyworks.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

A “Leadership brand” is a compelling identifier designed to accurately describe and promote our distinguishing, valuable, unique talents and abilities to create a shared vision, to collaborate with, guide and empower others for success.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Developing Others

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked above?

  • Engage with the client to identify and describe their unique critical issues.
  • Collaborate with the client to design goal plans.
  • Provide tools to identify natural talents, interpersonal style, communication preferences, and clarify personal and professional values.
  • Provide a structured, pragmatic, open-ended development process that is aligned with the client’s unique attributes to ultimately fully engage their potential, and dramatically improve their odds for success.
  • Implement follow-up success platform tools and support for sustainable results.

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Name   Cheri Ruskus

Website   http://victorycircles.com

When you hear the term “leadership brand”, what does this mean to you?

Because leadership comes in many shapes and sizes my thought is that leadership brand means honing into your own particular leadership style. Insuring that as you put your leadership skills out there into the world that these particular attributes are shown consistently and accurately.

If you were to define a leadership brand for yourself or for your company, which leadership quality below would you use to build your leadership brand?

  • Action Oriented
  • Approachability
  • Business Acumen
  • Compassion
  • Courage
  • Creativity
  • Customer Focus
  • Developing Others
  • Ethics and Values
  • Humor
  • Innovation
  • Listening
  • Perseverance
  • Planning
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Understanding Others

 

Based on the leadership skill you chose above, what steps would you implement so that your customers would actually describe you in a way that aligns with the leadership skill you checked abov

  • As you can see I found it impossible to pick just one – there are just too many important ones to not use them all.
  • To be cognizant  that these skills are filtered throughout the work we do.
  • Develop programs that insure these elements continuously get implemented with our team members and clients.

All are great answers.  If you believe that you or your company can benefit from starting the process of designing a strong leadership brand, contact me today to schedule a time to brainstorm for a few minutes.  While using this approach can take a bit of time, the best time to begin is now!

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Filed Under: Branding, Leadership, Leadership Articles, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Lessons, Leadership Training, Learning and Development

The Leadership Strengths of the 5 Remaining GOP Candidates

January 17, 2012 By 3 Comments

Oh My!  So much mud!  So many ads!  So many debates!  So many exaggerations!  What do we do when we go to the polls to elect the GOP nominee?

The majority of the time, you hear the media talk issues, voting records, skeletons in the closet and an entire host of other things.  But I just don’t hear a great deal about the leadership strengths the GOP candidates would bring to the White House.

After having observed each of the candidates, I want to give you my two cents on what leadership traits they do bring to the table.  And, as a leadership coach, I do believe that these skills should be considered when you walk into the ballot box.

GOP Candiates

From Left to Right: Governor Rick Perry, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Ron Paul and Governor Mitt Romney

The Candidates Listed in Alphabetical Order by Last Name:

Newt Gingrich:  Strong presentation skills, decades of political experience, knows where the political landmines are, uses storytelling effectively to let people know where we have been and where we are going.  He is tough and makes no apologies about being straightforward.

Rick Perry:  Charisma and that swagger that we often see come from Texas.  He knows what his followers want, and he knows how to speak to what his supporters want to hear.   When he is “on”, he is infectious (in a positive way).  He does not try to be something is isn’t and is strong with using self depricating humor.

Ron Paul:  Authentic, trustworthy, steady, consistent, patient and willing to go against the grain.  Paul is on a mission, and that mission is not to win a popularity contest but to inspire people with a compelling message of liberty, freedom and justice for all. He inspires people to follow him into unconventional territory using a vision that he has been speaking about for 20 years. He does not give up!

Mitt Romney:  Strong business acumen, strong executive presence, pragmatic, turn-around experience and driven by details and facts.  Romney strikes me as a results-oriented leader who is always looking at the bottom line so that he can execute a plan to improve it.

Rick Santorum:  Principled, strong family values and a track record of political experience.  He seems to have a deep passion and a purpose, and this does mean something in the world of leadership.  He is not a pushover and knows how to take a stand when attacked.

If you are voting in any of the upcoming Republican primaries, just keep these in mind as you vote.  You are not just voting based on issues.  You are voting for a leader!

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Myth Squashing Time! There’s No Need To Vote If You Can’t Seek The Truth

January 10, 2012 By 5 Comments

2012-ABC-New-Hampshire-GOP-DebateSo, here we are again…in the middle of one of the most highly contested Republican primary seasons I can remember, and I have had the right to vote now for 34 years.

Over the last few days, a few things have been taken out of context, and it’s time to give the media, the candidates and the voters a wake up call, and here it is:

1.  To the media and the candidates:  If you claim to be fair, why do you report things out of context?  Yesterday, Governor Mitt Romney delivered a speech about “firing people or companies who don’t provide great service”.  He was discussing the state of affairs with health insurance companies and that as consumers, we should have the right to “fire” an insurance company that is not providing us what we need and hire a new insurance company who can provide the services we seek” (paraphrase).  But, as always, Romney’s opponents and the media simply clipped out the section when Romney said “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me” and then started flying down the tracks with that statement in their hands claiming that during one of the worst economic eras since the great depression, Romney wants to fire people.  If that is what you are going to listen to and buy into, then don’t vote.  I am 100% for voting, unless you are a voter who does not take the time to get the full story.  Just watch this video of Romney speaking yesterday and pay close attention to how the phrase was actually used:

While he may now regret his phrasing…he is absolutely right!  If you have an employee, vendor or board member who is not doing his or her job and are hurting your business or life, then they should be asked to move on and find other work or other customers.  Every day I work with leaders in the business and non-profit sector who KNOW they have a bad apple on their team or a vendor who is slack, but they are soooooo afraid to fire anyone.  Maybe we need someone with the guts to say “Hey…you are not doing your job for the American people.  Move on!”

I am not writing this to back Mitt Romney.  I am writing it, because as a leadership coach, I cannot take things out of context and then use them, and as a leader, you cannot take things out of context or take a thin slice of a full statement and then slam a person with it.  So, I urge you to look at the full picture.

2.  To the media, candidates and the American people:  Stop calling our visionary leaders crazy, cranks and odd.  That is just again not fair.  Dr. Ron Paul has been called crazy, a crank and odd.  In 2002, he was really called crazy when he delivered this speech to congress in 2012:

So, was he crazy?  I don’t think so.  This speech is very sobering indeed.

Walt Disney was called crazy, and look at the joy and happiness his “craziness” has brought into our lives.   Steve Jobs was called “crazy” when he introduced the iPod, and our world has been forever changed because of his vision.   Dr. Paul has been trying to warn Congress and the American people since the late 1990s that we were headed for some big trouble on both foreign and domestic fronts, but everyone just said “Oh…crazy Ron…there he goes again, saying that we are going to pour money into the Gaza and Afghanastan and that we are headed for an economic meltdown.”  Paul was not crazy…he was right.  He is a smart man who closely follows and studies foreign relations and economics, and he understands that history repeats itself, moves in repeating patterns and cycles around and around the same issues:  money, religion and resources.  He has always been looking into the future, and some people just don’t have the vision to be able to really see down the road.  So, the only response is “Well…that person is crazy”…that again is just not fair, and it is not accurate.  It is hurtful.

So, I encourage you today to embrace our visionary leaders and to seek the truth…not just a sliver of truth but the full truth.  If you listen to the media and to the bits and pieces being slung around like wet mud enough, you will never get the full story.  Do your own research, get the facts straight and become fully informed before heading to the polls in November.

 

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Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Articles, Leadership Coaching, Politics Tagged With: , , , ,

5 Effective Leadership Skills You Can Use to Quickly Settle a Dispute at Work

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

resolve disputeAs a leader, there will come a time in your career when you have to sit down with two or more people and do your best to help settle a disagreement, dispute or conflict.  While this is not the activity most leaders enjoy, it is a part of the job, and the best approach is a proactive one that engages the disagreeing parties in a dialogue that ends in resolution.

Striking while the iron is hot is critical in helping to settle a dispute.  Many leaders just ignore conflict on their team, thinking that time will heal all wounds.  I have observed the opposite to be true.  If two or more people on your team are in the middle of a disagreement, negative emotions will build, and team chemistry can fall apart.

So, here is what I suggest trying the next time you are settling a dispute.  You will be using these 5 leadership skills:

1.  Addressing conflict swiftly.

2.  The art of using effective dialogue.

3.  Mediation.

4.  Holding people accountable.

5.  Taking action.

For this post, I am going to use the names John and Sue.  Let’s say John and Sue have had a disagreement, are avoiding each other and starting to gossip about the situation to other team members.  It is time to call them both in, and start a dialogue:

Step 1:  Establish the ground rules.  Allow each person a chance to vent for about 2-3 minutes about what is going on.   Then, state firmly but calmly “We are now going to shift into a conversation about what each of you want for yourself, what you want for each other, what you want for the team and what steps you are going to take to get there.

Step 2:  Ask John the following questions:

  1. What do you want for yourself?
  2. What do you want for Sue?
  3. What do you want for your relationship?
  4. What do you want for your team?
  5. What steps will you take, starting today, to
  • Get what you want
  • Help Sue get what he wants
  • Get what you want for the relationship
  • Help the team get the results they need

Step 3:  Ask Sue the following questions:

  1. What do you want for yourself?
  2. What do you want for John?
  3. What do you want for your relationship?
  4. What do you want for your team?
  5. What steps will you take, starting today, to
  • Get what you want
  • Help John get what he wants
  • Get what you want for the relationship
  • Help the team get the results they need

Step 4:  State the accountability system by saying this.  “I am going to be observing your interactions, and I would like to follow up on _____________ date.  State a date that is no later than two weeks into the future.  If at this time, you have not resolved your issues with each other, we are going to have another conversation to see where we go from here.  While I encourage open debate, I have to get my team on the same page, moving in the same direction, so I will be following up in two weeks.

Step 5:  Take action.  If Sue and John cannot come to an agreement, and if they cannot work together and continue to cause tension in the team chemistry, it is time to make changes…either moving them onto different teams or taking steps to determine if Sue and John are really a good fit for your company.  If they “agree to disagree” and still work together, you may continue to see this issue surface, even if you move them to another team or department.

If you or a team member is having difficulty settling a dispute, contact me today for a complimentary consultation to see if I may be able to help you with this challenge.

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Filed Under: Conflict Resolution, Leadership Articles, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Lessons Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

5 Warning Signs that Your Arrogance is Tearing Your Team Apart

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ArroganceArrogance is something that we often discuss in the world of leadership.  A little bit of arrogance can go a long way in the direction of success, but when overused, arrogance can tear your team apart.  The main reason?  As a leader, if arrogance is your leadership skill of choice, your team is more than likely feeling devalued, rejected and angry.  When I speak in private to team members about their arrogant leaders, they usually shrug and say “It is a waste of my oxygen to mention anything or bring new ideas to the table.  He always thinks he has the right and only answer”.

If you are an arrogant leader, these behaviors will be seen by others:

1. You think you have the only answer.

2. You always think you are right and that the rest of the world is wrong. And, your team hears this constantly.

3. You dismiss the ideas of others on your team.

4. You appear aloof and that you don’t really like other people.

5. You pull rank constantly and try to overpower other people.

6. You rarely share credit with others.

7. You don’t take feedback from others as an opportunity to learn or grow.  You think you are already masterful at everything.

Here are the signs that your arrogance is tearing your team apart:

1.  Team members don’t speak up during meetings or one on one discussions.  Why should they?  You know it all!

2.  Team members work in a robotic fashion.  They would never want to come up with an innovative idea, because you will more than likely squash any new ideas.

3.  When speaking with team members, they stumble through their words, get flushed and anxious, and they will always back down from their opinion.

4.  Team members quit, because they are living in fear.  They are afraid they will say the wrong thing, and you would rather be right than keep your top talent in place.

5.  Team members are talking about you behind your back.  You may not know it, but trust me…they are talking about you behind your back.  When a team is not aligned with their leader, and the team is talking about you behind your back, get ready for your productivity, teamwork and bottom line results to fall into a very dark hole.

If you are a leader who is living with arrogance, there are some steps you can take:

1.  Most people living with arrogance don’t know it, but you need to hear it if you are.  I highly recommend that you commit yourself to getting feedback from your team on an annual basis.  I suggest that you bring in a 3rd party who knows nothing about your company to ask about 10 questions of your team and the people who know you.  Then, it’s time to sit down and hear what your team has to say about you.

2.  Work on opening up your body.  This sounds odd, but most arrogant people have facial expressions that send the message they are not open to others.  They will look away, turn their back or pretend they are not listening.  Sit down with your team members, remove anything that is blocking you from your team, and really listen without all of the sighs and looks that you may usually send.

3.  Disclose your shortcomings to your team.  Most leaders believe that this will make them appear weak and incompetent to their team members.  The opposite is true.  When you open up to your team about your shortcomings, your world will change overnight.  You don’t have to drag every bone out of the closet, yet it is important to tell your team about some of the feedback you have received and your plan of action.  Then, you must act on your plan.  Your actions will speak so much more loudly than words.

4. Be a coach…not a know it all.  In today’s business world, true leaders are becoming great coaches.  With coaching, you will be collaborating with your team on a way to “win”.  (Dave Buck’s Coach to Win and Play to Win methods are really great for this purpose).  With coaching, you are not telling people what to do…you are pulling their strengths to the surface and then coaching them on how to leverage those strengths so that they become stronger and better at what they do.

5.  Drop the cocky attitude and listen.  People who are over the top on arrogance are cocky.  This intimidates others.  You can be confident and come across as approachable, but not if your goal is to be cocky.  There is a very fine line between being confident and being arrogant.  If you are arrogant, you are probably very smart and talented, and you don’t need to throw that all over people.  Just observe yourself for one week in listening and curiosity mode and do your best to bite your tongue.  Watch the responses as you open up, listen and become more curious.  Your team will shift if you practice listening and being curious.  It just works!

 

Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Articles, Leadership Assessments, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Lessons Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The 5 Things Leaders Hate to Do that Stop them From Being Great

December 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, you probably have heard all about the book Good to Great by Jim Collins.  In the book, Collins discusses the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great, and much of this process has to do with the leadership skills of the people at the top.

I have had the honor of coaching over 1000 business leaders in the last ten years, and while I do agree with Collins on the points he makes about great leaders and great companies, I have learned through the years that there are five things that most leaders hate to do.  As a result, they push these five to the back burner, and allow the simmering process to burn the team and/or company down…a slow and painful death for everyone, including the leader.  I am writing this post today, because I don’t want you to become one of those leaders who becomes a “has been” in the next 1-3 years.

So, here we go:  The 5 Things Leaders Hate to Do that Stop them From Being Great:

1.  Being open to coaching, hiring a coach and working with a coach.  I don’t care how great you are, if you are a human being, you need a coach.  I am not saying that you need me (yet that would be great if we are a good fit), but if you are a leader at the top of your game, a great coach can help you go even further, stretch even more, build a more effective team and hire the best talent in the world.  For some reason, leaders think hiring a coach means they must be problematic or broken.  It is truly just the opposite.  As a leader, if you are a big thinker, you will understand quickly that an objective opinion and support from someone outside of your company can offer you new perspectives, new insights into your role as a leader.  A coach can also help you leverage your strengths, identify your weaknesses and learn how to leverage both to create new opportunities for yourself and your team.

2.  Addressing conflict.  Many leaders believe if they just ignore a conflict, it will magically go away or die on the vine.  Conflict breeds contempt, and if you are a strong leader, you will find yourself addressing some type of conflict on a weekly basis.  The goal is to strike while the iron is hot and to learn how to address conflict effectively.  I highly recommend the book Crucial Confrontations for this purpose.  It is hard to speak to others about a conflict or to “confront” others.  Rather than using the word “confront”, I recommend using the term “Critical Conversation”.   By using this language, the conversation becomes “mission critical”, and you are compelled to address the problem right upfront.

3.  Taking personal responsibility for company problems.  The issues with Enron, 9/11, bad loans and Bernie Madoff marked the end of leaders being above the law and the beginning of personal responsibility.  At the end of the day, as a leader, your company and team is not about you.  It is about your employees and customers.  It is absolutely critical that you take personal responsibility for failures in your company and that you speak about them to the public.  While there may be others who fell short of their responsibilities, at the end of the day, as the top person in the company, there is something you did that helped contribute to the problem.  You have have:

  • Hired the wrong person
  • Withdrawn yourself from over the top communication
  • Micromanaged too much OR isolated yourself too much

Each time a problem happens in your company, it is important to sit quietly and figure out what role you played in the process.  If you dig deep enough, you will find it.  Once you find it, it is then time to speak to your employees and customers about the issue, where you went wrong and what you are going to do about it.

4.  Dedicating yourself to ongoing learning and development.  This goes a bit back to the first point about hiring a coach.  You may be the top dog, but everyone has something new to learn.  Leaders often send their employees to training and development events, but they never put learning and development on their own calendar.  If you want to be great, you will be dedicated to lifelong learning and always looking at new ways to expand your depth and breadth of knowledge.  Learning and development opportunities are always available in your own industry, but I would like to stretch you to think about learning opportunities outside of your own industry.  This could be in the area of technology, social networking or the arts.  Finding creative ways to use information outside of your own industry is a characteristic of someone who is willing to think way out there on the bleeding edge, and we need this in our leaders of today.

5.  Speaking less…leaving a few things unsaid.  Many leaders talk way too much.  They think they know all the answers, and leave very little opportunities for their teams to come up with answers and find their own way.  Deep listening is a critical skill all leaders need in their toolkit, and just as important is the ability to empower others to speak and act.  While you may have all of the answers, your team will step up and bring your answers to the table, but only if you empower them to do it.  While it may take a bit more time for your team to figure out the best solution to problems or to find their way through a maze, they will exercise their strategic thinking and problem solving skills, but only if you back off.

If you are a leader, congratulations and thank you for all that you do for your followers, companies, cities, schools and government.  If I can be of support in any way by offering you a bit of leadership coaching to help you move from being a good leader to a great one, contact me at 910.692.6118.

 

Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Articles, Leadership Assessments, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Lessons, Leadership Training Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Should the President of the United States Be Held to Higher Standards than the General Population?

November 29, 2011 By 2 Comments
speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on Februar...

Over the past few months, we have all been hearing stories of sexual harassment, adultery and lying by a few of the Republican Candidates for President of the United States.  This all brings up the question:  Should the President of the United Stated be held to higher standards than the general population?

My feeling is an absolute YES!  While the President is a human being, he or she has powers that the general population does not have.  Our President can send troops into battle, can make the call to push a button to send a nuclear bomb and can veto any bill that lands on his desk.

The latest allegations regarding Herman Cain reportedly having a 13 year affair with a woman has everyone asking this question.  Cain’s lawyer suggested that the personal life of a Presidential candidate should not have an impact on electability.  The situation is this:  If Herman Cain is guilty of the allegations of sexual harassment and having an extramarital affair are true, then he told a bold face lie to the public.  If someone will lie during a campaign, he will lie as our President.   I am not saying that Cain lied or that the allegations are true, but I do know this:  More often than not, when there’s smoke, there’s fire, so something odd is going on here.  And, with time, the truth will come out.

I have adult children who are of the age that they could be drafted into war if required, and as the President of the United States, this position also gives the person at the helm the title of Commander in Chief.  When elected, I want our President to be able to be trusted, and if my children are drafted, I want to know that this decision came from someone who is capable of being trusted…I want to feel secure in that decision.  While the public these days is very forgiving, we never forget, and if trust is an issue, it will be very difficult for a man or woman to lead our people…into war, out of a horrible economy and into diplomatic relationships with other countries.

For Herman Cain’s sake and the sake of his family, I do hope these allegations are false.  Having said that, I do feel that we are at a critical turning point in history, and the person we elect needs a record that is as close to squeaky clean as possible.  We need someone who is rock solid, has a strong business and economic background, who knows foreign policy and who can make tough calls when they need to.

Would love to hear you weigh in on this question:

Should the President of the United Stated be held to higher standards than the general population?

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Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Articles, Leadership Assessments, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Lessons, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Celebrating the Life of Steve Jobs and How He Changed Our World

October 6, 2011 By 2 Comments

Pick up the 5,000 leadership books from the past five years, and my hunch is that you may not hear in those books that Steve Jobs is considered one of the greatest leaders of our times.  People spoke often about his difficulties with people, his perfectionism and his distaste for the press.  He never finished college, had a few rocky patches in life, but that did not stop him from being one of the most celebrated geniuses of our times.

Now that Steve Jobs is no longer with us, something tells me that he will be in history books as the man who truly changed our world during the 20th and early 21st century.  While he may not have been the best people person, there are many different types of leaders, and hands down, Steve Jobs (in my opinion) is the greatest visionary leader of the past 50 years.  He did not just change the way we live and work in the United States but changed the lives of billions of people worldwide.  In my opinion, someone who changes the entire world during their lifetime is certainly someone who defines true leadership.

When it comes to leadership, being a true visionary is a gift…not many people really have it.  To get people to buy into a big, world changing vision is very tough, but not for Jobs.  After a series of ups and downs, 10 years ago, Jobs went on a quest to truly change the world when he unveiled the iPod to the world.  I remember seeing the tiny, simple, sleek, thin and sexy looking device and thought “It can hold over 10,000 songs?  That little thing…no way!  Can’t happen and wont.  And who in the world will buy it at that price?.”  Boy, was I wrong.  When I suddenly “got” that the new device could download 10,000 songs from iTunes and watched my kids going crazy downloading songs with white earbuds in their ears, I became a believer and a buyer.  I now own an iPod, iTouch, iPhone and an iPad.  I still work on a Windows computer, but I want an Apple computer…that will be the next computer I own.

To see the timeline of the innovative process of Steve Jobs, just flip through this slideshow on CNN.  Really amazing!

Many people will tell you that Steve Jobs was not the tech guy (although I do take some argument with that statement…you don’t run one of the largest technology based businesses in the world without a great deal of tech knowledge), but instead, he was the man who could see where we are all going in our hyper-connected world and knew how to bring the greatest minds together to get his futuristic ideas to work.  He knew the home computer could do more, look and feel a lot more cool and could make life simpler for everyone.  He was a music lover and knew that people would love to be able to pull out a tiny device and scroll to their favorite song out of a list of 10,000 and that those songs could then be streamed into your home stereo system.  He knew that the iPhone would not just dial numbers…that it would serve as a mini computer that could be a GPS system, could turn on your lights while you were away from home, could be a barcode scanner, would eventually be able to scan credit cards and could help you find the pet of your dreams.  And, once the public fell in love with the iPhone, he knew people would want something like the iPhone in a bigger form…in the form of a tablet.  The interesting thing is this:  Steve Jobs had a way of knowing what we wanted before we knew we wanted it, and once  we had our iBooks, iPods, iPhones and iPads, we then wanted the newer version, more apps to be more efficient in life and would probably not be able live without them.  And of course, as a result of Steve Jobs’ innovative spirit, his competitors around the world tried to come up with their own ideas (which were actually copycat versions of what Jobs had already built)  to compete with the genius.  While a few of his competitors have come close, they really have not yet quite hit the mark, and Jobs was always 2 steps ahead of the rest of the world of technology.

I know the world is grieving today, but I want to encourage you all to also celebrate his life and legacy to the world.  Steve Job said it all best in his commencement speech to Stanford in 2011:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” Jobs said that day.

“No one wants to die,” he added. ”Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. ”

“Your time is limited,” Jobs added. ”So don’t waste it living someone else’s life. … Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

As we grieve today, let’s all celebrate the life and legacy of Steve Jobs…and look at his words closely…Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

Watch the video tribute to Steve Jobs on Gizmodo

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Filed Under: Innovation, Leadership Coaching Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The 5 Productivity Secrets of Successful Business Leaders

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Picture of Inbox and OutboxYou can go to any store in the world today and buy David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and I do recommend this book multiple times to clients I coach.

But at the end of the day, I have discovered that the 5 most common things productive business leaders do is very simple, and anyone can implement these steps without reading a book or going to a time management seminar.

So, here we go:

1.  Grab the stuff that is getting your brain’s attention and write it down.  If you don’t, it will keep rolling around like marbles in your head until you do something with the information.   This extra information is taking up mental space that can be used on the most important activities.

2. Go on an email detox program.  I talk to leaders every day who tell me they often just sit at their desk and wait for new emails to come in so that they can respond quickly to concerns…appearing as if they are always available.  While this may seem great, more often than not, the leader’s most important, mission critical activities are being avoided by their email dragon.    Unsubscribe from all mailing lists you do not absolutely have to have and then do your best to check email only two times per day, preferably not the minute you walk into your office.  I recommend 10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. as good times to check email and then do your best to not look at your email again for any other times of the day.

3.  Take a 30 minute nap.  Why is it that most countries other than the USA encourage a 30 minute nap in the middle of the day?  I suppose we are afraid that someone might just get ahead of us if we are napping (wink, wink).  A 30 minute nap can leave you with a great amount of energy, and you will get a big boost in your productivity later in the afternoon.  That 30 minute nap will last a lot longer than the latte you are probably using to give you an extra jolt.

4.  Remove everything from your life that is dragging you down.  This can include people, furniture, old business, old ideas, a leaky faucet, an ugly color of paint or a dying plant.  I highly recommend that you de-drag your home and office.  If your home, office, friends, network or organizations you deal with are not uplifting, it’s time for a total makeover.

5.  Find a calendar or scheduling system that works for YOU and put very specific tasks on your list.  I recall someone giving me a Franklin Covey planner when I was about 26.  I tried so hard to use it, and it worked for about one month.  Then, the pages of the calendar just went blank.  The system did not work for me AT ALL.  I now use Google Apps, and I love the tool.  I put everything I need to do on my calendar, and I make sure that the task I type in is super specific.  Instead of simply saying “Work on Marketing”, I will write out “Send email broadcast and write one blog post” (which was on my list for today).  I put this on my calendar, and  I use Tungle.me for my clients to make their own appointments.  The minute I type out what I want to do during a certain block of time, Tungle.me catches it and blocks out that time so that clients cannot make an appointment during that time.  So many of us are way too busy working in the business and not on the business, and we all need that time to get the most important things done.

I encourage you to try at least one of the above five strategies as an ongoing behavior and just see if it improves your ability to get things done.

Filed Under: Leadership Articles, Leadership Coaching, Productivity Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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