Leadership

Are people born leaders or nurtured?

joy of leadership is helping others succeedWe all know larger than life leaders.  Those we think are born leaders.  They are frequently on television, the internet, and newspapers.  We have studied them in the history books.  They are the Presidents, CEOs, Head Coaches, and Generals that command our attention.  If you are not just like these leaders, then you must not be a born leader.  So how did they get where they are?

Vince Lombardi said, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”  I agree with Lombardi, that leaders are truly made.  Here are a few ideas on what makes great leaders:

“True leadership lies in guiding others to success.”– Bill Owens

“A good objective of leadership[ is to help those who are doing poorly to do well, and to help those who are doing well do even better.” – Jim Rohn

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.” – Robert Townsend

“Management is about arranging and telling.  Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.”– Tom Peters

We are all gifted with abilities that if used to their fullest can help others succeed – and that is the definition of leadership.  The nurturing comes in the seeing of what true leadership really is.

“No one is born as a leader, but everyone is born to lead.”

 

Learn from past mistakes – preferably someone else’s.

learn from the mistakes of othersFred Brooks, the man who managed the development of IBM’s System/360 family of computers knows a thing or two about learning from mistakes, he wrote the book on it. Brooks wrote about his experiences managing systems development at IBM in the book The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering. 

The book coined what is known as “Brook’s law,” which states that “Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.” Brooks discovered this law when he himself added more programmers to a project falling behind schedule, then concluded that it delayed the project even further. Using this and other examples of what he learned in his career, Brooks is quoted as saying, “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.”

What are you doing to prepare yourself for leadership?  Making some mistakes on your own is inevitable and one way to learn; but learning from the mistakes of others is the easier route. 

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live enough to make them all yourself.”

 

The four biggest mistakes that leaders make.

mistake-quote photography negativesYou’re the leader.  You are in charge.  Your team depends on your decisions.  Maybe the entire company depends on your decisions.  Can you afford to make mistakes?  Truth be told, leaders can’t afford to not make mistakes.

Read on to see what great leaders say are the four biggest mistakes that leaders make:

Not trying for fear of making a mistake. “Because that is the way we have always done it.” That has to be one of the most annoying answers to the question, “Why do we do…that way?” What the person is really saying is, “I am afraid to try something new because it might not work.”  Remember, if you are trying to improve you are trying something new, different, hopefully better.  Of course you will make some mistakes, that’s what happens when we try to do something we haven’t done before.  If you don’t try something new, you won’t have the opportunity to improve

“One thing is certain in business: you will make mistakes.  When you are pushing the boundaries, mistakes are inevitable.”– Richard Branson

Giving up after making a mistake.  Ok, so you tried something new and it didn’t work as you had hoped – so what.  You are still farther ahead than before you tried because you now know what doesn’t work.

“I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is a step forward.”– Thomas Edison

Not admitting when they make a mistake.  Make it part of your culture to try new things and openly review the outcomes together as a team.  Like football teams that review yesterday’s game film to look for opportunities to improve, make this a positive event that is used to make the next attempt better. 

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes.  It’s best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.”­ – Steve Jobs

Not learning from their mistakes.  Mistakes are only useful if they are used as a means for improvement.  Making mistakes is fine, repeating the same mistake is not.

“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.”– Dale Carnegie

 

Leadership is the life you live.

jack welch leadershipA life of leadership is focused on helping others grow so they can achieve their maximum potential.  That sure sounds altruistic.  Well it’s more than that.  Read on to find out how living a life of leadership will bring your personal success.

Living a life of leadership brings simplicity.

“Life is complicated.”  Have you ever had someone use that as an explanation for why some things just aren’t working out in their life? Or worse, has someone used it to dodge responsibility for something they did in your life?  It’s true, life can be complicated; so un-complicate it.

Living a life of leadership lets you live a life of simplicity.  I take a very simple approach to life.  I view the world through one lens.  I don’t have family glasses, work glasses, and faith glasses.  I have one prescription which brings my entire life into focus. For me, there is no such thing as work-life balance, there is just your life and you have to balance everything. I look at every aspect of my life through a leadership lens. 

John Maxwell wrote a book titled There’s no such thing as business ethics.  He follows that up with the statement, “There’s just ethics.” It’s much simpler to know what to do when your actions don’t depend on your activity.

Albert Einstein had three rules of work.  The first of these is “… Out of clutter find simplicity…”

Living a life of leadership brings focus.

My goal every day for a life of leadership is just this simple as I said above: helping others grow so they can achieve their maximum potential.   I would like to claim responsibility for this simple statement, but many successful people discovered this long before I did.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.” – Albert Einstein

“Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr.

These three historic figures who maintained a single minded focus on leadership were powerful forces for change.  While scattered light brings warmth into a room, the power of light focused on a single point through a laser can bring together wounds, or separate metal.  A life of leadership will bring the power that comes from focusing all of your energy on that one goal.    

Living a life of leadership brings success.

A life of leadership has simple goals, and simple goals are easier to attain than complicated goals.  When you achieve your goals each day, you live a satisfied life.

“A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Helping others succeed is easier than many people think, but is not something that is easy to find.  People take notice of those that notice them.

“When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” – George Washington Carver

If you want to be known for something, there is nothing better than to be known as someone who helped others become the best they can be. 

“Build your reputation by helping others build theirs.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Leadership is purpose, plan, people, and priorities

Leadership is purpose, plan, people, and prioritiesWhether you are leading a team of thousands, hundreds, tens, or just yourself:

Purpose, Plan, People and Priorities are essential for success.

Without these four P’s of Leadership you and your team are like a boat without a rudder, drifting on the sea in an unknown direction.

Leadership is about choosing the destination and navigating the ship on the right course.

 

Purpose

Before you begin to lead a team you need to clearly understand where you and the team will be when success comes.  Only then can you articulate the greater good to your team members so they understand where they will be when the team is successful.

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose” – Napoleon Hill.

Plan

Once you are clear on your purpose, you must plan a course to reach that purpose.  Great leadership requires that the leader navigate the team to success.  Sailors understand that the wind and waves can shift in a moment.  Successful sailors know how to adjust their sails and sometimes their direction to make use of any wind conditions to achieve their purpose.

 “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”  – Pablo Picasso

People

You brought your team where they are today, but you can’t bring them any further on your own.  No matter how clear your purpose is, no matter the strength of your plan, if you want to extend the positive results beyond what you are accomplishing now, you will need to make room for others to share in the success of your leadership journey.  You must surround yourself with the right people.

“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers” – Denis G. McLaughlin

Priorities

I summarize the first three P’s of leadership like this: Achieve your purpose by executing your plan through your people.

In order to get started finding that solution, boil down the activities to the smallest step you can imagine.  What do I know my team and I can do tomorrow? 

How to avoid overload at work: Clarify

lack of clarity signYou are operating on overload. Even if you didn’t add one more thing to your task list, there is no way you can get all of this done.  But how do you tell your boss that you are overloaded on work without seeming like you are trying to pass of work?

CLARIFY

Clarify the expectations of the tasks, projects, deliverables…and clarify the expectations of your role in their outcome.

Not all bosses will tell you what to do first, second, third… but if you ask them what they would do if in your place, they know – So ask.  Remember, you are not asking to do less of everything, you are asking to do more of the right things.

Clarify what must be done versus what could be done. Too many people think that they have to accomplish everything – not so. For me the secret is to first eliminate what can wait, then create the list. 

  “The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

Clarify when it must be done versus when it could be done. Even after you have your list of what’s called important, the key is to know what’s the most important then do that first.

“If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important then give it all you’ve got.” – Lee Iacocca

Clarify who must do it versus who could do it. Even the narrow list of the most important items can seem overloading, so share the load.  You have to know what your part is and do that well, don’t carry everyone else’s load too.

 “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” – Lou Holtz

Finally, use your feeling of overload to learn and grow.  Take a shot at thinking how you would prioritize if you were the boss.  When you talk to your boss, offer your suggestions and see how you do. 

 

Your strengths are like diamonds in the rough.

strengths are diamonds in the roughDiamonds are carbon that has fully developed its strength. It is a naturally occurring mineral, the hardest mineral known today. All diamonds start as carbon in its most basic form. Only after mining, cleaning, and cutting are they ready to be used in industrial tools or polished into beautiful jewelry.

Just like the diamond in the rough, everyone is born with strengths inside of them, but that potential needs to be set free. Michaelangelo once said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

Here are the three steps to bringing forth the leader inside of everyone on your team.

Prepare them to recognize and use their potential.

Mining for people’s strengths can be a challenge. In this area I am a big fan of the Strenghfinders books and tools. I have used these for many years with several hundreds of former and current team members. The key concept in the book is that each person is born with certain natural strengths. Some might call these talent. These strengths are in areas such as communication, strategy, learning, maximizing, analytics and others. Your strengths do not define what you can do, but they help you understand how you could best approach what you do.

I start every mentoring relationship, and every leadership assignment with a thorough review of the Strengthfinders results. As the author Tom Rath said, “The key to human development is building on who you already are.”

I have not once had anyone disagree with their Strengthfinder results. But, somehow seeing their strengths in print as strengths, frees people to use them to their maximum potential.

Polish their strength so they can shine

The true beauty of a diamond does not show until it is cleaned and polished. Recognizing the potential of your strengths only offers potential success until your strengths are allowed to shine. Once my team knows their strengths we use every opportunity for them to practice. We work together to bring their full potential to the surface. This brings rewards in two ways: my team develops confidence in their strengths, and other people recognize their success.

Marilyn vos Savant, the columnist Ask Marilyn, is known as the person with the highest recorded IQ at 228. Her take on this area is, “Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.”

Point them in the right direction

Not all diamonds are destined for the jewelry store. In fact about seventy-five percent of diamonds are used for industrial cutting tools. Of the twenty-five percent that are used for jewelry, each diamond’s use is based on the four C’s: color, clarity, carat, and cut.

Your final job as a leader is to place your team in the roles that will allow them to make the most of their strengths. This gives each member of the team personal success, and it provides the best opportunity for team success. Five time NBA All Star Paul Westphal said, “The key to any game is to use your strengths…”

 

How to lead a multi-generation workplace

405_GenerationalWorkforceEach generation wants to change the world. The world they live in and the specific issues they are faced with may be different, but in general they revolve around three areas: economic, social, and international. There are three larger generational age groups that are most frequently talked about today. The Great Generation, The Boomer Generation, and The Millennial Generation.

The great generation and the boomers grew up changing the world from the top down – political and civic leaders were the driving force. The Millennials have only known a world with instant communication and movements that can start online. For them change comes from within the individual, and across communities.

The Great Generation was born between 1901 and 1924. Their world saw The Great Depression, the formation of social safety nets, and World War II. For this generation the National Government intervened. The military protected the nation from aggression and government programs like Social Security, The GI Bill, and The Federal Housing Administration were formed.

“There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Boomer Generation was born between 1946 and 1964. They experienced economic growth, a focus on equal rights, The Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Charismatic leaders of the day encouraged this generation to make their voices heard so that change would come.

“We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or to make it the last.” – John F. Kennedy

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”­ – Martin Luther King Jr.

The Millennial Generation was born between 1982 and 2003. We live in this world today. The Great Recession, the explosion of Social Media, and The War on Terror are in the forefront of every national discussion. The individual’s voice can be heard around the world in an instant. Not confined to turning the large ship around slowly, the Millennial seeks to be the change themselves.

“A few generations ago, people didn’t have a way to share information and express their opinion efficiently to a lot of people. Bu now they do. Right now, with social networks on the Internet, all of these 500 million people have a way to say what they’re thinking and have their voices be heard.” – Mark Zuckerberg

The workplace today is largely made up of Boomers in leadership positions and some nearing retirement age, and Millennials entering the workplace and looking to begin their career.

The key to leading in this multi-generational workplace is to recognize that each generation wants to make a difference in their own way. Don’t sacrifice one method for another, but allow both to thrive together.

If you are a Boomer, talk about the past but listen to the present. You know where the company has been and how it got where it is today. You know the markets, the products, the regulations. Don’t just teach the Millennials what you know, give them the opportunity to learn and ask questions and dig deeper. This knowledge adds great value to the conversation. Equally important is to listen to the Millennial’s view on what is happening today. How to market to the new generation, how to reach a global economy. Invite the Millenials to be part of the solution.

If you are a Millennial, listen to the past, but talk about the present. Invest time learning the history of the company and the industry. Ground yourself in the experiences that brought your coworkers to this place. Equally important is to share your views. Ask to be on projects and teams where you can talk about the needs and desires of your generation.

A final thought to guide these and future generations:

Each generation, like each person, has a unique set of strengths that can be leveraged for success. Seek to understand and develop these strengths.

How to encourage game changing ideas.

everything-begins-with-an-ideaEvery team has different methods to generate ideas. It may be formal and happen in committee meetings or it can be informal and happen in the hallway or over email or phone calls.  Whether your team is formal or informal you’ll have to follow the three steps below – there’s no shortcut to successful innovation, “Everything begins with an idea.” – Earl Nightingale.

“To turn really interesting ideas…into a company that can continue to innovate for years…requires a lot of discipline.” – Steve Jobs

 

THREE STEPS TO ENCOURAGE GAME CHANGING IDEAS

Get everyone thinking.  Those closest to the process, product, and people (customers) have the best view to opportunities for game changing ideas.

“At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top – I’m afraid that’s not quite right.” – Bill Gates

Get lots of ideas.   Don’t settle for the first new idea.  Keep digging and asking questions.  The most important two words are “What Else?” Trust me, your team members have a lot of new ideas.  

“Ideas can be life-changing.  Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” – Jim Rohn

Get going and do something. Once you settle on which new ideas to pursue, get going. Implement them, monitor them, and adjust them as needed.   

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines…You make progress by implementing ideas.” – Shirley Hufsteddler

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you lead disagreeable people?

disagagree without being disagreeableThere is a difference between being disagreeable and just disagreeing.

Honestly disagreeing is healthy and adds to the growth of a team. Being disagreeable causes strife and turns the team’s attention away from the issues and opportunities that need to be tackled and instead focuses on the actions of the disagreeable person. A leader must resolve this division before it goes too far. As Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Being disagreeable can take many forms: A disagreeable person can be critical, negative, and even passive aggressive – undermining the success of the team with their actions or lack of action.

“The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and …don’t let you know.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

This may seem a bit odd, but The key to leading a disagreeable person, is to help them turn into a disagreeing person.

A disagreeing person is one who openly and professionally shares their opinion. They offer a dissenting view, alternate ways of achieving the goals, or even different goals entirely. They thrive in the challenging atmosphere of brainstorming sessions, continuous improvement, and strategic planning. Not every view of a disagreeing person is adopted, but many are.

Everyone wants to feel that their views are heard and taken into consideration. Everyone wants to be valued. The difference between being disagreeable and disagreeing is open communication.

Leaders therefore, need to offer an environment where the opinions of the disagreeable person are heard and acted upon based on their merit. They are more used to not sharing their views publically and acting upon them privately. You will now have to draw out their ideas into the open during meetings and brainstorming sessions and make a point to give them credit for sharing their disagreement and when their ideas are acted upon.

You will show the disagreeable person what disagreeing people have learned, “You can disagree without being disagreeable.”

1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 28  Scroll to top