Leadership on Speed

Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as well be a glib tongue.
 It is not "making friends and influencing people"—that is flattery.
Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.

-Peter F. Drucker

what an Undercover Boss can teach us

Admittedly, I'm not much for reality TV but if you missed last night's premier episode of Undercover Boss following the Super Bowl, you missed some great 'undercover' leadership lessons from the Chief Operating Officer (C.O.O.) of a $13 billion company.  The opportunity to watch a senior executive at such a large company was really too cool to miss.

If you didn't have a chance to watch, Lawrence (Larry) O'Donnell, III, President and C.O.O. of Waste Management goes underground to experience his company from the ground up.  Over the course of the show, he took on such glamorous tasks as cleaning port-a-johns, picking up trash during wind gusts, and sorting recyclables while a conveyor belt whizzed by at who-knows-how-many miles per hour.  During his adventures, Larry got to meet the folks who truly make the company run and see first hand the impact of corporate policies on the lay-workers.

CBS did a GREAT job on the debut.  First of all, they picked a guy that clearly GOT IT (well before CBS ever came up with the concept) - definitely a Level 5 Leader and clearly highly functioning on the EI scale... Secondly, he was just a really likable guy and it was clear that he wasn't there to play "gotcha" but rather to really examine corporate policies and their impact.  Along the way, he had a number of eye-opening experiences and came away with a new appreciation of and connection to the work and the workers of Waste Management.

Powerful stuff.

At the end of the day, there were any number of take-aways that I wanted to share but these are my top 10 (plus one ;-)) in no particular order:

1. Listen objectively to feedback.
2. Reward hard work.
3. Invite good talent to create effective programs for other associates.
4. Know what motivates. Rewards are not always measured in dollars and cents.
5. Invite your associates to hold you accountable.
6. If you make a promise, keep it. 
7. Take immediate action.
8. Remember - the leaders and managers are rarely the face of your company, THE ASSOCIATES ARE.  Does this fact make you comfortable or uncomfortable? 
9. When employees authentically get that leaders care, performance and morale can soar!
10. Your associates are human beings with families, goals, desires and challenges.  Do you know who they REALLY are?
11. Don't be afraid to admit when you've made a mistake and be willing to change or revamp policies that simply don't work or that create different results than you intended.

Continue to be great!

managers as leaders and leaders as managers

Although leaders and managers have very distinct roles, there is little doubt that in today's business environment leaders must be willing to wear a management hat and managers would do well to incorporate leadership skills.  They are flip sides of a very complimentary coin.

If you are often confused on the distinctions between leaders managers, here are a few brought to you courtesy of Warren Bennis:

• The manager asks how and when; the leaders asks what and why
• The manager has an eye on the bottom line; the leader has an eye on he horizon
• The manager accepts the status quo; the leaders challenges it
• The manager is a classic good soldier; the leader is his/her own person

For a more comprehensive list, check out this Wall Street Journal adaptation or better yet, pick up a copy of On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis.

What are you finding in your organization?  Are there still very distinct roles between managers and leaders or have the roles merged as times have changed? 

Continue to be great!

you HAVE to watch this Will Smith video!

 

"The fastest way to mediocrity is trying to be realistic"  -- Will Smith

I am an unabashed Will Smith fan. There has always been something special about the way he carries himself, the way he shows up that says, "This guy is special." ---- and now I have a little more insight as to WHY.

Few things leave me almost speechless but the depth and clarity of this clip is truly inspiring.  If you don't do anything else today, WATCH THIS VIDEO CLIP.  Hopefully, it will bring you inspiration beyond today.....

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

 

 

how many of these leadership mistakes are you making?

As a leader, you do the best job you can.  If you are like most, you have an ideal leadership style and an actual one.  Unfortunately, our quest to get the mission accomplished combined with numerous daily fires often have us often falling short of the ideal and what's left behind - the actual, lends itself to committing some of the most basic (and non-basic) of leadership errors.  For example, how often do you knowingly overload a star performer?  We expect star performers to cry "uncle" but all too often, the only time we tend to listen is when the star performer begins to fail or (as is often the case), they get tired of getting dumped on and they depart for greener pastures.

Here are four other mistakes detailed in Susan Cramm's article over at the Harvard Business Review:

• Sponsoring a project that isn't ready for prime time
• Managing jobs rather than careers
• Negatively labeling others
• Refusing to address performance issues

What do you think?  Do these sound like some of your company's leadership challenges?  How are you addressing them?

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

  

acknowledging fallability as a strength

"Self-awareness means having a deep understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs and drives."

Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence.  Without it, all other learning becomes purely superficial.  We must understand that our success in business is predicated on others perceptions of who we are and how they experience what we say or do combined with our ability to assess our environment, our performance, our drivers and our emotions in order to accurately engage with and increase effectiveness with those around us.

To quote the Emotional Intelligence guru Daniel Goleman, "People with strong self-awareness are neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful.  Rather, they are honest - with themselves and others."  Someone who is self-aware has a candor and an ability to assess oneself realistically.  Have you ever met a leader who has the ability to lightly acknowledge and laugh off their weaknesses?  You may even admire such a quality.  It shows us that leaders are not infallible and there is something endearing when they reveal that vulnerability in a light-hearted way (or otherwise, when called for).  Conversely, we can all probably remember a leader or an associate who never wanted to admit a mistake or accept responsibility.  We are all sometimes trapped in an ideal of perfectionism perhaps thinking that if we reveal our weaknesses, we may be deemed incompetent or in over our heads. 

I'll let you in on a little secret:  Our weaknesses always reveal themselves.  There is no such thing as perfection so to deny the existence of fallibility only demonstrates ones utter lack of self-awareness and this is often not a pretty picture. 

This isn't to say that we should suddenly become self-deprecating apostles but rather to enlighten you to the fact that is important that each of us understand our strengths and weaknesses and at appropriate times, acknowledge that awareness to others.  If you are assigned a project that is a bit "stretchy", is it better to acknowledge your shortcomings so that you can shore up those areas with the appropriate talent and expertise or try to fake your way through hoping that others don't notice?  I don't have to tell you that answer to that.  What matters is that you successfully complete the project.  THAT is what will be remembered and what you will gain credit for. 

As we continue to further understand the importance of emotional intelligence, we will go deeper into the area of self-awareness, how you can recognize self-awareness in others and how you can grow in your own level of self-awareness.  In the meantime, if you want to gain a better understanding of emotional intelligence, I highly recommend you read Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman.

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

is emotional intelligence hype or reality?

At Leadership on Speed LLC, our "raison d'etre" is to support business success at all levels through a core understanding of how individuals "show up" and are experienced in the work place - in other words, one's level of self-awareness.  From a place of self-awareness, we can then work and train on communication, leadership, integrity, interpersonal skills and a host of commonly called "soft skills" that are not simply important, but critical to long-term success, in business and in life.

Interestingly enough, even with Daniel Goleman's groundbreaking work in Emotional Intelligence (EI) and the criticality of these skills in business success, organizations (as a general rule) still give little time or attention to supporting, training and developing these aspects of current and future leaders.

First of all, in our work at Leadership on Speed, we train leaders at every level but we define leadership not as positional or authoritative but rather we train for all associates to "lead where you stand".  In other words, every human being has the capability to lead from any position within an organization - to exert positive influence across the organization in order to accomplish the mission. 

Goleman's extensive research clearly demonstrates that while IQ and technical skills are important, they are not the driving factor in success. Rather they are considered "threshold capabilities" - meaning that one clearly must be technically competent in order to have some degree of success but many of us have been in environments where simply "average" individuals have successfully moved up the ranks while someone who was considered quite brilliant, incisive and "high potential" has failed to live up to the hype. 

The difference?  While intellect and cognitive skills such as big-picture thinking and long-term vision are particularly important to success, emotional intelligence proves to be TWICE as important as the other skills for jobs at all levels. 

THE GOOD NEWS:  Research shows that people can, if they take the right approach, develop their emotional intelligence.

On this critical learning area, we will commit more time on our blog in 2010 to support you, our readers, in better understanding what these skills are and how you can improve them for your own success.  We would also love to get your thoughts and feedback. Do you agree that emotional intelligence can or does distinguish those who are most successful?  What is your personal and business experience with EI?  Do you consider yourself to have a high emotional quotient already?  Has it made a difference in your success?

Here's to an amazing 2010!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

creating an amazing 2010: the carrot and the stick

Well 2009 is  officially over. Done. Finito!

So now the question for you is: What will you create in 2010?

Let me first tell you that I'm not a "resolutions girl".  They're cute.  They're fun.  And if they work for you great.  But resolutions are often initiated out of some sense of "have to".  You know what I mean....

I have to lose 20 pounds.

I have to quit smoking.

I have to spend more time with my family.

Now let me ask you, does any of that seem fun to you?

No? Me either.  Is it any wonder why 60% of resolutions fail in the first 2 weeks? 95% within the first month?  By the way, today is January 5th.  How are your resolutions going so far?

Today I'm asking you to turn your perspective upside down.  Don't get me wrong.  As a coach, I am all about goals. In fact, I love them! But I'm not about goals just to have goals.  I am about goals that have been put into context...

What?

In other words, what will losing weight, quitting smoking or spending more time with your family do for your life?  What is the vision that supports those objectives? When you arrive at December 31, 2010 what kind of life will you want to have created?

So many of us think that we have to take what comes to us but we don't spend time really thinking about what we want our lives to look like, feel like, taste like...  Yes, taste! You know that savoring of a moment that turns into many moments and your life just becomes this incredibly sweet, tangy, joyful entity that has you intoxicated on a daily basis?  Yes, you can create that!

Here's some homework for you:

Over the next couple of days, make some quiet time to reflect on what you want to create by the end of this year.  How do you want to feel?  What do you want your life to taste like?  Do you want to create an incredible business?  Do you want to create entry into a company that resonates with your values and philosophy? Do you want to create an incredible connection with your spouse? Do you want to change the dynamics of some of your friendships? Do you want to be more loving, caring, passionate about life? Do you want to gain greater vitality? 

Most resolutions are successful because of the carrot (the vision), not the "stick" (the have-to's, shoulds, need-to's, etc).  Create a compelling vision along with a great plan of action and 2010 could be your best year yet!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

going through the looking glass

When it comes to your professional life, do you often feel as if you're swimming with the current or against it?  Are you sailing with the wind or fighting it?

The answers to these seemingly simple questions are critical when determining if your work is aligned with your purpose, passion and talents because when everything is aligned, progress seems to be smooth and easy, almost effortless.  When you are "in the zone",you know it.  You feel more satisfaction and you perform well - no wonder money seems to follow!  You're energized, excited and looking forward to the next day.

Compare that feeling or state of being to when things are not going well...your career can feel rough and difficult, almost like you are bearing a heavy load (because you are).  Waking up in the morning is a struggle, the clock ticks by s-l-o-w-l-y during the day and you can hardly wait for the day to end.  The weekends seem to be one of life's few blessings...

If you find yourself in the latter group, it's most likely that you are probably not doing what you were intended to do on this earth.  You are fighting against your natural gift, skills and talents.  You may have settled for less -- an easier path, a more "socially acceptable" path or the path others expected you to take.

Don't feel bad.  Like you, I've been there.  I have lived it.  Feeling stuck in work that paid the bills but left me in an uncomfortable and unnatural rut. 

And I know I wasn't alone... Many people go through life the hard way.  Suppressing true desires and trying to blend in and avoid rocking the boat....playing it safe. 

The truth in my case is that I went for the money but at the end of the day, the money was robbing me of true joy and passion.  After all, how joyful can your life be if you dread the very thing that you spend 40 or 60 or even more hours at each week?   It's tragic, really.

So, let this be your wake up call.  Let's extinguish the whole concept of "mid-life" crisis!  How about a mid-twenties crisis or a mid-thirties crisis?  The "crisis" is nothing more than the realization that you're no longer willing to live a lie in your work and in your life.  That you're ready to take more risks, have more fun and spend time on and with the things that matter most!

We all think that we have this infinite amount of time to "figure it out" but what if next week was it?

LIFE IS TOO SHORT!  Let's agree to STOP the madness!  STOP delaying your life.  STOP living by others expectations. STOP putting things off until the kids are grown.  STOP waiting for retirement to regain a sense of joy and passion.  STOP going through the motions with your current career.  STOP feeling trapped by your degree or education (or lack of). STOP telling yourself comforting stories and lies.  STOP denying yourself real passion and fulfillment.

It is NEVER too late to live on purpose and with passion.  I often ask my clients this question - If you could be given a magic potion that would absolutely prevent you from failing at one major dream or goal in life, what would it be?  Chances are you already know in your heart what you should be doing.   If you don't, begin with your childhood.  Think back to the things that enjoyed most.  Think about your life over the past few years.  What is it that brings you the most pleasure?  Is it certain aspects of your work? Hobbies? Volunteer activities?  Do you find yourself attracted to certain types of activities or groups?  Everything in your life holds clues to your passion!  If all else fails, take some classes!  We all have things "we have always wanted to do".  Start to notice what you like and what you don't. 

Not unlike Alice in Wonderland, it may also be your turn "go through the looking glass" so look upon the journey with excitement and hopefulness!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can! 

i'm prefect. oops, i mean...perfect!

In last week's post, I shared with you one of the biggest impediments to success in business and in life is procrastination.

For many, procrastination is not just a hurdle..

it's a MOUNTAIN.

So this week, I wanted to extend last weeks post by discussing the SECOND major reason that people procrastinate:

The quest for perfection

Stated another way, we want to wait for the "perfect" conditions to make change or take that next step.  Many ordinary and really good people are caught up in an idealistic "perfect world syndrome".  They never create real wealth for themselves or their families because they wait for perfect conditions (which don't exist) before they advance toward their dreams.  I know of one business owner that purchased a home based franchise and spent FIVE years "getting everything in order" so that when he started, everything would be "perfect".  I guess it will comes as no surprise to hear that the business never got off the ground....

Sound like anyone you know?

This business owner represents just one of thousands of examples of how perfection can be a dream killer.  You and I both know that a "perfect world" has never and will never exist but the quest for unachievable perfect conditions provides the opportunity to make-up wonderful excuses for not taking action and ultimately, responsibility.  To add insult to injury, we can get so attached to everything being perfect, we don't understand it when others bring it to our attention! After all, we just want to do things "right", right?

Why do otherwise smart and even brilliant people get so stuck?

Fear has something to do with the quest for perfection as well but additionally, this particular breed of procrastinator is also risk-averse.  Instead of managing reasonable risks, they are unreasonable and want to avoid ALL risks.

Conversely, wealthy people don't wait for conditions to be perfect.  When they smell an opportunity that makes sense, they take action.  In fact, they have a bias for action.  Action could be starting a full- or part-time venture but it could also mean putting your hat in the ring for that big promotion or taking the job at that small start-up with big plans instead of being "safe" in the background of that big company with more perks..

The bottom line this week?

Don't get stuck in the perfection quagmire.  Make a calculated choice and move! Most good opportunities come covered in a layer of challenges and hard work - far from perfect but capable of providing substantial wealth.  At the end of day, it's about taking intelligent action versus INaction.

Have you ever heard a story about a wealthy procrastinator?

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

can i put it off just one more day?

The older I get and the more I coach, I realize that there are truly no absolutes in life except this:

There are many ways to avoid success in life and one of the surest of these is procrastination.

I know most of us don't like to admit it, but most of us procrastinate from time to time.  Yes, it's true.  In fact, some of us are down right pros at it!  We put off filing our taxes until the last day (guilty), never get around to certain work and don't clean up "messes" in our lives.

Unfortunately, procrastinators end up sabotaging themselves and their dreams.  They very often put artificial obstacles and excuses in their own path.  I know, I hear it all too often....

So, why procrastinate?

One major reason for procrastination is FEAR - fear of change, fear of the unknown or fear of failure.   Fear is a fundamental part of the human existence but the problem with fear is that we can become so attached to our fear that we believe that our fears are "truth".  The real truth is that most of the "mental demons" we create do not exist and will never materialize.  Perhaps you are familiar with the acronym for fear?

F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real

In order to achieve breakthrough levels of success and fulfillment with anything in life, you must learn to accept being uncomfortable.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say that it's necessary to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  If not, it becomes much more difficult to adopt the empowering mindsets and actions required to leave your current situation.  If you don't break out of your comfort zone, your life down the road will look nearly identical to how it does today... 

If you find yourself inwardly screaming, "No WAY!" then welcome to the first stage of a new reality.  Don't look around in six months, a year or even five years and find out that, sadly, nothing in your life has changed.  Otherwise, you'll still be working at the same job, doing the same thing, making the same salary and probably reporting to the same boss.

As the new year comes upon us, declare that you won't wait one more day.  Decide what your future looks like and begin to take steps to make it happen. 

Do just ONE thing today to create a different future.

Tomorrow do just ONE more thing.

The next day do just ONE more...and soon you'll create momentum you could not have dreamed possible and living the life you were meant to.

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!