Leaders on Leadership

Powerful Leadership: An end result of effective leadership training

2009-01-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Dr. Richard L. Williams

Most of us have experienced both effective and ineffective leaders. It's not uncommon in today's business climate for leaders to be evaluated or even judged by the extent to which they are able to unite followers in a common cause. As management consultant Roger Tunks of Lake Oswego, Oregon once described it, "Leaders must develop the skills necessary to get followers to follow." In other words, a leader's effectiveness is largely determined by his or her ability to create an environment wherein others can be successful, both individually, and as a united team.

This, unfortunately, is contrary to some leaders' belief that being successful is being powerful, or receiving respect, or controlling others, or being feared, or being visible. And some leaders believe that their primary purpose is short-term impact to the bottom line.

Clearly, an effective leader must be able to unite his or her followers to work toward common goals. And it would be foolish to ignore the fact that leaders must be able to at least sustain or improve the bottom line. How to do this has been the discussion for many articles and books for decades. In this article I would like to focus on two important aspects of being an effective leader: an understanding of where leadership authority comes from, and how to gain the organizational power necessary to make things happen, such as getting followers to follow.

Unfortunately, most discussions I've heard and read on leadership power and authority haven't made the important distinction between the two topics. It's not uncommon, for example, to see power and authority used as synonyms. Indeed, they are quite different in both source and effect. A leader's authority is defined by his or her title or position in the organization. The authority of a vice president, for example, is different than the authority of a department manager. Leadership power, on the other hand, is the ability to accomplish things, or get things done through others. A department manager's power is what he or she can accomplish through the workers in the department. In most situations, a specific title such as "manager" gives a leader a certain amount of organizational power. That usually is the result of what organizational psychologists refer to as "title respect." Unfortunately, title respect does not engender enough power to enable a leader to be effective by itself. If you've been in management for a while, you have probably seen someone promoted to management who thought that merely being a manager was enough to make him or her effective. It's not; it takes more than a title to be an effective leader.

So, leadership authority is a title or position and typically comes from your boss, while leadership power comes from other workers in the organization who enable you to become effective. In a successful organization, leadership power is actually more important than leadership authority. That's interesting because most people work hard to obtain a title, thinking it will automatically give them the power they want to function within the organization. To maximize effectiveness, leaders must learn how and when to use their authority (title), and more importantly, how to grow their power through others to achieve the goals.

Now that you know that leadership authority is a position or title that is delegated to you by your boss or the organization, the next step is to understand what you can do to increase you leadership influence through leadership training and development. That, in turn, will increase your overall effectiveness as a leader in the organization.

Three leadership training topics to consider that will greatly increase your leadership power and skills are: (1) communication skills, (2) influence skills, and (3) character development. The first category involves how well you communicate with others. You can be more powerful by improving both the quantity and quality of communication you give to others. Many of these techniques, especially those regarding feedback, were explained in previous articles in this column. Your body language, open and friendly, verses closed and unfriendly, is also a major part of how you communicate. Be sure to be aware of how you come across to other people.

Your natural communication style sends messages to others indicating whether you are easily approachable, or unapproachable. The more approachable you appear to others improves the amount of power those people will give you.

When you express your appreciation for the contributions of others, either verbally or in writing, you also gain power. It's also important to make sure that credit is always given to the persons responsible for the contribution. How soon and in what manner you communicate these messages either adds to or takes away from your power.

The second category is ensuring that your followers have some degree of influence in how things are done in the workplace. Dr. David McClelland of Harvard once said, "The greatest hunger of the human soul is to some influence in how the work is done." If having some element of influence in the workplace is so important, we should delegate it. Along with soliciting influence, leaders should also ensure that their followers participate in appropriate decision making. This will increase follower buy-in to changes and increase your power at the same time.

The third category involves your leadership character. It's been said that character can't be coached, but I know from personal experience that each of us can yet improve aspects our character. Some dimensions of a leader's character that generate power are: trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, respecting others (and yourself), not spreading rumors, and being considerate and friendly.

A grocery manager once asked me what one thing she could do that would help her get promoted to store manager. She felt she had enough years of experience and had worked in a number of different stores and was ready for promotion, but was always passed up. I could have chosen a number of possible answers. But I explained to her that she had a tendency to get things done by herself, rather than getting things accomplished through the efforts of her staff. She poorly delegated and as a result, lacked the respect of the grocery staff. I suggested that she focus on improving her power as a leader because that would improve her effectiveness. When her effectiveness improved she would be in a better position for promotion. That's how important organizational power is. How's your personal leadership power? What leadership training do you need to drive yourself and your organization to the next level?

If you would like more information on leadership training , please contact one of our team members at (888)262-2499. You can also visit our website to learn more about our products, services, research, and the multinational organizations we have served over the past three decades.

Reference this article to receive a 50% discount on any of our books or 15% off your first scheduled training event.

About the author: Dr. Richard L. Williams is a retail consultant specializing in leadership training , performance coaching, and organizational development.

To speak with Dr. Williams or to schedule him for your upcoming event, please contact our team at (888)262-2499.

Be The Full Jigsaw! How to Solve the Leadership Jigsaw

2009-01-29T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Alan Cutler

BE THE FULL JIGSAW! How To Solve the Leadership Puzzle

By Alan Cutler, Leadership Writer, Speaker and Mentor

"There is no such thing as a perfect leader, either in the past or present, in China or elsewhere. If there is one, he is only pretending, like a pig inverting spring onions into his nose in an effort to look like an elephant". Liu Shao-Chi

It may be true that there is no such thing as the perfect leader – leaders are human, after all. However, that is not to say that people who hold leadership positions should not continually seek to improve their leadership skills.

Some managers hardly set an example for others to follow. They may have a badge on their office door or overall that pronounces them 'Head of Service'; 'Area Manager'; or 'Unit Supervisor' but do these 'badge holders' display all the necessary qualities to inspire others to follow them? It is unlikely that people are promoted to senior positions without any leadership skills, but they may lack one or more essential ones.

In order to measure managers' leadership capabilities we need to identify what are the essential qualities of an effective leader. In my view they are six in number:

? A Leader is a visionary ? A Leader sets an example ? A Leader understands what motivates each team member ? A Leader builds supportive relationships ? A Leader empowers others to reach their potential ? A Leader understands the power of communications

These are the six components that each leader must work hard at continually and consistently applying and, most importantly, demonstrating in all he or she does. Think of it as a jigsaw – The Leadership Jigsaw®

Unless all six pieces are in place, the leader will not achieve his or her potential, nor will those looking to following their leader. No one aspiring to lead a high-performing team can do so if they are 'one piece short of a jigsaw'! Let's consider each piece in a little more detail.

VISION. Leadership involves taking people on a journey, but if people are to follow it must not be a journey into the unknown. Such destinations may work for Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise but they will not work for modern-day leaders with their feet placed firmly on terra-firma! A person holding a leadership position without a clear vision, or the ability to communicate one effectively, will be heading into darkness (probably alone!).

Creating a vision must, by its very nature, be one of the foremost roles of a leader – as it sets a positive theme for the future. A leader's vision – which he or she personally associates themselves with – should appeal to people at an emotional level, as well as a practical one. It should be meaningful, relevant and inspirational: encouraging people to buy into it willingly. When leaders express their vision in a way that touches their followers, they invite strong commitment: a common purpose that focuses people on a shared, mutually beneficial objective.

"A leader shapes and shares a vision which gives point to the work of others" Charles Handy

EXAMPLE. One of the most important and effective qualities leaders can display is consistently and visibly to link the values they stand for with their everyday actions. Indeed, consistency and visibility are the keys. People respect and follow leaders whose behaviour mirrors their words; they have no respect for leaders who say one thing and do another. "Do as I say, not as I do" is simply not good enough.

Leaders should, therefore, look hard into the mirror and consider what they see. They should ask themselves: "Do I lead in such a way that I would willingly follow myself? Do I consistently demonstrate leadership qualities that I would recognise in leaders that I, myself, respect?" You can be sure of one thing: you may not be continually assessing your performance as a leader, but your followers will be! They will be watching your every move and taking a lead from you.

The leaders acts as though everyone is watching, even when no-one is watching" Brian Tracy

MOTIVATION. Having a vision is one thing: selling it in a way that others want to realise it is quite another. The leader's role is to focus the energies of followers on shared goals and to encourage them to achieve those goals. Yet everybody is different and responds to different stimuli. Truly great leaders understand their followers: they understand their needs, their dreams, their fears, their emotions – what 'makes them tick'. It is an understanding of the impact of differing needs on different people that is vital for effective leadership.

One of the greatest motivators is to believe that you are contributing to your team's success and, hence, to the success of the overall vision. People need to believe that they are playing their part and successful leaders ensure that they receive the recognition their efforts deserve. In my experience of working with junior managers across the country, a belief that they are not valued for their efforts is one of the most commonly found demotivators.

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it" Dwight D Eisenhower

RELATIONSHIP. It is axiomatic that a leader needs followers – a team of people working together towards a common aim. To be effective, a team working across an organisation requires supportive relationships not only between leader and followers, but between followers themselves. A culture of trust must exist between all members, at all levels, with the leader providing the shining example for all to follow.

Notwithstanding the fundamental changes forced upon organisations in recent years (down-sizing and delegated budgets for example) some departments are still led by 'badge-holders' who busy themselves interfering in the work of their subordinates; are unwilling to share information; and insist on sanctioning every decision. Yet if the modern leader's challenge is to make optimum use of fewer resources (and it is!) this will only happen if people are encouraged to participate in an open, positive environment based upon mutually-supportive relationships. 'Mushroom management' must be replaced by a culture where everyone is prepared to give and receive trust.

"All your strength is in your union. All your danger is in discord" Henry Longfellow The Song of Hiawatha

EMPOWERMENT. Enlightened leaders understand that most people naturally want to better themselves and, given the appropriate support and encouragement, will grasp the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge. They also realise that the key to getting the best out of people is to give them responsibility for their own actions, rather than creating an environment of control and mistrust.

Such leaders are willing to delegate aspects of their role to their subordinates when the situation allows and, moreover, are prepared to empower them to take decisions themselves, within parameters, without recourse to higher authority.

Empowerment is based upon the belief that, given the opportunity, people are preordained to think for themselves and will generate ideas that benefit their workplace, their organisation and, hence, by extension – themselves. Following orders robotically produces robots; allowing invention and inspiration produces ideas and a pride in individual and team achievements.

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you will help them to become what they are capable of being" Goethe

COMMUNICATION. Whilst all those holding the badge of leadership, without exception, would preach the importance of effective communications, not all practice what they preach. But, yet again, it is the leader who should lead the way by his or her example.

Productive communications are built upon understanding between all parties. A leader who is prepared to get out and 'walk the talk' will be in a far better position to both reinforce the vision, and hear how it is being received, than one who remains desk-bound. There are few more potent motivating actions a leader can take than to make the effort to speak to front-line workers and to ask "how are things going?", and mean it!

We live in the 'communication age'. Yet with the previously unimaginable powers now at our fingertips come inherent dangers. Communications is not only about the 'what' – just as important is the 'how'. Wise leaders balance the efficiency of technology with the impact of the human touch. They are well aware that they cannot shake a hand, pat a back, or even smile via email!

"A leader is someone who knows what she wants to achieve and how to communicate it" Margaret Thatcher

THE MESSAGE? The message is that true leaders need to be proficient in a wide range of essential skills that can be represented by The Leadership Jigsaw. Those holding leadership positions should measure themselves against this model of excellence to ensure that they are not 'one piece short of a jigsaw'.

The Leadership Jigsaw is a model of leadership best practice created by Alan Cutler, a leadership writer, motivational speaker and mentor. For more details of how Alan can develop the leadership skills of your managers see www.leadershiptalks.com, or contact him on alan@leadershiptalks.com. Full details of The Leadership Jigsaw are contained in his book, 'One Piece Short of a Jigsaw', obtainable from www.leadershiptalks.com

About the author: Alan Cutler is a leadership writer, motivational speaker and mentor with over thirty years experience of leading teams, including sixteen years as a commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force. Contact him at alan@leadershiptalks.com or www.leadershiptalks.com

Award for a Leadership Development Program

2009-01-28T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Chris Stowell

Why do organizations come together every year at the 2005 Excellence Fair held by the Professional Association for Computer Training?

It is because something worked well for an organization and valuable information needs to be shared. This year at the 2005 Excellence Fair it was Cargill, the international food provider (located in over 59 countries), that was recognized for their Transition into Leadership curriculum that helps employees transition into leadership roles.

So, what is it about Cargill's leadership curriculum that has led to such great success? It began when Cargill recognized that great team members also make great leaders. But, the insights, skills, and vision needed to be an effective leader must be developed, practiced, and learned over time.

As such, the focus of Cargill's leadership development program is to provide new and aspiring leaders with the skills required to confront the challenges and opportunities that a leadership role entails. In the program, aspiring and new leaders learn how to guide, empower, and assist the efforts of others towards greater success. These newly developed leaders are instructed on how to lead people, make a difference in their work, and fulfill leadership expectations. So how is this leadership development program different from all of the others? This program provides new leaders with the key tools for leading effectively, while at the same time making the program specific to the development needs of each attendee. Most programs on the market do not focus on the transformation process aspiring leaders must go through to maximize their effectiveness.

The Transition into Leadership curriculum was designed to:

? Introduce the best ideas and practices in leadership today

? Identify the significant differences between leadership and management

? Determine the participants own leadership strengths and areas for improvement

? Develop and practice sound leadership skills and abilities

? Learn "best practices" through close affiliation with other Cargill leaders

? Communicate effectively and reinforce, mission, goals, and vision

? Take accountability for business results and team member development

? Embrace change and challenge the comfort zone of team members

Cargill's leadership development program places great importance on their employees and know that they are the key part of a successful future. As a result they seek the best programs in order to create development opportunities for their employees and leaders around the world.

Cargill selected CMOE to partner with them in the development and implementation of the Transition into Leadership program. At the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness we have been helping Cargill to create, develop and implement their Transition into Leadership program and fulfill a variety of training needs.

The past 27 years CMOE has been instrumental in designing leadership development programs for multinational organizations. We help our clients improve the leaders of today and help create the leaders of tomorrow.

About the author: Chris Stowell is the International Manager at CMOE.

If you would like to learn more about Transition into Leadership and other lea dership development programs please contact CMOE toll free at (888)262-2499

Three Building Blocks of Leadership

2009-01-27T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Kenneth Strong

Three Building Blocks of Leadership

By: Kenneth Strong

It's not enough to declare that your selected candidate for promotion to supervisor is now a "leader." You must provide him or her with three essential building blocks. And by the way, if you are the one being asked to take on the additional responsibility of leadership you should insist on having the same three building blocks:

Authority

After this time I surpassed all others in authority, but I had no more power than the others who were also my colleagues in office. - Augustus Caesar

Authority includes the personnel, money and materials that go beyond the title supervisor or manager. Your authority includes the sole determination of how the above assets are utilized or expended conducting the business of your department, section, area of responsibility or company. Your staff must be absolutely certain that you are in charge and your decisions won't be reversed by your supervisor, within reason, baring anything unlawful or immoral.

If you aren't given the decision making authority, don't take the job. Having the authority to complete a job is very satisfying. Remember that your authority also means taking responsibility when things go wrong.

You are given the authority to perform your duties and responsibilities because of your supervisor's confidence and trust in your abilities.

Responsibility

While an open mind is priceless, it is priceless only when its owner has the courage to make a final decision that closes the mind for action after the process of viewing all sides of the question has been completed. Failure to make a decision after due consideration of all the facts will quickly brand a man as unfit for a position of responsibility. Not all of your decisions will be correct. None of us is perfect. But if you get into the habit of making decisions, experience will develop your judgment to a point where more and more of your decisions will be right. After all, it is better to be right 51% of the time and get something done, than it is to get nothing done because you fear to reach a decision. - H. W. Andrews

This is the lonely part of leadership; every decision you make you make alone. While you want to have input from staff members and others as may be necessary but you will evaluate all the data and advice and ultimately make the decision alone. Leaders are responsible for making the hard decisions no one else wants to make or can make. Once you implement your decision everyone suddenly knows the correct answer. You have now opened yourself to criticism from every possible direction. You may even begin to second guess yourself-don't. The decision you made was based on available information and in the best interests of the organization.

You always have the option of adjusting the decision as its consequences develop. As a leader you make decisions knowing that they may be wrong but you take that risk where others won't. You and you alone have the responsibility for making the decision. So make your decision with confidence and above all, trust yourself.

Accountability

The major way of doing anything with one's self is to own one's self. This means to take full responsibility and accountability for whatever I am doing at any moment, with anybody. It means, among other things, that I get rid of all the extra fingers that I point at people and situations to explain my behavior. When a person says ""He made me mad"" that is not accurate. It is ""I made me mad."" When I permit myself the luxury of taking that full responsibility, then I'm on first base, at least, because then I can do something about it. - W. W. Broadbent, MD, PhD - Accountability simply put means you own it. The military teaches this concept better that any organization I know. It works like this. You are assigned a task; there are two possible outcomes, you succeed or fail. If you succeed, congratulations and move on. If you fail there is no excuse for failing, you just didn't get it done. This short conversation sounds like this; Yes, Sir, No, Sir and No Excuse, Sir. The young leader learns very quickly that he or she is totally accountable for everything his or her unit does or fails to do.

I guarantee you will only make an excuse once.

Your reputation as a leader will be determined by how accountable you are in your daily business practices. By holding yourself accountable for all your actions and those of your department you will be way ahead of your contemporaries. It is an easy way to get noticed in a positive way.

Accountability is not just for the big stuff; it also important for the casual daily things. For example: You tell a colleague that you can't meet with him at the moment but will call him in an hour. Make sure you call him in an hour. Or you are scheduled to attend a meeting at 10:00 AM. Show up at 9:55 AM not 10:05 AM. Feel free to use this article, in your publications, in its entirety provided you include the following notice: © Copyright 2004, Lighthouse CCUNIV Publications, Ltd., Lakeville, Massachusetts, USA (except as otherwise indicated). Lighthouse Continuing Care University is a servicemark Lighthouse CCUNIV Publications, Ltd. http://www.ccuniv.org

About the author: Kenneth E. Strong, Jr., MS, is President and founder of Lighthouse CCUNIV Publication, Ltd., www.ccunivpub.com. He is the founder of Lighthouse Continuing Care University http://www.ccuniv.org a web based community devoted to educating, supporting and developing, supervisors, managers, line staff and trustees of Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Skilled Nursing Facilities

The Art Of Leadership

2009-01-26T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Ron Fory

The art of leadership is sought by virtually everyone. It is claimed by many, defined by a few, and exercised by the unheralded, depending on the source you use. In fact, we know a lot about leadership; it is the application of leadership that creates confusion for most.

In spite of all the leadership texts, containing a veritable plethora of theories about leadership (each of which is THE KEY), leadership remains a very individual concept, exercised in many diverse yet successful ways. Indeed, successful application always results in leadership. Unsuccessful application is invariably counter-productive. So, is this another theory? No, but I will share with you some of my observations about where to look for leadership. It's my belief that although we may not be able to define it very precisely, we can recognize it when we see it.

We know that there are people called ""formal leaders"" and ""informal leaders"" in some of the literature. I am not going to talk about those ""formal leaders,"" because they are by definition occupying positions of authority (i.e., a supervisory position) and that is their sole claim to leadership. ""Informal leaders,"" on the other hand, exercise leadership from positions not formally designated for leadership, thus causing a problem for the organization. How the informal leader arises is curious, but it can often be caused by the lack of leadership in the ""formal"" position. But that doesn't mean that the ""great man"" theory takes place (that's the one that says when a crisis occurs and there's no one prepared to deal with it, someone will rise to the occasion and deal with it). Why is someone not in a leadership position given authority by the group in which they work to exercise leadership?

There are, of course, several answers to that question, so let's examine some of them. It may be that the one who is the leader is a confident (at least confidently-acting) person with a bit of charisma, thus one who offers logical answers to questions from the group, and who may have the ability to demonstrate that they have good ideas. We often see this in groups that begin by discussing particular problems; if no one is specifically ""in charge,"" the leader who emerges is often the person who demonstrates the most passion about the topic.

Or, they may simply be someone who is impatient for action, and goads others into a particular action that appears to achieve some common goals. In this case, the group tends to rally behind the ""visionary."" Sometimes, the visionary doesn't have much of a vision, but that doesn't mean they aren't capable of pursuing one (or of having one in the first place).

Another possibility is that one of this group recognizes that things can be done in a way to benefit everyone involved, much like the development of John Nash's gaming theory (the basis for the movie, ""A Beautiful Mind""). The concern is not for the betterment, enrichment or even recognition of the leader, rather for the achievement of group goals, including the entire organization.

When we find this leader of the latter sort, John Collins, in his book Good to Great, calls them ""Level 5"" leaders. They are the ones who are passionate about achievement of the whole, not of themselves individually. These leaders aren't heralded, because they don't blow their own horns. They are too busy working toward meaningful goals to be distracted by something so counter-productive. Yet they do some particular things that we can see ""proves"" their leadership. Some of those things are where I'd like to focus this discussion.

Leaders who are passionate about their vision (they ALWAYS have a vision), are careful to make sure everyone in the organization knows what that vision is. They will indoctrinate everyone so that it is not simply a vision, but a tangible part of the environment, so much so that it will go home with employees at night. Everything that flows, then, is a reflection of that vision, because the vision becomes the beacon that guides the actions of everyone in the organization.

Those leaders know their people well: their personalities, their histories, their passions. The leader knows them because of the leadership involved in attracting and retaining the right people to ""get the job done."" They reach back to the theory of W. Edwards Deming, not necessarily for Statistical Process Control techniques (although they are valuable), but for Deming's ""14 Points,"" one of which is to insure adequate and continuous training. If the right people are in the job and they are given the resources to get the job done, cheerleading is a waste of time, because these workers already get out of bed in the morning excited about going to work. Motivation? It's boiling inside each one of them, and they don't need slogans or mantras, or group meetings to cheer about history, because the ""self-actualized"" person is also self-motivated. They know their jobs, they know what's expected of them, and they know that they have a responsibility to the rest of the employees to do the best job they possibly can. One reason that happens is that the individual has been involved in development of their job and their responsibilities for that job, they've been informed about how their job fits into the overall scheme, and they are intimately involved in changes that occur in the company. Revolutionary? No, it's been in the books for decades.

When leaders develop this kind of employee and the managers to supervise those employees, they are freed up to do the visionary tasks: keeping the goal in sight, and making the course corrections necessary when changing conditions require them. Tweaking is a skill these leaders have that is taught in no school, which makes it that much more valuable.

In my history is a ten-year stint as a division controller for a manufacturing firm. The division manager was a true visionary, who brought the division from a lackluster, poorly motivated, money losing operation to an energetic, proud organization that had attained ISO 9000 certification on its way to becoming profitable as well. Over those ten years, I watched that manager steadfastly steer the division in the direction his vision so clearly defined. Not all of his actions were exactly right, but that didn't keep us from learning from them. And the division became a model for the corporation, while the division manager became a regional manager so his skills could be used in other divisions as well. He had learned that putting the team together was his biggest job, but once that was done, the team drove the progress. He simply got out of the way. His time was not spent showing what he'd done, it was spent in providing the tools to the team members so they could get where he wanted faster. If he needed to do something that should be done by one of the team members, that team member was, by definition, unnecessary, and was eliminated. That doesn't mean that mistakes weren't tolerated, nor that effort wasn't made to insure the team member was adequately placed and trained. But when it became obvious that change was necessary, it occurred quickly and cleanly. It was truly a joy to work there, but especially to observe that unsung leadership in action.

There are some things we as individuals can do, if we want to develop our own leadership:

1. Keep focused on the primary goal for your company. Never let yourself be distracted from that.

2. Surround yourself not with those who only agree with you, but with the right people for the job you need done, then train them and provide them the tools to do the job.

3. Recognize the benefits of having different personalities around you. Not only do separate skill sets come with different personalities, but different approaches that are essential to your company's success.

4. Having hired the right people, get out of their way. If you must micromanage them, you don't need them. This is not a big problem, however, since they won't stay anyway, if you treat them with so little respect.

5. Remember always to consult your feedback loop in all your processes, to make sure things are working as you expect, and that you can make appropriate changes timely. Failure to do this with hasten the failure of your organization in total. Recall that your feedback loop is only as valuable as the people from whom you get feedback. Listen to them.

6. Know when you have exceeded your limitations, and acknowledge it. Then get help to overcome it.

Each of us has the capability to be a leader. We will only become effective leaders, however, when we lose our fear of making mistakes, and share responsibility for achievement of the goals of the organization. If those goals are our individual measures of achievement, then the organization will work to succeed and achieve; if they are not, we will be the transient leader that gets things going, but fails by failing to share credit and push for only the good of the organization.

Dare to achieve.

About the author: Ron Fory is an instructor and trainer for The Leader's Institute, http://www.leadersinstitute.com, and specializes in public speaking and leadership development. Ron can be reached at 1-800-872-7830 x105.

Tired of the endless theories on leadership? Discover the easy route to leadership with Mind Mapping

2009-01-25T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Vj Mariaraj

Far too long the myth remained that 'leaders are born and not made'; but this is no longer true as it has been proved that leadership is very much a learned art as much as it might be inherited. The business administration institutes do churn out MBA's by the scores. You might be a competent manager, but leadership is a different issue from management. It is about leading and inspiring people to great performance. It involves having a clear vision, which will be enthusiastically shared by people working under you.

Leadership need not be taught; it can be learned greatly through direct experience, and equally by working and preparing ourselves for the role. As in all cases, being a self-starter always imbues in you a great deal of motivation to sustain and work to attain your ultimate goals.

To work on acquiring leadership skills there are certain basics that you will have to follow. The first requirement to building the requisite leadership traits in you is to understand the meaning of effective leadership. A clear knowledge of the elements of leaderships will help you in working towards the objective. You will then need to make a thorough analysis of your self to unravel your inner you. Once you gain clear insights about yourself, you will know your areas of strengths and weaknesses. You can then build on your strengths, tackle your weaknesses, develop self-confidence and a dynamic attitude to become a balanced and successful leader.

Equally important is being a visionary and forming a clear and robust vision of how the future should be, which others will eagerly adopt, partake and implement. Inspiring people on your vision and enthusing them to their optimum performance are vital aspects of leadership.

Leadership is also about having unceasing self-confidence and the power to instill it in others. It concerns with having necessary expertise and a robust track record of achievement that will earn the respect, trust and value of your peers and team members. Making right decisions even under pressure situations, building a highly effective team, forging trusting relationships amongst team members and dealing in a firm and fair way are other basics for powerful leadership.

In all these, Mind Maps are of great value in that they help in systematically leading you through the process of achievement. Beginning with formulating elements of leadership, to making a self-enquiry into your true self, Mind Maps serve as an effective method to list them in detail. Besides, associations and creativity - elements that are inherent to Mind Maps - lend greater emotional depth to our understanding and progress to cultivating leadership traits.

Also in framing appropriate vision, in making correct decisions and assessing and picking the right team for the right job, Mind Mapping can be a useful and indispensable device. They help you to monitor your progress and provide you the needed motivation to stay on course. Mind Mapping is the simplest technique to kindle you into action, provide creative solutions and help plan and execute various steps to gaining inspiring leadership traits. Mind Maps offer a comprehensive view, while aiding you to tackle different segments thoroughly.

Indeed Mind Maps are the easiest route to reach your destination. You have to learn the Mind Mapping method to realize its true value. How about taking your first step forward now?

About the author: About the Author: Dr. Vj Mariaraj is a Mind Map enthusiast and has been using Mind Maps for the past twelve years. He has created over 5650 Mind Maps. To learn more about mind mapping send an email to freemindmap@aweber.com . He is the founder of BusinessBookMindMap.com that creates Mind Map Summaries of Business Books. To learn more visit http://BusinessBookMindMap.com/mind-map.php?ga16

Leadership Training: Is Discretionary Effort the Primary Objective of All Leaders?

2009-01-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Steve Nielsen

With the constant challenges and pressures faced by managers around the world today, it can be difficult to determine where to focus our time and energy. We must lead our teams, provide our customers with outstanding service, increase the strength of our brand, and in many cases accomplish all this and more with fewer resources. Okay, perhaps we should fly the white flag and give up now.

No, surrender isn't necessary; but increased understanding and application of the principles of leadership is. As members of management teams, we must ensure that we must are carrying out our responsibilities as managers (e.g., taking care of processes, machinery, things) and perhaps more importantly, as leaders who are responsible for the people on our teams. One of the ways we can accomplish these objectives is to tap into the discretionary effort that every member of every team possesses.

Discretionary effort is the level of performance above that which is required for the team member to maintain their employment. It is an employee's desire to go beyond the collecting of a salary. It is a willingness to be interested and involved in assisting the organization in the accomplishment of corporate goals. Essentially, it's what every one of us is able to do with regard to our jobs and in support of our organizations/corporations that we don't have to contribute to keep our jobs.

If we all agree that discretionary effort exists in every member of every team and that it would benefit us, how do we, as leaders, tap into the discretionary effort that all members of our teams possess? One way is to understand and practice transformational and transactional leadership styles.

Transformational leadership has been extensively researched and written about by Bernard M. Bass (distinguished professor emeritus of management and director of the Center of Leadership Studies at Binghamton University). Leaders who are effective in this area create an environment where team members can contribute new ideas. These leaders strive to treat each team member as partners. By so doing, they increase their team members' understanding of issues faced by their organizations, they help employees rise above self-interests to be more interested in the good of the whole team and/or organization; and inspire them to work even harder than they may have expected.

The other leadership style that dovetails very effectively with transformational leadership in the pursuit of discretionary effort is transactional leadership dimensions. Leaders who are effective in this area influence members of their teams to behave and perform in desired ways through the productive use of rewards or some other benefit desired by the team member. These behaviors include courage, integrity, humility, etc. When transformational leadership is used together with transactional leadership, we can be even more effective as leaders and managers.

How can we be more effective leaders by tapping into the discretionary effort of our team members? By understanding and being more effective in our daily application of our transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and skills. To do this we must engage in a lifelong journey of leadership training , learning, and growth. Read articles on these subjects, seek out those in our networks who have exhibited strong abilities in tapping into discretionary effort and utilizing transformational and transactional leadership, and participating in personal development opportunities.

CMOE (Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness) has several courses that we have created or can customize for your leadership training needs. Several of the courses focus on the qualities and behaviors of leaders such as courage, integrity, humility, conviction and accountability. We also deal with the skills of collaboration, alignment, communication and enabling. Gaining a deeper understanding of these leadership training elements and how they can be applied in every day situations will increase our abilities to help each member of our teams realize the benefits of sharing their discretionary effort. Other leadership courses share the behaviors and skills that can help us become effective coaches, which personal experience has proven is a key method in helping employees increase their understanding of where they fit and why that fit matters.

Our opportunity to travel far on our leadership journey can be increased through effective understanding of and tapping into the discretionary effort possessed by every employee at every level of every organization. Best wishes on your journey!

About the author: Steve Nielsen is a former director of the FedEx Leadership Institute and has over 28 years of experience in the area of Operations, Organizational Development, and Leadership Training.

For more information about CMOE contact a Regional Manager at (888)262-2499.

Why education & work experiences are an effective leadership development program

2009-01-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Stephanie Tuia & CMOE

Reflect back to your education and to as recent as the previous job you held. Ask yourself how you have reached your current level of leadership and how your skills have developed over time. During this time, you were most likely exposed to a number of activities and experiences that evolved into your own personal lea dership development program . Many of these skills and learning developed over time can be applied to your current workplace. Let's look at how you can make the most out of past experiences and apply them to your current work situation.

PAST - BEING A PART OF A TEAM

You may have been a part of a basketball team, a support group, or a local community effort. This type of active involvement helps to fine tune leadership skills such as delegating, empowering team members, and learning to communicate effectively. Being associated with 'teams' gives an individual a chance to be a part of something, work together among counterparts, and contribute to a shared interest.

CURRENT - APPLYING EXPERIENCES TO WORK

By experiencing a team environment outside of work, you have the opportunity to share many skills and capabilities that will take your people and organization to the next level. As other team members become leaders within your organizations, they will also recall past experiences and what it means to fulfill a selfless work ethic and build healthy relations among work associates. Good leaders will not segregate themselves away from their subordinates, but involve themselves fairly among a workload, and help lead and guide others from their personal leadership development program.

PAST - TAKING OWNERSHIP

Deciding what we want to do with our life (continue school, find a career, or start a business) is when many of us first experienced a true sense of ownership. At some point there was a discovery that really piqued your potential interest. Through a variety of educational classes, job searching, or through trial and error, you narrowed your focus to the best fit or option; then came learning for the experience of others.

CURRENT - APPLYING EXPERIENCES TO WORK

As an apprentice we learned many tricks of the trade by shadowing our mentors or being observant or passionate about their work. Now as mentors, we need to focus on instructing or guiding others to learn effective and efficient work skills to provide credible and productive results for the organization. Law, medical and business schools are prime examples of educating students so that they can take ownership of their profession and eventually contribute to their field.

PAST - STAYING AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION

After formal education, many people are optimistic and confident that they will get the ""dream job"" fresh out of college. Like hundreds of thousands of students graduating at the same time, you compete against qualifying candidates as well as experienced professionals vying for the same job. The job outlook at the time was probably overwhelming and sometimes frustrating, but your competitive circumstances kept you driven to contend among your counterparts and stay ahead of the competition.

CURRENT - APPLYING EXPERIENCES TO WORK

In our day to day work environment, we must also be competitive to stay ahead of the competition. Through positive encouragement, thinking strategically, and feeling the drive to compete will help us stay ahead. For some it may be of value to provide a lea dership development program that will increase an individual's work potential. This will keep them ahead of the game and help them to be on top of the competition.

Every team provides leadership opportunities for the individuals. By being cognizant of how personal leadership development programs the above three benefits, it will give us the opportunity to help individuals develop leadership qualities essential to beating the competition in our fierce business environment.

About the author: Stephanie Tuia and the CMOE Development team have collaborated in

content writing for CMOE. If you would like more information about a lea dership development program for your organization, please contact us toll free at 888-262-2499.

The Art of Leadership

2009-01-21T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Ron Fory

By Ron Fory, The Leader's Institute

There are some things we as individuals can do, if we want to develop our own leadership: 1. Keep focused on the primary goal for your company. Never let yourself be distracted from that. 2. Surround yourself not with those who only agree with you, but with the right people for the job you need done, then train them and provide them the tools to do the job. 3. Recognize the benefits of having different personalities around you. Not only do separate skill sets come with different personalities, but different approaches that are essential to your company's success. 4. Having hired the right people, get out of their way. If you must micromanage them, you don't need them. This is not a big problem, however, since they won't stay anyway, if you treat them with so little respect. 5. Remember always to consult your feedback loop in all your processes, to make sure things are working as you expect, and that you can make appropriate changes timely. Failure to do this with hasten the failure of your organization in total. Recall that your feedback loop is only as valuable as the people from whom you get feedback. Listen to them. 6. Know when you have exceeded your limitations, and acknowledge it. Then get help to overcome it.

Dare to achieve.

About the author: Ron Fory is an instructor and trainer for The Leader's Institute and specializes in public speaking and leadership development. Ron can be reached at 1-800-872-7830 x105.

Four Questions About Leadership

2009-01-20T03:02:00.000-08:00

Author: Kevin Eikenberry

I hear four questions asked about leadership often. This article gives a short answer to each of these important questions.

Why Does Leadership Matter?

Parents universally hope that their children develop leadership qualities. They know that leaders are people who are effective in what they do, are respected by others, and typically rewarded for those skills in a variety of ways. It is in these formative years that, through our parents, we first see leadership as desirable and important.

As young people we look up to people around us that motivate and listen to us; people that seem like ""real-life"" heroes. We consider these people leaders.

As we grow we begin to relate leaders to their jobs - ministers, teachers, police officers. And later Mayors, Presidents, and CEO's . . .

As adults all of these thoughts and experiences define why we think leaders have desirable traits and play roles we admire (and why we desire these things for our children).

All of these experiences and thoughts help us define why leadership matters - it matters because leaders make a difference and can shape the future. It matters because leaders are valued and valuable. In everyone's mind leadership, especially when it is good, matters.

What is a Leader?

A leader is a person who sees something that needs to be done, knows that they can help make it happen, and gets started.

A leader sees opportunity and captures it.

A leader sees a future that can be different and better, and helps others see that picture too.

A leader knows they can't do it alone.

A leader is a coach.

A leader is an encourager.

A leader views change as their ally.

A leader is willing to take risks today for something better tomorrow.

A leader is a learner.

A leader is a communicator.

A leader is a coordinator.

A leader is a listener.

A leader takes a long view - letting their vision keep their daily steps on track.

A leader is passionate.

A leader motivates and inspires.

A leader values results.

A leader cares about more than results though; she cares about those who are following her lead.

A leader makes a difference in the lives of others.

A leader is all of these things and much more.

Are People Born Leaders?

Sure they are - I mean everyone is born, right?

You might say that riddle-like answer misses the point. You say the real answer is that some people are truly born to lead.

And I would reply that your common statement implies that others aren't born to be leaders.

So let's examine that difference of opinion...

When people describe someone as a ""born leader"" they typically mean that the person is motivating, a good communicator and charismatic. And it is true; some people are blessed at birth with more natural ability in these ways.

But leaders can be great with different innate characteristics as well.

And there is no single small skill set that defines the perfect leader or guarantees success.

Everyone is born with a unique set of natural abilities. And all of us can develop skills and styles to complement those natural abilities.

Who is a Leader?

This question on the surface is the easiest question I've asked so far. After all, I've already given some examples.

People in certain roles are leaders, whether they've studied for the role, like a doctor, lawyer, teacher or minister... got elected to the role, like a county councilman, mayor, Senator or President... or worked up the through the organization like a supervisor, manager, Vice President or CEO.

You can ask most anyone the question ""Who is a leader?"" and those are the kinds of answers they will give you.

They are right, of course. But they are only partially right.

Leaders aren't leaders because of a job title.

Leaders are leaders because they lead.

Which takes me back to my previous question - ""Are people born leaders?"" Yes they are. But it isn't just a few that have been hand picked by our Creator or random genetics.

We have all been picked - genetics has selected us all.

We were all born to lead, in our own way.

We may not be the Chairman of the Board. We may not be the person on the stage.

We may not lead with oratory or flair.

We may lead by compassion.

We may lead by example.

We all can lead.

We all have the ability to be remarkable leaders.

Leadership isn't about position.

Leadership isn't about power.

Leadership is about potential - your potential.

You are a leader. Claim and believe this to be true, for it is. Stake your claim and make a difference in the world around you.

Your opportunities for leadership are endless. The rewards are boundless.

My answers to four questions lead to a question for you...

Where will you lead?

About the author: Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Leadership Is Action... Not Position

2009-01-19T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Willie Jones

People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business. A mother is a leader in her home; a son may be leader of a team sport or a daughter the leader of the debate team. A group relies on the person in charge to actually lead them to success. A true leader is highly ethical, honest and respected.

In our society we have leaders and followers. Are we born to one or the other? No! Can you hone your leadership skills? Absolutely!

The leaders that I admire seem to have all of these in place:

a) They think BIG! They don't put a ceiling in place. Instead, no limit is set as to how big or how much better something can be.

b) The goals are firmly set in place and the eye does not come off of it.

c) They make known to all involved the final product that they are all going for, example, if you sell widgets, it takes x number of widgets to be affluent, or you want to win that football game and ultimately the title. Know what you're going for.

d) They can get compliance to orders.

e) When goals are met they set new goals or raise the bar.

People will follow your lead willingly if you are honest, ethical, if you are consistent and treat them with respect. Rewarding someone when a job is well done is always appreciated. A good leader will also off load someone who consistently hinders the group who is just not a team player.

You can improve your own self- respect and become an inspiration to others. How great is that!

About the author: Willie Jones is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. ""Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing at http://www.artinspires.com/display_motivational.asp/. All winners receive a free framed print.""

Leadership Development: Turn On Your Employees

2009-01-18T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Martha Rice

The concept of leadership development is not new. Over the last few decades, many scholars and business leaders have written books, articles, and curriculum on this topic. So, why another article? Simply put, the message isn't getting to front line supervisors who can energize employees to exceed your expectations.

During the first eight months of 2005, the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness sent out surveys to 327 employees, to evaluate 117 supervisors before these supervisors attended a leadership development workshop. The employees were asked to give their opinions to what their supervisors were doing right; and in what areas could their supervisors improve. Twelve companies and agencies participated in these survey evaluations representing the fields of banking, education, government, manufacturing, and sales. The data showed a definite trend. The main categories dealt almost exclusively with how the leaders interacted with their employees. The table below represents the area of leadership the 327 employees listed as concerns.

**Topic Area **Number of Respondents listing the topic as important

Support, Respect, Trust, and Commitment- 274

Coaching, Feedback, and Training- 217

Communication- 169

Availability and Access- 104

Job Knowledge, Preparation before meetings, and Technical Skills- 103

Integrity, Work Ethic- 99

The following is a sampling of what the employees said in their written responses. Notice the emotional frustration in those employees who responded negatively.

* ""He needs to work on being more sensitive to the feeling of those who work with him. He can sometimes act and speak without thinking it through, coming off to harsh. He is very good at making us feel stupid from time to time.""

* ""She also unintentionally will interrupt people in the middle of their sentences. Has a tendency to blame those people under her direction when mistakes happen or things aren't done the way they should have been. Blaming leads to lack of trust and respect from your employees.

* ""Mr. xx could use a little more patience and understanding. He tends not to listen to your entire problem before reacting.""

* [My leader needs to:] ""1. Stop gossiping. 2. Respect coworkers. 3. Be more willing to listen. 4. Assist team in moving up within the company, realize nobody will be on her team forever.""

* ""Excludes me from meeting with peers and partners, initiates no discussion on employee work plan or any other plan of mutual design, does not promote an atmosphere of trust and honest communication, steamrolls, back-stabs and embarrasses me in long-standing relationships with others on routine business without initiation of any communication with me before hand."" While we note that some employees gave their managers praise, the traits the employee deemed most important continued to be the quality of the manager's interaction with the employee, respect, support, and trust.

* ""[He] is a unique manager. It is a pleasure to work for him. His style is unlike any I have previously experienced, but he is excellent at achieving goals, (his way).""

* ""[She] sends follow up emails after a discussion, outlining the steps/actions we agreed upon. I find this very helpful. Her open door is always inviting. She stops working and gives her full attention during any conversation. Her calm demeanor and excellent verbal communication gives me a secure and confident feeing that she is there to help me.""

* ""[He] is, and should continue to be a leader on the team. During team meetings, he offers valuable opinions, realistic objections and almost always has several good suggestions for improvements. [He] is also a very humble and charismatic person. These traits help him get his points across because he is not overly dominant or forceful about his opinions. [His] motto seems to be that his way is not 'the' way, only 'another' way, which is very constructive and assuring.""

* ""[He] leads by example; he is energetic, positive, and inclusive. He gives and accepts constructive criticism when necessary -always in a positive manner. He is sensitive when it comes to the feelings of others and while he has high expectations of his staff, he is always available to help us meet those expectations.""

* ""This person maintains a level hand that is unflappable under pressure. He will help when asked and gives his training and coaching time to anyone who asks as his time allows. He asks your opinion on things that are going on, topics of interest related to our work. He is very knowledgeable about our processes and procedures and shares this knowledge on a regular basis.""

So what did this survey tell us?

First, employees want to be respected, their ideas listened to, and appreciated for the work they do. They want to know that their supervisor considers them as a valuable part of the company. In other words, they want to be members of a successful team.

Secondly, people want training, feedback, and coaching on how to do their jobs better, more efficiently, and more effectively. In short, the success of the team, department, or business is very important to them. For many employees, it boils down to a sense of pride to be a viable member of a team.

Thirdly, for employee success, effective communication is not the same as being told what to do. People want to know that they will be listened to, that their ideas will be accepted or at least considered. They know the processes and probably have good ideas about streamlining work. They also need to be clear as to the nature of their tasks; they don't want to make mistakes any more than you want them to. Fourthly and finally, accessibility to their supervisor is critical for employees. Whether due to attitude, hierarchy, or too much work that impedes contact, employee can begin to feel disconnected with management or out of touch with the grand scheme of the business. They may begin to feel like commodities, bowing to unyielding management dictates rather than cooperative judgments that will make their processes easier, more efficient, and often safer. They may think that the most important task is just to get the job done, good or bad. Think how easily one disgruntled or disinterested worker can sabotage the success of the whole team. It's the little things they do either consciously or unconsciously in your department that cause expenses to rise, work to be disrupted, or even loss of customers.

These findings are not suggesting that some managers are too far away to see or listen to issues. Rather, we think this data is saying that employees want to be engaged, trusted, and responsible for their contributions. The also want to share in the benefits of being linked to a successful business. The manager, by unleashing employee motivation and ingenuity, can turn his or her attention to the future, strategic planning, and interfacing with other teams. The team member (employee), by taking ownership of his or her tasks feels he or she is an equal and important partner to the success of the team. This breeds pride and pleasure in a job well done. In other words, they want to be a part of the future.

Effective leadership development can show managers how to capitalize on these needs and guide employees into effective team members and build a strong cohesive team that can accomplish more than today's tasks, it can prepare for the future.

About the author: Martha Rice is a design team leader for the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness. She has degrees in both English and Communication and over twenty five years experience in administration.

To learn more about how to use effective leadership development, building partnerships for success, or coaching to include your employees in the success of your department or com

Leadership in a Fearful World

2009-01-17T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Karin Syren

We are living in a fearful world. It is a world haunted by the menace of terrorism, threatened by insidious warfare. It is a world plagued by tsunamis, monster hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, severe drought, famine and raging wildfires. But these often often take a back seat to fear right in our own neighborhood streets. What was once a place of commerce, transportation and community has become a war zone right outside our front doors. Children are often not safe in their classrooms, and sadly not even in their own homes.

Haunted by insecurity and upheaval, shadowed by dread, the world hungers for great leadership, for guidance and direction from those with cool heads and clear visions. If you are in a position of leadership, and very few of us are not, don't wait for a great leader to emerge. Great leaders are not born - they become. A great leader is one whose heart is transformed, often during times of great crisis. You can be the great leader to arise in your family, community or business setting.

Webster defines crisis as disordered function, a radical change of status, an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.

With that definition in mind, handling crisis is no longer an option for any leader. Leaders must be prepared at all times to handle crisis and its outcomes at home, among friends and in the workplace. If that's a daunting possibility, be encouraged. You are far better prepared to be the instrument of peace in a critical situation that you realize. Keep these steps in mind.

1. Deal with yourself first. You're no good to anyone if you're out of control. Deal with your own emotions, your immediate needs. As the airlines have been telling us for years, put the oxygen mask on yourself first, and then you can be available to those in need.

2. Tell the truth about the situation. Use your good judgment to share what information is pertinent. It's not necessary to share all the gory details simply because they exist. The need to share sensational data will separate the leader from the limelight seeker.

3. Alleviate stress, as much as possible. Provide a controlled atmosphere in which people can talk through their fears, where they can share what they have experienced and how they are feeling about it.

4. Authenticate the experience. Don't try to talk people out of their emotions; don't comment and by all means, don't judge. Hear them out; acknowledge them and then be prepared to help them move forward.

5. Provide an opportunity to move forward to normal operation. Though true normalcy may not be possible for some time, realize what will be necessary to return to a degree of normal functioning and facilitate it.

6. Recognize and deal with the acute reaction. Be prepared to employ professionals to assess those whose reactions seem to be severe, situations in which the individuals may be a potential danger to themselves or to others.

7. Provide resources 24/7. From toiletries for those displaced by a tornado to a forum for sharing memories about a deceased comrade, the great leader will see through the eyes of need and provide whatever will help the victimized begin to feel empowered once more.

8. Don't ever promise what you can't deliver. But don't hesitate to promise what you know you can. In times of crisis, people will hang onto whatever is offered. As a leader, you are bound to make your offers concrete and be prepared to stand behind them, at all costs.

9. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Keep all lines of communication open and flowing. Repeat each communiqué over and over. Ears in crisis may not hear what's being said until the fourth or fifth telling. And remember that it goes two ways. Listening is equally as important as imparting information. Be willing to hear the same story until it no longer needs to be told.

Comfort comes in all shapes and sizes. Great leaders often look a lot like grandmothers with comfy laps or paramedics who dispense teddy bears with ambulance rides, or neighbors who make their homes available at a moment's notice.

Great leaders are those who establish and insure order. They guide and teach and protect. They provide tools; they counsel, arbitrate and shield. They comfort and nurture and encourage. And when the time is right they will even prod. Whatever the title they bear, if they are accomplishing these things, they have transformed hearts and they have become leaders. The need is great and they are very precious to us in these times. Be among them. Remember it's not what you do; it's what you become!

Note: For more information or to arrange for formal training in crisis response procedures, contact the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the American Red Cross or your local disaster response coordinator.

About the author: Karin Syren is a certified coach specializing in the EffectivenessCoaching program. She has guided leaders at all levels to increase their effectiveness through increased personal awareness, helping them to create their visions for personal greatness and design the goals that will insure it. Subscribe to the weekly Commonsense Communique and request your free copy of the Personal Awareness Questionnaire at http://www.solushunz.com

Leadership and customer service - is there a link?

2009-01-16T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Derek Williams

It's your first day in a new job.

This is the job that you really wanted. The one that you saw advertised and immediately knew was for you. The one that you spent hours crafting an application letter for. The one that required you to beat all the other applicants at interview. The one where you anxiously awaited the postman to see if you'd been successful.

New suit. Clean shirt and your favourite tie. Shoes freshly polished. Hair cut just the way your Mum would like it.

You're keen. You arrive early. You greet each new person with a warm smile. Trying hard to build rapport without seeming to be over confident. You go out of your way for customers. There's a spring in your step and a friendly ring to your voice.

Now look around. No matter what job you're in and no matter how long you've been there. Does everyone around you have the energy and enthusiasm of new starters? Or has their energy and enthusiasm dwindled? Are they still there because they love what they do or are they simply there because they haven't been able to escape yet?

Is there a link between leadership, customer service and business success? Absolutely! Research by the Strategic Planning Institute found that businesses which gave good service grew twice as fast as those with poor service. And, in all my years of researching customer service, I've yet to find a business with weak leadership giving great service.

So what are the qualities that I've observed?

Leaders need to have a vision of what they want to achieve. How will anyone ever sign up to a cause if there is no cause to sign up to?

The vision needs to be communicated. Let everyone share in it. Let them see what is in it for them by becoming a follower.

Great leaders have passion. The strength and the energy to work against the odds to achieve their vision.

Great leaders delegate and empower. That doesn't mean that they simply dump on their people. But they create structure, they allocate responsibility, they help to create systems, they provide support and training and resources. And they empower their people to make decisions. This is part of what makes people feel significant.

There's respect. Great leaders sometimes have to take tough decisions but there's always respect for their people. They treat their employees as customers - internal customers.

More communication. How are we doing? What are we doing? What new is happening? Successful business leaders are masters at keeping their people informed. Notice boards are up to date and informative. Key performance indicators are understood and displayed. Targets are set and success is celebrated. This is how leaders create a sense of community.

People are motivated to do what's important. If you believe that customer service is important to your business what are you doing to motivate your people to deliver great service? Bonuses based purely on profits are not the answer.

Great leaders stick to principles. In my previous article I told the story of Pret A Manger and what great service they give their customers. I once wrote to their Chief Executive, Julian Metcalfe, and asked if I could spend time in his business researching what they do and how they do it. I promised that I was only looking to report a positive view and that Julian would have the final say on anything that I wanted to publish.

The next day, Julian called me up to thank me for my interest but explained that he would decline my offer. He went on to explain that he is incredibly proud of his people and what they achieve but he could not collaborate on any project that might be seen to praise his business. Julian told me of an old Chinese proverb - ""The higher that the monkey climbs the tree the more that you can see of it's backside"". I understood what he meant and admired his principle.

Great leaders walk the walk and talk the talk.

There's a famous story about a group of visitors to Disney. They were walking in the Magic Kingdom when they saw a grey haired man walk out of his way to pick up a piece of litter. One of the group approached the man and asked, ""How many custodians are there here?"" The man replied, ""45,000"". The guest was surprised at so many.

The next day the group attended a Traditions meeting and the same grey haired man was there. His name was Michael Eisner, Chairman and CEO of Disney.

And great leaders keep the energy going.

I have been fortunate enough to spend some time at Richer Sounds. Richer Sounds is a hi-fi store that has been in the Guinness Book of Records six years running for the highest retail sales per square foot of any retail business anywhere in the world.

Throughout my day at Richer Sounds, members of the Team were regularly checking their performance against target. They kept reminding each other about hitting target and getting together for a drink at the end of the week. There was a buzz and the Team was loving it.

How would I sum up leadership in one sentence? It's simply creating a Team of people with the skills and experience of older employees but the energy and enthusiasm of new employees. If you're the boss, does this describe the people who work in your business?

About the author: Derek Williams is creator of The WOW! Awards™ an International Professional Speaker and Chief Executive for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Europe.

For more information about Derek Williams visit www.MrWow.co.uk. For The WOW! Awards (including access to a FREE customer service newsletter) visit www.TheWowAwards.com

Why Leadership Matters in Professional Practices

2009-01-15T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Graham Yemm

""A leader has two important characteristics; first he is going somewhere; second he is able to persuade others to go with him."" Robespierre

How many of the people who run professional firms have achieved their positions as a result of planned career development? Or through assessment centres, or their ability as leaders and managers? I wonder whether a large number are still there because of some family connection, who they know and bring to the firm as clients, length of service or revenues generated? This does not mean that there has to be a problem with those at the top as some will be capable and some will be natural leaders. However, how many could be better? When I have worked with groups in professional firms, the senior people have generally admitted to having no real training in leadership and often admit to lacking the skills. Those at lower levels commented about a lack of leadership, direction or support.

Why does it matter? Fundamentally, all businesses need clear leadership from the top. There needs to be clear strategy and direction. The top leaders will set the culture of the organisation too. Too many organisations are ""over-managed and under-led"" to quote Warren Bennis. There is a difference between leadership and management. Managers get things done, operating within the culture and the rules. Leaders create the direction, developing the culture and rules and taking the people with them. This article will raise some questions about what happens if you do not address the leadership challenge for your firm and shares some ideas for how prevent them. As your markets change, the competitive forces become even more threatening a lack of executive and strategic leadership might prove to be terminal!! However, if you start to apply the principles you can create a more robust and resilient business and, if you wish to, achieve even greater things.

Leadership itself is a word which can trigger a wide-ranging debate if you want to reach a consensus about what it means or what it is. There are hundreds of definitions within the business press alone. To add to the complication, it is generally accepted that there are different levels of leadership, from that required for a team leader or first line supervisor to that of a CEO of a major blue chip! If we think about leadership at the top of an organisation, there are some key elements they need attention: - having an eye on the future and the horizon

- taking a medium and long-range view

- looking outside and inside the organisation

- challenging the status quo

- setting objectives

- inspiring trust

- asks questions and listens

- develops others

If you had to look at the leadership you, or others, are providing in your firm, how many of these aspects to they demonstrate consistently. My experience is that too many ""leaders"" in professional firms are too hands-on. This leads to a lack of clear strategy and direction compounded by a lack of thorough market awareness. There is often a reluctance to change and little is done in a proactive way. The senior people may provide sound professional guidance and mentoring, but they rarely focus on developing the staff throughout the firm. The actual people-management skills are not necessarily good either. These problems are not the fault of the individuals, they are effectively sins of omission. There has been little, or no, formal or structured training or development in management or leadership skills - sometimes reinforced by the ""I didn't get where I am with training"" mindset!!

""Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader."" Tacitus

There are a number of qualities which good leaders can be expected to possess and demonstrate. These would include:

ability to articulate the vision for the organisation, department or function

problem-solving and making decisions, especially difficult ones!

effecting change

acting with honesty and integrity

leading by example (ie the way they behave and act, not doing the other jobs

self-management

communication and influencing skills.

How would you assess yourself, or other leaders in your firm? If there was to be a 360° assessment, what would the others say? Reading the list the qualities do not seem to be highly complex when expressed like this. To demonstrate them requires the underpinning skills and knowledge which will give the confidence to use them.

Most professional firms, regardless of your discipline, have a huge amount of technical expertise and experience and many of you will have some form of CPD (Continuous Professional Development). All of this is acquired over time and through training in the technical aspects of the role. However, when it comes to running and leading the firm, or a key part of it, how much is invested in developing the skills and expertise in that area? Experience suggests that for many of you, it is very little. How do you develop leadership, and management, skills? Well, some can come from experience, but that is both time consuming and can be expensive if it means learning from mistakes!

If you want your firm to survive, thrive and grow, it will almost certainly pay to think about improving leadership and management skills - and to think of it as an investment. There is evidence that more successful organisations are those which are well led and well managed. The bigger firms will have some form of management or leadership development programme in place in order to improve these skills and to ready people for future responsibility. Where existing teams need to improve, training programmes can be designed to address their specific issues, building their skills and competencies and improving overall performance. I know that even where we have just done simple interventions on some basics around time management, delegation and goal setting it has helped clients see an improvement in productivity and reduced the amount of work being done in evenings or at weekends. This has enabled senior people to spend more time doing what they should be doing - leading and directing the business. For some firms, the preferred option, especially for senior people, is to tackle these areas on a more individual basis and use executive coaching as the way forward. This can give significant returns in performance and also areas such as staff retention and productivity. These options are not mutually exclusive either, you may consider combining individual support and development with some team training. I have found that this can be particularly effective, especially when some of the people involved have a high degree of technical expertise and need to work on their ""soft"" skills and strategic thinking too.

Leadership is something which is needed in all businesses and by most groups. As the quotation said at the beginning, the leader has to provide the direction for the organisation or group. They need to believe in this for themselves and now how they can get there. The second stage is to persuade others to go along. This needs a combination of skills and the right attitudes. These are not necessarily innate qualities which everyone possesses. They can be learned along with the underpinning skills. Without good leadership the firm is likely to have a lack of direction, which might mean that the people down the line are not fully engaged or motivated. In this competitive age, can you afford not to be investing in improving your leadership capability?

Remember - Manage the business - lead your people!

About the author: Graham Yemm has over 20 experience as a consultant. He runs a UK based consultancy, Solutions 4 Training Ltd and works both in the UK and internationally with organizations developing their leadership capability. He can be contacted at

http://www.solutions4tr aining.com/ >Solutions 4 Training or +44 1483 480656

Interested in Leadership, or Committed to Becoming a Leader?

2009-01-14T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Jim Clemmer

"Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible." -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld, 17th century French philanthropist and social reformer

Many managers in leadership roles have stunted personal growth. Their "years of leadership experience and learning" is formal education (usually technical and/or management) followed by a year or two of experience multiplied twenty or thirty times. Here's an all too typical dinner conversation I had with a senior manager in the middle of a two-day improvement workshop I was running with a senior management team. The company was in crisis. It was struggling just to stay even in its industry.

"What do you do to personally improve the leadership skills we discussed today?"

"I am afraid I don't get much time to do anything."

"How many leadership or organization effectiveness books do you read a year?"

"One or two if I am lucky."

"What about seminars, workshops, or executive learning forums?"

"Well, I did get to one... No, that was two years ago."

"Do you listen to audio tapes in your car?"

"No, I am either winding down, gearing up, or talking on the phone."

"How often does your management team meet to review progress, reflect on its performance, and plan for improvements?"

"This is the first meeting we've had in a few years."

The 20th century American critic and novelist, John Gardner, once said, "all excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose." Both are critical elements in leadership development and personal effectiveness. Our tenacity and clarity of purpose and vision can help to spin the daily, weekly, and monthly disciplined habit strands. These become the cables that will either raise our performance or drag us down. "Paying the price" of personal improvement often focuses too much on the pain and sacrifice. I've found instead that focusing on the gain of improvement, by keeping my preferred future and purpose firmly in front of me, has been my biggest improvement habit booster. It's impossible to put an exact number of hours on the time that effective leaders invest in their own personal improvement. But I would peg the minimum around ten percent. So if we work 50 hours per week, that's about 20 hours, or two to three days per month. The type of personal development varies widely. Reading is my single biggest personal development catalyst. I started getting up 45 minutes earlier to exercise and then read personal development or spiritual material, pray and meditate for over almost two decades now. It's proven to be one of the best habits I ever developed for starting my day with more energy and constant refocus on my life's highest priorities.

I read organization improvement and leadership development material in the evenings or weekends when I am at home or on airplanes (it's all too easy to dribble away this wonderfully rich, uninterrupted reading and thinking time) and hotel rooms when I travel. I find reading with a pen and my notebook computer nearby the most beneficial. I've also found that listening to audio cassettes in my car is a terrific way to catch up to speakers or authors I want to hear and conference presentations.

There are as a many learning styles and pathways to personal development as there are leaders using them. A partial list includes: books, magazines, newspapers, and newsletters; special education or business television programs; customer research; pilots, experiments and "clumsy tries"; personal coaching and mentoring; benchmarking internal and external "best practices"; seminars, workshops, and skill development sessions; performance review, assessment, celebration and refocus; operational planning and strategy development sessions; customer, supplier, and internal team/organization member feedback; system and process measurement systems; audio and video tapes; computer, on-line, or multi media programs; peer groups and networks outside our organizations; teaching and training others; industry conferences and trade shows; university or college courses; keeping a personal journal; self evaluation, reflection, and improvement planning; consultants; and study tours.

Many roads lead to learning. There is no best road. The key is to develop a multitude of interconnected personal learning approaches and the discipline to make our continuous personal improvement a lifelong habit.

About the author: Jim Clemmer is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. During the last 25 years he has delivered over two thousand customized keynote presentations, workshops, and retreats. His web site is www.clemmer.net/articles.

Leadership - A Perspective From Tao

2009-01-13T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: R.G. Srinivasan

Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C.; a compilation of Chinese philosophy dating back to 6th century B.C. or even earlier, is a profound philosophical work with many lessons for the corporate of the 21st century.

There is a lot of debate on issues of what differentiates a leader from a manager. One of the biggest challenges for leaders is to lead and lead by example. He is less preoccupied with control functions which are a function of knowledge and more with broader objectives of how the future should be shaped. Future can be shaped with visions, dreams and emotions. He also realizes that for the future to shape up well he needs to utilize the Present to the maximum advantage. He can achieve higher ideals and aspirations only when he is in touch with the ground realities. Experience of events and situations and behavioral aspects bring him closer to current realities and help discern the undercurrents of change so that he can translate them to better solutions.

The managerial functions of organization and control have more to do with knowledge whereas a leader thrives on futuristic vision, people centered approach, a bias for action and in creating the future which he desires. All this emanates from the experiential.

Let us now look at the leadership paradigm from what Tao Te Ching has to say about knowledge and experience.

Knowledge & Experience: Tao is the way. The way in which we conduct our lives in accordance with the natural principles conducive to right living and thinking, without regrets and in such a manner that we develop and realize our potential without harming others or preventing others from realizing their potential which is beneficial to the society. Such a way of life may be conducted without a name. This may simply be called the way. Or to distinguish from other ways we may describe it and give it a name so that others may know of it.

By thoughts and words and by means of being non participating observers we may gain knowledge of its manifestation. But only through participation in this way do we gain experience of it for ourselves.

So knowledge is not the same as experience. When we have knowledge of something, we can describe only our knowledge and not the experience. And when we have experience, we can describe the knowledge of that experience and not the experience itself.

Let us look at an illustration. We observe the marketplace and we see the manifestation of market place. Then we have reports from our sales person which is the knowledge from the experience. So we now have the knowledge. But it is not equal to the experience of the marketplace. So we go down physically to the marketplace and buy or sell products or interact with the many components of the market. We now have the experience. With the experience come right decisions and actions. But we cannot still convey the experience itself, only the knowledge of the experience may be conveyed.

Knowledge and experience both are real. But they are different realities which may cause complexities. When they are used according to that which may be appropriate we may transcend the barriers of such complexities.

This perhaps explains why many of the leaders are men who have risen from the ranks. Even if they have not risen from the bottom you may easily identify them by their hands on nature and leading from the front. Hands on men who have the knowledge, knowledge of experience and experience itself. Leaders who understand the complex reality of the manifestation, knowledge and experience prefer to lead from the front and not from sterile cabins far removed from the experience itself. These are the leaders you cannot keep away from the marketplace or their people or their constituents or customers. These are the men who instinctively understand the ï¿½Tao"" of leadership - The Way.

This is not to say being hands on and lead from the front is the only leadership criteria. This is one of the distinguishing qualities of leadership. It is said that the greatest leader of all time Alexander The Great always lead every battle from the front when the battle began and only then did he move on to other roles.

What would you prefer to be? An acquirer of knowledge or a leader.

About the author: R.G. Srinivasan is a Management professional, Writer and Author. He writes a regular blog on management thoughts at http://management-thoughts.blogspot.com for interesting links and articles on management, managerial resources, strategies and experiences.

A Financial Case for Leadership Development

2009-01-12T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Martha Rice

In the competitive world of business, companies may decide to forgo leadership training in order to cut costs. However, a high-quality Leadership Development course can save six figures off a company's bottom line each year. Not only does a company need to vie for its share of today's market to keep itself profitable and successful, but it must also compete to keep its biggest investment, its employees.

In a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Report, the United States Department of Labor stated that the median tenure of employees ages 25 to 34 was 2.9 years. They also reported that management and professional occupations, with the highest median tenure among major occupational groups, was only 5.0 years. Consider then, the cost of employee turnover.

A company should calculate the replacement of an employee at 150% of the employee's annual total compensation figure, and 250% if the employee is in a managerial or sales position. This figure includes lost productivity, training, recruitment, temporary replacements, either through hiring temporary staff or overtime incurred by other employees, and the actual cost of an employee leaving. Simply put, if your company's average employee compensation package is $50,000 then the average cost for the loss of an employee is approximately $75,000. Consider also that if your company maintains a workforce of 1000 people and a yearly turnover rate of 7%, then your annual turnover expenditure will be approximately $525,000 a year. Over a period of 5 years, this figure can easily top two and half million. (To see a break down of costs see our employee turnover .) Wouldn't companies be better off using this money in developing leadership and innovative ideas to stay ahead of the competition? The answer will be a resounding yes.

So how does a company keep its quality employees?

A first step would be to discover what an employee feels is important in his or her job. CMOE surveyed 327 employees about their supervisors (117) before these supervisors attended a Leadership Development Course. The survey asked employees to give their opinions about what their supervisors were doing right; and in what areas could their supervisors improve. Twelve companies and agencies participated in these survey evaluations, representing the fields of banking, education, government, manufacturing, and sales. The data showed that employees want to be engaged, trusted, and responsible for their contributions. They also want to share in the emotional benefits of being linked with a growing and successful business. Good leadership is the key to fulfilling these employee needs.

Another step is to put in place a team of leaders who have the skills to inspire a commitment from their employees to accept responsibility for and have a vested interest in their company and co-workers. Unfortunately, too many managers have knowledge about good leadership skills and still do not understand how to put this knowledge to work in the most effective manner. Training professionals can help these managers develop their knowledge into successful skills. An experienced leadership training company can also help companies develop an effective Leadership Development Course specific to a company's needs. The result will add dollars to the bottom line by keeping valuable employees, increasing productivity, and creating an environment conducive to innovation that will keep the business ahead of its competition.

The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness can help you develop effective leaders through our Leadership Development Courses such as: Applied Strategic Thinking, Coaching Skills, Team Building, and Transition into Leadership.

About the author: Martha Rice is a design team leader for the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness . She has degrees in both English and Communication and has over twenty five years experience in administration.

If you would like to learn more about any of these or other Leadership Development Courses, please contact a represent

The World's Best Ditch Digger! An Inspiration for Leadership Training

2009-01-11T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Richard L. Williams, Ph.D.

I would like to depart from my traditional articles to describe a great leader who was also a great friend. This departure is partly selfish, but I welcome an opportunity to describe a person from whom I learned many management and leadership lessons.

In the early 1990's I met with the owner of the Fishel Company so that he and several of his executives from around the country could evaluate a system I had developed for process improvement. The meeting took place in Phoenix because The Fishel Company has a large presence in Arizona.

The Fishel Company has about 30 branch offices around the U.S. with most of its operations focused on either underground or overhead utility construction. The company motto says it all, ""The World's Best Ditch Diggers."" That is what they do - dig ditches and install pipes and cables. As you might expect, the majority of the workers in The Fishel Company are blue collar, hard working outdoor types, or as John Phillips the current company president once described them, ""These people are absolutely the salt of the earth! There isn't one of them you wouldn't enjoy having as a relative or next-door neighbor.""

The meeting must have gone well, because I received a contract to implement a system of process analysis, teambuilding, leadership training , and process improvement in their many locations around the country. For several years I visited each branch office many times, which enabled me to learn a lot about the company history and some very unique corporate philosophies. It's about the uniqueness of this company and its owner that I would like to describe in this article.

Ken Fishel, who built the company through old fashioned hard work and a commitment to providing the customer high quality at a fair price, founded the Fishel Company 66 years ago. Ken's son-in-law, Jeff Keeler, joined the company in 1976 as part of a field crew. Later he moved to the office as an assistant to the Vice President. The combination of field and office experience enabled Jeff to learn the underground utility construction business from the underground up. Jeff was named president in 1977 and served in that capacity until 1998 when he became Chairman and CEO.

It is about J.F. (Jeff) Keeler, Jr. that I pay tribute. From the moment I first met him and later in dozens of meetings and leadership training workshops that he attended, I became his fan. He preached a concept called ""Fishelosophy,"" which distinguished his company form the competition. I had never seen a company like this before. At first I was amazed that ""Fishelosophy"" actually worked. But I soon realized that it was a different way of treating people. And because the people (employees, customers and vendors) were treated differently, they in turn responded in like manner.

Let me give a few examples of ""Fishelosophy."" There are no ""employees"" in the company; they are called Teammates. If you inadvertently use the ""employee"" word, someone will quickly correct you. It took me some time to break the ""employee"" habit; but when I did, it was obvious to my Teammates that I had embraced their passion for teamwork.

Jeff believed in sharing company profits. Each quarter eligible, Teammates shared a significant portion of the company's profits. This sharing of profits helped each person think like an owner, because in effect, each person is. Profit sharing checks were typically distributed in meetings that would best be described as a pep rally. I'll never forget the first one I attended in Phoenix; it was an exciting and fun event.

At the meetings Jeff would lead his Teammates in a company cheer! That's right, I said company cheers. If you had told me that company cheers were possible in today's sophisticated marketplace, I would have disagreed. But with Jeff's enthusiastic leadership style, it worked exceptionally well. The cheers fostered a camaraderie among his Teammates that is without equal in my 34 years of business experience.

The Fishel Company believes in posters. There are posters espousing every corporate belief, value and initiative. At meetings, the posters are prominently displayed as a reinforcement of what they stand for. It was common to see half-dozen posters on easels for a leadership training workshop.

As I traveled with Jeff and saw him interact with his Teammates, many things impressed me. But one of the most amazing was that he knew not only the names of his Teammates, but he also remembered who they were as human beings. This attribute endeared his people with unparalleled loyalty and honesty.

Jeff Keeler lived teamwork, he had vibrant passion for life, he loved competition, he cherished friendships, and he made life more fun for his family, Teammates, and everyone he met. Unfortunately, Jeff recently passed away, a cancer victim. He may be gone, but I'll never forget the lessons I learned from the ""World's Best Ditch Digger."" Leadership training makes a difference.

To learn about how Dr. Williams or CMOE (Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness) can assist your organization with leadership training initiatives, please contact a CMOE Representative toll free (888)262-2499.

About the author: Dr. Richard L. Williams is a retail consultant where he specializes in quality improvement, feedback, and leadership training .

In his 30 plus years of experience, Dr. Williams has conducted more than 3,800 workshops to more than 100,000 managers and executives around the world.

The Leadership Factor

2009-01-10T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Valarie A. Washington

What is the last leadership opportunity that you passed up?

When I posed this question to a group of employees who had been singled out for their leadership potential:

50% named the title/position they failed to apply for or had not been offered.

10% said they hadn't been offered an internal position but had passed up a leadership position in an outside organization or a chance to lead their extracurricular sports.

40% said that they hadn't been offered any leadership position and therefore had passed up no opportunities.

I was certain that every one of them had missed a prime leadership opportunity that they were not even aware of. Ask yourself if your department, team or organization is the best that it can possibly be? Are you giving your best to make the situation better?

If there is one project in your department that is delayed, if your group is challenged to do more work with less budget, or if you have yet to exhaust all of your talent to move the group forward--you have passed up a powerful opportunity to step out in front and establish yourself as a leader. Leadership is not about the title you have but the decisions you make and the actions you take.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities seize common occasions and make them great. --Orison Swett Marden

Becoming a leader is about developing a reputation for producing value-added results. It's taking a position when a project is off track. Leaders don't wait for permission of position. They look for the possibilities and suggest what can be done rather than why something can't be done. Look for what you can do to impact a situation versus why you can't be the one to do it. When you have ability to influence your environment and the people around you toward positive result you have the leadership factor.

The leadership factor is a measured combination of vision, determination, skills, actions and results. It is a conscious decision to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done in a time of uncertainty or chaos. Here are ten steps to help you plot your course, engage others along the way and keep focused on the end result.

1. Look for leadership opportunities. Leadership opportunities are present whenever there are unresolved business problems or issues. Within your organization, department, workgroup, or team identify an opportunity or issue that needs to be solved. Think about the questions that continue to come up but no one has found an answer for. Consider the feedback that you get from internal or external customers about what they need or would like more of. If your organization is like most you shouldn't have to look far--more unresolved problems equals more chances for you to step forward as a leader.

2. Find the GAP and build a bridge. There is an old proverb that says a leader must be a bridge. The person who emerges as the leader of the group is the one who is adapt at seeing the option between the two seemingly opposite positions. To raise your visibility and develop a reputation of leadership look for the two unconnected shores that you can bridge. A bridge might be between the old way and the new way, the past and the future, the majority group and the minority group, between company policy and customer needs, between what is available and what is needed. Lead by finding the critical link between today's challenge and tomorrow's opportunity.

3. Do your homework. Examine the problem from all sides. Ask a series of ""why"" questions. Why is this happening? Why have we not been able to solve this before now? Why is it important to solve this issue? Why have previous attempts failed? Why are other departments resisting the changes? Asking ""why?"" without judging the answers helps you develop a deeper understanding of the situation. When you can see the problem from many angles and as viewed through different eyes you gain the wisdom of multiple perspectives.

4. Clarify the GOAL. It's the goal. It's the goal. It's the goal. Determine what your group needs more of. Communicate clearly how tackling this issue will help the group recoup lost time, maximize limited resources, reduce costs, speed up processes and/or improve return on investment. You will gain the attention of those around you when you can effectively tell them what they will gain for their efforts. You will benefit by tying your work directly to the improved results.

5. Develop a list of viable options. Excellence is said to come from having many options. Once you have others focused on the goal, ask for their input on how it might be achieved. As a leader you don't need to have all of the answers. You do have to set the direction, suggest paths for getting there and stimulate the thinking of others in development of creative solutions. It is important that you continually test any proposed suggestions against the desired result. Ask yourself and others, ""Will this help us reach the goal?""

6. Select the best option(s). Given enough money, people, time and resources almost any problem can be resolved. Leadership is about determining how the goals will be reached within the time allowed, the budget given and the available physical and human resources. As a leader look for ways to leverage what you have readily available. The best option is the one that gets you to the goal with the least overall costs.

7. Identify roles and tasks. As a leader of the effort you may not have the authority to assign specific people but you will have to clearly define roles required. Too often we assign tasks simply out of habit and not because they are necessary for goal achievement. Constantly check the progress and don't be afraid to throw out any unnecessary tasks. There should be NO tasks on your project list that you can not show are absolutely required to reach the end goal.

8. Track and report your success. Report what you and/or your team accomplished. Quantify the results as much as you can. If your goal was to increase productivity by 25% and you only gained a 15% increase, report it! Make sure to link your results to the organizational goals. While you may not have hit your 25% target 15% may still represent a considerable savings or gain to the company.

9. Report your learnings. As important as it is to report your success you must also report what you learned from the process. Focus on what you learned personally. Consider what you learned about the business, your customers, teaming, and your own decision making ability. Ask for feedback. Include group learnings. Leave a record of the pro's and con's for others who may face the same challenges.

10. Look for the next opportunity. Don't take too long celebrating your last win. For as good as things seem success is a moving target. Keep your eyes and ears open, your next opportunity may be right around the corner.

About the author: Valarie Washington, President of Think 6 is a knowledge broker helping companies improve organizational effectiveness, team performance, and individual productivity. Author of ""Performance Case Analysis"", she delivers high impact training to corporations throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Contact Valarie at washington@think6results.com or by calling 630-705-1189. Visit us at www.Think6Results.com.

How to develop Leadership in your Internet MLM Business

2009-01-09T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Joel Teo

The bane of internet mlm business in trying to build any internet mlm business is having whinny downlines that think that they do not need to do anything to make money online. The best way to deal with them is to develop a method to develop leadership in your business as part of how you deal with your downlines so that they start taking ownership of their own business and start building their own downlines.

Be nasty to be nice Sometimes affiliates in my internet business spend time asking questions that they could have read and answered online by reading the online forums. The solution is to acknowledge the validity of their questions and direct them back to the online resource and tell them that its not that you do not want to help them but you want them to learn to direct any of their future downlines to the forum so as to help them save time when their downlines get real large.

Provide a roadmap Many people are fishing in the dark when they join any internet mlm business opportunity. Provide a simple plan for your new affiliates to follow and then give them a few resources and let them work. You want affiliates who are motivated to work so that these people can then build their own downlines strong and on autopilot without your intervention. Providing too much help I have found can be a hindrance to growth.

Reading List Some people have no idea what it takes to become a leader in their field of business and what it takes to succeed online. A good way for you to groom leaders is to choose a list of books for them to read in the library and discuss with them. Choose books like Rich Dad and Poor Dad and other leadership building books to help them along to become great internet mlm leaders.

In conclusion, leadership in your downline can be encouraged but not forced. Spend some time thinking and planning who in your downline can be groomed into a leader and help them achieve their potential today.

About the author: Joel Teo is the successful owner of several successful internet business ventures. Click here to learn how you can start your own successful internet business today. http://www.massive-profits-online.com Copyright © 2005-2006 Joel Teo the Coolest Guy On The Planet

Learn the Art of Dynamic Leadership

2009-01-08T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: JS Anandrahi

Leadership is art of leading a group of people to attain a certain goal. Without leadership qualities it is very difficult to write a big success story either in business or in politics. Progress of a country or success of a business depends on its leadership. This world is full of talented and hard-working humans. There are brave persons in every street or block of every colony. But if they don't get a good leader they won't be able to combine themselves into a dynamic force. Without a good leader the best of the businesses or the mightiest of the forces start crumbling. The history is replete with examples how the personality of a leader plays an important role in making or breaking an empire.

Good leaders are needed and respected in every field - politics, business, army, social reform movements etc. Great leaders are not born, they acquire greatness with total commitment to their purpose and by getting the support of others. Any sensible person can become a dynamic leader by cultivating a few qualities with diligence and persistence. Unless you develop these qualities you will find it very difficult to manage people and get ahead in any field.

BE ENTHUSIASTIC

'Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.' These words of great American philosopher Emerson carry weight. Unlimited enthusiasm can give you unlimited success when it is focused and directed towards the aim of your life. People rarely want to follow a dull or unenthusiastic leader who is unable to arouse their feelings. An unenthusiastic leader is like a dark night that makes you take rest and sleep. How can such a person lead a group of people?

In fact enthusiasm is the biggest trait of a leader. See the speeches of the great leaders or very successful business executives they all are very enthusiastic person. Enthusiasm is actually a combination of several things: interest in the subject and the people, determination to achieve certain goals, self-confidence.

MAINTAIN STRICT DISCIPLINE

What will happen if nature starts breaking the barriers of discipline. The planets will collide with one another. The whole universe will be totally disorganised and there won't be any human civilisation on any planet. Strict discipline keeps the universe throbbing with life. Actually without swallowing the bitter pill of strict discipline it is hard to gain the respect of people. If you are really a big leader people may tolerate your habit of reaching late. They may wait for you for hours to have a glimpse of your great personality and ready to clap even for your late arrival. But late arrival of great leaders is also resented if it happens again and again.

GET ADEQUATE STORE OF INFORMATION

Napoleon, one of the greatest warriors and conquerors in the history, was almost crazy for books. He ordered latest editions even in the battlefield. Amazing! His hunger for information became legendary. It is wisely said that knowledge is power. All successful managers, military generals and political leader always keep themselves informed. Without adequate information you can neither analyse the facts properly nor launch any rational operation.

Do your best to get as many facts from as many sources as possible. If your have information power on your side you can easily defeat a more powerful enemy or competitor. The richest person of the world till date John D. Rockefeller gave great priority to details. Alexander the Great spent a lot of time in getting right information and only then he launched his attacks. Akbar the great of India and Catherine the great of Russia always surrounded themselves with wise men - the men of knowledge. Meet any successful person today you will be surprised to know how well-informed that person is. Right information has always proved the biggest power and success tool of most of the great men and women.

MANAGING YOUR ANGER

Anger not only makes enemies but also loses followers. You may be a very wise and pure-hearted person but if you have a habit of losing patience over trifles you will antagonise people. They will always pull your legs and run you down. You can imagine how difficult it will become for you to lead people to achieve your goals. And anger is not that bad in case it is under control and chennelised towards the evils of the society. It is senseless and uncontrolled anger that is always immensely harmful. By willingness and constant practice you can learn the art of managing your anger. Repeat 'OM' ten times before allowing your anger to burst. Also visualise your anger to be melting down. This simple formula will help you to manage your anger.

CHARISMATIC PERSONALITY COUNTS

Charismatic leaders are more popular. Charisma mesmerises everybody as it generates hope in the power of a leader to do something for the public. Charisma is in fact an attractive personality and it can be developed. Many leaders get such a nice upbringing and atmosphere from their parents that they get a good personality without making much efforts to develop it themselves. But there are others who work very hard to develop it. Prophet Mohammed, Guru Nanak, Napoleon, Mao, Mahatma Gandhi, Lenin, Bill Gates, Dhirubhai Ambani, all of them had to work very hard to inject the light of charisma in their personality.

To make your personality charismatic you need to take the following steps: 1.Have immovable self-confidence in you, 2.Keep all the facts to give you an air that you know all, 3.Surround yourself with capable persons, 4.Maintain an air of power with the help of money and material, 5.Give extra care to dress sense, 6.Be near the people and help them to solve problems.

DON'T BE TOO FRIENDLY

If you want to become a good leader you need to maintain a healthy distance from the people. Don't be too friendly with anybody otherwise it may dampen your charisma. People have faith in their leader as they think their leader can do or achieve anything. Keep your problems to yourself. Never show the scars or injuries of your heart to your followers. They are not there to solve your personal problems but to take your help in solving their problems. If personal meeting is arranged advise the person to say everything in brief. Talk less and listen more.

WHAT WILL YOUR FOLLOWERS GET?

Who wants to follow a person when there is no gain. A leader is a person who is capable enough to lead others to achieve a certain objective. A leader successfully convinces the people that he is the only one who can help them to solve their problems and lead them to success.

A leader understands people, knows their needs, arouses their hopes and shows them the right path, and above all he is willing to sacrifice his life for his followers. It is, therefore, necessary to tell the people what they will get if they keep faith in you. And you have to create confidence in them regarding your abilities. It sometimes takes years of efforts. You must be sincere and honest to them otherwise nobody is going to believe you. Prophet Mohammed and Mahatma Gandhi were recognised real leaders when they were past fifty. It took them decades of hard work and convincing before they were able to attract large number of followers.

FOLLOWERS NEED ADMIRATION

Admire your followers often and they would love to follow you. Every person thinks that he is wise and does certain things in life which must be admired. Criticism dissuades and repels the people. Hard criticism may make them afraid for some time but secretly they start plotting against you and damage your winning potential. So give admiration whenever needed. But beware of flattery as it will lower your image and make the people suspect your objectives. A subtle dose of praising words, for a person or team who did a good job, is enough.

ART OF SPEAKING

The biggest and most effective tool of a leader is art of speaking. Good public speakers are equally praised by the people and the media. They make the people spellbound with their words. But the million-rupee question is how one can acquire the art. Some leaders become well-versed in this art by helpful and positive surroundings in a natural way. Others have to work very hard to master it. Everyone knows that the greatest leader of our country Mahatma Gandhi shivered to his bones whenever he got up to speak a few lines even before a small group of known persons. But with determination and constant practice he became one of the best speakers of the world. Follow these points diligently to become efficient in the art of speaking.

1. Get knowledge of the subject on which you want to speak. What will you say to your audience till you know what to say? Try to add some interesting information. 2. Practise your speech alone at your home before a mirror, before a small gathering of your family members and friends. (The great American leader Abraham Lincoln practised it by speaking loudly before the trees in the peaceful atmosphere of the jungle where he lived with his poor family.) 3. Your pronunciation should be good. You can acquire it by reading a newspaper loudly everyday. Take the help of a learned person if needed.

Anandrahi

Trained thousands of persons to get great jobs, improve personality and achieve goals in business. CEO: News of India Network Director: LSE-India (for Communication Skills and Personality Development)

Best-selling Books written by Anandrahi : 1. Think Your Way to Wealth and Power , 2. Fire of Success in Your Mind, 3. Speak English and Influence People (To get an ebook write an email).

emails: anandrahi@yahoo.co.in, anandrahi@newsofindia.net

http://www.newsofindianet.blogspot.com http://globalenglishtraining.blogspot.com

About the author: Anandrahi

Best-selling Books written by Anandrahi : 1. Think Your Way to Wealth and Power , 2. Fire of Success in Your Mind, 3. Speak English and Influence People (To get an ebook write an email).

Leadership or Management?

2009-01-07T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Arthur Cooper

If you are a good manager, does that make you a good leader?

If you are a good leader, does that make you a good manager?

Does being good at one imply being good at the other? Do they necessarily go together or are they quite different in character? What are the characteristics of leaders and managers?

These are some of the questions I shall try to answer in this article.

At one extreme management can mean the organisation of the smooth running of a routine function. It can mean arranging schedules, assigning tasks to individuals, and checking that work is done according to the defined procedures. It may mean nothing more than this. It may be a vital and valuable function, but nevertheless not one requiring huge amounts of trail blazing or leaps into the unknown.

The majority of management jobs do require much more than this of course. When you add in the control of staff, the liasing and negotiating, the planning and the measuring, the reviewing and decision making, and so on and so forth, you begin to see the complexity and difficulty of the role.

But, fundamentally, good managers get things done. Managers are practical and analytical. They work out how to put into practice the ambitious visions of their leaders.

Leadership by contrast has other characteristics. Leadership means being visionary and inspirational. It means deciding what the goal should be. It means choosing the direction to go towards that chosen goal and convincing others to follow. It means always being ahead of others and pointing the way. But it doesn't mean working out the practical details of every step along the way.

Whilst the leader inspires the team the manager organises the team. A good leader is a master of the What and the Why. A good manager is a master of the How.

Neither is more important than the other and in a business organisation they complement one another.

Naturally there is an overlap in the functions of leaders and managers. Few managers would succeed without showing some degree of leadership and few leaders would succeed without having some management competence. Many people are to some extent both leaders and managers. But the distinction is there all the same and truly outstanding individuals are often extremes of the one or the other.

For example the entrepreneur who builds up his business from nothing is often a leader - inspiring, visionary, - but careless of and uninterested in details. He knows where he wants to go but is not interested or competent in the details of how to get there. More importantly, once one goal has been reached he is off aiming at the next one and is less interested in the routine or mundane job of consolidating the gains so far.

Those who go on to become truly successful realise their shortcomings and hire good and effective managers to look after the smooth running of the day-to-day functions. Those who don't are often frustrated by an inability to make the major leap forward with their companies. This is a shame because as a result they cannot grow their businesses beyond a certain level.

Managers can motivate their teams, cajole and encourage. They can knit a group of individuals into an efficient working group. They can implement the leader's vision.

Each needs characteristics of the other to some degree, but they are fundamentally different.

About the author: Arthur Cooper is a business consultant, writer and publisher. For his mini-course 'Better Management' go to: h ttp://www.barrel-publishing.com/better_management.shtml

Humor Minus Credibility Equals Doofus: 12 Back to Basics Leadership Principles Anyone Can Follow

2009-01-06T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Lonnie Pacelli

From the book Humor Minus Credibility Equals Doofus at http://www.leadingonedge.com/doofus_one_pager.htm

Ed was just appointed team leader in a public works organization of the federal government. In preparing for his first meeting with his new team, Ed thought long and hard about some of his prior managers' leadership styles. One characteristic that he particularly admired in several of his managers was the ability to connect with the team through humor. He decided on a strategy that would help the team accept him as a leader--he would show his human side and use humor to connect with them.

Ed had his first meeting with the team and was very satisfied with the results. The team seemed to really like him. The meeting was filled with laughter and both the team and Ed seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Ed was very happy and believed things were getting off to a great start.

With each passing meeting, though, there seemed to be a growing concern among the team. While Ed seemed to connect with the team, he didn't see the cooperation on getting things done as he had hoped. There were also a couple of team members who asked for permission to interview for positions outside of the group. Ed was growing concerned over the trend and asked Betty, one of the team members, what she thought was the problem. Betty's counsel hit Ed right between the eyes: ""Ed, you're a great guy and people really like you, but I just don't know if you've got what it takes to lead this group. We're kind of feeling like you may not have the skills needed to lead us, which is creating a lot of concern among the team."" While Ed's focus on using humor to connect with the team is great, he didn't take the time to establish the necessary credibility with the team.

Any one of us can think about an influential figure we've had in our lives, whether a parent, boss, or religious leader, who used humor to build camaraderie and inspire people. Leaders who have a sense of humor motivate those around him to want to participate in the journey. The problem arises, though, when a leader tries to connect with a team of people prior to establishing himself as worthy of being followed. If a leader fails to establish his worthiness by gaining credibility with the team, the team may only stick with the leader when things are going well and there are no problems on the horizon. The moment that problems start cropping up, team members will be more apt to defect because they won't have faith in the leader to navigate the storm. Credibility breeds acceptance, humor fosters inspiration.

So why is the failure to establish credibility such a massive issue? Here are the biggies:

Team members need to trust that the leader can get from origin to destination - Being a leader means knowing the plan and leading the team down the field. The leader not only needs to know the plan and how to execute, she needs to communicate the plan to the team and ensure the team understands and believes in the plan.

Team members need to feel secure that the leader will navigate well through stormy issues - Think of an airline flight you've been on where some unexpected turbulence hit. While the plane is rockin' and rollin,' the pilot speaks to the passengers with incredible calmness and control. His job is to make you feel that things are well in hand. Imagine if turbulence hit and you heard the pilot scream ""HHHEEELLLPPP!!!"" I'd be heading for the exits. Having credibility with the team gives the team greater security that the leader will get them through sticky issues.

Use of humor by a credibility-starved leader will exacerbate the credibility issue - When leaders continually use humor as a means to connect with a team without establishing credibility up-front, the use of humor itself becomes a credibility inhibitor. Teams will tend to see the use of humor as the leader trying to ""cover up"" the fact that he may not know what he is doing. Thus, each time the credibility-starved leader cracks a joke, he is actually reinforcing this lack of credibility issue with the team. Rather than seizing the opportunity to gain credibility, the leader uses it to brush up on his lounge act. Appropriate use of humor is a great means to inspire a team to perform, so long as the credibility has already been established. Use the following tips to help you get over the credibility hump:

Start with listening - Gaining credibility doesn't mean you have all the answers before you understand the questions. In fact, not taking the time to listen can actually hurt your credibility campaign and brand you as arrogant (we'll talk more about this in lesson #2). Demonstrating a clear understanding of team concerns and issues is a great credibility builder in that the team learns to trust you as a leader.

Use humor sparingly up front - The team first and foremost wants to know why they should be following you. Use those initial opportunities with the team to connect through understanding the issues they are facing and gaining an understanding of the most important things for you as a leader to focus on. As you build the credibility, feel free to introduce more humor to move the team from accepting you to being inspired to follow you.

Don't be so gun-shy of using humor that you are viewed as a stick-in-the-mud - Being cautious about using humor shouldn't give you a reputation as stern, mean, or stoic. By all means, be pleasant, approachable, and engaged in your interaction. The team will find it easier to talk to you and will get a more comfortable feeling that you understand their problems.

Use a bit of self-deprecating humor - I use this technique a lot particularly when I am doing presentations. I will frequently tell of a situation where I did something really foolish or where I publicly embarrassed myself in front of a group of people. This demonstrates that you're secure enough with your own abilities to share them with other people. It also shows that you are able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously. One note of caution here: don't be self-deprecating to a point that the team sees you as having a self-esteem issue.

Avoid humor which tarnishes the credibility of others - Using humor which trashes other people or competitors creates problems in a couple of ways for you as a leader. The first has to do with the trustworthiness of the leader. While team members may see destructive jokes as funny, they can develop a viewpoint of ""so what does this person say about me when I'm not in the room?"" The second has to do with the questionability of your motivations. When you trash talk others for a laugh, you can be viewed as attempting to build your credibility at the expense of someone else through your own insight and wit. For credibility to be well entrenched in the team it needs to be absolute, not relative. Otherwise, you're only demonstrating that you are worthy to lead a team until someone better or smarter comes along. Not a good foundation to establish credibility.

Look, none of us wants to follow a leader with all the personality of cottage cheese. Having a leader who is able to share an occasional joke and laugh with a team is huge in moving a team from acceptance to inspiration. Just ensure that you as a leader take the first step to establish credibility with the team and garner their trust in you before you get too liberal with the funny stuff.

Get all 12 Back to Basics Leadership Principles Anyone Can Follow at http://www.leadingonedge.com/doofus_one_pager.htm

About the author: Lonnie Pacelli has over 20 years' experience with Accenture and Microsoft and is currently president of Leading on the Edge™ International. Lonnie's books include ""The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass"" and ""The Truth About Getting Your Point Across"". Get the books, leadership products, other articles, MP3 seminars and free email mini seminars at http://www.leadingonedge.com

Leadership & Teamwork

2009-01-05T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Kim Olver

Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader who has a vision and the ability to inspire his or her team to work toward the realization of that vision.

The leader is not threatened in the least by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. Rather, a good team leader engages his or her teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to perform and complete the job, and empowers the team members to always strive for quality improvement.

Let's break all that down into its component parts. The first is a clearly defined leader. I believe every team must have a leader. There must be someone who is in charge and makes the ultimate decisions.

Team members may take turns being the leader as long as everyone is clear who the leader is on any given day. Another variation of that theme is to have certain people be the leader for projects that are in their area of expertise. However, in every event, there can be no question among teammates who is the leader for that day or project.

The leader needs to have a vision. This is similar to Covey's second habit, ""Begin with the end in mind."" A true leader creates the end product twice---once mentality and then in its actual form. It is impossible to lead toward a fuzzy vision. People are simply not inspired to follow uncertainty.

Having the vision is not enough to inspire teammates to strive toward the same goal. A good team leader knows how to help each teammate see how the end product or service will be useful and what, exactly, their individual contribution is toward that end.

How does the janitor contribute to fans' enjoyment at a professional baseball game? By providing a clean, neat bathroom experience---that's how. If the janitor sees himself as a critical cog in the big picture goal and he receives positive recognition for it, then he is more likely to perform his job with enthusiasm.

Another component of being able to inspire one's teammates is having a clearly defined mission that everyone, preferably, has had a part in developing, but if not, then at least team members can agree to the previously established team mission.

This becomes important in times of conflict between team members. When there is a dispute to be solved, it is helpful to have an already established way to measure the solution. Solutions are always held up against the mission and whether or not it will move the team closer or further from the ultimate goal.

The other advantage of having a mission that has been agreed upon by all team members is that it can enhance cooperation. One of the most difficult things to manage on a team is an individual ego. There can be petty jealousies and a competitive spirit that can kill the cooperation of the best team. The mission statement is a way to minimize this potential for disaster.

The mission remains the focus that everything else is compared to. An individual's action is either helpful or hurtful to the mission and dealt with accordingly. The group's goal must always be placed above any individual's desires or ego. Jealousy and backstabbing have no useful place on a team.

A good leader is in no way threatened by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. The best leaders are always seeking information from the front line people who are doing the actual work. Without information from team members, the leader's hands are tied behind his or her back.

It is also critical to use team members in their areas of expertise. Leaders can't know everything about everything. There will be team members who have skills and abilities that surpass those of the leader in certain areas. A good leader will ask for help when it is prudent.

This is also a time to value diversity. Having a team made up of people who all do the same jobs in pretty much the same way really has no value. One person could more easily do the job than assembling a homogenous team.

The value of a team comes from its heterogeneity. Getting feedback and suggestions from people who do things differently is what will spark the creativity and the genius of the team. This is what masterminding is all about. Tap into the wealth that is already there.

Finally, a good leader holds the bar high. He or she does not ask his team to be average or mediocre. Average and mediocre can be easily replaced. The leader asks his or her team to collectively do their very best and when they are done, the leader asks them to always strive for continuous improvement. The work is never done. The team should always be evaluating what has been implemented and be comfortable making suggestions for ways to do it even better.

Previously, I mentioned that a good leader empowers his or her teammates. Creating a need-satisfying environment does this. Team members must get along and know that the leader and the company have their best interests at heart. They must feel important, listened to and respected. They must have the freedom to make choices within the context of their assignments and they must have some fun in their work.

It is also critical for team members to feel safe. This means that they are not fearful in any way. The team leader is critical in fostering this environment for the empowerment of the entire team.

If you are interested in training your employees in the area of teamwork, contact Kim at 708-957-6047, email at kim@coachingforexcellence.biz or visit the website at www.coachingforexcellence.biz

About the author: Kim Olver is a licensed professional counselor in two states. She helps others make positive changes and triumph through difficult periods of their lives. She has maintained a private counseling practice and in 2004, decided to move into the field of coaching, where there are a greater number of individuals more highly motivated to make the changes they seek. To learn more about Kim visit www.CoachingforExcellence.biz or call her at (708) 957-6047.

Balancing Technology, Management, and Leadership

2009-01-04T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Jim Clemmer

""The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order."" -- Alfred North Whitehead, 19th century British mathematician and philosopher

As Achieve (my first consulting company) was working with our Clients to implement Toward Excellence (the cultural change process we had developed in conjunction with Tom Peters) I was growing increasingly uneasy. Something didn't feel right. In In Search of Excellence, Peters and Waterman presented a powerful case against ""the rational model"" of management. It forcefully argued (among other things) for focusing on people (customers and those serving them) rather than processes, action instead of analysis, and becoming values rather than numbers driven. Sure there was a strong need for managers to move away from the overstuffed bureaucratic, controlling, and hierarchical approach many companies had fallen into. But I also knew of companies that were entrepreneurial, exciting, people-oriented, customer-driven -- and they struggled or even went down the tubes because they used a shoebox for an accounting system and yesterday's technology. Some of these managers came from the we-must-still-have-money-because-we-still-have-checks-left school of business mismanagement. It seemed to me the real issue was balance. So as I went to work on my first book, The VIP Strategy, I developed an early version of the ""triangle model"". After using it with numerous management teams to frame key organization improvement issues, and continuing to study, speak, and write about the performance balance, we have since further refined the model: Performance Balance Triangle Technology -- an organization's core technology is the expertise and/or equipment that produces the products or services that its customers buy. Supporting technology may include web-based applications, software, telecommunications, robotics, production equipment, and the like to produce, deliver, or support the organization's core technology. Personal technology is the technical expertise I bring to the production, delivery, or support of either core or supporting technologies. Management Systems and Processes -- organizational processes are the flow of materials, work activities, customer interactions, or information across an organization to produce, deliver, or support the products or services that its customers buy. Organizational systems are the underlying feedback and measurements loops, performance improvement methods, and organization structure. Personal systems and processes are the methods, habits, and approaches we all use to get things done. People (Leadership) -- this includes those people an organization serves, the people they would like to serve, people in the organization doing the producing and serving, key external partners (such as distributors, strategic alliances, suppliers, etc.), everyone in the organization supporting the producers and serving the servers, shareholders or funding partners, and (very deliberately last) management. In top performing organizations, each area is strong and constantly improving. For example, in our technological age, we all need to ensure that we're constantly upgrading our technical expertise and technological tools. We can't afford to fall behind. In my case, my notebook computer has been a huge help with email, managing my time, storing and easily retrieving information, keeping contact and project records, maintaining our database, developing slides for presentations and workshops, and accessing a multitude of information and research through the Internet. Without it, I'd be 30 - 40% less productive and would need much more administrative help. But as with any technology, just automating sloppy personal habits and disorganization will mean we'll just mess it up faster. If our understanding of our customer expectations are only partially accurate, expensive technology and ""reengineered"" processes will only deliver partial results. If people in our organizations can't communicate face-to-face, electronic communications won't improve communications very much. If we haven't established the discipline of setting priorities for our time or organizing ourselves, a notebook computer or other wireless mobile device won't do it for us. Systems and processes is also an extremely important area. An organization can be using the latest technologies and be highly people-focused, but if the methods and approaches used to structure and organize work is weak, performance will suffer badly. People in organizations can be empowered, energized, and enlightened, but if systems and processes (and technologies) don't enable them to perform well, they won't. Developing the discipline and using the most effective tools and techniques of personal and organization systems and processes is a critical element of high performance. The Performance Balance triangle has people or leadership at its base. That's very deliberate. In well-balanced, high performing teams or organizations, technology, systems, and processes serve people. For example, as information technology (IT) specialists study why so many huge investments in equipment and software haven't paid off, they find the problem comes back to how the technology is designed and used, by whom, and for whom. An executive in California's Silicon Valley summed up an important perspective making the rounds there, ""we used to say people need to be more technology literate. Now we say that technology needs to become more people literate.""

About the author: Jim Clemmer is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer. Jim's five international bestselling books include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, and The Leader's Digest. His web site is www.clemmer.net/articles.

Your Experience + The Leadership Talk = Great Leadership

2009-01-03T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

Word count: 770

Summary: The author asserts that most leaders neglect the human relations aspects of the challenges they face, diminishing their results-generating potential. He provides a tool that's been working for leaders for more than two decades to achieve great results by developing great relationships.

Your Experience + The Leadership Talk = Great Leadership by Brent Filson

To best communicate an idea, wrap it in a human being. Words can be superficial aspects of communication. True communication, for better or worse, happens through deep, human interactions that transcend words. Even though words may be exchanged and at times be necessary, they are not sufficient to explain or promote communication's aggregate opportunities.

For instance, you're having an argument with someone. You're getting angry. You're saying things you're hardly aware of, things to defend yourself and attack the other person. You feel injured and want to justify yourself and make the other person see your side and maybe even hurt that person. You're borne along on a current of hot emotion. Later, you may regret the words you used. Or you may get even angrier over the words the other person used. Later, you may think of something biting you should have said. The point is, the words, like froth on the roiling river of your being, were really a partial aspect of your experience. The words may have provoked anger in you and the other person, but the anger itself, the experience of it, the pain of it, the all consuming nature of it, and even quite possibly the perverse pleasure of it, goes beyond words.

This is a leadership lesson. Working with leaders of all ranks and functions worldwide for the past 22 years, I've seen that most either misunderstand this truth of human nature or miss it altogether. When communicating with others, they primarily go for a narrow band of information dissemination and overlook what can be of tremendous benefit to them, the broadband of human relationships and the rich development that can take place in those relationships.

The irony is that as human beings, we swim in relationships --good, bad or indifferent relationships --every day. However, relationships are so familiar to us, we ignore their uniqueness and their importance in driving leadership results. We grasp at meager bubbles while all around us and beneath us lies an ocean teeming with results-engendering opportunities.

How do we seize these opportunities? I teach a process to do just that. That process is the Leadership Talk.

The Leadership Talk has one objective: to help leaders get great results -- far more results than if they do not use it. I call it, ""More results faster continually."" Leaders can only get more-faster-continually by mining relationships through Leadership Talks.

The Leadership Talk is based on the idea that leaders speak 15 to 20 times and more a day: across a desk, at a water cooler, at lunch, in meetings, etc. When those speaking opportunities are manifested through Leadership Talks, the effectiveness of the leader is dramatically increased.

In my articles and books, I've explained the inner workings and the personal and professional benefits of the Leadership Talk. Suffice to say, whenever you intend to communicate as a leader, you should assess not only the information you want to impart but also the human relations aspects of how you will go imparting it -- and then use the Leadership Talk to further those relationships and the results they engender.

For instance, the Leadership Talk teaches that the best way to get results is not to order people to do a job but to motivate them to choose to be your cause leader in doing that job. This is an obvious point. What's not obvious is how you do it. One way is to transfer your motivation to others.

A key Leadership Talk process tackles this challenge. The process is called ""the motivational transfer."" Its aim is to interact with the people you lead in such a way that they become as motivated as you about tackling the challenge you face. You can make that transfer happen by (1) imparting information to the people, (2) making sure that what you have to communicate makes sense to them, (3) making your experience their experience.

The latter is by far the most effective way to promote a motivational transfer. You have your experience become their experience simply by remembering those experiences in your life that had a strong impact on you and that provided a lesson to solve the problem of their needs -- then simply communicating that experience and the lesson.

When your experience becomes their experience, you are on your way to delving into those deep, human, emotional aspects of their realities, aspects that are triggers for great results.

You are the absolute expert on your own experience. When that experience becomes a solution to their needs, it'll become their experience too; and when it does, you'll have laid the groundwork for becoming an exceptional leader.

About the author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. For more than 21 years, he has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at ht

UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE AND POWER: AN IMPORTANT KEY TO BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

2009-01-02T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Ann Vanino

""The best leaders are those who understand power and people. They use this knowledge to make the world a better place. Leaders guide, mentor, organize, inspire and lead."" ~ Ann Vanino

How well do you understand people and power? To lead effectively in business, an awareness of both is crucial. Understanding people involves studying the way people work: what they want in return for their work, how they work best, what hampers them, their individual styles, what attitudes and perceptions they bring to work, how they interact with a team and the nature of their hopes, dreams and desires.

Do you know leaders who understand people? Truly effective leaders use this knowledge for the betterment of those who work for them. Often, leaders who appreciate people build effective teams. They know how to hire the best people. They can motivate people to work well together. They can communicate effectively with their team. Understanding power involves studying the nature of power and how people use it: how things get done, the subconscious attitudes and perceptions that affect personal interactions, how to influence people, and what needs to be done to get where you want to go.

Do you know leaders who comprehend power? Truly effective leaders use this knowledge to get things done. Often, leaders who understand power are successful in reaching their goals. They can quickly determine the playing field and make the best moves. They inspire others to success. They can overcome obstacles as they move forward.

Understanding both people and power does not always go hand in hand. The leader who has knowledge of people but not of power becomes ineffective. If they focus only on their team members and do not keep their teams moving successfully towards their goals, they lose. The leader who knows only to wield power may have a vision and know how to reach their goals but cannot build and motivate a team to get things done. What happens when leaders have an understanding of both people and power? WOW! You have a special leader that can motivate people and lead them to success.

Understanding both power and people is a dance. A leader must choreograph the building of an effective team and the mapping of a winning strategy. They must constantly keep sight of team member needs and what must be done to reach their goal. The effective leader is always working on both.

About the author: Ann Vanino is a well-known personal & professional coach, author, and speaker & the founder of Moving Forward Personal & Professional Coaching. Moving Forward is dedicated to helping clients create the lives they want & helping entrepreneurs & executives build successful, well-managed organizations. Ann authored ""Leadership On Trial: Lessons from The Apprentice"". Learn more at MovingForward.net. Ann@MovingForward.net or 661-944-6329.

Small Business Owners Increase Productivity and Profitability Utilizing Free Leadership Tools and Resources Available Online

2008-12-31T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Sidorov Petja

High quality leadership tools and resources have historically been cost prohibitive for small to mid-sized organizations. This resource problem has now been remedied by Leadership-Tools.com (www.leadership-tools.com).Leadership-Tools.com founder Richard Gorham said, ""Our focus is to empower today's leaders with leadership development and sales management tools that effectively assist organizations in growing their business and maximizing the quality of their results. The mission of Leadership-Tools.com is to become the premier provider of free and low-cost leadership tools, information and resources.""Visitors to Leadership-Tools.com enjoy a user-friendly tour of a wide assortment of products that are easily accessible to online visitors at no cost. The site is visited often by graduate students such as Natalie Wright who states, ""The 360-degree feedback leadership survey is excellent. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I am completing a leadership portfolio for a graduate course, excellent information."" Dana Coale, a United States government employee went on to say, ""The information that is provided on this website is extremely beneficial in continuing the pursuit of developing leadership within myself and those around me.""Small business team leader Rosie Hardy recently utilized the free performance appraisal tool and endorsed its effectiveness stating, ""Excellent, it gives you a clear outline of what is needed as well as what is expected. I greatly appreciate the free resource.""Some of the more popular downloadable tools include a 360-degree feedback leadership survey, leadership assessment, management development training assessment, succession planning and performance appraisals - and a free 800 page e-book entitled ""Pushing To The Front"", a self-help classic written by the late Dr. Orison Swett Marden. Gorham says he has a long list of value-added tools currently in process that he plans to add to the website throughout the coming weeks and months.Leadership-Tools.com also offers a free monthly newsletter entitled Leadership Tools Monthly News (http://www.leadership-tools.com/leadership-tools-monthly-news.ht ml). Each issue is concise and to the point, offering a compelling leadership lesson that is supported by an exercise that assists team leaders in developing his or her respective team members.

The newsletter also provides insightful leadership quotes and inspirational stories that supports and motivates its expanding subscriber base.In today's highly competitive working environment, where good jobs are going to persons with more specialized skill-sets, it's more important than ever for people to take ownership of their individual training and ongoing education. Highly effective leaders are constantly seeking to grow in their knowledge and expertise. Leaders who don't continue to grow their arsenal of leadership tools and resources, soon find themselves trailing behind their industry peers. As a result, Leadership-Tools.com is one quality resource anyone can utilize to learn and grow, both personally and professionally.For additional information, visit www.leadership-tools.com . Richard Gorham can be contacted directly via the ""Contact Us"" link.About Leadership-Tools.com:Founded in September, 2002 by Richard Gorham, Leadership-Tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders.

About the author: Internet marketing expert Petja Sidorov is the author of Power Linking 2005.

Collaboration: An Important Leadership Development Skill

2008-12-30T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Stephanie Mead

Even with the best and most skilled managers, organizations must be able to tap into the varied skills and wider perspectives of other employees. So it is essential that leaders know how to collaborate and develop effective partnerships with others. It is one of the elements that makes a manager a true leader. Collaboration is the vehicle for sharing responsibility and combining knowledge, creativity, and experience of others. Through extensive research and observation, CMOE has found that the ability to collaborate is essential in an organization's Leadership Development or Transitioning into Leadership training program.

Establishing collaborative relationships is not always natural or easy, particularly because people have different lifestyles, backgrounds, and experiences. Effective leaders know how to collaborate when it isn't easy. The benefits of doing so can be significant. Leaders who believe in the power of collaboration can produce extraordinary results, while maintaining a healthy team environment. Fundamentally, collaboration starts with the leader because they must be willing to let go of some control. However, time demands and urgency can be a major stumbling block in opening up collaborative channels. Andrew Carnegie said: ""No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.""

One of the most important things a leader needs to be able to do to collaborate with his/her team members is create a culture where members value and listen to alternative views and seek out win-win objectives. This can be accomplished by clearly identifying common needs and objectives; and certainly should occur on multiple occasions over time.

A leader can also foster collaboration by encouraging active involvement and the free exchange of information. The leader, also, must set the tone by keeping an open mind to different ideas. Furthermore, when the team members engage in collaborative activities, it is essential for the leader to validate and reinforce the collaboration in order to sustain the behavior.

In CMOE's Leadership Development books, programs, and workshops, we delve into the specific skills of collaboration and other important aspects of leadership. Leadership development topics such as this will expand collaboration in organizations and will be reflected in the organization's results and the commitment of its people.

For more information on how CMOE can help your organization create a powerful and successful Collaboration or Leadership Development program, please contact a CMOE representative. You can reach them at (801)569-3444.

About the author: Stephanie Mead is the Operations Manager for CMOE and has assisted organizations such as Pfizer, Delta Airlines, Cargill, and others in the area of collaboration and leadership development .

Building Trust in the Workplace: A Valuable Topic for Leadership Training

2008-12-29T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Richard L. Williams, Ph.D

Trust is the foundation of all successful interpersonal relationships, both personal and business. Trust is the confidence or belief a person feels toward a particular person or group. Trust is, therefore, one of the primary binding forces in any interpersonal relationship. It permits people to overcome doubts and unknowns and enjoy peace of mind. The absence of trust causes confusion, worry, inaction, and fear. When interpersonal trust is present, a person feels a confidence that everything will somehow work out. In the workplace, trust is a prerequisite for effective interpersonal communications. Without trust, employees may feel uncertainty, worry, and a sense of insecurity. No relationship, personal or business, can exist for even a short period of time if some element of trust is not present. Trust is an essential leadership training ingredient that binds any human relationship into an effective, working partnership.

Even though trust is fundamental to human relationships, it is actually misunderstood by many people. People use trust, or the lack of it, to explain good and bad relationships with others. Consider the cliché phrases: ""Don't worry, you can trust me"" and ""Just trust me."" Trust has become both a buzzword and an excuse in our society. Trust is as much abused as it is used in today's business world. It is used to define and explain; yet few leadership training programs have seriously considered what it is and what it is not.

Psychologists are just beginning to learn how trust really works. Research suggests that trusting relationships are predictable, caring, and faithful. When a manager's behavior is consistent over a period of time and another person can reasonably predict that behavior, trust is possible. By contrast, it is difficult to trust a person whose actions are inconsistent or unpredictable.

Caring in a relationship involves actions that express consideration toward the other person. Through effective leadership training, a caring supervisor knows when final exams are scheduled at the local college and asks employees who will be taking the tests how much time off will be needed to study. A caring supervisor finds out about a birth, death, anniversary, graduation, or sickness and sends a card to the employee's home.

Faith is the belief that an employee's behavior will be in direct response to the trust placed in that relationship. Faith can be demonstrated by communicating clear expectations and then telling the employee, ""I know you and I believe you can accomplish this assignment."" Managers who have difficulty demonstrating faith in others typically have difficulty trusting them as well. Trust as a leadership training component can help change this.

Building trust in the workplace is vital for a long-lasting, satisfying, rewarding, and successful relationship. Leadership training helps effective managers practice behaviors that promote and build trusting relationships. They learn to do this with consistent actions each day. In return they obtain the benefits of high-trust employee relations. These benefits include higher morale, increased initiative, improved honesty, and better productivity. All are important aspects of a profitable and rewarding business experience. It's not uncommon for people to use the word ""trust"" to describe a feeling they have regarding some interpersonal relationships. Trust does not magically appear in a relationship without certain elements preceding it over time. And once trust has been breeched it is difficult and sometimes impossible to establish once again.

Three steps pave the path before enduring trust begins. The first step is effective communications. When we communicate effectively with another person we have an opportunity to move that relationship to the second step, which is real understanding. That is when two people have communicated to the point of honest and deep understanding. This can lead to the third step in the relationship of mutual respect. A respecting relationship demands that each person contribute enough respect that it can be reciprocated back from the other person. Unilateral respect in relationships is temporary and superficial. Mutual respect that can lead to trust is much deeper and must come from communicated understanding. Once a relationship has experienced mutual respect it is possible for the participants to experience enduring relational trust. This is a feeling that binds people together over time and through trials.

The four steps are dependent upon the actions or integrity of the individuals involved. Integrity is not only keeping agreements, but it is also ""walking the talk."" If, for example, a person communicates deceitfully, how much understanding will there be? And how much respect will the other person have? Ultimately trust will be lacking.

Enduring trust is a leadership training process that takes time and effort. It is clearly the essence of what fuels meaningful relationships.

Test your Trust. Answer the following five statements on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not true and 5 is completely true.

1. My actions each day demonstrate that I trust my employees.

2. My employees can trust me with sensitive or private information.

3. I would never betray a trust with an employee.

4. I keep confidences and would never share confidential information inappropriately.

5. I am able to trust my employees.

Tally your scores from the five items. A total score of 20 to 25 would indicate that you and your employees probably share an atmosphere of trust. A score of 15-19 would indicate that trust is present, but not in abundance. A score of 14 or less probably means that some additional leadership training efforts in building trust would be appropriate.

To learn how leadership training programs and building trust in the workplace can help your organization, contact a CMOE representative at (801)569-3444

About the author: Dr. Richard L. Williams has conducted more than 6,000 workshops to more than 250,000 managers and executives.

He specializes in building trust in the workplace, leadership training and development, performance coaching, and quality improvement.

Modern Managers Need Leadership Skills

2008-12-28T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Mihaela Lica

Managers and Leaders - Are They Synonyms?

A manager is the person in charge of commanding and running a business or a project. Leadership deals with the interpersonal relations. Managing means planning, developing and organizing. In the contemporary society leadership qualities along with managing abilities are a must.

If there is one thing I've learnt during my career as a military TV redactor in the Romanian Ministry of Defence, that is that leadership has never been simple. In this day and age even military leaders are confronted with many challenges including bureaucracy, media influence, internationalisation and changes of cultural and economic patterns.

One thing is so far clear: a leader is not a ruler or a despot. His role is to guide, to inspire, to communicate, to build trust and to direct toward the achievement of goals.

Many managers consider themselves leaders. Well, that's not entirely accurate. When a manager is able to persuade a team to complete some objectives without forcing his authority, then he is demonstrating leadership qualities. While a leader can be a manager, a manager is not necessary a leader.

Make no confusions: to be in charge of a team doesn't automatically make you a leader. People choose their leaders naturally, based on personal feelings, most of the times subjective evaluations. There are some traditional patterns people look for in a leader: physical appearance, social and personal traits. Studies prove that tall and handsome men make charismatic leaders. Education plays a significant role, but not as important as individual qualities such as charisma, magnetism, reputation and tact. Such leaders have to be self confident and able to listen to their followers. While physical appearance cannot be changed, but slightly improved with the right clothing, other behaviours can be trained.

Leadership Training - Is That Really Necessary?

My answer is yes. Leaders are made, not born. There is no such a thing as a natural born leader - this is just a label used to describe a person able to influence others easily. Because everyone has a natural born capacity to lead, becoming a leader is not so difficult. To achieve this goal training and learning go hand in hand.

What should a leader learn? The art of communicating a message across effectively and clearly is a vital part of being a successful leader. Speaking is not enough. Important factors, such as understanding and using body language, listening and writing, fuse to generate the lifeblood of good communication.

A leader should learn to overcome other's people barriers when delivering a message. There are three basic rules to achieve this goal: be clear in your mind, deliver the message in plain language and make sure that the idea has been understood.

Cultural differences can make it difficult for some people to communicate effectively. Germans and Nordics are more restrained in gesture than many Latin nations, while Americans and Australians can say exactly what they mean. A ""be yourself"" approach can work - there is no better marketing than telling the truth. Be honest, but not impolite. Do not try to be anyone else or copy another one's style.

You've heard that often: first impressions are very important. In business and media that's a proven theory: the first five seconds of a meeting are more important than the next ten minutes. A faultless look, even if informal, makes always a good impact: matching decent colours, impeccable shoes and garments, a proper haircut and no exaggeration with cologne will not err.

Certainly there's more to leadership training than one can write in a short article: from learning the secret of clear communication both within the team and with the media, to understanding and using gestures; from learning how to listen to recognizing and overcoming prejudice (ground rule: think about the words you hear, not the person saying them); from reading efficiently to taking notes and improving memory; from using the phone to writing letters and much more.

Because the contemporary society is continuously changing, modern managers and leaders need to improve their skills constantly and to gather knowledge vital for their organizations.

Leadership Theories In 1960 the Douglas McGregor described two behavioural theories, ""Theory X"" and ""Theory Y"", in his book ""The Human Side of Enterprise"".

Theory X represents the idea of ruling by controlling, the so-called ""stick and carrot"" philosophy of management. According to Freud people are naturally lazy and need to be controlled or punished in order to work effectively. Some managers do believe these affirmations. In the modern society such approaches lead nowhere: employees get frustrated, feel uncomfortable at work, tend to introvert, perform just because they are afraid of some consequences and not because they are motivated. As long as this theory - you can find a better description of it on the web by typing Douglas McGregor in any search engine - will influence managers, the real potentials of an employee will remain hidden.

McGregor's Theory Y gives prominence to communication and human interrelations. Managers who create a harmonious working environment motivate workers. The idea is that a satisfied team will achieve goals faster and more proficient than a frustrated, fearful team. Adepts of the Theory Y give confidence to their followers, know how to listen and how to reward them and support initiative and creativity. The individual and organizational goals can be integrated. This is the kind of approach the modern society longs for. People need to be respected and valued for what and who they are. Although there are common traits for us all, it's a wrong approach to generalize.

Why Motivate?

Treat your workers as individuals and soon you will be able to harvest the fruits of their work. And don't forget: a ""thank you, well done"" motivates and wins a heart and a won heart means a step towards attaining loyalty.

To motivate means to understand human nature. Motivation is an essential factor in the existence and success of a company and it is a skill which must be learnt. Forget the idea that money is the prime motivator. Nowadays security is a major stimulus: unemployment determines workers to appreciate the security of a job. Well, sure employees will act positively to a raise or a money prize, but if they don't like the job, the company or (yes!) the manager is unlikely that they will perform at their best.

Conclusion

As people have a normal predisposition to follow certain attitudes, modern managers and leaders should be careful and conduct by example. In order to avoid the perception of inconsistency within the management team, training their leadership skills is a necessity.

About the author: Mihaela Lica is a skilled journalist and PR consultant, founder of Pamil Visions - http://www.pamil-visions.com/

Previously she used to work as a military TV redactor for Pro Patria and the Military Media Trust within the Public Relations Directorate of the Romanian Ministry of Defence.

The Listening Leadership Talk

2008-12-26T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

Word count: 900

Summary: The Leadership Talk is an important tool for leaders of all ranks and functions. But some of the most effective Leadership Talks are not what leaders say but what the people they lead say. Here are three ways to give what is often the best kind of Leadership Talk, the Listening Leadership Talk.

The Listening Leadership Talk by Brent Filson

For more than 20 years, I have taught the Leadership Talk to thousands of people worldwide. And maybe the most important thing I've taught isn't about talking -- at least the leader's talking.

I've taught there is a hierarchy of verbal persuasion. The lowest levels, the least effective, are speeches and presentations. The highest levels, the most effective, are Leadership Talks.

I've taught that speeches/presentations communicate information; Leadership Talks, on the other hand, have leaders establish deep, human, emotional connections with audiences -- indispensable in achieving great results.

Of course, the Leadership Talk is by definition about talking. But often there's a more effective dynamic to employ: listening. Not passive listening -- but listening for one purpose, so the other person gives you your Leadership Talk.

After all, it's not what you say that's important in a Leadership Talk but what your audience does after you have had your say.

And if they do the best thing not after you speak but after you listen, then you have given one of the most effective Leadership Talks of all -- a Listening Leadership Talk.

The Listening Leadership Talk focuses on what other people are invariably interested in, themselves. (Who isn't interested when they themselves are talking?) But here's the key: their simply talking is useless to your leadership. It is only useful when their talk is the talk you need for them to give.

Moving people from talking their talk to talking your talk -- and ultimately walking your walk --is the art of the Listening Leadership Talk. Here are a few tips to make it happen.

(1) Use question marks. Asking questions encourages people to reflect upon and talk about the challenge you face. After all, we can't motivate anyone to do anything. They have to motivate themselves. And they best motivate themselves when they reflect on their character and their situation and are also given the opportunity to talk about their reflections.

You may not like what they say; but often their answer is better in terms of advancing their motivation and your results than your full-stop sentence.

Furthermore, their answer may prompt them to think they have come up with a good idea. People tend to be less enamored of your ideas than they are of their own.

However, be aware of the difference between asking a question of somebody and questioning them. When asking a question, you communicate you're interested in the answer the person wants; when questioning, you communicate you're interested in the answer you want. And if the people you are interacting with think you are there not for them but for yourself, you damage the environment a Listening Leadership Talk can thrive in. (2) Create a critical convergence. This will help you avoid the ""herding cats"" syndrome. Once you get people talking, they may be all over the map, talking about everything but what you want to have talked about.

Keep things on track by establishing a critical convergence, the joining of your enthusiasms and theirs so they're as enthusiastic as you about meeting the challenges you face. Do that by understanding their needs as problems and seeking to have them voice solutions to those problems, solutions that advance your leadership concerns.

For instance, at a police academy classroom, the instructor passed a note to one of the recruits. It read, ""CLEAR THIS CLASSROOM OUT NOW!"" The recruit started shouting, ""Everybody out of the room!"" People looked confused. A few left. The remainder stayed. The instructor gave the note to another recruit, who pleaded, ""Please, everybody out."" Still, people remained there. Then the instructor gave a note to a third recruit, who developed a Listening Leadership talk by creating a critical convergence. He asked, ""What time is it?"" ""Quarter to twelve,"" someone answered. The recruit with the note simply shrugged and in the silence, let the idea emerge. ""Lunch break!"" the recruits called in unison and quickly cleared the room. Creating a critical convergence establishes and environment in which the Listening Leadership flourishes.

(3) Develop a Leadership Contract. This may be written -- from a few ideas scribbled on a scrap of paper to a more formal typed version calling for your signatures -- or the Contract may simply be an oral agreement, sealed with a handshake. Clearly, it's not a legal instrument -- nor should it embody legalese. It's just a spelling out of the leadership actions you both agree must be taken to accomplish your goal.

Here's the key: The best way to get that agreement is first to have them talk about actions they propose to take. Make sure they describe precise, physical actions. And not just any actions but leadership actions. Discourage them from talking about how they'll be doing tasks. Instead, encourage them to talk about how they'll be taking leadership of those tasks. (There is a big difference in terms of results generated between doing and leading.) Then ask how they need to be supported in those actions. Finally, ask them how those actions should be monitored and evaluated. In getting answers to these questions, you'll be putting together a Leadership Contract by giving a Listening Leadership Talk.

The Leadership Talk is the greatest leadership tool. But the tool has its gradations of effectiveness. Often your talking is not as effective as your audience's talking. When your Leadership Talk comes out of their mouths, not your mouth, you may find you are raising your leadership effectiveness to much higher levels.

About the author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at ht

Home-Based Business Leadership Skills

2008-12-25T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Mark Shaner

Home-Based-Business Leadership Skills

By Mark Shaner

Home-based-business leaders make decisions quickly and change their minds slowly.

This has been my experience throughout my entire thirty-two years of managing my own businesses. Let's face it, there is an element of leadership needed in any home-based-business, and especially in income opportunity programs, as an individual must overall, stand ""head and shoulders"" above the crowd in their efforts in order to overcome the competition and generate maximum revenue.

This doesn't mean, however, that leadership is something that someone must be ""born with"". Quite the contrary. I have found that many great business leaders are made, not born. They take the lessons that life brings to them, incorporate it into their overall thinking and approach to life, and eventually become leaders in their business endeavors. Many great business leaders are simply ordinary people who have discovered how to be extraordinary!

So, how exactly does one become a leader and see more success in any home-based-business? While there are really no hard and fast rules, some guidelines can be established:

1. Practice! Honestly, this is a more worthwhile technique than others assume. Practicing making decisions quickly while still weighing all facts will soon become a habit if done on a continuous basis. It can start with simple things, like purchasing needed home-based-business supplies or even joining an income opportunity program and then move up to the larger decisions, such as hiring employees, and then delegating chores to these employees!

2. Employ the Power of Positive Thinking. That's right, much of what we say to ""ourselves"" in our own thoughts, does indeed turn into a reality! If you constantly catch yourself engaging in negative thought processes, negativity will surround you. If, on the other hand, you engage primarily in positive thought processes, positive outcomes will follow. Always be a ""can do"" not a ""can't do"" in the recesses of your mind.

3. Find a Mentor. This is perhaps the best method of developing home-based-business leadership skills. A good mentor will speed up the process and point out any shortcomings that an individual may have. A good mentor doesn't even have to be a flesh and blood person. Mentoring can successfully be accomplished through self-help manuals and other self-help mediums such as courses, CDs and videos. These types of materials abound in libraries and online, so avail yourself of them whenever possible. Some income opportunity programs also provide older members and support materials that help coach and consult the newer members, and this is a priceless offering.

4. Observe Others. This is a simple technique that can reap huge rewards. Find a home-based-business leader you admire/respect and observe their actions if you can. Pay close attention to how they present themselves, their mannerisms, and their overall interplay with others.

5. Overcome Shyness. Many times, being shy in certain areas of our lives holds us back. It prevents us from taking the risks we must to succeed. It's easier said than done, though, to simply decide we will stop being shy, and takes a determined effort to overcome any shyness. Small steps here, which take us outside our own comfort level work better than trying to will ourselves to do it all at once. An example: If you are terrified of public speaking, try speaking to a small group of friends and relatives first, before moving on to huge presentations in front of a large group of strangers. The same with phone shyness or other types of shyness. Start ""within"" your comfort level and slowly move outside it. Also, set up scenarios within your mind, of different situations that cause shyness, and work through these mentally first, keeping in mind how you will adapt to each situation as it happens.

6. Enlist Others as Backup. No man (or woman) is an island and no one can exist in a void. Having the input of others we admire and respect, whether it's family, friends, or other business people will make our decisions all the more balanced and lead us to the point where we have the greatest faith in our own decisions.

Well, there you have it, what I consider the six prerequisites to home-based-business leadership success. I practice all of these myself and have done so for decades, and encourage anyone reading this to try these as well. They have led to my success in my own income opportunity program and my own businesses and will undoubtedly propel others on the road to success!

About the author: Mark Shaner is a successful businessman who owns www.HomeBusinessPartners.com. He offers advice to home business owners after attaining 35 years of experience. He may be contacted at marketing@homebusinesspartners.com. His website can be found at www.homebusinesspartners.com.

Six Leadership Conversation Principles

2008-12-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Judith Richardson

Six Leadership Conversation Principles Judith Richardson Leadership is an interactive conversation that invites people to explore personal responsibility, passion, accountability and commitment. Here are 6 principles to guide these capacity-building conversations:

1. In an authentic conversation change happens. Effective collaboration, discovery and coaching can happen on the dance floor of conversation.

2. Begin a conversation with questions that set the tone for a respectful exchange. Just ask to-the-point information-seeking questions, like: 'What is our intention? What are you here for? How do you want to spend our time together?' Be clear of your intention prior to the conversation.

3. Conversations are not meant to be structured. Be open to conversations that you are unprepared for and focused on the interests of the other person (not your purpose). You know all about yourself already - get curious about the other.

4. Collaborate with potential rather than colluding with issues. Rather than getting pulled into solving problems that may not matter to the other person, allow time for the person to get to what's really important. Provide spaces where they can express their doubts and fears by being a thoughtful listener--without taking on the responsibility to fix or debate the issue. After all, you have invited the person to talk about what matters to her or him, not you, so allow time for the articulation of those thoughts and feelings.

5. Personal transformation happens when the right questions get asked--not by providing answers. When you invite people to answer their own questions, they discover what they were not aware of---and what is needed to move forward. When you focus on the solution, you are trying to sell the person something. Personal discovery is capacity building. Personal transformation leads to corporate transformation--one person at a time. 6. Claim value for the conversation. Articulating what you value from the conversation and inviting the other person to articulate what was valuable for them, creates a space of appreciation and acknowledgement. It also provides for reflection on the value of exploring ideas with others - building capacity for collaboration.

About the author: Recipient of International Coach of the Year and Canadian Progress Club Women of Excellence Award as Entrepreneur and Innovator, Judith works and plays across North America, Europe, Jamaica, Siberia, Australia, Sweden, Israel and Russia. A gifted speaker, teacher, organizational consultant, and executive coach, Judith Richardson combines exuberant, loving optimism and play with seriously-honed skills, limitle

REAL LEADERSHIP - STABILITY IN A SEA OF CHANGE

2008-12-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

Author: Bruce Prokopets

Civil war in Africa. This simple four word phrase seems to sum up the perception of most outsiders throughout the world when asked about the state of affairs on the African continent, the birth place of mankind. In the last 40 years twenty countries, or almost 50 percent of all nations south of the Sahara, have experienced at least one period of civil war. This state of affairs has stereotyped Africa as a doomed continent rife with ethnic and tribal conflict.

Though many attribute the source of these various conflicts to ethnic and tribal differences, researchers at The World Bank concluded, after a careful study, that failure at both a political and economic level are at the root cause of most civil conflicts. Ibrahim Elbadaur and Nicholas Sambanis wrote that political and economic development can effectively reduce or eradicate political violence in Africa.

Enter Gabon, which seems to be at the eye of this tumultuous African storm. Gabon is one of the few countries in Central Africa that has never -- since its independence from France -- been affected by an armed conflict. Gabon, an oil-rich Central African nation, with a population of 1,300,000 and a geographic area of 26,700 square kilometers, is considered one of the most stable in the region.

For almost 40 years, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba has served as President of the West African coastal country of Gabon. Under his leadership, Gabon has become one of Africa's wealthiest and more prosperous countries fueled in part by the discovery of oil. According to the World Fact Book, Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa.

Critics attribute much of Bongo's success to his strong arming of the political system and his use of patronage throughout his own political party. It is hard to argue with his success however in keeping Gabon out of armed conflict with rival factions within the country.

Bongo rose quickly within the leadership structure of Gabon. He entered civil service in 1958, was promoted to Minister of Information and Tourism in 1966, and was named Vice-President in 1967. He took over the office of President a year later at the age of 32 after Leon M'ba, the country's first president, became ill and died suddenly.

Despite the troubles in the headlines of papers throughout the world concerning Gabon's neighbors like Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Zaire, Gabon has been a rock of stability. Although the country was initially constituted around a one party system in the early 60's, Bongo prodded the country to a multiparty democracy by 1990. Although it would have served him to maintain the single party system, Bongo legalized opposition parties at that time and Gabon has been a model for the rest of Africa since. Many have attributed the success story of Gabon's unprecedented peace, stability and economic status to Bongo's experience and leadership.

In the upcoming elections, in 2005, there has been some controversy about the nature of the election process itself. The opposition, headed by a former ally of President Bongo, Zacharie Myboto, has been critical of the two day election process. He points out that the military will be voting first, alluding to the fact that this could somehow sway the general electorate. However, the mere fact that the opposition can speak out against Bongo, without fear of recrimination, is a testament to budding democracy that is forming in Gabon under President Bongo's political leadership. Bongo is quick to remind his detractors that it has taken the U.S. over two centuries to develop a legitimate election process. He also points out that many Americans still have concerns over the fairness of both statewide and national elections.

President Bongo has not solely focused all his efforts on political change. He has also been a true early adopter where the rights of women in his own country are concerned. Due to the actions of Gabon's President real social reforms have occurred focused on equal opportunity for women. Bongo institutionalized the observance of women's rights and parity. He instituted compulsory schooling of all girls age 6 to 16 years. He created a Ministry for the Family, child welfare and promotion of the woman, and the protection of widows and the orphans. ""Where the men have failed the women must succeed"", stated Bongo on many occasions.

The President of Gabon has also been credited for his efforts to restore peace and stability throughout Central Africa, in particular the Republic of the Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and Sao Tome and Principe. In October 2001, the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, serving as mediator in the political and ethnic crisis of Burundi, entrusted Bongo with the mission to pursue negotiations with the armed movements of Burundi. Mr. Mandela has great respect and appreciation for President Bongo as Bongo was one of the few who supported him financially during his exile.

Recently Bongo, co-chaired the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, alongside Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, which was held in September, 2005. Bongo opened the event with an appeal for worldwide action to prevent conflict and genocide. Bongo also focused his efforts on the plight of Africa, seeking more support for the promotion of human rights and conflict resolution. The 38 year president of Gabon, echoed the sentiment of Sweden's Prime Minister, calling on the Summit to ""act together to give our future generations a better world.""

The leader of Gabon has always had a strong interest in the welfare of those of African decent who now reside in the United States. Bongo, though a practicing Muslim, sought the assistance of Rodney Sampson CEO of The Intellect Group and founder of the World Christian Times, to develop a presence in the US whereby the Gabonese President could effect change in the lives of many Americans. The Living Legacy Foundation, a US non-profit organization based out of Atlanta and chaired by Bongo, has now been launched to train and raise up one million young leaders in the US, Africa and around the world.

The announcement of the organization has received broad support from a number of world leaders in politics, faith and business, including Bishop Mike Jocktane of France and Gabon and Bishop Carlton Pearson of the US. ""After I was approached by President Bongo's senior advisor Bishop Mike Jocktane, about representing and advising the President in North America and Gabon, my firm conducted extensive due diligence on both President Bongo and his country."", states Sampson. ""Simply put, Bongo gets things done and facilitates real change. This global leader doesn't just talk a good game, he delivers - locally and abroad. That is refreshing when talking about any head of state"".

Living Legacy will target the pop and hip hop culture within the US. ""We will accomplish our goals and objectives through a number of high profile international events, ""train the trainer"" training techniques, organizational partnership and strategic outreach,"" said Rodney Sampson. ""Our first major event, Leadership 2006, will be held next year in Atlanta.""

In direct contrast to how President Bongo's political opposition in the upcoming election portrays him, Bongo's inaugural event for the Living Legacy Foundation, LEADERSHIP 2006 is a major highly progressive global leadership event bringing together prominent leaders in business, politics, religion and government from all faiths, creeds and disciplines. Some dignitaries, celebrities and other prominent figures that have been invited to participate are: Former South African President Nelson Mandela; former US President Bill Clinton; Reverend Jessie Jackson; The Honorable Minister Lewis Farrakhan; Rick Warren; John Maxwell; actor Chris Tucker; Bono; and Kanye West. This divergent group will converge in Atlanta to exchange, contribute and plan the execution of real ongoing activities for cultivating tomorrow's leadership.

Despite criticism from his opponents, it seems that President Bongo's growing legacy is one of ""stable change for the better"". It is not always the loudest in the group that gets the most done. Sometimes the person who has been around the longest is the one who can get results in the real world. That about sums up Gabon and the leader of this Island of Tranquility, Omar Bongo.

Bruce Prokopets Executive Editor Press Direct International

About the author: Bruce Prokopets is the Executive Editor of Press Direct International

Paddles, Portages And Pings On Leadership

2008-12-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Kerri Salls

After 3 long days of a very intensive workshop in Toronto, a group of us decided to go canoeing for a day, up in Barre, Ontario (an hour north of Toronto) on the Nottawasaga River. It was a warm day, the water was warm, and no one else was on this pristine flat-water river winding through a protected swamp.

We had idyllic moments out of time, we had mishaps and laughs, and we had the slogs of carrying canoes and gear (called a portage) around logjams in the river more than a few times, as well the insufferable companionship of mosquitoes.

Why am I sharing this with you? I want to share some of the pings of the day, and the pings were all about leadership and the dynamics of leadership. It was reassuring and inspiring to see leadership arise from a number of different people in the group adding strength and depth all around.

Great leaders are always working on themselves. In this case, the leaders never stopped paddling. They led by example. In spite of the mosquitoes, they stayed focused on the objective of the day, 19 km through utter wilderness.

Exemplary leaders don't push or manage a lot. They problem solve, then inspire and motivate the team. You can be a strong leader without being impolite. When a canoe capsized, a leader didn't wait for the organizer to suggest it, a leader just handed people life jackets and said ""Put it on"", because it was the right thing to do. Another leader figured out how to recover, right and empty the canoe.

Leadership means learning to be bold without being a bully. To build your influence, you've got to walk the talk in front of your group, team, or clients. You've got to tackle the first problem, seize the moment and make quick decisions. In our case, it was a leader choosing the portages.

Leadership also means learning to develop humor - but without folly. It's OK to be witty but not silly, to have fun and be funny without being foolish. A leader's response to the first person getting dunked in the river was to put a positive spin on the slight mishap -- just like we all do for a baby learning to walk or a child learning to ride a bicycle. This leadership skill was brought out in many of our leaders later on the trip when we kept sinking into the mud, or shoes got stuck in the mud. One leader unabashedly sang old songs on the portages as a distraction from mosquitoes feasting on us.

Leaders are good at dealing with reality. They accept life as it is. This is not fatalism or the opposite of optimism. It's practicality. It's a constructive approach to the truth. On the river, when the mosquitoes and logjams got to us all late in the day, there was a dramatic switch in group dynamics. Leaders recognized what had to be done, picked up the pace and just did it without discussion, negotiation or complaining.

In the end, I think we had more fun and the adventure was more memorable because of the challenges that brought out the strengths in each of us. As leaders, we want to inspire the people around us to bring out their strengths too. So what adventure will you organize to inspire the people around you?

About the author: Kerri Salls, MBA runs a virtual business school to train, consult and coach small business CEO's and entrepreneurs in 10 key strategies to make more profit in less time. Learn more at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/products.html or sign up for a free weekly newsletter at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/newsletter.shtml

Leadership Power Stress: (Part 2) Three Keys to Renewal

2008-12-21T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.

"Power stress is part of the experience that results from the exercise of influence and sense of responsibility felt in leadership positions." - (Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, Resonant Leadership, Harvard Business School Press, 2005)

Leadership requires the exercise of influence or power. It involves responsibility for the organization, and it requires the sacrifice of personal needs for those of company. Leaders are under continual scrutiny and evaluation. All these things increase the pressure and leads to power stress.

Without awareness of power stress, and what is needed to renew oneself, leaders are vulnerable to burnout and dissonance with the people they lead.

The Leadership Paradox

Daniel Goleman, authority on emotional intelligence in organizations, calls this the leadership paradox: "For leaders, the first task in management has nothing to do with leading others; step one poses the challenge of knowing and managing oneself."

This includes:

- Connecting with the deep values that guide us

- Imbuing our actions with meaning

- Aligning our emotions with our goals

- Keeping ourselves motivated

- Keeping ourselves focused and on task

When we act in accord with these inner measures, we feel good about what we do. Such emotions are contagious. When we as a leader feel positive, energized, and enthusiastic about our work, so do those we influence. But we can only maintain high effectiveness when we are able to manage the cycles of sacrifice and renewal.

Three Keys in the Renewal Process

Step one is to be vigilant and aware of when we are out of touch with ourselves and those we lead. We can't know this without having a highly developed sense of self-awareness and other-awareness, two key elements of emotional intelligence.

Honing the skills of awareness leads to mindfulness - becoming aware of what's going on inside and around us on several levels. Mindfulness is living in a state of full, conscious awareness of one's whole self, other people, and the context in which we live and work.

Two other elements contribute to recuperation and renewal: hope and compassion. Hope enables us to believe that the future we envision is attainable. Closely tied with an attitude of optimism, hope helps us to move toward our goals and visions while inspiring others.

The third critical element for renewal is compassion. Connecting with other people's wants and needs gives us another source of energy and recuperation. Compassion lifts a leader out of the small-minded worries that center on oneself. It expands our world by putting the focus on others. It is such connection and compassion that will prevent leaders from falling into the trap of arrogant self-absorption. That shift allows leaders renewal of spirit. And renewal of spirit is not only crucial for leaders in sustaining themselves, but also for maintaining the efficacy of leadership.

The Brain and New Age Rhetoric

Before you dismiss the concepts of mindfulness, hope and compassion as being new-age rhetoric, pay attention to the research. Recent studies in management science, psychology and neuroscience all point to the importance of the development of mindfulness and the experiences of hope and compassion. These practices are supported by scientific evidence.

It boils down to the brain. The brain processes information and sends signals to the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous systems. These two systems create bodily reactions of either fight, flight, or relaxation and calm.

Optimal functioning involves both systems, those that lead to action, and those that lead to recuperation. Unfortunately, in organizations little emphasis or encouragement is given to renewal and recovery activities.

Here are some common recovery rituals that involve the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for renewal:

Meditation

Walking (also a way of meditating)

Yoga and stretching

Sports (either team or individual, competitive or not)

Dancing and singing

Humor and laughing

Listening to music

Seeing films

Reading books (novels as well as business related)

Doing volunteer work

Teaching classes

Participation in religious or philosophical groups

Hobbies

Family projects

Of course, each of these activities involve the whole body and both nervous systems. The key is in one's attitude. It is possible to let ambition and competitiveness interfere with the relaxation and recovery processes at any time. Again, the key is in being aware and mindful of how we manage our thoughts, our bodies and our spirits.

There is a big difference between good leadership practices that can be defined and tracked, and trendy, empty words commonly found in popular magazine articles. These ideas - that leadership power stress can be managed by employing mindfulness, hope and compassion for renewal - are not only logical, but validated by scientific research.

As relevant practices, they are also applicable. They not only make sense, but they can be easily adopted in the context of a leader's work world. There are several exercises one can engage in to develop self and other-awareness, to increase mindfulness. Like many leadership development tasks, it is best to engage the services of a qualified executive coach.

This is part 2 of a 2 part article on Leadership Power Stress by author Patsi Krakoff. In part 1, we examined the causes of power stress.

About the author: Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. writes articles for business and executive coaches and consultants. She provides articles on leadership and executive development for sale, and formatted into customized newsletters. Get Patsi's Secrets of Successful Ezines 7-Step Mini-Course to learn what you need to know to publish a successful ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezi ne_MiniCourse

Three Key Elements To Improving Leadership

2008-12-20T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Kerri Salls

Great leadership is the key to success. Great communication is the key to great leadership. Think of any great leader in modern time: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr, and John F. Kennedy come to mind immediately. They were powerful leaders because they could inspire people to follow them. It was their ability to articulate their vision that made them successful in achieving their goals.

In your organization you must be the leader who inspires the team to great heights. To get them to follow you, be sure they are listening to your values and your vision, and then establish the right environment for them to thrive and grow.

Values

When I mention values, everyone nods their heads as if of course, Kerri, that's obvious. But, when I check up on this piece, I find the last time they discussed their values - personal and professional - with their team, was often in the interview before their people were even hired.

You must clearly know your personal values and your organization values to lead effectively. For example, do the answers to these questions come readily to mind?

Personally:

1. What do you stand for? 2. What is most important to you? 3. What would you like your life to demonstrate? 4. What is your personal mission in life?

Professionally:

1. What do you stand for? 2. What are you willing to do to get new business? 3. What are you not willing to do? 4. Do you have a professional mission statement?

Quality leaders don't change their values over time or to achieve short-term success. Consistent core organizational value systems form the strong foundation for long-term success.

A simple definition is that your values are the rules by which you play the game. A well-defined value system makes all decisions easier and encourages your team to go where you lead.

Vision

It's easy to say you have a vision for your business. It's your lifeblood. You know it inside out. Writing it down is the next step. Sharing it widely with your team is imperative too. Even more importantly, your vision for the business must provide a unifying picture so that everyone on the team - regardless of job function - can see exactly where you're going and the importance of their role in getting there. Therefore, the clearer the concept and the clearer (i.e., short and simple) the message is, the more likely you, and your team, can achieve the goal. Your vision needs to answer three questions. And it must answer those three questions for everyone on the team.

1. What do we do? 2. How do we do it 3. For whom do we do it?

As Jim Collins proved in his book, From Good to Great, this is not a 30 minute, one meeting exercise. This requires 100% participation. It can't be a top-down decision. It must be iterative and inclusive.

Environment

Andrew Carnegie said: ""You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best."" When you understand what is at the core of your team members, you can serve them and allow them to reach their full potential. Value their uniqueness. Your team members are your internal customers. You must treat them at least as well as your external customers. This is the highest level of customer service.

Shape the right work environment and you'll have loyal team members to lead. That means, you have to create a work environment that respects each person, appreciates them and rewards their effort, and encourages an openness to change. Make it a safe environment, one which encourages trying new ideas. When you unleash personal creativity, each team member has a stake in the outcome. It's an environment that promotes growth at all levels. Combine all three elements and you have a formula for inspiring greatness and leading to breakthrough success. Do it now!

Do You Have The Leadership Trait In You To Pick The Right Player For The Right Job? Learn To Be an Ace with Mind Mapping

2008-12-19T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Dr. Vj Mariaraj

An important aspect of leadership is having the ability to choose the right people for the right job. This is a vital role that leaders will invariably be called upon to perform. In any team sport, a great deal of time is spent in picking the right players for the game. Selection is done keeping these factors in mind as player's skill, form, the right place in the team and the likely opposition that the team will confront. As in sports, in business too, leaders need to select the right team and players for a particular job, assign them specific tasks in line with their skills and proficiencies. To field a match-winning team, you first need to understand the game to be played and the skills and abilities required to play it. A football team cannot play baseball if you aim to win at the top. Also, you have to place the right player at the right position.

In order to make the right choice, you first need to simplify the broader team goals into specific, individual tasks. You can write down the task list and rank them in the order of priority. You then have to analyze the competencies required to undertake each task. Weighing the competencies of each team member and assigning tasks that matches their competencies, will help you in selecting the right candidate for the right job.

However, more often you will find that a person may excel in certain areas but may be found wanting in others. Or you may find an employee at a lower rung exhibiting similar skill power. You may find such gaps and overlaps, revealing the need for providing training in those areas where they are deficient. Having back-ups for important tasks in case you lose key people, and ensuring to have a diverse team than with similar background are other critical factors involved in the process of selection.

Thus it will be obvious to you that recruitment is often an elaborate process that begins with advertising, screening resumes, administering test, interviewing candidates, selecting the best candidates and giving them needed training. But the whole set of tasks can be made simpler by using Mind Map.

Using Mind Maps you can clearly outline the specific job position under a main heading and note down all the tasks that the job entails under it. You can then explore at length the traits that will be required for each of the tasks relating to the job assignment. You can use particular color to distinguish fundamental abilities/traits from the general qualities.

Similarly, you can frame a simple outline on those skills and traits for testing the candidates. Highlighting these in a different color, you can decide on the possible methodology that will best bring these out from the candidates, in order to make a proper evaluation. You can then have the basic criteria, not just in terms of test ranking, but also in the soft skills that the candidate brings in, such as communication abilities, confidence level, attitude, disposition, etc.

Matching the hardcore competencies of a candidate with the soft skills, you can set a minimum standard to be eligible for interview. Ranking the candidates on all criteria and choosing the best among them can be greatly facilitated by using Mind Map. Utilizing symbols you can group all those candidates revealing the need for training, and those excelling in most areas for direct task handling.

When you integrate all these entire process of recruitment into one major Mind Map, you will, at a glance, gain a comprehensive picture of the full procedure involved. You will have complete grip over your recruitment process of picking the right person for the right job. Whenever you have new thoughts or ideas on a particular aspect, you can easily incorporate them and comprehend the links and associations between the various stages of recruitment. All these and much more are possible with Mind Map. Mind Map helps you to fine tune your recruitment process and ensure you are on the right track to pick the right candidate for the right job.

About the author: Dr. Vj Mariaraj is a Mind Map enthusiast and has been using Mind Maps for the past twelve years. He has created over 5650 Mind Maps. To learn more about mind mapping send an email to freemindmap@aweber.com . He is the founder of BusinessBookMindMap.com that creates Mind Map Summaries of Businees Books. To learn more visit http://BusinessBookMindMap.com/mind-map.php?go=14

Leadership Formulas

2008-12-18T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Mike Beitler

Do we really believe outstanding leadership is so simple that we can boil it down to a simple formula? Could any single formula explain the likes of Gandhi, Jack Welch, and Bill Gates? Of course not.

Individual human beings are amazingly complex. Interactions between individuals and groups are even more complex. Leadership represents one of the most complex forms of human interaction. In any given leader-follower relationship countless things are happening simultaneously: ego needs, security needs, needs for power, needs for approval, needs for affiliation, needs for achievement, etc., etc.

Nevertheless, many authors continue to offer simple formulas for leadership success. John Maxwell alone has written enough leadership books to fill your garage. Maxwell's ideal leader would, no doubt, be effective in the church where he is the pastor. But, could you imagine a Maxwell-like leader being taken seriously in the business world or in the military?

Jim Collins, after writing his extraordinary book ""Good to Great,"" decided to simplify the leadership phenomenon to a few paradoxical combinations: humble and willful, or shy and fearless. He calls these paradoxical combinations Level Five Executive Leadership, ""a necessary requirement for transforming an organization from good to great.""

Collins uses Abraham Lincoln as an example of a Level Five Executive Leader. While we all admire Abe Lincoln, could you imagine Lincoln as CEO of Microsoft or Amazon.com?

In my own articles and books, I offer a leadership model that is more complex than the ""pop"" models. It is more complex, but it also offers some practical guidance. My leadership model considers the characteristics of the leader, the characteristics of the followers, and the characteristics of the task.

In any leadership situation, of course, we want to look at the characteristics of the leader. My argument with the leadership characteristics described in the ""pop"" literature is against the tendency to be overly simplistic.

We must also consider the follower characteristics in a leader-follower relationship. An interesting body of literature about follower characteristics emerged several years ago. Unfortunately, this type of study has not been very popular because it does not appeal to the people who seek simplistic ideas about leadership success.

Finally, in my work, I have urged individuals and organizations to consider the characteristics of the task at hand. The highly effective tank commander in combat situations may not be the best choice to lead the new Sunday School at your church.

Leadership will continue to be a fascinating topic. Some of the best research on leadership is being conducted right here in Greensboro, North Carolina (where I live) at the Center for Creative leadership (CCL). The findings of CCL's research may not be found at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, but reading CCL's research is well worth the investment of your time.

About the author: Dr. Mike Beitler is the author of ""Strategic Organizational Change."" Read 2 free chapters of the book right now at http://www.strategic-organizational-change.com/

Your Leadership Style

2008-12-17T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Eric Garner

If you want to succeed as a leader, you need to be comfortable with moving around the spectrum of leadership styles. Sticking with just one style means that you become predictable and hence, as a leader, dispensable. It also means that your style of leading may not fit the needs of the team or task. So, learn what the 4 leadership styles are and develop yourself to become skilled in each of them.

1. The Directive Style. The directive leadership style is the style most people equate with ""strong"" leadership. When people say they want more leadership, they usually mean they want more direction. In military terms, this is leading from the front or by example. Although the directive, -- or command-and-tell -- style, is out of favour today, it is still the style you must use in new, unfamiliar, or critical situations when the team face a threat.

So, if the directive style is not your natural style, how do you become more effective at it? Here are 7 quick clues:

1. put more effort into planning so that you look ready

2. look the part: dress confidently; make every move count; avoid hesitation

3. rehearse your performance so that you look authoritative in front of others

4. master assertive language: talk clearly and a little louder than normal

5. keep your communication short and to the point; cut out the use of descriptive adjectives.

6. get active; look busy; be a good time manager

7. be decisive; make up your mind and go with it.

One other useful pointer: it is easier to start with a hard impression and soften it later than to start with a soft impression and harden it later.

2. The Consultative Style. If the directive style puts task before team, the consultative style puts team before task. This is the style you'll use when you need to talk to the team, hear what they have to say, understand them, and take them with you. If the directive style calls for a typically masculine approach, the consultative style calls for a typically feminine approach: hard versus soft.

To master the consultative style, you need to master team meetings. Use the following approaches:

1. get the team together, if necessary, off site

2. avoid too many meetings with individual team members or you will create mistrust and suspicion

3. involve the team in the planning of meetings

4. be prepared to hear things you don't like 5. decide where on the scale you want to be: at one end, the purely consultative in which you listen and then decide; or at the other end, the consensual where you and the team decide together

6. practise concentrated listening

7. give everyone a chance to talk. Notice who doesn't speak readily. Find a balance. Seek contrary views to the loudest.

3. The Problem-Solving Style. The problem-solving style of leadership goes under various names. Ken Blanchard calls it the ""selling"" style (in contrast to ""telling""). Other writers call it the participative style or negotiating style or the win-win style. If the directive style is top-down (ie from you downwards) and the consultative style is bottom-up (ie from them upwards), then the problem-solving style is sideways: us together as equals working things out. The problem-solving style is the right style to use when there is conflict in the team.

Here are some techniques to use to make you a better problem-solving leader:

1. believe that in every conflict with the team, there is a solution in which both sides (you and the team) can get what you want

2. state your own position clearly and consistently. Listen carefully to theirs.

3. focus on issues not personalities

4. find the emotional blocks such as their fears and anxieties. These often result in people playing games. Knock these down by building trust.

5. seek common ground

6. battle on to find a creative solution based on principles

7. summarise frequently.

4. The Delegated Style. For those who are not used to the delegated style of leadership, it first looks like an abdication of leadership. It's the style where you take a back seat and appear to do nothing. In reality it is one of the hardest of styles to use. It means letting go of control so that the team can make their own decisions. You trust them and first time round that can be hard.

Here are some ways to develop your delegating style:

1. Make it safe for the team to try things out. 2. focus on them: ""What would you do?"" ""What do you think?"" ""What do you feel we should do?""

3. resist the temptation to jump in and rescue them when things go wrong; they can learn so much more by sorting it out themselves.

4. move gradually. If people aren't used to this style, they may suspect your intentions.

5. praise every success

6. find the right distance: not too close that you are seen to be checking them, not too far away that they feel abandoned.

7. check back regularly that things are OK.

Your ability to move around these four styles, and the shades in-between, will tell others just how good a leader you really are. You won't always get it right. Sometimes, you'll call the team for a chat when they want decisiveness. Sometimes, you'll try to sell your ideas when what they want is for you to leave them alone. But as you develop your reading of situations, you'll come to know instinctively just what your best action should be.

About the author: © Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com

For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit ManageTrainLearn and download amazing FREE training software. And while you're there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now!

How to Easily Unlock Your Leadership Genius

2008-12-16T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Daegan Smith

In psychology, a famous doctor said the mind is like an iceberg with only a tip visible above the water and the larger part is submerged. Studies show that humans only use 10% of the brain in doing the various tasks everyday. The other 90% is just kept in storage.

Can one imagine what would happen if people had the ability to tap the unused resources? That person can do miracles and itís not only about getting rich.

People who are leaders in the respective industries thrive because of attitude. If a person strongly believes that one will succeed, it will happen. If the person feels negative even if given an opportunity to shine, it will end in failure.

So how does one go about unlocking this potential inside? The answer is simple and that is to first have confidence.

Everyone has the potential to succeed in life. By taking charge and responsible for all the actions one does instead of blaming others for things that didnít happen, the person understands that the ball is in the individualís hand and it is the choice of the individual what will be the outcome in life.

The next thing a person needs to do is to be open in learning new things. People who have succeeded in life always have a role model to look up to. In a way, it is having a mentor who taught, inspired and checked on the person to succeed.

In the corporate world, one can enhance this thirst for knowledge by participating in seminars and trainings given by consultancy firms and pursuing a masterís degree where lessons are done based on case studies and experiences which are shared among students.

The entire time, one must enjoy and love what the person is doing at work. Any person who stays a year or more in any job continues to do so not because of the money but because that person is having fun. It is hard to do anything if one does not have the heart or passion for it.

In team sports, the group has a common goal. This is shared among family and friends who also show support. If the person has a specific goal in mind, one can share it so others can help out a long the way which may make it easier for the person to succeed.

When there is an opportunity at work to show ones potential, the individual should seize the moment. This will make other people see the ideas one has and if these are good, one will be encouraged to do more.

Geniuses are born and not made. This is the reason why everyone has the potential of becoming one. All it takes is for that person to unlock it then showing it to the world.

On the part of the individual, the brain needs exercise to keep it sharp. This can be done by reading books, solving puzzles and other brain teasers. It takes time for one to excel in any endeavor. By starting out small then applying the lessons learned from experience and other people, a person can do wonders.

Inventors create new things because these people see a need. By overcoming these and not losing track of the goal, one will eventually succeed. It took the Wright brothers more than 4 years before the airplane flew into the air. If people gave up after the first failure, the world would not have airliners today making it easier for everyone to travel.

Sometimes, the answers to questions are not available in an instruction manual. This will need a little ingenuity on the part of the person. The individual must rely on gut feel or instinct which is the little voice in oneís head that sometimes tells the person to do something. This is the similar to people who survived a plane crash and will do whatever it takes to make it out alive and be rescued.

There are many ways in solving a problem with many possible answers but there is only one answer that will bring out the best result. With that, one should sometimes think out of the box in getting the job done.

About the author: Daegan Smith the owner of Net MLM Articles and the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE => http://www.comlev.com

A Monster Of A Leadership Challenge: The Creature That Ate Your Career

2008-12-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

Word count: 815

Summary: All leaders experience fear, failure and self-doubt many times throughout their careers. The author combines the three into one creature he calls Ghidora. Ghidora is the name of the three-headed movie monster that engaged Godzilla in a titanic struggle. You're not a Godzilla, of course, but you can go a long way in defeating this beast through tips provided here.

A Monster Of A Leadership Challenge: The Creature That Ate Your Career by Brent Filson

In the 1964 movie, ""Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster"", King Ghidorah was a gigantic, dragon-like creature that came from outer space. It had three heads on long necks, bat-like wings, no arms, and twin tails. It terrorized Tokyo until Godzilla, in a role reversal as protector rather than destroyer, defeated it in a terrible battle and chased it back into outer space.

As a leader, you don't have to go to the movies to face Ghidorah. You do it every day. Ghidorah is the three-headed monster of fear, failure, and self-doubt. How you deal with the triple threat will determine to a great extent how your career develops.

Though fear, failure and self-doubt are each separate, they cannot be separated: The prospect of failure can lead to fear of failure, and fear of failure can lead to self-doubt, which closes the cycle by leading back to fear of failure.

Of course, this is not strictly linear. Three-headed Ghidorah is comprised of any number of combinations. For instance, self-doubt may lead to failure or failure may lead to self-doubt, which leads to fear.

Don't concern yourself with the combinations that can afflict you. Concern yourself instead with how to deal with Ghidorah. The first thing to understand about how to deal with the monster is that if you're NOT dealing with Ghidorah, you're doing something wrong. Leadership is not about living an easy life for ourselves but a hard life for other people and for the organizations you serve. Fear, failure, and self doubt are a natural outcomes of good leadership.

That's especially so for leaders who are trying to motivate people to meet extraordinary challenges.

You'll never know how good you are as a leader unless you are motivating others to be better than they think they are. In that endeavor, you'll inevitably get at least some of the people angry.

Most people are settled into a comfortable status quo and resist and resent being challenged to break out.

But if you aim to get great results, people not only have to be pushed but more importantly, they must be challenged to push themselves.

So, if you're not getting some people angry with you over the pushing, you're doing something wrong as a leader, you're not challenging people enough.

The second thing is that if you face Ghidorah head on, you'll find that fear, failure and self-doubt are your benefactors; for Ghidorah can be your partner in achieving limitless results.

For instance, I worked with the CEO of a company that proved results are limitless. In the 1930s, the company was making tea bag paper. Over the years, they kept changing and improving their products so today they are making high tech thermoplastics. Going from making tea bag paper to high tech thermoplastics involved innovation, hard work, and great leadership. My bet is that fear, failure and self-doubt were driving factors in that three-generation, results-are-limitless evolution.

Don't simply overcome Ghidorah. Instead, use Ghidorah -- use fear, failure and self-doubt as your results-partner. To do so, you need to cultivate your inner, submerged strengths.

An assault by Ghidorah is an opportunity for us to manifest strengths we did not know we possessed.

""I'm afraid I might fail."" - We can manifest perseverance.

""I doubt if I can do this."" -- We can be innovative.

""I have failed."" -- We can evince patience, tenacity, and resilience.

My leadership processes, which today may look simple, clear, and robust, were developed with my grappling countless times with Ghidorah. There is not a process I teach that did not have its birth in a failure of one kind or another. Often, I really didn't understand the process until I first failed in trying to put it into action. I have to give Ghidorah much of the credit for their success.

Over time, as we keep manifesting our strengths in the face of Ghidorah's assaults, we tend to avoid getting carried away by appearances or our mercurial desires but instead will gradually actualize a centered leadership. The more we assess our strengths in times of affliction, the more easily assessable those strengths become.

But that's not all. Here's the final secret: We manifest these strengths not just for ourselves but also for the people we lead; for when we face Ghidorah, we show others the path; and in doing so, help them tap into their own inner strengths, creating a motivational bond between you..

King Ghidorah was brought to life on the movie screen by a stunt actor inside an elaborate costume, with a team of puppeteers controlling the beast's many appendages. When tough challenges call forth Ghidorah in your leadership, you may see that the creature is, similarly, not substance but the dazzle of our minds and emotions, reminding us that leadership begins not when we grasp at outward appearances but when hold to our center and the resources flowing from that center.

About the author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at ht

Eight Leadership Techniques for Outstanding Teams

2008-12-14T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Ed Sykes

Apply the following eight leadership techniques to create highly motivated, self-directed, and extremely productive employees and teams:

1. Provide Clear Expectations

Winning organizations know where they are going and what is required to get there. Employees constantly need to know what they need to accomplish. Communicating expectations in a clear, concise manner is important. It's also important to communicate your expectations on an individual, department, and organizational level. Continue communicating your expectations on an ongoing basis. Whether one-on-one, through memos, or in a team meeting, keep communicating your expectations.

2. Give Your Employees the Tools for Success

New computers are acquired, but no training is provided for the computers; or worse, the training doesn't meet the need of the employees to be successful. The policies are not implemented or followed, so employees are hindered by barriers. Time and time again I hear from employees in my workshops that management doesn't give them the necessary tools for success. Here's the secret: Ask your employees what they need, and then give it to them.

3. Recognize Good Work

Take the time to recognize good work. Recognize employees for finding solutions, failing less, learning more, taking initiative, working with others, creating outstanding customer service solutions, sharing ideas; and the list goes on. You get the idea. Take time to give a sincere compliment for work well done and you, your organization, and your employees will reap the rewards.

4. Get Interested in Your Employees

Take the time to find out what interests your employees. Find out what their passions are in life. Is it their families? Is it a sport or hobby? Is it a vintage car or boat? Is it that they want to accomplish the next level in their education? Is it a career goal? Whatever it is, the great leaders take the time to find out how to help their employees accomplish their goals. Leaders know that by helping their employees succeed in life, the employees will have more passion about helping their leaders accomplish their goals.

5. Value Their Opinions

Employees want to be involved in the process at work. Giving their opinions is one way to accomplish this. Take the time to really listen to what your employees are saying. Take the time to ask questions. Take the time to acknowledge their opinions. Will all employees give opinions in a positive way? No. Our job as a leader is to set the parameters for giving opinions in such a way that states a positive outcome for all. You might say, ""Mike, you have a lot of valuable ideas and I appreciate that you take the time to share them. So that everyone gets the most out of your ideas, please communicate them with a positive outcome in mind."" Now you have set the tone for giving opinions. Also take the time to really listen for the ""gold nuggets"" of information when an employee gives you an opinion. They are sharing an idea, a concern, or an emotion that you may be able to address to help take your organization to the next level.

6. Grow Your Employees

Encourage your employees to develop themselves. Encourage them to take classes, delegate tasks and challenging assignments, and then provide support. I say this because I run into employees who tell me the following:

""The company wants us to take additional classes and even offers tuition reimbursement. However, when I ask my manager to approve my request or when I actually take the courses, he/she makes comments inferring that these classes might interfere with work. That's not fair.""

No, it's not fair. If your employees want to develop themselves, support them. Be the Captain of Progress and remove the barriers to development. Don't worry about losing your employees. Once you do this, they will become even more loyal to your goals and word will quickly spread that you are the person to work for because you develop your people for success.

7. Communicate the Progress

Many times I will ask the participants in our team building program, ""How often does your manager, supervisor, or vice president sit down with you and give you a progress report, informal evaluation, or job evaluation?"" The majority of the participants will say once or maybe twice a year during the formal review progress.

This should never happen! Outstanding leaders realize that ongoing communication is the key to outstanding performance and that employees yearn for this feedback. Outstanding leaders make sure their followers constantly know where they stand. They are constantly communicating with their employees in relationship to the overall goals. They are constantly recognizing their employees' stellar performances and coaching them in ""areas of improvement."" Empathy, consistency, honesty, and a positive attitude when giving employees feedback are important to the way the employees receive the feedback.

8. Make Partners of Your Employees

Once we get past the money reason as to why people work for you, we realize that one of the reasons why employees work for your organization is the following: ""I want to make a difference."" Time and time again you will find people working for organizations when they could easily be compensated elsewhere far more than what they are actually receiving; but they enjoy working for that organization because they believe in the organization's mission, values, and goals and believe they are making a difference in that organization.

Make your employees your partner in achieving your goals. Communicate the mission, values, and goals and ask them how they see themselves in relationship to these goals. Ask your employees for feedback on how to better accomplish these goals. Involve them in the decision-making process and let them have a vested interest in the success for the project.

Take these leadership steps today to take you, your employees, and your teams to the next level of success.

About the author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter and receive your free ebooks.

2 Essentials of Leadership

2008-12-13T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Arthur cooper

http://www.arthurcooper.com/

There are many human qualities that make a leader. Leadership is an amalgam of skills and attributes of all sorts, some more tangible than others.

There are, however, two essentials that every leader must possess, without exception. These are Vision and Communication Skills.

All leaders must have a vision of what they want to achieve and what they want to do. No one can hope to lead others if they don't themselves know what they are going. It is the essential first element. It is what sets the tone. It is what fires up the necessary drive and desire. The vision of the end result is what keeps the leader driving on towards his goal throughout difficulties and setbacks. A leader, then, must be a visionary.

But to be a visionary is not enough. A visionary can see the future as it could be. He can see the result vividly in his mind's eye. He can point the way to others. He can even set off on his own to go there himself. But none of that makes him a leader. A leader takes others with him.

The have been plenty of visionaries in history who have predicted and foreseen advances to science and technology. There have been visionaries who have imagined better societies. In business there have been visionaries in the form of inventors of new and better ways of doing or making things. Many of these had wonderful visions of what could be achieved. They were brilliant people, but were they leaders? Did they persuade others to follow in their dreams? Did they have the power to communicate their vision to others?

Some certainly did and were the leaders of their time. Others did not. Their vision was never achieved in their lifetime, or indeed ever, despite the fact that the vision was sound and the goal achievable. They failed because they failed to convince others of the rightness of their cause. They failed to turn their vision into reality because they could not convince others to share it. They lacked the communication skills to convince others.

In business this is seen as the man or woman with a host of ideas of how to do things better, or cheaper, or with a vision of where the company should be going, but to whom no one listens. His ideas may be brilliant and his vision may be wonderful, but he cannot convince others that he is right. To be a leader you must persuade with argument and logic, certainly, but you must do more if you want to bring you ideas to fruition. You must fire people up. You must enthuse them and excite them if you want to lead them forwards.

Leadership is about communicating your vision to others to the point where they too want to see it fulfilled. They too want to go where you want to go. They see you as a visionary and want to follow you as their leader. You lead and they follow, but they have already been convinced and won over to your cause. They too share the enthusiasm to overcome obstacles and difficulties. They too have the will to keep on when times get hard. They keep pressing on because they want to and not just because you tell them to.

If you can use you communication skills to transmit your vision, then you job as leader becomes infinitely easier. You no longer have to drag people along with you. You just have to point the way.

About the author: Arthur Cooper is a writer and publisher. For his mini-course 'Better Management' go to: h ttp://www.barrel-publishing.com/better_management.shtml

The Secret Building Blocks of Leadership

2008-12-12T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Daegan Smith

What does it take to be the perfect leader? Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect leader. This is the reason why many good leaders try to be better by self-studying, undergoing training workshops or mentoring. Others do the trial-and-error method, committing mistakes and learning from these errors.

What does it take to be an effective leader? Below are 11 principles, or secret building blocks, of leadership.

1. You musk know yourself first and self-improve.

Before you become a great leader, ask yourself first. What do I have that makes me capable of leading? What are my values? What are my attitudes and goals? Studying oneself either through self-reflection or interaction with other people will help you reassess your values and skills needed for leadership. After seeking your attributes and harness them.

2. Know your tasks.

Being a leader does not mean you go bossing around other people, commanding them to do things that you yourself do not know or cannot do. You, of all people, should know your job and your followersí (co-team playersí in others words) as well. Knowing yours and your groupís tasks will guide your ability to accomplish a task.

3. Responsibility is the key.

When you did something wrong in your group or organization, do not blame other people for your mistakes. Mistakes happen all the time and it depends on us on how to improve and not do them the next time they happen. When something goes awry, analyze the situation. Do a corrective measure. And then try not to do it the next time. 4. Good decision-making skills.

A good leader knows how to and does make timely and sound decisions. He or she does that by assessing a problem or task, weighing the pros and cons of a decision, implements it, and evaluates. A good leader also tries to improve his methods in problem solving and decision making so that a situation rises, he or she doesnít panic and make mistakes.

5. Be an example.

If you come to presentations unprepared, what would your subordinates or co-team players think of you? You should lead by example. Address tasks promptly and proficiently. They want to see that you could also handle your responsibilities well ñ and not just them.

6. Look out for your people.

Remember: You work with people. These are not robots, working emotionless. If somebody is very sick, then probably it would be nice if you tell him or her to take a day off. Or when you successfully clinched a deal with a client, donít you think your subordinates would think of you highly when you give them bonuses or some form of reward?

Understand, that like you, they are also people. Know them and appreciate their efforts. Sincerely care for your subordinates.

7. Provide your subordinates with information.

Update your subordinates of the projects that your company or group is currently doing. Tell them your assessments, so that they would also feel your reasons for finishing certain tasks. Let them understand where youíre coming from, so that, in the end, they would also have the same motivation as you when it comes to accomplishing a certain goal.

8. Instill the value of responsibility among your subordinates.

Help your subordinates develop good working habits and character traits. These in turn will help your co-team players handle their responsibilities at work.

9. Communication channels should be open between you and your subordinates.

Communication is the key. You should inform your subordinates your expectations from them. If they have problems, tell them that they can ask you.

10. You are a team.

Remember that you are there with your subordinates to work, as efficiently as possible, to accomplish something.

11. Harness your organizationís capabilities.

If you develop your teamís spirit, you will work as one and by doing so, you will be able to maximize the full potentials of your team.

Remember: Anyone can be a leader. Anyone that is willing and determine to accomplish a goal can be a leader. One can improve his or her traits by focusing on his desirable ones and channel these to defeat the unhealthy traits. That is why there is no such thing as a perfect leader ñ every leader has his or her share of unhealthy traits. Instead, better leaders, try to harness their desirable traits and overcome their ugly ones.

Leadership and Overcoming Adversity: Senator Orrin G. Hatch story

2008-12-11T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Dr Howard Edward Haller

Leadership and Overcoming Adversity: Senator Orrin G. Hatch story, United States Senator (R-Utah)

By Howard Edward Haller, Ph. D.

You will discover the proven success habits and secrets of people who, in spite of difficult or life threatening challenges shaped their own destiny to become successful, effective leaders. The full results of this research will be presented in the upcoming book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller titled ""Leadership: View from the Shoulders of Giants.""

The nine initial prominent successful leaders who overcame adversity that were interviewed included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry Pino, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

The data from the above nine research participants was materially augmented by seven other successful leaders who overcame adversity including: Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence Lanni, Angelo Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and Dr. John Sperling.

Additionally, five internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews of the leadership research findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Dr. John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

This is a short biography of one of the principal participants who generously contributed their time and insight for this important research into the phenomenon of how prominent successful leaders overcome adversity and obstacles.

This Senator Orrin Hatch's story: Orrin Hatch is the surviving son of a lower middle-class Mormon pioneer family from Utah. During the Depression, his family, though penniless, moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Orrin's older brother was killed in Europe while serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II.

Orrin noted, ""I was always someone who was kind of strange to them, in that sense, but they still liked me, because I was a good student, and a good athlete. But there were things I just wouldn't do."" Orrin and his family belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as ""Mormons,"" which was a relative rarity in Pittsburgh at that time. ""I had to prove myself, always being kind of a 'square.' I had to set certain things aside, because of my religious beliefs. I never drank, I never smoked, I never caroused, [and] I never committed sexual sin.""

Orrin said, ""My parents scraped together a little money, bought a wooded acre of land, and then purchased secondhand materials, including partially burned lumber . . . and built their home, board by board with their own two hands."" His father was a ""union-card carrying"" wood lather.

Orrin learned his father's trade and worked as a wood lather while still in high school. Later, Orrin worked his way ""through Brigham Young University as a janitor."" He interrupted his education at BYU to serve a two-year unpaid mission for the Mormon Church. He then returned to BYU, got married, graduated, and returned to Pittsburgh to work at his union construction job.

He got a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, College of Law, and worked his way through law school while providing for his growing family. When Orrin was in law school, he said that he and his ""wife and children literally lived in a converted chicken coop"" behind his parents' home.

Hatch and his young family returned to his parents' home state of Utah so that Orrin could accept a corporate legal position. Shortly after arriving in Utah, Orrin left that corporate job and opened a law firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the senior partner.

Although he had absolutely no political experience, Hatch decided to pursue the Republican Party nomination for the United States Senate race in 1976. He was up against an experienced Republican politician. Hatch won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator.

Now the difficult part began, as he ""ran a campaign against a well-entrenched Democratic incumbent, U.S. Senator Moss."" Senator Hatch shared with me that his ""confidence was not improved"" by the fact that in 1976, ""Moss was a three-time incumbent who could not be beaten. U.S. News and World Report that year had said that Senator Moss' seat was the 'most safe' seat in the Senate."" But Orrin won the battle against the incumbent Senator, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976. Senator Hatch has since been re-elected by his adopted state of Utah four times.

It is customary for new U.S. Senators not to speak out in their freshman terms, but Senator Hatch did not follow that custom. In his first term in the U.S. Senate he led a filibuster to defeat a major labor bill that was heavily backed by the Democrats.

The proposed labor bill, before the U.S. Congress, was critical to the union movement of the late 1970s. ""Union membership was starting to decline, and this bill would have legislatively forced more union membership."" Hatch was very concerned about what some had referred to as the most important labor union bill in four decades. The bill was strongly supported by George Meany, head of the AFL-CIO, and was supported by President Jimmy Carter, as well.

Hatch took on the defeat of this bill as his own ""personal cause."" He said, ""I strongly felt that the proposed labor bill was not in the best interest of the country and would be very detrimental to the U.S. economy, which was already starting to see high inflation entering the picture in the late 1970s."" Hatch added, ""I believed that if this labor bill passed that millions of workers could be forced to join unions and inflation would skyrocket.""

Since 1976, Orrin has been a key member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has served on that Committee during his entire tenure in the United States Senate. Senator Hatch and his wife Elaine live in Vienna, Virginia, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Hatches are active in their Mormon faith; they are happily married with several children and many grandchildren. Orrin, a returned Mormon missionary, also served as a Bishop in the Mormon Church before being elected to the U.S. Senate.

His insightful and informative biography, ""Square Peg: Confessions of a Citizen Senator"" (2002), provides a unique inside perspective of Capitol Hill.

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. Chief Enlightenment Officer The Leadership Success Institute

www.TheLeaderInstitute.com

About the author: Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. is the Chief Enlightenment Officer of the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho based The Leadership Success Institute. His Doctoral dissertation in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga Univ. included interviews with prominent US leaders in business, politics & education. He is turning is leadership Doctoral dissertation into a book titled- Leadership : View From the Shoulders of Giants""

Leadership and Overcoming Several Adversities: US Senator Daniel Inouye's story

2008-12-10T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Dr Howard Edward Haller

Leadership and Overcoming Adversities: Senator Daniel K. Inouye story, United States Senator (D-Hawaii)

By Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.

This groundbreaking leadership research by has received extensive endorsements and enthusiastic reviews from well-known prominent business, political, and academic leaders who either participated in the study or reviewed the research findings. You will discover the proven success habits and secrets of people who, in spite of difficult or life threatening challenges shaped their own destiny to become successful, effective leaders. The full results of this research will be presented in the upcoming book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller titled ""Leadership: View from the Shoulders of Giants.""

This is Senator Daniel Inouye's story. Daniel Inouye is the eldest son of Japanese immigrants who worked on the Hawaiian sugar plantations where Daniel was born and raised. He lived in what he described as a ""Japanese-American ghetto."" He went to the local Hawaiian school, at which ""the student body was 90% ethnic Japanese.""

As a young boy, Daniel accidentally fell and broke his left arm in a terrible compound fracture. The local doctor, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, set the arm. It mended, but not well. In his autobiography, Inouye wrote, ""My arm hung limp and crooked and I could barely move it"" (1968, p. 49). After two years of searching his parents, ""contacted the best orthopedic surgeon in Hawaii,"" who reconstructed Dan's ""left arm and made it good as new.""

That incident formed the basis of Daniel's career goal: to become an orthopedic surgeon. He told the orthopedic surgeon who repaired his arm and restored it to full use, ""I'm going to be a doctor, like you."" He faced racial discrimination when he was nominated to the local honor society in high school and was made to feel most unwelcome there.

While still in high school, Dan became a volunteer with the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Then the ""entire world turned upside down"" on December 7, 1942. After the bombing, the secretary of the local American Red Cross chapter called young Daniel into action immediately, having him ""help with injured people who had been rescued from fallen debris, as well as the other wounded that needed treatment.""

Daniel shared that his life had been changed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor: ""The war came along, and the challenge was immense, not just physical, but emotional. My loyalty, together with those of my generation, was questioned. We were looked upon as enemy agents, and our friends of Japanese ancestry were placed in camps, without any trial. And that was something that, though I was fairly young, I felt had to be overcome."" Though Daniel was of Japanese descent, he was ""100% American."" The following year, when President Franklin Roosevelt finally allowed the Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Americans) to join the United States military, Daniel attempted to enlist, but he was turned down.

Unwilling to accept ""no"" as an answer, he requested information from the draft board concerning his rejection. The clerk found that Daniel was ""working 72 hours a week at the aid station"" of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Dan was told, ""You're already making an essential defense contribution, and you're enrolled in a pre-med course at the University, and Lord knows we'll be needing doctors."" So he dropped out of the University of Hawaii and quit his job with the Red Cross. Then he re-applied.

This time his application was accepted. Inouye was bright and eager to serve. ""In the military, there was another challenge, or obstacle."" Dan said, ""I was the assistant squad leader. Then, the youngest person was about two years my senior, and the oldest was about 15 years my senior."" Because these were Japanese-American soldiers who all came from ""a society where age makes a difference . . . where elders are looked upon with a bit more respect than the younger ones, it was a challenge. So, I had to work overtime at that, to justify that position.""

He was promoted rapidly, first to corporal and then to sergeant. Daniel and his unit were sent to Italy to fight. He earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant while fighting in Europe.

In one battle in Italy, near the end of World War II in Europe, young Lieutenant Inouye had his right arm essentially shot off. In spite of the intense pain, he insisted on remaining at the battle scene, directing and protecting his troops, though he had tourniquets on his right shoulder and the stub of that arm. He was decorated for his heroism, receiving a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Service Cross. He was also recommended for, and later received, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Lieutenant Inouye was transferred back to the United States to receive treatment and rehabilitation for his wounds.

Senator Inouye told me, ""I specifically chose to do my rehabilitation as far away from Hawaii as possible,"" because he had always been sheltered. He explained, ""I had experienced only limited contact with anything outside my Japanese-American neighborhood."" He wanted to see how other people lived, and became cultured in the ways of the ""hoale"" [white] world in the process. ""I underwent a 'Pygmalion transformation,' learning how to formally dine with silver and china, attending cultural events and meetings with as many different types of people as I possibly could.""

Inouye shared that his generation, ""in Hawaii, [came] from [Japanese-American] ethnic enclaves [who] spoke a strange brand of pidgin-English. So I felt that if I lived in a community where you were literally forced to change your way of communicating, it would help. And it did.""

Daniel specifically noted, ""In fact, the highest compliment paid was when I returned home to Hawaii, and I opened my mouth to see how [my mother] was, she said, 'You speak like a 'hoale'!"" During his lengthy rehabilitation, Daniel decided to finish college, get a law degree, and then enter into public service.

He left the U.S. Army as a captain, returned to the University of Hawaii, and married a Japanese-American girl, Margaret Awamura. He completed ""law school with a Juris Doctorate at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in just two years,"" and then returned to Hawaii, where he ""took and passed the Territorial Bar exam.""

In 1959 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the new State of Hawaii, becoming the first Japanese-American ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Inouye was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962, and has been re-elected every six years since then. Senator Inouye is the third highest-ranking member of the United States Senate.

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. Chief Enlightenment Officer The Leadership Success Institute

www.TheLeaderInstitute.com

Leadership and Overcoming Adversity: Story of Anthony Bonanzino, Ph.D.,

2008-12-08T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Dr Howard Edward Haller

Leadership and Overcoming Adversity: Story of Anthony Bonanzino, Ph.D., President and CEO of Hollister-Stier

Dr. Howard Edward Haller

This Anthony Bonanzino's story:Anthony Bonanzino was born in a lower middle-class Catholic family in West Haven, Connecticut. ""My mother was a waitress, working two jobs; there was no, as I call it, 'silver spoon.'"" Tony's father worked the graveyard shift at the post office. Anthony was only seven years old when he lost his father.

He said his father's death was ""nothing unusual, it happens all the time; unfortunately he passed away when he was 44."" Tony indicated that he was totally devastated by his father's death, and by his own admission he became incorrigible. He was expelled from a Catholic school in the fourth grade. He had gotten into some minor trouble with the law for mischievous behavior.

Tony shared the story: ""Fortunately, there was a detective on the West Haven, Connecticut police force, who knew me well enough by that point, because I had gotten into so many minor troubles. He wanted to help; he found a school, a free, private school for fatherless boys, in Philadelphia."" The school accepted Tony. The school demanded hard work and unquestioned respect for the teachers, and imposed strict discipline. When he arrived at the school Tony described having anger at the world, but he turned his life around in the eighth grade. Bonanzino graduated from high school at Girard.

He went on to junior college ""for a year and played on the ice hockey team,"" but he was not really focused on his education. He then ""took a year off. I went to Boston University for a period, then I joined the Air Force."" He was trained for a year in Mandarin Chinese and then was assigned for a few months to translate military broadcasts, pilot-to-pilot, and ground-to-pilot communications from Mandarin to English.

Because the Vietnam conflict was over and the military was downsizing, Tony was allowed to leave the Air Force early, with full ""G.I. Bill"" benefits, including educational benefits. ""At the time, full benefits meant full benefits."" He could focus on his studies. Tony graduated from college with a degree in Biology and a concentration in Microbiology. After working for four years, he returned to get a Master's degree in Operations Management.

He then went to work for Bayer AG, the large German pharmaceutical company. Tony described a ""heavily dictatorial"" management style. He indicated that he was a ""pretty unhappy person because the work violated my core values, my beliefs."" He especially deplored what he perceived to be the company's mistreatment of employees. Tony described his frustration when his attempts to ""build the spirit and camaraderie"" of his team within Bayer were thwarted by its ""intransigent management.""

Tony said, ""I was in a very challenging environment, not technically challenging, but emotionally challenging, because my core belief was based on respect of the individual."" But now he found himself in ""an environment that was highly egocentric, debilitating in its treatment of people, and really, a violation of my core beliefs.""

Tony commented, ""I prostituted myself."" Tony described the challenge of remaining in such ""a debilitating, almost evil, environment for so many years, instead of having the courage to walk away."" He added that staying was ""an extraordinarily difficult thing, and it takes a toll on you. It truly takes a toll.""

Tony was sent to Spokane, Washington for an assignment at the Bayer subsidiary, Hollister-Stier Labs, a small pharmaceutical and bio-technology company. When Bayer AG announced that it would sell Hollister-Stier Laboratories, Tony decided to lead a team to negotiate with Bayer for a leveraged buyout of Hollister-Stier Laboratories.

Bonanzino became the new President and CEO and immediately restructured the company, totally changing the firm's management style. He indicated that he eliminated everything he perceived as employee abuse and invited input from his employees. In the process he turned an unprofitable subsidiary of Bayer AG into a strong and profitable separate company with its own corporate identity.

Tony also earned a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and continues to invest a great deal of his time in community projects and various non-profit organizations. He coaches young people in various team sports and still teaches one class each semester at the School of Business at Gonzaga University. He shared that his leveraged buyout of Hollister-Stier Labs is a case study at the Gonzaga School of Business.

I initially interviewed Dr. Tony Bonanzino for almost two hours at his home in Spokane, Washington. Dr. Bonanzino continues to run his successful firm, Hollister-Stier Laboratories, while serving in a number of leadership posts in the Spokane business community.

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. Chief Enlightenment Officer The Leadership Success Institute www.TheLeaderInstitute.com

Leadership Moments

2008-12-07T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: LeadershipMentor.net

Leadership Moments

When I was fresh out of college, I went to work for a rental car company. When you're new, you spend a lot of time picking people up, getting gas, and even changing tires. I live in Phoenix, so the summers are brutal for those that work outside, so this job was tough in the first 6-8 months for new hires.

On a very hot day in August, I had the ""opportunity"" to help a customer change a tire on the side of the freeway. Wearing a long sleeve white dress shirt and tie, I gladly jumped out and began to get the spare tire on the care. While driving back to the office I decided that I was in the wrong line of work. So I made the decision to leave at the end of the week (and pay period).

When I returned to the office, the manager immediately called me into his office. I remember thinking that he picked the wrong person and wrong day. I would just make today my last day. So I sat down in his office, and he smiled and handed me a piece of paper and said, ""I just wanted you to see what I am going to put in your HR file"". So I read the memo, and to my amazement it just a simple paragraph explaining just how much he appreciated my efforts, working long hours and always being pleasant and helpful to customers. Not only did I not quit on that day, I remained with this company for 8 years, working my way up to an Area Manager in charge of 7 rental branches.

Leaders have the opportunity to change lives, careers, and personal situations. In this example, the manager was aware of my frustration and probably sensed that I was at the breaking point. By spending less than 5 minutes writing a few words on paper, he kept me motivated to stay. Leaders who do not have the awareness to know just how each team member is doing will miss these simple opportunities. They will experience much higher turnover, and poor performance that may drag on for months. Is there a team member you have that could use a simple act of motivation and support to get them through a tough time? Make it a point to perform small, simple acts of support on a regular basis. Be a leader that understands that ""leadership"" is a people business.

Kreg Enderson Leadership Mentor/Coach www.LeadershipMentor.net Take a look at our new ""Learning Leaders Mentoring Groups"" Monthly mentoring program for new leaders.

About the author: Kreg Enderson is a certified coach, speaker, and successful leader that helps new leaders gain the confidence and skills to succeed.

Leadership and employees. Eight actions for success

2008-12-06T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Davy Daniels

How can leadership liberate and enable employees Leadership and employees. Eight tips for success Each employee brings a unique set of gifts to an organisation and the role of leadership is to liberate and enable these gifts. How can leadership liberate and enable these?

1.Communicate effectively.

Leaders must make sure the team has clearly defined goals and that those goals align with the overall vision, goals and objectives of the company. People need the stimulation of human communication, particularly in times of change, challenge and uncertainty. What is needed for leadership is to communicate the vision and that involves face to face contact sessions, dialogue and opportunity for people to meet and discuss the key issues. Knowing the company's vision, objectives, and goals will allow the leader and the team to develop strategies that will differentiate their product or service from others and provide them with a competitive advantage.

2.Persuade employees to action.

Set clear goals and show to employees the benefits the company and they will get for their action. Leadership must support them to get those widgets built, sold and delivered.

3.Release the potential of the people.

Any organization contains an incredible amount of human talent, most of which lays undeveloped. It is leadership responsibility to unlock this human potential and engage peoples brains rather than stifling their attempts at being creative in how they go about their work.

4.Reward a great job.

Leadership is needed not only to help the team member to feel better about their job, but to feel more supportive of their mate's work. Leadership needs to roll up the sleeves and get to the front line to see the action that causes the results.

5.Be observant and listen.

The leadership must be observant and listen between the lines of the words the employees are saying. Lack of communication can be a big problem in the workplace.

6.Support their needs.

If a person on your team asks for a piece of equipment, a resource, or additional training don't always make them defend . It will kill morale. If it seems remotely helpful to them, get it. It will let them know you trust them and want to be supportive.

7.Trust to be trusted.

Trust is an important element of good leadership so as to create a team spirit and to unleash the creativity of the employees. It is something that is very hard to earn and very easy to lose. Leadership must trust the team members and they will trust you. Without trust suspiciousness arises and any attempt for creativity is ineffectual.

8.Create understanding.

In any change programme, it is vital that everyone involved knows and understands the reasons behind the change. So often the news of the change and the reasons behind it are spread by rumour and speculation What is needed is a process whereby everyone is informed about the reasons for the change so that understanding is created through the organisation at all levels.

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About the author: To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: Work At Home

Quick Quiz: Helping Others with Leadership Skill Development

2008-12-05T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Richard L. Williams, Ph.D.

Oftentimes a quiz can be an effective learning device. For that reason consider the following questions and see what you learn. Hopefully a few questions will inspire you in the direction of improved management and lead ership skill development . The answers are at the bottom of the column, but please resist the temptation to peak until you have given some serious thought about your answers.

1. How many hours of TV do fathers between the ages of 25-34 watch each week?

a. 10 hours

b. 15 hours

c. 20 hours

d. Almost 26 hours

2. How many hours of TV does the average non-working spouse watch each week?

a. 20 hours

b. 25 hours

c. 30 hours

d. Almost 48 hours

3. How many acts of violence will the average child have witnessed on TV by age 18?

a. 25,000

b. 50,000

c. 75,000

d. 180,000

4. How much time does the average father spend giving meaningful feedback to his children?

a. 1 minute per day

b. 10 minutes per week

c. 20 minutes per week

d. 30 minutes per week

5. How much time each day does the average married couple spend giving meaningful feedback to each other?

a. Less than 4 minutes

b. About 15 minutes

c. Approximately 20 minutes

d. Slightly more than 30 minutes

6. A psychological validation is a specific type of supportive feedback that sustains a person in some way. An invalidation is a critical or sarcastic comment that is hurtful or demeaning. On average, how many invalidations does the average teenager receive each day from: parents, friends, teachers and siblings?

a. 11

b. 21

c. 57

d. 113

7. How many invalidations would the average teenager therefore receive during his or her teenage years (13-19) from the four sources mentioned in question 5? (Do the math)

8. How many validations are you giving your young employees each day to offset the invalidations they are receiving?

9. Some psychologists believe that one effectively delivered validation can offset up to ten invalidations. How many validations are you giving your family members and your employees? How many invalidations do you give or permit others to give in your presence?

10. On average, how much feedback (supportive and corrective) do you give each of your employees each day?

a. 1 minute per day

b. 10 minutes per week

c. 20 minutes per week

d. 30 minutes per week

ANSWERS: 1. d. Almost 26 hours (This is amazing!)

2. d. Almost 48 hours (This is even more amazing!)

3. d. 200,000 (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics)

4. a. 1 minute per day (This is sad, but it explains what is happening to many of our youth.)

5. a. Less than 4 minutes (This explains the 50% divorce rate.)

6. d. 113 (Unbelievable!)

7. 288,715 (Unimaginable!)

8. An effective manager will take every opportunity to deliver validations to all employees, especially those who need them most such as the younger population.

9. An effective manager will not only eliminate invalidations from his or her leadership style, but also will work to ensure that the organizational culture doesn't permit that type of behavior. This is as true at home as it is at work.

10. The needs of feedback are situational and individualistic. Each person's needs are different; it depends on the specific person and the type of situation. Clearly, workers need ample feedback each day from their manager merely to break even. And providing this leadership skill development will help if you want them to resolve problems and/or make progress.

If employees and family members are the most important people in our lives, why are we spending almost 26 hours per week in front of the television? We should be providing more than one minute of our day giving meaningful feedback to our youth. What if those numbers were reversed? What would happen to the problems in our society? Perhaps we ought to introduce ourselves to our employees and families and assist in their lead ership skill development .

About the author: Dr. Richard L. Williams , the author of Tell Me How I'm Doing , is a business consultant specializing in feedback, performance coaching, lead ership skill development , and quality improvement. Contact us at (888)262-2499 or visit our website .

Mastering the Difference Between Leadership and Management

2008-12-04T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Dave Saunders

It is a common belief that management and leadership are the same role. While it is common that a manager also plays the part of the leader, these two roles are truly separate in function and in the way they add to the success of an orginization. By understanding the difference between management and leadership you will become more effective in helping others see the road ahead.

To understand the difference between management and leadership, consider the construction of a new road. To build that road there are workers, machinery and tools which are all vital in the road's construction. Managers help ensure those workers, machinery and tools work together in the most efficient way possible. A manager makes sure those workers are well-trained, motivated, rested and that they know what they're supposed to do next. The manager does the same thing with the tools and the machinery to make sure that they're working correctly and that the workers are able to use them efficiently and safely. This is the role of management. On the other hand, a leader makes sure that the road is going in the right direction before the construction begins. That leader also monitors conditions in new situations to ensure that the road under construction is still the correct one and is still going in the right direction.

How does this affect you as a leader? Are you spending your time managing people when you should be making sure that the road ahead is the one that you want to be on? To expect to be an effective leader you must present a clear vision and a trail you are willing to walk on first. While there are times when it is appropriate for a leader to fill a management role, it is vital to understand the difference between leadership and management so you can be effective no matter which role you happen to be filling at a given time. If you are a leader overseeing managers, it is important that you provide them with the correct perspective so they may be effective in their management role. Don't manage the managers. Lead them.

If you are not in a formal leadership role, it is also important that you understand that when a leadership opportunity arises there is a difference between being a leader and managing the effort. Even if you end up filling both sets of shoes it's important to understand the difference in roles in order to fill them effectively. If, on the other hand, you learn how to lead by showing people that you are walking down the right road, you will become a natural leader and will be able to help many others find success as your achieve your own.

About the author: Learn more about effective leadership by reading ""12 Winning Leadership Qualities: Unleash the Leader Instinct Within You"" at

www.unleashthelea derwithinyou.com

12 tips for effective leadership

2008-12-03T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: John Graham

Having and maintaining effective leadership over people in the workplace, whether they are your employees or just individuals you supervise, is the key to keeping employees producing at their best. Below are 12 quick tips to help you produce and maintain effective leadership at work:

1. Ask yourself, on an ongoing basis, of everything happening what is the most valuable use of my time, right now?

2. Manage your work and your employees by objectives. Effective leadership is demonstrated by instructive your staff on exactly what you would like them to do, and then, where possible, leaving them to get on with it. If it is not possible only provide them with necessary supervision. Do not watch every move.

3. There is a philosophy called the Philosophy of Continuous Improvement. This involves getting a little better at everything you do every day until you are performing to the best of your abilities. If you practice this then your employees will copy you.

4. If you are in charge of an employee that has exceptional talents which you are not currently taking advantage of, but are useful in your workplace, then create a new position for that specific skill.

5. Have an open door policy and take the time to truly listen to your people when they need or want to talk with you. You will increase their motivation by ten-fold.

6. Recognize that people not products or your bottom-line, are your most valuable asset and work to increase the value of your people. This is one of the most important aspects of effective leadership.

7. Make your employees feel important and valuable to the business. Only then will you be able to motivate them to peak performance.

8. Work hard to create a work environment in which people feel terrific about themselves and their duties. Only then will you be demonstrating truly effective leadership.

9. Always keep your word. Do not promise something and forget it and similarly do not warn about the consequences of a particular action then overlook it. Integrity is the most respected and valuable element of effective leadership. Make sure people know where they stand.

10. Take Albert Schweitzer's advice (Humanitarian & Nobel Prize Winner) when he said ""Men must be taught at the school of example, for they will learn at no other.""

11. The leader is the individual who masters his or her fear and moves towards an objective in spite of that fear. Remember everyone is afraid of something you just can't see it in everyone.

12. Dress for success. Image is important when leading other people. It take no more than 4 minutes (often much less) to create a lasting impression of effective leadership. It is important to always work on that 1st impression as employees and customers judge you by the way you act and look in those first 4 minutes.

About the author: John worked for many years in insurance and finance and now writes on a number of topics including small business and financial advice. Go to effective leadership for more information.

10 Tips for Creating a Public Sector Leadership Development Program

2008-12-02T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Marnie E. Green

It's the hottest issue facing today's public sector human resource professionals: workforce and succession planning. At conferences aross the nation, numerous sessions are focusing on the growing need to implement workforce and succession planning systems in order to address the mass exodus of workers that is anticipated in the next five to ten years. Clearly, leadership development is a primary tool for preparing the workforce for the future.

Numerous agencies are incorporating leadership development as an element of their workforce planning efforts. Notable leadership development programs that have been documented include those implemented in San Diego County, CA; Henrico County, VA; Hennepin County, MN; City of Las Vegas, NV; City of Phoenix, AZ; and City of San Jose, CA. Many of the best practice elements in public sector leadership development are consistent between agencies. The purpose of this article is to share ten practices that appear to be common threads among agencies that are developing leaders internally to fill anticipated vacancies in the future.

The following tips are provided as guidance to organizations that may be interested in developing their own leadership development programs.

Tip One: Base the program on a competency model.

Before any training or development activities can take place, it is critical to identify the skills and competencies that will be developed as a result of the effort. As discussed in the Public Personnel Journal, Winter 2004, Henrico County developed 20 core leadership competencies including communication, critical thinking and decision making, organizational astuteness, and personal integrity. These competencies provided the framework for their development efforts. Other agencies, including the County of San Diego base their leadership academy on the same model as the multi-rater, 360-feedback tool that is used in the program.

Whether your organization has an established competency model that is used throughout your human resource programming or not, it is critical to spend some time defining the skills that leadership program participants are expected to develop. For example, the City of San Jose conducted a survey of top managers, followed by round-table discussions to determine the competencies to be developed in their leadership program called The Art and Practice of Leadership.

Tip Two: Allow participants to self-select.

Each organization must determine for itself the best method for selecting leadership development program participants. Factors including collective bargaining influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide. The highest levels of success in terms of participant commitment typically result from a competitive process where interested participants apply to be involved. By self-selecting, rather than by being appointed, participants are more likely to clarify their purpose for wanting to take part in the program. When participants are mandated to attend a leadership development program, they are often reluctant to commit the time and energy into their development, and oftentimes, they do not fully understand why they are being asked to participate.

The selection process you choose will depend upon the target audience for the program (entire workforce vs. middle managers). You may choose to use a written application, manager nomination, personal interviews, assessment centers, or other means by which participants compete for entrance into the program. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that participants have a choice in whether or not they participate in your leadership development efforts.

Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

It has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

Likewise, many public agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization's future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful ""take-aways"" from the elected official's comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other's perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant's direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization's competency model (see Tip One above).

The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant's direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant's leadership development efforts.

Because the feedback process can be so powerful, it is recommended that any leadership development program begin with this element, as it will provide the direction that each participant will need as they pursue the program. With their feedback, the participant can customize their leadership development experiences to address the identified needs. Because of this flexibility, 360-feedback is a highly recommended and popular tool.

Tip Five: Implement action learning through project teams.

Another popular tool for enhancing the leadership skills within public organizations is the use of action learning. Action learning is a typical educational approach where participants learn by addressing issues that are unique to their own organization and/or community. The format involves a continuous process of learning and reflection, built around learning groups of colleagues, more often with the aim of getting work-related initiatives accomplished.

The City of San Jose is using action learning as part of their new leadership development effort. The program participants are divided into six, functionally-diverse teams. Each team is assigned one of the city's corporate priorities which include:

* Performance-driven government

* Support for effective council policy-making

* Effective use of technology

* Customer service

* City as an employer of choice

* Neighborhood-focused service delivery

Teams are guided by team sponsors, who are all members of the City's executive team. Over a period of six months each team is expected to identify a City issue or project that needs attention. The teams research the issue, benchmark approaches with other jurisdictions, propose solutions the City could consider, develop a formal written report, and make a formal presentation in the City Council chambers as part of their program conclusion. The City Manager and other top executives will receive their presentations and provide feedback to each team. Whenever possible, the team will be given the authority to implement or participate in the implementation of their recommendations which may have citywide or regional implications. As a result, the participants are able to practice their communication and team skills as part of the process, receive feedback on their report writing skills, and practice making presentations in a forum that is new to many of them. They also have the opportunity to showcase their skills related to issues that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.

Tip Six: Use internal and external resources.

As mentioned in Tip Two above, it is important to make full use of your organization's executive leadership team sessions that directly relate to the organization's strategic plan, culture, and expectations. However, other concepts may be better presented by individuals outside of the organization, who provide an outside or neutral perspective. You may also find that your organization does not have the capacity or expertise to address all the competencies included in your model. A balance of internal and external presenters provides participants with the opportunity to compare and contrast the agency's approach with practices and methods used outside of the organization.

Tip Seven: Maximize internal publicity.

In every case, leadership development program participants dedicate a great amount of time and energy to these kinds of programs. Not only is it a commitment of the participant's time, it is a commitment of their manager and staff's time that cover for the participant when they are attending program activities. You can communicate the goals and outcomes of the program and recognize the importance of the effort by using internal communicating tools like email, newsletters and Intranet postings. Everyone who is touched by the program should understand its importance to the organization's goals.

Prior to the start of the program, formally introduce the participants to the organization and encourage each organizational member to support them. After the program, each graduate should be recognized using the same communication tools (email, newsletters, Intranet, etc.) and their managers and staffs should be thanked for supporting them. Internal publicity can help garner support and enthusiasm for the program and its goals.

Tip Eight: Continuously adjust.

The first version of any comprehensive program like this is rarely perfect. It is important to continually modify the program based on the feedback received not only from the participants, but from their managers as well. By continually improving the program, it will meet the needs of the organization, even as the organization changes. Typically, the agenda and curriculum is modified during the program and after graduation to reflect the changing needs of the participants and the organization. It is critical to be flexible and to listen to the program participants and their managers in order to ensure the program continuously improves and maintains its credibility and relevance.

Tip Nine: Celebrate the achievement.

A learning opportunity such as a leadership academy or leadership development program requires a commitment of time and resources, not only on the part of the coordinators, but on the part of management and the participants. A graduation or other public celebration is critical to recognize the achievements of all the parties involved. The graduation does not need to be elaborate or lengthy. A brief lunch with informal presentations will do the trick. Nevertheless, finishing a program like this without some recognition is like going to a movie that doesn't include the credits at the end.

Tip Ten: Measure and track outcomes.

While each organization determines the level and extent to which the results of a leadership development program are measured, a variety of tools can be used to determine the impact of the program. Such measures include:

Knowledge of leadership concepts as measured via a pre- and post-assessment tool

Perceived change in selected leadership skills as measured by a multi-rater, 360-degree feedback tool administered at the beginning of the effort and again one year later

Number of participants retained over one, three, and five years

Number of participants promoted over one, three, and five years

Perception of participant's supervisor related to the participant's change in behavior after attending the leadership development program

Reaction to the leadership development program curriculum as measured by end of session evaluations

However your organization decides to measure the outcomes of your development efforts, it is recommended that the measurements be established prior to the start of the program and that they be monitored closely. Such measures will allow you to make appropriate adjustments to future programs and will assist you in showing the impact of the effort on your organization's strategic objectives.

If your organization has not yet embarked on a leadership development effort, it is likely that you will in the near future. Changing demographics, an impending ""brain drain,"" and a need to enhance retention levels are driving public organizations of all sizes to explore tools for ensuring the stability of their workforce. And, while many organizations are exploring these efforts, each must find a solution that works best for their organization's culture and goals. The elements presented in this article reflect the common practices in public sector leadership development efforts today.

About the author: Marnie Green, Chandler, AZ, USA

Marnie E. Green is Principal Consultant of the Arizona-based Management Education Group, Inc. She is the author of Painless Performance Evaluations: A Practical Approach to Managing Day to Day Employee Performance (Pearson/Prentice Hall). Green is a speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations develop leaders today for the workforce of tomorrow. Contact Green at http://www.managementeduc

Visions of Leadership

2008-12-01T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Lemberg

Right about now, you've made the discovery that if you intend to push your company beyond its current plateau, you will have to change the way you relate to your work. You have doubtlessly concluded this next level mandates you to let go of things like hiring, product design, perhaps even day-to-day sales - many things you handled in the past - and focus yourself on your role as CEO.

There are three stages to making the transition from chief cook and bottle washer (CC&BW) to CEO (source of the management and direction of the business).

They are:

Understanding your highest value contribution to your company and focusing on that role.

Recognizing your position as a leader and owning the job.

Delegating everything else, and holding others accountable.

My last article, Time Well Spent, deals with transition one. This article will examine transition two - recognizing your position as leader and owning the job. Next month I will cover the third transition, Giving it all away.

As CEO of your company - you are no longer the ""head of everything"". It is up to you to provide leadership. That's the job. No ifs, ands, or buts. The sooner you recognize it the better. Being the leader entails certain responsibilities which cannot, under any circumstances, be delegated.

By the way, much has been written about the qualities of leadership. But leadership is not about qualities, such as ""strength of character"" or ""integrity"". While those things are useful, if you aren't already imbued with ""a winning personality"", it can take half a lifetime to develop one.

The core responsibilities of corporate leadership - which you cannot delegate - include:

Owning the vision and the strategy to realize the vision;

Communicating the vision to insiders and outsiders;

Enabling others to act to realize the vision;

Developing new leaders.

Owning the Vision

Vision is our concept of the future of our business. Owing to a quirk of human cognitive physiology, most of us experience our mental representations as images. When we think, or imagine, or conceive, what the future will be like, we tend to see it. Hence ""vision"".

Vision is simply how we perceive and experience the future of our company right now, in the present. We ""see"" the company being a particular way - as front-runners in our industry, as serving a particular class of customers, or perhaps as being located internationally, or generating a certain level of revenues, or even as causing breakthroughs for humanity. Another way to describe the vision is to call it ""The Future"".

A powerfully held and shared vision energizes and inspires people. By giving them a sense of their future - it provides a ""place to go"" or a purpose. It draws people forward like iron filings to a magnet. Vision is the vital catalyst that multiplies the efforts people put into their work, and intensifies/magnifies/ augments/ expands/enlarges the effect or those efforts.

It doesn't matter where the vision came from. It could be have been a brainstorm between three friends over a cup of coffee. It could have been formed in a strategy seminar, or at a board meeting. It could have washed over you in the shower one morning or during the commute home one evening. Visit paullemberg.com/toolsandtips.html for a copy of ""20 Questions to help articulate your company vision""

Regardless of the source - the CEO/Leader is the keeper of the vision, the ""owner"" of the vision. No one else in your company can play this role. Embrace the vision and make it yours. Have this vision be your animating principal.

Your vision will most likely include elements of product vision, company vision, and industry vision.

Communicating the Vision

Next, the CEO/Leader's job is to communicate the vision and help people take it on as their own. By successfully transforming your vision into a shared vision, you empower your employees - they see themselves inside of it, to see the future described as their future.

The vision is now a source of magic - when people see themselves living an inspiring future, they take action consistent with transforming that vision of the future into a reality. Right now, in the present. People become self-inspiring when they own the vision.

Depending on the size of your organization, one-on-ones, round table discussions, town-hall meetings, conference calls, satellite meetings, board meetings, staff meetings, company dinners or outings, off-sites, video and audio tapes, monographs, white papers & newsletters may all be appropriate ways to communicate your vision.

Regardless of the particular venue, every time you get people talking about ""the vision"" they are making it their own.

The CEO also communicates the vision to all outside stakeholders - the Board, suppliers, customers or clients, investors, the media, even the government. When the outside world actively participates in your company's future, many things which were once difficult become easy.

Enable others to act to bring the vision into reality

It is not enough to simply share the vision. The CEO/ leader provides opportunities for people to act to realize the vision. How do you do that?

First off, have people spend 100% of their time on work that is aligned with the company vision. Ask the question, ""Is this or that project moving us toward our designated future?"" If not, kill it - immediately.

Encourage C.R.I.B.:

Creativity - Rarely will same-old thinking foster a bright new future. Get your organization looking outside the box. What new approaches can you take? What new technology can you apply?

Risk taking - Don't punish failure. Silicon Valley venture capitalists actually reward failure. A failed business venture is regarded as a badge of courage and a sign of experience and maturity.

Initiative - Give people permission to do things and launch projects on their own. If you discover someone working on something promising, make sure they get the right resources and funding - and make a big deal out of it.

Breaking with tradition. Just because you did it 'that way' in the past...

Eliminate the kind of thinking which says: ""We don't have the time, or the money, or the resources, to do..."" Cultivate a climate where people say ""How can we..."" instead of ""Can we..."" or ""We can't, because..."" This simple change fosters C.R.I.B.

Finally, ask the question, ""What is in the way of committed action?""

Develop new leaders.

In some branches of the military, a senior officer is measured by the quality of the junior officers for whom he is responsible. In an entrepreneurial company, you will be ultimately successful to the degree you cultivate the leaders who follow you.

Remember, leadership is not a set of attributes, but a set of actions to take. Great leadership ability can develop through practice. If your company embraces C.R.I.B., people will naturally develop the skills of leading.

Look at your development teams as a training camp for leaders. Rotate people through key positions. Change the rules from time to time. Keep projects a little short of resources to encourage flexibility and ingenuity. Ask managers to make decisions on the spot.

Replace yourself in as many critical areas as possible. Push decision making further down your organization, and finally, let go!

Leadership is the ruby which transforms the scattered light of your organization into a focused, coherent laser beam, aimed - with tremendous power - in the direction of your declared future.

By forging a vision, promoting it relentlessly, enabling your people to act to bring that vision into reality, and developing you new leaders to replace you, you create great leverage.

As Archimedes reportedly said, ""Give me a lever long enough and I will move the earth."" Leadership, applied to your business, is the ultimate leverage.

-PL

About the author: Business Coach and Strategist, Paul Lemberg is the President of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized business coaching program designed to create More Profits and More Life™ for entrepreneurs.

How To Delegate: One Key Step Towards Leadership

2008-11-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Lemberg

You've made an unusual discovery - there's not enough time left at the end of the day. The corollary, of course, is your list of important things to do never gets smaller. In any company, the CEO's to-do list has the potential to grow infinitely.

What's a senior executive to do?

This is not simply a personal problem. Your company's future depends on what you do next. As you drive your organization beyond its current plateau, you must change the way you relate to your work. There are three stages to making the transition from chief-cook-and-bottle-washer (CC&BW) to CEO (source of the management and direction of the business). They are:

Understanding your highest value contribution to your company and focusing on that role. Recognizing your position as a leader and owning the job. Delegating everything else, and holding others accountable. Previous articles, Time Well Spent, deals with transition one; Visions of Leadership addresses transition two. This article examines the problem of delegation - giving the work away.

The Issue

You have doubtlessly concluded your next level of company performance requires a managerial change. And hopefully, you have realized the changes necessary are with you. As CEO (or, on a divisional or departmental level - senior executive) your jobs include holding the vision; inspiring your senior management and your staff; fostering key relationships with customers, vendors, investors and the public, etc.

You now need to let go of some cherished things like product design, hiring, perhaps day-to-day sales - many things you handled in the past, often out of necessity - and focus yourself on your role as CEO. What about all these things you used to do? Delegate them. Assign the job to someone else. This doesn't sound like a big deal, why write a whole article on it?

Do you delegate? Of course you do. But do you delegate the important things? The things you ""know"" you could do better? The things you are ""best"" at? Probably not. The question is, should you?

Your highest value contribution

Think about your highest value contribution to your company. Which of your activities generate the most revenue, profit, market share, etc.? Where do you get the most bang for the buck? Like most chief executives, your greatest leverage is in mobilizing the forces around you - your senior staff and your employees, plus key customers, prospects and vendors. Everything else becomes secondary to that in terms of impact.

So the answer is yes. You should give away even the things you are ""best"" at. And then make sure they are done right. Make sure they are up to spec and delivered on time.

The cost of holding on

Now, the thorny part. Many executives refrain from delegating responsibilities they've labeled ""critical"". They fear the job won't be done correctly. Or no one else can do it as quickly, and it won't get done on time. Or the right attention won't be paid. Or something. Or something else.

Give it up! The growth of your organization will be stifled to the extent that you hold on to critical functions. Your company will suffer in the exact areas where you think you are the expert!

Product design? You hold up the development of a key component, because you are the expert, yet you are away at a customer meeting. Staffing? Two engineers can't be hired because you haven't signed off and are out of town at a meeting with investment bankers. Sales? Negotiations on an important deal are held up because you are in Asia meeting with a vendor.

You become the choke point on each of these vital functions. And you feel - of course - ""I have to be involved."" No you don't. To the exact degree you have not developed your staff to assume these functions, the growth of your company will be retarded.

Aside from fear the job won't be done as well, there is another, more insidious reason senior executives (particularly entrepreneurs) do not delegate. If you aren't doing the ""important"" stuff, you become redundant. Dead weight. Overhead. If you have a great VP of Sales, or a Chief Technologist, what will you do?

You feel this way because you haven't completed transitions one and two: you haven't taken the trouble of understanding how you personally create value in your company, and you haven't fully assumed the role of leader. Once you make these transitions, you won't have time for the rest. Delegation, not abdication.

Many executives delegate like this. They say, ""John, would you take on this project? It has to be done by next Thursday. Thanks."" That's it. Then, when the job comes back incomplete, they are infuriated. What happened? They left out accountability. They neglected the structure for making sure things happened according to plan.

There are four components to successful delegation.

1. Give the job to someone who can get it done.

This doesn't mean that person has all the skills for execution, but that they are able to martial the right resources. Sometimes the first step in the project will be education. Maybe your delegate has to attend a seminar or take a course to get up to speed.

2. Communicate precise conditions of satisfaction.

Timeframe, outcomes, budget constraints, etc.; all must be spelled out. Anything less creates conditions for failure. It's like the old story about basketball - without nets the players don't know where to shoot the ball.

3. Work out a plan.

Depending on the project's complexity, the first step may be creation of a plan. The plan should include resources, approach or methodology, timeline, measures and milestones. Even simple projects require a plan. 4. Set up a structure for accountability.

If the project is to take place over the next six weeks, schedule an interim meeting two weeks from now. Or establish a weekly conference call, or an e-mailed status report. Provide some mechanism where you can jointly evaluate progress and make mid-course corrections. This helps keep the project, and the people, on track.

4. Get buy in.

Often timeframes are dictated by external circumstances. Still, your delegate must sign on for the task at hand. If you say, ""This must be done by next Tuesday,"" they have to agree that it is possible. Ask instead. ""Can you have this by Tuesday?"" To you this may seem a bit remedial, but the step is often overlooked. Whenever possible, have your delegate set the timeline and create the plan. You need only provide guidance and sign off. As General Patton said, ""Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.""

If you skip any one of the above steps, you dramatically reduce the likelihood things will turn out the way you want them to. On the other hand, if you rigorously follow the steps, you greatly increase the odds in your favor. Isn't this more work than doing it myself, you ask. No - it isn't.

The time it takes to

1) establish the goals, 2) review the plan, and 3) monitor the progress,

is not equal to the time it takes to execute. That is how you gain leverage. This is how you multiply your efforts.

(Occasionally it does take longer to communicate something than to do it yourself. Delegate it anyway. The next time will be easier.)

Above, I've referred to projects. This is not to say delegation is reserved for discrete tasks and problems. You also delegate ongoing functions. The process is the same in each case.

As an exercise, ask yourself, what am I unwilling to delegate? Make a list of the reasons why not. (Use our worksheet to identify projects and functions to delegate. E-mail for a free copy.) Identify the best person in your organization - not you - to take on this project or function. Then call a meeting. Begin the meeting with step one, above.

If there is no one to whom you can give away key functions, you have to look carefully at your staff situation. It may be time to hire the right people. If you don't have the revenues to support the staff additions, consider what is restraining your growth.

Review your relationship with your assistant or secretary. Have you let them take on there fair share of the workload? Are you giving them sufficiently sophisticated work to do? Are they ready to upgrade?

Some situations call for you to dive back in. Perhaps you are the only one in your company with some particular technical knowledge, or your insight will accelerate the design process, or you have the long-standing relationship with a vendor or customer. Go ahead, dive. Do your thing - briefly, complete the project and resume your leadership position.

Oh, one more thing.

The only point to delegating something is if it frees you for things which create greater value for your company. Don't give away the hiring function if you are spending your time fiddling with the corporate web site. Don't hire a Sales VP, if you are spending your time on purchasing. The greatest leverage you have is in leading your company. Lavish your time on that.

Novell Continues Linux Market Leadership in China

2008-11-29T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Dave Gosine

WALTHAM, Mass., USA -- Novell holds a 25.1 percent share of the Linux market in China, surpassing other local and international Linux distributors. Novell's success in China reflects a strong commitment to Chinese open source development and to Novell's growing customer base in this rapidly expanding market.

""Looking back at China's Linux Market in 2005, we can see that Novell was no doubt the biggest star,"" said Qian Lei, Computer & Software Analyst, CCID Consulting. ""Novell has gained good results from its investment in China's Linux market. In 2005, Novell revenue topped the Linux market in China with a total market share of 25.1 percent, illustrating strong competitiveness for Novell in China.""

CCID Consulting's research looks at Linux market dynamics and development trends, and includes forecasts for the next five years. CCID Consulting's report finds Novell with a Linux leadership position in China, outpacing both local Chinese Linux distributors as well as other global Linux vendors in adoption by Chinese customers. Novell strengthened its position in China in 2005, establishing new research and development, technical support and training facilities, fortifying partnerships with CS2C, Hua Wei, ZTE, Neusoft, and Skybility, and serving customers like People's Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications Shanghai Branch, and the China Meteorological Administration. Novell also launched a Chinese language version of its openSUSE project at openSUSE.org.cn, the first global Linux distributor with a dedicated Chinese site. To date, there have been nearly 100,000 visitors to Novell's openSUSE site in China.

""Novell has made a strong commitment to China,"" said Sen Ming Chang, managing director of Novell's East Asia region. ""With our new R&D Center and a local support facility, our localized version of our community distribution, openSUSE.org.cn, and expanded offices, our investment is paying off in a growing customer base here. We will continue to lead through superior delivery of a complete customer experience.""

About: Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers Software for the Open Enterprise(TM). With more than 50,000 customers in 43 countries, Novell helps customers manage, simplify, secure and integrate their technology environments by leveraging best-of-breed, open standards-based software. With over 20 years of experience, more than 5,000 employees, 5,000 partners and support centers around the world, Novell helps customers gain control over their IT operating environment while reducing cost. Novell is a registered trademark, and openSUSE and Software for the Open Enterprise are trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. * Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

About the author: Webbolt provides an on-demand, dynamically presented, tailored, total information solution with increasingly complex and global content. Webbolt continually updates and expands its free news in 22 key topic areas.

How To Delegate: One Key Step Towards Leadership

2008-11-28T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Lemberg

What's a senior executive to do?

* Understanding your highest value contribution to your company and focusing on that role. * Recognizing your position as a leader and owning the job. * Delegating everything else, and holding others accountable.

Previous articles, Time Well Spent, deals with transition one; Visions of Leadership addresses transition two. This article examines the problem of delegation - giving the work away.

The Issue

Do you delegate? Of course you do. But do you delegate the important things? The things you ""know"" you could do better? The things you are ""best"" at? Probably not. The question is, should you?

Your highest value contribution

So the answer is yes. You should give away even the things you are ""best"" at. And then make sure they are done right. Make sure they are up to spec and delivered on time.

The cost of holding on

Give it up! The growth of your organization will be stifled to the extent that you hold on to critical functions. Your company will suffer in the exact areas where you think you are the expert!

There are five components to successful delegation.

1. Give the job to someone who can get it done.

2. Communicate precise conditions of satisfaction.

3. Work out a plan.

4. Set up a structure for accountability.

5. Get buy in.

The time it takes to

1) establish the goals, 2) review the plan, and 3) monitor the progress,

is not equal to the time it takes to execute. That is how you gain leverage. This is how you multiply your efforts.

(Occasionally it does take longer to communicate something than to do it yourself. Delegate it anyway. The next time will be easier.)

Above, I've referred to projects. This is not to say delegation is reserved for discrete tasks and problems. You also delegate ongoing functions. The process is the same in each case.

As an exercise, ask yourself, what am I unwilling to delegate? Make a list of the reasons why not. Identify the best person in your organization - not you - to take on this project or function. Then call a meeting. Begin the meeting with step one, above.

Oh, one more thing.

About the author: Business Coach & Strategist, Paul Lemberg is the President of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized business coaching program guaranteed to help entrepreneurs create More Profits and More Life™.

21st Century Leadership Empowers Leaders at Every Level

2008-11-27T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Wayne Messick

Historically a new-hire moved from learning the required tasks of their particular job to eventually understanding the goals, strengths, and weaknesses of the business in an orderly way - often having as much to do with their getting older as with their getting better, smarter, or more capable.

They were then promoted from actually doing the work as a productive part of the organization, to supervising others who are on their way up.

Much later, if the politics of birth, etc. were right, he moved from telling selected people what to do, to the head of the business where he now taught what he knew to the people who were telling the others what to do.

That went on until it was time or past time for him to be let out to pasture.

That was then, ""Doing it Right"" is now and the future.

""Doing it Right"" is based on the principles of right action, the right people doing the right things in the right way and for the right reasons.

For instance, in 2006 a new-hire may know as much or more about the right way as the old man.

The right way to do things is only the right way if it results in pushing us in the right direction.

The old man has valuable insights the new-hire needs to understand, sooner rather than later, about what really is the right direction. And the people in the middle add value to those below and above them.

Contributions to future success come from all levels of the enterprise - and its not just the boys any more.

The problem in many companies is that everyone has their picture of the right ways, the right directions, and the right reasons. They assume their picture is what everyone else is seeing.

A few years ago there was a lot ink dedicated to the revolutionary idea of the ""flattened hierarchy"" style of management, where bureaucratic organizations were eliminating some if not most of the levels within their organization.

The idea was to get ideas, strategies, etc. from the top to the very bottom in 2-3 steps. This was supposed to enhance communications, efficiencies, innovations, etc. This was so obvious. What was the big deal?

The vast majority of all businesses already had that sort of organization in place. And they were not any better at doing things right. Just because they did not have the money to have more levels of management did not mean they were more productive.

Today companies are successful not because of their organization charts but because of an internal attitude that supports the principles of doing it right.

The 21st Century version of the flattened hierarchy is to empower individuals wherever they are in the organization to step outside their defined boxes and contribute.

It is about an atmosphere of learning, doing, and teaching simultaneously by everyone to everyone for the benefit of everyone.

When the machine operators, supervisors, managers, and owner/operators (you fill in your job descriptions) effortlessly pass information and respect up, down, across, and around the organization, they've got it.

If a new-hire thinks they know best about how things should be done, they should be taught why, in terms of the organizations mission to help them confirm to themselves and others that their idea are valid.

Or to teach them more about the direction we are headed to make sure their how will actually take them that way.

The old man needs to know what to look for when putting on more new hires and promoting more people into the roles of a successful 21st Century company.

The more he knows about what is really going on out there on the floor, in the community, and the industry, the better choices he can make.

The people in the middle, the supervisors and team leaders, traditionally being pushed from one direction and pulled from the other, need to learn how to effectively turn this pressure into steam that drives the organization.

So, what is my point? Well it is not your dads or granddads business environment any more. And if that is true how can everyone contribute as team members, cooperate as team players, to create a winning team?

First an atmosphere free of traditional labor vs management must be present. In the 21st Century long-term interdependent relationships based on this old model will not survive.

There is more external competition than we can stand already, we do not need it inside the organization too.

Second the people at the top must admit that they do not know everything and that just because their partner's daughter is twenty three and has been there four months, does not mean she doesn't have excellent/valid input into the way things ought to be.

Third everybody else must admit that just because the boss is old (55+) does not mean he ""just doesn't get it"" and that he will ""never change."" Both groups have so much to offer the team and being able to offer it without fear of criticism is mandatory.

And finally there should be a structured way of systematically reinforcing the right actions we understand, learning the ones we don't, and communicating them within the organization.

Human nature keeps drawing us back to where we are comfortable, so we need a continual push until the new place is more comfortable than the old.

The introduction and reinforcement of right action strategies is the purpose of ""Doing it Right,Realizing Your Company's Potential.""

It dovetails with existing task oriented training to provide the framework for overall actions.

It provides a context for sponsoring organizations, trade associations for example, to better serve their constituencies by providing a framework around their existing educational programs.

The principles of right actions are vital for you personal and business success ""Doing it Right"" may offer you the best way to establish and maintain those right actions.

And now, its content is available online at no charge. There will be no more excuses for not doing it right.

About the author: Wayne Messick wants to interview

business owners positioning themselves for success in the 21st Century. Click here for cutting edge leadership strategies for your business.

Conflict, Leadership, And The Leadership Talk

2008-11-26T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

Word count: 739

Summary: All leaders have to deal with conflict. The author cites three essentials you must adhere to in your dealings and describes a powerful leadership tool that will help you manifest those essentials.

Conflict, Leadership And The Leadership Talk by Brent Filson

Conflict comes with leadership as the sparks fly upward. If you don't want to deal with conflict, leadership is not your thing.

Being a leader is not about IF you will tackle conflict but HOW. In fact, no other ability (other than being able to get results) so shapes people's careers as the ability to deal with conflict.

Conflict and leadership go hand-in-hand because leadership involves challenging people often to do what they don't want to do. If people did what they wanted, leaders wouldn't be necessary. Great results don't drop like manna from heaven. Achieving them involves people having to get out of their comfort zones, make troublesome decisions, and engage in disconcerting new actions. Leadership helps guide and motivate people to do those things.

There are countless books, articles, etc. devoted to conflict resolution. But let me give you one tool that I've been teaching leaders of all ranks and functions worldwide for more than 22 years. It's the Leadership Talk.

Because the Leadership Talk is results-oriented and deals with fundamental human dynamics, it can be an unmatched way to help you deal with the inevitable conflicts you'll face.

(The many books and many other articles I've written on the Leadership Talk can be seen on my website.)

Here are the three essentials you must adhere to in dealing with conflicts and how the Leadership Talk can help you manifest those essentials.

1. Establish a deep, human, emotional connection with the people you're dealing with. When in conflict, keep in mind that the message is not just the message, the message is the messenger. HOW you deal with conflict and WHO you are in dealing with the conflict are as important, if not more, than WHAT the conflict is. Abraham Lincoln explained the importance of HOW and WHO: ""If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend ... Assume to dictate to his judgment, or to command his action, or to mark him as one to be shunned and despised, and he will retreat within himself, close all the avenues to his head and his heart; and tho' your cause be naked truth itself ... you shall no more be able to reach him than to penetrate the hard shell of the tortoise with a rye straw.""

The Leadership Talk helps you deal with not only the WHAT of the conflict but also the HOW. It is a clear, practical pathway to winning the hearts of the people you are in conflict with simply because its driving principle is Lincoln's imperative of convincing the other side of your good will and sincerity.

2. Be guided by and empowered through process. It's important for your career to have a simple, clear conflict-resolution process to guide your thoughts, speech, and actions. You may not follow it exactly in every case, but it can help you better deal with the countless varieties of conflicts that you'll come to face.

The Leadership Talk is a powerful conflict resolution process because it engages the human aspects in practical, structured ways. For instance, one of its processes it called the Three-trigger Motivational Process. When you face conflict, you should ask three questions. If you say ""no"" to your answer to any one of those questions, you can't give a Leadership Talk. The questions are: 1. Do you know what the audience needs? 2. Can you bring deep belief to what you're saying? 3. Can you have the audience take action?

3. Stay focused on results. Since leaders do nothing more important than get results, the fruits of how we deal with conflict should be evaluated by whether we are obstructing or promoting results.

In leadership, it's not enough to resolve conflicts, we must also in the process achieve increases in results. Forget about trying to achieve ""win/win."" That can be a tender trap. In fact, in many cases, a win/win objective might impede results by keeping people from going to the next step, the results-generating step.

The Leadership Talk sees conflicts you are engaged in terms not simply of conflict resolution but results generation. Furthermore, its focus is not just about achieving ordinary results but more results, faster results on a continual basis.

Since conflict will always be with you as a leader, you should welcome it as an opportunity to get increases in results. When you're using Leadership Talks, you'll find yourself getting those results consistently.

About the author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 21 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at ht

Empowered Leadership

2008-11-25T03:01:00.000-08:00

Author: Kim Olver

It seems that every decade or so there is some new fad the runs through the business world in terms of supervision and in the world of diversity management, downsizing, outsourcing, generational work conflicts and the information age, things are even more complicated than ever before.

No longer does a one size fits all leadership model really work. We can't treat everyone the same and expect that everything will just ""work out"" somehow. Managers and leaders must have a framework with which to manage their workers in a way that honors everyone's unique and specific position on the job.

Empowered leadership is the way to do just that. Empowered leadership shares the power between management and the workers, thus empowering both groups.

Conventional wisdom tells us that when those in power relinquish some of that power by sharing it or giving it to their employees, then they would lose something when in actually, they gain.

Think about it. When people rule with an iron hand, they generally instill fear in those who work for them. Do you do your best work when you are afraid? I don't know about you but I will attempt to comply because I want to avoid negative consequences but it certainly won't be my best work. The absolute best a manager can hope for with coercion is compliance. If compliance is enough, then coercion might work.

However, I will gripe and complain and quietly wait for opportunities to get even. I won't have a kind thing to say about my employer and at every available chance will seek corroboration for how I feel from my co-workers, thus spreading an ""us"" versus ""them"" mentality.

When leaders and managers seek to empower their workers, they will gain their loyalty. Workers want to give their supervisor their best when they are listened to and respected. Without fear, their minds can be creative and innovative.

When managers are willing to accommodate special requests and it doesn't interfere with product or service delivery, then their employees will be sure to give back their best in return. Giving away power only increases a manager's power.

Now, I am not talking about being a total pushover and only advocating for what employees want. As a manager, you have a two-fold job--you are to represent your employees' desires, opinions and suggestions to management while at the same time communicating management's issues, concerns and expectations to your employees. This is not an easy line to walk.

You will never get the best from your employees if they don't respect you. You cannot be a doormat for your employees to walk over. If they believe you have no bottom line or nonnegotiables, then they will never be satisfied and always asking for more. You will feel used and abused and the truth is, you asked for it.

As a manager, you must hold the bar high. Expect great things from each and every one of your workers. If you only expect mediocrity, mediocrity is exactly what you will get. Set the standards and lead by example. If your workers see you giving it your all, it will be difficult for them to perform below standard.

You must have production goals you are attempting to meet for either products or services. Always enlist the help of your employees to set the goals, with the underlying premise being continual improvement.

And as a manager, you have the responsibility to create a need satisfying workplace for yourself and your workers. You cannot emphasize one to the exclusion of the other without there being undesirable consequences.

When you focus on production only and forget the human capital, you will end up with resentful, resistant, angry workers. On the other hand, when you only focus on the people end and allow production goals to be compromised; you will have workers who do everything they can to take advantage and to get out of doing the work. After all, if you the manager don't value production, why should they?

Somewhere in the middle, when you are walking that very fine line between relationships and production goals, you are practicing empowered leadership and that's where you will get the most from your employees.

About the author: Kim Olver has over 20 years experience in staff development and supervision and is an expert in leadership skills, staff relationships and diversity. Certified in reality therapy/choice theory/lead management/quality school concepts, she works with counselors, schools and businesses to apply these ideas. Visit http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz

Leadership Today

2008-11-24T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Carl Hoffman

The most important thing you do is LEAD your people. Every productive activity on your daily agenda is leadership, regardless of what you call it. You manage, advise, teach, decide, and direct. The list goes on but it's all leading.

The most valuable commodity of any great organization is the quality of good people. They deserve the most inspired caring leadership you can provide.

Leaders seize the opportunity and use it properly to attain excellence.

A critical factor in the exercise of leadership is the adaptability of the person in charge. Whenever any of the variables change, the necessarily ""right"" style must change. The leader must then adjust his or her approach. The style that worked yesterday may not work tomorrow--but the leader will adapt. It takes time for a new leader to identify the ""right"" style of leadership. By the time that leader discovers the correct approach he or she may have damaged his or her credibility. The leader may then have established a pattern of behavior that will stick with him or her for the rest of their lives.

Another component of good leadership is caring. Good leaders care about and take of their people. They help them deal with stress that arise both from the job and from external sources. Leaders never let the pressure of their job interfere with taking care of their people.

What your members of your team or organization say is important. Without exception every group complains to some degree. But this is not always bad. Quality of leadership must be assessed by looking at where the irritants lie. If discussions generally dwell on internal issues within the team or organization, leadership might need improvement. If they focus instead on internal issues at a higher level such as company or corporate headquarters, there is a chance your people are satisfied with your leadership.

Equally important in the assessment of leadership is how participants interact in sensing sessions. This is commonly seen as an indicator of morale--how they feel about themselves. It is also a broad indicator of how they feel about their organization.

Cooperative groups generally come from good environment. They talk about anything. At times they even complain but they also frequently recommend solutions. The tone and body language of these group suggest that they are basically satisfied with their leadership. The willingness to recommend improvements suggest confidence in their leaders to listen to opinions and to act on recommendations.

Vocal, hostile groups generally come from poor environments. These groups use sensing sessions to vent their frustrations. They don't sense that their leaders understand or care enough about them to deal with their problems. In most cases, these groups see their leaders adding more to their burden than they take away.

Reticent groups also generally come from poor environments. They hesitate to say anything. These groups demonstrate the resignation that sets in when they feel no one cares about their problems. Alternatively, they may respresent teams that work under repressive leadership that is intoleratnt to ""whiners"" or threatens retribution for complaining. A good senior leader can do things to overcome poor leadership below them. The converse is not true . Even the most inspired junior leaders cannot compensate for the ""wrong"" style imposed upon them and their team from above.

So far we've dealt with selection of leadership style, based on individual and organizational varibles. Another way to look at leadership is to consider how it is used. We will explore the leader's selection of the ""right"" approach to running an organization in my next edition on leadership.

About the author: Carl Hoffman is a retired Army Sergeant Major who has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience. He has many online ventures and author of many articles on sales, leadership and marketing.

Looking for a online business or building upon an existing one visit him at: http://www.CEHoffman.com

Mastering the Art of Leadership

2008-11-23T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Vicky Pope

How Can You Tap into Your Latent Leadership Potential?

The answer to this is simple. Through leadership development. Why? Because good leaders are made and the process itself is a continuous process of improvement. Here are seven ways to begin developing your leadership right away. Develop your hard skills through formal education. A master's degree can be very helpful or at least try some schools of continuing education provided by your local university. Read -- aim to read a wide array of books, constantly, and attend management seminars and workshops. Take a formal leadership development program. If your organization is offering one in-house, I advise that you take this route because the design is likely to have been customized for your leadership environment. If your organization does not offer one, check out the Center for Creative Leadership (www.ccl.org) and VIPCG, Inc. ( http://www.thevipcg.com ) Get an executive coach. A good executive coach can ensure that you are on your game as a leader. Executive coaches provide situation-specific guidance and are really useful for when you have to deal with the challenges that present themselves in your day to day functioning. Perhaps the most important skill that you must have as a leader is emotional competence. This skill helps you to achieve maximum results by working effectively with people (superiors, peers, and subordinates). You develop awareness of your personality and the personality of others, learn to manage your behavior and attitude, and develop a habit of taking intentional action. You need the help of a professional to assess your emotional competency levels and provide the guidance for development. Because of some confusion around the boundaries between management and leadership, we have some mental constructs that can affect our effectiveness as leaders. One such issue is confusing formal positions with leadership. The way this affects us is that we get stuck in formal authority roles which we call leadership. This is neither good for you nor the organization. Take a look at your life plans and make sure that you have a ""next station"" plan built in. Put a boundary on how long you will be in your current leadership role, and what you hope to have achieved by the expiration of the period. You can do this by yourself or with your executive coach. Take control of your potential as a leader by engaging your personal leadership. Despite your present external circumstances, you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams because of the potential you have. But you will need to ascertain what your life purpose is, develop a vision of what your life can become, and take action on your strategies. Remember you can't lead others without first leading yourself. Conquer the demon of inappropriate attitude that leads to unproductive behavior that leads to undesired results. Remember you carry with you the environment in which you live, so begin to build positive attitudes for good results. Take responsibility for the leader that you are today and take charge of the leader you can become tomorrow.

VIPCG, Inc. We Transform the Way Leaders Lead.™ http://www.thevipcg.com

About the author: Vicky is the President and CEO of VIPCG, Inc. http://www.thevipcg.com

Specialization

She specializes in leadership development, executive coaching, and using innovative technologies to transform entire systems in organizations. Vicky also specializes in emotional competence, and developing collaborative work cultures and is an expert in cross-cultural development.

Leadership Techniques for Anyone: How Kermit Shared Five Leadership Secrets with the World

2008-11-22T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Ed Sykes

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the funeral of my friend Kermit. A pleasure, you ask? Yes, a pleasure and a honor, because it was a great celebration of Kermit's life and the passion and spirit he brought to living it.

Usually, when I go to funerals, the spiritual leader (pastor, minister, rabbi, cleric, etc.) goes on and on about the deceased, a person he barely knows; and maybe one or two friends or associates might say something about the deceased. Well, Kermit's funeral was special. The pastor spoke briefly, a singer sang a hymn, and then the pastor asked for comments from the audience. That's when the funeral became really special. After one and a half hours later, over forty people had gotten up and shared their positive experiences and what Kermit meant to them. People from their 20's to well over 60-year-old people from different spiritual, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds stood up to make comments. People who served with him in the Navy (Kermit retired as a Commander) stood up and spoke about how Kermit changed their lives.

There was story after story about how Kermit made the speakers overcome obstacles and made them believe they could do better, and did this with passion. Some of them were as follows:

1. Past ballplayers talked about Kermit's cowbell as a rallying cry at their ballgames.

2. A woman told of having a flat tire on a busy roadway and Kermit, whom she didn't know at the time, stopped and helped her fix the tire; and then they became friends.

3. A businessperson talked about how Kermit volunteered his time to help him launch a business that is still going strong after ten years.

4. A previous player described how he was motivated by Kermit to make something of himself. He went to college and is a very successful basketball coach teaching the same principles that Kermit taught him.

5. A man explained that he was going through a divorce and bankruptcy and was thinking of committing suicide. Kermit heard about his troubles, called him, and helped him through these dark times. Now this person helps others through their challenging moments in life.

Wow! It moved me. Here are five leadership and success secrets Kermit shared with us. How can you apply them to become more successful and outstanding leaders?

1. What is Your Cowbell? Create Passion! Kermit truly enjoyed working with people to make them better. It was not just the cowbell, but the emotion and excitement he experienced when seeing other people succeed. The cowbell was just the tool that Kermit used to show his passion so that others became passionate. Let your passion show. Let people know that you are excited about their accomplishments, and the passion will multiple.

2. Expect the Best. Excellence Will Take Care of the Rest. It was said about Kermit that when meeting people, he never met a stranger. In his mind they were already someone he knew. Kermit always expected the best when interacting with people, and they eventually rose to his expectations.

Expect the best out of people, and they will rise to your standards.

3. Understand So That You Are Understood

Kermit's conversations were always centered on understanding the other person. For all the years I knew him, I never knew he was a commander in the Navy. He didn't make his title the focus of the conversation. You see, it wasn't about him; it was always about the other person's interests, needs, etc. Because of this, people naturally wanted to become involved in Kermit's projects and help Kermit make other people successful.

So my question is: How well do you understand your employees?

Take the time to understand their goals, wants, needs, hobbies, etc. The more you take time to understand them, the more your employees will want to help you succeed.

4. Give of Yourself

Kermit always gave his time, energy, and passion without ""keeping score."" In return, the people he helped not only helped him, but went on to make a difference in other people's lives.

Take the time to go the extra mile to see how you can help your employees, your team, and/or your organization without ""keeping score."" Your employees will feel that you care, and then they will go to a new level of caring.

5. Share the Knowledge

Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others so that they become more successful. Whether it was coaching a sports team, helping a friend start a business, or sharing his experiences to get a person through a difficult time, Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others. Because Kermit shared his knowledge, other people became more successful and they shared their knowledge with others so that they could be more successful.

What special knowledge do you have that can help others succeed? Don't hoard your knowledge, share it. By sharing your knowledge, you multiply yourself and become known as a developer of people. Your knowledge, once you share it, will live on after you are gone.

Apply these five leadership techniques and create success in your business, with your team, in your community, and your life. Just like Kermit, you will also see instant results.

Thanks for sharing, Kermit, and making the world a better place.

About the author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, presentation skills, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Goto his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, ""Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional.""

William Shakespeare's Leadership Lesson: Crowns For Convoy

2008-11-21T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

Word count: 660

William Shakespeare's Leadership Lesson: Crowns For Convoy by Brent Filson

As a leader, you'll inevitably be faced with people wanting to leave your team or organization. Learning how to deal successfully with the challenge is a vital skill that can have a major influence on your career. And one of the best ways of developing the skill comes from Shakespeare's Henry V.

The stirring speech of Shakespeare's Henry before the battle of Agincourt contains many leadership nuggets. But commentators who recount the speech usually overlook a particularly valuable one. They focus on the speech's ""band of brothers"" aspects but neglect the fact that Henry also said that if any of his soldiers would rather not fight, he'd give them passport and ""crowns for convoy"" back to England.

Henry was aware that some of his soldiers were reluctant to fight; for he led a rather bedraggled army. History recounts they had marched 260 miles in 17 days. They were short of food. They were drenched by two weeks of continuous rain. Many of them were suffering from dysentery contracted from drinking fetid pond water. And they were facing the flower of French knighthood, knights who were rested, better equipped and eager for battle. So there were probably many soldiers who wanted to avoid battle, get quickly to the coast and board ships for England.

Shakespeare has his Henry respond to these leadership challenges in a telling way. Instead of trying to cajole those who wanted to leave into remaining with him, or on the other hand, punish them, he did something much more effective: He actually offered them passports and money to go.

""Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us.""

Now, apply this lesson to those people who tell you they want out. Their attitude may seem negative; but you have an opportunity to get positive results by reshaping your relationship with them in productive ways and boosting your leadership effectiveness with the people who remain.

Granted, if somebody wants out, your knee-jerk reaction may be to say, ""Good riddance! Don't darken my door again."" But let's examine this. When somebody wants to leave, two facts apply. One is that, clearly, that person - for whatever reason - is dissatisfied and is looking for satisfaction elsewhere. And two is that you have a relationship with the person. It might be a good relationship. It might be a bad relationship. But here's the point: You don't want to get the two facts mixed up in a bad way. Because that relationship will continue in one way or another even if you don't set eyes on each other again.

A bad relationship with an employee that left your organization can come back to haunt you in many unforeseen ways, such as poisoning your relationships with the people who remain behind.

Whether people want to leave because they want to or because you want them to, do this one thing: offer ""crowns for convoy."" In other words, give them the tangible means to depart. Put aside any rancor or frustration you may feel and become genuinely interested in and actively involved in solving the problems associated with their leaving.

For instance, let the person take charge of their leaving. Help the person draw up an action plan of their own choosing that will facilitate their departure in the best way possible. Support those actions in precise ways - as long as they are reasonable and won't harm your organization and the people who are remaining in it. Provide milestones and ways that you and the person can evaluate and monitor progress in carrying out the plan.

By having the person take charge, by showing good will, and lending concrete assistance, you'll be creating an opportunity to change your relationship with them. You'll set the stage for your working together in a positive way irrespective of whether you'll ever see again. Thus you'll help mend bad feelings that might have otherwise grown unnecessarily worse.

CROWNS FOR CONVOY is all about giving people control of their leaving in an environment of free choice, action, helpfulness, and good will.

In doing so, you may transform a potentially bad situation into a beneficial one. And who knows? Maybe, like Henry, you may achieve an unexpected surprise.

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at www.actionleadership.com

About the author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's most recent books are: THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. http://www.actionleadership.com

A Powerful Leadership Tool: Delighting In The People You Lead

2008-11-20T03:01:00.001-08:00

Author: Brent Filson

Word count: 685

A Powerful Leadership Tool: Delighting In The People You Lead by Brent Filson

Leadership entails getting results, and getting results entails human relationships. The more closely the people and the leader bond, the more results will usually accrue.

However, most leaders and the people they lead look at those relationships as a one way street: charismatic leaders being commonly defined by sentiments bestowed on them from the people. But great leadership is really a two-way street, also involving sentiments going from the leader to the people.

We never know how good we are as leaders until we are delighting in the people we lead and, through that delight, leading them to get continually better results while they become continually better as leaders and as people.

For instance, I recently received an email from my old company commander inviting me to a reunion. He wrote, ""I was the luckiest rifle company commander in the Marine Corps when I was surrounded by the best group of infantry officer lieutenants I ever knew. And they were all in our company!""

I had not heard from him in many decades, but I remember not so much what I did but what he did. He went against the grain of the leadership style and conduct of some officers I knew -- officers who got the job done by being pretty much focused on themselves and their careers. My ex-company commander, however, got the job done by being inspired by the troops, not by himself.

Out in civilian life, I've seen other leaders take a similar delight in and be inspired by the people they lead, and I have come to realize that this penchant is really a powerful, though rarely used, leadership tool.

However, to use the tool properly, three things must be kept in mind.

1. Delight must happen within the context of high results-expectations. In your delight, don't be hampered by the bigotry of low expectations. My company commander was known for having his men undergo the most difficult training and take on the toughest assignments. He delighted in his troops not just for what they wanted to do but what he challenged them to do. After all, leadership is not about having people do what they want to do. If they did want they wanted, you wouldn't be needed as a leader. Leadership is about having people do what they may not want to do and be committed to doing it.

2. Delight must be truthful. Don't try to manipulate people through your delight. When the circumstances called for it, my company commander was brutally honest with us. If we weren't measuring up to his high standards, we'd know about it from him in forceful and vivid ways. His honesty was a leadership lesson: have the troops see themselves as they should be seen, not as they want to be seen. Sure, he riled us up many times. But because his honesty helped the troops become better Marines, it was eventually accepted and even welcomed.

3. Delight must be practical. My company commander was always linking the delight he found in the troops with lessons learned in accomplishing missions and best practices that came from the lessons. His delight wasn't meant to have people feel good about themselves but to motivate them to take actions to be continually better. In that striving to be better and, getting better in the striving, we bonded. Clearly, going where we had to go and doing what we had to do, we were often miserable; but through it all, there was, in the back of my mind at least, the compulsion not to let him down -- and not to let each other down.

You may not have thought about delight as a leadership tool, but it is one of the most effective because it goes right to the heart of getting results through the cementing of right relationships. Keep these three factors in mind when expressing your delight, and your leadership will be blessed daily with new opportunities.

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 21 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: ""49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,"" at http://www.actionleadership.com