Blog - Page 48 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

Jul

2018

Car Repair Leadership

As I sat in his office I could tell there was a reason he owned multiple car repair shops. Instead of books on one of his bookshelves there were classic toy cars. I was sitting in the office of a man who had gone from owning one Meineke store to six within seven years.

This is no small task so I wanted to learn from him about leadership, specifically how to lead well as you are growing your business. We talked about multiple aspects of his business such as the change in thinking that needed to occur going from one store to three and how he had to let go of trying to control everything or he would hinder the organization’s growth. The has realized more he grows the more critical it is that he empowers key people.

When I asked what that looks like he said: “Know when 80% is good enough.” For a leader someone else may not do it 100% as well as you, but if they do it 80% as well and meet the goals then you are freeing yourself to lead more. Not only that, but you are helping the employee develop their leadership skills as they grow and close that gap between 80% and 100%.

Below are Scott’s three keys to leadership for his organization:

Higher standards than those you hire. This does not mean you look for low standards, but as the leader you should constantly be raising the bar on what you expect of yourself and those you lead. As I heard this it demonstrates leadership expert John Maxwell’s “Law of the Lid” which states your effectiveness can be no greater than your leadership level. If as leaders we accept mediocre work then those who follow us will work below that level and those that expect more than the leader expects will leave.
Integrity and Personal Responsibility. In an industry where it can be the norm to be less than completely truthful Scott expects himself and his employees to accept responsibility for actions and be consistent between actions and words. A very practical way he tries to demonstrate this integrity is how he sets up his shops. If at all possible he will make the facility feel open and even provide windows so customers can see in the work space.
1. This was not explicitly stated by Scott, but I saw it as a method to develop the second value. He shared about times that work has been not done completely right and says he accepts the blame first by stating “what can I do to help this not happen?” and often his employees will take ownership for their part in the problem as well. After this they fix the problem, learn and grow. In order to build trust both with employees and customers, he expects transparent communication. Scott models this to his employees by confronting issues that need to be addressed internally in a manner that still respects his employees.
Setting up Infrastructure. Since he works in an environment where equipment working properly is critical this is a high priority in his leadership. As the leader he feels a responsibility to create a physical environment that enables his employees to work effectively and efficiently and does not want his lack of resourcing them to create unnecessary challenges for them. As I listened, this is similar to the responsibility other leaders have to establish systems and processes for effective work and communication.

What about you? As you look at leading your team, organization or home how are you doing in these areas? Are you frustrated with the standards those you lead are living at . . . is it because you have allowed your standards to slip? Are you willing to accept responsibility and model humility and integrity? How do you need to improve your infrastructure to improve your results? Wherever you need to grow, take the first step today and lead well at work and home.

Jul

2018

Three Leadership Lessons from Founding Fathers

My oldest son can make some decent money now that he mows lawns. With that money he has purchased fireworks and is all set to have a “party” with his friends after the fourth of July. I think he is more excited about this than I am only because I don’t want to be the reason for any destruction in my neighborhood.

As I think of fourth of July I went back to a book I read years ago by Donald Phillips called The Founding Fathers on Leadership. Will you reflect with me for a moment on what we can learn about leadership from those who freed America from the tyranny of Great Britain over two hundred years ago? Three themes arose which are simple yet and powerful reminders of how we can lead better at work and home.

Vision. According to Phillips, John Adams in early 1775 created a list of ten things that needed to occur before they could declare war. He had a vision for being freed from Great Britain, but why did he not just give a rousing speech to rally everyone first? Phillips reminds us “Leaders act for certain goals that represent the values – the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations – of the people they represent.”

As a leader one must see the big picture but have concrete goals that point those led in the direction of accomplishing that vision.

Teamwork. John Adams had a plan, but he and the other founding fathers needed a team to accomplish such a lofty goal. Phillips says, “More people with talent, skill, expertise, and drive were needed . . . who would take risks, act without waiting for direction, and request responsibility . . .”

With any audacious goal a leader sets he or she will need to gather a team to fill in the gaps where he or she does not have the strengths.

As evidenced in the founding fathers, the team should not be simply followers, but other leaders who seek responsibility. This kind of team using their strengths to fulfill a common vision can accomplish great work.

Courage. This small band of men was entering the unknown with a dream of freedom. They were facing the largest Navy and they had to build a Navy. Their military was not nearly as organized as their enemy. Phillips records multiple risks the military leaders took to defeat the British in battle that ended in defeat, but heavy created casualties to the British. As they looked at this lofty goal of freedom these leaders had to boldly take each step not fully confident of the result yet consumed by the vision which encouraged them to continue to fight.

What about you? Do you have a large enough vision for what you lead and your life that you need a team? Is this vision a burning desire that gives you courage to step into uncomfortable and possibly scary areas you have never been? What do you need to do today to move closer to your vision of freedom in your life? Let me know how I can help you in your journey of growing as a great leader at work and home.

Jun

2018

Leading in Fog

“I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust.”

Mother Teresa

I was washing the dishes and listening to a talk that applied to business when the person being interviewed stated the above quote. I paused the lesson and had to reflect. I am a recovering perfectionist and this hurts me when it comes to leading others into action.

As a child I never had to have clarity. I’m sure if I asked my mom I didn’t sit on the floor thinking of all the possible consequences of trying to stand up and take my first step. I’m pretty sure I tried, failed, got up again and kept trying until eventually as I followed the process I got it and am now an expert at walking. The only clarity I had was that I wanted to move faster and probably I figured the “big people” use two feet so maybe I should. I would guess I also trusted my parents wouldn’t let me get hurt or I learned the fall wasn’t too bad and that built my trust.

What happened?

It seems as we get older we trust less because we want to control everything, but can we really control everything? Being in control and having complete clarity and control is great leadership, right? Maybe our need to control and have perfect clarity holds us back. Here are three ideas that can help us lead others better even when the picture is not perfectly clear.

Have a plan. When we were toddlers we had a plan . . . take one step and then try to take the next. That was about as clear as it probably got in our small brains. As leaders we must have a plan and a sound one that makes reasonable sense and maybe has been proven if what we are trying to lead has been done by others. BUT . . . do we hesitate because the plan isn’t perfect or mistake–proof? As one of my mentors Paul Martinelli who is president of the John Maxwell Team says: a plan could just be one step.
Let Go. Control . . . that could be a whole post in itself. As leaders we like to be in control (or at least feel like it). In our need to have control I wonder are we failing to trust? Trust others, trust our instincts, or trust that if we go to a meeting where we do not know anyone there will be a positive outcome. In letting go of our desire to control we are able to free ourselves to lead in our strengths as well as empower others to do the same.
Trust. Who do we trust in? Is the source of our trust worthy of it? When I was in college I saw a quote on a professor’s desk: “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” George McDonald. As a leader when we trust someone else we are truly empowering them. Entrusting another person will enable them and you to have greater clarity of purpose and direction.

What about you? Do you hesitate to act until you have a perfect plan or are you willing to move into action and even enable those you lead to move into action so that clarity will come? What do you need to let go of in your leadership at work or home today or simply trust, move and believe clarity will come? Lead well.

Jun

2018

A Father’s Leadership

Dad.

For some this word evokes positive emotions and great memories. For some it evokes frustration and anger. For some it evokes sadness. For some nothing or a myriad of other emotions I have not mentioned. For me it evokes two emotions: respect and fear.

Respect for my own father who modeled how to work hard, but not allow his work to be all consuming as he remained involved in our lives. He continues to demonstrate that as a grandfather by investing in his grandsons . . . or maybe spoiling them . . . I’ll get back to you on that. He also modeled humility in that he would and still does apologize when he makes a mistake either with my mom or with my brother or I as we were growing up.

Fear. Not of my father other than the healthy fear. My fear is the reality that I have three young boys looking at me and I am their model of what it means to be a man. I would be a liar if I didn’t tell you that scares me to death. I know I will give them “issues,” but I hope they see in me a man of faith who lives his life in a way that aligns with what he says. I hope they see a man of courage and a man who loves unconditionally.

Those are my two emotions, but let me share with you some principles of leadership for fathers at home that help me. These principles come from a book I read many years ago by a former Green Beret Stu Weber called Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart. These four pillars are what every dad and man struggles to keep in balance as they easily tip to one side or another. As we strive to stay in the center we will be on a path of effective leadership of ourselves and those we interact with.

King. When we lead as a king we balance the temptation to either be passive or be controlling. These tensions pull at us constantly. I think of when my children are fighting I either want to yell at them or ignore it, and hope it goes away. If I function as a king I will seek to serve them in the moment by listening, but not solving their problem for them.
Warrior. When we lead as a warrior we balance the temptation to either run away from conflict or try to win at all costs often as a bully. The best example is when there is a disagreement with my spouse I feel both sides rise up pulling at me. When I am functioning as a centered warrior I sit with my wife, listen, and work with her to find a solution that is best for both of us and our marriage. I fight for our marriage in these moments.
Mentor. The two extremes Weber provides here are “dunce” vs. “know-it-all.” When we function as wise mentors we demonstrate transparent humility. If you have ever had a good teacher he or she knew a lot, but had them humility to recognize he or she did not know it all. This type of teacher would come alongside you patiently guiding you to the answer while suggesting what has worked, but allowing you to find your own approach if there was not just one to follow.
Friend. This is a balanced pillar when we are not trying to be our child’s best friend or completely ignoring him or her. When I function well as a friend I am connecting and talking about what matters to my son and his world, not about me and my problems.

These four principles guide me in attempting to be the best father possible. Not only do I strive to keep each pillar centered, but I also must not focus on one pillar too much such as just trying to be a friend. Our roof does not stay on with only three walls so are we as men not leading well if we fail to pay attention to each pillar.

What pillar in your life is out of alignment? What is one thing you can do today to realign? To lead well at home as a dad is a challenge, but a battle worth fighting. Let me know if I can help and in the meantime, lead well dads.

Jun

2018

Three Leadership Principles from a Small Business Leader

As I sit in a comfortable orange rolling office chair I am across from the CEO of Imavex which is an Indianapolis area based technology and digital marketing organization. Gerald Stanley and his business partner Steve Burzynski have allowed me to invade their day to learn about their company, but more importantly, to me, how they lead it well.

Gerald is a man of many hats. He is the CEO of this organization, helps coach a high school football team, serves on the board of a faith-based non-profit organization called Hands of Hope and is the father of he and his wife’s four children two of which they adopted from another country. With all that and the family friendly travel baseball organization Orange Baseball as well as One Orphan Foundation that he and his business partner founded I think he is either crazy or a great leader. By the end of our conversation I realized he was definitely the latter.

As we talked Mr. Stanley explained to me three foundational principles that guide not only his leadership, but the organization as a whole.

Entrepreneurial – As an established organization that has been serving clients since 2001 they do not want to get stale and apathetic so they strive to take appropriate risks to help the organization grow. At times those risks do not work, but from my observations during our conversation these men learn and grow from mistakes instead of letting them define them and get them stuck. In true entrepreneurial fashion he understands the process of risk, fail, learn, change, and do it all again.
Servant Leaders – Both Gerald and Steve model servant leadership which is demonstrated in how they treat employees and structure their organization. Steve entered our meeting and I asked him what his three key leadership principles were and each principle defines what both men model as servant leaders: be genuine because it earns respect, be consistent as it earns credibility, be empathetic because it helps you connect and builds trust. These are not just theory, but practice for these two men and are foundational to their business culture.
Ownership – When he explained how their organization is structured this ownership idea was clearly evident. In their company three values drive their strategy and they have flattened their structure in a manner that these values are driven not by them, but by the employees. In each area an employee leads the growth and is equipped to bring results. This ownership is evidenced in another way. Both them as leaders and those they lead are accountable to each other and when there are mistakes in projects they have an organizational culture that expects people to take responsibility for their actions and make the appropriate adjustments.

One last question I asked them was how they develop leaders in their organization and the answer came in the form of an expectation: bring solutions not problems. I am not sure where you are in your leadership journey, but with those you lead are you a task master or servant? Are you still taking risks or is something holding you back and maybe even need help thinking into those challenges? Do you exemplify the traits of a servant leader and own what you have been entrusted with both when things go well and poorly? What is one way you can grow as a leader after learning these ideas? Lead well both at work and home and let me know how I can help you on the journey.

Jun

2018

What I learned from a Leader in Education

I sat in the classroom of a man who has fulfilled multiple roles in education. He recently allowed me to lead his classes through an experience of The Leadership Game, and he has also served as an administrative leader, sport coach, and leads this school’s Students in Action club within the school that helps students grow as leaders through engaging in public service projects.

As I sat there I had one question: what would you say are three keys to leadership? At first he gave a stock answer which I found to be excellent: value stakeholders, engage your people, and don’t micromanage. That took about one minute and then we had a more robust conversation on his simplified, yet profound answer to the question.

Relationships – This is the foundation for effective leadership. A leader may have a laid back style or may be very rigid and structured, but these are styles. The important principle is that the leader is a person who creates value for those he or she leads. Mr. Torres explained that a good leader will make sure the individuals he or she leads know they are cared about personally and the relationship is not purely transactional. For example, is the only interaction between student and teacher about getting work done or is there interaction around other interests in the student’s life? The stronger the relationship the more open and effective communication will be.
Clear Vision – Students in Action promotes the idea of thinking big to change the world. As we talked Mr. Torres discussed how this common language helps them maintain a clear vision on what they are attempting to accomplish. This clear vision has played out another way in his leadership through his involvement in theatrical productions. Each year he knows what the ultimate result will look like for his production, but he may emphasize various parts. For example if he doesn’t have superior talent or singing skills within his cast then the scenery will be emphasized to highlight that strength. He will look for where the cast is strong and feature that in alignment with the vision for the performance.
Motivation – As we talked, this topic came out in connection to the previous two concepts, but I find it deserves individual attention. I asked him to explain what he means by motivation. One of the first concepts he emphasized was the importance of listening. This skill is critical to knowing how to motivate those you lead because it helps you figure out where they want to go and how to get them there. Another key to motivating those he leads is helping resource them so they can build their skills and have small successes. These successes are celebrated and lead to increased confidence.

Many other great concepts came out of our time together, but one idea he shared captures his ideas of leadership in a succinct way. Does the leader ask “what do you want?” and want the best for you and help you develop as a person. This is the type of leader who gets clarity on the other person’s vision, values relationships, and will know how to motivate those he or she leads.

What about you? How are you doing in these areas at work and home? If you are a task-minded person do you need to consciously slow down to know the people around you? Do you need greater clarity on your vision or maybe listen better so you can motivate more effectively? Whatever the first step in your leadership growth is today may I encourage you to take it so you can be more effective both at work and home? Continue to lead well at work and home.