Leadership

Jan

2021

Are Your People In the Right Seat?

Remember when you were a kid in school. Maybe you had that nerve-wracking experience in elementary school when you walked in and were looking for it.

What were you looking for? Your seat, of course! The desk with your name on it. Then you found it and settled in. Each day it felt great to have that seat until someone moved your desk!

Things have not changed for us as adults. We have a seat and ways we function in that seat, but is it the right seat? As a leader are your duties in alignment with your strengths and what best serves your organization or team? What about the people on your team? This is an important question, but before we determine if we are in the right seat we must determine if we are on the right bus.

The Right Bus

Jim Collins popularized the concept of being on the bus in his book Good to Great. He challenged us first with determining whether we have the right people on the bus. WHO often is more important than WHAT. As leaders we can change the what to fit the who. As individuals we may need to determine if we are on the right bus. Does the vision of the organization align with what is important to me as an individual? If not, as the leader we are putting a lid to the potential growth of our organization.

Get It

In his book Traction author Gino Wickman provides a structure to help determine if people are positioned in a way that most utilizes their abilities and benefits the overall cause. When a leader is deciding whether to move someone into a new role they must determine if the individual has the necessary basic understanding. Does the individual understand how the job works and get the role they are stepping into or will they be lost? If they “get it” then they have passed the first test of being in the right seat.

Want It

Wickman says the next step is determining if they want the seat that is offered. I would suggest this is both a question of desire and motive. The right person in the seat will want the position out of a desire to serve the people and the organization. On the other hand, some people want the position because of a motive to have a position or control. As we evaluate the person for the seat, take time to get a clear answer to why they want it.

Capacity for It

Leadership expert John Maxwell in his book No Limits suggests that when we grow our awareness, abilities, and make right choices we can reach our capacity. This is what the third part of the structure seeks to answer. Wickman suggests that if a person does not have the mental, physical, and emotional space in their lives they may not be the right fit. For example, taking a role that requires 60 hours of work a week when you only have 40 to give is not the right seat.

Are you in the right seat on the bus in your organization? If you are the founder what do you need to do to work more often in your strengths? If you lead a team how can you position them in the right seat so the team thrives? Need help thinking into this? Schedule a 30 minute one on one thinking partner session at no cost to you so I can come alongside and help you. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Learning from Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Part II

Last year I shared a blog with a few leadership lessons I learned from Donald T. Phillips’ book Martin Luther King Jr. On Leadership. I am doing the same again this year and sharing a few more principles he highlighted on how to lead.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of vision who peacefully championed change in a very turbulent time. This is what leaders often must do. Phillips put it this way:

“[H]e was not only an optimistic individual (as great leaders are), he was also persistent, determined, and had an eye focused on the future. Even more important. . . . Martin was a lifelong continuous learner.”

In this one statement I see four traits we can all develop to increase our leadership effectiveness.

Optimistic

In their fight against the oppression of the day specifically at one point in Albany “5 percent of the Negro population” went to jail. Instead of being angry, King’s optimism shone through. He said how extraordinary the response was that five percent would willingly go to jail for a just cause. As leaders we must be realistic and accept the difficulties that come, but what is the positive in the situation?

During a pandemic many may paint a bleak picture, but the optimistic people have seen opportunities and capitalized on them. They provide new services, create new businesses, form new service organizations and meet needs that were not previously present. King saw the willingness of people to go to jail for a just cause as positive momentum in the movement.

Persistent

I shared in one of my weekly videos an example of my son’s persistence in pursuing something he really wanted. I’ve heard leadership expert John Maxwell say “everything worth having is uphill.” I find this is true. Whether it be a personal or professional goal there will be an uphill climb to reach it and leaders must have the determination to persist.

King must have realized this as he faced resistance to the idea of peacefully fighting for civil rights. Whether it was within or outside of public view King persistently championed the cause as all leaders must do.

Vision

What keeps one fighting and pressing forward amidst such adversity? Keeping an eye focused on the future. King had a dream of what the world would be like one day and that dream must have remained constantly at the forefront of his mind. If you are in a position of leadership or are championing a cause this focus on the future must remain. Leaders who lose this focus quit because the climb becomes unbearable.

Lifelong Learner

“Not all readers can be leaders. But all leaders must be readers.”

Harry Truman

What makes the above statement and Phillip’s statement about King’s lifelong learning being more important so true? An effective leader sees situations from multiple perspectives in order to make the best decision for all. This requires a learner’s mindset. Listening to multiple voices and reading multiple sources can inform a leader so he or she has more insight before making decisions.

Maybe you have heard the statement “experience is the best teacher.” Experience teaches, but only when we evaluate and learn from it. King continually sought to learn from both successes and failures to grow and move himself and the cause forward.

These are only a few lessons learned from this legendary leader. How are you doing in these areas? Is there one of these areas you need to intentionally grow in? Want an objective evaluation of your team and leadership? Contact me to discuss a facilitation of The Leadership Game to open communication and grow your team and leaders in your organization. Lead Well.

Jan

2021

Motion to Get Motivated

I live in the Northern part of the United States and the winter can be a little rough at times. Usually I get up early and go do my morning workout. On this particular day it was different.

I had done my morning routine and was ready to go. My bag was packed and I had opened the door to the garage, then I looked at the driveway.

I knew an ice/snow storm had started overnight, but when I looked at my driveway it was a sheet of ice. If you have seen the effects of an ice storm you know what I am talking about. I threw salt on the driveway and changed my plan.

We have a steep driveway and I didn’t want to crash into the neighbor’s car parked on the street and I wasn’t sure I would make it back up my driveway once I left. Now I didn’t know what to do because my morning workout is my coffee.

My motivation had dipped and I was tempted to go back to bed for a little bit, but instead I went into the basement. I hung up my TRX Band straps and turned on some Rocky music and started working out.

I will spare you the details of my workout, but I accomplished the goal of 30 minutes of elevating my heartrate and felt pretty good afterwards. As I thought about this there are a few leadership lessons to be learned from simply getting in motion whether that is to exercise or to move toward accomplishing your personal and/or professional vision as you start this new year.

Motion first and emotion later

Whether exercising, going out to make a sales call, preparing or whatever tempts us to procrastinate we all have crafty ways to stall our motion. Look at the word “emotion.” I am not an expert in words, but I do see most of the word is motion and the “e” has to catch up. Emotion is simply energy in motion. Maybe we would benefit from reminding ourselves to “Do it NOW” so we get in motion quickly.

Give yourself success steps

As I started my workout I wanted to get my heart rate up quick and warm up achy joints so I ran in place. I accomplished that small goal and moved on to the next small goal. After accomplishing multiple small goals I ended up completing the entire workout. Whatever the goal is, take small steps in the direction of the vision, celebrate the victories, then move on.

Persevere

When you are at minute one of a 30 minute workout it looks overwhelming. As you have set goals for the new year maybe they are overwhelming you. Keep taking one step at a time and follow your plan, adjusting when necessary and you will reach the destination.

Enjoy the process

This is a challenge for me because I just want to get there. I have to remind myself to slow down, connect with others who are on the journey with me and enjoy the benefits of the process.

As you set goals for this new year, get in motion and keep moving one step at a time. Which of these four steps do you need to grow in? Do you need someone to help you in that process? Contact me for a no cost thirty-minute thinking partner session to help you think into these goals and more. Lead well.

Nov

2020

Learning from A Small Business Leader

We were sitting in the lobby outside of Holder Mattress in Carmel, IN. I was learning from the third-generation leader of this family owned business. A woman who had grown up around her family’s mattress factory in Kokomo, IN.

When she had volunteered seventeen years ago to take over the leadership of this struggling business from her Aunt and Uncle, she had many challenges on her hands. As a young, but determined, leader she refused to allow the business to close while she was leading. This determination paid off. Within a few short years of taking over a business that was being protected by bankruptcy at the time, she made decisions that quickly made it into the profitable family owned small business it has become.

During our time we discussed some of the principles that guided and continue to guide her leadership.

Build the Best

All industries have varying degrees of competition. Instead of focusing on the competition, Lauren learned from her grandfather the value of building the best. As a small company in a big industry that manufactures their own product they are able to control quality. When you focus on being the best you can be, then everything else takes care of itself.

In his book Wooden on Leadership, John Wooden and Steve Jamison state:

“When you start thinking about winning, you stop thinking about doing your job.”

This mindset of focusing on doing your best will help leaders build the best. We can’t control the competition or the market or other situations. Just like John Wooden focused on his team being the best they could be, find what you are best at and excel. This is a significant reason why Lauren was able to turn around the business when she took over.

Treat People Right

I have been reading leadership expert John Maxwell’s book Ethics 101 and he made the observation that the golden rule of treating others as you would want to be treated spans across all belief systems. This was the foundational guiding principle Lauren learned from her grandfather. Watching her grandfather build a small town, family owned business taught her to treat everyone like a neighbor.

When we treat all people right, we get positive results. If we treat others with respect and care they often will do the same. Leading in the retail business Lauren learned from her grandfather that sometimes letting a person leave, with respect and care, is treating them right because you may not have what a customer is looking for.

Put the Needs of Others Before Your Ego

Through an early experience with a customer Lauren learned the negative impact of her strong will and ego. She had a customer whose needs she did not think would be met by the product they purchased. Instead of discussing with them possible modifications and having an open conversation she decided to have her manufacturers make the modifications she thought would be helpful. . . . a few weeks later the customers returned dissatisfied.

She regularly shares with her team how she realized she needed to learn to listen to people well and above all be honest. We can easily think we know what is best for another person, but when we listen we are able to serve others and do what is best for them and not what we think is best.

After looking at these three principles, which of them do you need to grow in? Do you need help thinking into this? Contact me for a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. Lead Well.

Nov

2020

Leadership and Gratitude

Each year about this time people visit family to eat turkey and enjoy time with one another. Sometimes these family gatherings for people are great experiences while for others they can be tense and awkward. What makes the difference?

Having gratitude.

Gratitude has been defined as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” How can this mindset of gratitude help us as leaders specifically at work.

Helps Us Shift to There is a Way

Leading anything is full of challenge and adversity. We hit a roadblock that feels like a giant mountain in front of us we do not know how to get around. When we hit this what do we do?

At times we think “can I even do this?” We shift to a focus on all the reasons why this will NOT work therefore putting us in a scarcity mindset. There is another option.

Think “how can I do this?” With a mind full of thankfulness at the lessons learned up until now about both what does and does not work, we press ahead. This abundant mindset helps us focus on finding the way even though up until now we have not.

Helps us Empower Others

Leaders work with people and to empower others we must believe in them and their ability. Ken Blanchard et. al. developed the concept of Situational Leadership. In this four-phased model two of the phases in developing others require a high amount of support and encouragement.

Most people will not perform exactly the way we want when they first start and will require a lot of encouragement and gratitude for their effort and progress. Think of the leaders you have had. The ones you worked hardest for on some level expressed gratitude for your work. Gratitude creates an empowering environment which increases productivity and results.

Helps us Boost Team Morale

In their book Switch Chip and Dan Heath discuss the challenge of leading change. One aspect of their thinking involves discovering the “bright spots.” This is locating what is being done right and amplifying it. I would suggest these bright spots can more easily be found when we have gratitude.

As leaders we see the vision of where we want something to be and the result we get along the way often is not it. If you are like me, you tend to focus on all that needs to be improved and unfortunately this can lead down a path of criticism and lack of gratitude. Instead if we focus on the bright spots where things are going well and do more of that work the team morale will increase from gratitude for what they are accomplishing.

I did not even touch on this idea of gratitude in leading ourselves which you can learn about in a digital program I created here. My question for you is how can you develop gratitude as a leader and spread it to your team? Like any change this will take time and persistence, but the payoff will be profound. Keep leading, growing in gratitude, and empowering those around you. Lead Well.

Nov

2020

Mental Health as A Leader

I was talking to someone close to me recently about work. During our conversation he mentioned how he had to take a day off work for his mental health. What is that about?

As leaders we are tough and must push through adversity, right? Research done over a decade ago stated leaders in America were working an average of 56 hours a week.¹ For some reason I think this number is even greater now in the rapidly changing and ever fluid world we live and work in.

This increased work raises the concern of how leaders are taking care of themselves. If an athlete continually trains at a high intensity he or she will eventually wear out. The body and mind will break down and performance will suffer so what can leaders do to lead themselves well and take care of their mental health?

Self-awareness

Daniel Goleman who first brought forth the idea of emotional intelligence defines self-awareness as: “reading one’s own emotions and recognizing their impact.”² In order to lead effectively leaders must understand their emotions and the emotions of those they lead. As leaders Goleman suggests we want to resonate with those we lead and tune into their feelings to inspire them to action.

This ability requires slowing down enough from our tasks to understand our emotions and their impact on others. Take a moment as a leader and assess if you are constantly anxious, frustrated, or stressed what the cause might be. At times though, to reach this level of self-awareness requires help.

Community of Truth Tellers

I was discussing this idea of self-awareness with other business leaders as a panelist and one of the participants highlighted the importance of community. Recently I wrote about blind spots which all of us have. In order to see our blind spots we need people around us or as John Maxwell calls our “inner circle” who will speak truth to us. These truth tellers help us see what we cannot see independently.

Recharge

For years I worked with athletes who could suffer from a problem which leaders can be impacted by as well if they are not careful: burnout. How can we identify if we are heading down that path?

Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter describes many of the symptoms of burnout of which I will list a few and you can explore in further detail on your own.³

Chronic fatigue
Insomnia
Loss of appetite
Anxiety
Depression
Anger

After reading the above list are some of these impacting your leadership right now? If so, allow me to suggest finding a way to recharge yourself. That could be through engaging with someone to help you think into what you need to remove from your responsibilities. Maybe this track to burnout can be relieved by building in active rest such as engaging in activities that help you recharge but have nothing to do with work. Finally, it could be rest and relaxation that completely removes you from the work environment.

As leaders we set the pace but must be aware of our pace so we can finish the marathon of leadership without injuring ourselves or those closest to us. What adjustment do you need to make to lead yourself and others from a healthy place? Need help thinking into this? Contact me for a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. Lead Well.

Banks, Bonnie. Rest: A Leadership Imperative https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/lao/issue_15/LAO_IssXV_Banks.pdf retrieved on 11/15/20
Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee. Primal Leadership. Harvard Business School Press, Boston. 2002
Carter, Dr. Sherrie. The Telltale Signs of Burnout . . . Do You Have Them? Psychology Today website retrieved 11/15/20 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them