Leadership

Nov

2020

Leadership Blind Spots

I was with my boys one night when my wife was out so I decided to do something different and play some sports video games with them. They were ecstatic to get some extra screen time, but I managed to almost destroy a fun time.

During our time I got frustrated with one of my teenage sons and let him clearly know. This turned into a bit of a tense few moments that eventually passed, but I realized something. My frustration was not helping me lead my children effectively. I was blind to the reality I was overreacting instead of slowing down, observing the situation, and then responding.

We all have blind spots. This is a reality of life, but how can we identify them and why does it matter as a leader?

Why It Matters

“That’s just the way I am”

Have you ever heard someone make the above statement about their behavior? This may be true, but does it serve them well and more importantly how does that behavior impact those around

them? If you have a strong personality and confidently share your opinion this may create an environment where others feel unsafe to share their opinions. You may think everyone agrees with you, but realistically some don’t, fail to share, and therefore the best ideas could not be coming forward. This blind spot could ultimately cause you to make a preventable poor leadership decision.

How We Find Them

Instead of sharing our opinion, we listen to those around us we will create an environment to alert us of our blind spots. Honest conversations help us learn and hear what we may not want to hear. Sometimes we become aware of our blind spots while in an environment where we are sharing ideas about a subject. I often create these environments through mastermind groups and facilitating The Leadership Game.

The only way we can truly see our blind spots is by self-evaluation and accepting feedback from others. As leaders we can think we must have all the answers. This pride can lead to a lack of awareness of personal growth areas. While playing with my sons I did not realize the blind spot of my over-reaction until I paused to evaluate myself and listen to my son’s feedback.

What to Do

We see the problem and are beginning to understand our need for change, now what? Change is never easy and I’ve written a few blogs on change, but one specifically about personal change. Two things can help us move forward once we have identified the blind spot.

Accountability . . . Approach people in your life who will use candor and care to call you out on the area you want to improve. We know that when people inspect our work we perform at a higher level. The same is true with personal changes in our behavior.

Action Plan . . . Once we see the negative impact of the problem, we need to determine a way to change. Accountability will be one part, but work with that accountability partner or others who have fought a similar fight to learn what has helped them overcome or neutralize the challenge.

We all have blind spots and when we increase our self-awareness enough to see them, we are able to neutralize or even conquer them. We cannot do it alone though. Some people may need a thinking partner to think deeper into the impact it has and any limiting beliefs that keep the negative behavior in place. What blind spot have you become aware of? What is the first step you need to take in overcoming it? Need help thinking into it? Contact me to schedule a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. Lead Well.

Nov

2020

Learning from A Healthcare COO

I was virtually sitting in his office as we were on ZOOM discussing leadership. Chad Dilley the COO of IU Health Saxony and I were discussing his top three leadership principles. Before diving into his principles he shared one of the major influences on his leadership . . . sports.

Since childhood, this Olivet Nazarene graduate spent years as a catcher. In this role he developed an intuitive understanding of what motivates different people. Sometimes as a catcher his job required him to give the pitcher either a little encouragement or a swift kick in the rear.

Sports were not his only influence, his father who was a firefighter modeled one of his primary values: serving people. That value influenced him to serve people through healthcare. During our conversation I learned three primary principles that drive his leadership.

Know Yourself to Drive Emotional Maturity

In his book Primal Leadership Daniel Goleman describes a resonant executive leader by saying:

“He was attuned to people’s feelings and moved them in a positive emotional direction.”

This is the type of leader Dilley described. Beginning in his sports activity and throughout his various leadership positions he realized he needs to know himself, so he understands what drives others. As leaders our lack of emotional self-awareness can prevent us from leading others from an emotionally healthy place.

Leaders set the tone and pace of the team and we have a responsibility to not only be self-aware, but also listen at a deep enough level that we understand our people’s needs. This combination of self-awareness and listening will drive the emotional maturity Dilley described.

Be There to Serve Others

I have never understood the leader who leads from an office or a remote place and is not listening to those he or she leads. Another defining principle Chad learned from his father is serving others. How does the leader do this? Most simply stated he said:

“Leaders remove barriers the front-line experience.”

In order to know these barriers, he must be among his team listening. Specifically, he seeks the answer to two key questions:

Where is the market going? Healthcare has had many changes in the past decade that has impacted everyone. He seeks to continually discover the answer to this question.
What does the team need? Considering the direction of the market, Chad serves his team by asking them what they need to successfully perform their job.

Two very practical questions all leaders can seek the answer to so they can serve their teams. This final principle I think is the most critical.

Develop Other Leaders

Leadership expert John Maxwell in his book Developing the Leaders Around You which I provide trainings on says:

“the difference between a good organization and a great one is leadership.”

Dilley’s principles demonstrate agreement with this statement. When he was in charge of leading the construction of a cancer center, he knew he needed an effective team. This team could only function at a high level if it had good leaders.

When everything must receive approval from the leader he or she slows down the progress and is developing followers. If the leader empowers others to lead then the team gets much more accomplished. Chad has some specific strategies to help him develop leaders, but you will have to look for a future post sharing these principles.

What about you? Which of these do you need to grow in? Set your action step and move toward it. Maybe you need an outside voice to help you see ways to grow your leadership. If that is you and you are interested in exploring a thirty-minute one on one coaching session then contact me. Lead well.

Oct

2020

Leading From A Distance

This past weekend my youngest son and I participated in a Father/Son camp. When each son has turned ten we have gone to a camp put on by Mission Uprising. The experience is a great opportunity to unplug and connect with my son one on one.

Each of my son’s brothers had scaled the huge climbing wall when they went and felt the thrill of success while overcoming the challenges along the way. Along with the climbing wall, this son had a different opportunity. A “vertical playground.” Let’s just say when dad saw the “playground” he knew his limitations and would not attempt this adventure.

While on the ground observing I could do nothing to help him . . . so I thought. Reflecting back there are ways that I led from a distance that may apply to you in leading your team.

Encouragement

As you can see from the picture this was not an easy climb. After scaling a cargo net, he had to figure out how to climb a wooden “X”. He took a rest to wait for the other climber and managed to reach the next level. This next level looked impossible to me. He had to climb a rope ladder with moving rungs! I had no idea how this could be accomplished.

What could I do? Encourage him. I made sure while he was up there trying to determine his next move he knew I believed in him. I would yell up and affirm to him that he could do it and not to quit. As leaders sometimes we may not know the next step a person should take, but may need to encourage them to keep persevering toward the goal.

Guidance

Slowly he climbed the wobbly ladder toward the next level and I would provide occasional instruction on what I could see that he could not. He focused on the next goal, was unable to see where to place his feet, and would stumble and struggle. Similarly, as he climbed the wall earlier in the day I was able to see rocks that were at his waist and from the ground would share with him what I saw to help him climb higher.

Leaders often operate at a different level of awareness. We can be a boss and demand those we lead or we can guide and empower by helping them see options we see they did not know they had in climbing toward their goal.

Celebration

I wish I could tell you he made it to the top of the obstacle, but unfortunately he ran out of strength while climbing the ladder and could not quite pull himself up. After carefully rappelling down to the ground and getting unclipped from his harness I was quick to celebrate with him his perseverance and how high he did get on his first attempt ever.

I know as a leader I often forget to celebrate the small successes because of my frustration at not reaching the goal. When we lead others, we must celebrate the success in any attempt while also discussing the learning opportunity.

As a leader which of these three areas do you need to grow in? What is one action step you can take in that area today? Do you need to create an environment on your team or in your business where people are encouraging one another? Contact me to discuss facilitating a mastermind experience to help create that environment with your organization or team. Lead Well!

Oct

2020

What Is Your Leadership Quotient?

Leadership has been discussed for years, but has been around since the beginning of time. At the foundation of any movement exists a leader or group of leaders.

Before going any further, what is a leader? A leader could have a position, but at times people in positions of leadership may not be effective leaders. The real leader is the one with influence. A position can give influence, but our leadership quotient determines if we maintain that influence.

I don’t have time to go in depth on this idea of a Leadership Quotient, but I will share the main components that I believe create it. Robert Service¹ goes in depth with twelve components that create a leadership quotient, but I am going to suggest five.

Others have researched some of these concepts more in depth. Most of these ideas come from the thinking of people such as Daniel Goleman^2,3, Shirzad Chamine⁴, and others. Their books are at the bottom of this post and I would recommend any of them. Let me dive in.

IQ

An effective leader must have some level of intellectual intelligence. This quotient is a measure of an individual’s ability to reason and solve problems. A leader’s job is to solve problems so he or she must have a reasonable amount of this type of intelligence. He or she does not need to be the smartest person in the room and an effective leader often is not. A secure leader will surround him or herself with people smarter than him or her especially in areas of weakness.

EQ

Regardless of the position a leader fulfills, the ability to relate and connect with people is essential. Daniel Goleman introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in the 1990’s and one of his best resources on leadership and emotional intelligence is the book Primal Leadership. A leader must have the emotional self-awareness to be able to manage him or herself appropriately to connect with those he or she leads.

SQ

No one is an island. Even if we run a business as a solopreneur we still interact socially. Social Intelligence is the ability to understand the dynamics of a group. Leaders with this type of intelligence can lead teams with intelligence on how to naturally escalate and de-escalate a situation. This essential skill shows up in team meeting interactions and the ability to move the group forward.

StQ

We can be great with people and smart, but if we have no strategy or fail to execute on that strategy I would suggest we have a low StQ. This is how well we create plans to move a team toward the vision. Not only how well we can create it, but how effective are we at executing the plan. A lack of strategy intelligence will prevent us from accomplishing the vision.

PQ

A friend of mine introduced me to the idea of Positive Intelligence through the work of Shirzad Chamine. I can explore this concept more in depth in a future post, but this is how successfully we lead ourselves. What inputs do we dwell on as leaders? Are we allowing the judge in our mind to be in charge or the thoughts that provide positive feedback? This intelligence can determine if we excel and continue at a high level of leadership or burnout.

After looking at these five intelligence areas on a scale of one to ten where would you rank yourself? Which one of these areas do you need to develop? Need help thinking into this? Contact me and in the meantime, lead well.

Service, Robert. “The Leadership Quotient: Measuring Toward Improvement.” The Business Renaissance Quarterly.
Goleman, Daniel. Primal Leadership.
Goleman, Daniel. Social Intelligence.
Chamine, Shirzad. Positive Intelligence.

Oct

2020

Motivating Others As A Leader

I recently read a faith-based book by Kris Vallotton called Poverty, Riches & Wealth. Unexpectedly I came across some practical leadership advice as he discussed his experience leading his own company.

One of the greatest challenges when working with people, which is leadership, is figuring out how to get the best effort and results from them. Whether as a leader in an organization, as a coach of a team, or at home we all face this. When reading this book Vallotton reminded me of three basic needs we all have that can serve as motivational triggers.

Survival

At the end of the day we all must put food on our table, clothe ourselves, and have a roof over our head. These are universal needs we all have regardless of culture or socio-economic status. Some would suggest that if you provide a great enough purpose for someone this will work itself out.

Purpose is important and this keeps us going, but at the end of the day if I can’t meet my basic needs then my greatest purpose feels like staying alive. I may wholeheartedly believe in the cause, vision, company, etc., but I need to eat!

If those you lead are hungry for money then this survival idea may be their greatest trigger. Bonuses can be an effective motivator for this individual. . . . for now.

Connection

“The need for approval makes a person want to fit in, and it is driven by the desire to feel connected.”

Maybe you sense a person’s motivation for money has waned. Author Daniel Pink in his book Drive suggests this occurs because as we get fair compensation there comes a point money no longer functions as a primary motivator.

This person’s trigger may become the desire to feel a part of the team/organization/family. How can we meet that need? Recognition. For some people receiving visible recognition for top performance is a tremendous boost of confidence and motivator.

For the people in this stage you may need to find creative ways to recognize them. Maybe you create a culture where people feel more connected with others through growth opportunities or regular social experiences. People need to experience they are not alone and are liked and appreciated. There is a third stage that can overlap this stage . . .

Significance

All teams or groups have experienced, well connected, and liked people. Their basic needs are well met, and they want something more.

Maybe they are not in a significant formal position of leadership, but they want to make an impact. These are the people whose trigger is their legacy. They are inspired when they get the opportunity to do something of significance for the group.

This could be the experienced veteran employee who may not want the responsibility of a higher leadership position, but welcomes the opportunity to provide ideas and contribute to a new project. A leader formally and authentically recognizing this individual’s contribution to the cause can meet their desire for significance. Some people may not desire recognition because their values align with the vision and values of what you lead and that motivates them.

Can I suggest you take some time this week to think about those you lead and assess which stage they are in. Look at how you motivate and evaluate how are you triggering each of these areas? Need help thinking into this? Contact me for a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. Lead Well.

Oct

2020

Learning from Another Health Care Leader

We were both in our home offices and discussing leadership with the former CEO of a regional hospital in Indiana. I would have much rather been sitting across a table from him, but being in separate areas of the country prevented this.

We both were employed by the same organization, but I never had the opportunity to talk leadership with this leader. While talking I recognized he leads from a healthy foundation. We discussed the top three principles that guided him as a leader in the healthcare industry over multiple years.

Beware of Your Ego

Leadership expert John Maxwell discusses the five levels of leadership and when I provide leadership roundtables utilizing his book Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 we discuss these levels. The first level is positional leadership. As leaders we must be careful not to primarily lead from a posture of position because this will likely lead to more ego driven decisions.

Jonathan created checks in his life to help make sure his ego did not take charge. He surrounded himself with people who told him the truth. This may not have been what he wanted to hear, but what he needed to hear. Great leaders surround themselves with people who think differently who fill in their leadership gaps.

Words = Actions

Indiana winters are cold. Mr. Goble did something that may seem foolish for the CEO to do. He parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot.

As a leader he emphasized the importance of putting patients first. By parking in the furthest spot possible he modeled the values he promoted. If he parked closest to the door then it would be taking a valuable spot from a patient.

By parking in the back, his actions demonstrated this value and his employees could not justifiably complain to him about a long walk in the cold. He made sure he had the longest walk. As leaders we promote specific values and we must examine ourselves carefully to be certain our words match our actions. When they don’t admit it and make adjustments so we are in alignment.

KNOW Your People

“To lead others, you must be able to communicate well, and connecting is key.”

John C. Maxwell

Leadership is about working with people and as the leader Jonathan suggests we must know those we lead and not just what they do. This is connecting. A couple strategies that Jonathan suggested were:

Know people’s names. Do you know the name of the person who takes care of your trash? Even if you don’t know their name do you acknowledge each person and let them know you care about them as an individual?

Compliment in writing. One practice Mr. Goble used was mailing home written compliments to his employees. A written note alone is impactful, but when it goes home the family can celebrate with the employee the personalized recognition from the leader.

One of the biggest leadership lessons Jonathan learned was to listen more and talk less. He found that listening enabled him to lead more effectively and know his people better. When we know those we lead we will understand what motivates them and how to help them perform to their highest ability.

What about you? How are you doing in each of these areas? Do you need help in getting an accurate assessment of how your team feels you are doing? Maybe a Leadership Game experience would serve you and your team/organization well. Set your action step to grow as a leader today and reach the next level. Lead well.