Leadership

Jan

2020

The Positive Power of Social Media

I typically stay off social media because it eats up time and primarily use it for business purposes, but I recently did something out of character for me. My wife encouraged me to share with people about my new book When I Am Afraid on Facebook. She understands all that better than me, so I listened to her.

I was blown away.

I try to be sensitive about my faith and don’t want anyone to feel forced to believe what I believe or be that “pushy” guy. This book is impacted by my faith and I shared in my post a little about my entrepreneurial journey from fear to trust. Usually I only hear about the negative aspects of certain social media platforms, but this caused me to experience the positive power of social media in a unique way.

Caring

After I made my post many friends commented and congratulated me. These were people I know and have interacted with not just “friends.” I must confess I did not expect the outpouring of encouragement. (I think I learned though that much of the world must be on Facebook on Sunday night at around 8:45 PM EST.) This was encouraging because I knew they were genuinely happy for me amidst being afraid to share.

Connecting

While in the middle of this experience I also connected with a man from India who is doing great work for people in that country. While responding to the encouraging replies of friends, I also was getting to know a man who serves women and children with HIV in India. In the middle of this I was realizing the power social media has to create an environment to connect with people across the world in a way I never thought.

Community

A friend of mine saw the post and asked me to share it on his private group page. Once I figured out how to join the group and share my original post, I experienced the power of community. My friend has been building this community for a year or more and this small group gathered around and helped support our family.

As part of sharing about this book my wife and I are offering it as a gift to anyone who gives $50 or more to support our family trip to Mexico to build a couple homes. This is what my friend got excited about. He rallied his tribe to help get momentum to raise money for this family adventure.

Now I am still not a huge fan of social media because of the amount of time I can potentially waste, but I now see more clearly the positive power it provides. What does all this have to do with leadership though?

If leadership is influence, then anytime we are sharing on social media we are potentially influencing somebody so the question is are we using this tool to add value to others or take it away? As leaders let’s add value to others and create momentum for good with these platforms. When we do, we can create positive transformation and, in the process, live out leading well. If you utilize social media, what is one way you can use it today to add value to the world? Share below. Lead Well.

Jan

2020

Leadership Lessons from MLK Jr.

Go into any major city and you see his name on a street. Not only did he live a life of great character, but he serves as an example of leadership during turbulent times.

This past year I read the book Martin Luther King Jr. On Leadership by Donald T. Phillips. Not only was this an excellent book to gain a new perspective on this time period, but also he highlighted key leadership principles from his life.

“The greatest channel to peace . . . [involves] talking about problems. . . For as long as we have men, we are going to have differences. And it seems to me we can disagree without being disagreeable.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Handling Team Conflict

During King’s life there was tremendous turbulence surrounding civil rights. Not only were there differences in the nation, but consensus was not always the norm within his team. As a leader he created an environment conducive to debate and discussion. A key to this was his role.

As the leader he asked many questions and according to Phillips attempted not to take sides. Leaders who feel they have all the answers close themselves off from learning and getting to the best idea. When all participants in the team dialogue in a healthy manner then the best solution is more likely to surface.

Lead People by Listening

Phillips describes the march on Selma and discusses how King sought to be one of the people among the march willing to experience all they were experiencing. What made him do this? King understood effective leaders must understand the people. We understand by listening to their needs and experiencing life with them.

Leaders limit their effectiveness if they hide in the office or isolate themselves from those they lead. Leadership is a people engagement process. As a leader one must interact, listen, and set plans, goals, and strategies according to the needs they learn.

“In order to maintain their position out in front, and to remain effective, leaders must also often follow the direction of others. In short, they must lead by being led.”

Donald Phillips

CIO

No, I am not talking about Chief Information Officer. Leaders provide information, but Martin Luther King Junior was a Chief Inspiration Officer. He understood that leadership was more about inspiring people than organizing them and giving them direction. This is most clearly demonstrated when he shared his dream with thousands before him while at the Lincoln Memorial.

Leaders have dreams and that dream is fueled by passion and that passion is contagious. Some will love the dream and join and some will not. The inspiration must be in us and when we allow it to overflow from us people will be attracted to us and join in fulfilling the dream.

These are only a few lessons learned from this legendary leader. How are you doing in these areas? Are you inspiring those you lead . . . are you personally inspired? How do you handle your team? Do you listen and encourage productive conflict? Want an objective evaluation of your team and leadership? Contact me to discuss a facilitation of The Leadership Game to open communication and increase leadership discussion in your organization. Lead Well.

Dec

2019

Laziness as a Leadership Strength?

It killed me to write that title as this goes against everything I naturally think, but stay with me for a minute.

I was taking advantage of the unseasonably warm December weather and removing the Christmas lights earlier than normal. I really did not want to pull out my adjustable ladder and set it up so I grabbed my quick folding three step ladder.

In all the years of hanging the lights I had never used this ladder because I thought it would take longer. I was wrong! Not only could I move the ladder quickly, but with a little creative thinking I avoided needing my clunky adjustable ladder at all.

Midway through this process of taking down the lights I realized being lazy served me well in this instance. Before I go further let me clarify that nothing replaces hard work, persistence, and quality work, but maybe laziness aligned with high standards has a role in leadership. Additionally, if leaders proactively engage the “lazy” people on their team they may find the following hidden strengths.

Creativity

At times the lazy people around us may not be complete bums, but are more relational and creative. They value spending time with people and building relationships a little more than completing tasks. This could be a strength because assuming they still value high quality work, they will find creative ways to accomplish the work in as little time as possible.

Leaders value quality and want to be successful. Could there be someone on the team who appears lazy, but is very creative? They will create innovative ways to accomplish the work so they can also quickly engage in other available opportunities.

Efficiency

No leader wants to waste time on an initiative and those perceived as lazy want to get the work accomplished as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time taking down the Christmas lights, so I chose the ladder that was quicker to set up and move, but still get the needed results.

As leaders if we provide clear expectations and a clear vision of what the final product should look like then we equip those who are “lazy” with the parameters to efficiently get results. The leader simply must get out of the way!

Teamwork

We have all experienced a project we must but did not want to do. We all want hard workers, but sometimes they try to do everything and fail to involve others. This is where laziness becomes a strength. If the lazy person focuses on what he or she does well and builds a supporting team to get the work done creatively and efficiently in all the other areas he or she does not excel in, then the results are better. Multiple minds working together create a better result.

As I said before I am not advocating laziness as a habit, but slowing down to what may feel like a lazy pace or tapping into those less driven individuals can potentially be beneficial. Who is a “lazy” person that may be a hidden leader on your team? How can being “lazy” occasionally help you become a better leader? Comment below.

Work hard, stay disciplined, allow a little intentional laziness and lead well.

Nov

2019

IQ or EQ and Leadership

What is your IQ?

If you are like me then you have no clue . . . maybe that means my IQ is low. At times people think the smartest person is the best leader. . . . . maybe . . . maybe not.

Leaders must have some form of intelligence, but there is something else that is equally if not more important . . . emotional intelligence.

Allow me to share a picture with you that will be a part of a book I have coming out providing a simple guide to leadership theory.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_d5n8ghzut5g/SYd8GGY1wII/AAAAAAAAAIk/a3o_ze4lGF0/s400/katz2.png

As you can see in the picture, no matter one’s position in an organization or team the human skill needs are the same. This is evidence of the need for emotional intelligence.

In one of my early leadership roles, I was what Daniel Goleman¹ would call a dissonant leader. I was out of touch with the feelings of others. I had my agenda and the task we needed to do as a group and we had to drive ahead. I saw one of my colleagues approach it differently and realized there was a more effective way.

Self-awareness

“How well leaders manage their moods and affect everyone else’s moods . . . becomes . . . a factor in how well a business will do.” Daniel Goleman

Goleman discusses this as the foundation of emotional intelligence. What is it though? This is the ability to recognize our own emotions and therefore the emotions in others. An experience I had early on made me realize the importance of not only being aware of my emotions, but the need to learn how to control them. I recognized if I did not grow in this area I would severely limit my leadership ability.

Resonance

The opposite of a dissonant leader is a resonant leader according to Goleman. This was the co-worker of mine who had developed his ability to understand others at an emotional level and motivate them in a way I could not yet. His ability was a sign of personal self-awareness, and being attuned to the feelings of others. This ability helps leaders accomplish the next concept.

Heart Leadership

“Gifted leadership occurs where heart and head – feeling and thought – meet.”

Daniel Goleman

Think of a great leader, coach, teacher, or public figure you know. What is it that makes that individual so influential? Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln both had the ability to connect with the hearts and minds of those they were seeking to influence. They combined a felt need with a logical path for solving the challenge the people were facing. This takes IQ, but IQ without EQ I would suggest limits us greatly.

How is your EQ? Do you connect not only logically with others, but on an emotional level? What barriers are keeping you from raising your leadership level? Contact me for a thinking partner session to help you raise your leadership. Lead Well.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., and McKee, A. Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence. #ad Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

Nov

2019

Learning From A Leader in Journalism

I was in Starbucks sitting across from a veteran in the media industry. This man had been a news anchor, led within local newspaper organizations, and led individuals within Gannett’s organization the publisher of USA Today, and presently has been leading the publication and distribution of periodicals that serve local community business leaders. With all this experience I wanted to learn his lessons on leadership.

VISION

Like any leader would suggest, one has to have a vision. Mike has a vision for where he wants to be personally and where his business is going. At times he has had such a strong vision for his community that he sought the opportunity to serve the public through local government. One does not enter that experience nor into developing their own business without a clear vision.

RELATIONAL INTERACTION

Culture.

Leaders create the culture by how they respond, react, and relate. As we talked Mr. Corbett shared his preferred style of leadership. He has experienced authoritative leadership, but personally strives to collaborate and persuade people. If leadership is influence, then I suggest this is the best way to lead. As we build strong relationships we will be more effective at leading others.

We discussed two ways individuals may lead.

Authoritative: Control others and lead by fear

Collaborative: Depend on people’s pride and professionalism and lead by relationship with vision

As a small business owner Mike uses the latter style with those he contracts with to help him produce his publications. This method builds trust and helps work to flow more efficiently.

While in a management role he would spend more time training and holding individuals accountable to specific goals. As a business owner he strives to collaborate and empower his independent contractors with a clear vision of what he wants accomplished. Both approaches are needed, but the situation dictates which to use.

INNOVATION

“The joy is in creating, not maintaining.” Vince Lombardi

Large and small business can operate differently at times. Through his career he learned that a good leader will help and provide room for innovation. The leader will provide direction, but an empowering leader will allow room for individual creativity.

While discussing the concept of innovation Mike suggested two ways of approaching it. One way to innovate is changing the model and tweaking. This can be needed and helpful, but Corbett suggested that leaders need to create new ideas and not just tweak what exists. The challenge for some leaders is the ability to be nimble. Leaders of large organizations have to find ways to be nimble and relevant in an ever-changing market/world or face the possibility of being irrelevant as some portions of the media industry have realized.

How are you leading? Do you have a clear vision for your organization or team? The hardest person to lead is ourselves. How is your personal vision? Do you collaborate or control in your leadership? What do you do to foster an environment open to creativity with your organization or team? Share with me and if you want me to come help your team’s leadership then contact me today. Lead well.

Oct

2019

Building Your Inner Circle

I was talking one day to a former leader in the copy and print industry and we discussed his top leadership principles. (If you want to learn those you can go here.) During the course of our conversation he discussed the idea of how your inner circle helps you maintain integrity. What is our inner circle and how do we create it?

What is it?

In John Maxwell’s New York Times bestseller The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership he describes the Law of the Inner Circle as “a leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.”¹ I am not going to go in depth on this as I provide four or ten session mastermind groups that explore this book in-depth. Instead let me share some principles this leader uses to develop an inner circle.

How do we create it?

A safe environment is the foundation of this group. These are people committed to keep what is said private. This commitment creates safety to share completely and honestly. When this atmosphere exists, real growth can occur as well as great learning from one another.

What do we do?

The answer to this question varies from group to group. This leader shared three key areas his inner circle continually discussed:

Financial – Where was their business and what kind of thinking help did they need to grow the organization. Were they being wise with the resources they had? This gets personal, but is essential for the inner circle to discuss

People – This is not a venting session. The time focused on helping one another solve real people problems whether that is strategic placement or wisdom on retaining, promoting or removing people. Ultimately holding one another accountable to prioritize people above profits amidst difficult decisions.

Legal – Leaders have to look at the organization from many angles and one of those is legal. A healthy inner circle will keep one another on the right path and call each other out when they sense one another straying.

Who is in it?

This answer is different for every individual, but this leader gave three key traits he felt must exist to create an effective inner circle.

Trust – Without this as the foundation there will neither be full disclosure nor complete safety in the group.

Common Value System – People come from different perspectives and if the values differ too greatly in key areas this can create an unhealthy environment. Choose people who think differently, but have common values in the critical areas for you.

Mutual Desire to Grow and Be Held Accountable – If we want to lose weight, but fail to change our diet then nothing will change. Similarly, the members in the group must have a desire to grow and embrace accountability.

So we’ve clarified the what, the how, and the who now what about you? Do you have an inner circle? If not, do you know who you would invite to create one to help you grow as a leader? Need help creating one? Contact me for a discovery call to see if starting a mastermind with a few key people would be a launching point for your potential inner circle. We can’t lead alone, we need a team. Form your team and lead well.

Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007.