Leadership Techniques: Leaders Are Communicators By Zig Ziglar

There is an old saying, “That which can be misunderstood will be misunderstood.” This resolution, passed by the Board of Councilmen in Canton, Mississippi, in the mid-1800s brings that into focus.

“Number one: Resolved by this Council that we build a new jail. Number two: Resolved that the new jail be built out of the materials of the old jail. Resolved that the old jail be used until the new jail is finished.”

In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect - communication which inspires, encourages or instructs the other person to do their best. When we respect someone, we will never be rude to them.

Consequently, by treating that person with respect, we get cooperation, enthusiastically given instead of grudgingly given. Eisenhower said that leadership was the ability to persuade someone else to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

Giving respect to a person means you will treat them with courtesy and dignity. The respected individual is going to work harder to become a peak performer, wanting to do more and more.

If people like you, they will work harder for you. If they don’t like you, they might work to keep their job, but they won’t really be giving the effort they’re capable of giving.

A person might perform to keep their job because duty and responsibility demand that they do it well. But love and encouragement enable us to do our work beautifully.

When we communicate to people that we genuinely like and respect them, and follow that up with consistency of action, we establish a rapport and confidence in our people that will make a difference.

Communication is not necessarily an easy skill to learn, but it really begins with seriously listening to what the other person says. By listening with respect you will learn things that can make a difference.

Consistency will be the result and consistent performance really is the key to excellence. Buy into and practice these concepts and I really will see you at the top!
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Zig Ziglar is a teacher and motivator on topics such as leadership, sales, and customer service. You can visit him at www.zigziglar.com.

-What was your biggest take-away from the ideas shared in the advice above? And what are some actions you can implement which will help you improve?

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Power from Empowerment by Dr. Denis Waitley

A good way to think of leadership is the process of freeing your team members to do the best work they possibly can. I have followed NBA basketball coach Phil Jackson’s career for some time.

In his career, Jackson has gone from coaching the record-setting champion Chicago Bulls to the present NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. He says his principal task is creating an environment in which his players can flourish.

In communicating with his championship teams, Jackson convinced them that they had the talent to win championships and that the main goal of the coach was freeing them to use that talent.

Today’s business team members say they want, more than anything else, the autonomy to do their jobs without the boss’s interference. Nearly a decade into the new century, it’s already clear that the CEOs of our best-run companies believe that the more power leaders have, the less they should use.

The job of the team leader is to set a mission, decide upon a strategic direction, achieve the necessary cooperation, delegate authority and then let people innovate.

To do that we all could take a hint from the late football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Before his retirement as one of the leading coaches in college football history at Alabama, Bryant observed:

I’m just a plowhand from Arkansas, but I’ve learned how to put and hold a team together. I’ve learned how to lift some individuals up and how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat, together, as a team. To do that, there are just three things I’d ever have to say: If anything went wrong, I did it. If it went semi-good, then we did it. If anything went real good, then you did it! That’s really all it takes to get other people to win for you.

The key to authentic leadership is to listen to your followers, and then open the door for them to lead themselves. The secret is empowerment. The main incentive is genuine caring and recognition.

The five most important words a leader can speak are: “I am proud of you.”
The four most important are: “What is your opinion?”
The three most important are: “If you please.”
The two most important are: “Thank you.”
And the most important single word of all is: “You!”

-Denis Waitley
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Denis Waitley is recognized as a world class speaker and author and has traveled the globe sharing success ideas and strategies to thousands of companies the past 25 years. Visit him at deniswaitley.com

-What are some key takeaways you got, if any from the ideas shared on leadership in the above article?

Understanding The Nature Of Dynamic Leadership By Jonathan Farrington

People have been debating the nature of leadership for as long as records have been kept – certainly as far back as Homer and his peers.

The topic continues to fascinate and enthrall us today, but the way in which we assess leadership roles is changing.

Where once we looked to military and political leaders for inspiration and insight, now it is increasingly business leaders who hold our attention and provide role models.

Ask someone to name a leader whom they have admired and they are just as likely to name Richard Branson as Tony Blair, Anita Roddick as Margaret Thatcher. This focus is reflected in the growing number of books and articles about business and the main players.

Most writing on good management and what it takes to get to the top focus on leadership. It is regarded as one of the most important areas of personal development. This also explains the growing interest in leadership courses.

Defining just what makes a leader effective, however, remains as difficult today as it ever was. But that does not prevent us from seeking to distill their secrets – quite the reverse.

Of course, there must be almost as many theories on leadership as there are leaders themselves and models for the best kind of leadership change with the times.

In the 15th century, Niccolo Machiavelli advocated a combination of cunning and intimidation as a way to more effective leadership. His philosophy, if not his practices, became unfashionable some time ago.

“Great Man” theories, popular in the 19th century and early this century, are based on the notion of the ‘born leader’ who has innate talents that cannot be taught.

An alternative approach that is still in vogue is based on trying to identify the key traits of effective leaders. Behaviourist theory prefers to see leadership in terms of what leaders do rather than their individual characteristics, and it tries to identify the different roles they fulfill.

More recently, attention has moved away from the individual in the leadership role to embrace a more holistic view and investing less in what some commentators refer to as the ‘myth of the heroic leader’.

Much recent work in this area has concentrated on trying to understand why some leaders are more effective than others by looking at their environment and the context in which their acts have been carried out.

Situational theory views leadership as specific to the situation, for example, rather than to the personality of the leader. It is based on the idea that different situations require a different style of leader.

The basis of Situational Leadership is to provide a means of effective leadership by adopting different leadership styles in different situations with different people.

Situational Leadership is a model, not a theory. The difference is that a theory attempts to explain why things happen, whereas a model is a pattern of existing events which can be learnt and therefore repeated.

Requirements of a Leader:

An effective leader needs to be:

• A good diagnostician, who can sense and appreciate differences in people and situations.

• Adaptable, in the ability to adapt the leadership style to circumstances.

A leader must realise there is no one best way to influence people.

The Basis of Situational Leadership:

Situational Leadership is a way of describing and analysing leadership styles. It is a combination of directive and supportive behaviours.

Directive behaviour involves telling people what to do, how to do it, where to do it, when to do it and then closely supervising this performance. Supportive behaviour involves listening to people, providing support and encouragement for their efforts and then facilitating their involvement in problem solving and decision-making.

There are four leadership styles: Directing, Coaching, Supporting and Delegating.

Each style is appropriate in certain circumstances. They can be shown as follows:

• Delegating i.e. Low Supportive & Low Directive

• Directing i.e. Low Supportive & High Directive

• Supporting i.e. High Supportive & High Directive

• Coaching i.e. High Supportive & Low Directive

In Summary:

To those who would suggest that great leaders are born not made, I would say this: We can examine all of the great leaders in history and identify some common characteristics but we cannot say they were “Born Leaders”.

They all developed into their leadership roles over a period of time, learning the skills along the way.

I do believe that leaders can be developed – I have to believe that because currently we have far too few of them in the world.

- Copyright Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved.
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Jonathan Farrington is the CEO of Top Sales Associates and Chairman of The Sales Corporation - based in London and Paris. Jonathan's personal site The JF Consultancy, - JonathanFarrington.com - offers a superb range of unique and innovative sales solutions and you can also catch his hugely popular daily blog at The JF Blogit - http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk

-What are your thoughts on the ideas shared in the above article? What skill-sets do you believe make up a great leader?

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Engineering Team Spirit Is An Essential Leadership Responsibility By Jonathan Farrington

A very good friend and ex-client of mine runs a highly successful information technology service in the South of England and his private-sector customers include many Times Top 100 companies.

We often exchange opinions and I recently asked his views on leadership, because I have always been impressed with his commitment to “people development”

He believes leadership is all about bringing out the best in the firm’s 1800 employees. “We have a very informal, non-hierarchical structure”, he says. “The task of our leaders is not simply to issue orders but to act as role models in providing our customers with what they want in terms of teamwork, friendliness, delivery and, in general, supplying a top-class service”.

Many of those who join the company are former customers. “We first of all put them through a programme which helps them to understand what we are trying to do, then a management team shows them how our ideas are put into practice”.

When trying to identify future leaders, he and his management colleagues adopt the premise that anyone possessing sufficient motivation can become a leader.

“But obviously some are better than others, and the best are likely to end up as managing directors”, he says. “I believe that leadership is something that can be taught, but that’s not a reason for trying to teach everybody everything.

We need good team players, and the leaders are those who enable them to give off their best”.

The ultimate test of a leader, he believes, is whether the individual can generate trust in others. “We are not one of those companies where self-interest is dominant”, he says.

He would not comment on the general quality of British management, often portrayed in a negative light in the media. “I don’t know whether we are ahead of other firms in our thinking, but we are certainly doing something different. I don’t know anywhere else where the staff can talk to the boss in the frank and informal way that they do here.

“I go around meeting each member of the staff individually twice a year to brief them on what’s going on and on our plans for the future. Because they know they are not going to be shot for speaking their minds, they’ll all have a go at it. It’s not just one-way communication”.

Very interesting and visionary thoughts, which go a long way in explaining the company’s success.

- Copyright Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved.
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Jonathan Farrington is the CEO of Top Sales Associates and Chairman of The Sales Corporation - based in London and Paris. Jonathan's personal site The JF Consultancy, - JonathanFarrington.com - offers a superb range of unique and innovative sales solutions and you can also catch his hugely popular daily blog at The JF Blogit - http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk.

-What are some of the ways you, as a leader go about fostering and encouraging team spirit in your organization?

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - This powerful training resource is designed to meet your leadership training needs! Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

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You've Gotta Let Somebody Else Drive By Kevin Eikenberry

I love to drive, and I always have. In fact, other than in a shuttle bus or a taxi, I am seldom a passenger. I probably got this from my Dad - he always loved to drive too. And, because driving is a skill that becomes subconscious for most of us, I typically drive on auto-pilot.

Recently, however, I became a passenger for an extended period of time as my son, Parker, took the wheel for a long drive on the interstate. He's been driving for several months, but this was the first long drive on the freeway. I sat in the passenger seat as his coach, and suddenly my skills weren't subconscious anymore.

In order to give him assistance, advice and coaching all the things I do from memory had to be converted into conscious thought.

I had to think about things like:

• Where to be looking
• Use of turn signals
• When to change lanes
• What to think about when using cruise control
• What speed to pick to drive
• Keeping a safety buffer around

As a driver, you get the idea. I realized on the return trip, when I was back in my familiar driver's seat again, that I was driving better and making better decisions than I was before I sat in the passenger seat.

This is critical in developing any skill, including leadership.

Three major things happened during my freeway experience:

• My perspective changed.
• I was teaching what I knew.
• My subconscious thoughts, ideas and habits were transferred into my conscious mind.

Let's look at each of these for a minute.

Changing Perspective...

When I was the passenger, I saw everything differently, and I looked at the task in a new way. I could explore new options. My mind wasn't locked in on the task itself, but rather on the process of the task. By looking at the task in a new way, I came to some deeper understandings and rationales for some changes to my existing thoughts and habits. I literally, by sitting in the passenger seat and thinking about the task of driving, learned new things about being a driver - something I've been doing for more than 30 years.

When's the last time you looked at your processes from your team's perspective? What does the 25-year production veteran know that you don't? What does a Customer really experience when interacting with your organization? As a leader, when you consider different perspectives, you give yourself the opportunity to learn at every turn.

Teach What You Know...

I end every teleseminar, and most all of the training sessions I lead, by encouraging participants to teach someone else what they've just learned. Doing this "learn, teach" model helps them remember what they've learned, but more importantly it helps them begin to really "own" the content. It's no longer something "learned" from me, but something they "know".

As a leader, you will often have opportunities to be a coach. The great news about coaching is that when approached in the proper way, you can learn as much from the coaching process as when you teach to others. But that will only be true if you apply this third lesson.

Be Conscious...

To get better at something/anything, you must move it from a current, subconscious habit and make it a conscious act again. Learning is a conscious act - and when it's a new skill you probably aren't very good consciously. As you progress in the skill and things become easier/routine, you seldom get back to a conscious level because your subconscious does all the work.

However until you bring it out, it's very difficult to tweak, improve and change. Once you've taken the time to take those skills you "already know" and reexamine them consciously, then you can send them back into your subconscious and lock in the improvements.

As a leader, it's up to you to encourage your team to consciously examine your processes, routines and subconscious actions to find those places that need to be tweaked, improved and changed.

That day on the road, I hope Parker learned some things that will make him a more confident, competent and safe driver. I know I did. Remember this when you want to improve any skill in your life. You need to be willing to get out of the task, teach someone (or yourself) about the task and do it all consciously. When you do that you will become more proficient, confident and effective.

Potential Pointer: To learn what you know at a deeper level, you must change your perspective. One of the best ways to do that is to teach others what you know.
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Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can contact him to learn more about how he can help you or your organization improve your skills and results.

-What are your thoughts on the ideas above? Think about some of the ways you can implement the ideas shared above into your organization.

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What Leadership Was And What It Has Become By Jonathan Farrington

Leadership was once about hard skills such as planning, finance and business analysis.

When command and control ruled the corporate world, the leaders were heroic rationalists who moved people around like pawns and fought like stags. When they spoke, the company employees jumped.

Now, if the gurus and experts are right, leadership is increasingly concerned with soft skills – teamwork, communication and motivation.

The trouble is that for many executives, the soft skills remain the hardest to understand, let alone master. After all, hard skills have traditionally been the ones which enabled you to climb to the top of the corporate ladder.

The entire career system in some organisations is based on using hard functional skills to progress, but when executives reach the top of the organisation, many different skills are required.

Corporate leaders may find that although they can do the financial analysis and the strategic planning, they are poor at communicating ideas to employees or colleagues, or have little insight into how to motivate people.

The modern chief executive requires an array of skills.

Some suggest that we expect too much of leaders. Indeed, “renaissance” men and women are rare. Leadership in a modern organisation is highly complex and it is increasingly difficult – sometimes impossible – to find all the necessary traits in a single person.

Among the most crucial skills is the ability to capture your audience – you will be competing with lots of other people for their attention. Leaders of the future will also have to be emotionally efficient.

They will promote variation rather than promoting people in their own likeness. They will encourage experimentation and enable people to learn from failure. They will build and develop people.

Is it too much to expect of one person? I think it probably is: In the future, we will see leadership groups rather than individual leaders.

This change in emphasis from individuals towards groups was charted by the leadership guru Warren Bennis in his work “Organizing Genius” He concentrates on famous ground-breaking groups rather than individual leaders and focuses, for example, on the achievements of Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Centre, the group behind the 1992 Clinton campaign, and the Manhattan Project which delivered the atomic bomb. “None of us is as smart as all of us”, says Professor Bennis.

“The Lone Ranger is dead. Instead of the individual problem-solver, we have a new model for creative achievement. People like Steve Jobs or Walt Disney headed groups and found their own greatness in them”.

Professor Bennis provides a blueprint for the new model leader. “He or she is a pragmatic dreamer, a person with an original but attainable vision. Inevitably, the leader has to invent a style that suits the group.

The standard models, especially command and control, simply don’t work. The heads of groups have to act decisively, but never arbitrarily. They have to make decisions without limiting the perceived autonomy of the other participants.

Devising an atmosphere in which others can put a dent in the universe is the leader’s creative act”.

However, the role of the new model leader is ridden with contradictions. Paradox and uncertainty are increasingly at the heart of leading organisations.

A lot of leaders don’t like ambiguity so they try to shape the environment to resolve the ambiguity. This might involve collecting more data or narrowing things down. These may not be the best things to do.

The most effective leaders are flexible, responsive to new situations. If they are adept at hard skills, they surround themselves with people who are proficient with soft skills. They strike a balance.

While flexibility is important in this new leadership model, it should not be interpreted as weakness. The two most lauded corporate chiefs of the past decade, Percy Barnevik, of Asea Brown Boveri, and Jack Welch, of General Electric, dismantled bureaucratic structures using both soft and hard skills. They coach and cajole as well as command and control.

The “leader as coach” is yet another phrase more often seen in business books than in the real world. Acting as a coach to a colleague is not something that comes easily to many executives.

It is increasingly common for executives to need mentoring. They need to talk through decisions and to think through the impact of their behaviour on others in the organisation.

In the macho era, support was for failures, but now there is a growing realisation that leaders are human after all, and that leadership is as much a human art as a rational science.

Today’s leaders don’t follow rigid role models but prefer to nurture their own leadership style. They do not do people’s jobs for them or put their faith in developing a personality cult.

They regard leadership as drawing people and disparate parts of the organisation together in ways that makes individuals and the organisation more effective.

- Copyright Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved.
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Jonathan Farrington is the CEO of Top Sales Associates and Chairman of The Sales Corporation - based in London and Paris. Jonathan's personal site The JF Consultancy, - JonathanFarrington.com - offers a superb range of unique and innovative sales solutions and you can also catch his hugely popular daily blog at The JF Blogit - www.thejfblogit.co.uk.

-In your opinion, what skills are essential to being a great leader?

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com