Business Leadership Advice

Leadership Techniques: Leaders Are Communicators By Zig Ziglar

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:17:00 +0000

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?

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Power from Empowerment by Dr. Denis Waitley

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:30:00 +0000

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?

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Engineering Team Spirit Is An Essential Leadership Responsibility By Jonathan Farrington

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:21:00 +0000

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.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

You've Gotta Let Somebody Else Drive By Kevin Eikenberry

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:42:00 +0000

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.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

What Leadership Was And What It Has Become By Jonathan Farrington

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:11:00 +0000

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

Five Ways You Serve Others As a Leader By Kevin Eikenberry

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:16:00 +0000

Recently someone asked what I thought about "servant leadership."

My short answer was that using the word servant is redundant.

Don't misunderstand, I believe in the concept of servant leadership, and what you read or learn about leadership from that prism is extremely valuable.

It's just that I believe being of service is an underlying component of leadership.

Leaders, by definition, are trying to move towards a desired future - and hopefully a future that is desirable to those you are leading, Customers, and the community at large.

Taking actions to do those things is an act of service in itself - using your skills, knowledge, intellect and insights to create something greater than yourself.

As you read the suggestions below - consider how often you do, and how often you could, incorporate them into your leadership approach and style. Recognize too that they aren't merely tactics to be deployed to reach a destination.

If you apply these ideas without a clear and genuine intention to be of service, you will be disappointed in your results and will have, in fact, reduced your leadership effectiveness and damaged your reputation.

With this background and these caveats, read the following suggestions, consider my questions carefully and, most importantly, take action.

- Listen. So few of us really feel listened to on any given day - in every part of our life, not just at work. When we really listen to people we are: serving an important internal need, building our relationship with them, adding to the levels of trust, and learning information, perspective and ideas that can move us towards the goals we are trying to achieve.

How completely did you listen yesterday and how will you improve on that today?

- Respond. People want us to listen because they want to be heard. As a leader we are asked questions about processes and procedures, about ideas, about challenges, about resources and so much more. For others to feel heard, we must respond. Perhaps our answer may not always be the one they hoped for, but from a perspective of serving those we lead we must respond to their questions and requests.

Are you answering all questions and emails in a timely (as defined by the asker/sender) manner?

- Engage. Engaging could be considered adding listening and responding together, but I mean something much more than simple mathematics. This idea isn't about the important (but trendy) idea of engaging others. This is about looking in the mirror. Are you really engaging with those you lead? Do you share with them, have conversations with them and in general engage with them beyond the normal discourse of your work.

Are you proactively engaging with those you lead every day?

- Ask. Do you really want to know how people are feeling? Do you really want their ideas? Do you believe they have ways to influence greater results? If you do, when did you last ask? If you don't, rethink your answer. Still not convinced? How do you feel when someone asks you a question?

Who (and what) will you ask right now?

- Care. When you think of people serving others, wouldn't you say that underneath all of the behaviors and actions is a sense of caring? When we care about those we lead, we are serving them. When we care about who they are, their goals and aspirations, their values and their concerns, we are serving them.

This sort of caring doesn't mean we need to (or should) become everyone's best friend. It means that we care about them; person to person real caring. Done from the heart, acts of caring and kindness may make more of a difference in your overall results and productivity than any process map, Gantt chart or scoping document.

Do you care, and can others tell it from your actions?

While these may feel like "soft" or "touchy-feely" suggestions, that couldn't be further from the truth. When included as an authentic part of your leadership approach, these will make a huge difference in the lives of those you lead and any of the overall results you achieve.

Start serving today.
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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.

-In your opinion what skills make up the best leaders?

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

What is Your Leadership Style? By Mitch McCrimmon

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:03:00 +0000

Your leadership style depends on what you are trying to do. There are at least three possibilities:

1. You are in charge of a team and you want to know how best to make decisions.

2. You want to know how to motivate your subordinates to work harder or change direction.

3. You want to show leadership to people who don’t report to you.

Let’s consider each of these situations in turn:

1. The question of how best to make decisions is the classic leadership style situation. The original 3 leadership styles were: autocratic, participative and laissez-faire.

The autocrat makes decisions and simply tells team members what to do. The word “autocratic” suggests being dictatorial, but clear direction can be provided without being heavy-handed.

The idea is that leaders should be directive when time is of the essence, when subordinates don't know what to do, or they are not motivated. The participative leadership style is sometimes called democratic or consultative.

The key point is that subordinates are involved in making the decision rather than simply being told what to do.

Consultative leaders gather input from subordinates but still make the decision themselves. Being participative or democratic means that executives and team members make decisions together.

This style is useful when the executive recognizes that wider input will yield a better decision or when participation will enhance commitment to the decision. With the laissez faire style, executives let subordinates make their own decisions.

This style is also called empowering or delegative. The conventional term ''laissez-faire” has a lax implication, suggesting that employees are free to do whatever they want. But it is now more constructive to talk of empowerment so that there is no connotation of losing control.

2. You’re in charge and you need to motivate your team to work harder or change direction. This is generally seen as a job for the inspiring leader, someone who can paint a vision of a bright future and the place in it of all who are required to help the organization get there.

Ideally, you should be an orator along the lines of Martin Luther King or Winston Churchill. But how many leaders are this charismatic? Also, there is research that suggests dangerous downsides to being very charismatic.

Such people can be too convinced of their own infallibility and can lead blindly devoted followers over a cliff. So-called transformational leadership is closely related to the charismatic type.

In both cases the point is to inspire people with a cheerleader-like enthusiasm, creating the sort of awe in followers that is normally associated with rock stars. Realistically, very few people are like this and those that aren’t can’t transform their underlying personalities. However, you can move people with honest conviction and a well argued case.

3. Suppose you want to show leadership upwards or to colleagues. Maybe you don’t even have people reporting to you.

In this case, the classic leadership styles do not apply at all because you are trying to show informal leadership where you have no authority to make decisions for people who don’t report to you.

To get people on side who can take it or leave it, you need to show how your proposal appeals to their self-interest, how your idea will help them achieve their goals. This is a delicate balancing act.

On the one hand, you are trying to sell an idea that will be of great benefit to the organization but you need to enlist the support of skeptics, colleagues who may put their own interest ahead of the organization’s.

But if you go too far in catering to their needs, you may win them over, but your action is hard to classify as leadership. Buying votes is good salesmanship, but may not be considered leadership. We generally think that, when leadership is shown, people are persuaded to act for unselfish reasons, for the greater good.

Leadership style is really an old-fashioned idea, applicable only to how people in power make decisions for their teams.

Today, leadership is a much broader concept. It is taken for granted that managers need to be empowering – which is like laissez faire without letting people do whatever they want.

Leadership style today is really influencing style and it is not possible to identify one ideal way of influencing prospective followers. If you are in a high tech industry, for example, the key might be hard evidence.

In the medical profession, so-called evidence-based decision making is all the rage. To show leadership in this field, you need hard evidence for your proposals.

Whether you can present your proposals in an inspiring way or not is less important. The bottom line is that influencing style will always be a combination of your personality and the needs of the situation, what it takes to move your particular audience.

The best advice here is to do a trial run. Try out your ideas and approaches with a small number of prospective followers before you go live.
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See LeadersDirect.com for more information on this and related topics. Mitch McCrimmon's latest book, Burn! 7 Leadership Myths in Ashes was published in 2006. He is a business psychologist with over 30 years experience of leadership assessment and executive coaching.

-What are your thoughts on the ideas in the above article? Is there anything you would like to share that would be helpful?

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization.

Leadership Lesson: Conducting Appraisals - The Essential Skills By Jonathan Farrington

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:58:00 +0000

All managers expected to carry out performance appraisal should have some training.

Ideally this should not just be on the skills of performance appraisal – the ‘how’ to do it, but also on the reasons for performance appraisal the ‘why’ we do it.

Managers should understand how it fits into the wider strategic process of performance management and how the information and data generated contributes to understanding of the capacity of the human capital of the organisation to contribution to business strategy and value.

A basic requirement is that appraisers have the skills to carry out an effective appraisal as described above. This means they ask the right questions, listen actively and provide feedback.

Asking the right questions:

The two main issues are to ensure that appraisers ask open and probing questions.

Open questions are general rather than specific; they enable people to decide how they should be answered and encourage them to talk freely. Examples include:

• How do you feel things have been going?
• How do you see the job developing?
• How do you feel about that?
• Tell me, why do you think that happened?

Probing questions dig deeper for more specific information on what happened or shy. They can should support for the individual’s answer and encourage them to provide more information about their feelings and attitudes and they can also be used to reflect back to the individual and check information. Examples would be:

• That’s very interesting. Tell me more about ….?
• To what extent do you think that …?
• Have I got the right impression? Do you mean that ….?

Listening:

Good listeners:

• Concentrate on the speakers and are aware of behaviour, body language and nuances that supplement what is being said.
• Respond quickly when necessary but don’t interrupt.
• Ask relevant questions to clarify meaning.
• Comment on points to demonstrate understanding but keep them short and do not inhibit the flow of the speaker.

Giving feedback:

Feedback should be based on facts not subjective opinion and should always be backed up with evidence and examples.

The aim of feedback should be to promote the understanding of the individual so that they are aware of the impact of their actions and behaviour. It may require corrective action where the feedback indicates that something has gone wrong.

However, wherever possible feedback should be used positively to reinforce the good and identify opportunities for further positive action.

Giving feedback is a skill and those with no training should be discouraged from giving feedback.

Feedback will work best when the following conditions are met:

• Feedback is built in with individuals being given access to readily available information on their performance and progress.
• Feedback is related to actual events, observed behaviours or actions.
• Feedback describes events without judging them.
• Feedback is accompanies by questions soliciting the individual’s opinion why certain things happened.
• People are encouraged to come to their own conclusions about what happened and why.
• There is understanding about what things went wrong and an emphasis on putting them right rather than censuring past behaviour.

- Copyright Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved.

______________
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 daily blog at The JF Blogit - www.thejfblogit.co.uk.

-What questions do you think are most important to ask when doing a performance review?

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization.

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Leadership Lesson: Motivation Or Inspiration - There is a Difference By Kevin Eikenberry

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:05:00 +0000

Often on airplanes people ask me, in casual conversation, what I do for a living. After explaining it in a few sentences, they often knowingly smile, and say:

"Oh, you're a motivational speaker."

Well, honestly, I believe that is not true; nor is it even possible. So I cringe internally, and then generally say a little bit more about our work and then move on.

After all, they will be my seat mate for at least the next hour or more.

The reality that I typically don`t share, but will share with you, is that it is really impossible to "motivate" anyone to do anything (for very long).

Why?

Because motivation is internal in nature - and it is always involves choices. Since we can`t choose for other people, all we can do is educate, inform, persuade and inspire them to make a choice that is in their best interest.

We can`t motivate, but we can inspire.

Once we recognize what we actually can do, we can begin to think about how to do it better, which is the goal of the rest of this article.

Seven Ways You Can Inspire Others...

... through your passion. We all make choices based on emotions, regardless of much we think it`s all facts and statistics. Even the most data driven person uses emotions, feelings and deeply held values to make decisions. If you want to inspire action in others, you must be willing to show your passion, beliefs and emotions.

... with great questions. Some of the most inspirational questions are those that require no audible answer, but simply encourage the receiver to reflect and answer internally. Inspirational people use questions in this way. They also use great questions to hear the answers and learn about what is impacting the choices others will make.

... through dialogue. You can`t inspire deeply or successfully solely with a great speech or monologue. Since inspiration is about helping others make choices they must be engaged in a conversation - and a dialogue is the most powerful and engaging type of conversation.

... with meaningful goals. Have you ever made a choice to do something new? It`s often easy to make that choice once, but it can get harder to continue to make those choices without a clear reason why. Goals themselves are important, but they are far more useful when they are meaningful. The why behind the goal will inspire more deeply and with greater impact.

... through guidance, support and encouragement. This is also known as coaching and/or mentoring. Perhaps you don`t think of coaching as all three of these things, but the best coaches do. And they realize it`s their role is to help their protégés make new choices - in other words, to inspire them.

... through your actions. This is obvious, but can`t be forgotten. You inspire people best through your actions. Your words and everything else on this list are important, but none will be as effective if your actions don`t align with your spoken messages.

... through consistency. Inspiration, by definition, is temporary. We all make new choices every day. So if you want people to make inspired choices you must continue to inspire them, remind them, encourage them, support them and more. Inspiration isn`t a one-time, once-a-week or occasional process. It is required day in and day out - and often more frequently than that.

Much more could be written about each of these approaches. I`m sure a long list of additional approaches could be included as well. Regardless, remember, none them will be perfected today or in one try.

Just as you must constantly think of how to inspire others, you must constantly improve your skills in these areas. But only if you want to become a more inspirational leader, teacher, coworker, spouse and parent.

That choice is up to you.
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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.

-As a leader, what are some of the ways you inspire others?

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!

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Change Your Attitude Toward Problems By Brian Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:02:00 +0000

In flying, the word "attitude" refers to the angle of flight of your approach relative to the horizon. The way you think about a problem determines your attitude, or approach, as well. You can use three words to change your attitude and your approach to any difficulty you face.

Situation
First of all, change the word "problem" to the word "situation." Whereas "problem" is a negative word that triggers feelings of fear and anxiety, "situation" is neutral. Instead of saying, "We have a problem," you can say, "We have a situation."

Challenge
My personal preference is to change the word "problem" to the word "challenge." Whenever something goes wrong, immediately say, "We have an interesting challenge facing us today."

"Challenge" is a positive word. When you think of a challenge, you think of something that you rise to, something that brings out the best in you and others. Challenges are what make life exciting and worth living. By rising to the challenges of day-to-day life, you fulfill more and more of your potential.

Opportunity
Perhaps the best word of all is "opportunity." Instead of saying, "We have a problem," you can say, "We have an unexpected opportunity." Napoleon Hill is famous for saying, "Every problem or difficulty you face contains the seed of an equal or greater advantage or benefit." Your job is to find the benefit, and this way of approaching a problem is determined by your attitude.

Attitude
This attitude of looking for the good in every situation, of looking for the advantage or benefit in any problem or difficulty, is the way that the most successful people think most of the time.

Superior people, leaders in all areas, face the inevitable ups and downs of daily life on the way to their destinations by taking complete control of their thinking and their emotions. They do this by choosing the words they use to describe a situation, their tone of voice, and their behavior in dealing with problems.

Action Exercise:

A mark of maturity, a vital quality on the road to success, happiness, and balance in life, is expecting problems and difficulties as normal, natural, and unavoidable parts of life. Becoming a superior person requires accepting that when you set off toward a big, exciting goal or destination, you will experience unexpected turbulence.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-What are your thoughts on the ideas above? In your opinion what skills are necessary to be considered a great leader?

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The Indispensable Quality By Brian Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Dare to Go Forward - Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues because upon it, all others depend." Courage is the chief distinguishing characteristic of the true leader.

It is almost always visible in the leader's words and actions. It is absolutely indispensable to success, happiness and the ability to motivate other people to be the best they can be.

Follow Through On Your Vision - In a way, it is easy to develop a big vision for yourself and for the person you want to be. It is easy to commit yourself to living with complete integrity. But it requires incredible courage to follow through on your vision and on your commitments. You see, as soon as you set a high goal or standard for yourself, you will run into all kinds of difficulties and setbacks.

Refuse to Compromise - You will be surrounded by temptations to compromise your values and your vision. You will feel an almost irresistible urge to "get along by going along." Your desire to earn the respect and cooperation of others can easily lead to the abandonment of your principles, and here is where courage comes in.

Stick to Your Principles - Courage combined with integrity is the foundation of character. The first form of courage is your ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you believe in and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about the alternative. Courage is also the ability to step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new venture.

Avoid Your Comfort Zone - Most people are seduced by the lure of the comfort zone. This can be likened to going out of a warm house on a cold, windy morning. The average person, when he feels the storm swirling outside his comfort zone, rushes back inside where it's nice and warm. But not the true leader.

The true leader has the courage to step away from the familiar and comfortable and to face the unknown with no guarantees of success. It is this ability to "boldly go where no man has gone before" that distinguishes you as a leader from the average person. This is the example that you must set if you are to rise above the average. It is this example that inspires and motivates other people to rise above their previous levels of accomplishment as well.

The Attack of Alexander the Great - Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia, was one of the most superb leaders of all time. He became king at the age of 19, when his father, Philip II, was assassinated. In the next 11 years, he conquered much of the known world, leading his armies against numerically superior forces.

Lead the Action - Yet, when he was at the height of his power, the master of the known world, the greatest ruler in history to that date, he would still draw his sword at the beginning of a battle and lead his men forward into the conflict. He insisted on leading by example.

Alexander felt that he could not ask his men to risk their lives unless he was willing to demonstrate by his actions that he had complete confidence in the outcome. The sight of Alexander charging forward so excited and motivated his soldiers that no force on earth could stand before them.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, set big goals for yourself and force yourself out of the comfort zone by acting boldly - even when there is no guarantee of success. Go boldly where no one has ever gone before.

Second, resolve to act quickly and decisively when you are confronted with a difficult or dangerous situation. Dare to go forward. Practice audacity in all things. Acting with courage builds your courage and confidence higher and higher.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-Did you find the ideas above helpful? Think about ways you can implement some of the ideas shared to enhance your leadership skills.

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.

Leadership Lesson: Quit Swinging the Bat and Start Hitting the Ball By Gene Griessman Ph.D.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Last summer my grandson Dylan, who was playing on a little league team, went into a hitting slump. He had been swinging vigorously, doing his best to look like a big-league slugger. But he was missing the ball more often than hitting it.

Because I know that Dylan has excellent eye-hand coordination, I told him to quit swinging the bat and start hitting the ball. He objected: "How can I hit the ball if I don't swing the bat?" The difference, I explained, is what you think about when you swing. "Concentrate on connecting with the ball."

"You have a great eye," I continued. "Just say to yourself, I'm going to hit the ball." The result? He hit 27 of the next 30 pitches. Granted, all of the 27 weren't solid hits. Some were fouls, but he had learned to hit the ball.

What is the lesson for leaders? You or your people could be vigorously going through the motions, even necessary motions, but not scoring any runs.

In order to focus, you may need to say a mantra to yourself, or use a prop. Helen Gurley Brown, long-time editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine, used a prop.

She made it a practice to keep a copy of the magazine on her desk at all times. She said she used the magazine on her desk to keep her thoughts focused on producing a product--the magazine--and not decorating the office or engaging in pleasant conversations.

Let's say you're a VP of sales, and you have made it a rule that your sales people make, say, 5 contacts per day, per week.

You certainly want to emphasize how important it is to make those 5 contacts, because nobody sells unless they make contacts.

But make sure that your people recognize that the goal is not 5 contacts per day -- that's swinging the bat. The goal is making sales when they make the contacts.

Making the contacts is swinging the bat. Selling is hitting the ball when you swing.
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Gene Griessman is a professional speaker and Lincoln portrayer and the author of Time Tactics of Very Successful People. His newest book is Lincoln Speaks To Leaders: 20 Powerful Lessons From America's 16th President, with Pat Williams and Peggy Matthews Rose. Visit him at www.PresidentLincoln.com.

Sponsor message: 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! You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Leadership By Zig Ziglar

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:55:00 +0000

A team of all-stars or an all-star team? When my wife and I were in Sydney, Australia, we had an opportunity to attend a performance of the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra at the famed Opera House. The seats were choice, our night was free, so we jumped at the opportunity.

When we arrived 30 minutes early, the orchestra members were already warming up. The individuals came in all sizes, ages and colors, and were both male and female. Some of them, like the cymbals player, would perform five or six seconds during the entire evening, while the cellist had one part that would extend over 20 minutes. As they warmed up, the “music” sounded like noise to me.

At one minute before eight the conductor walked into the orchestra pit. Immediately, everybody sat up straight. As he stepped to the podium, everybody was at attention. At eight o’clock, he raised the baton and when his arms came down the music started. What had been “noise” a few seconds earlier became a beautiful melody.

The orchestra leader had converted a team of all-stars to an all-star team. While each instrument produced entirely different tones, they all blended together in harmony. No one instrument dominated any other, but rather harmonized with and became a part of the others. Can you imagine what the results would have been, had every artist made up his or her mind that their instrument should be the star of the performance?

This conductor had, for a number of years, been a musician in an orchestra. He had learned to be “obedient” and follow the orchestra conductor when he was a performer. In short, he had learned to obey in order that later he could command. I once saw a young man with a t-shirt emblem that said “I follow no one.” What a tragedy! Because, until he learns to follow, he will never be able to lead. Think about it and I’ll see you at the top!
________________
Zig Ziglar is a teacher and motivator. He offers a newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can visit him at www.zigziglar.com.

Sponsor message: 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! You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Strategic Thinking By Brian Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:10:00 +0000

The Quality of Thoughtfulness...
The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive.

In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness."

Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Your Most Powerful Tool...
The most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability.

Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

Use a Two Pronged Approach...
The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.

Increase Your "Return On Energy"...
In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability.

And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.

Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to increase your return on equity and your return on energy.

First, think about everything that you are doing in terms of its financial return to your organization. What are the things that you do that yield the highest return on equity? Whatever they are, do more of them.

Second, think in personal terms about the things you do that give you the highest return on energy. Where do you contribute the greatest value and achieve the greatest satisfaction? Whatever they are, do more of these things.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

-Is there anything you would like to add on the topic of strategic thinking as it relates to leadership? If so use the comments below.

In Tough Times-Silence Is Not Golden By Eileen McDargh

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:15:00 +0000

In the face of this severe, take-no-prisoners economic downturn, far too many organizations are responding in knee-jerk reaction to the thought of holding all but the smallest of meetings.

Training budgets are slashed. Employees hunker behind their desk, hoping that no one from HR can find them or else they're huddled around a PDA, text messaging about possible layoff scenarios, pending mergers, or hiring freezes. Performance? Productivity? I think not.

Now more than ever, managers at all levels of the organization need to do that which separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom: TALK!

Here's why:

(1) In the absence of information, we connect the dots in the most pathological way possible.

(2) E-mail works fine for data but when emotions are involved, only face-to-face really carries the day.

(3) There's a huge benefit when people gather to share ideas, brainstorm new procedures, learn more about team members, have questions answered, or explore ways to streamline work loads.

(4) Smart companies will use this downtime to cross train, to coach for performance and career development, and involve employees in corporate decisions.

(5) Diverse perspectives are critical for innovation and these are best gleaned through conversation.

Bottom Line: The organization will have a solid, committed employee base, poised to move into front position when the turnaround comes.

But this will only happen if talk becomes the preferred vehicle of communication.

Four Communication strategies to increase your Talk Quotient (TQ).

STRATEGY # 1: CONDUCT A TALKING STICK MEETING ...

A talking stick meeting allows everyone to hear a wide variety of ideas and inputs because each person who "holds the stick" is assured free speech, no reprisals, no humiliations, and no interruptions. Many native American tribes used the stick as a way of allowing all voices to be heard.

Talking Stick Meeting Checklist:

(1) Create a focus question to present to the group, assuring them that all are invited to speak, without interruption or humiliation.

(2) Form a real circle with everyone in the circle. This brings equality.

(3) When everyone who wishes to has spoken, summarize the conversation and what you will do with the information.

STRATEGY #2: SEEK OUT THE "ORANGE BATONS" ...

If you happen to get a window seat on a plane that is coming into the terminal, look out and find the man or woman who is guiding a 737 aircraft (weighing over 90,710 pounds) into position. Those small orange batons wield plenty of authority in the moment. And well they should.

You see, there's a line painted on the tarmac to show exactly where the front wheel of the 737 MUST stop. Otherwise, passengers at the gate literally would have a pilot in their laps. The problem: the pilot sits too high to see that line. The pilot depends upon the "orange Batons" -- those closest to the situation-to move the craft into position.

Everyone has orange batons in the workplace. The higher up an organization a manager sits, the more crucial is the conversation. As customers, we've all been privy to disgruntled customer service reps who can't help us because senior managers have created practices that tie their hands. Recently, I asked to speak to the support service personnel on a Delta Sky Miles Account. The agent informed me that even they can't talk to support personnel. "We can only use FAX and Courier service," was the response. I was angry and so was the agent. "They" had
made decisions without asking the Orange Batons what the ramifications might be.

STRATEGY #3 PAY ATTENTION TO LITTLE DAVIDS ...

When Patrick Harker, now the former Dean of Wharton School, was asked what made the critical difference in the school's most successful fund-raising campaign ($425 million in six years), he replied that he made it a priority to engage the next generation of alumni leadership.

Listening to the voice of David is a tradition from the Middle Ages and the Benedictines. The abbot of a monastery made decisions after getting the input from all the monks, beginning with the youngest monk. Had the elders in the Old Testament listened to the young kid with the slingshot, the giant Goliath would have been dispatched quickly. Little David was right, but it took time for the tribe to understand that young (or new) did not mean "unskilled."

Who are the newest and/or youngest on the team-your David's? It is often the newest members who ask the most discerning questions. They are not jaded by politics, the past, or protocol. Ask them for their opinions. Tell them that you expect them to teach you something at the end of three months. I guarantee that those employees will search high and wide to bring you innovation or, at the very least, an insight into some of your procedures, products, or services.

"Words of wisdom are spoken by children at least as often as scientists." -James Newman, American Astronaut

STRATEGY #4 LAUGHTER LIFTS THE LOAD ...

In tough times, humor is an essential survival skill. Talk can also be funny. Not the sarcastic biting humor of put-downs and inside jokes, but rather the humor that can lighten a difficult situation or put something in perspective.

A travel agency was known for helping its agents get through difficult customers by awarding the Order of the Salmon. At the end of the week, agents would know which agent had the most challenging week with customers yet still managed to keep a positive interaction going.

With much fanfare, the agent explained the challenge and was urged to exaggerate and use as much humor as possible. She was then awarded a plastic salmon for her ability to swim up stream. Being able to talk about the week, laugh at the difficulties, and be rewarded for staying calm helped generate both fun and connection within the office.

Laughter can put people at ease if it is used to acknowledge what everyone is thinking. I was asked to speak at a convention in which the main session room temperature hovered around 50 degrees. People were wrapped in tablecloths. By the end of the second day, it still had not warmed up. When it was my turn to talk, I welcomed them by saying, "Welcome to the land of the frozen chosen."

Gales of laughter and applause burst out. It made a point. The attendees were chosen to be there. It was a privilege.

Humor also lets us divide the serious from the mundane. Yes -- the room was way too cold. But in the scheme of things, it was not as important as gathering to work out a new marketing strategy. Humor can also point out the trite and the silly things we all do in work, relieve tension, and probably improve a process. When one group acted out a very funny skit around the various voice mail doom loops a customer had to go through in order to get to a human being, everyone laughed... and the system changed in short order.

BREAK THE SILENCE ...

The last challenge will be pulling people away from their PDAs and text messaging to actually have a conversation. A number of organizations are experimenting with "topless" meetings-as in laptop-less meetings. San Francisco design firm, Adaptive Path, has also put a crackdown on "crackberries", as President Todd Wilkens calls them in his company-wide blog. He claims that people now look each other in the eye, develop closer connections and meetings are more productive.

Productivity? Performance? If the talk quotient is increase, you bet. Talk might very well become the golden key.

(c) McDargh Communications.
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Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is head of McDargh Communications, a training and consulting practice founded in 1980. She's also an award-winning author, radio commentator, and on the Board of the National Speakers Association. Eileen can be reached at www.EileenMcDargh.com.

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

-What are your thoughts? Agree or disagree? Is there anything you would like to add to the ideas shared in the above article?

The Symptoms of a Leader By Matthew C. Horne

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:40:00 +0000

There is one common denominator among leaders: They possess a vision, and their vision does their thinking for them. Leaders are no different than any one else, they just make the decisions that no one else is willing to make when faced with the real life situations we all encounter.

Everyone naturally may not be a leader in the traditional sense of guiding followers to a destination. But we must all be leaders of our lives and take ownership of the dreams and visions we possess, and let nothing deter us from our desired end.

Many situations in life place us at various crossroads which require us to make pivotal decisions that affect the course of our lives. A leader, when placed in this position, will choose to think with their future as opposed to their feelings.

Feelings are real, and can cloud the vision of anyone if nothing is in place to weigh them against. A good way to be a leader and allow your vision to think for you is to subject your feelings, in a given situation, against the overall vision of what you want for your life. With this practice, structure is created and anything that is a detriment to you achieving your vision is exposed and dealt with accordingly. In the words of Dr. Myles Munroe “Purpose protects you.”

Leaders know how to exclude the excess, and remove the waste from their life. If a vision or sense of purpose consumes you, it naturally begins to rearrange every facet of your life so it’s constantly pointing you in the direction of your vision. As this takes place your thoughts will begin to sound like this: Is this taking me closer to my vision, or is this taking me further away?

A clear-cut vision of the future is what all leaders possess. A sense of arrival never penetrates the thinking of a leader, because a place of arrival always exists, or else they couldn’t be who they are. Leaders are never without a destination.

The best-selling book of all time (Also known as the Bible) suggests that “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” A corollary to this must be “Where there is vision, the people flourish.”
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Matthew C. Horne is a motivational speaker and leading authority in maximizing human potential and self-development. He is also the president of Optimum Success International and author of "The Universe is Inviting You In", available at www.matthewchorne.com

-What did you think of the article you just read? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you're looking to be inspired and motivated in a big way order your copy (or multiple copies to give as gifts to your team) of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth!

Is Your Performance Review System Outdated? By Doug Staneart

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:13:00 +0000

One of the most common complaints that comes up in job satisfaction surveys is, "I never get useful feedback about how I am doing my job."

Most companies today use a performance appraisal system or an annual performance review system that was invented decades ago in a much slower business economy. So the assessment that is given to employees in annual, semi-annual, or even quarterly reviews tends to be outdated by the time it is received by the person who could benefit most from the information -- the employee.

In addition, the measurements that are in place in these appraisal forms are typically arbitrary and subjective. For example, when I was in college, I had an internship with a major Fortune 500 company. At the end of the 3-month internship, my performance assessment was reviewed by the other members of my department (in a 360 degree feedback method.)

All of these people thought that I was an exceptional intern, but they had to judge my performance based on the same five-point scale on the same form that they were judged by. I still remember the ache in the pit of my stomach when I saw all of the threes and fours on the job evaluation. My boss explained to me that very few people ever received fives on their evaluations, as that would leave little room for improvement.

After reading and re-reading the document, I was left with the same question that many employees today are asking: Did I or did I not do my job well?

In today's fast-paced economy, these traditional systems just don't work. Performance appraisals should be short, no more than ten-minutes, and should focus on the results expected from the employee's current position, and how effectively the employee's current goals are being met. And above all, the reviews should be easy to write!

For example, a Project Manager may have a number of different results that are expect from his or her performance. Is the project on schedule? Is it under budget? Are the company quality standards being met? Is the customer satisfied? Are employee expenses in line?

All of these results can and should be measured consistently. Intangibles can also be measured such as morale (through employee surveys, workplace absenteeism, and turnover,) leadership (productivity, development of people, and problem-solving skills,) and work ethic (are goals consistently met, are goals challenging, and are projects completed timely.)

With this system, a manager can schedule monthly "mini-interviews" taking just minutes. These sessions are valuable because they open lines of communication and they give the manager a chance to update the progress of the employee in different result areas.

If the employee is performing above expectations, then this is an opportunity to shine and set new goals, and if the employee is performing below expectations, then corrective actions can be taken. Then take just a couple of minutes to write the results.

These "mini interviews" make annual appraisals a piece of cake, because the employee and the manager now have as many as 12 separate (written) measured checkpoints along the way that show how the employee has performed over the last year.

This annual review now has documented facts to base an appraisal on. The employee sees that he or she was on budget 95% of the time versus receiving a four out of five, or that he or she is ranked in the 90th percentile of managers within the company based on leadership.

This system, although not foolproof, can greatly reduce the stress and tension associated with Performance Appraisals. It will cut down on the ill feelings associated with 360 degree method assessments as well. Companies using this type of system show dramatically higher productivity within months of implementation.
_________________
Doug Staneart, doug@leadersinstitute.com, is CEO of The Leaders Institute, Management and Public Speaking Training. His classes focus on overcoming the fear of public speaking, building confident and autonomous leaders, and improving employee morale. He can be reached toll-free at 1-800-872-7830.

-What do you think are the key ingredients to ensuring that performance reviews are the most effective? Were there any ideas shared in the above article that you agree or disagree with?

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Conducting Effective Business Meetings By Doug Staneart

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:49:00 +0000

How would you describe meetings you have attended in the past? Last Tuesday, I was facilitating a workshop on how to facilitate more successful meetings, and to start things off, I asked the group that very question. The answers that they provided were very similar to answers that I have received from hundreds of workshop participants over the last ten years.

The first two responses were…
"Meetings are looooooooooong," and
"Meetings are BOW-ring (this workshop was actually held in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas - thus the Texas twang.)"

Those two responses almost always come up when I ask the question. Others that also come up a lot are: Wastes of time, non-productive, confrontational, inefficient, repetitive, and a number of other negative descriptions. Every once in a while, I get a response like positive, informative, or necessary, but usually the other participants gang-up against the person very quickly.

Most people believe that business meetings are necessary evils, and in many cases, they are. But one of the most important things we can remember about business meetings is to NOT have one unless it is absolutely necessary. When your employees and coworkers are in staff meetings, they are not producing. Nothing is ever produced until after the meeting is over. Some one of my first pieces of advice to people who want to make meetings more effective is to have fewer of them.

About five years ago, I made this statement in a class, and a young lady in the front row raised her hand and said, "That sounds really good, but my whole job description involves going to meetings." I was intrigued, so I asked her to tell me more. She was a personal assistant to a manager of a Fortune 500 company, and she was hired by her boss to attend the meetings that he could not attend himself because there were not enough hours in the day.

After class, she and I sat down and identified 32-hours of wasted meeting time that she was participating in every week. These were meetings that neither she nor her boss was actually needed for, but that one of them attended every week. Over the next year, this one person increased productivity of her team by over 200%. Granted, this is an extreme case, but there are probably hours in each of our weeks that are wasted by ineffective meetings.

The tips below are strategies that I have collected over the years from class members who swear by their effectiveness. I hope they work for you as well.

1. Have an Agenda: Outline ahead of time what points will be covered in the meeting. Write it out, and distribute it to participants ahead of time. This will help avoid the "chasing of rabbits," and help participants be more prepared for the meeting.

2. Follow the Agenda: This sounds very elementary, but you'd be surprised by the number of people who take the time to create an agenda, and then totally disregard the agenda during the meeting.

3. Limit the Agenda to Three Points or Less: Ask yourself, "What are the three most important things we need to cover in the meeting?" Limit the agenda to these three points. The rest of the things you wanted to cover, by definition, weren't really that important anyway, so why waste everyone's time?

4. Set a Time Limit: I would suggest setting the time limit for the meeting to be no longer than 30-minutes. In future meetings, shorten the time by five minutes until the time limit is 15-minutes or less. The leader of the meeting will become much more efficient, and the participants will become much more focused as well. When the time limit is up, end the meeting.

You may not get to cover every single thing that you wanted to the first couple of times you try this, but within a short time, you will find that the major information points are being discussed and decisions are being made very efficiently.

5. Encourage Participation from Everyone, but don't Force Them: Instead of going around the table and asking for opinions or input, just ask a question and let people volunteer their answers. There will be times during any meeting that each person will "phase out" (especially if it is a looooong and BOW-ring meeting.) If we call on every person, it wastes time, and puts people on the spot.

Other ways of encouraging participation is to just ask a question, and after someone answers, say something like, "Good, let's hear from someone else." If there are people in your meeting who rarely speak, instead of calling on them directly, you might say something like, "I value the opinion of each of you, does anyone else have something to add." Then, just look at the person you want to hear from. If he or she has something to say, he or she will say it if encouraged in this way. If he or she doesn't, then you haven't embarrassed the person.

Meetings can be a very powerful way to communicate and solve problems. In past workshops that I have facilitated, we have shown leaders how to identify the root-cause of a problem, come up with dozens of possible solutions, come to a consensus as group on the best possible solution, and create a written plan of action that is measurable in 15-minutes or less.

Your meetings can be that efficient and that powerful too if you use these simple tips.
_________________
Doug Staneart, doug@leadersinstitute.com, is CEO of The Leaders Institute, Management and Public Speaking Training. His classes focus on overcoming the fear of public speaking, building confident and autonomous leaders, and improving employee morale. He can be reached toll-free at 1-800-872-7830.

-Do you have any other advice you'd like to share on making the most of your business meetings?

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.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Become a Strong Leader - Throw Out The Creative Filters, and Get Buy In! By Connie Timpson

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:04:00 +0000

A great new idea is like striking gold for any leader and team. It can be collected, examined, enriched and sold. But the process of finding the gold can be difficult even for the best of leaders and managers.

Creative Filters that thwart creativity - “I will not offer my idea until I am sure it’s what my boss is really looking for.” “The last time I offered an idea my colleagues ridiculed me.” “My ideas are too off the wall for my manager.” “My ideas never get accepted, so I will not try.”

What risk is there in sharing ideas? Many, you say, theft, betrayal, ridicule, doubt? Oh yes, and let’s not forget jealousy and ego. As Albert Einstein said,

Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds!

Remove the Filters ... We have learned to layer ourselves with filters that we believe protect our professional life. With training and coaching, a leader will be able to help his team feel safe during the creative process, strip off the filters, get the best ideas, and return the creative process to the most basic.

Give a child a shovel on the beach and he will create a dream castle. Give an adult a shovel and he will most likely store it in the garage. Millions of ideas have been stuffed into garages, attics, drawers, or abandoned in corners.

Tap Into Creativity and Gain Buy In ... Access both sides of the brain - unlock your team’s fears of being a little “wild.” Give them a green light to express their ideas. A strong leader will encourage every idea, while focusing on core principles like:

* There are no wrong answers - Encourage your team to put a lid on the left side that is always telling you, “Be careful, do not take professional risks, don’t share your ideas or someone will take them.”

Encourage every idea no matter how wild it might seem. At the age of fourteen Filo T. Farnsworth saw the idea for electronic television in the parallel lines of his father's potato field in Idaho. He battled with David Sarnoff of RCA until the bitter end. Sarnoff became rich and Farnsworth won only the title of “The father of television.” But while watching Neil Armstrong step on the moon, he said, “it was all worthwhile.”

* Rub one idea against another - Jim Henson created Kermit while home with the flu. He was inspired by his mother’s old green coat. He got the scissors, added a tennis ball, and Kermit was born! Having shared Kermit, his concept of a whole troop of lovable creatures got team love and development. Henson helped his crew rub one idea on the other to come up with the best ideas and characters.

* Defer judgment – keep comments positive. As the team leader you wield power over individuals. Your opinion influences advancement and stature. You have implicitly promised to keep ideas and people safe in the brainstorming session.

Gaining Buy In

Lead through discussion

* Focus on quality – which idea has monetary value, can be implemented and will advance the project.

* Analyze all possibilities - Grow and play with each idea. A better football, NERF balls, play dough, slime, all came from playing with an idea. The more they kicked it around and played with it the bigger the idea grew. Love the process – Stephen Spielberg said,” I dream for a living.”

* Lead your group to the best solution – “No, that does not mean – tell them what the best solution is.” Work through the ideas with the group until you come up with a common consensus that incorporates bits from many ideas that evolved during the creative session.

Every new idea is a great one. Learning how to become an effective leader, who knows how to manage his people and get the best ideas from his team, will help you advance your professional course.

The only bad idea is the one that stays in your heart and head.
An effective leader can convert those creative nuggets into gold.

Bill Gates - We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can be.

Taking a risk on your team’s ideas, giving the ideas flesh and voices, may be a bit daunting. But ideas will never be brought together and grown if they remain silent. We can help you learn how to be a highly effective leader, who can turn ideas into gold.
______________
Connie Timpson, is an instructor and personal coach for The Leaders Institute, Management and Supervisor Training. Her classes focus on overcoming the fear of public speaking, building confident and autonomous leaders, and improving employee morale. She can be reached toll-free at 1-800-872-7830.

-What are your thoughts on the ideas you just read?

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! You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Today's Economy Demands A Critical Skill: Optimism By Eileen McDargh

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Global warming. Water shortages. Terrorism. Failing health care system. Wars around the globe. Gas prices. Severe economic downturn. Look at the headlines and it's enough to make you stay in bed.

But wait! There is hope. It's not the cock-eyed optimism sung about in South Pacific, the hottest show on Broadway. Rather it's what psychologists in France are calling "intelligent optimism." Such optimism does not deny the reality of today's world, but rather seeks to Learn how to fashion a life amid such difficulties. Martin Seligman, the psychologist who had made optimism and happiness his life's work, would agree with the French: optimism can be taught.

Consider these basic steps:

(1) Focus on what you can control. Don't get carried away by circumstances you cannot change. You might not change global warming, but you can control your energy consumption. You can't stop the downsizing in your company, but you can arm yourself with marketable skills. You cannot halt the bleeding on Wall Street but you can rebalance your portfolio.

You can take a hard look at expenses and determine what are necessities and what are nice-to-have items that can be dropped. At the same time, do resolve to spend some money or time on something that truly gives you pleasure and lightens your spirit. Two-for-one hamburgers at the local joint with my best friend make my heart glad and brings a smile to two faces.

(2) Reframe the event so that you are not a victim. There is always another way to view a situation. The flight cancellation that caused me to miss (and forfeit) a major engagement was not "planned" to "get" me. It just was. My choice is to figure out what I can do to help the current client and what I will put in place of the cancelled work.

When Hurricane Katrina wiped out the home of a nurse, she told me that she focused every day on what she still had and she had her children do the same thing. Every day started with gratitude. She refused to see herself as a victim.

(3) Think "enough". When we concentrate on what we don't have, we miss all the many things we do have. The truth of the matter is that if you are reading this article, you do have enough computer power. You do have enough intelligence. You do have enough. It might not be as much as you would like but, for today, it is enough.

(4) Cultivate optimistic responses. Like a farmer tending a field, optimism will never grow unless it is watered, fed, weeded, and nourished. We all have days in which negativity can take over. And, sometimes, that is a wise response because it keeps us grounded in reality. Just make sure it is reality and not the imagination making extraordinary leaps into conjecture.

Weed out that conjecture. Ask what you can do to see a result that gives you a sense of power. As Alexander Graham Bells stated, "Sometimes we stare so long at the closed door we fail to see the one that is opening." The 3M engineer who thought he had failed to make a glue compound that would stick discovered what we all now call Post-In Notes(tm).

(5) Remember the power of generations. Children of depressed parents are more prone to depression. Children of optimists are more prone to be optimists. What do you choose to pass along? Even if your parents were negative, you can break the cycle by stopping, freeze-framing a situation, listening to the negative self-talk, and then literally giving yourself a different message. Yes, this is a practice. A hard practice. But you can make it a habit if you work it over time.

(6) Sing. When all else fails-start singing. It is impossible to feel negative when you lift your voice in song. Music allows you to formulate words, to add nuance, and to even get your toe tapping.

(7) Refuse to watch or read anything that puts a dark pall over your day. Instead of tuning into gloom, read a book that transports you to another time and a better mood. Go play with the baby next door. And if you are one of those folks who just can't stand children, take a walk with your dog, dig in the yard, or get a bucket of balls and practice your golf swing. Better that than walking around with heart and mind weighted down.

(8) Refuse to participate in a chorus of negative conversations if the only thing you will hear is whining, complaining and moaning. Tell your group that they have three minutes to throw a hissy fit but then it must stop and the next six minutes must be devoted to either finding something positive about the situation or something that they can do.

Lastly, practice saying this mantra, "This too shall pass." It always has and it always will.

(c)McDargh Communications.
______________
Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is head of McDargh Communications, a training and consulting practice founded in 1980. She's also an award-winning author, radio commentator, and on the Board of the National Speakers Association. Eileen can be reached at www.EileenMcDargh.com.

-Consider some ways that implementing a few of the ideas above would make you a better leader. Try one or two of them and see for yourself the positive results that happen as a result.

Sponsor: Dr. John C. Maxwell's Learning The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership DVD Training Curriculum - You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

4 Simple Steps To Identify and Clear Bad Employee Behavior By Stephanie Frank

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Are bad employees ruining your business?

It’s a brand new day. You wake up after a great night’s sleep and get ready for work. You have objectives to meet, deadlines approaching and meetings scheduled which will make for a very full day. After a quick breakfast and a cup of your favorite morning beverage, you head to work.

Then your day goes haywire.

Traffic jams make you cranky. Nothing on the news you wish to hear. The parking lot is full and it is hot outside. You finally make it to the office, already tired and sweaty from the commute. You walk in to find your employees, the same ones who are supposed to be helping you move forward, stuck in permanent water-cooler chatter. They scurry back to work just as you arrive.

Mistakes, apologies, Internet surfing and just plain goofing off are ruining your productivity and the productivity and profitability of your company. In short, you have C.R.A.P. – Confusion, Resistance, Apathy and Procrastination in the driver’s seat. It’s time for a new approach to getting things done!

Before we go any further, let’s get real here for a minute. Do you really believe that people come to work saying to themselves “I wonder how I can mess up this company and get paid for it?” Probably not. Down deep, every human being wants to be a part of something they can be proud of. The rampant “what’s in it for me” apathetic approach to work cannot be tolerated. At the same time, it’s an almost insurmountable job for an organization or individual to be responsible for changing the attitude of every employee individually. While simple steps can be taken to reprimand bad employees, the root of the problem must be addressed as an organization before real change is to take place.

The root of the solution to the problem is a simple formula called F.A.S.T. In short, your employees need to have the right Focus, take the right Action, have the right Systems, and be on the right Team in order to provide your company with the most profitable return on investment.

So how does this formula work? Let’s take a look:

1. The Right Focus – Bad employee behavior is rampant when employees or managers are isolated and do not know the “bigger picture.” People need to know what is expected of them and why. With downsizing happening, many employees have taken on the job of others and have lost sight of this original focus. They are unsure how their job fits in with the company objectives, which can lead to resistance and procrastination.

Additionally, employees need to know the actual requirements of their job and what is considered success. For example, a bank teller may be required to process a particular type of transaction in a specified amount of time, or may be required to process x number of customers in an hour. This sets a guideline for both employees and management/leadership of the organization by which success or failure can be measured.

2. The Right Action – Time productivity is a primary component of success, yet we are all bombarded with daily distractions, interruptions and “can you just fit this in now?” requests. Ill-equipped to handle the ever-increasing amount of information, email and phone messages, many employees are simply overwhelmed by the amount of work required and goof off because they can’t handle it all.

In order to set people up for success, allow them to have an hour a day of “focus time” where they are not allowed to be interrupted. They will use this time to tackle those high priority items on their list of tasks to complete. This promotes a feeling of accomplishment and success and demotes the frustration of having too much to do.

3. The Right Systems – Take a look at how things are being done – do employees take the simplest and cleanest route to accomplishment or are they stuck in the process maze? The harder it is to get things done, the more your employees are apt to be confused, nervous or just plain resistant to going through the pre-established systems.

It may be time to do an internal systems check. Ask your employees which systems make it difficult to do their job in an efficient and timely manner. Prioritize those which are most often reported, and fix it. Create new and more streamlined systems that do the work with less effort, and employees will step up to be more productive.

4. The Right Team – We all know how important it is to have the right person for the job, and the right team to make it happen. Yet all too often, people are asked to step into doing jobs that have been vacated with disastrous results. Simple tasks to some people may be daunting to others, which leads to decline of the organization.

It may be time for an internal individual audit of each of your team members. Schedule a private interview with each one and ask them what they believe they contribute to the team, what is working for them and what is not working for them. Then ask them what they need to be completely successful in their position. The results may shock you, and when you take corrective action, they will also take corrective action, and profitability (not to mention productivity) will grow to new heights.

People have always been, and probably will always be the single most important asset to any organization. At the same time, those same people can be the biggest problem in any organization. By putting this formula into place, you will immediately see where you or your organization can create a structure that enhances both employee happiness and productivity which eliminates confusion, resistance, apathy and procrastination – and all those wasted trips to the water cooler.
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Stephanie Frank works with organizations who want to improve people performance and pump up their power to profit. She is the author of the best-selling book, The Accidental Millionaire and founder of The Success IQ University, specializing in personal success, productivity and leadership education. What’s YOUR Success IQ? Find out here...

-What are your thoughts on the advice you just read?

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

The Foundation of Leadership By Brian Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:44:00 +0000

The most important quality of leadership, the one quality for which you want to be known, is extraordinary performance, with the goal of achieving extraordinary results.

These results then serve as an inspiration to others to perform at equally exceptional levels. People ascribe leadership to those men and women who they feel can most enable them to achieve important goals or objectives.

Why People Respect You...
We develop great perceptions of those men and women we can count on to help us achieve what is important to us. Men and women who make great sales, or who establish admirable sales records, develop influence in the minds and hearts of their coworkers and superiors. They are spoken about in the most positive way.

The Halo Effect...
Men and women who are responsible for companies or departments that achieve high levels of profitability also develop charisma. They develop what is called the "halo effect." They are perceived by others to be extraordinary men and women who are capable of great things. Their shortcomings are often overlooked, while their strong points are overemphasized. They become charismatic.

The Source of Charisma...
Charisma actually comes from working on yourself. It comes from liking and accepting yourself unconditionally as you do and say the specific things that develop within you a powerful, charismatic personality.

Be Determined and Purposeful...
When you set clear goals and become determined and purposeful, backing those goals with unshakable self-confidence, you develop charisma. When you are enthusiastic and excited about what you are doing, when you are totally committed to achieving something worthwhile, you radiate charisma.

When you take the time to study and become an expert at what you do, and then prepare thoroughly for any opportunity to use your knowledge, skill or experience, the perception that others have of you goes straight up.

Accept Complete Responsibility...
When you take complete responsibility and accept ownership, without making excuses or blaming others, you experience a sense of control that leads to the personal power that is the foundation of charisma. When you look like a winner in every respect, when you have the kind of external image that others admire, you build your charisma.

When you develop your character by setting high standards and then disciplining yourself to live consistent with the highest principles you know, you become the kind of person who is admired and respected everywhere. You become the kind of person who radiates charisma to others.

Focus on Results...
Finally, when you concentrate your energies on achieving the results that you have been hired to accomplish, the results that others expect of you, you develop the reputation for performance and achievement that inevitably leads to the perception of charisma.

You can develop the kind of charisma that opens doors for you by going to work on yourself, consistently and persistently, and becoming the kind of person everyone can admire and look up to. That's what charisma is all about.

Action Exercises:
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, ask yourself every day, "What is the one thing that I and only I can do, that if done well, will make a real difference to my company?" Whatever your answer, go to work on that.

Second, decide upon the most important results you can get for your company and make sure that you and everyone else is working on those results every hour of every day.
______________
Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-In the article above, Brian Tracy mentions being "determined and purposeful". What are some ways you go about (or have seen to be effective in your company or organization) staying on purpose and determined?

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! You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Corporate Leadership Training: The Influential Leader Empowers By Mark Bowser

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:13:00 +0000

It was leadership experts John Maxwell and Jim Dornan who said “When you empower people, you’re not influencing just them; you’re influencing all the people they influence.”

But, what exactly is empowerment? It is a buzz word that we hear all the time, but what does it really mean? Well, the word “empowerment” can be defined as “to give the ability to.” So, when we empower someone we are actually giving them the ability to do something.

The problem with empowerment is in how we give it to someone. We walk up to team member Jane and we say, “Jane, project ABC is now your baby. It is your project. Make it happen. Oh, by the way, if you need to make any changes, then come check with me first.” Do you see what just happened? We just handcuffed Jane. We gave her the responsibility for project ABC but we didn’t give her any authority. That is not empowerment.

Empowerment is actually an equation. It is not an equation original with me but very accurate and very powerful.

Empowerment = Responsibility + Authority

That is true empowerment. We give Jane the ability to do project ABC by not only giving her responsibility but also the authority to make decisions to make it happen. That not only empowers her but also begins developing her leadership skills. It also frees us up so that we can focus on the things that only we can do. We must never micro-manage people. When we empower Jane, it frees her and us to be our best. It also makes the team stronger. We become a leadership focused team where we are developing everyone’s leadership abilities.

You might be saying, “But what if Jane messes up?” If she does, that is not a big deal. Use it as a teachable moment. We all mess up from time to time. When we learn from our mistakes, they actually make us stronger and draw us closer to our goal’s completion.

Another point to remember is that we can’t empower every team member the same way. Why? Because not everyone has the same experience or gifts. If we over-empower someone then they are over their head and they begin to drown. I have seen this happen and it not only is devastating for the team member but also the team. Everyone is an individual and we must lead them to success at their own pace. Help each member on your team be the best they can be... and your success (and theirs) is secure.

So, how do we do this? Well, we start with what are the qualifications to empower. Do we have the qualifications to empower this team member? It is a good question. Let’s explore the answer together. There are four qualifications that I believe must be present in order to effectively empower someone.

One, position. Fred Smith said, “Who can give permission for another to succeed? A person in authority. Others can encourage, but permission comes only from an authority figure: a parent, boss, or pastor.” Mr. Smith is right. Are you a person of authority with this person you seek to empower? If not, you can’t empower them. You can motivate and inspire them but not empower them. You must have the position to truly empower someone.

Two, relationship. You must have some sort of a relationship with them. If they have very little contact with you, then you won’t be able to effectively empower them. Even if you are their boss, you can’t empower them unless you have a working relationship with them.

Three, respect. There has to be a mutual respect with each other for the empowering relationship to be truly effective.

Four, commitment. There needs to be a commitment on your part as a leader. You are in it for the long haul. You don’t give them their assignment and then disappear to another project. As a leader, you need to be available. Available for guidance, available for strength, and available for help. The team member needs to be committed to you as their leader and to the organization to do the very best job they can. The commitment to go the extra mile, to give that extra amount.

Those are the four qualifications to empower someone. Once they are in place, we can move to the empowering process itself. There are also four keys to empowering people.

How To Empower People

1. Discover their strengths
2. Develop their strengths
3. Give them a project
4. Help them succeed

First, we have to discover their strengths by observing them. Second, like a great coach, we must help them develop their strengths. Their strength is like a muscle. Without use, it gets weak. With constant use, it grows strong and powerful.

The third thing we must do to empower them is give them a place to use it. A basketball player might have a sweet jump shot but it doesn’t really do any good until the coach puts him in the game. We must put them in the game. Once they are in the game, we move to the fourth thing which is to help them succeed. Chances are they will make some errors. Not a big deal. Coach them to success. Even Michael Jordan needed a coach. We all do. A great coach can pull out the best from their team members.

So, do you sometimes feel overwhelmed at work? Too much to do and not enough hands to do it? Or is it you haven’t empowered those hands to do it? Take a good look at your winning team and start empowering them today.
______________
Mark Bowser is one of the top Leadership Trainers and Speakers in the world today. He is the author of three books Power Nuggets, Unlocking the Champion Within, and Three Pillars of Success. You may receive his ezine "The Empower Newsletter" by going to http://www.MarkBowser.com

-Can you share some examples you have either implemented in your organization or seen put into place that truly empowered yourself or others? Perhaps you can share some examples where you have seen great leadership in action.

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! You and your team will get clear insight into timeless leadership principles and learn a process for continual growth in the life of your organization. Order your copy of this powerful leadership training program.

*brought to you by BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com

Becoming a Motivational Leader By Brian Tracy

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Hinds) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:25:00 +0000

Create a Big Vision - To become a motivational leader, you start with motivating yourself. You motivate yourself with a big vision, and as you move progressively toward its realization, you motivate and enthuse others to work with you to fulfill that vision.

Set High Standards - You exhibit absolute honesty and integrity with everyone in everything you do. You are the kind of person others admire and respect and want to be like. You set a standard that others aspire to. You live in truth with yourself and others so that they feel confident giving you their support and their commitment.

Face Your Fears - You demonstrate courage in everything you do by facing doubts and uncertainties and moving forward regardless. You put up a good front even when you feel anxious about the outcome. You don't burden others with your fears and misgivings. You keep them to yourself. You constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone and in the direction of your goals. And no matter how bleak the situation might appear, you keep on keeping on with a smile.

Be Realistic About Your Situation - You are intensely realistic. You refuse to engage in mental games or self-delusion. You encourage others to be realistic and objective about their situations as well. You encourage them to realize and appreciate that there is a price to pay for everything they want. They have weaknesses that they will have to overcome, and they have standards that they will have to meet, if they want to survive and thrive in a competitive market.

Accept Responsibility - You accept complete responsibility for results. You refuse to make excuses or blame others or hold grudges against people who you feel may have wronged you. You say, "If it's to be, it's up to me." You repeat over and over the words, "I am responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible."

Take Vigorous Action - Finally, you take action. You know that all mental preparation and character building is merely a prelude to action. It's not what you say but what you do that counts. The mark of the true leader is that he or she leads the action. He or she is willing to go first. He or she sets the example and acts as the role model. He or she does what he or she expects others to do.

Strive For Excellence - You become a motivational leader by motivating yourself. And you motivate yourself by striving toward excellence, by committing yourself to becoming everything you are capable of becoming. You motivate yourself by throwing your whole heart into doing your job in an excellent fashion. You motivate yourself and others by continually looking for ways to help others to improve their lives and achieve their goals. You become a motivational leader by becoming the kind of person others want to get behind and support in every way.

Your main job is to take complete control of your personal evolution and become a leader in every area of your life. You could ask for nothing more, and you should settle for nothing less.

Action Exercises:
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, see yourself as an outstanding person, parent, coworker and leader in everything you do. Pattern your behavior after the very best people you know. Set high standards and refuse to compromise them.

Second, be clear about your goals and priorities and then take action continually moving forward. Develop a sense of urgency. Keep moving forward and you'll automatically keep yourself and others motivated.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-What are your thoughts on what you just read? Can you share some specific ways you motivate yourself as well as members of your team? Do you have any examples you can share where you've seen "motivational leaders" in action within your organization or company?

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