Living Your Values

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
—Aristotle

Not much has changed since Aristotle, Greek Philosopher and scientist, recognized strong values were required to achieve excellence. (And this was back in 384 B.C. – 322 B.C.!).

Since we all want to excel, we need to be clear about what we feel strongly about, and exhibit the behaviors and actions that support our values. We must be true to ourselves and have the ability to live our values.

Coupled with possessing strong values is the need to be perceived as trustworthy and authentic.  To achieve excellence and be successful we need to:

  • Be open about our personal beliefs and feelings
  • Be receptive to the personal beliefs and feelings of others
  • Be approachable and easy to get to know
  • Admit mistakes and short-comings
  • Share, and ask others to share, non-work information to build relationships
  • Be open to feedback
  • LISTEN!

We also recommend practicing PeopleTek’s 5 P’s for success: Passion, Persistence, Process (includes Planning), People, and Profit, and we must want to positively influence others.

Questions to reflect on:

  • Do our actions support the ability to achieve our goals?
  • Do we exhibit appropriate behaviors and address those that we view inappropriate?
  • Are our behaviors consistent?
  • Do we “practice what we preach” and “walk the talk”?
  • Do we believe in and live the golden rule where we treat others as we want to be treated?

Living our values can take courage. Take the time to assess your ability to live your values in both your personal and professional life and let us know your success stories!

Taking Charge

Leaders take charge; remain positive, are encouraging, aggressive and decisive.
–Bret Johnson, Camp Quarterback

Dear Leaders,

Not everyone follows American football, but for those that do, do you equate the quarterback with being the team leader?

The quarterback doesn’t obtain team wins alone, but they certainly take charge, make tough decisions, exude confidence, are skilled, knowledgeable, and inspire the team.

Yes, quarterbacks are leaders.  They are commanding in the huddle, strive to be role models for team members and fans alike; they promote strong work ethics, prepare for each game by studying their opponents plays, continually develop and hone their skills, and learn how to best relate to their teammates as a team, and as individuals.

They earn the respect of the coaches, players, and broadcasters, tend to have an innate ability to lead the team down the field, and generally maintain the “we can do it” attitude regardless of the score.

Think of the some of the most winning quarterbacks – Warren Moon, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre. Every play in every quarter is played with passion and a goal – to score!

They get results by enabling teammates. Granted not all quarterbacks call the plays, but they do sometimes have to resort to “plan b”.  The quarterback must play consistently and be a visionary as well as a strategist.  They must be controlled, play with courage, communicate clearly, provide feedback, and at times take risks.

Successful quarterbacks are strong leaders. Enjoy the football season and decide who you think the strongest leader on the field is!

The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert.
–Vince Lombardi

Asking Key Questions

Key Components of Leadership

Asking questions to engage others, listening, and acknowledging what you heard, are  key components for leadership success.

Dear Leaders,

Do you truly know what’s happening in the workplace?  You may be on top project plans, deliverables, customer rosters, and status updates, but what about having a sense of how and what employees and staff are feeling and hearing?

As a leader, it’s important to be aware of the pulse on the floor.  We’re not talking about gossip, (although that will impact behaviors and attitudes), but rather how the staff feels about the work environment in general.  Some key areas of impact include:

  • Workload management
  • Team support
  • Matrix management
  • Deadline dependencies
  • Personal issues impacting work
  • Critical skills/knowledge
  • Workplace conflicts

Some leaders have a gift for “being in the know”; they may have an open door policy that invites informal exchanges, they may be viewed as a good listener, or they may just have team members that want to keep them informed.

Not all leaders are as fortunate and could benefit by taking advantage of break-room and hallway chats.  This doesn’t come natural for some, so John McKee, author for IT Leadership, shares his favorite 7 questions to engage others to “get in the know”:

  1. What’s the biggest issue on your plate right now?
  2. If I could do just one thing to make you more successful, what would it be?
  3. What’s the dumbest thing the company (or department) is doing (or working on)?
  4. If you had my job what would you focus on?
  5. What’s waking you up at night?
  6. Do you have the tools and resources you need to do your job in the best possible way?
  7. How can I help you to be more successful?

Another idea is to ask each team member to give a 60 second update during staff meetings; the intent is to share their opinion of the pulse of the business, and provide them with an opportunity to share something about their personal life.

Make sure you’re “in the know” – open lines of communication builds trust, promotes success, and grows the bottom line!

Dealing With Difficult Situations

Does this sound like a familiar problem?

I’m having difficulty dealing with a person:

  • who just won’t listen
  • they dominate meetings
  • they refuse to give others a chance to talk
  • they reject any recommendation other than those they propose

Simulation:

Q. Have you spoken to them in a healthy, honoring, respectful manner?
A. No. I am not sure how to approach them so they won’t be offended (or ignore me!). I am waiting for their boss to deal with them.

If you can relate to these situations, or know someone that may be experiencing a similar issue, PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey program will help.

Not only will it provide you with a map that can be used throughout your career, it will also change your business and personal life forever.

Guaranteed!

Sincerely,

Michael W. Kublin
[email protected]
888.565.9555 ext 711

“This training guided me through a series of self discoveries that hold the secret of improving my effective leadership behavior, techniques and processes. I learned tools that can connect them to the work I am doing today.”
–Lakshmi N Mahate, Engagement Manager, Syntel Inc

Defining Leadership

Leadership: ability to lead: the ability to guide, direct, or influence people
–Encarta World English Dictionary

Dear Leaders,

The term “Leadership” can be defined in many ways.  At PeopleTek, one of our favorites is “Taking others where they’ve never gone before and wouldn’t go by themselves”.

Chris Millington, IT leader, Writer, and Coach shared a poem with us as to his thoughts about leadership.

Leadership is Love, it’s My Heart and it’s My Soul
Leadership is the wisdom to know
Leadership is passion
Leadership is joy
Leadership is knowing what to say and when
Leadership is planning the work
Leadership is working the plan
Leadership is knowing when to be out front
Leadership is knowing when to be in the rear
Leadership is listening to hear
Leadership is stepping back so others can grow
Leadership is extending a hand
Leadership is sharing a tear
Leadership is having a fear
Leadership is an open mind
Leadership is courage and being brave
Leadership is being quiet
Leadership is all about listening for understanding
Leadership is being open and honest
Leadership is being humble
Leadership is going with the flow
Leadership is knowing when to say No
Leadership is a circle of traits we develop and evolve

Least we ever forget,

Leadership is about Life!!!!!!

What does leadership mean to you? Do any of the statements truly resonate, or are there any you have difficulty relating to?

Please let us know what leadership means to you.  We’d like to compile your thoughts and publish them at a later date.  (If you prefer to remain anonymous your name will be excluded).