Achieving your goals and obtaining desired results requires planning; without a plan, it’s unlikely you’ll reach the levels of success you’re capable of.  Having and living your plan is the 3rd component in our series “what do leaders really want from their staff”. Click here to read the first two articles in the series.

Have you ever worked for someone that had a great vision, was innovative, and had great ideas for growth opportunities yet couldn’t seem to make things happen? This is more common than you think.

We all have differing strengths, styles, and preferences, and for some of us planning requires a lot of effort, where as for others it seems to occur so naturally. Planning requires persistence, details, a timeline, and a commitment.

Planning also requires documenting goals and strategies, and ensuring skill-sets are in place to execute the plan. You will encounter obstacles -  expect them! Plan for them! Do not give up at the first sign of difficulty.  Many of us are tempted to give up when we hit the first hurdle, are met with opposition, or experience frustrations. Our journey includes living and experiencing both ups and downs; it’s how we deal with them that is crucial.

Fear can also be a factor that derails our plan. Understand what’s causing the discomfort, feel it, process it, and move on. Don’t beat yourself up if you need to deviate from your plan, instead determine other courses of action that may work better for you.

If planning is an issue we recommend using the One Page Strategic Plan. It’s a great planning and problem solving tool that is extremely useful in taking anything from where it is today, to where you want it to be in the future.  If you’d like to receive the template click  here and request the One Page Strategic Plan. (Note: This is useful to solve problems and drive improvements, but is not intended for full project planning).

We also recommend that everyone have a personal development plan. If you don’t have one start by answering (and documenting):

1. What are my strengths and what do I need to do to keep them strong?
2. What actions or behaviors would I benefit from by changing or eliminating?
3. What are my growth opportunities?

Be an owner, be a leader, and be successful; plan!

Our series on “what do leaders really want from their staff” continues, with this week’s topic being PEOPLE.

This is the 2nd “P” in linking the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership.  The 5 P’s are:
Passion
People
Plans
Persistence
Profit

We’ve all heard that “people are our greatest asset”. It’s true. Owners know what they want, and know that they most likely need others to help them achieve it. They have a clear vision, and have a strategy that supports that vision. And, they know how to hire the right person for the right job!

I was listening to a local radio sports program where Jimmy Johnson was interviewed. (He was coach of theUniversityofMiamiand won a national championship, coach for the Dallas Cowboys where he won 2 Superbowls, and coach for the Miami Dolphins, where he made it to the playoffs).

There’s no doubt he was successful in his career.  He knew how to find the “right” talent. During the interview, broadcaster Dan Sileo asked the questions: “what criteria do you use when hiring?” and “what do you look for in talent before you hire them or bring them into your organization”?

The answer is critical to our topic of ownership; it’s what makes a coach and leader successful. Think in terms that all good leaders are coaches. Assuming you agree, can you state what your hiring criteria is, and what you’re looking for before allowing someone to become a member of your team or organization?

Coach Johnson, without hesitation had the following response:
“Dan, we use 5 criteria when hiring and selecting someone to be on the team”.

1.  Intelligence- He defined this as being smart, acting smart and understanding the technical requirements of the game. Not making dumb decisions, and exhibiting appropriate behaviors.

2.  Play Makers- He said this meant the player needed to be a competitor and be found everywhere the ball was. When the going got tough, they became even tougher.

3.  Passion- They needed to eat, drink and sleep football.

4.  Gym Rat- When they were not playing football, they played other competitive sports and could be found doing something daily to remain in excellent shape.

5.  Character- You must consider how they will fit on the team. Are they truly team players and do they create a positive atmosphere for others?

The reason I was so impressed is that it flowed so easily. It was not something that Coach Johnson made up, but rather criteria he lived by and admittedly had refined over the years.

I think (and would stand by the fact) that this is what separates his winning record from other coaches. He knows what he wants, is clear about it, and doesn’t budge. He matches his wants and desires with a sound plan to win.

As leaders have we clearly defined what we want in our people? On our team? In our organization? Does everyone know that criteria? Do we deviate from it?

I would be willing to speak to other coaches and leaders that want to discuss more about this subject, would be interested in your thoughts, and welcome opposing views!

Strong leaders understand the concept of “mastery over self”, and leverage it to be the best leaders they can be.

Without understanding and embracing this concept, one will never achieve their desired results, or effectively lead or influence others.

PeopleTek programs make “self mastery” possible.  Our June programs include:

(2) Leadership Journey programs – click here to learn more

 One of the 12 session programs will be conducted via teleconference;  attend from any location!

 The other will be facilitated in Phoenix, Arizona

Enroll Today! 

And, our more advanced program:

Journey II  -  Moving Beyond The Barriers

Exclusively for Leadership Journey I graduates, this 9 session program is conducted via teleconference.  Focus  on the  application of concepts, a personalized  and comprehensive  action plan, and two private coaching sessions.  Click here to read more . . .

“Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.”
– Frederick Wilcox

The lack of self mastery leads to poor decision making, ineffective conflict resolution, non team behaviors, time being wasted, and a loss of productivity.  

To better coach and develop yourself and others, self mastery is a crucial skill needed by everyone, regardless of level or title.  

Let the Journey programs provide you with the road map to your success!

Ask the opinion of others who’ve attended, or call us for details, or click here to contact us!

Last week we started talking about “what do leaders really want from their staff”, and came to the conclusion that they want their staff members to act like owners.

Now we want to take it to the next level and link the 5 P’s of Leadership with the 5 P’s of Ownership. 

As a reminder, they are:
Passion
People
Plans
Persistence
Profit

Today the topic is PASSION.  This is the P that provides a sense of purpose and drives all direction. 

Do you think loving what you do impacts your ability to act more like an owner?  Too often people are in jobs, and equate that with a paycheck, versus nurturing a career, where growth, opportunity and a sense of accomplishment is felt.   

Have you ever been in a meeting where the leader lacks passion and you’re uncertain as to what their purpose is? We have! The dispassionate leader comes across as performing a routine task, perhaps seems a bit disinterested, and appears like they don’t really want to be there.

This impacts all participants.  When attendees are not engaged they “zone out” and look for other tasks to complete.  We’ve observed emails been done during meetings, and even when noticed by the leader, nothing was said.

Is this because they lacked passion? What if multiple leaders in an organization lacked passion? Is time being wasted? Are results weaker than expected?

Let’s face it; we’ve all lacked passion at one time or another. They key is to recognize when and why this is occurring.  Are we tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, more focused on personal issues, or perhaps unhappy in our current role?

If you’re experiencing low levels of passion, ask yourself “why”.  Next, assess how you plan to address it, and if you’re open to change.

If you want help resolving these questions click here.

http://peopletekcoaching.com/contact-us

On the larger scale, if our culture permits passion to be low, what are the ramifications?  We’ve seen it where an entire organization became transactional and uninspired, compared to being creative and transformational.

Are we as the leader of such teams willing to be open? Receive feedback? Change and lead others through change? 

If you wish to discuss how to achieve greater results for yourself, your team, and your organization, click here. 

http://peopletekcoaching.com/contact-us

We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions!

We will soon offer a new set of on-line coaching tools specifically designed to give you additional ways to pursue and achieve workplace performance excellence. 

These new on-line products — tailored for our PeopleTek customers — provide a confidential and highly effective way to get immediate answers to frequently asked questions about workplace issues and challenges.

Because these tools are technology based and always available, using them is easy and convenient, with their usage fitting anyone’s schedule.

As you become more familiar with these new online offerings, we are confident that you will share our enthusiasm for this partnership, and recognize the value provided. 

Please watch for more details in upcoming communications.

I was jogging the other day and asked myself “what do leaders really want from their staff?”

My answer was: leaders want their staff to handle issues, make informed decisions, be customer sensitive, be great managers, plan, deal with delays, resolve problems, sell more and more, reduce expenses, be a team player, create growth for the company, plus hundreds of other things, all while  staying out of their hair.  (And, more importantly, keeping others out of their hair!).

Lead As If You Own It!

It boils down to one concept; they want us to perform and act like OWNERS!   This hit me hard because after working with leaders, teams and organizations for over 15 years, it makes total sense that leaders don’t want to be hand holders, or require that they be involved in everything their team does. This means that leaders must lead, coach, and train their staff to be effective and clearly understand their roles, responsibilities, and expectations, and be empowered.

Being an “owner” means taking full responsibility and being accountable for all that happens. Leaders that are owners know their brand, know how to use and promote the brand, understand how to relate with others, and how to be a team player. They understand sales and how to grow their business; they understand customers and how to interact with them. They look at the company as if it was their own, and remove the “monkeys” from the true owners back. They eliminate waste because it impacts money in their pockets (at least they feel it does). They manage expenses like it is their own money. They deal with customer complaints and treat them as royalty because they know how important customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention are.

For this reason we are starting the next series of leadership tips to focus on what it takes to:
Be an owner
Deliver as an owner
Be rewarded like an owner 

We will need real life examples so I would be very pleased to reach out and speak to anyone directly who has examples of where they’ve witnessed this “ownership” type of behavior, and why and how it helped with performance and results.

What type of “ownership” behaviors have you observed?  Please contact me.

The lack of strong leadership skills contributes significantly to attrition. Employee satisfaction levels become low, performance suffers, absenteeism is high, and the inspiration and motivation to be an achiever and obtain results becomes close to non-existent.

A Gallup poll discovered that poorly managed groups were 50 percent less productive than those with strong and respected leaders, and that profits were reduced by 44 percent.

Poor Leadership Is #1 . . .   

Many people think money is the key driver for job retention. Certainly money is a factor, but management skills, growth opportunity, and recognition for a job well done have been found to be more important.  Have you ever heard “people quit their leaders, not their jobs”?

Attrition research by authors Bud Haney and Jim Sirbasku (40 Strategies for Winning in Business) found the following:

-30% were unhappy with management and the way they managed
-25% felt they got no recognition for good work
-20% complained of limited opportunities for advancement
-15% cited inadequate salary and benefits  
-5% were bored with the job.
-5% cited other reasons (retirement, career change, sabbatical, and travel)

We’ve been told that employees want bosses that:

-Appreciate them as an individual and as a professional
-Want to help them grow and succeed
-Provide consistent and meaningful feedback
-Reward and recognize results
-Can be trusted
-Are authentic
-Listen
-Invest in employee development

Does your leadership team satisfy the “wants” of your staff? What areas could be improved upon?

Investing in your leadership team is an attrition counter-measure and a sound investment!

Journalist Fareed Zakaria wrote the book The Post-American World.  One area of concern that was addressed was the belief that organizations are not adapting well to emerging challenges. (This is only one of many themes but one we feel readily applies to leadership skills and styles).  

Zakaria supplied the following guidelines for success:

Choose
Choose priorities rather than trying to have it all

Our comment:
Have clear goals, ensure all behaviors and tasks support those goals, and understand you can’t be everything to everyone.

Build broad rules, not narrow interests
Recommit to international institutions and mechanisms

Our comment:
Set goals and standards, and then let your people excel – they don’t need (or want) to be told HOW to do something, but they do need clear expectations and the desired outcome. Also, whenever possible, practice the old maxim of “Think globally; act locally”

Be Bismarck, not Britain
Maintain excellent relations with everyone, rather than offset and balance emerging powers

Our comment:
Build relationships, address differences in a healthy way, listen, and take more time to think of what “could” be done differently. Make an effort to relate and communicate to others in their terms and style. Not all relationships have a positive impact on your goals, but all relationships bring a learning opportunity.

Order à la carte
Address problems through a variety of different structures (e.g. sometimes UN, sometimes NATO, sometimes OAS)

Our comment:
Understand the needs and goals of others. What are their strengths? How do they best add value? What end result are you looking for?  Do you have the right resources in place?

Think asymmetrically
Respond to problems (e.g. drug cartels, terrorists, etc.) proportionately and do not respond to bait (i.e. small attacks meant to draw attention)

Our comment:
Expect and plan for conflict, be emotionally intelligent, know your hot buttons, remain controlled.  Think about what could de-rail you, and have a plan in place to address those challenges. Build strategies for win/win, as opposed to win/lose situations.

Legitimacy is power
Legitimacy creates the means to set agendas, define crises, and mobilize support

Our comment:
Leaders are authentic; they build trust, truly listen, communicate openly and consistently, and don’t have hidden agendas.  A complaint that we frequently hear is that leadership lacks integrity. Ensure your integrity and ethics show clearly and unambiguously in ALL circumstances. You can afford to lose a battle/case; you can’t afford to lose the trust of your team.

All professions, all industries, and all positions are faced with challenges. It’s up to us as leaders to help anticipate and respond to them before, or as they occur. We must maintain confidence levels, and communicate honestly about expectations and possible impacts. Things don’t always go as planned, but we can make a positive difference!