30 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Why, How, What

Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it;
but very few can clearly articulate why.—Simon Sinek

Speaker and author Simon Sinek frequently provides thoughts about leadership success, and also shares his ideas about collaboration, change, trust, and results. He also created a leadership model called “The Golden Circle”.

At the core of The Circle is WHY.  Think of the WHY as your vision, your purpose, your passion, your beliefs, as well as the direction you want to take your organization.

Sinek believes that the commonality between ALL great and inspiring leaders starts with WHY. He also believes “very few organizations know why they do what they do” or why their organization exists, other than to make money.

Next, the model reflects that the CORE is surrounded by HOW.  The HOW’s are the actions and processes that shape our culture and our values and bring the vision to life. A critical component of HOW is communication.  You want to attract, engage, and retain those that fully believe your WHY.  He feels these are the people that will work for more than a paycheck; they will give it their all.

Next is the outer circle, the WHAT.  This is your business, your product, your service, etc.  Sinek shares that too often when promoting our business, we start with the WHAT.

We’re too anxious to learn pain points, to jump to solutions, to share how we can help. This is contrary to the beliefs of the The Golden Circle.

People care about relationships, and they care about your purpose, your passion, and your work culture.  Do you agree that leadership and success start with “WHY”?

Directions are instructions given to explain how.
Direction is a vision offered to explain why.
—Simon Sinek

23 Aug
[email protected] Interpersonal Skills

Mentally Tough

Mental toughness is a choice and a discipline, not an innate quality bestowed upon the lucky.
–Travis Bradberry

Would you consider yourself mentally tough?  How well do you manage and learn from the errors/failures that occur? What about when dealing with difficult people? From a job that takes all of your energy, and then some?

Let’s face it, we all have those kind of days when everything just seems “off”; it’s how we manage it that counts.

Dr. Travis Bradberry suggests that regardless of the challenges we encounter, we need to remain mentally tough, see new opportunities, and take action.

He also shared that individuals that are truly mentally tough possess the following qualities:

  1. They’re emotionally intelligent
  2. They’re confident
  3. They neutralize toxic people
  4. They embrace change
  5. They say no
  6. They know fear is the No. 1 source of regret
  7. They embrace failure
  8. They don’t dwell on mistakes
  9. They won’t let anyone limit their joy
  10. They don’t limit the joy of others
  11. They exercise
  12. They get enough sleep
  13. They limit their caffeine intake
  14. They don’t wait for an apology to forgive
  15. They’re relentlessly positive

We need to realize we can’t control everything (that’s hard for some of us!), but we can focus our energy on those things that we can influence, and take action on.

Of the 15 items listed, which challenge your ability to be mentally tough?

You have good days, you have bad days. But the main thing is to grow mentally.
– Floyd Mayweather, Jr

16 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Are You Influential?

The goal of leadership without authority is to get others to willingly cooperate and engage. –Carol Kinsey Goman

Last week we talked about the ability to influence others when there is no reporting structure.  Did you seriously ponder how influential you are, and did the LEAP model (Listen, Empathize, Agree and Plan) resonate at all?

Leadership styles and behaviors have changed in the past couple of decades (thankfully!). Gone are the days of dictatorial styles, and building and maintaining relationships, along with focusing on interpersonal skills seem to be more effective for driving and obtaining desired results.

Development Dimensions International, Inc has been conducting leadership studies for over 40 years and found that “only a slight majority (55 percent) of leaders feel that they and their peers are engaged in mutual influence”.

They also reported that communication skills, especially those related to listening, have ranked as the #1 skill for impacting high performance. And more specifically, listening and responding with empathy, obtain the best results.

There are 5 Listening Styles per Wiley’s Personal Listening profile:

Appreciative: Listens in a relaxed manner, seeking enjoyment, entertainment, or inspiration.
Empathic: Listens without judging, is supportive of the speaker, and learns from the experiences of others.
Comprehensive: Listens to organize and make sense of information by understanding relationships among ideas.
Discerning: Listens to get complete information, understand the main message, and determine important details.
Evaluative: Listens in order to make a decision based on information provided and may accept or reject message based on personal beliefs.

Based on the descriptions above, which sounds most like your listening style? When you read about the Empathic style, how aligned are you with that description?

Empathic listeners:

  • Provide support and reflection
  • Are patient listeners
  • Listen for emotions and feelings
  • Let others know that they care

What can you work on to increase your usage of the Empathic Listening style so your level of influence grows? Never doubt that listening takes work!

Want to become a better leader? Stop talking and start listening.
—Mike Myatt

09 Aug
[email protected] Leadership

Can You Influence Without Authority?

LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE –John C. Maxwell

Influencing those outside of our reporting structure comes easier to some than others.

  • A good starting point is to validate that all involved have a shared goal
  • Next, evaluate required resources ex. Skill sets, time commitments, desired results and timelines
  • Consider everyone as equals
  • Listen to what others are thinking and feeling, as well as their ideas for completing the initiative, and any perceived obstacles
  • Expect conflict (remember, conflict is simply differing opinions)
  • Use the LEAP model – Listen, Empathize, Agree and Plan.
    • Agree on tasks and task ownership, and timelines
    • Jointly complete a plan to track achievements and “misses”
  • If the project has a champion, or if you have a mentor, request they review the plan for enhancements

Collaboration and cooperation are musts. We need to understand and leverage past relationships and experiences, as well as attitudes and beliefs.

All silos need to be torn down, and we need to take the time to understand what everyone brings to the table. What are the individual strengths? Where do people feel they add the most value? What do they enjoy doing?

Communication is also a priority. There are two different styles that are used in influencing others:

  • Openness in communication
  • Consideration for others

Our level of openness dictates how willing we are to share our experiences, our thoughts, and our emotions. (In contrast with volunteering minimal information).

Consideration is displayed by our willingness to accept and respond to others in the way they prefer, which may differ from our own preferences.

Obtaining results is good, but building lasting relationships is better. Take time for team and one on lunches, and maybe an after work social event, and make the time to create a work culture that helps everyone thrive.

Do you effectively “influence without authority”?

02 Aug
[email protected] Success

Activity Does NOT = Achievement

Never Mistake Activity for Achievement—John Wooden

There are mixed opinions about whether effort should be rewarded, or if it should be limited to results only.

We too have varying thoughts. There are goals and initiatives that need to be attained by individuals, teams, and entire organizations. (That’s how we survive and thrive). As a leader, how do you feel when you see colleagues/direct reports committed to doing everything they can to achieve results, but are unsuccessful? Do you acknowledge their contributions even when success is not achieved?

Below are excerpts from Craig Impelman’s perspectives published in SUCCESS magazine, based on John Wooden’s achievement model:

1. Proper Execution of the Plan
A daily practice plan should be prepared and followed. If you fail to follow the program on one thing, it may affect others. If you planned poorly, make the corrections for the following day . . .

2. Attention to Detail
The coach should be on the floor early to make certain that everything is ready for practice. I like to have a checklist for the managers to go by, but the coach must make sure. Anticipate from past experience and be prepared.

3. Maximize use of time.
Even though a particular drill may be emphasizing one specific fundamental, other fundamentals in use should not be overlooked.

4. Post-Practice Analysis
I like to sit down with my assistants immediately after practice and briefly analyze and discuss the practice of that day.

This was written for basketball, but it also applies to business:

  • Create a plan (or goals) and identify all steps required (and possible roadblocks
  • As leaders, we don’t need to execute the plan, but we need to clearly communicate the desired results and timeframes
  • Remain focused and understand and incorporate dependencies and under-lying needs/skills
  • Conduct a debrief after every initiative/deliverable. What worked well, what didn’t, and what could you do differently next time?

Not everything is a success, nor does everything go as planned despite all of our efforts and critical contributions. So, back to the original question “Do you acknowledge contributions even when success is not achieved?”

Let us know!

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence. –Colin Powell