21 Nov
[email protected] Leadership

Black, White or Grey Leadership?

Black and white thinking is the tendency to think in extremes

Have you ever been told your thinking was too black and white? That your mind-set was limited? That finding middle ground with you was difficult? That grey areas DID exist? Have you ever been called an extremist? Or that it’s okay to incorporate “maybe” or “possibly” into your vocabulary?

On the favorable side, it’s said that black and white thinkers are “great resources for personal growth and understanding”. Also, that they drive results and are needed for goal attainment.

As with any style or behavior, over-using a strength can result in a weakness.

Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA suggests being aware of our usage of certain words. How often do you say:

  • always
  • never
  • impossible
  • disaster
  • furious
  • ruined
  • perfect

If over-used, she shares that not only can you sabotage your career and relationships, but your physical and mental health may suffer as well. Wow!

Enter the grey area. Effective leadership includes building relationships, supporting goals, driving results, and seeking advice when needed, while also taking into account what’s good for your work culture, the people, and your organization.

Author Jody Maberry says: If you are a leader, working in the gray is your new normal.

Do you agree?

Black-and-white thinking leaders are typically those who value processes and production over the individual concerns of the people.—Fred Jakoby, MA

14 Nov
[email protected] Leadership

Innovate – Make It Real

Innovative leaders are creative visionaries who have big ideas and, most importantly, can motivate people around them to turn those ideas into reality.
–Jeffrey Baumgartner

Would you be surprised to learn that the ability to produce innovative ideas is a shared issue for companies of all sizes?

Global staffing firm Robert Half Management Resources polled over 2,000 CFO’s from small to large companies, and asked how good their company was at innovation. Their findings were that only 30% of companies with 20 to 49 employees rated themselves as “very innovative” with ratings a bit higher (38%) for companies with 1000+ employees.

The survey also found that “too much bureaucracy”, daily tasks, and time required for problem resolution accounted for the low scores.

So how can scores increase?  Robert Half’s senior executive director, Paul McDonald feels that we as leaders are the greatest barrier.  We don’t always listen, we don’t always promote the ideas, and we don’t make coming up with new ideas a priority.

He recommends that:

  • Time be set aside to brainstorm with your team
  • Host internal events where employees can present creative business solutions to company leadership
  • Remove unnecessary red tape; simplify project requests and approval processes
  • Create a collaborative culture where employees can freely offer suggestions.
  • Make innovation an ongoing focus and support your employees ideas
  • Hire additional staff if heavy workloads are getting in the way of innovation

He also says DON’T:

  • Put creative thinking sessions on the back burner due to daily tasks
  • Restrict idea sharing for meetings
  • Be “absent”; listen to ideas
  • Stretch your team so thin their only focus – and measure of accomplishment – comes from crossing items off their to-do lists
  • Place unrealistic expectations on staff; expect results to take weeks or monthsDo you create opportunities for team innovation? Do you help ideas become reality?

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
—Steve Jobs

07 Nov
[email protected] Leadership

Inspire vs Motivate

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.—John Quincy Adams

Do you view the words “inspire” and “motivate” to mean the same thing? Marissa Levin, Founder and CEO, Successful Culture feels they are very different and provides the following differentiators:

  • “Inspire” translates to “in spirit.” Inspiration comes from within.
  • The root word of “Motivate” is “motive,” which is an external force that causes us to take action
  • Motivation pushes you to accomplish a task, or work through a difficult event, even when you would rather be doing anything else. We are motivated by a result.
  • Inspiration pulls you towards something that stirs your heart, mind, or spirit. We are inspired by a person, an event, or a circumstance.

How do you feel about these definitions? We think it makes sense that if your heart, mind, or spirit are “stirred”, a person will indeed be inspired and more engaged, and per a study by Bain Research, they will also be twice as productive. This links to our “Magic Dust”™ theory; when a person is in the position to do what they enjoy, and feel they add value, they thrive and results grow.

So as a leader, how can we increase inspiration levels? Surveys state:

  • Set stretch goals with your team
  • Commit to developing direct reports
  • Engage in collaborative behavior
  • Build emotional connections with team members and others you interact with
  • Establish, share, and continually talk about how your vision (or your organization’s vision) can be supported
  • Communicate clearly and often
  • Explain and manage change

It’s up to us as leaders to model these behaviors and recognize others when they display them. How are you helping others dream more, learn more, do more, and become more?

Leaders can be found at all levels of the company and it is through their efficacy, influence and ability to inspire that our company is reinventing itself.–IBM