02 Aug
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

PeopleTek’s Leadership Compass

Stay on Track With PeopleTek’s Leadership Compass

Given that leadership and having and providing clear direction go hand in hand, we created PeopleTek’s “Leadership COMPASS” as a tool to stay on track. 

Do you believe that we’re all leaders? Some have the belief that leaders are born; at PeopleTek we believe that everyone is a leader. (You’ve heard this many times before!) As leaders, it’s up to us to use our skills, abilities, and talents to maximum our potential. Leadership is comprised of many components, and one of the most important is the ability to know and understand YOU. If asked, how would you respond to:

  1. Where are you going? (vision, mission, goals)
  2. How do you plan on getting there? (strategy and plans)
  3. How could others assist and support you? (people)
  4. What may get in your way? (barriers, weaknesses and the over-use of strengths)

Tying into the first question, success requires having a vision, a mission, goals, and measures, and that ALL behaviors support them. (We also refer to this as VMGM=B.) They must be documented, shared, and understood. Effective leaders need to demonstrate the behaviors necessary to realize them, and must be willing to change/eliminate some behaviors that will better position them for success. That’s where the Leadership COMPASS comes in.

Leadership and direction go hand in hand.

Leadership COMPASS Components

C – Communicate Effectively
O – Optimize Differences
M – Manage Change
P –  Plan, Persist, and Organize
A – Appropriately Handle Conflict
S – Sustain/Enhance Relationships
S – Skillfully Influence Others

As leaders we need to:

  • Determine what we KNOW about our strengths and opportunities
  • Go through a DISCOVERY process and solicit feedback
  • Be AUTHENTIC and identify how we can increase levels of trust and be open (and sometimes vulnerable)
  • Identify ways to be more INNOVATIVE and creative

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: leadership and success require courage, commitment, and the willingness to step out of our comfort zone.

You must create and develop your leadership skills with a purpose, not by mistake. You need to take the time for self-reflection and be willing to develop and change some behaviors that will enable you to better support your vision and your goals.

What is one action you’re willing to take to become a stronger leader?

Ready to try the Leadership COMPASS and see where it can take you in your leadership development journey?

Start My COMPASS!

Announcing QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s strategic partnership with eCoach offers you a new online support tool for finding solutions for day-to-day issues.

This online coaching support tool provides immediate advice for handling everyday challenges in 3 main areas: People Smarts, Business Sense, and Personal Savvy.

Learn More About QwikCoach

30 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Blog

Announcing QwikCoach

Leadership must include coaching. Without it, a key element for success is missing.

QwikCoach, Online Coaching Support . . .

This online coaching support tool provides immediate advice for handling everyday challenges in 3 main areas: People Smarts, Business Sense, and Personal Savvy.

Explore and utilize:

-141 Fast Answers
-Over 1,000 Tips and Techniques
-202 Practice Ideas
-181 custom links to related books, seminars, and self-study courses.

STOP trying to figure out how to handle everyday workplace “problems” on your own.

STAY sharp doing the job you are doing.

START working on your own development and prepare for new opportunities.

For a preview of possibilities, visit:

http://www.qwikcoachonline.com/peopletek/What%20is%20QC/WhatISQC.htm

For addtional details contact: mrodriguez@peopletekcoaching.com

26 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership, Success

Olympians and Leadership

High performance athletes can teach us a great deal about what it takes to succeed in life, and in business.
–John Skelton

Leaders of the world unite! We’re not talking about heads of state, royal families, or politicians, but rather the athletes that are competing in the 2012 Olympics being held in London. There are 204 countries competing, and it is estimated there will be over 1,000 athletes at Friday’s opening ceremony. That’s a lot of leaders!

Not only are Olympians exceptional athletes, they also possess many of the same qualities and behaviors leaders in the business world, in public service, and in the private sector possess.

Some of these behaviors and qualities include: motivation, commitment, teamwork, dedication, determination, competency, and integrity. (They sound awfully familiar don’t they?)

Tips For Success From an Olympian Leader

Greg Searle, a British rowing gold medal winner, provides his viewpoint on how elite athletes and top business leaders have shared strategies. Here are some excerpts for what he says leads to success:

  1. Find a vision; set short term goals to achieve overall success.
    So many leaders talk about goals and talk about a vision but they don’t make it exciting, compelling or engaging enough for people to want to achieve it. The great leaders are the ones that can create that enthusiasm for long term success which drives everyday behaviors in their team.
  2. Feedback is your best friend.
    An important point for businesses and their leaders is that many companies don’t use the support function as well as they ought to. Everything is meticulously measured…and it’s the personal feedback that is most valuable.
  3. Unshakable self-belief: Self-confidence versus self-esteem.
    The respect you earn as a sportsman or in your career has been gained over the course of years. It’s important to remember that respect can’t be lost in the blink of an eye. On an individual basis, self-esteem is deep lying and built upon successes and setbacks over the course of a lifetime. . . but it’s vital to maintain self-esteem by reminding yourself of your successes in the past and that overall, your quality will shine through.
  4. Controlling the controllable.
    As a leader or a sportsman it’s important to be prepared by addressing the things that are within your control. Any strategy needs to be based upon what we can do to make a difference to our performance to get the best result. After that, it is simply a case of controlling your reaction to everything else.
  5. Recognizing pressure as a positive.
    We need to know we can perform at our best when under pressure. Expect self-doubt and nerves, but know those feelings can get you to produce your best results.

Vince Lombardi said:  

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

Wishing the athletes of the world the will to win, excel, and endure!

23 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Rate Yourself

Are you a skilled leader? Read Admiral Burke’s quote below and then rate yourself on his list of required leadership characteristics.

Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure.
—Admiral Arleigh A. Burke

Rate Your Leadership Characteristics

Rate yourself (honestly) on your strength level for these leadership characteristics, 5 being strongest.
Understanding12345
Involving12345
Integrity12345
Dedication12345
Purpose12345
Selflessness12345
Knowledge12345
Skill12345
Determination12345

How did you do? If you asked others to rate you how similar do you think the results would be?

We all benefit from continuous development and obtaining feedback that validates our self-perceptions.

Consider development options that would enable you to score a 5 in every category.

We’re here to help!

20 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Are We Lacking Bold Leadership?

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
–Jim Rohn

A friend recommended I read a book on leadership by Ed Rendell. Although the book focused on leadership in the political arena, many of the points can be carried over to leadership in any venue.

The book is A Nation Of Wusses; How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts To Make Us Great.

Initially the title didn’t sit right with me. I looked up the definition and decided the term does indeed apply to some individuals in leadership roles. Per Encarta: Wuss – an offensive term that deliberately insults somebody regarded as weak or ineffectual.

I’m not inclined to ever deliberatively insult anyone, but have indeed crossed paths with leaders that I regarded as weak and incompetent, incapable, and ineffective. (How many leaders have you known that fall into those categories?).

Mr. Rendell simply says: You can’t be effective if you’re a wuss. He then goes on to list the top10 factors that attribute to this “condition”. I took a bit of liberty with the phrasing but believe the intention remains constant:

10. Refusal to give credit where credit is deserved
9. Refusal to admit mistakes
8. Refusal to clearly answer questions
7. Fear of saying “no”
6. Refusal to debate or discuss differing opinions
5. Refusal to “own” past decisions
4. Refusal to state opinions when opposed
3. Change opinions due to pressure
2. Change loyalties based on popularity
1. Taking credit for the work of others (especially when they disagreed with the effort)

Strong and effective leadership requires courage, and is not always popular. Think of some leaders that you thought highly of. How many of the following traits did they exhibit?

  • Courageous (visit 12 Steps For Courageous Leadership)
  • High Integrity
  • Authentic
  • Decisive
  • Good Communicator (includes listening!)
  • Innovative
  • Visionary
  • Trustworthy
  • Competent
  • Determined

As mentioned last week, leadership truly is a journey; understand and utilize your strengths and the strengths of others, and “live” your beliefs. Be bold; position yourself to achieve your goals and be a highly regarded leader!

Something new! Preview our new online coaching support solution, QwikCoach, here.

PeopleTek’s strategic partnership with eCoach offers you a new tool for finding solutions for day-to-day issues in the work place in 3 main areas: People Smarts, Business Sense, and Personal Savvy.

Preview the home page and let us know what you think!

17 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Blog

Leadership is a Journey With Many Styles

Leadership gets better over time. Leadership takes us and others to places we’ve not yet been, and may have been reluctant to venture into alone.

Successful leaders know how to effectively communicate with others in ways they understand, in their “language” if you will. Many of us are familiar with situational leadership. There is not just one way to lead, just as one style is not “better” than another. Competence and commitment factor into how all leadership styles and behaviors can be most effective, along with understanding personality profiles such as Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Communication, and Conflict types.

There is a need to understand and work towards achieving common goals, but how you get there may differ. We’ve worked with teams that want to have a step by step plan, with sub tasks, for achieving each goal. They want to be told who will do “what” by “when.” We’ve also worked with teams that prefer to create their own plan. They want to have a clear understanding of the desired result, but want little or no input on how to get there.

Both methods can work. Strong leaders understand when they need to be involved and give direction; they also know when to let go and let others run with it. They know and understand their team member styles, and factor in experience levels, the willingness and desire to learn, and confidence and collaboration levels when assigning projects.

Since teams, leaders, partners, clients, and direct reports are all subject to change, we need to constantly tune our skills and behaviors. What worked well for us in the past, may not always work successfully over time.

Leadership truly is a journey. We encourage you to continually hone your skills and utilize the leadership tools that assist with knowing and responding to the styles and preferences of others, and the willingness to adjust your style to obtain optimal results.

Enjoy your journey!

09 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Team

Organizational Assessment and Development

Does your team recognize one another for their contributions and accomplishments?

Can they disagree and give and receive feedback in a healthy, honoring way?

These leadership skills are key for an organization to be strong, respected, and influential.

We are most effective as a team when we compliment each other without embarrassment and disagree without fear.
—unknown

Sometimes even cohesive and well-rounded teams don’t perform at their peak. Identifying real (and perceived) team strengths and gaps, and learning how to leverage and develop them is critical for becoming the “dream team.”

We conduct confidential interviews and assessments that provide valuable input for knowing “where you are” compared to “where you want to be.”

Using this input we implement custom solutions that utilize the preferences and strengths of team members while forging bonds that build trust, and ultimately improve results.

We can help – guaranteed!

06 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Independence and Leadership

Yesterday the United States celebrated Independence Day. It’s a time for celebration and reflection, and it’s also a good time to be inspired by leadership and courage.

We’ve talked before about how being a leader is not easy. It requires courage and commitment, a desire for change, and the need to motivate and inspire others.

“Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better”. 
-Harry Truman

In 1776 there were 56 individuals that were true leaders; they were courageous, they were risk takers, and they certainly weren’t fearful of change!

As a leader, how much time do you spend looking for ways to make things better?

Here’s some 4th of July Trivia you may, or may not know.

Questions:

  1. What was the main reason the U.S.declared independence?
  2. Who proposed “Lee’s Resolution” on June 1, 1776, declaring that the United States be independent of Great Britain?
  3. Who approved the Declaration of Independence?
  4. How many people signed the Declaration of Independence?
  5. In what city was the Declaration of Independence signed?
  6. Where does the word “patriotism” come from?

Answers:

  1. A1  -Independencewas declared due to being taxed without representation.
  2. A2 –  Richard Henry Lee ofVirginiaproposed Lee’s resolution
  3. A3 –  The Second Continental Congress
  4. A4 – 56
  5. A5 – Philadelphia,Pennsylvania
  6. A6 – “Patriotism” comes from the Latin “patria” meaning “fatherland” or “homeland

For more fun facts click here.

Be a leader…look for and inspire changes for the better!

02 Jul
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Our Leadership Philosophy

At PeopleTek We Believe in People

  • We’re passionate about helping people succeed by unlocking their potential.
  • We believe great leaders and teams are the creative engine that drives business results.
  • We help organizations build trust, capitalize on strengths, and communicate honestly.

PeopleTek has been instrumental in helping us build our management and leadership skills. They have been able to get our company leaders to take the time to build skills and achieve goals and helped create a road map that can both guide us and keep us on the path we have chosen…
–Steve  Pruett, CEO Communications Corporation Of America

If you’re looking to:

  • Outsmart the competition
  • Delight customers
  • Innovate
  • Cut costs
  • Identify and implement improvement opportunities
  • Maximize results

Contact us today for a custom solution – satisfaction guaranteed!

28 Jun
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Leadership and Innovation

“If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.”
–Woody Allen

Can you readily step out of your comfort zone? Are you willing to try new things despite the possibility of failing?  Most of us struggle with both of these, which unfortunately impact our ability to be innovative.

Thomas Alva Edison is considered one of the most famous innovators of all time. It is alleged that Edison’s friend and former employee Henry Ford, requested that Edison’s final breath be captured in a sealed test tube. Wouldn’t it be great if we could capture, and then share, the breath of the greatest problem solvers, those that were creative, those with practical and life changing solutions? Read more about Edison.

Change for many is unsettling; it may make us feel threatened, fearful, and uncomfortable, but what if we viewed change as an opportunity? As leaders we need to search for opportunities, we need to experiment, and we need to take risks. Leadership and innovation go hand in hand. To be a great leader means having the courage to look beyond the status quo, facilitate growth and improvement, and yes, sometimes experience dismal results.

To be innovative, we must learn, observe, and keep our skills current. We need to have a strong sense of self, while understanding our organization, and our customer base. We will be most successful if we have the knowledge to anticipate the needs of others, which will hopefully promote innovative ideas.

We can’t work in a vacuum. We need to have a vision and be passionate about what we do, and we need to enlist others to share that vision and achieve success. Our staff, peers, customers, and partners can all be engaged for fresh and creative ideas and solutions. Without innovation and growth, the value we provide will be diminished, and we’ll become stagnant, obsolete, and be replaced.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
-Steve Jobs

So ask yourself and answer honestly: Are you an innovator or a follower?

21 Jun
PeopleTek Coaching Leadership

Leadership, Stress, and Tips For De-stressing

Chronic workplace stress and burnout are being referred to as an epidemic.

We’re a fast-paced society, job security is pretty much non-existent, we’re told to do more with less, we work harder, and resist taking time off since there’s so much to do. Chances are, you or a member of your team are experiencing stress related issues or job burn-out.

The Link Between Lower Stress & Leadership

Did you know that our work and leadership styles have a correlation with stress levels? Type A personalities (those that are ambitious, organized, take on more and more work, want to be understood, are proactive and competitive, and live to meet deadlines) are at a higher risk for feeling stressed? We work hard and we have high expectations, but frequently feel there is an out of balance condition between the effort we put forth, and the recognition we are given.

From another perspective, individuals that score high in leadership dimensions have lower stress levels. Why? Leadership was linked with high work effort and high work rewards. (Remember how we always say to track progress against your goals, celebrate your successes, and recognize accomplishments?  There’s a reason for that!)

Another link is that high leadership scores were associated with high job control. When you’re in control or feel that you’re in control, you experience less stress. Make sense? Since leadership increases job control, giving employees a stronger say in work decisions helps reduce their job stress. Why not give it try?

5 R’s of Destressing

Richard Blonna, Ed.D, author of Stress Less, Live More, provides the following tips for de-stressing:

  1. Reorganize
    “Reorganize your health” and “develop hearty habits” – a healthy lifestyle provides energy and builds coping resilience.
  2. Rethink
    Be aware of your mental and emotional baggage; you can prevent a potential stressor from becoming an actual stressor. Manage self-doubt and negative thoughts; take control!
  3. Reduce
    Are you involved in too many things? Use a journal to track your activities and your feelings about them, and verify they mesh with your goals and values.
  4. Relax
    Strive for a calm mind. Deep breathing or systematic muscle relaxation, for about 20 minutes a day helps tremendously. Other ideas include listening to music, reading, exercising, spending time with family/friends, and napping.
  5. Release
    Reduce muscle tension and use pent up energy. You need to decide the level of physical activity you need (mild, moderate and vigorous), and select activities you enjoy.

There is no band-aid or one single approach for managing all stressors; what we can do, however, is to understand when stress is setting in. We need to proactively identify which techniques work best for us in specific situations, and remember that true leaders link high work effort with high work rewards!

1 … 17 18 19 20 21 … 26