Archive for the 'Leadership' Category

Great Leaders Ask Great Questions

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on November 13, 2009
in Book Reviews and Leadership
. 0 Comments

just ask leadership Great Leaders Ask Great QuestionsBook Review: Just Ask Leadership

“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.”
– Peter Drucker

This month I had a chance to catch up on some reading, specifically a new book by Gary Cohen, entitled Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions. It has been said that the concept of “asking the right questions” is one of the most important and least appreciated skills a leader needs to achieve desired results. To reinforce this point, Cohen interviews nearly 100 leaders, including Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, military commanders, etc. – explaining how leaders at every level can learn to ask the right questions in the right contexts, thus enabling both individuals and organizations to thrive.

“Leadership is about allowing others the chance to flourish, and you do that by asking questions. This empowers coworkers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can’t know everything. By seeking others’ input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.”  - Gary B. Cohen, Author - Just Ask Leadership

In the book, Cohen details many specific questions that leaders might pose in particular situations, however in my opinion; the more valuable takeaway is his explanation of how to create a culture of question-based leadership. In doing so, Cohen addresses five key areas:

1. Improving Vision - Getting Insights form All Levels of the Organization
Vision starts with an awareness of values.  Questions can illuminate the values of both the leader and the organization. This, in turn, will enable good choices with regard to interacting with customers, hiring new employees, setting goals, and succession planning.

2. Ensuring Accountability - Increasing Team and Organization-Wide Performance
Having coworkers solve their own problems is critical to building their accountability, states Cohen.  Leaders must encourage people to act and, provided good-faith action is taken, failure must be used as an opportunity for learning, not an excuse for punishment.

3. Building Unity and Cooperation - Creating a Culture of Trust
To unify an organization made up of vastly different individuals, leaders must invite coworkers to share their opinions and listen well to their input. This requires asking good questions– those that house the potential for growth and collaboration– not “gotcha” questions.

4. Creating Better Decisions - Getting the Right Answers by Asking the Right Questions
Most leaders make too many decisions, “If you don’t routinely ask, ‘whose decision is it?’ you’ll fall into the trap of doing others’ work,” he writes.  The best decisions are often made by those down the chain of command, not up.

5. Motivating to Action - Asking for Success
“Because I said so,” is not a phrase that will inspire coworkers.  In this section, Cohen offers insights into how to motivate people by building rapport, customizing incentives, and instilling respect.

Though the general concept of “asking questions” may sound simple, it’s often much harder to execute - especially for young or inexperienced leaders. Just Ask Leadership, is a quick read that provides many opportunities for self reflection and real world execution. Worth the read if you’re looking to define or fine-tune your approach to leadership.

(Disclosure: My copy of this was furnished by the author’s PR company.)

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Are You an Authentic Leader?

Published
by
JimTaggert
on October 15, 2009
in Guest Posts and Leadership
. 0 Comments

leadership compass Are You an Authentic Leader?“I am your servant. I do not come to you as a leader, as one above others.”

When you read these words did the person who uttered them come to mind? Admittedly, the world is adrift in leadership quotations. But what makes these words special is that they were said by Nelson Mandela, a man who truly suffered by years being incarcerated in a South African prison.

What I want to talk about in this post is leadership and to pose this question, which each of us needs to answer. “Am I an authentic leader?”

We’ve heard statements that leaders are born. But then others argue that leaders can be developed. Well, how about going back in time to hear from Aristotle:

“From the moment of their birth, some are marked for subjugation, and others for command.”

Well, that may not be all that helpful, especially when the general consensus now is that leaders can be developed.

One way to look at the issue is this way: I’ve organized the debate over who possesses leadership into two types of leadership: Big L and Little L. My personal view is that only a few of us will ever have the dynamic leadership behaviors and skills to lead organizations, private, public or non-profit, large or small, or the populace of a country, state or province. Only a few of us have what it takes to be a Big L leader.

What propelled people like Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela to be world-class leaders? For those who are sports-minded, consider the great athletes like Bobby Orr, Billy Jean King, Wayne Gretsky or Mohammed Ali. Or how about such vocalists as Aretha Franklin, Céline Dionne or Beverly Sills?

These individuals possess an innate talent and drive that propels them to succeed. Why do some children at a very young age show an incredible skill in a certain discipline, yet other children work hard but only attain a certain level of proficiency?

To lead an organization, especially in today’s turbulent world, requires someone with unique abilities. Some of these can be learned. But there needs to be an inner drive and vision that causes that individual to want to lead others. This raises the issue of power and status, for which many people strive in their efforts to rise to the top.

So what about power?leaderpower Are You an Authentic Leader?

First off, power can be an important component of effective leadership, provided it is used properly and for the right purposes. When top leaders abuse power by controlling and manipulating their subordinates, then these are not Big L leaders. They may be good managers, but when it comes to inspiring people and leading with integrity, they fall short of achieving this.

I love the following quote by the late Peter Drucker, who called things as he saw them. He believed that leadership must be founded upon a constitution; otherwise, irresponsibility will result:

I am amazed that today’s prominent writers on leadership do not seem to realize that the three most charismatic leaders in all recorded history were named Hitler, Stalin and Mao. I do not believe that there are three men who did more evil and more harm. Leadership has to be grounded in responsibility. It has to be grounded in a constitution. It has to be grounded in accountability. Otherwise, it will lead to tyranny.

Drucker was an advocate for shared leadership. He believed in employee responsibility and the need for a “self-governing community,” where individuals and teams share in many managerial activities. And this brings me to the concept of Little L leadership.

What is Little L leadership?

letter l Are You an Authentic Leader?It’s the leadership we see displayed throughout organizations and community - the day-to-day acts that people at all levels engage in. But, there are those who aren’t interested in taking on leadership roles. That’s okay. Some of them will gradually come on board, while others will continue to want to be led by their peers and managers.

This is a key point to remember when reflecting on our personal leadership styles and potentials.
It comes down to each of us being authentic in how we conduct ourselves. We need to strip off the facades we wear and own up to our weaknesses, limitations, and warts. When we’re honest and open with ourselves and others, we gain greater confidence and self-respect, plus respect from others. Be true to yourself and others will be true to you.

Here’s a personal example.

When I was in my early 30s I was promoted to manager of a team of economists. I had zero management training. Because of my own insecurities and wanting to do a good job, I became a bit of a micro manager. That was until a couple of the young economists straightened me out. It took a while but I learned to eventually let go and share the leadership with my team.

I was still the manager, but my team took a lot of initiative and consistently demonstrated leadership in their own ways. There’s no magic formula or cookie cutter approach to this. Each of us has to find our own way. In my case I had to fall on my nose a number of times.

So here are three questions you may wish to reflect on when it comes to developing your leadership skills:

1. What are my strengths and weaknesses? (Be honest with yourself)
2. What do I need to do to be more adventurous and risk-taking?
3. How can I inspire others to want to work towards a common purpose?

I’ll share one piece of advice, something I’ve learned: If you want to inspire others (an essential part of leadership), you need to be passionate about your cause.

Here’s a great story.

I recall watching a PBS program a few years ago that looked at the head surgeon of an emergency room in a large US city. As you can imagine, an ER can be an extremely hectic and stressful place in which to work. People have to know their duties and understand the interdependency of their efforts.

What struck me most about watching the surgeon (middle age black man) was his calmness in dealing with highly stressful situations in the midst of chaos. Multiple victims of car accidents and victims with gunshot wounds. As he stated to the journalist: “My staff look at me to keep it together. If I lose it, they lose it.” When his shift finished, where did go? Home? No, he went to do volunteer work with inner city Black children. For me, this guy showed exemplary leadership!  But I ask you, was this man born as a natural leader, or did he develop over time?

Each of us needs to see our personal quest for leadership as one that first starts with the discovery of who each of us really is. We need:mountain Are You an Authentic Leader?

  • To know ourselves,
  • To hear ourselves,
  • To tell the truth to ourselves,
  • To be honest with ourselves.

Once we address these questions and reexamine our values and beliefs, we’ll be ready to move forward in our leadership journey. Sure, leadership skills can be learned. But the first step is a process in which we look inside ourselves.

This journey is a very personal and private one. We may or may not to wish to share with others along the way. However, one thing needs to be clear and that is every leader must go though it.

Here’s another great quote. Authors Kouzes and Posner (The Leadership Challenge) state:

“You can’t elevate others to higher purposes until you’ve first elevated yourself….You can’t lead others until you’ve first led yourself through a struggle with opposing values….A leader with integrity has one self, at home and at work, with family and with colleagues. Such a leader has a unifying set of values that guide choices of action regardless of the situation.”

Finally… Here are four excellent questions they pose to help facilitate the leadership journey:

• What are my values and beliefs on how people should operate in the organization?
• How strongly am I attached to my values and beliefs?
• How strong is my relationship with those I lead and with whom I work?
• Am I the right one to be leading at the moment?

The last question is especially important in my opinion. It gets at the heart of the shared leadership issue. Regardless of one’s “position” in the organization, there are times when one steps forward to lead and times when one steps back. As Kouzes and Posner state:

“To step out into the unknown, begin with the exploration of the inner territory. With that as a base, we can then discover and unleash the leader within us all.”

I hope this post has given you some new information that will spur you on to examine your personal leadership. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. Special note: Jim will be releasing later this fall his first e-book on leadership, entitled How to Become a Holistic Leader…Using a Principle-Based Approach

___________________________________________________________________________________

BIO
Jim has been a student of leadership for over 15 years, devoting over a decade to applied work in leadership development, organizational learning and team building. As a thought leader, he has initiated and lead several change management projects. He’s also a professional economist, and has lead research projects on such topics as labour market functioning, business innovation and industrial competitiveness. He holds masters degrees (honours) in economics and leadership. He lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Jim invites you to visit his website: http://www.LeadershipWorldConnect.com
He also writes a blog at http://ChangingWinds.wordpress.com
Meet Jim at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimtaggart

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Are You a Manager or Leader?

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on August 10, 2009
in Leadership, Managing and Thought Provoking
. 3 Comments

leader or manager Are You a Manager or Leader?Often people use the terms “leaders” and “managers” interchangeably, however, there are many distinct differences. While a good leader must be a good manager, it does not necessarily follow that a good manager is a good leader. Whereas both are essential for success, they each play different roles in getting there.

On which side do you fall?

leadersvsmanagers Are You a Manager or Leader?

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Terminal Leadership: When the End is Near

Published
by
Kyle Ryman
on July 23, 2009
in Guest Posts and Leadership
. 0 Comments

leadership flatline Terminal Leadership: When the End is NearToday’s guest post is the first in a series from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLeader.com.

Your Dilemma as the Leader:

As a leader you may one day be faced with the reality that your organization’s days are numbered. The potential reasons for this are many and range from the plant closing down permanently, to a round of layoffs moving through the company, to the Halloween super store closing for the season. No matter the “why” though, as a leader you will have a dilemma on your hands: how will you lead people who have less and less reason to come to work in the morning?

Your Game Plan:

As a leader, you know very well that the key to getting people to accomplish the organization’s mission is to know what makes them tick. But, when your organization, or your people, is down to the home stretch these motivations change. Bobby will never be promoted now, so why bother? And Jeanne will never see that pay raise, so who cares? This is a tough challenge for any leader! However, there are some general strategies that you, as a leader, can follow to ensure that your organization will continue to perform until the last hour of the last day.

1. Strengthen your bonds with your people.

Here’s the deal. Because the end is near, what motivates your people has changed. Your star performer can suddenly go to your problem child since his or her career ambitions were just destroyed. However, just because your people’s motivations have changed doesn’t mean you can’t lead them. You just need to find out what they changed to! Focus on getting to know your people again and strengthening your bonds with them. Then you will be able to effectively lead them again. Or, at minimum, they will follow out of respect for their relationship with you.

2. Strengthen your team’s internal bonds.

No, there probably won’t be any time (or money!) for staff retreats. However, continuing to make team-building a priority will continue to pay dividends in this period of an organization’s life. Team-building will help maintain, if not strengthen, your people’s bonds with each other. These bonds can be your best friend as a leader. After all, someone who just cannot be motivated any other way will still come into work just so that they won’t let their buddies down. Again, these bonds are another tool for you as a leader to put into your bag.

3. Give your people something to look forward to.

Just because the end is near doesn’t mean that your role as the organization’s visionary is over with! Give your people something to look forward to. Plan a party for the last day of work. Or, promise (and deliver on) a generous severance package. The point is that they will only get it, or be able to participate if they continue to work until the last hour of the last day. You will give them a powerful incentive to stay loyal until the end if you promise even just a small reward for all of their hard work. Trust me, even the promise of a cheesy employee party can go a long way…

4. Carve yourself a new “stick” (and hope you won’t need to use it).

Sometimes even the best leaders will need to bring out their “stick” (discipline program, etc.) to deal with subordinates who just will not perform with the end looming near. However, the end brings out interesting dynamics in your ability to use your stick. For instance, who cares about getting written up when you won’t be climbing that corporate ladder after all? Or, what threat is there in getting fired if your company won’t be around anyways to answer inquiry’s from future employers? And, what’s an extra two days of pay after all? Your challenge as a leader is to find that single, tangible, thing that actually holds sway. While what you may actually be able to do will vary considerably from leader to leader (and never be draconic!), common practices include withholding severance pay or denial of re-hire status for seasonal employees. Nobody wants to use their stick, but sometimes, very rarely, your hand will be forced.

What You Should Take Away:

Terminal leadership is hard. The most important thing that you, as a leader, must take away from this discussion is that what motivates your people will change when the end is coming near. It may not seem like it at first, but the closer the end comes the more your people will change. You should strengthen your bonds with them, strengthen team bonds, give them something to look forward to, and carve yourself a new “stick.” While terminal leadership is hard, it can be done.

What have you, as a leader, done (or seen done) when the curtain was coming down on your organization?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Kyle Ryman is a guest contributor and author of ProfessionalLeader.com. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army (infantry), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, Minor in Communications, and Certificate in Leadership Development and Study.

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10 Tips on How to be Taken Seriously as a Leader

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 21, 2009
in Gen-Y and Leadership
. 4 Comments

gen y respect 10 Tips on How to be Taken Seriously as a LeaderEarning credibility and being taken seriously continue to be challenging issues for many Gen-Y employees as they step into roles of increasing responsibly.

In preparation for advancement, many training programs focus solely on building “competencies,” the cornerstones to success. I agree the ability to negotiate, communicate, influence, and persuade others are indispensable qualities when it comes to leading successful teams. And there is no doubt that enhancing these skills builds one’s credibility and sets the groundwork for long-term success. However, for Gen-Y Leaders, the risk of undermining that credibility early on is very real thing. Many sabotage themselves, losing control and credibility before they even have the opportunity to utilize there abilities, simply by falling into classic traps that are easily overlooked.

Highlighting this point, authors Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio, offer some basic and practical suggestions that lay the foundation for being taken seriously when moving into the role of team leader. The following ten steps can be found with greater detail in their book, The Girl’s Guide To Starting Your Own Business.

1. Be on time every day. It’s your business. Lead by example.

2. Don’t make a habit of leaving early. Your employees will resent you if you walk out the door at three and call them from the gym at five-thirty to check in.

3. Don’t go drinking with your assistant. Or swap stories. You need to set the example. What you do in your private time away from the office should remain fodder for your peers, not your subordinates.

4. Don’t ask them to do anything that is not work-related. It’s rude and fosters resentment. This includes walking your dog, picking up your dry cleaning, and buying your personal holiday presents, unless, of course, the job is personal assistant.

5. Don’t let them hear you on personal calls. Not only will they will imitate you for months if they hear you refer to your spouse with pet names, they will feel entitled to be on their own calls all day.

6. You are not their friend. Be a pleasant boss, but never leave the door open to talk about personal drama. You want your employees to feel comfortable talking to you about serious personal problems (especially if they will impact her job performance) - a sick mother or child-care problem, for example. But the last thing you can afford is to become a surrogate therapist for employee dating or marital woes.

7. Pitch in when you can. If you have assigned what you know to be a tedious task, such as mailing five hundred company brochures, spend at least a few minutes pitching in. This is your team; make it happen together. A little willingness to get your hands dirty will go a long way when you need a really big ditch dug.

8. Do not share company financial issues or problems. If your employees suspect things are not going well, they will be looking for another job before you know it. There is a whole philosophy of open-book management that works in big public companies (the law requires it, anyway), but in small companies you don’t need your employees second-guessing your decisions.

9. If something goes wrong with a client or customer, you have to take the blame. As the boss, you are responsible for everything running smoothly. If you have a problem employee, you need to monitor him or her closely, provide more training, or let her go. You cannot make bad employees the scapegoats for mistakes.

10. Manage, but don’t smother. Granted this is your business and you’ve got the most to lose, but you’ve got to let your employees take responsibility for their workload. Guide, cajole, pester — don’t suffocate.

What other suggestions would you offer from your experience?

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The Leader’s Lifelong Learner’s Permit

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 8, 2009
in Leadership and Thought Provoking
. 2 Comments

learnerspermit The Leaders Lifelong Learners Permit

This past week I connected with Sangeeth Varghese, founder of LeadCap, a leadership organization building future leaders in India, and the author of Decide to Lead. Sangeeth and I both subscribe to the belief that in a world of continuous change, one the most valuable skills is the ability to learn. Below are some of his thought provoking comments recently published on Forbes.com, pertaining to leadership and being a lifelong student.

You should be educating yourself at every moment.

Learning is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does much about it. True leaders, though, can never be switched off to learning opportunities. As John F. Kennedy wrote in a speech he was to give the day he was assassinated, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
True leaders are beings who go around with a permanent learner’s permit. They use their minds to learn from even the most mundane things in life, and thereby they grow unceasingly. There are three broad ways in which they keep learning and growing.

First, leaders learn constantly. They actively strive to learn at every moment. They view taking a break as a chance to chew on information newly acquired, and to create an ideal state for imbibing more new information. Perhaps the best story of constant learning is that of Friedrich August Kekulé, who learned even in his sleep. He was struggling to decipher the structure of the benzene molecule, and it is said that one night he dreamed of a snake forming a ring by biting its own tail. Inspired by this, and prepared by all the research he had done, he saw how the benzene molecule could be in the form of a ring. He was correct. His discovery was a leap for organic chemistry.

Second, leaders learn continuously. That is, when they’re really at it they brook no distraction. Research has shown that it is more efficacious to study for one hour straight than for two hours with interruption. Interruptions break our train of thought and limit our ability to retain information. They take the power out of learning. Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective, attributed much of his success to his remarkable ability to detach his mind at will to focus on the problem at hand. Would-be leaders can learn a lesson from that idealized, imaginary detective.

Third, leaders learn cyclically. They understand that life is never one-dimensional. It must be studied from every side and turned upside down. They learn by repetition and repeated review. Whatever subject they choose, they always find more to learn. When they move to new areas of knowledge, they stay alert to picking up knowledge pertinent to previous topics. This builds deeper understanding.sangeethvarghese The Leaders Lifelong Learners Permit

Leadership takeaway: Leaders never let their minds shut down. Whatever you are doing at any given moment–watching the news, working on a business deal, talking to a friend, reading this article–give it your full attention, and keep on learning.

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5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on April 19, 2009
in Leadership, Motivation and Vision
. 1 Comment

inspirational leadership1 5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Have you ever wondered, “How do some leaders seem to excel at inspiring their people, while others continually have trouble rallying their troops?”

It’s a question that adds to the debate as to whether the ability to lead and inspire is innate or developed. While that discussion is continually defended by both sides, few will disagree with the power and presence of inspirational leaders provide. The amount of influence they hold and the results they routinely achieve are the envy of aspiring leaders at every level. Interestingly enough, it’s not just other leaders that long for this skill; studies continue to show that employees crave it as well.

“In a survey of more than one and a half thousand managers, people were asked what they would most like to see in their leaders. The most popular answer, mentioned by 55% of people, was ‘inspiration’. When asked if they would describe their current leader as ‘inspiring’, only 11% said yes.”  – Source: UK Dept. for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Inspirational leadership is the purest expression of leadership because it creates a sense of intrinsic motivation within the follower; a vital concept that Jack Hayhow spoke to in our interview earlier this year. Benchmarking successful leaders across business shows that the stereotype of the inspirational leader as someone extroverted and charismatic tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Looking at their best practices, some inspirational leaders certainly do fit this mould, however a large number are just the opposite. Many are quiet, almost introverted in their approach. This leads to the conclusion that being inspirational is more than just a vision, speech, or event. It’s more of an attitude, a mindset, and a process that needs to be honed and committed to with everything you do.

In developing your own approach to inspiring your employees, one place to start is with the teachings of John C. Maxwell. Maxwell, a renowned leadership guru, has published his thoughts on the 5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders. I have found these to be an excellent self-check and framework for personal development in this area.

5 Attributes of an Inspirational Leader by John C. Maxwell john maxwell 5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

1. Attitude of Service

To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you’ll find ways to make them better.

2. Affirmation

To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we’re not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there’s a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person’s greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person’s strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.

3. Attentiveness

Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don’t care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.

4. Availability

Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.

In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader’s most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

5. Authenticity

To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.

What do you think are the keys to being an inspiring leader?

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Leading in a Recession: An Interview with Jack Hayhow

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on February 24, 2009
in Interviews, Leadership and Managing
. 5 Comments

kickingtherecessionsbutt1 Leading in a Recession: An Interview with Jack HayhowThis past week I had the pleasure of speaking with Jack Hayhow, Founder and Chief Operating Servant of Opus Training. Since 1990, Jack has developed training systems that have been used by close to 5,000 companies, training in the neighborhood of a half a million people in a wide variety of industries.

Though he has dozens of training programs to his credit, Jack’s new eBook recently caught my eye, entitled “Kicking the Recessions Butt: Tenacious Tactics for Tough Times.” Having read the book, I found Jack’s insight to be invaluable with respect to leading amidst this challenging environment. In our discussion, Jack shared some excellent advice for new leaders looking to succeed and he has been kind enough to offer a free copy of his eBook for those looking to looking to learn more on the subject. I highly recommend it.

What advice would you give to “new leaders” during these recessionary times?

A excellent question that I can speak to in 3 areas:

1. Be absolutely candid with the people you are leading.

Being honest and helping people understand the current environment is key. Clearly state to your people that we are in a recession, a fundamental restructuring of the business environment. Very little of what we’ve assumed to be true in the past will be true in the future. You must understand that this is no longer business as usual, and it probably never will be again.

Let them know that you can’t guarantee their job this year, and in actuality, you couldn’t do that last year or the year before. Give them the harsh reality, yet give them guidance. My suggestion would be, “Quit worrying about the things you can’t control and focus on what you can. Find ways to contribute everyday to our company and make it really hard for the company to let go of you. Make yourself indispensable to the organization.” If you have people who argue or debate, show them the door. There will be no room for the clueless and the non-believers.

2. When things are as bad as they are, motivation is critical.

Many leaders as themselves the question, “How do I motivate my people in these tough Ttmes?”  While it’s a valid question, it’s actually the wrong question. A better question is, “How do I create the conditions conducive to my people motivating themselves?”

It’s a question of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation. Are people doing the work to get the reward, or is the work so satisfying that doing the work itself is their reward? If you create an environment conducive to people motivating themselves, you will be able to motivate in these challenging times. To do this, start by matching talent with the task. Play to your employees strengths. Figure out who does what and make sure they are spending their time where they can best utilize there talents.

Peter Drucker had said, “Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.” By putting your people in the positions to best use their talents, you can focus all your efforts on getting any barriers out of the way so people can do the work they’ve been hired to do.

3. Give people some choice.

Choice inspires people. When people have even a little control over what they do or how they do it, they are more committed to and enthusiastic about the task. Give them the option on” how” to do something, the order that its completed, or maybe even who they work with to get the job done.

In your eBook, you speak to this being a time for “extreme leadership”. What do you see as the top priorities leaders must keep in mind during times such as this?

1. Turn up the dial. Set the pace and tone for the business.
You must establish a sense of urgency and reinforce it everyday, if not every hour. Communicate that if something used to take a week, it needs to be done in a day. One reason that I wrote this eBook was to demonstrate to our folks this sense of urgency. Publishing this eBook would have normally taken 60-90 days, yet with this sense of urgency we had it completed in one week.

2. Mandate what gets done.
This is not a time to be focused on non-essential tasks. Each person needs to constantly be asking themselves, “What’s the best use of my time right now?” It is imperative that every single person in your company, including you, has to focus on the highest impact activities.

3. Raise expectations and hold people accountable.
Everyone must understand that increased productivity is a requirement. Get commitment to achieve this and create mechanisms to evaluate performance in a shorter time frame. If you used to measure performance each month, now is the time to change it to every week, or maybe even every day.

Jack, I know that both training and development are true passions of yours. What developmental suggestions do you have for aspiring managers / leaders who may not have available advancement opportunities due to the current economic situation?jack hayhow pic Leading in a Recession: An Interview with Jack Hayhow

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” The best advice I can give is to read an hour each day in your field. If you’re not doing this, then you’re not serious about success. It’s a crime if you’re not talking to people and looking for advice. Consider getting involved in mentoring situations. Have someone mentor you or reach out to mentor someone else. Utilize every possible opportunity to make yourself better – study hard, read, and talk to everyone you possibly can.

Follow Jack’s Blog at http://blog.opustraining.com/

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So You’ve Just Become a Manager – Now What?

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on November 5, 2008
in Leadership and Managing
. 4 Comments

frustratedman So You’ve Just Become a Manager – Now What?

As soon as the jubilation from your promotion subsides, it hits you – “What do I do now?” The training is over, everyone says you’re ready, yet all of a sudden you are responsible for a number of employees and not even sure where to begin. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Over the next few weeks, I will be writing a number of posts in a series entitled, “So You’ve Just Become a Manager,” highlighting the keys to making the transition a successful one.

To further examine this process, I’ve spent the past few months interviewing a number of top managers and directors here at J&J as to their first steps when moving into a management role for the first time. Though each had their own individual thoughts and style as to how they approached the transition, there were many suggestions that became consistent in each. Interestingly enough, many of the suggestions focus on self-management, versus managing ones subordinates during this period.

Though the future posts will provide greater detail, I thought I’d kick off the series with a brief overview of the highlights.  The following are the 10 most common tips from some of the best in the business…

  1. Monitor your work hours.
    Set time limits to your work hours and stick to them. When you’re in a new position it’s very easy to get sucked into working longer and longer hours because you feel you have to. Resist the urge to consistently stay late. One of the worst things that can happen is burning out too early, if this happens, it will be hard to jumpstart your passion for the role, not to mention your employees will take notice.
  2. Set up processes early.
    Be conscious of your time - Now that you are managing other people, you will be pulled in multiple directions at any given moment.  Begin to formalize a schedule of when you handle routine administrative tasks. (ex. approve expense reports every Monday, budget meetings on Thursdays) Whatever your particular role entails, begin to get a grasp of your time demands and build a routine to fit.
  3. Establish trust early.
    You might feel there is pressure to push for results early in your new role. Again, resist the urge. Take the time to get to know your people individually and as a team. What do they need and what do they expect from you. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their goals and ambitions? If they don’t tell you, ask. Establishing trust clearly takes time, but starting off on the right foot shows that you have their best interests in mind. When your employees trust you and want to work for you, the results will come sooner than you think.
  4. Set clear expectations.
    This should include everything from your expectations for their administrative activities to your vision for the team. Doing this early on aligns your vision with the group and the individual players. Once everyone has a clear picture of your expectations, the next question naturally becomes, “How do we get there?”
  5. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
    This means regular meetings with both your team members & your direct manager. Clear expectations raise the bar, but frequent communication holds everyone to them.
  6. Give praise and recognition regularly.
    Reinforcement of a job well done is one of the cheapest and most impactful motivational tools at your disposal.  Making the effort to show you see and appreciate the little things can make the difference between a positive action being repeated or forgotten.
  7. Focus on what is important, not just what is urgent.
    This applies to managing up as well as down. Take the time to speak with your manager about the most critical issues they see for you in your role. Be clear as to the expectations from both sides and keep these in mind at all times.
  8. Learn to delegate.
    Failure to delegate is the most common failing point of new leaders. For managers, there are two key aspects to successful delegation:
    - Having people to whom one can delegate, and
    - Selecting the most appropriate tasks to delegate
    Not only does delegation take things off your plate, but when done properly, delegation will foster the “initiative to take action” so that your people learn to develop their skills and knowledge to their full potential.
  9. Continue to build your network.
    Just because you’ve been promoted doesn’t mean you have to stop networking. Now more than ever the importance of networking and building coalitions will become apparent. Not only are you setting yourself up for personal success, but a strong network enables you to better help your employees. Everyone inside or outside your direct area of business provides value.
  10. Find a mentor.
    No good manager does it alone. Find someone who is or has been a successful “people” manager. Without a doubt, the most successful managers have told me that they have one person or a group of people that they often consult when faced with a new challenge. Meet or talk regularly with them to discuss your issues, challenges and ways that you can learn and develop.

There were many more powerful tips that I will undoubtedly talk about throughout the series, but these jumped out as some of the most prevalent. If you have a crucial step that was left off, feel free to add it as a comment and I will gladly work it into future posts.

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Should a Leader Be Tech Savvy?

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on October 24, 2008
in Leadership and Technology
. 2 Comments

I originally published this article at Hard Knox Life as a guest post a little while back. After receiveing a few emails debating the topic, I thought I would post it here to get your opinion…

leadership keyboard1 Should a Leader Be Tech Savvy?When we think of great business leaders, many things may come to mind; the ability to inspire, to motivate, to be a visionary, or perhaps to radically challenge the status quo. Each attribute demonstrates a cornerstone of strong leadership, but this being known, the question facing many in leadership positions today is - Do we need to include the “being tech savvy” to the list?

Is it necessary? Some argue yes, with the advancements in software and the impact technology has had in developing new markets and business opportunities, how can one not? Others dispute that good leaders need to keep abreast of current technological trends, but not necessarily have extensive knowledge of them to be successful. Maintaining that in the big picture it’s about leadership, not technical prowess.

The question can be argued from both points of view, each one having multiple real world examples with varying levels of success. Regardless, one overarching point remains clear. Business as we know it continues to evolve and leaders who are slow to embrace technology in any capacity are sure to fall behind the pack. Emerging technologies will continue to be a source of competitive advantage, drive new market opportunities and redesign our current organizational models.

I think Mark Somers, PhD and professor at the NJIT School of Management, said it best with the statement,

“There is only one certainty in the current business environment — continual, rapid, unpredictable change. Much of that change will be technological in nature and the future will belong to business leaders who can leverage technology to capitalize on the opportunities that arise in this fast-evolving competitive arena.”

So the question remains, does a leader need to be tech savvy? Perhaps it may not as simple as a yes or no answer… My belief follows that of Mr. Somers. I think it is vital for those in leadership positions to understand the true impact that technology has on their position, not only on a macro-level to their market or industry, but also on the micro-level with the effect it has on how people interact and how it impacts daily work flow. At the very least, I believe leaders need to surround themselves with people who do have a firm grasp on the impact of technology. With that knowledge, one would have the information nessesary to manage through the ever changing dynamics of business.

So what do you think? Should a leader need to be tech savvy?

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