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Stepping Up in the Absence of Leadership

Published

on October 9, 2008

. 0 Comments

climbing ladder Stepping Up in the Absence of Leadership Like many organizations, my company is going through its fair share of leadership changes. Be it promotions, transfers, reorganizations or resignations, there are countless reasons as to why leaders will move on to other opportunities. With the uncertainly that a temporary void in leadership creates, it also opens a narrow window of opportunity for aspiring leaders at all levels. The key is not only noticing when these opportunities arise, but being fully prepared to take advantage when they do. Doing so effectively can help you position yourself as a key player when new management begins to step in.

As the incoming leaders formalize there roles, they will undoubtedly look to find key people that can help them make their transition process successful. By positioning yourself as an informal leader in their absence, you start off on the right foot from day one. We’ve all heard the adage, “You only get one change to make a first impression” – well this situation is no different. If you are strategic about your actions during a leadership transition, you will not only create a meaningful first impression; you will be saying “I’m ready for more recognition, more responsibility, and more money .”

The following are a few suggestions on what to do before and during a leadership transition.

Find a mentor. Find a leader you trust and respect, and be a sponge. Not only will you elevate your learning, but you’ll create an ally who can help you as future opportunities arise.
Learn from outgoing leaders. Chances are they did things very well or horribly wrong. Either way, spend some time learning about what made them succeed or fail, and what opportunities they foresee emerging as the transition ensues.
Build your network. Having a positive relationship with key people in your organization is a major asset. They may be able to prove insight into advancement opportunities and give you the backing necessary to win over with the incoming leaders.
Lead your group through the change. Stepping up as a leader in your group or department is always looked at as a positive in times of change. With the knowledge you’ve gain from your network, you’ll have the confidence to calm the masses and keep your team moving forward in these times of uncertainty. In helping others succeed, you naturally project yourself as a leader and someone ready to assume additional responsibility.
Step outside of your comfort zone. As the old saying goes, “To get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.” Challenge yourself and your peers. The results may surprise you.
Keep developing yourself. I know it sounds cliché, but if you sit back and ride out this transition you are wasting valuable time. There is no better time for personal development and if you’ve executed the above suggestions to this point, I’d venture to say that you’ve already learned a few lessons along the way. Don’t stop.

As with many things in life, the only constant in business is change. They key to maximizing this opportunity is being ready at any given time. Don’t wait to start this process, start today. You never know when you’re window of opportunity may just open up…

Secrets of Great Leaders

Published

Anthony

on September 14, 2008

in Leadership and Thought Provoking

. 0 Comments

lincolnmemorial Secrets of Great Leaders

As Election Day approaches, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the hype that’s conjured up by the media. Each day mistaken words, abridged interviews, and campaign ads attempt to influence the millions of voters that will be heading to the polls. Attempting to cut through the nonsense, one historian urges Americans to consider the leadership strengths of our most successful Presidents when deciding to cast their ballots this November.

“Focusing on the qualities that have made some of our leaders exceptional provides a better perspective on our current candidates than what’s so often reported…” - Doris Kearns Goodwin

Doris Kearns Goodwin, a renowned historian and Pulitzer Prize winner, is featured in Parade, this week with her article entitled, “The Secret’s of America’s Great Presidents.” Using the lessons of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt as her guide, she attempts to identify 10 leadership attributes that distinguish truly great presidents.

Though her full article goes into much greater historical detail and is worth the read, the following is a summary of the 10 key attributes that Goodwin identified.

The courage to stay strong. A leader needs the ability to withstand adversity and motivate oneself in the face of frustration.
Self-confidence. Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation.
An ability to learn from errors. To lead successfully, you must be willing to acknowledge and learn from your mistakes.
A willingness to change. Conditions change and Presidents must respond.
Emotional intelligence. A President must encourage his closest advisers to give their best and remain loyal.
Self control. Great leaders manage their emotions and remain calm in the midst of trouble.
A popular touch. The best presidents have an intuitive awareness of public sentiment, a sense of when to wait and when to lead.
A moral compass. Only strong leaders have the courage and integrity to follow their convictions when the risk of losing popular support is great.
A capacity to relax. FDR held a White House cocktail hour every evening. Its cardinal rule: Nothing was to be said of politics or war.
A gift for inspiring others. One of the key qualities of a great President is his ability to communicate national goals to the people and to educate and shape public opinion.

Regardless of the Presidential connotation, her aforementioned attributes are clearly applicable to great leaders in any capacity. Each attribute seamlessly builds on the next, yielding a leader poised for success. How does your leadership approach compare to the list?

How to Build a Successful Team

Published

Anthony

on September 4, 2008

in Leadership, Managing and Teamwork

. 1 Comment

people in hand How to Build a Successful Team

As a future leader, you will (if not already) be responsible for creating and sustaining a winning team. In sales, many leaders will live or die by the individuals they hire and the team that the build - Reinforcing that it’s critical to get off on the right foot.

We’ve all been a part of teams that have failed, either because of individuals not pulling their weight or personality clashes that inhibit productivity. The question is: How do you avoid this when you are the architect? Several schools of thought exist, most notably the importance of diversity. Diversity of thought, age, sex, experience and so on… all excellent starting points. One catch is that hiring managers often overlook the intricate working dynamics of their group, instead selecting the person that appears to be the obvious choice on the surface.

Nikos Mourkogiannis, author of Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies, and senior executive adviser to Booz Allen Hamilton, believes that:

“The personal style of team members has the greatest influence on a group’s success. More important than any technical skill a team member brings is the ability to work closely together, free of backbiting and political maneuvering.”

To take this a step further, Mourkogiannis also believes that there are four archetypes of people in companies: magicians, lovers, sovereigns, and warriors. The key being, having the right mix on your team.

Magicians - They are the rational yet imaginative souls in your organization. They think a new idea or insight is the only thing that can move the world. In truth, they’re obsessed by ideas. Their answer to feeding the troops is to pull a rabbit out of a hat. These types of people think a mere argument over an idea equals action.
Lovers - For them, everything comes down to human relations. They’re pragmatic but emotional. They focus on building the winning coalition. They are obsessed not by ideas but by feelings. They consider agreement an action.
Sovereigns - They are the emotional and imaginative types. They focus on the big picture and judge everything on whether it leads to where they want to go. They redefine what people consider is possible. They are obsessed by beliefs. And they consider direction a form of action.
Warriors - They are rational and pragmatic. They’re focused on the next battle and can only see clearly what’s directly in front of them. They hold people accountable to systems and the fairness of those systems. They’re obsessed by facts. For them, action is finding the critical factor to get something immediately accomplished.

When building your team, it’s also natural to gravitate towards people whom have similar personality and experiences as yourself. Fight that urge. The most effective teams maintain a balance by having a variety of the above types in key roles. Each type is good at doing different things; a mix of magicians, lovers, sovereigns, and warriors will give you the best chance for success. On your next hire, challenge yourself to think differently and analyze your team in this fashion. The results may surprise you…

Employee Motivation

Published

Anthony

on August 24, 2008

in Leadership, Managing and Motivation

. 2 Comments

motivation Employee Motivation No matter the size of your organization, having a team of motivated, hard-working employees is crucial to your business success. When people lose their motivation they become less focused, less productive, and less creative, all having a negative impact on the bottom line. The challenge today is that motivation is changing. A previous post entitled “The New World of Work” examined the dynamic changes that are upon us in the workplace and with regard to motivation, managers and leaders need to adapt as well.

Finding out everyone’s individual motivators and catering to them can be a constructive approach in the short term. Yet on the flipside, creating and fostering an environment that is conducive to people motivating themselves, may yield much larger returns in the long run.

Examining this issue further, the Harvard Business Review published an article this month, discussing a new motivational model targeting every person’s innate emotional drives. These four drives underlie the every action that we take.

The drive to acquire (obtain scarce goods, including intangibles: social status, etc.)
The drive to bond (form connections with individuals and groups)
The drive to comprehend (satisfy our curiosity and master the world around us)
The drive to defend (protect against external threats and promote justice)

The theory (backed by evidence) is that since these drives are ingrained into our minds, the degree to which they are satisfied conversely affects our emotions and behavior. The authors suggest that as a managers and leaders, we need to attend to all four of the drives to truly impact employee motivation.

How do we do that you ask? The article suggests that for each drive there is a primary lever that we need to use in order to maximize fulfillment. The following table matches each drive with its corresponding lever, and suggestions of actions to be considered.

When each lever is properly executed, the model motivates because the actions taken on all fronts reinforce one another - a holistic approach, setting the stage for intrinsic motivation.

Instead of asking yourself: How can I motivate my employees? Ask: How can I create an environment that is conducive to my employees motivating themselves? Chances are if you address all four drives above, you are off to a good start…

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Managing the Dynamics of Change

Published

Anthony

on August 15, 2008

in Leadership and Managing

. 0 Comments

Perhaps one of the most feared and yet revered words in a leader’s vocabulary; Change can take on a multitude of connotations depending on your point of view in any given situation. Most often it is looked at as negative, being that it often it disrupts what we know and are comfortable with. At the same time every leader knows that change undoubtedly creates opportunity and sparks innovation.

In an excerpt from his book, “Management Challenges for the 21st Century,” Peter Drucker suggests that to thrive in the new millennium, managers must do more than adapt to change: they have to lead it… and I couldn’t agree more.

I thought the following was a very insightful video on the subject, as Carly Fiorina (former CEO of HP from 1999-2005) speaks to students at Stanford University on the dynamics of change and fear. She notes that entrepreneurship is about risk-taking, and speaks to its association with tackling innovation. Fiorina concludes that asserting change involves gathering enough energy and force to overcome the power of the status quo. Sounds easy…don’t you think?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3IbKbDhfKw&hl=en&fs=1]

Distinguishing the difference: Leadership vs. Management

Published

Anthony

on August 12, 2008

in Leadership, Managing, Teamwork and Vision

. 0 Comments

Distinguishing the difference: Leadership vs. Management A conversation that has been discussed from many angles and will undoubtedly be the topic of future posts on Driven Leaders. I came across an interesting article by Bob Selden, where he examines this issue with the following perspective:

“Management can be taught. Leadership cannot be taught or learned, it must be earned”

Through his research, Bob suggests that the true “essence of leadership” revolves around creating the four conditions that encourage others to follow:

A shared understanding of the environment - “We know what we face”
A shared vision of where we are going - “We know what we have to do”
A shared set of organizational values - “We are in this together”
A shared feeling of power - “We can do this”

Look internally and ask yourself:

Have I done a good enough job establishing the four conditions on my team?

What can I do over the next 30 days to create these conditions on my team?

How to Earn Respect Quickly, Despite Your Youth

Published

Anthony

on August 11, 2008

in Gen-Y and Leadership

. 1 Comment

How to Earn Respect Quickly, Despite Your Youth

Inspired by a post from Chuck Westbrook (ihateyourjob.com), I thought this topic was significant and worth revisiting with few thoughts of my own on the subject.

The following six tips will help you to get noticed quicker, earn you greater influence and responsibility, and get you closer to a level playing field.

Be a student of everyone: Asking questions and taking advice isn’t a sign of weakness, and it won’t emphasize your youth either. You’ll get better faster, impress more people, and actually seem older.

Why it works: Seeking ways to improve is a sign of maturity and is the easiest way to gain the skills and knowledge that make you more effective. Plus, demonstrating a willingness to learn from your elders takes away a lot of the stereotypes and targets you will be marked with as a Millennial.

Learn to write & speak well: Develop your communication skills to the highest level, both in your daily emails and in deliverables for which you are responsible. This includes correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation-even in email. When speaking, avoid overusing the infamous “like” and prepare ahead of time to ensure you ideas are clear and concise.

Why it works: If you can quickly fire off sharp emails, you will come across as highly capable and intelligent (provided your content isn’t inappropriate). Not everyone types well, and certainly not everyone speaks well. It will be noticed.

Demonstrate leadership: Help other employees to be more effective. Be generous to help others format documents, create spreadsheets, or find information on the web. As for fellow younger workers, you’ll probably be able to answer many of their questions related to your industry and your company since you’re a student of everyone now. Concerning the boss, give appropriate amounts of ground-level feedback on how things can be improved if he/she is interested. Don’t suck-up, but do provide the kind of info they want to know.

Why it works: Nothing says maturity like leadership. If you have workers of every age looking to you to be more effective, you’ll have their respect by default.

Take initiative: Don’t rely on your boss to come to you with opportunities or projects, be the driver that gets the ball rolling. Interested in learning more about a particular process or area of the company? - be proactive! Most managers will be more than willing to assist you if they think it will contribute to your development and productivity in the long term.

Why it works: Too many people are satisfied with the status quo. Taking initiative shows that you really care and are committed to what you are working on. Plus, it makes your boss look good and that’s never a bad thing when it comes to earning respect.

Show up: Take advantage of opportunities to interact with upper-management. If it’s a small company, say yes when you are invited out to drinks or dinner. If it’s a larger organization, reach as high as is practical. Participate in forums, town halls, Q&As, and special project groups, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself at the proper moment. Your CEO might enjoy hearing the perspective of his tip-top inside sales representative, for example.

Why it works: In many cases, your boss’s boss’s boss is a very cool person. We’re probably not talking about someone who got their job on the strength of tenure alone, so there’s a good chance they aren’t as limited by notions of age as some career middle managers might be. This is just an instance of going to find the people who are most likely to respect the substance of who you are.

Remember, perception is reality: Don’t be “that guy” - anyone who’s spent any amount of time in an office has seen talented people who can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. (Improper attire, showing up late, inappropriate jokes, failure to stop talking about oneself… the list goes on and on.) Exercise good judgment and be aware of the norms in your workplace. Good news never travels as fast as the bad - don’t let a snafu early in your career follow you in the long haul.

Why it works: When was the last time you heard someone say the name Barry Bonds and not mention steroids. Let’s just keep that asterisk off your record…

Take a look at www.ihateyourjob.com for a both a humorous and serious look at how we relate to work, balance, and trying stay sane in the process. Nice blog Chuck!

Conflict Management 101

Published

Anthony

on August 7, 2008

in Classroom 101, Communication, Gen-Y, Leadership and Managing

. 3 Comments

Conflict Management 101

Last week, I was asked to give a presentation to a group of emerging leaders at J&J, focusing around the topic of managing conflict. Without a doubt a crucial skill to develop on the road to being an effective leader. The funny thing is, we understand how important it is yet we spend so little time devoted to development this area. Why? “It’s uncomfortable, it’s difficult, it’s hard to simulate.” These excuses may be true; but it doesn’t diminish the importance for us to develop ourselves in this area.

As I began, I asked the group to give me the first word that came to their mind when I said the word “conflict” and to no surprise, I received quick and varied responses: “argument, disagreement, confrontation, loss of productivity” to name a few. Interestingly enough every single response had a negative connotation. In actuality, conflict is often the driving force to address problems or recognize different points of view. - all very positive.

Despite the fact that many of us see conflict as something negative, and don’t like dealing with it, there are techniques that you can implement that will help you better handle difficult situations.

Conflict isn’t the problem - it’s when conflict is managed poorly that it becomes a problem.

Below are some ideas from my presentation, a logical approach to understand and effectively manage through conflict, aptly named “The Ladder of Thinking.”

Conflict Management 101

In conflict situations we are most often working from our own perception of the situation - from our own “story” so to speak. Conflict occurs when we don’t have a clear understanding of the other “story” and we believe that we are right and the other person is wrong.

So, to be able to take the first steps to resolve conflict, we need to be able to understand how the other person has reached their conclusion - which makes perfect sense to them but not to us! We also need to help them understand how we reached our conclusion and why.

First, we each have a puddle of “information” that we are experiencing - these are our observations of the situation:

Sometimes we have information that is known only to us
Sometimes the other person has information that is not known to us
Sometimes we have information that is overlapping with the other person

Secondly, we take this information, our observations - what we are seeing, hearing and feeling - and interpret it to give it meaning.

Conflict Management 101

Finally, we formulate conclusions about what is happening. It is important to note, though, at each step in the process, there is an opportunity for our “stories” to differ. This is because we each process information differently and then interpret this information in our own individual way.

When we have conflict, it is often because we are only focusing on the conclusion, and sharing that with each other. To explain it in more detail:

Rung 1 - Information/observations:

We notice different things - what we pay attention to is influenced by what we care about and who we are.

Rung 2 - Interpretations

Even if we have the same information to work from, we often interpret it differently, we have differing perceptions - I see the glass as half full, you see it as half empty; same ocean same time - to me the water is warm, to you it’s cool - and we make assumptions based on our interpretation. The ladders can pull further apart as you go up.

Two factors influence how we interpret our observations of a situation and begin making assumptions:

Prior Experiences
- Our past experiences impact how we view the present - understanding where someone is coming from in terms of their stance is very helpful
- Sometimes we are not aware of how much our experiences in the past are impacting us now
We live by our “rules”
- These past experiences develop into “rules” by which we live our lives.
- These rules dictate how we think we should behave, what is “right” and “wrong” or how things should be.
- Not everyone lives by the same set of “rules” e.g. I think it’s OK to be late for an appointment, it’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it - you are very punctual and always believe you should be on time otherwise it is disrespectful to the other person.

When these “rules” clash - conflict occurs

Rung 3 - Self-Bias

It’s human nature to form conclusions based on our own interests. When we observe and gather information, we are paying attention to what matters to us - This leads us to the conclusion that we are, of course, right!

Final Thoughts: Keys to Success for Managing Conflict

When you are in a conflict situation it is important to ensure that you make your “rules” known to the other person, and encourage them to articulate their “rules” so that you have a clearer understanding of each other’s interpretation of the information
Don’t fall into the trap of making assumptions that the other person understands how you reached your conclusion:
Don’t assume other people perceive the world the way you do
Don’t assume that others attach the same meanings to things that you do
Don’t assume that everyone will react the same way that you do

How do we stop ourselves making assumptions and gain greater insight into the other person’s story?

Show interest in their viewpoint
Be inquisitive
Work to understand why they feel or act the way they do
Don’t make judgments
Do not assume that either one of you has to be “right” and/or “wrong”
Be prepared to fully explore both sides of the story and accept that neither of you has to “give in” - you need to learn how to work through the differences to come to agreement

Accept that others may have a differing viewpoint and then understand that each of you see/feel/observe things that matter to you each individually - to work through the conflict you need to uncover what this is and how you feel about it. Remember, Conflict can be a positive thing if handled appropriately and if you embrace the Ladder of Thinking, you will be well on you way to productive conflict management. Just try it out a few times before you attempt to win over your boss…

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90 Days to Prove Yourself…

Published

Anthony

on August 3, 2008

in Book Reviews, Leadership and Managing

. 0 Comments

Or else… At first glance I thought this book had been given to me being that the author, Michael Watkins, had based it on his work with J&J. I soon came to find out that there was a much bigger reason. Anyone who has recently been promoted or is expecting to be in the near future, should add this to the must read list. The First 90 Days is geared towards new leaders (or soon to be leaders) at all levels and is easily identifiable to anyone making a transition up the ladder. first90days 90 Days to Prove Yourself...

In the author’s words, “The actions you take during you first three months in a new job will largely determine if you succeed or fail.” Anyone experiencing this will attest to this period being a time of great opportunity, yet also extreme vulnerability. Watkins’ concept revolves around the “breakeven point,” essentially the point at which you begin contributing as much value to your organization as you have consumed from it. The faster you reach that point, the faster you will build your business.

To do this, he outlines ten strategies that are critical when making the transition into your new role…

1. PROMOTE YOURSELF - Make a mental break from your old job and prepare to take charge in the new one. Never assume that what has made you successful in thus far in your career will continue to do so. The dangers of sticking with what you know, working hard at doing it, and failing miserably are very real.

2. ACCELERATE YOUR LEARNING - Climb the learning curve as fast as you can in your new organization. Understand the markets, products, technologies, systems, and structures, as well as its culture and politics. It feels like drinking from a fire hose. So you have to be systematic and focused about deciding what you need to learn.

3. MATCH STRATEGY TO SITUATION - There are no universal rules for success in transitions. You need to diagnose the business situation accurately and clarify its challenges and opportunities. Watkins identifies four very different situations that you could walk into: launching a start-up, leading a turnaround, devising a realignment, or sustaining a high-performing unit. It is critical to know what your situation looks like before you develop your action plan.

4. SECURE EARLY WINS – Each win builds your credibility and create momentum. They create virtuous cycles that leverage organizational energy. In the first few weeks, you need to identify opportunities to build personal credibility. In the first 90 days, you need to identify ways to create value and improve business results.

5. NEGOTIATE SUCCESS - You need to figure out how to build a productive working relationship with your new boss and manage his or her expectations. No other relationship is more important. This means carefully planning a series of critical talks about the situation, expectations, style, resources, and your personal development. Crucially, it means developing and gaining consensus on your 90-day plan.

6. ACHIEVE ALIGNMENT - The higher you rise in an organization, the more you have to play the role of organizational architect. This means figuring out whether the organization’s strategy is sound, bringing its structure into alignment with its strategy, and developing the systems and skills bases necessary to realize you strategy.

7. BUILD YOUR TEAM - If you are inheriting a team, you will need to evaluate its members. Perhaps you need to restructure it to better meet demands of the situation. Your willingness to make tough early personnel calls and your capacity to select the right people for the right positions are among the most important drivers of success during your transition.

8. CREATE COALITIONS - Your success will depend on your ability to influence people outside your direct line of control. Supportive alliances, both internal and external, will be necessary to achieve your goals. Start immediately.

9. KEEP YOUR BALANCE - The risks of losing perspective, getting isolated, and making bad calls are ever present during transitions. The right advice-and-counsel network is an indispensable resource.

10. EXPEDITE EVERYONE - Finally, you need to help everyone in your organization - direct reports, bosses, and peers - accelerate their own transitions. The quicker you can get your new direct reports up to speed, the more you will help your own performance.

Overall, I would highly encourage any aspiring new leader to pick up a copy of this book. It’s a short read that can have lasting impact on your future success. Besides, who wants to really be part of that “or else” anyway? That was motivation enough for me…