May 12th, 2011
Change leadership: “C”ing is believing
Casting Vision: In order to get people “on board” with change, they must first understand where it is they are expected to go. Effective leaders are able to bring colleagues to the core of an organization’s purpose and vision through dialog and reminders that they can’t be all things to all people, but they can accomplish the vision they set out to achieve. This is a central difference between a manager and a senior leader. As a change leader, you must cast a strong vision of where you are headed and why it is you are going there. This is akin to a captain at the helm of a boat, constantly reminding the oarsman where they are going. The problem most leaders have is they undercast the vision; and instead focus on the problem. If this gets repeated daily, your vision is lost and you are setting yourself and your company up for failure.
Posted in Business Growth, Leader Development | 1 Comment »
May 11th, 2011
In June we will be two years removed from one of the worst economic recessions to ever hit our nation. While economists point to June 2009 as the ending point of the “Great Recession”, many, if not most, of our nation’s businesses continue to struggle.
While there were, and continue to be, many factors at play in our recovery from the recession, one of the most important for businesses is the focus of its leaders. As a leader, whether in good times or bad, you must continuously focus on achieving your overall vision and goals for any chance at success, and not become mired in “paying the rent” activities that don’t add any real value.
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March 24th, 2011
“They won’t roll.”
As sales leaders we are all searching for that “magic bullet” to increase our sales, help us meet our quotas and give us that hefty bonus at the end of the quarter. The reality is that we really don’t need to look any further than ourselves. By embracing our traits that define us as leaders, we can create our own opportunities to find that success we desire.
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February 17th, 2011
But the truth is that in order to be an effective leader you cannot hide from others. You must open yourself up – allowing people to not only see your professional and personal strengths but your professional and personal weaknesses. Leaders who do not do this create a subtle but unmistakable message: “I won’t let you close. I do not trust you enough to risk you knowing me beyond professional boundaries.” The impact of this causes people to step back from you with similar distrust, and you cannot lead others who are stepping away from you. People do not distrust you any less because of your weaknesses. They trust you more, because you have shared them with them and you have been honest.
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October 7th, 2010
Most organizations experiencing a high change environment are not prepared for, nor do they acknowledge the predictable “change reaction”. Remember Newton’s key principle? “For every action, there will be an EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.” Leaders need to ask “How will we deal with the equal and opposite reaction (a predictable occurrence) when we implement change?” Teams are least prepared, by far, to deal with the resistance that accompanies the process of change.
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August 11th, 2010
No leader is perfect. We all have made serious mistakes. A defining characteristic of a true leader is not the absence of mistakes but rather how he or she responds after the error has occurred.
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July 15th, 2010
When society’s outside measurements tell us we are not winning when we lost our jobs, our homes, our positions, our retirement dreams or even the cheers from the crowd, if you have kept your integrity, your humility and your character, you have won no matter what!
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May 6th, 2010
An interesting finding…the strongest teams are committed to processes that strengthen the team in a continuous, ongoing fashion. Ironically, the “dimmest” teams routinely view such efforts as superfluous. Such teams are typically focused on yet another problem, justifying that time does not permit them the “luxury” of investing in their team’s growth.
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March 30th, 2010
Wise are the leaders who encourage genuine kindness and courtesy as an essential aspect of their core leadership style. Do not underestimate its impact on your influence as a leader. Believe me, your followers will not!
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March 8th, 2010
Winning attitudes translate into success at all levels. Recognizing and emulating the winning attitude of a successful person is not just a compliment to a role model, it’s an essential element in developing your own success. A good friend, Joe, recently told a story which makes this point as relevant today as when he first learned it.
Joe possesses a winning attitude which has translated into a very successful company and he is a man that others watch; however, Joe began life focused on himself rather than on the successes of others, a flaw he had to overcome quickly in college:
“When I was a freshman playing football I was ready to set the world
on fire. I thought I had arrived and it was just a matter of showing it
to my teammates,” he laughed. “One day I was standing in line in the
weight room waiting for a machine and I was talking most of my wait.
After a while I heard an imposing voice behind me ask ‘Do you want
to be good?’ I turned around to find the 6’8” senior captain of the
football team behind me. He was revered for his athletic abilities
and leadership and I was surprised by his question.
Tags: executive leadership coaching
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