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Can You Respect the Person in the Mirror?

February 24, 2013 By

I recently read a quote from Abraham Lincoln in which he stated his intention to conduct his administration in a manner such that, when it ended, he could like and respect the man he saw in the mirror.  This determination to do what is right is one of the hallmarks of a great leader.

Weak leaders and weaker followers do what is easy, what is expedient, that which is popular.  They are willing to compromise their ethics, their values, and their own sense of right and wrong simply to maintain their position.  They will go along to get along with no thought as to whether their actions will benefit or harm others.  In the end, they lose the respect of those who follow them and have no respect for themselves.

Strong leaders, on the other hand, know what they stand for and recognize an inviolate code of conduct that governs all that they do.  While they acknowledge the value of compromise when working for the common good, they also adhere to moral precepts that cannot be sacrificed without harming the world around them.  For these leaders, there is the proverbial “line in the sand” which cannot be crossed; principles that cannot be violated.

These leaders uphold their personal integrity so that, on any given day, they can look in the mirror and like the person that they see and respect the person that they are.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , ,

“People who know you love you as you are. Mentors love you too much to leave you where you are.”

February 19, 2013 By

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of hearing my good friend, Delatorro McNeal II, CSP,  speak to the National Speakers Association of Central Florida Speakers Academy class where he made this profound statement, “People who know you love you as you are.  Mentors love you too much to leave you where you are.”

Great leaders/mentors recognize that one of the greatest measures of their effectiveness will be the legacy that they create and how they pass the baton to their successors. Thus, they are always looking for opportunities to share what they know and help their followers grow and prepare for their own leadership opportunities. Rather than always telling their followers what to do, they ask the subordinate “what do you think you should do?”. Rather than mandating every step to be followed, the great leader/mentor provides the opportunity for their followers to chart their own course and, at times, to fail so that they can learn from their mistakes.

Making mistakes, stumbling, and failing are painful. However, the great leader/mentor knows that those who will become the great leaders of the future must, occasionally, suffer these setbacks in order to reach their full potential. When they occur, the great leader/mentor is there to help the person regain their footing and asks, “OK…what can be learned from this experience and what can be done differently next time?”

Great leaders/mentors love their student/followers too much to protect them from every bump and boo-boo that provide the opportunities to learn and grow. As another great leader/mentor once said, “No man who gets knocked down by life and gets back up has failed. He only fails when he fails to get back up or insists that someone or something won’t let him get back up.” Great leaders and mentors build their legacy one person at a time and measure their success by the success of those that they have nurtured.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , ,

Do You Have the Courage to Lead?

February 10, 2013 By

Several months ago, we met Michael, who had just been promoted into a leadership position, and Jake, his mentor.  Michael had been required to make a difficult decision, one that he knew would not be popular. Leadership often requires that the leader make those tough calls.  The leader can make the popular decision or the right decision … they are seldom both right and popular.  Often, those decisions require that the leader deal with individuals who will feel hurt and betrayed.

Consider two managers, both of whom were informed that they would have to let one employee go.  In both cases, the employee had been with the company for many years and was considered to be very good at his job.  In both cases, there was no option of finding another position within the company.  And, in both cases, the employee was traveling on business when the decision was made.  Now, let’s look at how each manager handled the situation.

Manager A knew that the employee would be angry and he, the manager, did not like confrontation.  So, in order to avoid confrontation, Manager A sent the employee an e-mail stating that his employment was being terminated at the conclusion of the trip; that there was no need for the employee to come into the office as his final paycheck would be mailed to his home and his personal belongings would be brought to him by a co-worker who lived nearby.

Manager B also knew that the employee would be angry and also would have preferred to avoid confrontation.  However, Manager B also recognized that he and the employee had worked together for over a decade and that the employee’s long service and commitment to the company demanded that the employee be treated with dignity and respect.  So, Manager B scheduled a face-to-face meeting with the employee as soon as the trip ended.  In that meeting, Manager B explained the reasons behind the downsizing and expressed regret that the employee would be leaving.  Finally, Manager B gave the employee a letter of reference citing the employee’s contributions to the company and notable accomplishments that had benefited the company.  This letter could be used in the employee’s search for new employment and explained how the new employer would be gaining a valuable, contributing member to their workforce.

As a leader, you may someday be called upon to make a difficult decision; to handle a difficult or unpleasant situation.  You can choose to lead with courage; or, you can opt for cowardice.  Choose wisely as your decision will determine how followers perceive you and your leadership; and, whether they choose to follow at all.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , ,

Do Have to be a Boss to be a Leader?

February 2, 2013 By

Last week, my friend Nick shared a story with me about an individual (we’ll call him “Larry”) with whom he had worked.  He called the individual a true example of leadership even though Larry’s job was never thought of as a leadership position.

“Larry and I were on a jobsite when there was a lightning strike nearby and there were people in the area of the strike.  While it wasn’t really his job, Larry immediately ran to where the people were and began checking on the condition of the people.  Who was injured?  How badly were they hurt?  Who had called the  EMT’s?

“Larry took the initiative and dug right in, making sure everyone was OK, everyone was safe.  He took the initiative when he saw something that needed to be done and made sure it was done and done right.”

Nick concluded that Larry’s willingness to respond to a need and get to work made Larry a real leader.  As Nick said, “Larry didn’t want to stand on the sidelines and direct traffic; tell everybody else what to do.  He was willing to get his hands dirty and do what needed to be done, confident that others would follow his example.”

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , ,

Is Flexibility a Sign of Wishy-Washy Leadership?

January 25, 2013 By

This past week, I met a gentleman who was thrust into a position of leadership at a young age.  Over the years, he has held a variety of leadership positions and, by all accounts, has acquitted himself very well in each of those positions.  As we talked about the qualities of a great leader, he suggested a trait which many would find surprising … flexibility.  I asked him to explain what he meant.  Here is his answer.

“If a leader wants to be a great leader, he or she can’t assume that his or her way is the only way to do something.  A leader needs to listen to the followers … the people that he or she leads.  When they’re the ones on the front line, they often have insights that the leader can benefit from.  They see changes in the marketplace … they see how situations and circumstances change … how some actions might have unanticipated consequences.  The leader needs to be willing and able to adjust when changes have occurred or can be foreseen.

“Think of it this way.  When a hurricane comes, we often see houses blown down and trees still standing.  Why?  Because the house is inflexible.  It was designed and built to stay right where it is; unchanged; unbending.  On the other hand, the tree bends with the wind.  It flexes.  It usually sheds leaves.  It may occasionally lose a limb.  But, in the end, it is still standing when the storm passes.

“The real leader is the same way.  The leader may see some preconceived ideas blown away; may have to give up a pet project or an idea that is shown to be impractical or unsuccessful; may find that those he or she leads have great ideas that can make the team, the project, the endeavor more effective, efficient, successful.  When the leader demonstrates this kind of flexibility, everyone on the team wins and the project is successfully completed.”

Great leaders will study the tree in the hurricane and benefit from the lessons it teaches.  The boss will see the house; fail to heed its lessons; and, in the end, be overwhelmed and swept away.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , ,

You’re Being Watched … What Do Your Followers See?

October 28, 2012 By

Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, is often credited with saying that, “As the leader does, so do the boys.”  This is just as true in business as it is in scouting.

When people choose to follow a leader, they do so for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes, they perceive that the leader possesses qualities that they value.  Often, they choose to follow because they are seeking a guide who will show them how to navigate within the business, culture, or environment in which they find themselves.

Followers look to the leader for an example that they can emulate.  What they see is usually what they do.

I recently had lunch with a young man who was working for a leader he respected.  I asked him what that leader had done to earn his respect.  He answered,

“The company that I work for recently changed its calendar of recognized holidays and not everyone has the day after Thanksgiving off like we used to.  Being one of the low men on the totem pole, I had to work on that Friday after Thanksgiving.  I knew it was necessary and I knew why it was necessary.  I didn’t especially like it; but, I understood it.  When I got to the office on Friday morning, the first person I saw was my boss.  I guess my face showed my surprise at seeing her because she greeted me with a smile and told me it was a workday for her just like for me.  While she could have taken the day off, she did not do so and that enabled someone else on the team to spend the day with their family.  She didn’t see herself as someone who was better than the rest of the team members.  That earned my respect.”

When leaders walk their talk; when they demonstrate in all that they do the same level of commitment, dedication, and ethical behavior that they expect from their followers, they inspire those followers to commit, dedicate, and behave in the same manner.

The ones that you lead are watching you.  They always do.  What will they see; and, is it the behavior that you expect from them?

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , ,

Which Decision Will You Make? The Right One or The Popular One?

September 9, 2012 By

Michael was thrilled.  He had just been promoted at work.  He would assume his new responsibilities on Monday.  His hard work had been recognized and rewarded.  He’d receive a pay raise.  Best of all, he didn’t have to move.  His family could stay in the house they loved and the children could continue to go to school with their friends.  What more could he ask for?  It sounded perfect.

Michael went to work Monday morning expecting his friends and co-workers to welcome him with open arms, smiles, and hearty congratulations.  Imagine his disappointment when his co-workers greeted him warily, murmuring terse hellos and going right to their assigned tasks.  Michael realized that his co-workers no longer saw him as “one of the guys”; he was “one of them” … management.

Late that afternoon, Bernie, the guy he usually ate lunch with, approached Michael and explained that his mother-in-law had made a surprise visit and would there the remainder of the week.  Bernie asked if he could take the rest of the week off since he liked his mother-in-law and rarely got to see her.

Michael’s first thought was that granting Bernie’s request would demonstrate that he was still “one of the guys”.  His second thought was that Bernie was a key member of the team that had a project deadline on Friday and, if Bernie was gone, the deadline would not be met and the company’s reputation would be damaged, perhaps irreparably, with the client.  Reluctantly, he told Bernie that the answer was no … the deadline could not be extended.

At the end of the day, Michael’s mentor, Jake, pulled him aside and asked how the first day had gone.  Happy to have a sounding board, Michael shared the incident and asked Jake if he’d made the right call.  Jake responded by telling him this story …

“Michael, the first time I was put into a leadership position was when I was elected to be Senior Patrol Leader of my Boy Scout troop.  I realized very quickly that I would be asked to make important decisions that affected everyone else in the troop.  And, I found out really fast that I could make the right decision; or, I could make the popular decision.  What I finally figured out was that being popular didn’t necessarily make a decision the right decision.  If I was going to make a decision, I had to make the right decision; the one that provided the greatest benefit to everyone.”

Great leaders follow Jake’s wise example.  Popularity doesn’t necessarily make a decision the right decision.  Great leaders weigh the options and choose the one that provides the greatest benefit to the team.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders

VISION IS VALUABLE … BUT THE ABILITY TO MOTIVATE OTHERS TO WANT TO TURN THE VISION INTO REALITY IS PRICELESS

August 20, 2012 By

At a recent retreat, Board Members found signs on the walls … signs extolling the virtues of their organization; signs with motivational slogans; signs with parables.  One sign stood out from all the rest.  It simply said,

A Good Leader Creates A Shared Vision

One of the dictionary’s definitions of vision is the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be and it is this meaning that the sign was referencing.  A good leader creates a vision of what a business or the world will look like in the future if specific actions are taken today.  A good leader is able to describe this future in a way that enables others to see it as well.  This is what a good leader does.

A great leader, on the other hand, takes it a step or two farther.  Great leaders create a vision and lead their followers into it; first in the mind and then in reality.

Great leaders communicate their vision in terms that empower their followers to believe that it can become a reality.  They describe their vision in terms that enable their followers to see it; to smell it; to taste it; to feel it.  They use words that appeal to the senses of the listener.  Most importantly, great leaders communicate that vision so clearly that their followers can see themselves in that vision and know how great it will be when they turn the dream into a reality.  To illustrate, consider two individuals who qualified for the same incentive trip awarded to top sales people by the company that they worked for.  Both were asked by a colleague to describe a part of the trip and why they had both been willing to work so hard to win the trip.  Ironically, they both talked about the same part of the trip when they answered the question.

David’s answer:  “It was really great.  We went to this winery where they make champagne.  They gave each of us a glass of champagne.  We drank it out on the patio.”

Louie’s answer:  “We took the most awesome trip to a wine cellar where they make champagne.  After touring the winery and seeing how champagne is made, they gave each of us glasses of champagne and invited us to go out on their patio for champagne with sour dough bread and cheese.  It was amazing!  Here we are, sitting on this terra cotta patio with this huge fountain in the middle of it under a sky that was so blue and so bright that it hurt your eyes to look up at it.  When you looked across the patio, there were these little white cotton ball puffs of cloud floating over the hills.  When I closed my eyes, I could hear the breeze rustling the leaves in these huge eucalyptus trees and the water drops tinkling in the fountain.  When I took a bite of the bread, it had this really sharp bite to it from the sour dough.  Then, I put a piece of cheese in my mouth and it was so smooth it just melted in my mouth.  Finally, I took a sip of the champagne and felt the bubbles dancing across my tongue.  In that moment, I thought, ‘this is living … this is why I worked so hard … so I could savor this moment!”

As the people standing nearby listened to Louie’s description of that afternoon, they could see the sky; taste the bite of the sour dough and the melting cheese; feel the champagne bubbles dancing in their mouths.  Most importantly, they could see themselves qualifying for the next incentive trip and enjoying a similar moment.

Like Louie, great leaders communicate their vision so that others see it and see themselves being a part of it.  Great leaders inspire their followers to pursue the vision and build it as a reality.

As you share your vision with your followers, choose your words with care and make certain that you draw your listeners into the vision and help them not only see it, but help them feel the pride of success that comes from turning that dream into reality and being a part of the team that made it so.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , ,

Do You See a Threat or an Opportunity to Build a Legacy?

August 10, 2012 By

Imagine you’ve recently hired a new employee who is smart, has talent, is driven to succeed and wants to grow professionally.  In fact, when asked where this person sees himself or herself in five years, the answer is “doing your job”.  How do you react?  Is this an opportunity or a threat?  Truly great leaders see opportunity!

One of the greatest leaders I ever had the privilege of following had a phrase … “first rate people hire first rate people … second rate people hire third rate people.”  He knew that great leaders look for the very best people, seeing them not as a threat to their own security, but rather as an opportunity to build a legacy.  To build this legacy, he followed these steps …

•    Look for talent – each person has a variety of talents, tools that they can use to attain a desired outcome.  This great leader looked at the tools that the person had.  These needed to be tools the person actually had, not the ones that the leader wished the person had.

•    Assess drive and determination – talent without the drive and determination to put those talents to work is useless.  Desire makes all the difference in the world when the going gets tough.  This great leader looked for individuals who had reasons for pursuing a goal; reasons that drove them to put forth the effort needed to overcome whatever obstacle might stand in their way.

•    Determine willingness to work – when a person has enough reasons for wanting to attain the goal, they will have the willingness to work.  This great leader recognized that the reasons must be important to the follower, not important to the leader.  For this reason, he asked about the person’s motivators and then listened to the answers and listened for the passion that would help the person summon the willingness to work for the goal.  When the going got tough, because he had truly listened, this leader was able to help the follower remember the reasons why reaching the goal was important enough to keep working for.

•    Identify strengths – just as everyone brings talents to the table, they have things that they are really good at.  These strengths form the foundation upon which all endeavors should be built.  This great leader knew that people will happily do what they do well.  So, he never attempted to force the “square peg into the round hole”.  He encouraged his followers to do what they were good at … early and often!

•    Find areas for growth – while every individual has strengths, things that they are good at, each person also has areas in which they can grow and improve.  This great leader was able and willing to help people recognize skills that needed cultivation and did so in ways that never made the individual feel inadequate.  Rather, he helped them recognize how good they were and how much better they could be by taking the time to cultivate a skill and master it.

•    Build on strengths and provide tools for growth – this was the final phase.  Having identified both the strengths and the opportunities for professional growth, he made certain that the person had the necessary tools; training, education, mentoring, or any other tool needed to facilitate that person’s growth and success.

As you look back, can you identify the people you helped along the way?  As you look forward, can you foresee the number of people who will attribute their success to the help they received from you?  While only you know the answer to the first question, you hold in your hands the opportunity to answer the second by the actions you take today and in the days, months, and years to come.  If you wish to be known today and remembered in the future as a truly great leader, you must measure your personal success against a very special standard; the people that you help to grow and achieve their goals.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders

How Much Better Would Your Team Be If They Really Trusted You?

June 25, 2012 By

How would you like to work for a leader that is long on promises and short on delivery? If you’ve already worked for this type of leader, how long did it take for you to lose faith and stop trusting this leader? Probably not very long at all! When a leader can’t be trusted, all kinds of problems are bound to arise.

My friend “Judy” has worked for the same company for the past five years. When she first started there, the owner of the company made all kinds of promises; “when this happens, you’ll get that reward; when this contract is signed, you’ll get that bonus”.

Unfortunately, when the contract was signed, the bonus never got paid. When the expected result was obtained, the reward was never given. When Judy asked what happened to carrot that had been dangled out in front of her, the answer was always the same…”things change, we can’t always get what we want”. At first, Judy thought she was doing something wrong or, perhaps, just did not understand what she thought had been promised. However, she soon learned from co-workers that the same thing was happening to them. It was the owner’s modus operandi. Needless to say, Judy and her co-workers no longer trust the owner and greet promised rewards with an attitude of “OK, whatever!”

Leaders who want their followers to stick with them through thick and thin know that their word must be their bond; that they must not make promises that they cannot or will not keep. Leaders who are trusted know that trust must be earned on a daily basis and that one broken promise destroy the trust that was earned over months or years.

A smart man once said that there were two ways to lead; from personal power and from position power

• Position power comes from the title on the door, “boss”. A boss can force people to do things regardless whether the followers have faith in him or her; or not.

• Personal power is earned. It comes from the faith that followers have in the leader; faith that promises made will be promises kept; faith that good work will be recognized and that credit will be given where it is due. Personal power is a sign that your followers respect and believe in you.

As a leader, if you say what you mean and mean what you say; if you keep your word, you will earn the trust of your followers. You will be well on your way to becoming the leader that attracts and retains the very best followers and teammates in the world.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, How personality type impacts leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders
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