The Art of Listening

Check out this article on the art of listening. It's a quick and easy read packed full of good information. When you're done reading it, give us a call and we can help you put the principles in the article to use in your business, team, or personal life.

Making an Exeucitve Presence

Are you currently in a management or executive position and thinking about how to take the next step up the ladder? Do you know how to make an "executive presence" with your direct reports, customers, and even your boss? To begin, read this short article entitled, "6 Tips for Developing Executive Presence." After reading the article, give us a call. We can help you with the rest!

Undercover CEO

Interested in knowing what your employees really think? Are your core messages being communicated at all levels in your organization? Learn how one CEO went undercover to find out more about his employees and even his company then he could have ever imagined.

What kind of leader are you?

A recent article from the Financial Times online discusses the end results of those leaders who lead based on intense fear while focusing only on bottom line results vs. those leaders who listen and encourage 2-way communication with their staff as a way to positively impact the bottom line.

Before reading the article, I would encourage you to be honest and think about the leader your staff sees day in and day out? Are you leading in a way that will generate short term success only to watch the success slowly fade away over time? Are you a leader who listens to your employees, encourages feedback, and understands the need to adapt your style and pull your foot off the gas from time to time? Need help identifying how best to lead your team or your organization into the next level of sustained, long term success?

Give us a call to see how we can help!

John Madden and Leadership

BOOM! For all the football fans out there, you probably recognize this 'expression' right away as a staple of John Madden's commentary for the NFL. John Madden was a successful head coach, arguably the most recognized announcer of all times, and even bares the name of the most successful sports video game of all time. Interested in learning what John Madden can teach you about leadership? Check out this article from Harvard Business Publishing.

Leading in tough times....

Just finished reading a Q & A with Michael Beer, professor at Harvard University, about his upcoming book “High Commitment, High Performance: How to Build a Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage.” The focus of the book is on how you can manage in tough times while avoiding liquidation and having to reduce your human capital. Mr. Beer goes on to say, “CEOs of HCHP (high commitment, high performance) companies think very differently about their employees. They see them as an asset and care about them as people. As a result they manage downturns differently from the norm, too.”
I found this last line interesting because in my consulting practice, I have seen more and more business leaders trying to find ways to engage their employees, encourage commitment, and keep their best people from looking for another job. My prediction is that as we begin to slowly pull out of these tough economic times, more and more business leaders are going to realize just how important their people are to the success of the organization. They will see just how much a committed employee can mean to the long term growth and success of their organization.
So my question to you, the manager, president, CEO and or business leader, is why wait until it is too late? Why wait until your best employees have moved on to “bigger and better things?” Why not begin showing them and telling them how important they are right now. Find out what they need to be better and provide it – now! Don’t get caught in the “shoulda-woulda-coulda” trap. Act now before you lose your most valuable company asset – your people.
All it takes is taking some time to talk to your employees. Find out what they want, what they need and how YOU can help them be better at their job. It’s that easy to get started.

A quick thought on the importance of values

Just read a short blog by Val Willis on the Tom Peters! blog about values. Values are critical to any leader. Do your actions support your stated values? Without clear values and a total commitment to those values, it's is impossible to lead. People will not, at least for any length of time, support and follow a person who constantly says one thing but does the opposite. If you are a leader or strive to become one, take a minute to think about what you value the most? What do you value in your personal life? What do you value at work? How do you value your employees? If you can't answer these questions, are you truly leading your people and your company?

Recommended Reading

Over four decades ago, Douglas McGregor wrote about The Human Side of Enterprise and how important it was for companies to devote attention to their workers. At the time, his insights were largely overlooked by business people who weren't ready for such new thinking. Now, in Douglas McGregor, Revisited, the authors bring back some of the management guru's most provocative ideas with new relevance for the 21st century. They explain why he matters now and how we can apply his ideas to our business world today.

It's not all about the money...

Just read an article entitled, "How to Inspire Workers in Tough Times". The quick summary is that managers, supervisors, and leaders in general need to do more to motivate their employees in the tough times that we are facing. In many ways I would think that this should be common sense, but I have learned to never assume that something is common sense.

People like money. We all like money, but to assume that money is the greatest motivator is wrong. People are motivated most by intrinsic things such as enjoying their job, feeling respected by their supervisor, finding their job challenging yet rewarding, etc...... People also have needs. They have needs to belong, to advance in their careers, and to be recognized for a job well done.

So with the economy in the toilet, it should come as no surprise that now more then ever, managers need to work to keep their employees motivated. The best part is that it's really not that hard. Just remember what you're mother used to tell you when you were a kid, "Everyone in the world is different." - Mom's always know best! So, remember that people are different and people require different things to keep them intrinsically motivated in their work. So as a manager, you're job as the "leader" of you're team is to understand what motivates the individuals on your team (see, there is an "I" in team).

How do you do this? It's easy.... listen, talk to each person, get to know them a bit. What do they need? What do they want? What are their biggest worries? Find ways to praise each person for something that they have done that has contributed to the team and the organization. You will be surprised what will happen when you take the time to really get to know the people that report to you.

"You are full of bull!"

I just read an article discussing the challenges facing the new CEO of Yahoo, Carol Bartz. In the article, a former co-worker had this to say about working with Carol Bartz.

"She is the only boss who I've worked with who can look you in the eye and say, 'You are full of bull, here's what you are doing wrong,' and you feel like she's done you a favor," said Bill Coleman, who was chief executive of BEA Systems while Bartz was on that company's board.

A friend asked me the question, “How can one person say something like that and have it “work” while another person could say the same exact thing and have it end with resentment, negativity and a destroyed relationship?” Without knowing Ms. Bartz, I can explain how and why some comments said by one person can produce a dramatically different reaction then if another person were to say the same exact thing.

1.) Communication: First off, you must know how to communicate to the person you are working with. Not everyone will respond the same way to a message and, as a leader; it is up to you to know what you can say to one person that you might not say to another person. Think of it like baseball. Some batters can hit fast balls all day long, while others will swing and miss the very same pitch every time. Some batters can hit a breaking ball all day long – others prefer the curve ball. As a leader, your goal is not to strike out every batter you face. Eventually this would lead to damaged relationships and a reputation as an ego maniac who is impossible to talk to. At times, you need to throw the perfect pitch to that person to ensure that they connect. When you look at this from a communication stand point, the leader must be willing and able to adapt to employees, co-workers, board members and their customers. If you want your intended message to have a positive impact, you have to know who you are talking to and how they will best respond to your intended message.

The second piece of communication to think about is how you are sending your message. The words mean little when combined with your tone, volume, and your body language. Great leaders understand that communication is a tool that they can control. They understand how to use tone, pitch and body language to deliver the message that hits their point while taking into account the communication style of the receiver of the message. Remember, how you deliver the message will impact the receiver of your message much more then the actual words you are saying.

2.) 100% Leadership: Leaders earn the respect of others through their commitment to the team, the vision, the company and the employees. They demonstrate integrity, respect for others, and they take time to listen to the concerns and needs of those around them. As a leader, earning the respect of those around you is priceless and critical to your success and the success of your organization. When you have demonstrated the ability to lead others, you earn the respect of those around you. Building a reputation of respect for others, a person who will listen to others and the ability to lead the company to success earns you the ability to be direct when you need to without losing the respect of those who report to you. This takes time and must be earned. Without developing the skills of an effective leader and demonstrating these skills day in and day out, you can’t expect that the message you are communicating will have the positive impact you intended. Think about it this way, how would you respond to a person who told you that “you are full of bull” if you didn’t respect his or her opinion in the first place?

Updates to the web site coming soon!

Just got the word that the new changes to the web site should be up and ready by the end of the week. Stay tuned......

In the mean time, check out our other site www.uiclab.com. If you're a CEO, President, or Business Owner, this is defiantly worth looking at.

Managers and Leaders

I just read a blog on the differences between management and leadership. While this discussion is somewhat timeless, it did get me thinking and made me want to revisit the topic. Without going through and listing what I see as the major differences, I thought I would list one thing that I find important in this discussion. It's a simple concept but I don't see it discussed very often.

You can't manage people. You can manage a lot of things like tasks, projects, or even your check book, but you can't manage people if your ultimate goal is to be viewed and respected as a leader. You lead people and manage their work, but the leadership aspect should always come first.

One great way to get started is to take on a mind set that you must first serve your team and your employees before they will follow you and see you as their leader. Serving others first earns respect and trust while demonstrating integrity and commitment to your team.

How can we serve our team? Remember, it's not just about the work, we are dealing with people here. What are their needs, their wants, and their concerns? How can you, as a leader, uncover what they need to get the job done? Once you uncover their needs, you must demonstrate a willingness to listen, support, and provide guidance to help get the job done. Over time, serving your team first will help you take a step away from being seen as "the boss" and being respected as "the leader".

After that, you still have to manage the work, tasks and the projects but this will all become much easier when you have a team that believes in you, supports you, and is willing to work with you instead of for you.

Manage the work and Lead the people.

The Emotionally Intelligent Reprimand

A big part of leadership is getting people to "follow our lead" and support the overall vision. It is common for people to fall off course at times and when this happens it is critical, as a leader, that you redirect the person in a way that not only corrects the unwanted behavior, but also encourages the person to take ownership of the situation and walk away from the experience feeling positive and supported.

The EI (Emotionally Intelligent) objective of any reprimand is to focus all the energy on correcting the behavior, and none on punishment. In the past, the process was to soundly berate the offender, as an emotional extension of the manager or leader's anger, for enduring a disruption to his or her day. When they do that, a good portion of the energy of the offender is absorbed in being the brunt of that anger, and both parties leave believing the anger outburst is both the punishment and the correction. The reality is that none of that meeting was directed to helping the offender become the major part of the solution, nor employed in a positive way to resolve the issue on their own.

Here is a fail-safe EI step-by-step process for doing that.

(1) When your anger subsides, arrange for a personal meeting, in a quiet location away from others, and arrange for no interruptions, cell phone and computer off.
(2) Begin the meeting by letting the person know that something happened you wanted to discuss openly, and get their input, because of the respect you have for them.
(3) State exactly what you understand happened, and ask them for their recollection of the event. (Don’t go further until you both have a consensus as to what happened)
(4) Ask that person how that action negatively affected the Company or you personally. (Do not proceed until you have a consensus.)
(5) Ask what that person might do to correct this from happening again. (Let this come from the other party, and suggest options only if needed. Do not proceed without a consensus.)
(6) Set a date to discuss this again, at most thirty days out, so they report how well they have done.
(7) Leave them with this statement. “The meeting went great, and my bet is you’ll make this happen” (People rise to expectations of those they respect).
(8) Make sure there is a follow up meeting, and congratulate them on their success. This becomes their reward for doing well.

This process focuses all the energy on the correction, on none on relieving anger, or having the offender become its brunt. This process empowers the offender to acknowledge their own issues, and be keenly aware of how it affects others. It ends by having them come up with the solution to correction, and you are championing their decision. The second meeting is their reward for doing well.

Positive reinforcement, from those they respect, makes them feel good about themselves, and in the process, make them more committed to doing well by you.

Recommended Reading

The Leadership Challenge

By Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

This book touches on many of the areas in which CEOs often overlook. From being more visible to more approachable, this book is a must read for any CEO looking to give their business and their leadership style a face lift. The leadership challenge discusses five actions or practices as being the keys to Exemplary Leadership:
Model the Way: living the life in which you want others to adopt (talk the talk and walk the walk)
Inspire a Shared Vision: people are inspired more by ideals in which they can get passionate about, more than fear or any reward
Challenge the Process: leaders flourish and grow through the most challenging situations. They’re innovators
Enable Others to Act: Encouragement alone is not enough. Leaders need to create an environment that enables people to feel comfortable in sharing and incorporating new ideas
Encourage the Heart: As previously mentioned, people are most productive when they’re passionate about the cause. Leaders need to enthusiastically engage their constitutes and spread the stories of success.
Embedded throughout these practices are, what Kouzes and Posner refer to as, the “Ten Commitments of Leadership”:
Find your voice by clarifying your personal values
Set the example by aligning actions with shared values
Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities
Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations
Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve
Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes
Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust
Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion
Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence
Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community
These guidelines help to not only form the blueprints of leadership and business, but also to assist us all in living more successful lives. Therefore, this is a must read for anyone committed to bettering themselves as a leader for their company.

You can't be a Leader if you're not not listening...

In the book, “The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell” the author, Oren Harari, states

“In a conversation with Colin Powell, you are likely to be struck my how intently he listens. In fact, he seems more inclined to listen than to be listened to.”

While Colin Powell has built a reputation as a leader who is willing to listen to anyone at any level of the organization, he also believes that he must model this active form of listening because it leads to greater levels of communication and thus, more ideas and a much greater level of commitment by those being listened to.

Active listening is an art form and a skill. And just like any other skill, it requires constant practice and commitment to become great. To become a better listener and increase communication and the exchange of ideas in your team, department, or organization take time over the next month to actively practice the following 5 steps when communicating with your employees, peers, customers, and bosses.

1. Show a sincere interest in what the speaker is saying: Keep constant eye contact and mirror the speaker’s body language to make him feel comfortable. Remember, it’s all about them – not you.

2. Use clarifying questions: Ask questions to clarify only what the speaker is specifically saying. Doing so demonstrates your interest in what the speaker is saying. With practice, you can clarify the content, feelings, and meaning behind the speakers words.

3. Summarize: At times, quickly jump in and summarize what you are hearing. Again, this shows your interest in the speaker and allows the speaker to correct you if you missed anything.

4. Share an experience: Take time to share any similar experiences that you have had with the speaker. It’s important to only do this if it relates to what the speaker is discussing and make sure not to take control of the conversation. Remember, it’s all about the speaker.

5. Provide full support: If you simply shoot down the speaker’s idea, you not only decrease the chances of hearing any future ideas, but you can quickly lose both the speakers commitment and even respect. When you lose either of these, you have lost the relationship. Seek out areas of agreement or areas that you think should be explored further and begin a dialogue around these issues. At this point, the speaker will be happy to listen to you and work towards a common goal.