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.

Cornerpiece web site is up and running!

Just to let everyone know, the updates and changes to the Cornerpiece Consulting web site are finished. You can view the new site at http://www.cornerpiececonsulting.com.

I'd love some feedback!

Thanks

"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.