"When you become a leader, your challenge is to inspire others, develop them, and create change through them. You've got to flip that switch and understand that it's about serving the folks on your team." Jaime Brick, General Electric
I have been an HR leader in Fortune 500 corporations and small to mid-size organizations. What has been most consistent in all my years in HR is that we promote Super Stars with little to no training in leading people. They are the employees who have become"heroes" of their OWN journey. The challenge is always getting the Super Stars prepared to become authentic leaders who empower other leaders on the team and in the organization.
I have seen Top Leaders in Fortune 500 corporations fighting over their "turf"...and as I am usually in observation mode, watching leaders fight over their own turf never led to wins for them or the organization. The leaders who have been most successful are the ones who recognize that leading is not about their success but the success they create by empowering others. It's a huge learning experience!
In the USA we grow up and excel on our OWN merits. In our early years we earn our own grades. We excel in individual sports or playing musical instruments or being in student government. We enter the world of work and we have great vision for heading to the top of the organization and making it better than the leaders who are currently holding those titles. Remember those days of dreaming big dreams and starting down the path towards becoming a manager, director, or VP?
The trouble is...that "I" mental model that you have honed and developed all these years...will not work once you hit a manager position and have to lead people, it's no longer about you. If you want to unleash the possibilities and the power of a team you have to motivate and inspire others to reach their full potential! If your team is merely following your lead, your efforts are limited... You can't be successful on your own merits...now you must have the skills necessary to lead others to live up to their full potential. And, herein lies the problem... most leaders don't take the time and effort to become authentic leaders who really know how to lead. Now the super star skills that got them to the manager position shifts to being able to inspire others, develop them, and create change through them. It's about becoming an authentic leader who is able to serve others on your team.
You may be at a point in your leadership journey where you are blocked from moving forward. It happens to most leaders at some point. Your mental model of succeeding on your own merits has to be turned around...and now your success is going to depend on your ability to lead. You might be questioning yourself..."am I good enough"..."why can't I get my team to want to work towards my goals? ..."someone is going to find out my team is not doing their job...I better do it for them" ... "I better control everything my team does so we look good. Since they can't do the job right...I will review everything they do, and tell them how to correct their mistakes"... (notice all the I's involved)
Step back...have you transformed your mental thinking from being a super star to an inspirational leader who is a making a difference to a higher calling?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Model the way
Have you ever watched wild birds model the way? I have observed many nest of robins...as the babies grow they practice flapping their wings in the nest to build up for the moment in time they will fly from the nest. When they do fly from the nest the dad robin takes over and trains the fledglings to become independent. They teach flying, eating, and all other skills needed to survive on their own.
When the little baby birds fly out of the nest I have observed that the dad was close by and the chirping told the baby robin what to do. At one point the dad flew over to the baby and instructed and showed the baby that she needed to fly over to the bushes. Amazing to observe robins using mentoring/coaching/leading to help with survival skills...not so in most organizations that exist in America.
In life, leaders are given a group of people and asked to lead a "team". They are often asked to develop employees and meet bottom line financial goals. The problem often arises because the group of people often remain a group of people and never become a team. Employees never get developed, because the manager doesn't know how to do it, they have never been taught or shown by their leaders. Most organizations don't have an OD department to help with development. Hence, leaders don't understand what their role is developing the group of people to become a team. The leader gets frustrated and thinks it's the group of people they have been assigned....and never realize that most times it is their lack of understanding and knowledge of how to lead a team that is the biggest challenge. Unlike the daddy robin...they don't know how to lead and model the way.
Teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped by leaders. There are books and articles written on this subject...and yet... teams are still rare in today's organizations. That is the reality. Most of the organizations where we live and work are marked by under performing, often dysfunctional teams. Unlike the robins who coach and train their young to survive... organizations do not provide the same coaching, mentoring, and leadership to their employees.
Teamwork is a term often over used. Most leaders don't understand that a team works together toward a common goal. Most team members have different goals on their yearly performance management....and this includes the Senior Management Team. As I told one CEO...if each of your senior team members have 1 mismatched organizational goal out of 5, that means at least 20% of what you want to accomplish won't be met. Which means that you could do just as much business in 4 days as you do in 5 days! Luckily the CEO agreed to give me a chance to show him what might be happening and to correct the problem. We called an off-site executive strategic meeting...and he was shocked to see what each of his leaders thought the 5 top organizational goals really were. We worked together for 3 days to come together and get all 5 goals aligned and to become a high level team. It's a strategic choice to want to get teams working together... most organizations don't want to spend the time or money to do it right.
As an executive of OD who has worked in organizations for 20 yrs...teamwork is simple--in theory anyway. Most of us already know what it requires. But in practice, teamwork is difficult. When you put enough people in one room and ask them to work together, problems arise. Teams need skills to overcome those problems, teams must be willing to invest significant time, energy, and discipline. For those teams willing to do what it requires, the rewards are great.
A functional team make higher-quality decisions and accomplish more in less time,with less distraction and frustration. They avoid wasting time, talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of lack of buy-in.
How's your team doing these days? Are you functional? Is everyone working together or in different directions? And, most importantly, as the leader what are you going to do to correct the situation? Buy another book? Read another article? or Perhaps look for an experienced coach/mentor/leader to help facilitate your own growth and skills? I can help you gain the insights necessary to contribute to becoming a leader of a more cohesive, function team.
Model the way... it starts with you! :)
When the little baby birds fly out of the nest I have observed that the dad was close by and the chirping told the baby robin what to do. At one point the dad flew over to the baby and instructed and showed the baby that she needed to fly over to the bushes. Amazing to observe robins using mentoring/coaching/leading to help with survival skills...not so in most organizations that exist in America.
In life, leaders are given a group of people and asked to lead a "team". They are often asked to develop employees and meet bottom line financial goals. The problem often arises because the group of people often remain a group of people and never become a team. Employees never get developed, because the manager doesn't know how to do it, they have never been taught or shown by their leaders. Most organizations don't have an OD department to help with development. Hence, leaders don't understand what their role is developing the group of people to become a team. The leader gets frustrated and thinks it's the group of people they have been assigned....and never realize that most times it is their lack of understanding and knowledge of how to lead a team that is the biggest challenge. Unlike the daddy robin...they don't know how to lead and model the way.
Teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped by leaders. There are books and articles written on this subject...and yet... teams are still rare in today's organizations. That is the reality. Most of the organizations where we live and work are marked by under performing, often dysfunctional teams. Unlike the robins who coach and train their young to survive... organizations do not provide the same coaching, mentoring, and leadership to their employees.
Teamwork is a term often over used. Most leaders don't understand that a team works together toward a common goal. Most team members have different goals on their yearly performance management....and this includes the Senior Management Team. As I told one CEO...if each of your senior team members have 1 mismatched organizational goal out of 5, that means at least 20% of what you want to accomplish won't be met. Which means that you could do just as much business in 4 days as you do in 5 days! Luckily the CEO agreed to give me a chance to show him what might be happening and to correct the problem. We called an off-site executive strategic meeting...and he was shocked to see what each of his leaders thought the 5 top organizational goals really were. We worked together for 3 days to come together and get all 5 goals aligned and to become a high level team. It's a strategic choice to want to get teams working together... most organizations don't want to spend the time or money to do it right.
As an executive of OD who has worked in organizations for 20 yrs...teamwork is simple--in theory anyway. Most of us already know what it requires. But in practice, teamwork is difficult. When you put enough people in one room and ask them to work together, problems arise. Teams need skills to overcome those problems, teams must be willing to invest significant time, energy, and discipline. For those teams willing to do what it requires, the rewards are great.
A functional team make higher-quality decisions and accomplish more in less time,with less distraction and frustration. They avoid wasting time, talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of lack of buy-in.
How's your team doing these days? Are you functional? Is everyone working together or in different directions? And, most importantly, as the leader what are you going to do to correct the situation? Buy another book? Read another article? or Perhaps look for an experienced coach/mentor/leader to help facilitate your own growth and skills? I can help you gain the insights necessary to contribute to becoming a leader of a more cohesive, function team.
Model the way... it starts with you! :)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Leading by example
Leading by example is the one action that makes all the difference in leadership. The first step on the journey to credible leadership is clarifying your values ~ discovering what is important to you. All the decisions and actions along the path to success and significance is about who you are.
*What do you stand for? Why?
*What do you believe in? Why?
*What are you discontented about? What are you doing to rectify those feelings?
*What brings you suffering? Why?
*What makes you cry?
*What brings you great happiness that you feel you are jumping for joy? Why?
*What are you passionate about? Why?
*What keeps you awake at night?
*What's grabbed hold of your soul and won't let go?
*What do you want for your life?
*Think deeply....and go inward...what do you really care about? Are you spending enough time and energy on this?
Reflection is an important piece of leadership. Many people want to skip over this part, but until you assess where you are, it's difficult to find the right path to where you want to go. Leadership is an exploration of your inner self where your true voice resides. If you want to lead...you need to do so authentically. Our personal values drive our commitment to the organization and to the cause. You can't do what you say if you dn't believe in what you're saying!
I often think...what do I want others to say about me? Am I reflecting those values? If I tell myself I'll do it tomorrow...and tomorrow never comes... I am fooling myself that I want to change. Change starts today...not tomorrow if I am serious about becoming the person I am meant to be.
I have spent a lifetime learning about leading in organizations. However, now I am a mom. A new type of leadership...and I think.... what types of words or descriptions do I want my daughter to say about me? Those lofty thoughts I have...I try to put into action each day. It's not enough to just reflect, I have to have an action plan for being a mom, just as I do as leading people on a team or the organization.
Inspirational... motivational... engaging... loving....kind... those are things I want said about me. How do I put forth my personality, my own authentic self to make these things happen? How do I lead by example?
For me...I am in constant learning through people and circumstances that happen in my own life. I love life and live it to the fullest most days. I am never finished...I'm always a work in process. I continually am discovering and sharing my strengths and talents that are uniquely my own with others....not just work...but in life. I put my best into each task and leave each situation better than I found it. At least I try to do this to my best ability. I try and seek and find that which is beautiful in people that God brings into my life...and for me...I try to have a heart full of love and warm with compassion for people and animals. Life can be difficult, but it doesn't mean I can't still be warm and loving. Circumstances can be so overwhelming and stressful...but it doesn't have to take over my authentic self. I have found that is the inner joy in living and peace within myself that carries me through the stressful, troubling, and challenging times.
Do I fail? Yes...often. However, I don't allow failure to take over...I allow failure to become the lesson, a stepping stone to brighter days and hopefully a better person.
*What do you stand for? Why?
*What do you believe in? Why?
*What are you discontented about? What are you doing to rectify those feelings?
*What brings you suffering? Why?
*What makes you cry?
*What brings you great happiness that you feel you are jumping for joy? Why?
*What are you passionate about? Why?
*What keeps you awake at night?
*What's grabbed hold of your soul and won't let go?
*What do you want for your life?
*Think deeply....and go inward...what do you really care about? Are you spending enough time and energy on this?
Reflection is an important piece of leadership. Many people want to skip over this part, but until you assess where you are, it's difficult to find the right path to where you want to go. Leadership is an exploration of your inner self where your true voice resides. If you want to lead...you need to do so authentically. Our personal values drive our commitment to the organization and to the cause. You can't do what you say if you dn't believe in what you're saying!
I often think...what do I want others to say about me? Am I reflecting those values? If I tell myself I'll do it tomorrow...and tomorrow never comes... I am fooling myself that I want to change. Change starts today...not tomorrow if I am serious about becoming the person I am meant to be.
I have spent a lifetime learning about leading in organizations. However, now I am a mom. A new type of leadership...and I think.... what types of words or descriptions do I want my daughter to say about me? Those lofty thoughts I have...I try to put into action each day. It's not enough to just reflect, I have to have an action plan for being a mom, just as I do as leading people on a team or the organization.
Inspirational... motivational... engaging... loving....kind... those are things I want said about me. How do I put forth my personality, my own authentic self to make these things happen? How do I lead by example?
For me...I am in constant learning through people and circumstances that happen in my own life. I love life and live it to the fullest most days. I am never finished...I'm always a work in process. I continually am discovering and sharing my strengths and talents that are uniquely my own with others....not just work...but in life. I put my best into each task and leave each situation better than I found it. At least I try to do this to my best ability. I try and seek and find that which is beautiful in people that God brings into my life...and for me...I try to have a heart full of love and warm with compassion for people and animals. Life can be difficult, but it doesn't mean I can't still be warm and loving. Circumstances can be so overwhelming and stressful...but it doesn't have to take over my authentic self. I have found that is the inner joy in living and peace within myself that carries me through the stressful, troubling, and challenging times.
Do I fail? Yes...often. However, I don't allow failure to take over...I allow failure to become the lesson, a stepping stone to brighter days and hopefully a better person.
Friday, May 14, 2010
What do people look for and admire in a leader?
Organizations don't accomplish great things, people do! How does a leader unleash people's potential? How does a leader inspire, engage, and motivate others to tap into their own leadership capabilities?
I've done a lot of research on this topic...one of the best models I've seen on leadership comes from Kouzes and Posner.
Ten commitments of Leadership:(Kouzes & Posner)
Model the Way
1. Clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared ideals.
2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.
Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Envision the future by imagining exceiting and ennobling possibilities.
4. Enilst others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
Challenge the Process
5. Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward for innovative ways to improve.
6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience.
Enable Others to Act
7. Foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships.
8. Stengthen others by increasing self-determination and developing competence.
Encourage the Heart
9. Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence.
10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirity of community.
I've done a lot of research on this topic...one of the best models I've seen on leadership comes from Kouzes and Posner.
Ten commitments of Leadership:(Kouzes & Posner)
Model the Way
1. Clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared ideals.
2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.
Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Envision the future by imagining exceiting and ennobling possibilities.
4. Enilst others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
Challenge the Process
5. Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward for innovative ways to improve.
6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience.
Enable Others to Act
7. Foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships.
8. Stengthen others by increasing self-determination and developing competence.
Encourage the Heart
9. Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence.
10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirity of community.
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