How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Lead So Others Will Follow: 6 Tips. In the early years of a business, it's easy to neglect -- or even forget entirely -- the importance of being a leader. A friend of mine who started a consulting business fell into just this trap. He had a clear idea of he wanted to do, and worked hard to make it happen, but it never really got off the ground. He and his partner weren't aligned. He hired people who didn't understand what was expected, and then didn't deliver properly. My friend put almost all his energy into logistics and dealing with clients. He didn't lead his organization. In contrast, the most successful entrepreneurs I know recognize that they have two jobs: build the business, and lead the people. We've found that people look for six characteristics in deciding whether to align around a leader. Being far-sighted means you see and share a clear and compelling vision of the future with your people -- staff, partners, investors.
Being wise means you combine curiosity and objectivity. 8 Opportunities to Lead in 2013. Leadership is comprised of a series of moments, and it can be difficult to sort out individual moments over time. A continual leadership challenge is to be aware of which moments matter and what to do about them. As the year comes to a close, take a minute to reflect upon some of the key moments of your leadership in 2012. If, in hindsight, you could have made better decisions, how will you remind yourself to make different choices in the coming year? Here are a few positive moments of leadership to work toward in the coming year. The moment you don’t let someone off the hook Organizations are full of dropped commitments. Keeping people “on the hook” until their commitments are fulfilled can be uncomfortable for them, and for you. The moment you deliberately deflect attention from yourself When you sincerely refocus the spotlight, the immediate impact is to help others thrive.
The moment you ask a different, deeper question The moment you simply say, “Well done” Have a Happy New Year! Advice From a Prominent Start-Up CEO: Try to Fail. What's one of the most important stepping stones to start-up success? Failure, says one prominent start-up CEO. In a presentation to b-school students, Kim Kovacs, Founder and CEO of software company OptionEase, shocked the students by telling them that she hopes they fail. In an 8-minute video excerpt from her talk at UC Santa Barbara, Kovacs describes why "failure is my favorite word at my company now. " She even, she says, doesn't hesitate to hire people who have been fired from other companies. The strategy seems to be working. With over 700 customers, OptionEase has become the leading enterprise-class software-as-a-service solution for stock option and equity compensation tracking and compliance.
Kovacs led the company from its start through its merger with Solium Capital, and she remains the CEO of the combined organization. Kovacs' advice to entrepreneurs could be summed up as the three Fs: focus, fail, and get fired. Focus, Focus, Focus Failure is a Winning Strategy Get Fired. 4 Ways to Be a Leader Who Matters. The greatest need we face in business today is leadership that makes real, positive change in the long term. Because of the financial market's short-term focus on results, the media's need to fill columns with stories linked to current events, and a culture that fetes celebrity, we reward the new, the counter-intuitive and the loud. And yet the most important challenges we face are none of these things. Our greatest challenge is to to build companies that grow and are profitable in the long term, which provide valuable and rewarding employment, and which contribute to a just and fair society.
Achieving this requires leaders who are prepared to do more than simply rush to the next opportunity and extract the maximum short-term gain. Leaders who think, act and value the long-term. Leaders who change lives, and who leave a legacy. I've also watched as many have achieved true greatness--those who have become leaders who changed industries, cities, lives. 1. The rest of us need to work at it. 2.
The Visionary's Dilemma. "Let me tell you about my vision. It's all about the convergence of technology. We're developing applications that combine any portable device with a desktop computer. Now the nightwatchman can become a world famous recording artist. What we're doing is better than YouTube and better than anyone else out there. What you just read is how a visionary mind described his revolution to me...at least what I could understand of it. Visionaries can see a world that doesn't exist. Different to the way we live now.
And I'm sure they could change the world or take down the largest of corporations...if anyone could understand a thing they were saying. This is the visionary's dilemma. A vision, no matter how brilliant, will only ever see the light of day if others, those less visionary, are able to also see the potential. There is a simple formula to explain one's vision in words that can be clearly understood by more than the visionary themselves. 1. 2. 3.
Big difference, right? The Power of Praise. Someone you know deserves recognition: an employee, a vendor, a customer, a connection, a company. Someone has done something awesome for you. They labored. They sacrificed. They went above and beyond and well past the extra mile. You naturally want to recognize them. Great! Here's how it works. For example, here's something that happened to me: I pulled my car into a service bay to get my oil changed. "I know," I said. When I walked to my car to leave he was just standing up, filthy rags in his hand. "Wow, that's awesome--but you didn't have to do that," I said. "We're not very busy," he shrugged. Simple--and awesome. Now it's your turn. Then send that person a note. Then encourage that person to do the same. I know what you're going to say. Everyone feels that praise is in short supply.
When you do, what happens to the people you recognize? Unexpected praise, like a gift given "just because," is even more powerful and makes an even bigger impact. What happens to you? You'll love it. 5 Leadership Fads to Ignore. Every so often some academic, researcher, leadership guru, former somebody, or current wannabe writes a book that catches on and becomes the latest and greatest business or self-help fad.
They’re mostly old concepts repackaged with catchy new names, trite ideas that go viral and develop cult-like followings, or one person’s way of doing things that all the pod people think they should copy so they can be just like him. I can count on one hand the number of management or business concepts that I thought were groundbreaking or really resonated with me over the past 30 years. The One Minute Manager, Gary Hamel’s Core Competency, the Tao of Leadership, and perhaps a few others. I’m sure they’ll come to me later. You can probably tell that I have little patience for trendy fads. They don’t work, waste precious time, turn you into a clone, and distract you from what you should be doing: achieving great things and otherwise having a good time.
Managing like Steve Jobs. Listen to this. How to Craft the Perfect Presentation. The first step in landing a big deal with a new client or customer is getting them interested in what you have to offer. That usually entails an initial presentation that will whet their appetite for more information. Interest generation is one of the most important types of executive presentations you can make. Get it wrong, and there probably won't be another opportunity to make any other presentations.
Recently, I connected with Nicholas Oulton, an expert in the field of interest-generating presentations. Oulton is the author of "Killer Presentations" and the CEO of m62 visualcommunications, which has helped to craft more than 10,000 B2B presentations with an 87% close rate! Here are some thoughts from Nick on perfecting your presentations: "Your presentation is your shop window. We have written more than 10,000 B2B sales pitches and what we've learned is that companies large and small inevitably make the same mistakes.
From How to WhyFrom We to You From How to Why From We to You. A Leader’s Christmas List. What do you want for Christmas? When my oldest son, Justin was three he wanted socks and a globe. There was no hesitation. He was sure. I wonder sometimes if as leaders, we don’t get what we want, because we’re not sure what we really want. If there was a leadership Santa Claus who would climb down your chimney on Christmas eve, what would you ask for? My list would look something like this… Vision – As we all know, perhaps the most important thing we’re supposed to be able to do as leaders is to see the unseen. Courage – The longer I lead, the more I realize the importance of courage. Patience – As leaders, we often invest months and years slowly and methodically trying to move people to a preferred future – at least that’s how it works at the chicken.
A Servant’s Heart – Ultimately, I believe it is our heart that determines our success as a leader. The last time I checked, there isn’t a leadership Santa. My commitment to you as we approach 2013 is to keep the conversation alive. 5 Reasons Leadership Falls Flat. You can read a dozen books on leadership and attend just as many leadership seminars, but your employees won't follow your lead if you make any of these five common errors: 1. Trying to lead before establishing credibility. People will only follow you if they believe that you know what you're doing. Credibility doesn't come from a job title or your position on the latest organization chart.
Fix: Credibility, like trust, can only be earned over time. 2. Even if you've got a truckload of credibility, people won't follow your lead if they don't feel a personal connection. Fix: The only way to build relationships is to truly care about them as individuals and frequently showing honest curiosity about them, their ideas and the work that they're doing. 3. Conflicting beliefs create conflicting behaviors. Fix: Unfortunately, it's impossible to change other people's beliefs. 4. 5.
Motivating Employees: 4 Words With Big Impact. Four simple words, used correctly and with the right intent, can make a powerful impact on your business, your life, and other people. Here's how. When you need help, start by using these four--and only these four--words: "Can you help me? " And then, for a moment, stop there. Here's why. You're not a kid anymore. So when you ask for help you also tend to unconsciously add image enhancers. The problem is that wording serves to frame and signal your importance and ensure your ego is protected. Plus you haven't really asked--you've stated. Here's a better way. When you need help--no matter the kind of help you need or the person you need it from--take the bass out of your voice and the stiffness out of your spine and the captain out of your industry and just say, with sincerity and humility, "Can you help me?
" I guarantee the other person will say, "Sure," or, "I can try," or, "What do you need? " Then make sure not to frame your request. Instead, say what you can't do. You get more--a lot more. Great Leaders Know When To Stand Still. Guide to Effective Delegating (For Control Freaks) | Inc. 5000. I started my first business in a 100-square-foot office my brother-in-law and I finished in the basement of my home. Over the years the business grew from just me to a few more people and then a lot more people. We moved into our first rented space. Later, we moved into a larger leased space. Finally, we built our own office complex as the company grew beyond where I had ever envisioned it would go. There were many critical steps along the way that allowed this to occur.
Accordingly, to more effectively grow any business you must master the art of delegation. 1. The first premise you must recognize is that everything can be delegated. 2. Once you have overcome the mental hurdle of accepting you are not the only one that can do everything make a list of the tasks that occupy your time on a day-to-day basis or that otherwise need to be completed. For instance, if you have a task that takes you five hours per week that equates to 20 hours per month or 240 hours per year. 3. 4. 5. 6 Signs You're Not Fit to Lead. Many leaders remain in power unless a clear mistake derails their tenure. Yet, many leaders also struggle with remaining fully committed to the challenges of leadership. They owe it to themselves, and to their organizations, to honestly determine when their particular role as leader has run its course and to take action. Here are six patterns that signal it is time to move on. You can’t or won't fire your friends.
This is most prevalent in start-ups, family-owned businesses, or closely held companies. An extreme case is News Corporation, founded and ruled by Rupert Murdoch. You don’t need to run a global media empire to fall into this trap. Even if you are unaware of this blind spot, others in the company will see your behavior for what it is: favoritism, fickleness, or careless leadership. You disengage from responsibilities or the peripheries of your organization. Have you stopped looking into the peripheral corners of your role? You believe you are indispensable. Zig Ziglar: 10 Quotes That Can Change Your Life. A Great Leader's Year-end Checklist. Salespeople live and die by the annual review. Auditors have built an entire industry around it. For the next month, print and television media will pour out gallons of coverage of the past year in review. And yet, as leaders, we often move from one year to the next with little or no time spent reviewing the year just past from a purely leadership perspective.
To help counter that, here's my five-point year-end leadership checklist: 1. --"We blew it. " --"We nailed it. " --"Our customer service team let us down. " --"The first three quarters sucked, but the fourth wasn't too bad. " Your mileage will vary. This isn't the same as PR or spin. So--as this year closes, what narrative has your group or team subliminally adopted?
2. Whether you've had your best year ever or the worst year imaginable, some--probably all--of your top performers will have been bent out of shape getting you through it. They're your angels. 3. 4. Take a moment and think about it. 5. How to Criticize Employees: 6 Rules. Even if you're an experienced executive, it's likely you often find it very difficult to tell other people where they need to improve. Praising a good performance is easy; everyone likes to receive a compliment. But what do you do when a kick in the butt seems more appropriate than a pat on the back? Here's how to do this effectively: 1.
Treat criticism as a form of feedback. The term "criticism," while accurate, carries the baggage of negativity. By contrast, the term "feedback" implies the participation of both parties--a two-way give and take where both people learn and grow. 2. Many bosses delay criticism until an employee's yearly performance review. 3. If you stockpile problems, waiting for the "right moment" to bring them up, chances are the employee will simply be overwhelmed. 4. Your goal is not (or should not be) to persuade employees to do things the way that YOU would do them. 5. 6. Never say something like "You're unreliable! 15 Phrases That Build Bridges Between People. How Great Leaders Make Their Own Luck - Video. Leadership Practices to Stop Today. 10 Things Bosses Wish They Could Tell Employees. The Return of Writing. Lead So Others Will Follow: 6 Tips. 5 Essential Leadership Lessons From Tim Cook.
What Great Leaders Have That Good Leaders Don't. Why Fighting For Our Ideas Makes Them Better. 6 Poker Lessons For The Executive Table. How To Ask--And Listen--Like You Mean It. Extreme Leadership Lessons From Astronaut, Antarctic Doctor Scott Parazynski. How To Move Past The "Everything's Been Done" Trap And Find Your Next Great Idea. The 20 most-watched TED Talks as of August 2012. New Shoppable YouTube Videos Are The Walkmans Of Advertising.