7 Reasons Employees Don't Trust Their Leaders. 6 Things Really Thoughtful Leaders Do. The Struggle For Authentic Leadership. I have a begun to take issue with leadership development. Not the basic premise of it, but rather what it has unfortunately morphed into. The point of leadership development is to become better through process. It is meant to be a journey of discovery and struggle for a greater good. The unfortunate bit is it has become a check-box on a training card for many organizations and leaders. I recently wrote a post titled, Why Segmenting Organizational Development Doesn’t Work, on my company’s blog.
It is a bit of a rant about my pet hate surrounding the industrialization of the service sector, but it points to a bigger problem. In our Western, linear view of the world, we tend to break things up into chunks; it helps us understand. Because of the ongoing demands on our time, we slot these chunks into our calendars and time management tools. The point of leadership development is to become better through process. The end result? Authenticity is so much uglier and complicated than that. 8 Things Real Leaders Do to Communicate More Effectively. 1. Leaders listen Instead of waiting to speak, leaders truly listen to what their employee is saying. In order to communicate directives which will drive results, you have to really hear your employees. Leaders respond to questions, address concerns, and above all, listen with empathy. 2.
Leaders organize their thoughts The easiest way to lose your employee’s attention is to present a disorganized argument with a curtailed thought process. If you’re in an informal, idea-generating meeting, by all means engage in that process. 3. If you’re not a capable writer but you’re a great speaker, then speak more often. Chances are you have employees who are excellent writers, can design killer presentations, or know how to speak to the press. Know where your communication limitations are and leverage the competent people you already have. 4.
As fast-paced as your workplace can get, and as scattershot as communications can be, good leaders make a point of bringing in the right people for all efforts. The Invaluable Leadership Attribute of Compassion. On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped its second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing 70,000 people and injuring hundreds of thousands more. One of those severely injured in the blast was Dr. Takashi Nagai, a radiologist at the Nagasaki University hospital. Thrown to the ground while filing x-rays in his office, which was located only 700 yards from the blast’s epicenter, Nagai suffered lacerations all over his body due to flying glass and debris. His wife, Midori, was not as fortunate. Dr. Despite being grief-stricken and suffering from his own injuries, Nagai immediately chose not to succumb to anger and despair. It’s up to us to take the first step in spreading it to every corner of our surroundings. In the midst of unimaginable horror, his peaceful demeanor, compassionate attitude, and spirit of self-sacrifice became a source of strength for many who could not imagine how they would begin to rebuild their shattered lives.
What is Compassion? Seek others’ best interest. To Be a Great Leader, Be a Builder | Alpha Male Tribe. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! Engaging leaders are builders–builders of people and of results. To become an engaging leader, you should constantly be building connections and confidence in your team members. Accomplish this, and you’ll see an increase in effort and satisfaction levels among employees. Here’s how. Build Connections to the Bigger Picture When you actively connect today’s tasks and toils to a better tomorrow, it translates into a sense of purpose for employees. Build Bridges Between Team Members The desire to belong is a core emotional need. Not long ago, I was walking near the receiving dock at the back of a store location for a national retailer.
He replied, “Well, I’m done with my shift, but I wanted to make sure the truck was cleaned up. Now, that’s the power of a connected team! Build Confidence in Employees Source: Alpha Male Tribe. Five Power Skills for Discovering Radical Ideas - Vijay Govindarajan , and Jatin Desai. Innovation starts with new and novel ideas. Over the last 20 years, we have worked with many world-class brands to help find their next “big thing.”
During the initial phases of our work together, it becomes obvious that they have plenty of good ideas. Finding ideas is never the problem — initially. The challenge is finding radical ideas consistently year after year. When we surveyed over 300 global executives between 2008 and 2009, one of the primary concerns they expressed was their inability to compete long term without a solid innovation engine that can grow their top line. But in today’s ever-connected world, finding radical ideas seems to be getting tougher for companies. 1. An effective way to create creative discontent is to ask questions that shake people up. 2. Three major factors drive convergence: technology, competition, and the customer. 3.
Companies who can see early disruptors in an industry can easily identify potential pivots and associated radical ideas. 4. 5. Who Advises the Entrepreneur? - Kerrie MacPherson. By Kerrie MacPherson | 1:00 PM October 22, 2013 If you’re leading a startup business with potential for high growth, one of the most valuable things you should do early on is to set up an advisory board. Scaling an enterprise is hard work, and you only stand to benefit from drawing on perspectives, experience, and networks that augment your own. A group of advisors committed to your success not only provides a sounding board to test and strengthen your ideas, it gives you access to important competencies and resources. But many entrepreneurs, especially those in the early stages, find the task of building an advisory board daunting. Whose strengths would complement their own and counter their weaknesses?
Who might bring an insight to the table that would otherwise be missed? This is why, in the Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program I oversee at EY, we make this an early part of our teaching. Look outside your existing network of contacts. Don’t Lead Scared – 6 Tips for Leading Like a Badass | One sure way to kill your leadership career is to lead scared. Leading from a position of fear never brings good results. It causes you to make rash decisions, shrink from opportunities, and needlessly fight the wrong battles. The opposite of leading scared is leading like a badass. What does a badass leader look like? He confidently marches to the beat of his own drum, not swayed by popular opinion or the need to please others. He doesn’t put on airs, pretending to be something he isn’t, but stays true to his principles and values in all that he does. He doesn’t have to talk about being a badass (that’s a poser) because he knows he is a badass.
Examples of well-known badasses: Abraham Lincoln – Presidential BadassCondoleezza Rice – Diplomat BadassDerek Jeter – Baseball BadassLeonardo da Vinci – Renaissance BadassMother Teresa – Spiritual BadassAlbert Einstein – Intellectual BadassAristotle – Philosophical BadassJohn Wayne – Western Movie Actor Badass Get the idea? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Leadership is Making Better Mistakes. The leaders who inspire me bring out the best in the people around them. Leadership is not about perfect people surrounding themselves with other perfect people, marching in lockstep toward exceeding their goals. Leadership is about people making mistakes together, learning lessons, then making better mistakes.
The leaders who inspire me give themselves opportunities to make mistakes. They set challenging goals, and bring out the best in people working to meet them. They appreciate the value of saying, “Yes, I know it is hard,” and “Together, we can do this.” I have worked with people whose most important strength was that they refused to see that what they wanted to do was impossible. Without the key essentials, they were willing to try things to see what would happen. The leaders who inspire me often have a much clearer picture of what we want to do, or where we want to go, than how we are going to do it. It is easy for us to expect ourselves to know the right answers before we begin.
10 Steps to Executive-Level Confidence. 5 Characteristics of Great Mentors. Every day as a business owner you make decisions that have an impact on your business. Sometimes you are not sure what direction to go in or what option to consider. You could ask your friends and family, but do they really have the wealth of business knowledge that is needed to help guide you to make the right decision? What you really need is a business mentor! Richard Branson, founder of Virgin group and arguably one of if not the most admired entrepreneur of our time once said that whenever he is asked what is the missing link between a promising businessperson and a successful one, mentoring comes to mind.
“Giving people advice on how they can best achieve their goals is something that is often overlooked. In my personal and professional life, I’ve been privileged to be mentored and to be a mentor to others. “Many people around the world get the opportunity to start their own business and become their own boss. There are many qualities needed to be a good mentor. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What can you learn from the toughest leadership job on Earth? Without a "why," all you have is a hobby. It seems so simple: do what you love. Follow your bliss. Only do what you’re passionate about. So on and so forth. In life, these poetic ideas sound ideal, but the reality is, love is not always a good enough reason to start a business and a successful business needs more than passion alone.
Love and passion may be the catalyst behind work, but purpose is what sustains and grows business. “It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. Why does “why” matter? It is probably best to understand the importance of “why” with an example. Take Jane, who makes jewelry because she loves to make pretty things. Sure, a great reason to sell jewelry is to make money, but “why” enter a highly competitive, saturated market? Previously, Jane’s “why” was love for making things. Discover your “why” Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why” and the man behind the popular TED talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” is a staunch supporter of purpose-driven work and decisions. A Crisis Of Leadership - What's Next?
The Untapped Potential of Corporate Narratives. At a time when we’ve all become obsessed with the power of story-telling, I’ve become increasingly focused on the missed opportunity to harness the much greater power of narratives, especially for institutions. In a time of mounting performance pressure and growing uncertainty, narratives will make the difference between institutions that crumble and institutions that grow stronger.
Yes, yes, I know that most of us use these two terms interchangeably – stories and narratives are viewed as the same thing. But I draw two critical distinctions which I’ve developed in more detail elsewhere (my early thinking on this topic is available in a blog and a SXSW talk). Stories versus narratives To recap, here are the distinctions. First, stories are self-contained – they have a beginning, a middle and an end. Narratives on the other hand are open-ended – the outcome is unresolved, yet to be determined. The pseudo-narrative Examples of corporate narratives Differentiation Leverage Distributed innovation. What’s the Best Way to Motivate your Employees? Give them Freedom.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Nelson Mandela “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence) "Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!
" - William Wallace, from Braveheart “Freedom, so I can live; Freedom, so I can give; Freedom, yeah Freedom, that's what I need” - Jimi Hendrix Freedom is a universal, basic human need. They tell them what to do, where to do it, when to do it, and how to do it. Strategic Leadership: How To Avoid The Most Common Error Leaders Make.
10 Ways To Make Each Day A Leadership Masterpiece. 11 Pieces of Career Advice That Go 95% Ignored. No matter how many times mentors say them, there are pieces of advice – golden nuggets of been-there-done-that wisdom – that no one (okay, almost no one) ever follows. Not the clichés you see every day like “Become a morning person”. Or the false-positive, affirmation-ridden stuff like “Make someone happy… with a smile!” Nor are these the really bad bits of advice dispensed so often we accept them as fact, like “Follow Your Passion”. These never-fail insights would make a significant impact on the lives and careers of many… if (sigh) anyone would actually follow the advice: 1.
As a society, we suck at following up. Want to stand out among all your competition – no matter what you hope to achieve? 2. Think those generic connection requests on LinkedIn and auto-DMs on Twitter will get you noticed in a positive way? Your thinking… is wrong. 3. “I don’t do to-do lists” is one of the biggest red flags in the professional world. Don’t come by list-making naturally? 4. 5. 6. 7. How to do that? Where Should A New CEO Focus First? 5 Things People Must Change About The Way They Lead. Great Leadership: 10 Steps to a Remarkable Company Culture. Paul Spiegelman, the founder and CEO of BerylHealth, a hospital call-center business, talks and writes often about the importance of building a strong company culture--not just because it's a nice thing to do, but because culture can also improve your company's financial performance.
Since Spiegelman wanted BerylHealth to be a premium provider, and to charge 30 percent to 40 percent more than his next closest competitor, he had to also offer a premium service. A premium service requires top-notch talent, and, he says, a workplace that values its employees. In 2012, Beryl was acquired by Stericyle, a $9 billion (market capitalization) publicly-traded company with 13,000 employees, in no small part due to the culture Spiegelman has created. Spiegelman was named Stericycle's chief culture officer, with the objective to roll out Beryl's culture to all Stericycle.
At Inc.' 1. "I was a cynic about all that, until I realized how important it was," said Spiegelman. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How to Switch Careers, Companies and Roles. 10 Leadership Lessons I Wish I Learned In My 20's. All of us would do well with a second bite at the apple, another chance to go back and do it all over again. Our mistakes, as much as our successes, define us and can help steer us forward today. With this in mind, here are 10 lessons learned over the last 20 years of doing business that are now part of my thinking.
Or put another way . . . during the interview question where they ask you “what is your management or leadership philosophy?” Well, here it is. 1. We spend a lot of time wondering what is happening over there in the organization. Obviously, this doesn’t mean be an isolationist and it doesn’t mean you don’t work with other people, but if you see yourself wondering what someone else is doing and it isn’t something you can directly incorporate into making you better, it is wasted energy – pure and simple. 2.
Contrary to Hollywood screenwriters and every movie Michael Douglas has ever been in, business is personal. 3. Your world will get smaller and smaller as you grow in it. 3 Ways Great Leaders Make Every Day Count. Why Entrepreneurs Make Terrible CEOs. What Makes Employees Love Their CEO. Avoiding Talent Missteps. Does your Company Culture Attract Rockstar Talent? Here Are 9 Tips. 5 Leadership Lessons for Today's Executive. What Is Leadership? Win Beautifully. 8 Ways To Win The Race for Creative Talent. Hardest Leadership Skill You'll Ever Learn.
Why Great CEOs are Unfair. Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Great Leader? Take The Test. Seven Rules for Managing Creative People - Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. Six social-media skills every leader needs - McKinsey Quarterly - Strategy - Innovation. 10 Things Really Amazing Bosses Do | Inc. 5000. Innovation: Time to Ditch "Model T Leadership" Earn Your Leadership Role Every Day. Why Your Organization Suffers From Leadership Dysfunction. Gracious Leader. 6 Leadership Styles. The 3 Leadership Habits of Innovation Heroes. How to Have a Meaningful Conversation. How to Lead Change (Hint: Target Eeyore First) How to Be a Fair Leader. How to Prepare Yourself to Win. Never Sacrifice Values for Growth. How to Play Clean Office Politics. 8 Statements That Can Transform Your Work (and Personal) Life. 7 Things Your Employees Think About You (But Would Never Say) Harvard Lecturer Explains How To Get Employees To Think Like Entrepreneurs.
Challenge: Come Up With a New Idea | Inc. 5000. How To Build Creativity In Business. Building Phenomenal Teams. What Makes An Employee Amazing. Ten Things Your Employees Wish You Knew About Them. Master The Art Of Giving Feedback. Creating Risk Taking Culture. Building Trust. How Do Leaders Know Who Is Loyal? Trust Encourages Innovation. Building Trusts Creates Partnerships.
Habits of Great Leaders. Ten Top Tips for Leaders. How To Be A Super-Achiever: The 10 Qualities That Matter. Presidential Leadership Lessons. The Case for Resilience: Redefining the Terms for Success and Survival. Leadership Paradoxes. Bad Phrases. Leadership Underpins Innovation. Why Your Organization Suffers From Leadership Dysfunction.