Leadership and the 8th Muda

As a leader in your organization, do you add muda or subtract it?

Muda is a Japanese term for waste. One of the prime tenants of the Toyota production system, to which much of that company’s outstanding quality and profitability can be attributed, is to reduce muda. The organization is built on constant striving to identify and eliminate anything that does not add value for the final customer. The Toyota processes are now used worldwide, often called LEAN processing.

Seven mudas are traditionally recognized: overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, over processing, excess inventory, unnecessary movement, and defects. Jeffrey K. Liker, in his excellent book The Toyota Way, adds an eighth muda – unused employee creativity.

Liker describes the eighth muda as the waste of “losing time, ideas, skills, improvements, and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees.” Too many organizations suffer from CEOs or owners that inflate the eighth muda, rather than contribute to its elimination.

In the last two weeks alone I’ve heard a handful of unsolicited stories about clueless bosses who seem eager to be eighth muda poster icons. They shut down employee contributions by:

• Blowing up angrily at errors, apologizing, but then doing it again. Bring them bad news, they kill the messenger.
  
• Arrogant statements of who is in charge – “It’s my way or the highway,” or “In this company, I am god.”
  
• Ignoring and refusing to discuss looming challenges that keep partners, directors, and other lesser executives awake at night.
  
• Refusing to let other executives to speak on the company’s behalf, even if they are more polished presenters - but also can’t seem to find time to improve their own basic presentation skills.
  
• Discounting human concerns, while fixating on a company goal – “I don’t care about anything except making this quarter’s numbers.”
  

In all fairness, these executives are often passionately optimistic and enthusiastic about their company or idea, incredibly smart and talented individuals with inspiring visions, with plenty of success they can point to at any moment. What is often outside of their awareness is the erosion, if not outright destruction, of relationships that could sustain their success.

Paradoxically, it is those leaders most obsessed about squeezing each penny that leave tons of money on the table, particularly in the form of lost opportunity and employee turnover. When faced with 8th muda bosses, the best and the brightest look for opportunities to go where they are appreciated, places where they not only have economic opportunity but can make a contribution to something larger than themselves.

I hear plenty of stories, too, of great places to work, and of incredible leaders who strive to bring out the best talent of everyone in the company. By whatever name they call it, they are intentional about eliminating the 8th muda, the waste of untapped employee talent. They invest in employee development, pay attention to the human side of their businesses, and correct unintentional disincentives whenever they are discovered. And they eat their competition’s lunches.

Seeking to reduce the muda on the human side is as important and as do-able as reducing muda in manufacturing processes. It does, however, require an effort and an attitude of doing what’s best for long-term value.

Look at your company. Look at yourself. Where are you eliminating muda? Where are you creating muda – and what are you going to do about it?


Guest writer Tom Stevens heads up Esquare Leadership.

Leadership Techniques for Everyone

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the funeral of my friend Kermit. A pleasure, you ask? Yes, a pleasure and a honor, because it was a great celebration of Kermit’s life and the passion and spirit he brought to living it.

Usually, when I go to funerals, the spiritual leader (pastor, minister, rabbi, cleric, etc.) goes on and on about the deceased, a person he barely knows; and maybe one or two friends or associates might say something about the deceased. Well, Kermit’s funeral was special. The pastor spoke briefly, a singer sang a hymn, and then the pastor asked for comments from the audience. That’s when the funeral became really special. After one and a half hours later, over forty people had gotten up and shared their positive experiences and what Kermit meant to them. People from their 20’s to well over 60-year-old people from different spiritual, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds stood up to make comments. People who served with him in the Navy (Kermit retired as a Commander) stood up and spoke about how Kermit changed their lives.

There was story after story about how Kermit made the speakers overcome obstacles and made them believe they could do better, and did this with passion. Some of them were as follows:

1. Past ballplayers talked about Kermit’s cowbell as a rallying cry at their ballgames.

2. A woman told of having a flat tire on a busy roadway and Kermit, whom she didn’t know at the time, stopped and helped her fix the tire; and then they became friends.

3. A businessperson talked about how Kermit volunteered his time to help him launch a business that is still going strong after ten years.

4. A previous player described how he was motivated by Kermit to make something of himself. He went to college and is a very successful basketball coach teaching the same principles that Kermit taught him.

5. A man explained that he was going through a divorce and bankruptcy and was thinking of committing suicide. Kermit heard about his troubles, called him, and helped him through these dark times. Now this person helps others through their challenging moments in life.

Wow! It moved me. Here are five leadership and success secrets Kermit shared with us. How can you apply them to become more successful and outstanding leaders?

1. What is Your Cowbell?
Create Passion! Kermit truly enjoyed working with people to make them better. It was not just the cowbell, but the emotion and excitement he experienced when seeing other people succeed. The cowbell was just the tool that Kermit used to show his passion so that others became passionate. Let your passion show. Let people know that you are excited about their accomplishments, and the passion will multiple.

2. Expect the Best
Excellence Will Take Care of the Rest. It was said about Kermit that when meeting people, he never met a stranger. In his mind they were already someone he knew. Kermit always expected the best when interacting with people, and they eventually rose to his expectations.

Expect the best out of people, and they will rise to your standards.

3. Understand So That You Are Understood
Kermit’s conversations were always centered on understanding the other person. For all the years I knew him, I never knew he was a commander in the Navy. He didn’t make his title the focus of the conversation. You see, it wasn’t about him; it was always about the other person’s interests, needs, etc. Because of this, people naturally wanted to become involved in Kermit’s projects and help Kermit make other people successful.

So my question is: How well do you understand your employees?

Take the time to understand their goals, wants, needs, hobbies, etc. The more you take time to understand them, the more your employees will want to help you succeed.

4. Give of Yourself
Kermit always gave his time, energy, and passion without “keeping score.” In return, the people he helped not only helped him, but went on to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Take the time to go the extra mile to see how you can help your employees, your team, and/or your organization without “keeping score.” Your employees will feel that you care, and then they will go to a new level of caring.

5. Share the Knowledge
Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others so that they become more successful. Whether it was coaching a sports team, helping a friend start a business, or sharing his experiences to get a person through a difficult time, Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others. Because Kermit shared his knowledge, other people became more successful and they shared their knowledge with others so that they could be more successful.

What special knowledge do you have that can help others succeed? Don’t hoard your knowledge, share it. By sharing your knowledge, you multiply yourself and become known as a developer of people. Your knowledge, once you share it, will live on after you are gone.

Apply these five leadership techniques and create success in your business, with your team, in your community, and your life. Just like Kermit, you will also see instant results.
Thanks for sharing, Kermit, and making the world a better place.


Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, presentation skills, customer service, and team building.

Conduit goes open

Great news this week for our toolbar users. The platform providers, Conduit, have introduced an excellent new feature. By simply clicking on the + symbol at the end of our toolbar, users can access the Conduit marketplace and add any component of their choice from 200,000 other toolbars. Combined with the option to include/exclude any of the components we already provide such as direct feeds to the best leadership blogs, every user can customise their own toolbar to provide a unique and personalised browsing experience - all completely free.

Our leadership toolbar can be downloaded from here


Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is the author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Virtual Networking - I love it!

A couple of weeks ago, I received an unsolicited email from a reader of an online article I had written. He wasn't trying to sell me anything but just asking for some advice about the value of article marketing. Having reviewed his website I replied to the email with what I hope were some helpful comments.

To cut a long story short, it transpired that my new connection and I shared much in common in relation to our views on both leadership and learning. Dr John Dentico has just launched his new leadership blog, LeadSimm - The Games Leaders Play and if his first article is anything to go by, it is going to be an extremely valuable addition to both new and experienced leaders around the world.

Welcome to the world of leadership blogging John!


Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

10 Principles of Law of Attraction for Leaders

I believe that everyone is a leader to someone. Leadership is in each one of us. The amount that you utilize this gift to be a leader will all depend on you. Utilizing the principles of the Law of Attraction in a leader role consciously will attract more results and success. These principles can carry on from being a leader in your business to being a leader at home.

Here are the 10 principles of Law of Attraction for leaders:

1. Take responsibility. This is one of the principles many have a hard time dealing with. You create you reality and therefore you must take responsibility for your reality and actions. The sooner you get you control the output by your thoughts, feelings, words and actions the sooner you can create the life and business you want. Lead by example and you will have a great team by your side.

2. Be a partner. You may be a leader but you are also a partner. Do no try to do everything on your own. Ask for feedback, ideas and work together with your team to meet your goals. Cooperation and collaboration are necessary.

3. Be aware of your energy. Pay attention to your energy. If you are in a bad mood, your energy can and will transfer to those around you. Be consciously aware of your energy and choose to make it a positive one and spread positive vibes. The higher your vibration the more connected and grounded you are, the more inspired you are and because of this you will see greater success.

4. Be pleasant. If you are leading by example and utilizing the Law of Attraction, than having an awesome personality will be easy for you to do. When you are focused on abundance, taking action and the possibilities people will be drawn to you.

5. Be understanding. Put yourself in their shoes. Better yet ask them what you can do for them to really understand where they are coming from and how you can better assist them. Do not be judgmental, rather be open minded and concentrate on solutions.

6. Share your visions. Create a plan, a vision of where you want to go with your project, business, product, service, etc. Have a plan for your advertising, marketing and more. Share these plans with those working with you and get their feedback and mastermind on improving the plans. By having a set direction that is agreed on will promote team work, responsibility, confidence and action.

7. Surpass expectations. Whatever you do, do it to the max. Go beyond what people expect of you. Give more value than what is asked. You will be setting the Law in motion to provide you with more than what you expect and be setting a great example.

8. Make passionate choices. When you are passionate and inspired about your choices it comes through in your presentation and implementation. When others see you are passionate about the decisions you are making it will help for those decisions to be embraced and understood.

9. Harness positive self-talk. Do not let doubt, lack or other negative thoughts enter into your self-talk. When you perceive something to be negative, look for the positive or create a positive. Keeping your self-talk positive and focused will make the rest of your day much brighter and easier.

10. Be open to the possibilities. Have an open-mind to the Law of Attraction and what it can do for you as Leader and in your life. Being resistant is a surefire way to get the opposite of what you want. Be open to utilizing these principles in your life so you can create the success and happiness you deserve.


Ruth Sias is a former Commercial Escrow officer, turned Entrepreneur from Sacramento, CA.
Ruth has taken her 23 years as a business professional, combined with her strong people skills to create wealth for her and others online.
To join Ruth's team, visit Synergy Cash System and request a tour.

Want Feedback?

Most conversations, articles and training regarding feedback is focused on giving leaders, managers and supervisors more tools and approaches for offering feedback more effectively. This is very important information, and these are skills that can help you be significantly more effective in developing others.

But it's only half the story.

Because you can do everything “right” in delivering feedback, but if it isn't heard, welcomed or valued by the other person, your technique is of little value. This article talks about the other half of the feedback equation: receiving feedback successfully.

As a coach or leader you can share these ideas with those you give feedback to, with the goal of making the feedback you give them more effective. But, this article is really written for all of us - because we all need feedback for our ongoing growth and improvement. Take your coaching hat off now and consider these ideas as a part of your personal development plan. Besides, once you've practiced them for yourself, you'll be in a better position to share them with others!

Ways to Receive Better Feedback

• Ask for it. Perhaps this should go without saying, but we all need the reminder. People often talk to me about wanting more feedback on their work, a specific project, or a situation. They will lament me that they didn't get any feedback or the feedback they got was insufficient. My first question is always, “did you ask for feedback?” The blank stare I typically receive tells the story. The lesson? If you want feedback you have to ask for it! While it is often best to ask for feedback before the situation, so the other person can watch for and observe in a way that allows them to prepare for their comments, asking at any time is a great strategy for getting more feedback.

• Value it. How do you feel when you give someone feedback and they don't seem to care about it or don't seem to give it much weight? Are you as likely to willingly give them feedback in the future or to work to make that feedback as effective as it could be? Probably not! If you want more (and better) feedback, you must value it which includes (among other things) thanking the person for provided us with the input for their help.

• Listen to it. Getting the feedback isn't enough, you must hear it! Listen with your ears to what is being said, so you hear the words. But listen too with your eyes and your heart. Try to understand what isn't being said as well. Remember that giving feedback isn't always easy, and the person sharing ideas (positive or negative) with you might not be 100% comfortable, or very experienced in, doing it. For you to get the most value from the feedback, you must listen closely and actively - asking clarifying questions and for additional details and insights.

• Be open to it. Being open to feedback is easy when you agree with or have already thought of the ideas being shared. But some feedback comes as a surprise. It is especially important in those instances to be open to it. If you value it, and really listen, it will make it easier to be open. It's important to recognize that there will sometimes be barriers in your mind. When others sense those barriers, you are making it less likely that they will want to share future feedback with you. Be open and you will get more feedback in the future (and you'll make better use of the feedback you are currently receiving!).

• Depersonalize it. The single biggest barrier to receiving feedback is defensiveness. And when you get defensive, it is usually because you are taking the feedback personally. I'm sure you have received feedback from someone when you felt like it was about you personally and not your behavior. Regardless of how someone intended the message, you can - with practice - decouple the feedback from you personally and keep it focused on your behavior. When it is about your behavior and not about you as a person, it is easier to drop your defenses and hear, and be open to, the feedback. Depending on the situation and the nature of the feedback, this depersonalization may not happen instantly, but overtime you can become more effective at translating the feedback into behavioral comments rather than interpreting them as personal in nature.

• Use it. Will you agree with - and take action on - every piece of feedback you receive? Probably not. And that's OK. On the other hand, even if you do the first five ideas well but never take any action to change, you not only aren't using the feedback to improve, but you're telling others (through your actions) that you don't really want or need any feedback.

As you read through these six ideas you hopefully see a common thread. Each of these ideas will help you get more or better feedback - and some do both! When you recognize the value feedback can have in improving your results you know it's too important to leave to chance. Use these six ideas and you will find yourself with more input and ideas to propel you to greater performance and results.

Potential Pointer: Feedback is a powerful tool for personal development, too powerful to leave up to others. If you want more and better feedback, you need to take responsibility for making that happen.


Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him and a special offer on his newest book, Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at http://RemarkableLeadershipBook.com/bonuses.asp

What's your balance in the Trust Bank?

There’s a strange phenomenon happening at the moment in organisations around the globe.

As the financial crisis first took hold, people gathered together and supported one another. It seems that the usual response to an external threat was taking place, “We’re being attacked. We're in this together and we can support one another through the difficulty.”

The human instinct of fight or flight has taken over. For example:

- There is more sharing of information and knowledge to ensure everyone is “being kept in the loop”

- People go out of their way to find out what others are doing and how they can help

- People are loyal to one another and particularly to those who might not be there at the moment

- People get together more at a social level (for example, business lunches are back in, although now much shorter and far less expensive as people themselves are paying)

That type of behaviour is still the case in many organisations. However, there’s a change that takes place at a particular point. And that change seems to occur once there are lay-offs. As soon as people are laid off, the mood and the response from those that stay, changes:

- People become less sociable – lunches are definitely out, no matter who’s paying

- At the lower levels, staff start to emphasise (publicly) what they are achieving (sometimes even at the expense of colleagues) – people also *spin the truth” to their advantage

- On the other hand, some staff retreat into themselves and hope "that it will all go away soon"

- Managers become less visible and remote. They are always in meetings. When asked about "What's happening?", very little of the real story emerges

- There seem to be many things that are “undiscussable”

On the commercial front, organisations are cutting their marketing and training budgets – two of the most important items on any balance sheet. Some have cut their marketing budget by 70%. One wonders how much market share they will have lost by the time the market starts to pick up again.

Marketing brings in the business. Training helps to keep the people motivated and skilled, particularly on how to handle the business in these difficult times.

When dealing with external issues, organisations that are retreating and being negative rather than attacking and attempting to grow their market share, also seem to be:

- Communicating with customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders more by email or text rather than phone or face-to-face. This is even more prevalent when they have bad news to give. And that’s the worst way to give bad news.

- Treating suppliers and even customers, as somewhat alien rather than as business partners.

This approach hit home to a colleague who has been a trusted supplier to a firm for over 10 years – he even had his own log in code to enter the building for meetings. When he went to enter his code last week, his code did not work. He was told that “An instruction had gone out to the effect that no external providers be allowed direct access.” As he said, “Having been around for many years, we’ve now seen the pendulum swing from contractors being considered business partners to then being viewed as recalcitrant, money-hungry, self-interested capitalists. We await with interest to see when the pendulum will start swinging back again!”

The problem is, when the pendulum does start to swing back, will it have any impact? Will people trust what others are saying?

Steven Covey, in his “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” first introduced the notion of trust, not as a soft social virtue, but as a hard edged economic driver that can be deposited and withdrawn from one’s emotional bank account. He suggested that it takes a long time to build up the trust balance by way of small deposits and this balance can be quickly depleted with just one withdrawal, such as in this example.

Trust is a critical resource at the moment. As Niklas Luhman (1979) found in his famous study on trust: “Trust reduces the feeling of uncertainty. Trust makes a person feel more secure with regard to his or her acting or not acting. With trust, the person has the feeling of knowing what will happen in the future.” And finally, “Trust is used to lower the uncertainty regarding other people’s behaviour”.

So, managers - what to do in the current situation? How to maintain trust with staff and other key stakeholders?

We know that in tough times, people strive to satisfy their basic needs - food, shelter, security. It’s been suggested that adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganisation. As adults however, we continually look for these needs in our children. Children often and openly display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe and we readily respond. Perhaps as we do with children, we also need to be more proactive and look for these signs in ourselves and others, and readily respond to the need for food, shelter, security.

So, when managing staff, whilst it's very important to share critical company information (which appeals to our higher needs of achievement and self-actualization), it's also very important to cater for people’s basic needs. More socialising, interacting and even physical contact such as hand shaking, hugs etc are needed. Some of you may have seen the news item recently of a man giving out “free hugs” in New York. Many people were sceptical, but you could almost feel the positive energy from the people who were interviewed after experiencing a hug.

As an example of effective socialising, one colleague who works in the construction industry, took his four direct reports to the football - a first for him and the firm. The mood and particularly collaboration within his team, has improved dramatically since.

And the same is true for other stakeholders such as customers and suppliers.

Will you do more face-to-face or phone communication rather than email? Cost pressures have led to many face-to-face meetings being replaced with teleconferencing, with varying degrees of success. Teleconferencing can be extremely effective for discussing the key business issues. However, how do you handle the necessary social interaction? How do people build the essential social and emotional bonds required to cement lasting deals? How do you have a virtual meal, drink, tea/coffee together? And what happens after the meeting? Experience suggests that there are often “meetings after meetings” where small local groups gather (generally over tea or coffee) to discuss what was really said or meant in the meeting and by whom.

How will your product or service (or perhaps the way you deliver these) help satisfy your key stakeholders basic needs for safety and security? You may recall my earlier story of how Hyundai has dramatically increased their market share in the US by applying this basic principle of catering to people’s need for security rather than thinking of their own drive to increase sales.

The message? As a manager working with staff and other stakeholders:

- Look for ways to increase social contact

- Search for options that will satisfy people’s need for safety and security

- Be prepared to spend more face-to-face time with key people

- Be prepared to discuss the “undiscussable” (if you don’t, others certainly will, and often negatively)

People can only do their best work when their basic needs are catered and cared for. Customers and suppliers can only be true business partners when they feel safe and secure working with you. In these times, it's important to stress security, food, and shelter before talking about business performance. It’s important to build your level of trust deposits with the people that are important to your success.

Guest writer Bob Selden is the author of the newly published “What To Do When You Become The Boss” – a self help book for new managers – see details at http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com/ He also coaches at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and the Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney. You can contact Bob via http://www.nationallearning.com.au/

The Key to Expert Performance

In a knowledge-driven economy, chances are greater than ever that the value you offer comes from making use of expertise. Conventional wisdom will tell you that you get the best from your expertise by deeper learning your field, by keeping up with new developments and understanding the nuances and intricacies of your domain – in short, investing in knowing more.

However, I believe using knowing more as your primary strategy for increasing the value of your expertise will likely leave you missing the boat – big time.

In the way knowing is not the same as doing, expertise is not the same as expert performance, i.e. actions in your domain of expertise that are considered to be best-in-class.

Conventional Wisdom tells us natural talent is what drives top performance. Modern research challenges this notion. K. Anders Ericsson, co-editor and contributor to the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, notes the common factor of expert performance in almost every domain researched is “deliberate practice” – ongoing practice and repetition shaped by active feedback. For example, there are many talented golfers in the world. It’s feedback driven practice that makes Tiger Woods a consistent champion.

Raw talent can certainly provide motivation and acceleration to feedback-driven practice, but it is the practice that creates the performance. In most domains, people with average talent can achieve expert-level performance by diligently exercising best practices based on ongoing feedback. Kenneth Blanchard hit the nail on the head when he said, “Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions.”

Top performing professionals seek feedback from clients and colleagues. Top performing businesses seek feedback from customers and employees. In all cases, a performance edge is obtained through diligently acquiring feedback, and even more diligently using it to guide performance improvement.

In the realm of leadership and management, executives who want to be top of their game use coaches or 360 reviews to garner feedback, both within and outside of their organization’s formal performance system. Where organizations often go wrong with these tools is using them primarily to shore up weaknesses rather than to accelerate performance of existing strengths and expertise.

Questions for leadership insight: What systematic feedback are you providing for yourself and other leaders in your organization? Are you using feedback to develop and polish best practices?
Are you seeking expert-level performance as much as expertise?

We can all agree that it is critically important factor to continue learning and keep up in your field. But knowing more in a field does not necessarily contribute to better performance or more value from expertise – for this you need diligent practice based on systematic feedback.


Guest writer Tom Stevens heads up Esquare Leadership.

The New Dance

Poor Pluto. Stripped of its planetary status by the International Astronomical Union and reclassified as a "dwarf planet," two years ago, Pluto's demotion heralds new rules for planet classification. Debate by renowned astronomers from seventy-five countries culminated in the decision to reduce the number of planets to eight "classic" ones.

This reclassification got me thinking. Like a company reorganization or leadership change, the rules were altered. And no matter if you were among scientists advocating for more planets or less, it no longer matters. The decision is rendered. Like it. Don't like it. It's done.

Organizational changes can be like that too. Like Pluto, I've spent career years with "classic" designation, status and access only to be "reclassified" with mergers, acquisitions, downsizing and reorganizations. Confident, comfortable and courageous with a current boss, you must reprove, readjust and reorient to a new one with a different style, focus and rules.

It's happened enough in my career-life to collect a few insights along the way. First, the suddenness is unnerving and often painful. Familiar shifts to unfamiliar and second-nature decisions become second-guessed ones. When the rules change it's uncomfortable.

But, you can't go back. You can't change the outcome. What was true yesterday is gone. So, my second lesson learned the hard way is let it go as quickly as possible. Your future depends on it. Third, recognize you're in a growth spurt. That can be painful, challenging or exhilarating. And while it might not be a growth you'd choose, use your talent to reinvent yourself, find your grounding and contribute in new ways.

You see, if change can happen to something as sure as planets, it will likely happen to us. When it does we can dig in, resist and fight, or after taking a deep breath and regrouping, we can find our courage and take a step forward.

That's what people who are winning at working do. They choose the future over the past, personal growth over fossilization, opportunity over defeat, and contribution over consternation. And as difficult as that is at times to do, people who are winning at working work through their disappointments and wounds, assessing their options, inventing their future and finding their wisdom. Like an African proverb reminds us all, "When the music changes, so does the dance."

Want to be winning at working? Learn the new dance.


Guest writer Nan Russell is the author of Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way (Capital Books; 2008) and host of "Work Matters with Nan Russell" weekly on webtalkradio.net. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. Sign up to receive Nan's "Winning at Working" tips and insights at http://www.nanrussell.com

Power Shift

Power is a commodity. There is a limited amount of it to go around. Therefore, I must clutch my power to my chest and never let a shred of it out of my grasp.

Power is organic. Like life itself, it is limitless. Therefore, when I share power with others I lose nothing, and they gain everything.

These two very different viewpoints are not simply philosophy. They are often at the core of whether a business ultimately succeeds or fails. The fact is, leadership doesn't happen in a vacuum. True leaders recognize that success in business is never the result of one man or woman's efforts or exclusive direction: that is the dictator principle. Instead, success is dependent upon the leader surrounding himself or herself with strong and capable followers.

Consider this example. An innovative entrepreneur founded and served as president of an engineering firm. He was brilliant in his field, and well-respected and well-liked by all his employees. The firm grew to be a recognized industry leader. Nevertheless, the firm was actually on rocky ground. Morale was deplorably low. Frustration levels were high, and continued to mount. Critical decisions slipped through the cracks, resulting in lost opportunities and decreased revenue.

Why? Because the president presided over the company in the role of benevolent dictator. He had sole decision-making authority in every area - human resources, operations, financials, strategy, etc. The managers under him, although they liked and respected him as a person, were self-destructing under his leadership style - as was the company itself. Their hands were tied. They had no authority. Their expertise and knowledge was not called upon. Helpless to take action, they finally ceased to try.

After a number of years, the president of the firm moved on. His position was filled by a woman with a very different philosophy. She believed that success was a team effort. She recognized that without 100% commitment, input, and effort from her management staff, the company would eventual implode. That commitment, input, and effort would only happen when power was restored to her disempowered employees.

She met with each manager and shared her ideals, her philosophy, and her vision for the company. This was vitally important, for it was the first step to establishing trust.

Then, as issues, opportunities, and challenges arose, she gave her staff her full support in making business-critical decisions. She encouraged discussion without imposing her own viewpoint. She facilitated interaction by bringing key people together. She disseminated information and guaranteed equal access to crucial data. And when a decision had been reached, she supported it completely.

The effect was like exploding a keg of dynamite ... an appropriate analogy, since she had released power to her employees - and the Greek word for "power" is dunamis, from which we get our word "dynamite."

By engaging her leadership team in the hope of turning them into a team of all-stars, she freed up time, energy, and creativity across the entire company. Morale skyrocketed. Employees had a sense of ownership, both in relation to their jobs and with regard to the direction of the company as a whole. The company, then in its twentieth year, experienced record-breaking sales for three consecutive quarters.

This is more than an inspiring story - it is a step-by-step recipe for success, with the key ingredient being a power shift.


Guest writer Timothy Thomas is the President of Makarios Consulting - a leadership development firm that specializes in empowering leaders to maximize their leadership skills and inspire others to accomplish extraordinary results. Timothy is the author of "Creating All-Star Performers: The Power of Effective Feedback," now available for immediate download at http://www.makariosconsulting.com/mc/eBooks_allStars.html

Personal Mastery

Ten tips for 21st century leaders:

1. Learn how to read more intelligently
Learn speed reading, strategic and range reading techniques to enable you to handle incoming emails, reports, articles and letters faster and more effectively.

2. Learn how to focus your attention on what is important
Where you focus your attention will determine what you get done in your working day. Learn how to be effective – not just time management techniques. Focus on your goals and move boldly towards them.

3. Master your emotions and state of mind
Learn how to control your emotions and instantly switch into the right mindset for the situation you are in. Confidence, Energetic, Control, Calmness – they are all at your fingertips.

4. Ask solid questions
What do I want to achieve this week? What is the purpose of this meeting? What actions are required? What impact will this have? What are the risks? Is there a less costly way to achieve the same outcome?

5. Get to know your team well
Find out what motivates them and align their needs with those of the organisation. Understand their strengths and weaknesses and deploy them accordingly.

6. Learn how to make great decisions
Learn structured, analytical and creative problem solving techniques. Trust yourself to make the right decision and do it in a timely fashion.

7. Learn to be an excellent communicator
Understand that the effectiveness of your communication will dictate the response and reaction you receive.

8. Learn to make great presentations
Learn how to design and learn how to deliver. High impact visibility opens doors.

9. Understand the power of momentum
Huge, daunting tasks are just one step away from getting a whole lot easier.

10. Be proactive
The more proactive you are, the less reactive you need to be.


Simon Cooper heads up the Experiential Learning Centre and is author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Motivation Bite Size - Job Satisfaction

One of the greatest motivators in the workplace is job satisfaction - that feeling of actually enjoying the job that you do and looking forward to coming to work in the mornings. But what are the main contributors to job satisfaction?

The starting point is normally, are you good at your job? Does your job suit your skill set? Does it enable you to play to your strengths and minimise exposure to your weaknesses?

Secondly, does it interest you? If you enjoy analytical work, are you given plenty of opportunity to exercise this? If you like to be challenged, does your job challenge you? If you like meeting new people, does your job enable you to do so?

Another aspect to consider is, do the company, your manager and your immediate work colleagues share similar values to you? You can be good at your job and find your work interesting but if you are asked to work in contrary to your core values and beliefs, you are unlikely to derive a lot of job satisfaction.

In fact, job dissatisfaction can be a primary cause of stress.

As a manager or leader of people, what can you do to facilitate high levels of job satisfaction among your people?

It begins of course, by recruiting the right people. Hiring people with the right skill sets but also, people who share the values and attitudes that are consistent with your working environment. In many cases, there is the opportunity to adjust the job content among team members to ensure both optimum performance and job interest. Are you playing to the strengths within your team? There is also the opportunity to understand people's values and attitudes and to create an environment where these are broadly matched - if you have hired the right people in the first place. Job satisfaction will also be influenced by many of the other motivating and de-motivating factors that we will look at in this series.

In short, creating high levels of job satisfaction will generally come down to three core leadership actions:

1. Hiring the right people.

2. Creating workflows that play to their strengths.

3. Establishing and maintaining an open and honest communication channel with your people.


Simon Cooper heads up the Experiential Learning Centre and is the author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

The Importance of Leadership Development

It’s easy to discount the importance of leadership development, assuming that corporate leaders either have what they take or they don’t and if they do they’ll learn as they go. If they don’t...well, if they didn’t have what it took they wouldn’t have been given a leadership role to begin with, right?

Not necessarily. Sometimes all that’s needed is a little leadership development.

There is no such thing as a natural born leader, which is why leadership development is so important. Anyone can have the fundamental requirements necessary for the leadership role. It’s how they develop them that matters.

Leadership development is defined as an effort to enhance a learner’s ability to lead, an endeavor focused on developing the leadership abilities and attitudes of the individuals sitting at the top of the chain of command. Successful leadership development requires a lot more than the ability to give orders. It also requires diplomacy, top of the line people skills, a certain level of ruthlessness and an understanding of how much space there is and there isn’t between the executive suite and the mail room. A good leader doesn’t just lead. He or she leads by example.

Leadership development within a company should be addressed at both the individual and group level. Individual leadership development can be undertaken in both a hands-on and a classroom environment, and which method your organization chooses is entirely up to you. Through various exercises the individual learns to identify their strengths and weaknesses, using both to shape and mold their successful leadership style.

Individual leadership development is very important for individuals first entering the field and those who are having a difficult time taking up the reins of command. Additional leadership development offers them the opportunity to hone their skills, smooth over their weaknesses and learn to make the most of their current position rather than finding themselves stuck on the bottom rung of the ladder to success because of a lack of knowledge and personal resources.

Group leadership development is absolutely vital in any company, regardless of industry, because it teaches an executive team how to look, think and act like a team. For a business to run smoothly it’s essential that the executive team be able to operate like a well oiled wheel, cognizant of each other’s patterns, strengths, weaknesses and goals and able to work together to achieve success. Any leadership team that is rapidly “slapped” together and tossed into the ring is going to fail almost instantly. It takes time and practice, and leadership development offers the opportunity for both.

Leadership development through books, activities, conferences and classroom studies is a vital part of any company’s success, which is why there are hundreds of books, seminars, conferences, workshops, boot camps and personal coaches devoted to that very goal. Never underestimate the importance of the team of people holding the reins in an organization, and don’t discount the need to allow those individuals to develop their leadership skills both inside and out of the office.

Leadership matters.


Guest writer Ray Subs is a public relations consultant forN2Growth, a company that specializes in helping businesses and their leaders grow and develop to find success in a competitive corporate environment. More information can be found at N2Growth.com.

Coaching Staff - Part Six

Previously in this series we have looked at the five stages of the coaching cycle; instruction, demonstration, practice, observation and feedback. But knowing how to coach is only half of the equation. Perhaps one of the greatest barriers to staff receiving the coaching they need is that the leader struggles to find time to coach – it is one of the most common objections that I encounter.

Most people would agree that coaching and developing staff is an important leadership activity but it is rarely urgent – nobody (apart from the staff member involved) is going to notice if you skip a coaching session today but all hell is going to break loose if you miss that project deadline! As a result, coaching doesn’t happen as often as it should and frequently managers will absolve themselves of coaching responsibility by sending people on training courses. We’ll look at the relationship between coaching and training courses in the next part of this series but for now, let’s just focus on how you can find the time to coach your staff.

Firstly, let’s be perfectly clear about one thing. If you are responsible for managing and developing staff, coaching is a core part of your job. No ifs. No ands. No buts. It is part of what you are being paid to do and the main way you can get your staff to perform at a higher level is to help them to become more capable. So, the bottom line is this – you simply have to find time to coach your staff. And here are some suggestions that I hope will help you find that time.

1. Schedule – Build it into your schedule (diarise it if you have to) in order to make a clear commitment to coaching your staff.

2. Delegate – Are you doing things right now that your staff could be doing just as effectively? Is it quicker to do it yourself? Are you hanging on to jobs you like doing? The more you coach, the more you can delegate – trust your staff and learn to let go.

3. Good Enough – Are you a bit of a perfectionist? Do you spend more time than you should on tasks to make them perfect? Can you do them quicker and to a standard that is still good enough? Well here’s the thing – good enough IS perfect!

4. Enjoyability – Are you spending more time than you should on some tasks because you enjoy doing them? Are prioritising these tasks ahead of coaching for the same reason? You don’t need me to tell you that more personal discipline might be required then.

5. Automate – Are there some tasks and functions that could be automated? What are you waiting for?

6. Negotiate – When you ask others to do things for you, do you build in some flexibility to the deadline ‘just in case’? Most of us do. So what does that tell you about some of the deadlines you are working to? Yep, there is often scope to negotiate the deadline and/or the work content in order to buy yourself some more time.

7. Innovate – Use your resources wisely. What tools have you got to help you coach? Are there are other people who could help out with some of the coaching activities. You don’t have to do all the coaching yourself but you do have to make sure it gets done.

There are few things in the leadership role that are more important than coaching and developing staff – yes there are some, but not many. You need to find the time to coach, see it as a core part of your job and prioritise accordingly.

In the next and final part of this series we’ll be looking at how you can combine coaching with training courses in order to make developing staff more effective and more efficient.


Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.

King Alfred The Great and his Leadership Legacy

I have recently finished reading an excellent historical novel (The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell) that centres on the early part of King Alfred's reign (871-899 AD), defending his Kingdom of Wessex against the invading Danes.

There was much about this novel that kept me enthralled, not least the climactic battle that took place less than five miles from my home (and I never knew!). But I was also fascinated by the leadership qualities of King Alfred - I guess one doesn't earn the nickname 'The Great' lightly.

He had a clear vision - to see off the Danes and unite England as a single kingdom. Today of course, this would be seen as growth by merger and acquisition after seeing off a hostile takeover bid. He was a strategist with a carefully devised plan to support his vision. Tactical battles and manouevres were always conducted with one eye on the endgame. He was ruthless and driven to succeed (he actually stole the throne from his nephew). He was a calm but tough negotiator. And while he sought counsel from others, he was a decisive man.

But I fear there was a second aspect to King Alfred's leadership legacy that has managed to become part of our management and leadership culture. In an age where few men outside the clergy could read and write, Alfred developed a penchant, some would say an obsession, for record keeping. He would keep minutes of virtually every meeting he attended, from truce negotiations with the Danes through intelligence gathering interviews with spies or prisoners to meetings with his loyal landowners, the Earls who would support him in battle.

Could it be that this legacy led to our practice of minuting meetings? And dare I say, is it this habit that has led us to our obsession with record keeping, such as with performance review meetings? If so, I think we are in danger of losing the thread of King Alfred's legacy. Allow me to provide a simple but painful example.

A couple of months back I was chatting with a relatively senior manager (at least, he managed other managers) during a coffee break in a leadership workshop I was running. He was really proud of the fact that he had made the performance review process with his team so efficient, "We do it all electronically." he beamed, "No need for meetings now we've got this new online tool. They do their bit, I do mine and then it is all available for HR whenever they need it." He was somewhat perplexed when I aksed him about the value (or not) of having regular, focused conversations with his team about their performance and development. And of course, as this guy was managing other managers, they had all adopted the same technique of conducting their performance reviews electronically.

While this (hopefully) is an extreme example, there are elements of truth in how performance review processes are applied in many organisations. It is often seen as a form filling exercise rather than a powerful and motivational conversation. This of course, misses the point completely. The forms that need to be completed are just a record of the conversation. The forms are not and nor should they ever be the end in themselves. It is the conversation that counts and effective leaders should be having these conversations with their staff whether or not there is a process in place and a form to fill in.

King Alfred's legacy was to record the conversation, not replace it!


Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.

Is there mold growing in your organization?

My son Nathaniel’s sixth grade science project
was titled – Where mold grows best.

To find out, Nathaniel, placed slices of bread around the house. He misted some of the slices (keeping them moist). Others he let dry out. The experiment was slated to last ten days. Within five we had the answer.

It came in the form of an unpleasant odor wafting out of his closet. Mold, it turns out, grows best in damp, dark environments.
Who knew? ;)

Where’s the mold in your organization?
I’m not talking about physical mold. That can be eradicated with disinfectant and elbow grease.

There is much more insidious form of mold that isn’t physical. It’s cultural. It infects how people communicate, think, and make decisions.

This mold stifles creativity. Erodes trust. And camouflages the real issues. This mold is called the undiscussables.

What are undiscussables?
In every organization and every team – there are “sensitive” or “difficult” subjects that everyone avoids. I’m talking work-related topics (not personal issues like a team member’s new hair color).

These are real issues that every one knows about - but avoids bringing up.

Why don’t we bring up these real issues?
It’s goes back to some of fundamental social wiring. In every social group there are certain topics that become off limits. Think taboos. Topics that are verboten.

People avoid these difficult conversations. And cultures develop ways of not facing uncomfortable truths.

What are some of the undiscussables?
I can’t tell you (. . . just kidding).

Many undiscussables have to do with power -
Like when a boss says she/he wants to “hear others ideas and opinions” – but they’ve already made up their minds and everybody knows it.

But, nobody says so. And everyone goes through the motions of having an “open dialogue”.

Or when team members don’t keep their agreements – but never bring it up to each other.

Other undiscussables are more technical – and business specific – unique to your organization. But a clue to identifying the undiscussables in your organization is to look for a gap between what people say and what they do.

Like talking about “Quality #1!” While pushing for more production – and compromising quality standards. Or talking about “teamwork”. While making unilateral decisions and acting without consulting teammates.

If talking directly about this gap with the people who are involved feels risky – then you’ve likely found an undiscussable.

What happens when undiscussables aren’t addressed?
Just because the difficult issue gets put away – like a slice of moist bread in a dark closet - doesn’t mean it stops “growing”.

Issues that can’t be discussed in the open – still get talked about. After the official meeting. In the halls. At the “water cooler”. In emails.

The undiscussable issue grows like mold.
Even when you’re in a meeting – the odor of the undiscussable issue wafts through the room. People smell it. And hold their breath – hoping it will go away.

The longer the undiscussable is ignored – the moldier it becomes.
The more the culture defends itself from difficult conversations – the more dysfunctional it becomes. Think of the Challenger disaster. Or Enron.

These examples are extreme in scope. But the patterns of denial and defensiveness are common (to some degree) in all cultures.


What can you do about undiscussables?
Recognize that while the truth may set you (and others) free.
First it will make you (and others) uncomfortable.

So, give you (and others) a lot of acceptance and forgiveness as you bring the undiscussable issue into the light (of awareness).

Don’t try to resolve the issue in a single conversation.
Take your time. It is more important to explore the ideas, assumptions, values, and beliefs that have sustained the undiscussable – than to figure out how to fix it.

Focus more on examining the undiscussable – develop deep understanding before trying to solve it.

Recognize that when it comes to undiscussables everyone’s had a hand in keeping the bread in the closet.
But, it only takes one person to open the door and start to let in the light.

But, isn’t it risky?
Truthfully it can be.
But, most of the risks can be minimized by how you raise the issue.
Here’s how:

Don’t be self-righteous
Be vulnerable. Admit your part – and how you’ve avoided the issue.

Don’t blame
Be curious. Listen to understand how others’ have struggled with the undiscussable.

Reflect on the costs of not raising the issue
What will it cost you personally to not bring it up? In terms of your integrity? Your sense of purpose? Your fulfillment at work?

Remember where mold goes best
You don’t need to repeat my son’s science experiment in your organization. We all know that mold (and undiscussables) grow best in the dark. And that leadership starts with bringing the real issues to light.


Guest writer Eric Klein is the founder of Dharma Consulting and architect of the You Are the Leader You've Been Waiting for program.

Colin Powell's 13 Rules of Leadership

With thanks to redruglot on YouTube.



Many leaders would do well to heed Mr Powell's suggestions and I thought it well worth sharing these.


Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.

Coaching Staff - Part Four

So far in this series we have looked at how to instruct staff members in a task or skill area, provide effective demonstrations and enable opportunities for them to practice, ideally in a safe or non-urgent environment. An often overlooked and under-rated aspect of coaching is monitoring and observing how the staff member is developing in the task or skill area. This then, is our focus for the next stage of the coaching cycle.

One of the workshops I run frequently is presentation skills. These are highly practical workshops that involve a lot of practice and feedback. When a presentation has not gone entirely as planned, I will often ask both the group and the presenter how it could have been improved. While they often come up with some useful ideas, they rarely get to the root of the issue. And this is where I have to earn my crust as a coach – by not just observing what everyone else has seen but also, identifying what is happening and why. I have to see the things that other people haven’t spotted in order to suggest one or two changes that would transform the presentation.

This is at the heart of coaching observation. The coach has to observe what is happening and also what is not happening. They must see the things that others can’t and identify why things are happening. This enables them to provide feedback that gets to the root of the issue and enables the staff member to improve, noticeably, when they next try to practice the task or skill.

I believe this is an intuitive part of coaching and as such, it is difficult to be specific on how to develop this aspect of the coaching toolbox. However, I offer the following guidance.

1. Observe what is happening but more importantly, identify why it is happening.

2. Observe what isn’t being applied.

3. Ask the staff member to reflect on what you have observed.

4. Get to the root of the issue.

5. Don’t try to improve too many areas at once. Identify the base learning that needs to take place before building on this to improve the finer details later.

In the next part of this series we’ll be looking in depth at the art of providing feedback to staff with a view to reinforcing what they are doing well and improving things that could be done better.


Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.

Why Training is Essential in a Recession

Many senior managers and business leaders will take the view that discretionary spending must be reduced or eliminated in a recession - it's one of the founding principles behind prudent financial management. And of course, training falls into that category, right?

Wrong!

In a recession, businesses will generally need to downsize which means they need to get greater performance from the fewer resources that remain. And this is the key factor that makes high quality training an essential component of businesses successfully navigating their way through a recession. Let's look at this purely from the perspective of leadership training, although the same principles apply to general staff training.

When resources are cut to the minimum there is no room for passengers or dead wood - everybody has to deliver. And it is the people leaders within the business who need to ensure that everybody delivers by exhibiting exceptional leadership skills.

• They need to manage performance like many have never done so before


• They need to upskill their people by coaching effectively


• They need to motivate their staff when the overall mood might be gloomy


• They need to instigate process improvements


• They need to allocate workloads more effectively


• They need to be creative and innovative when addressing challenges


• And most of all, they need to get their people really working as a team

In short, leadership skills need to be at their peak if the organisation is going to get the level of performance required from the reduced resources that are available. The really smart organisations would have invested heavily in leadership development when times were good so they already had these skills in abundance as we enter a recession. But here's the thing - when times are good, leaders often don't have the time to attend training courses and even when they do, the hectic environment of growth often doesn't provide people with the opportunity to fully apply what they have learned.

So now is the time to grasp the nettle. As with any discretionary spend the key metric is that the return on investment must be significantly greater than the spend itself and here's how this applies to leadership training:

1. Leaders must be selected based on the fact that they can improve on one or more of the factors bulletted above.
2. The leadership training or workshop must be selected on quality first and price second. In particular, the focus should be on the scope and depth of the learning outcomes.
3. Leaders must be empowered to apply what they have learned upon their return to work and fully supported in this endeavour.
4. Leaders, provided they are given the appropriate support, should be expected to deliver improved performance via their people.
5. Leaders should be expected to continue this higher level of performance once good times return once again, ensuring that the organisation exits recession stronger than it entered.

Senior managers and business leaders who adopt a broad brush, cost cutting approach while expecting the remaining resources to deliver improved performance without powerful training interventions are missing the point. Improving the capability of staff (and people leaders in particular) is more critical in a recession than at any other time.



Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.

Command and Control

It's funny how tiny things trigger powerful memories. I was reminded today of an event when I was at school and an exchange I had with a science teacher who I shall refer to only as Mr G. Silly as it sounds now, the exchange was all about the pronunciation of the word vitamins. He was adamant that it should be pronounced the amercian way and I was determined to pronounce it the british way - it was a classic 'you say tomato, I say tomato exchange'. His defence was that the word vitamin was derived from vital amins. In refusing to yield, I managed to pick up a detention in order to learn my lesson.

The lesson I learned that day was not how to pronounce the word vitamins - does it really matter - but rather, that command and control doesn't work. Telling people what to do or say doesn't actually gain their buy-in, commitment or indeed, motivate them.

Leadership is about creating an environment in which people can and do deliver great results, consistently.

You can't lead unless people are prepared to follow.

Respect power is more influential and motivating than position power.


Simon Cooper is chief executive of the Experiential Learning Centre, author of the exciting new book, Brilliant Leader and architect of the Brilliant Leadership workshops.