Baby Steps

To get to any destination, you must first start making progress toward that goal. Sounds simple enough. However, too many of us don’t head in the direction we want to go because we see the chasm that lies between here and there and think that we somehow must get there in a single giant leap. Instead, we should be considering ways that we can get where we want to be by making a series of baby steps in the right direction. Taking small, well-planned, and thought-out steps to achieve our end goals allows us a great deal of flexibility. With baby steps: … Continue readingBaby Steps

How Will You Lead?

Management literature is filled with all sorts of definitions and descriptions of leadership styles and behaviors. Whether you read The One Minute Manager, The Leadership Imperative, or The Consultative Approach, the same basic tenets apply. Those who are visionary, flexible to changing environments, and who provide their teams with the flexibility to excel in their particular strength areas will invariably find success. Those who provide unclear directions, change directions frequently, communicate poorly, and either berate or ignore their staff will almost certainly be miserable failures. Given that, and the fact that literally thousands of books on (presumably good methods of) leadership exist, how will you choose to lead? I want to first emphasize that leadership behavior, like all other human behavior, is a choice that we make. Though born or raised with certain innate characteristics, we each have the ability to decide how we are going to interact with others. Every day you are given the gift to wake up and decide on your mood, your outlook on life, and how you will treat those around you. The first step in becoming a good leader, or more specifically, a leader who encourages the best in her employees, is to decide to bring a positive, supportive attitude to work. The rest tends to flow from there. People who are generally positive and upbeat, even when facing obstacles and challenges, typically find that they can accomplish more, more efficiently, and more creatively than leaders who rule with an iron fist or who are overtly negative. Like so many other parts of our lives, leadership starts with attitude. And only one person can create and foster your attitude…YOU! Start down the path to making yourself an exceptional leader. Decide to bring the best of you to the game, and you will surprise yourself

What Does it Take to Lead?

I know I keep coming back to this theme, but everywhere I turn I am struck with the same thought. The reason that so many of our organizations, even our society in general, are lacking true leadership is because to really be a leader, it takes 1 thing…courage. It can be incredibly challenging to put yourself out there, share your ideas, and hope that others will follow. Let’s face it, that is always a risk. Just because you want to lead, does not imply that you will have followers. The video below perfectly exemplifies true leadership and the process by which a leader is created. One of the key points I found here is that one of the most important roles that an individual can take in a leadership situation is that of the “first follower.” In some ways, this person is even more critical to the success of the leader than the leader herself. Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
… Continue readingWhat Does it Take to Lead?

Step up to the Plate!

Have you ever noticed how interlaced our language is with sports-related metaphors? It seems all around us we are bombarded with someone claiming they “hit one out of the park” or they did so well that they “lapped the field.” With that in mind, I wanted to offer my contribution to sports metaphors in the job search environment… Many of us are currently struggling to find the career and life that activates our passion. But how do we do that? It’s important to remember that searching for that elusive dream job is a marathon, not a sprint. Along the way, you are going to run up against all sorts of hurdles. Undoubtedly there will be times when you feel like you were hit from the blindside. Looking for a satisfying and fulfilling career is a lot like baseball. To be successful you have to get into the game, step up to the plate, and take your swings. From time to time, you may strike out, but unless you go to bat for what you want, you will never reach your goals. If you are really lucky and the odds are in your favor, you will eventually find yourself as the front runner in the race for the position of your dreams. Then, from out in left field you may take another shot. This is when it is most important to get up off the canvas, dust yourself off, and win one for the Gipper. Remember, the game of life is not a level playing field. When you are feeling like all is lost and the only way to keep going is to drop back 10 yards and punt, crank up your energy one more notch, and go for the win. With some good coaching and a bit of luck, you

How Do You Know Real Leadership?

There are lots of books and discussions about the meaning of leadership. You could spend literally thousands of dollars on texts that suggest they know the real definition of leadership. While many of these probably can give you a good theoretical view, and some may even come close to giving you a picture of what leadership looks like, I don’t think you really understand it until you see it in action. In a very bad situation this week I got an opportunity to see an extraordinarily good example of leadership take place. Our agency recently announced some of the most severe layoffs in its history. As you can imagine, this has caused an enormous amount of unrest and pain throughout the organization. Some of the folks losing their jobs have been with the agency for 20 years or more. It is a painful and heartbreaking time, but unfortunately, one that could not be avoided. It would have been easy for our executive leaders to hide behind the veil of budget cuts and simply hand down the mandate of these layoffs. One person in particular though demonstrated exactly what it means to be a true leader. Our Deputy Director came around to speak personally with each of the individuals directly affected by the layoffs. He had no personal agenda other than to touch base with them, see how they were faring, and to find out how he could be supportive. This process has been exceptionally difficult for him, watching people he has worked with for years struggling and having to go through such a difficult time. His professionalism, patience, and willingness to really listen and be compassionate as they shared their fears and frustration were invaluable. Throughout, he maintained his composure and let people vent, express their feelings, and share with

Do What You Can…

I have been reminded of that conversation frequently lately as I have watched people around me go through some amazingly difficult times at work. A major layoff hit their organization, and them personally. Watching them, I was struck by how some of them were able to roll with the punches, while others, seemingly, were decimated by the events. Finally, one day, while working with one of my clients, it hit me. While I certainly agree with Curly’s assessment that we each have to find that one thing inside of us that ignites our passion, there is yet one other characteristic that is necessary for anyone to be successful; the one factor that, if absent, will complete eliminate the possibility of growth, change, and success. HOPE! “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope” Take away hope and you completely take away a person’s motivation and strength. A person who feels their situation is hopeless and who sees no possibility that things can change and improve will simply give up. Human beings thrive on hope. We continually hope and dream of better circumstances. It is what drives us to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and attempt things that may seem impossible. The simple hope that we can accomplish these things keeps us striving for more. I am convinced that the greatest thing we can do for those around us is to cultivate hope. Focus your energies on what is possible, rather than what is not, and you will find a world of opportunity opening up. A good friend of mine likes to say “Do what you can, not what you can’t.” When the walls are crashing in around you and you

Dare to Choose

Several years ago, I worked with a large organization in the midst of some substantial structural changes. Over the course of several months, as we re-created their entire foundation and processes, we came together to develop agreements about what we believed was necessary for each individual, and by extension the organization, to be successful. I have held on to this and shared it many times since. Dare to Choose … Continue readingDare to Choose

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Some Change?

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of change that seems to be constantly going on around us. If you ever doubt that, live in a house with 4 adolescent boys, as I do, and try and follow what is going on in their lives from day to day. I promise you, that the speed and magnitude with which things change will boggle your mind. On the same track though, we are presented with virtually endless amounts of change in our professional lives. Many of us have had several jobs in our careers, even if they are all within the same organization. Or we may have experienced a fundamental change in the organizational structure where we work so that we report to someone new and now have to adjust to the way this person manages. Regardless of the types of change we are talking about though, the important thing to bear in mind is not so much the change itself, but how we react to that change. As you find yourself in situations of upheaval or change, whether good or bad, you will often find yourself becoming exceptionally stressed, tired, and unable to focus. The key is to find ways to mitigate the impact of the change on the other aspects of your life. Find things you enjoy doing, get away from the situation for a while, or work to discover the opportunities in the new environment. Whatever the case, for your own well-being (and as my wife will attest, for the betterment of those around you), focus on getting the lessons you can out of the change, and you are likely to be more successful in managing the stress and emotion that accompanies it. … Continue readingHey Buddy, Can You Spare Some

How Would You Answer?

We spend a lot of effort and energy attempting to define leadership and the characteristics of a good leader. I have always felt that history is one of the best teachers. More than 40 years ago, President Kennedy spoke about his vision of what makes a true leader by asking 4 basic questions. I have had this quote posted or around my desk for the better part of my career and have always done my best to live up to the ideals so clearly identified in his vision. It is plainly evident to me that when we see leaders who are not successful or who are facing difficulty in creating the environments they want, whether at work or elsewhere, we can look to these questions and almost invariably find the flaws in their behavior. “When at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each one of us, recording whether in our brief span of service, we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state, our success or failure in whatever office we may hold will be measured by the answers to four questions: … Continue readingHow Would You Answer?

Tag: Business