LeaderSavers

New Kid on the Block?

This blog's for you!  Being new to a leadership position can feel much like a childhood memory of moving to a new neighborhood, enrolling in a new school, and going through the difficult process of making new friends.  It's tough to be the "new kid on the block."  Well, welcome to that new neighborhood called leadership!

Thoughts on Leadership

These "Thoughts on Leadership" were presented at a meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international educational society for women, by a long-time friend, Barbara Chinworth, whose thoughts are reprinted here with her kind permission.

Leadership is a feather in one's cap ... or a pain in one's backside.

Leadership is on a moment's notice --- or for a term which can seem interminable.

Leadership is lonely ... but of necessity has a fellowship.

Leadership is an opportunity ... and an obligation.

How SMART Are Your Goals?

The idea of translating vague, general, lofty resolutions into clear and attainable goals has become near standard practice in many businesses.  Educational units, after years of fluff and puffery, are finally joining the parade.  Now, it’s time to get clearer on our personal resolutions and turn them into clear and attainable goals.  The SMART acronym refers to goals that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Tangible

Leading by Listening

How well do you listen – REALLY LISTEN – to the people you lead?  Do you hear what’s being said, or do you hear just what you want to hear?  Good leaders are good listeners.

 

Many people find it difficult to admit they don’t have all the answers.  Well, who does?  Good leaders listen.  Great leaders REALLY LISTEN – and they hear what’s being said and what’s NOT being said.

Kindness Isn’t Weakness

An interesting book by William Baker and Michael O’Malley caught my attention recently.  The book, Leading with Kindness, got me to thinking about leadership styles past and present.  The world of business tends to describe kind leaders as weak leaders, so developing kindness as a leadership trait doesn’t seem to be high on anyone’s priority list.  But maybe it should.

 

Collaborative Leadership

Hundreds of Canadian geese winter around here, giving us many opportunities to observe their flight patterns, takeoffs and landings.  Their familiar “V” flying wedge makes a good illustration of leadership – the leader at the point of the “V” with followers trailing behind, honking all the way.  What isn’t obvious at first is the way the flock manages leadership change.  Take a closer look.  

The leader goose sets the course and leads the way.  The others follow in his wake, enjoying a bit of a free ride on the air currents from the leader goose.  After awhile, the leader begins to tire, so another follower goose takes the lead, and the previous leader drops back to enjoy the air currents stirred up by the new leader.  After awhile, the leader changes again.   What a marvelous illustration of collaborative leadership!  The leader is first the leader, then the follower, then the leader again.  It’s much the same as an orchestra conductor who sometimes leads, sometimes follows and lets the soloist lead.  The collaborative leader both leads and follows.

Coaching Moments:

1.      As a leader, when is it important to follow rather than lead?

2.      How do you follow and still maintain your leadership?

3.      What are three ways that you collaborate with others?  

Clearer – or Just Louder?

What’s your message as a leader?  What is it you are trying to say to your colleagues, your co-workers, your employees?  Is your message clear – or is it just louder?  Have you noticed that when the TV program breaks for a commercial, the volume gets LOUDER?  Does this get your attention in a good way – or do you, as I do, reach quickly for the “mute” button?  

A Cup of Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

The Answer is YES!

What do you mean – “the answer is YES!”  Well, besides being a smart-aleck answer, there’s a lot of positive, can-do attitude that shows up in that answer.

Let’s explore positive energy and what that can mean in your life, your work, your world.  I used to have a sign on my desk that read “Before you ask, the answer is NO!”  Of course, it was just a joke.  I’d rather find a way to say YES.  In fact, one of my favorite answers to an either-or question is YES (my wife calls this a “Charlie” answer!).  I’d rather say YES to making things happen than NO, it can’t be done.  How about you?

Fire Your Committee of THEY!

Now, there's a challenge for you. Everybody has one, whether or not you realize it (or will admit to it). THEY are that invisible committee of people in your mind who try to tell you what to do or what to think.

THEY are the neighbors your mother wanted you to please. THEY are the ones who tell you it can't be done. THEY are the experts with more knowledge, more experience than you. THEY are the cool people, the smart people, the popular people. THEY are your own conflicting intentions that stop you in your tracks.

How to Get From Here to There

Goal setting – REAL goal setting – is not easy.  It takes time, dedication, and discipline.  But, just like eating an elephant, you can do it if you take it one bite at a time.  Here are five ways to accomplish a goal you have set for yourself:

1.       Decide where you want to go, what you want to accomplish.  Is it a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-sensitive) goal?  If not, work on it!  Also, be sure to ask yourself WHY this goal is important to you.

2.       Write it down!  Things begin to happen when you have committed a goal to paper and make yourself take a look at it from time to time.  Many resist this – but it really works!

3.       Under each goal, list 5 action steps you CAN take to make that goal happen.  Then, from the 5, pick 1 action step that you WILL take.  Notice the difference between CAN and WILL.

4.       Take action.  Get off your do-nothing stool and get started.  Whatever it takes, make it a point to get started.  Keep going and don’t quit.

5.       Celebrate!  Build small rewards into your tasks, and you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel about continuing until your goal is reached.  Celebrate your accomplishments big time when you have completed what you set out to do.

A Point to Ponder:  Science fiction writer Robert Heinlein wrote:  In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.

Coaching Moments:

1.       When was a time in your life you accomplished a big goal you set for yourself?

2.       What did it take for you to accomplish that goal?

3.       How did accomplishing that goal make you feel?