LeaderSavers

Keeping Your Resolutions

How about those New Year’s Resolutions – are you continuing to work on them, or did they begin to disappear with the holiday tinsel and leftover turkey?  Actually, making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions isn’t the dismal failure many people imagine.

Did you know that:

·         67% of people make 3 or more resolutions

·         63% of those people are keeping their resolutions after 2 months

That’s good!  Setting goals and achieving them CAN be done.  What can get in the way is that we set too many goals and we don’t have a strong enough WHY in place.  If there is a strong enough reason in place, we tend to accomplish the goal.

So, whittle down that long list to the top 3 resolutions to make them more do-able and less overwhelming.  It’s much more positive to add more than to delete those you don’t finish. 

Need help finding your WHY?  For every resolution you make, ask yourself WHY.  If you can’t answer that question, what does that tell you?

The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland  quipped, “If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there.”  Where are YOU going in 2010?  WHY?

Coaching Moments:

1.  What’s most important to you about making New Year’s Resolutions?

2.  Which one will you be sure to keep throughout 2010?

3.  WHY?

Genghis Khan on Leadership

A recent museum exhibit about Genghis Khan was most impressive when visitors were treated to statements attributed to the Khan himself – all the more remarkable as he was unable to write but helped establish a written language for his people.  “Far from barbaric,” wrote Don Lessen, “Genghis Khan was one of the world’s most visionary geniuses... Contrary to our prejudices, Genghis Khan was a brilliant, enlightened ruler.”  (from The Wit and Wisdom of Genghis Khan)

 

Scattered throughout the exhibit were gems of quotes and comments attributed to Genghis Khan:

·         Don’t behave as high as a mountain.  Though a mountain is high, it will be climbed by animals.

·         Everyone honest upright straightforward and wise must be respected alike.

·         All religions are to be respected and no preference is to be shown to any of them.

·         You as teacher (should) prefer honesty and pursue high principles.

·         For a king it is a shame not to live up to his word.

 

One quote was remarkably similar to the Biblical Ten Commandments:

·         Lies, theft, treachery, and adultery are forbidden, and one ought to love of one’s neighbor as one’s self.

 

Here’s one that many politicians must have read:

·         A man is not (to) be considered guilty if not caught in the act of a crime or if he did not confess.

 

And one that many would do well to heed:

·         Faced with a solemn accusation (a man) would admit if he were guilty.

 

Good thoughts!  This brief post doesn’t consider some of Genghis Khan’s more controversial leadership qualities.  These are simply some reflections on the good qualities that make up a good leader.  What can you learn from them?

 

Coaching Moments:

1.       What does it mean to you to “live up to your word?”

2.       How important is respect in your role as a leader?

3.       What is one step you can take to gain respect as a leader?

 

The 75% Rule

You can pass just about any subject in any US school with a score of 75% -- that's usually a good, solid "C" grade.  But think how this same rule applies to your work performance if you are correct only three times out of four.  You are working at an "average" level.  You are content with just getting by.

Here's a musical example:  play a C Major scale on the piano -- the notes are C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C.  Sound good?  Sure.  Now play any two of those notes wrong.  Sounds terrible, doesn't it?  But that's a 75% performance.  Not acceptable!  If the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed at the 75% level, they would sound worse than the Guckenheimer Sauerkraut Band -- and they sure wouldn't sell any tickets!

Would you hire a carpenter who built one bad cabinet for every three good ones?  Would you want a surgeon who dropped every fourth stitch when sewing you up?  Would you feel safe with an airline pilot who landed in the wrong city once in four trips?  Of course not!

How does the 75% Rule apply to you?  It's really simple:  you, your colleagues or employees, your business ALL must perform well above that 75% mark, or you just won't make it in today's marketplace.

It begins with you - your vision, your expectations, your commitment to excellence.   Ask yourself:  how much is mediocrity costing you?  As Aristotle put it, excellence is a habit, not a (one-time) act.  Excellence takes work and commitment.  Are you ready to get into the habit of excellence?

 

Coaching Moments:

1.  Where in your life is the 75% Rule showing up?

2.  What would it take for you to commit to a habit of excellence?

3.  What one small step are you willing to take right now?

Leadership - It's Not About YOU

So many leadership books, articles and posters full of so many ways to be an outstanding leader.  It's easy to go into overwhelm mode and lose track of a vital point:  a leader can't do it all him/herself.  Great leaders, says Jon Gordon, "...inspire, encourage and empower others..." to accomplish great things.

Think of the orchestra conductor - one who is able to make music with and through the talents of others.  The conductor makes no sound, but makes beautiful music by inspiring, encouraging and empowering the musicians in the orchestra.

It's not about YOU - it's all about what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do.

Coaching Moments:

1. What do the words "inspire, encourage and empower" mean to you?
2. How can you apply those meanings to your personal leadership style?

Lonely at the Top

Does this sound familiar to you?  People new to a leadership role often report feelings of isolation.  This seems especially true when you've been promoted within a department or unit and find yourself supervising your former peer group.  Many also experience difficulties working with others who wanted but didn't get the job.  Suddenly, here you are all alone without a support group.

What to do?  Here are a few tips that many have found helpful.

1. You Are Not Really Alone.  It just feels that way.  Know that others have felt as you do.  Notice the words -- feelings of isolation.  Is the isolation real or does it feel real?
2. Reach Out.  Seek another peer group.  Are there others in your organization who are in similar positions with whom you can share ideas and support?  What about people in other companies or organizations?
3. Keep the Lines of Communication Open.  Some say to keep the door open.  Some practice MBWA (Management By Walking Around).  However you choose to do it, keeping conversations open, sharing ideas, and inviting others' ideas, comments, suggestions are vital.

What other tips do you have?  What advice can you share with newer leaders?

Coaching Moments:

1. Where in your body are you feeling isolation?  Describe the feeling and where you feel it.
2. If you could do one thing to overcome that feeling of isolation, what would that be?

Code of the West

A recent Denver Post article featured a teacher's reworking of a book meant for Wall Street that inspired at-risk students.

Here are key principles that may work as well for you as they do on the range, on Wall Street, or in classrooms:

• Live each day with courage
• Take pride in your work
• Always finish what you start
• Do what has to be done
• Be tough but fair
• When you make a promise, keep it
• Ride for the brand
• Talk less, and say more
• Remember that some things aren't for sale
• Know where to draw the line

Read the full article here

Coaching Moments: 

1. Which of the above Code items are most true for you?
2. How can you include just one new item in your life?

RULE NUMBER SIX

Rule Number Six.  It works every time.  It doesn’t matter what business you’re in, how young you are, where you live, or how much money you have.  If we all learn to apply Rule Number Six to all situations in our lives, we would all be happier, treat one another much better, and the world will be a better place.  Want to know about Rule Number Six?  Read on . . .

Six Common Strengths of Elite Performers

by Dr. Ray Metcalfe  (reprinted with permission of the author)

Between 1987 and 1996 my team conducted an analysis of over 15,000 elite performers throughout North America.  Over 200 professional groups and vocations were analyzed. (Elite performers were defined as those in the top 5% of their group.)

As our research data came in, and we did the proverbial “number crunching”, a distinct pattern began to develop. No matter where we tested our elite performers, no matter what industry they were in, or what profession they represented, there was a consistent, and common cluster of 6 common performance strengths that emerged. Of the 15,000 elite performers that we assessed, we did not find one exception!

Furthermore, there was a specific and predictable range of strength possessed in each area. For instance, one area was Self-Control. All elite performers, on a scale of 1-10, fell within a predictable range of 6-8.

Leadership's Job Description

by Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.  (reprinted with permission)

Every one of us is a leader.  You may be the leaders of a business, corporation, a nation, your children, an organization or your own life.  Regardless of who or what you lead, you have a job to do as a leader.  Almost every job comes with a job description ... except being a leader.  I know there are dozens of books available describing "leadership" usually in some kind of organization.  there are few, if any books describing how to successfully lead your own life.  To partially fill that void, below are a few suggestions.

LET IT REALLY SINK IN - THEN CHOOSE.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"