Are You A Loner Leader, Or Do You Need Support?

Catch the Fire Of a Mastermind Team

I’ve recently come across a great opportunity to be connected to other like-minded business leaders/owners who want not only business support and business coaching, but accountability. It’s a brilliant mastermind group, built on a phenomenal platform where right on the call the moderator can break you out into teams to work one-on-one with your accountability partner. Already I’ve learned some great information and resources I would have otherwise missed, and not only that, but there is also a 20 minute training given by some outstanding business person. Did you ever know you needed something, but weren’t sure what it was until you found yourself smack-dab in the middle of it, and the lights go off? Well, for me, this mastermind group is it. It’s virtual, it’s laser focused, and best of all, it’s professionally organized by a very sharp leader in our industry, Cathy Demers . I just hate it when my time is wasted, and I could have accomplished 10 or more things on my list instead. I don’t feel this way when I’m in my mastermind.  I love sharing with you the best of the best resources out there, so check it out, it just might be that “thing” you’ve been looking for to take your business to the next level as well.  To learn more, either click on the banner to the upper right hand side of this post, or above on the word Mastermind.   Here’s to your success, cheers!

Managing to Succeed as a Boss and Leader!

What Great Managers Do With their Employees, To Add Value to Their Company

Here’s where the rubber meets the road in successful businesses where people feel valued for their contributions! Managing people is all about developing other people to bring out their unique:

• talents
• gifts
• personality
• knowledge, and education
• skills

to meet the needs of their position at work.  Great managers develop and release their employees by assisting them through training, coaching, directing, supporting, encouraging, and delegating.  Lee Iaccoca managed to lift Chrysler Motors back from varying challenging issues including labor disputes and bankruptcy.  Through it all he managed to maintain his value of “succeeding at the people level”.  What this meant was that he insisted, and I quote:  “In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words,

“PEOPLE – PRODUCT & PROFITS.
PEOPLE come first.”

If fact one of my very favorite quotes states that to be a superb leader, or manager:

“You need to develop the skill of:
MAKING OTHER PEOPLE FEEL IMPORTANT.”
Dr. John C. Maxwell

In fact,

“No man will make a great leader who wants to
do it ALL himself,
or to get the credit for doing it!”
Andrew Carnegie

Again, management isn’t about you.  It’s about what you can do with and through others to build and develop them, while simultaneously meeting the mission, vision, and strategic plan of the company. J. Paul Getty, the wealthy oil mogul, when asked what was the most important quality of a successful executive replied:

“It doesn’t make much difference how much other knowledge
or experience an executive possesses.  If he is unable to achieve results
through people, he is worthless as an executive!”

Are you hearing a similar theme?  As a leader, it’s about extracting from your people, their very best on behalf of the company, in ways that honor, value, and build them. You get to make a difference in someone else’s life.  Because of you, they can gain a new skill, learn a new competency, or even be directed toward their dream position and ultimately live a fulfilling work life.  You have the opportunity to “be” the difference in each and every employee who calls you their boss. So, it’s important that you get the right perspective on your position, and learn what great leaders/managers say and do to create great employees.  A great leader says, as they work with their employees, “How can I make those around me more successful?” In fact, one of the very best questions you can ask yourself to evaluate why you are a leader, to discern what your motive is in carrying the title leader/manager/supervisor while you support, coach, direct, and lead the people under you is:

“Am I building people?
Or, am I building my dream
and using people to do it.”
Fred Smith of Federal Express

This question goes to the heart of why you are in this role, what your motivation is.  In fact, when you correctly understand what your “Job Description” is, you will begin to understand that everyone you work with is hungry. Yes, that’s right.  They’re hungry to be understood, to feel worthwhile, important, and ultimately in their own way, to be recognized as valuable . . . valuable to you and to the organization you both work for.  And you know you’ve reached this level of leadership when instead of feeling like you’re going to throw-up when you’re reading or hearing something like this, that speaks to the soft side of business, – like I myself use to feel;  instead, hearing this now resonates with you, motivating you to work toward finding out how you can genuinely meet the unspoken needs of those who are a part of your tribe, who call you boss.

Your “Emotional Fortitude” and “Set Back” Factor Determine Your Success or Failure as a Business Owner or Corporate Leader pt II

March is dedicated to “Overcomers!” Those who won’t be held down!

So, let me ask you, do you:

• Complain about your employees at least once a week?

• Freak out about customers, and how they treat you?

• Feel like you’re going to have a melt down, or are having regular melt downs?

• Have issues once or twice a week that throw you into emotional turmoil?

• Feel like everyone takes advantage of you at some point?

• Feel like your employees are lazy, unmotivated, getting away with things? Then as a result, come home to your family in knots a lot?

• Blow off steam at home regarding your business or work, once or twice a week?

• Have difficulty making decisions, or sticking to them?

• Hold back from making changes because of the possible consequences?

• Keep thinking things will change, but aren’t doing anything to create the change?

• Have customers or clients that are frustrating, demanding, and are holding you hostage because you allowed them get away with treating you a certain way once, and now they keep expecting it?

• Keep employees who shouldn’t be there? Won’t deal with their issues?

If you said yes to two or more of these, then you are a “VICTIM OF YOUR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES”. It’s your interpretation of the circumstance that is holding you hostage. And because of the interpretation, you haven’t been taking the responsibility necessary to “be” a confident leader that rises above his or her circumstances! Instead you need to:

· Communicate your feelings and standards of operation, then make it stick, along with consequences. Establish boundaries of behavior, for yourself and others. Clearly communicate what your expectations are. If you haven’t done this, then it’s not the fault of your employees or customers/clients. You are allowing yourself to be the “VICTIM”. In fact, if this has gone on for any length of time, then you are not only used to being the “victim”, but you probably continually put yourself in this position, because this is how life goes for you, and you expect it. It’s what you’re use to. If so, you need to get some coaching or counseling, depending upon how deep this trend goes. It is not a sign of failure to get help. Everyone, and I mean everyone, at one time or another, needs this kind of assessment and help!

· Learn to take charge of your emotions. YOU CAN dictate your emotions and circumstance, and how they affect you, rather than allowing your emotions and circumstances to dictate and run your life. Refuse to allow them to throw you into the whirlwind ever again. Say “no” to being a victim – take charge – and accept responsibility from this day on. Here are some great resources for you:

o “Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed by Brian Tracy

o No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy

o Great Little Book on the Gift of Self-Confidence by Brian Tracy

o Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Anthony Robbins

o Developing the Leader Within You / Developing the Leaders Around You (Signature Edition, 2 Best-selling Books in 1 Volume) by John C. Maxwell

o The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

And these are just a few to get you started. Don’t wait. If you’re not a reader, get them on CD and listen to them in the car or when you’re getting ready in the morning. The key is to get started and do something to change your thinking to change your life!

WHY YOU HAVEN’T PICKED YOUR NICHE MARKET MAY REVEAL HOW YOU ARE SABOTAGING YOURSELF IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR BUSINESS pt. I

As a Business Leader, Have You Asked These Questions or Used These Resources?

I’ve recently had a couple of new clients who were struggling with moving forward. After assessing their business, I discovered one element holding them both back, which you may relate to. So let me ask you, do you have a niche, a target audience? If you do, have you collected market intelligence on it? Before you do much marketing at all, this is imperative. Do you know what your target audience is watching, reading, listening to? Are they male or female? What size is their business? What do they do in their free time? Most know a specialist makes more than a generalist, and is also seen as an expert in their field. I could write an entire chapter in a book filled with ways to discover and narrow down your niche, with questions you can ask like: “How do you differentiate yourself and your business from every other person who targets your niche?” and “What can you provide to your niche that no one else does, in a way in which no one else will?” I can also elaborate on all the tools you can use to research your niche, like Digg , where you can find the most interesting and best content your niche is using on the web, or Google Trends , which will clue you into what’s hot in the search engines, and Quantcast.com , that gives you public information for your niche on the popular websites, so you can discover and then visualize what it might be for your own. I could do this, like hundreds of articles you can easily find on Google that describe these tools, and how to use them. As a matter of fact, I have other materials I’ve written where this is included, but pt. II of this article deals with WHY YOU HAVEN’T or WON’T choose your niche, and more profoundly its implication! If you haven’t picked your niche, then from this I can extrapolate you’re probably stuck, and may have been for a while. You’re stuck on a treadmill that’s going round and round, marketing everywhere to everyone, with every method, and you’re genuinely working harder but unfortunately not smarter! And, you may be on the verge of burn-out. You see, if you haven’t isolated you niche, found your tribe, your target audience, one that moves you, inspires and motivates you, then you’re, like “The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey ”! That teaches when you’re trying to be all things to all people, you’ll ultimately loose the very thing you’re trying to save.  This will paralyze you, or at the very least limit you from your most brilliant self where you’ll have a laser sharp focus. Don’t stop reading here, because Part II of this article will deal with “why” you are finding it difficult to choose your niche, your target market, and the implications of this to the rest of your business, as well as how to get unstuck and build confidence!

IS FAILURE A PREREQUISITE TO SUCCESS?

How You Can Expedite Success as a Leader by Learning From,and being Mentored by, the Mistakes of Others.

We all experience failure. In fact, the most successful people fail hundreds, if not thousands of times, before they succeed.  One of my favorite books, “Failing Forward” by Dr. John C. Maxwell , teaches you how to handle failure maturely, and to grow through it.  In fact,

”Success is failure turned inside out ”

Although, this is not what this blog is about.  Instead, my question to you is; do you have to make all the failures yourself, to learn the necessary lessons to be a successful owner/leader/manager, or,

Is there a better way to expedite the process

and skip certain mistakes and failures altogether?

Although there are inevitable instances where “You just don’t know WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW’. Therefore, you have to experience it for yourself to “get it”.  Could there be another way to beat the learning curve here?  Unequivocally, I believe there is.  We all possess blind spots which are obvious to others, while simultaneously hidden from our view.  The good news is:

These blind spots CAN BE uncovered, exposed,

and eliminated before impending disaster.

This, along with the amalgamation of education and training, you can expedite the learning process of a leader, circumventing problems and crisis altogether!

So again, I believe failure does not have to be

the prerequisite to your leadership success!

Brian Tracy says:

“You can have anything you want in life if you can first decide exactly what it is, and then do the things that others have done to achieve the same results.”

As the “Accidental Leader”, my passion is to help you eliminate the very mistakes and poor judgment which owners/executives/leaders commonly make.  This is done through a process of assisting you in:

1. Self discovery; while
2. Setting up processes and systems that put the needed accountability and ongoing training in place to lead a well run company or organization.

Through the use of a:

• “Needs Analysis” to assess where the gaps are in your training, skills, education and processes
• A Behavioral Style Profile – “DISC” to understand yourself and others.  So you will be able to inspire, motivate, and lead your team effectively.
• 360 Degree Profile to acquire a complete view of how you’re doing all around, by measuring where you are according to what makes people successful and . . .
• Personal interviews to get to the heart of the issues

Together we can uncover and discern the blind spots that could sabotage you and eventually implode your company, while at the same time, strategise and putting systems and processes in place for success.  Assessing and training are some of the best skills I bring to the table as an Executive Coach, and why I’m in this profession in the first place.  Because I personally lacked these when I first landed my leadership role, it is:

My mission and passion is to assist leaders

in avoiding the mistakes, failures, and pain

I could have averted myself with the above system

and a good mentor!

Along with reading the numerous excellent:

• books,
• blogs, and
• articles on leadership and business

and a strong compatible mentor, you can circumvent a tremendous amount of:

• mistakes,
• failure, and
• pain.

Besides, I’m sure there will be enough of your own mistakes you will make.  You might as well skip mine, and those of great leaders found in the books and blogs.

Is it too late for me? No, it’s never too late to learn from your mistakes and start all over again.  In fact, it’s the perfect time to take stock, learn what you need to do differently next time, and change.  However to work with me I require that you be:

• willing (willing to try things that are suggested)
• teachable, and
  
• have a positive attitude, or are working on growing with positive outlook.

Through the support, encouragement, direction, and powerful suggestions given to you in coaching, I believe you can leap ahead of the normal leadership success curve!

Napoleon Hill once said:

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.”

YOUR COACHING CONNECTION: Write out three mistakes you’ve made.  Second, write next to them what lessons you learned.  Third, find one other person to share them with.  Someone that you can see would benefit from your knowledge and understanding, so they could hopefully avoid the same mistake.

MOMENTUM STAGE pt. I

EVERYONE IS FEELING AND SENSING THE BIG MO!

People are feeling secure. They know the mission and vision, as well as their place and responsibilities in the organization. Better yet, they are energized by being a part something bigger than themselves. There is electricity and synergy in the air, with momentum building daily. You are personally experiencing a measure of success and are gaining a real sense of feeling secure. As in all the stages, you must continue to live the principles of the previous stages to keep the momentum going. In other words, just because you’ve reached this prominent delightful stage, doesn’t mean you can rest of your laurels!

Key Indicator: People are producing and reaching specific goals at this stage. New Leaders are emerging under your coaching/mentoring.

In This Stage:

• Results are the driving force in this stage.
• There is an excitement, as you not only inspire those around you, but the very reason you bring people together is around a shared purpose and common vision.
• The reason people come together at this stage therefore, is to accomplish a goal, or to meet a deadline. People are willingly giving themselves to a greater cause.
• You find it’s now much easier to lead people, since they are willing participants.
• Morale is high, turnover low. It feels like everything you touch turns to gold.
• You continue to establish purposeful relationships.
• You are meeting more with a select few potential leaders who you are mentoring in order to take specific responsibilities off your plate.
• To continue at this level you must finally delegate and release these leaders under you, ensuring they are trusted, valued members of the group that can carry your values and mission to those under them.
• Once you delegate you must stay in close contact with those who have taken over key responsibilities, continuing the relationship and mentoring process.

“Big people monopolize the listening,

small people monopolize the talking.”

David Schwarts in The Magic of Thinking Big.

PEOPLE DO WHAT PEOPLE SEE

LAW OF THE BIG PICTURE

Dr. John C. Maxwell holds the mirror up to one’s leadership.  He has been my mentor for over 20 years.  When I discovered materials by Maxwell , I hit the treasure trough of leadership wisdom.

I can’t introduce you to someone more influential in my life than this great leader.  In fact, the primer I use for all my Executive Coaching clients is: “Developing the Leader Within You “.  This book reveals, in detail, where you stand as a leader, and exactly what you need to implement, or discontinue in order to grow and develop into an effective, influential leader.  This video is an example of the practical wisdom he shares.

YOU TO CAN CHANGE using Marshall Goldsmith’s Method

Achieving Long term Positive Changes In Behavior

I’ve recently discovered a resource with a goldmine of relevant wisdom and practical applications, Marshall Goldsmith .  Known world wide as the top Executive Coach, he’s down to earth, and fun to listen to as well.

I’ve recently read Marshal’s book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” and have already incorporated a ton of his principles and methodology into my own coaching practice.  In this short video he shares one of these effective initiatives for change.  In fact, this topic fits with my current blogging series on how to move up the 5 levels of leadership, in that to maintain influence you have to mitigate stubborn, opinionated behavior. Ideally getting rid of it completely.  And I’m sharing this because I believe it’s something you too can take advantage of.

Your Coaching Action Plan:

So, let me ask you, if the Generals in the United States Army can handle being confronted on their stubborn, opinionated ways, do you think it could assist you to change as well?  Find someone that will make this method of change stick, and follow this recipe for change. If you can’t, it might be time to hire a coach. Humm . . . something to think about.

IS NOW YOUR TIME TO MOVE INTO LEADERSHIP?

HOW AND WHY YOU NEED TO MOVE UP THE LEADERSHIP LADDER

Companies have discovered it’s cheaper to retain and retrain, than to fire and rehire, when sorting for leadership. During this day and age when boomers are retiring, and half the amount of the current labor force is available (due to Generation X being half the size of the Boomer Generation). We not only have a dearth of people entering the workforce, but what leadership potential there is, lacks the necessary skills to acquire the positions being vacated. This means workforce development begins the minute you’re hired. So remember, the company may be sorting for potential future leaders to develop into the highest leadership level, level 5 leads for executive positions. If you want to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity in the marketplace, you must move through the leadership levels, beginning by mastering Level 1 leadership competencies to then move up to Level 2 leadership. What will you need?

WHAT TO DO TO GROW TO THE SECOND LEVEL, You Must:

• Understand that failure is a prerequisite to success!
• Learn to be a servant leader.
• Develop your confidence. Overcome insecurity.
• Become an expert in your field.
• Grow in humility. (A continuous theme through each stage of development)
• Genuinely, authentically care about people. (Check out my coaching page for help.)
• Create win-win situations for your people.
• Find ways to meet the “mission” of your employees through company initiatives.
• Care about others more than you do about your own personal success or power.
• Develop yourself by receiving mentoring/coaching to uncover and work on your blind spots, i.e., the things that will keep you stagnated at this level.
• Take numerous inventories of yourself, i.e., DiSC, 360 degree, and leadership profiles, for further personal growth.
• Understand your mission and purpose for being in leadership. It’s not to meet some unmet need for acceptance, approval, or acclaim.
• Be more interested in making people feel good about themselves than making people feel good about you.
• Learn to do small talk as you walk by employees and co-workers.
• Don’t play favorites.
• Let people own their ideas, without adding to or tweaking them, as it will demoralize their effort, and transfer ownership to you.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position

that one has reached in life,

as by the obstacles which he has overcome

while trying to succeed.

Booker T. Washington

Leadership pt. 3 What Not to Do That I Did

Do You Have This Fatal Flaw of Leadership

One fatal flaw in leaders that will sabotage their leadership influence and kill their efforts, ultimately causing their organization to implode, is being an “INSECURE LEADER”. Unfortunately, I can again speak with great authority and experience on this subject. Although I have always exuded a confident boldness, which gives the illusion of “being secure”, without training or experience I fell into all of the typical actions and responses insecure leaders exude. Worst of all, because of my insecurity, I “needed” people to prop me up with compliments, approval, and value; along with people showing up for attendance at my meetings to support my efforts. (Now this was over 25 years ago.)  Before I knew it, I was co-dependent on the very ones I was to serve, equip, motivate, support and lead. Ok, ok, so I was only a volunteer over Women’s Ministries, Director of Camps, Supervisor of Sunday School, Director of VBS, Mission Trips Leadership and ran a Summer Master’s Commission program, they were still leadership roles, and the beginning of my love/hate relationship with leadership! In fact, I could write a book about this topic alone, the INSECURITY of LEADERS. For your sake though, I’ll give you the signs and symptoms of an insecure leader, all of which determine the stage of leadership one is on, this one being the “Title Stage”. More than that, I would love to tell you just what I’ve done that has given me freedom from this deadly flaw. If you’d like to know more, please contact me for more information. It’s my absolute favorite topic, training, and a pre-requisite for completing my Executive Coach Training Course. But let me explain more about the “Title Stage”

Title Stage

(This person has no real influence or skill, just a leadership position) They may be a new leader or manager, or one who has had little or no training or understanding regarding the mission and scope of leadership.

At this stage of development they have been appointed and given a title. The titled leader often uses a military, autocratic style of leadership that worked for the traditional generation, and during a war. And yet, if this is the only basis for someone’s authority and influence then they:

• Tend to be dictatorial, autocratic, demanding and controlling in their style

• Most of their actions and reactions are due to being insecure.

• When problems arise they are quick to blame shift without finding out all the facts, for fear that blame for the problem may be placed on them.

• Will make assumptions, again without the facts.

• Are defensive.

• Can’t take responsibility and have difficulty apologizing.

• Get their identity and security from the “title” and being “in charge”.

• Tend to lead by rules, protocol, flow charts and tradition.

• May have been appointed to a position regardless of their skills, talents or leadership influence.

• Expect people to “just do it” because, well “I said so”.

• Will have low moral throughout the organization.

• Will discover that people won’t engage and participate beyond their stated job description. They aren’t motivated by their work, and will only do the bare minimum.

• Use intimidation, threats and manipulation to direct people.

• Want everything to revolve around them, and what they want and need.

• Have people that feel disrespected, unimportant and frustrated.

• Have people who are not empowered to take charge themselves, and receive no rewards for any extra initiative. Instead they may intimidate the one trying to lead.

• Don’t allow their people to question anything, or ask the deeper questions to discover the real problems, issues, or hindrances of the organization.

• Believe that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. This results in unmotivated people who are discouraged.

• Micromanage due to their lack of trust.

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.“  Max DePree

YOUR COACHING ASSIGNMENT:

Take this list above and put a 1, 2, or 3 next to the sentences, 1 meaning least like and 3 meaning most like, and evaluate where you are today.  Want to really “GET REAL“, make copies of it, and have those closest to you rate the sentences about you!  Then be alert to the next posting, I’ll talk about what you need to do to go to the next level OF “LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE”.

STILL WANT TRANSFORMATION: Contact me to learn about my fall coaching programs AccidentalLeader@comast.net to acquire the accountability to become the person you know you can be!

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