Are You an “Accidental Leader” Because You’re Out of Position? Pt.II
You may be trying to operate your own business, but it just doesn’t seem to be working. You know something’s wrong, but you don’t know what. What I’ve written in this post expands on the post in pt I of this series, and will help you discern if you’re out of position. Meaning you’re in the wrong role for what naturally fits you. (Now I’m all for temporarily doing this to gain great perspective, and acquire new skills. However, stay in the wrong roll too long, and it’s called STRESS!) Don’t lose hope though, I run into entrepreneurs all the time who struggle with this very issue, and yet gained the necessary assistance and are now highly successful. One way, is to create a culture of accountability, and then to plug into it. There are ways you can make a position that doesn’t fit you, still work! But first you have to recognize the cold hard facts, be brutally honest with yourself. Then you can create an action plan that works, and fits you. So, if you’re ready to discern your situation, let me ask you if any of the below scenarios and/or feelings sound like you?
-
You have employees to supervise, but you loathe, no you despise confrontation and avoid it at all cost!
-
You prefer instead, to allow things to work out on their own.
How’s that working for you? Things won’t work out on their own-they usually escalate and get worse.
-
In fact, you know you’ve got someone out of position, when a company-wide policy is made for everyone, instead of correcting to the one person abusing the system.
-
You’d rather fix things, and work around the facility, than deal with people, avoiding them until absolutely necessary.
-
You don’t have a natural sense of what to do to motivate, lead, and redirect those in your charge. Worse yet, you’ve never been given any formal training on how to be a successful leader – manager. If this is the case, please HEAR ME. This was not your fault! Let me say that again, “You are not to blame for being in this position!” However, that said, you have no excuse to not take the responsibility to obtain the tools and skills necessary to successfully influence and lead, even if you only have two employees! In fact, every personality style can be an effective, successful leader, by using their personality style appropriately, along with maximizing their strengths, while delegating or eliminating their weaknesses! In fact, what some would consider natural leaders, can be the very worst leaders, leading like a bull in a china shop! I liken this to a strong willed horse that’s never been broken. They’ve never learned to bring their strengths “Under Control” to best utilize them. Luckily, we live in a day and age where resources on this topic are in abundance! GREAT materials, books, DVD’s, mp3′s, and podcasts on the subject are prolific, especially at our public library. In fact, go to my LinkedIn profile and you can see my reading list filled with some of the best in leadership.
Stay tuned. In part III of this leadership series, you’ll find how and when it’s time to move on, or step down from the frustration of trying to be something you have never enjoyed, and have never felt successful doing! You will also discover how to best adapt your style to be the best leader/manager you can be, and how and why a Business Development Coach or Executive Coach can be your best resource to assist you and your organization in establishing successful leaders and managers of every behavioral style.
Are You an “Accidental Leader” Could You Possibly be Out of Position? Pt I
Did someone wave a wand and say: “POOF”, thou art a manager –NOW LEAD!
Are you, or someone you know, in the wrong role/position in your company? Did someone wave a wand and say: “POOF”, thou art a manager –NOW LEAD! But you have NO CLUE WHAT THAT MEANS or what you’re to do differently? There could be all kinds of reasons you’re out of position:
-
Your personality doesn’t align with the requirements of the role – i.e. say the position needs someone who is commanding, one who is able to change easily and move quickly. However, you’re a process person and like large amounts of details to then check, double check, and even triple check before you make a move. If so, then you’ll be frustrated in this role, along with making everyone around you frustrated.
-
Talents – say you’re very gifted with high amounts of creativity, but you don’t have an outlet to use it . . .
-
Your education didn’t support this role, and you’ve been struggling to try to make it work, but no matter how hard you try, you feel like you’re always behind.
-
The experiences you’ve had didn’t prepare you for this role, and your interests don’t align either
This doesn’t mean you’re bad or wrong, it just means that this role/position is not a natural fit for you. You can still stretch yourself and take on the role. However, be aware that it will take considerably more effort, energy, and possible skill sets you don’t now have to fulfill. Not to mention you may not enjoy it. Another way you’ll know you’re not in the best role for you when required to be THE leader, is if:
-
Setting the big-picture vision isn’t natural for you, and instead is difficult!
-
Directing people – such as: Providing them with the instructions as to what to do, which may be impossible for you to do – due to your personality style. For some personality styles, and I know it’s hard for some of us to fathom, this would mean confrontation to them.
-
Correcting and leading people is difficult and/or frustrating for you, so you’ll avoid it like the plague!
If these sentences resonate with you, then you’ve got another clue that you are an “Accidental Leader”. If so, then one solution for you is to acquire a Business Coach to assist you to discern why you may be discontent, ineffective, and possibly even miserable in the position you’re currently in. If you do, then you’ll receive the assistance to be successful!
On a positive note, I’ve had the most amazing opportunity to pursue what I’ve loved, and what fits me, for the past 35 years. Because of my supportive husband, I was given the gift of creating and designing a career that I thrive in, am passionate about, and which gives me the ability to continually grow with and into. My life mission emerged from one class here and an experience there. As a result, along with my personality, certifications, and education over the years, it has slowly emerged, until one day I realized I was The epitome of an “Accidental Leader”. I didn’t begin with the end in mind, as Covey recommends. I didn’t set out to be a “Business Coach”, that didn’t exist when I went to college. And I didn’t set out to pursue being a leader or trainer, however I was strategic about each small thing I pursued, until it cumulatively transpired into this awesome role called a Business Coach, Executive Coach and Corporate Trainer. Like a puzzle that emerges from the similar colors, shapes, and connectivity of its’ pieces, I now help others to be strategically excellent, by making sure their life and work aren’t built upon accidents, but on the best of what they bring to this world, aligning themselves with the people they’re suppose to connect with and serve.
10 Ways to Ignite the Fire In Your Business and Fall Back in Love With What You Do
Take the TWENTY ONE DAY CHALLENGE to clear out the cobwebs from your mind and heart, while you gain fresh perspective, hope, and faith for your business!
-
Refresh, or completely make a new “Vision Board” with all your “Why’s”, those deep
seated reasons why you do this business in the first place. Also called your “burning desire.
-
Start a daily journal and list three things you love about what you do each day.
-
Also write in your journal your hopes for what your business will look like, feel like, what you will accomplish, and provide when you are successful.
-
Set goals to ramp-up your marketing for 21 days. Choose three marketing strategies off-line, and three online that you will implement during the challenge. (I’ll suggest strategies in other posts)
-
For 21 days go on a “Negativity Fast” where you refuse to moan, groan, sigh, complain, or say anything negative about yourself, or your business. (More on this in a future post)
-
For 21 days turn your car it into your “Mobile Encourager.” Instead of listening to music, or other things in your car, listen to motivational CD’s, trainings, or MP’3s.
-
Take one day a week, for the next 3 weeks, to tackle those projects you’ve been putting off, that weigh you down. Set realistic goals. Use a timer to get you started, and help you to finish them.
-
If you can, hire a Professional Organizer (if not, ask a friend who you’ve invested in, that is detail oriented, to assist you!) Have them help you de-clutter, refresh, and renew your work space. Make it an office you love spending time in.
-
Go to five people who really know you, telling them your coach has given you an assignment to ask them to help you by sharing:
Three things you’re good at doing, and three character qualities you possess which will help you be a great business owner.
Be sure to write them down, so you can revisit them when you need encouragement.
10. Lastly, as a Business Coach one of my favorite recommendations to assist owners in avoiding burn-out is to take one day during the month and schedule a “Retreat With Yourself.” Get away somewhere special to contemplate, meditate, pray and listen! (Suggestions for what you could do on this one day, will be another blog post)
So, which of these sound like suggestions you think would be good to take? And, if you hope to do the challenge, please let me know!
The Value of the Traditional Generation
DON’T PUT THE TRADITIONAL GENERATION OUT TO PASTURE – INSTEAD MAKE THEM MENTORS OF GENERATION Y, THE MILLENNIALS!
So what is the purpose in understanding the generations when it comes to business? Let me show you. You see, the way the Traditional Generation grew up they are:
Practical
Logical
Dedicated
Prefer to work in a stable environment
Would rather save than spend
Now, who wouldn’t want that on their staff? In fact, their values guide them to sacrifice for the greater good, so if they perceive this to be your company, they’ll be loyal, faithful, dedicated, and respectful to the end. Above all else, they want to feel they have something to offer, therefore don’t put them out to pasture, especially now. Soon, very soon they’ll be gone, but while we have the chance, we have a whole new generation that has emerged on the workforce scene, the Millennial or Generation Y. This generation mirrors more of the values of the Traditional Generation and they welcome an opportunity to be mentored by them. Could you see the usefulness in this? And remember, they’ve been through The Great Depression, bread lines, and WWII, so they have enduring patience, and understand the meaning of sacrifice, so they won’t be petty, and instead of running off with your office supplies, they’ll find ways to cut corners. If you have someone of the Traditional Generation on your staff, you have a gold mine of not only stability, but you have one of the “keepers” of experience and character.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my career, as a Business Coach, is to be a kind of business match maker. There is not much better, in my line of work, than to being able to find a talented, quality person and be able into a company who has a gap they fit perfectly. While I can, and while we still have these pillars in our community, I’m on a mission to find great positions for this generation!
As a Business Coach I Want to Provide a Fresh Perspective of the Baby Boom Generation to Decrease Any Frustration From Misconseptions
In order to be effective leaders and collaborators with the boomer generation, we have to discern what made them who they distinctively are, in comparison with the other generations!
The Baby Boomer Generation 1946-1964 (18 yrs.)78 million strong
(The “Me” Generation) Optimistic and Competitive, “The: “Question Authority” Generation – we were to change the world (According to our parents that is!)
PEOPLE who shaped the culture of this generation:
John F Kennedy Martin Luther King Star Trek
Richard Milhous Nixon The Beetles Elvis
Barbara Streisand Partridge Family Janis Joplin
The Rolling Stones Captain Kangaroo Dr. Spock (children)
Father Knows Best “Deep Throat” Gloria Steinem
PLACES that shaped the culture of this generation:
The Watergate Hotel Hanoi Hilton Chappaquiddick
Woodstock Kent State The Suburbs
Planned Parenthood Boonie Pty’s Hitchhiking
CENTRAL EVENTS that shaped their future views on almost everything:
Civil Rights Marches Watergate Hotel Sexual Revolution
Creation of the PILL Concerts Burning the flag
Man on the Moon Cuban War Crisis Oil Embargo
Creation television Space Travel Rebellion toward govt.
Vietnam The draft The Cold War
Laugh-In Love-Ins Sit-Ins
THE CREATION OF:
The Television The Pill Bell Bottoms
Halter Tops Mood Rings Beads and Strobe
Lights Marijuana, LSD, Heroin
Dripping Candles Long Hair/No bra
Again, the number one mistake most people make is to think that the other generations must view things, understand things, and think things like, well like “we” do. Different doesn’t mean wrong, just different! And, when we look closely at what made the ideals, views, and outlooks of the generations, what made them they the way they are today, we can see why the Traditional Generation places such a high value on the Government and obeying authority, it’s what won two world wars, and carried them through the Great Depression! Why they are such penny pinchers who live by the slogan: “Waste not want not!” In the same say you can also see that when the Vietnamese War arrived why the Boomers rose up against it. Now I didn’t say this was right or wrong, I’m just saying it is understandable that we didn’t just go along with what we felt was a gross misjudgement on the part of our government! We didn’t just accept and obey, we questioned EVERYTHING, swinging the opposite direction from the beliefs and values of our parents. It makes sense, when we look at the history that shaped us, why we Boomers are a driven generation, consumed by our work. In fact, most of us don’t even plan on retiring. This was because our parents said we could do anything, be anything, and by golly we were going to fulfill their expectations and more. We weren’t going to have to live like our parents, with an outhouse, war, and depression, we were instead going for the gusto, the real deal! Can you see what molded our thinking and our drive from the above scenarios? As a Business Coach I encounter the values clash in the workplace almost daily. The Traditionalists value earning their place on the leadership team, while accepting the input of their manage as the gospel without question. Boomers however, want to process decisions, to meet and plan the “right” option. Because we grew up with 78 million peers, we had to learn to work together and on teams, so we do the same in the work environment. Yet to stand out from among this large crowd, created a kind of competitiveness and drive that keeps us going, and going, and going. Can you see the way our differences emerged? I find this fascinating! And there is so much more I will review and reveal in the next post, to put parts of the generational puzzle together! We’ll get into the best way to market to each generation, and even how to lead them while demystifying some of the wrong assumptions we tend to work off of, and hopefully you’ll find useful information to make your efforts to collaborate and work with the different generations a peasant experience.
Your Coaching Challenge: Talk with someone from the Traditional Generation: (born between 1920 and 1945) and ask them questions about growing up, and what they had to live with, or without. Then do the same with a Boomer, all the while discerning the differences in their approaches to things and why. Then write about your experience below for us to learn from as well! And enjoy the process!
As a Business Coach, I’m Always Looking for GREAT Content For My Readers! Follow This Infographic and be Inspired!
Deviating From Our Generations in the Workplace Series, I Just Couldn’t Pass This Great Offer to Post on My Blog.
Hope you enjoy, and then implement. Please implement, or it’s just a great picture called an infographic. After you’ve done that, post it on Facebook and other sites so we can see how you’re using it. Cheers, and best to you, and happy blogging!
Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger .
Working With Others Requires We Gain Generational Intelligence!
HOW YOU SEE: FAMILY LIFE, RELIGION, LEISURE TIME, AND YOUR WORK ARE ALL SHAPED BY THE DAY AND AGE IN WHICH YOU GREW UP!
When I discovered GENERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, I knew I had stumbled upon a tool as profound and enlightening as the day I discovered Behavioral Styles. An understanding of this information has transformed not only how I view people, but has had a profound impact on how I work with and coach clients. Learning about Generational Cohorts is similar to learning a new language. This skill-set takes practice to learn and implement. My intent, over the next few weeks, is to spark your intrigue, so you will hopefully want to learn more. As a Business Coach, this is one of the issues creating conflict in the workplace, now learn why!
Along with genetics, behavioral styles, modality, birth order, our generational makeup is at the forefront of how we see the world, view our circumstances, and live out what we value most. We were molded, to a large degree, by the events and conditions we experienced during the formative years of our lives.
A Generational Cohort is Made Up Those Who Share in:
-
A Similar History
-
Beliefs, Values
-
Like-minded Attitudes, and Culture
The number one mistake most people make is to think that the other generations must view things, understand things, and think things, like …well like we do. Different doesn’t mean wrong, just different!
Let’s first look at the TRADITIONAL GENERATION, and some of what makes them who they are first!
A FEW PEOPLE who shaped the culture of this generation:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt John Wayne Bob Hope
Joe DiMaggio Duke Ellington Babe Ruth
Dr. Spock (not Star Trek) Marilyn Monroe Katherine Hepburn
A FEW PLACES that shaped the culture of this generation:
Pearl Harbor Normandy Iwo Jima
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Bay of Pigs Midway
Dance Clubs Where you lived, N or S
SOME CENTRAL EVENTS that shaped their future views on almost everything:
WWI & WWII The “A” Bomb Prohibition
The Great Depression The Roaring 20′s Tent Revivals
The New Deal
Look back on the above information about the Traditional Generation, answering these questions in the reply post below regarding.
-
Why are they fiercely loyal regarding our country and their family?
-
How do you think they view authority? Why was it important to obey without questioning?
-
Why were these slogans part of their make-up? ”Waste not, want not” and “A penny earned, is a penny saved.” and part of their very makeup?
-
Looking over their lives above (with this limited information) can you see what they would value at work? Explain your answer.
These are the cliff notes of a full-day workshop Sue delivers as a speaker or trainer. Although the information is limited, I hope you receive the gist of this post. It won’t be long before this generation won’t be with us in the work place. While they’re still with us, what could we do to value them, and accommodate their specific needs? Something to seriously consider and implement!
Over 20 Values an Executive Coach Provides
The Key Benefits of Enlisting a Business Coach 
The other day I was meeting with a woman who asked me, “Sue I know what a Life Coach does, but I don’t know the purpose of an Executive/Business Coach?” Well, it’s not counseling, and it’s not consulting, although I shift into this mode frequently. The best way I can describe it is for you to think of a coach of an Olympic Athlete. Now, that elicits exactly what we do, but for a business leader. We are your greatest supporter, your cheerleader, and a bit of a velvet brick. Our purpose is to ensure you become successful:
- To challenge, develop, and assist you in improving your leadership skills.
- Uncover and develop your unique leadership style.
- Provide essential feedback regarding gaps in your skills and abilities. Discovering feedback in a safe, private environment.
- Reveal so you can abort any self-sabotaging ways which would jeopardize your leadership and your job.
- Expedite the improvement of your time management and organizational skills.
- Help you to develop greater abilities in making appropriate, time bound decisions.
- Establish concrete goals for change and progress.
- Someone to hold you ACCOUNTABLE to do the things you know you need to do, to become the leader you aspire to be.
- A uniquely rich development opportunity to truly discover all you were meant to be.
- Have a non-partisan, non judgmental, objective third party who is an impartial sounding board.
- Assistance to execute key business initiatives.
- Help in balancing work and life priorities.
- Cultivate exceptional ability to influence those you lead.
- Development of your unique personal mission, vision, and values.
- Reduce turnover while building loyalty and retention.
- Successfully navigate the white waters of conflict.
- Enhance and fine-tune your decision making skills, learning to appropriately evaluate business risks, while navigating any politically entrenched environment.
- Inspire peak performance in employees by employing fresh leadership insights.
