Busyness

Posted by on November 1, 2010

I always receive the highest evaluation scores when I speek on the subject of how to set personal priorities for own life.  The major point of my presentation is that we are all overscheduled because of the wireless connected culture we live in today and we must find a way to say no to many of the things that are robbing us of the priorities we care about the most.

I use a time matrix diagram devleoped by Stephen Covey that divides all of our daily lives into four quadrants that are based on the two variables of urgency and importance.  Everything that is urgent demands some action immediately and the things that are important may not.

If something is urgent and important then it should be done.  It could be a doctor’s appointment personally or a major project at work that is due this week.  Hopefully for most of us at least the majority of our day should be spent in this category.

The next area is all the things that are urgent but not important.  The blackberry is screaming for attention, the inbox is full and there are meetings on the schedule.  The problem here is that we have assumed that because something is urgent it must be important.

Another very unproductive area includes the things that are not urgent but they are not important either.  The danger here is that when we get home in the evening we want to run away and hide with hours of meaningless T.V. or surfing the net.

The single most important category is the things that are not urgent but very important.  This is where family, friends, faith and all of our important relationships reside.  Most of the time our family and our friends will not demand our immediate attention but if we neglect them long enough they will move into the urgent category and we will all suffer the consequences.

The only way to find time for the things that really matter is to stop doing so many of the things that really don’t.

 

 

 

 

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Integrity

Posted by on October 26, 2010

The battle for our personal character is won or lost based on our integrity.  This means that there can be no hypocrisy between what we say we believe is important and what we actually are doing on a daily basis.  It is more than simply walking your talk becasue your talk is based on truth and core values that add value to others.

It is the keeping of promises and commitments to ourselves and then to others.  When you have it people can trust you because they know you are genuine, real and authentic.

Integrity is demonstrated in personal relationships with other people in two critical ways.  One is that we maintain confidentiality when dealing with others in matters where discretion is important.  Instead of using other people’s failures to get what we want we help them to get what they need.  In essence we never use their acknowledged weakness to hold it over them to get them to act in a certain way and we would never betray their trust by talking to other people.

We also make sure that we never fall into the trap of saying negative things about other people publicly that we have not first talked with them about privately.  When people hear you saying bad things about people who are not in the room, they know one day they will not be in the room either.  Being critical of other people in public never helps them and it creates a culture of positioning people in conflict with each other.

If something is not important enough to say to another person privately then it is certainly not important enough to criticize them openly in front of other people.

 

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Weaknesses

Posted by on October 24, 2010

All of us have them but the real question from a personal and professional leadership standpoint is what should we do about them?  In the old days of positional leadership everyone was encouraged to work on improvement in every area so they could be the best overall leader possible.

Of course if our weaknesses are in the character area we must do whatever it takes to eliminate the wrong attitudes and negative behavior.  Beyond that spending a major amount of time trying to gain some small advantage in any area where you have no skills or passion is basically a waste of time.

Regardless of the time invested and the seminars attended if you are not creatively wired then you probably never will be.  If you are not gifted at project management then just working at it harder and longer will not produce significant results.

For the maximum amount of return and to make the largest impact you must prioritize working in the areas of your strengths.  This is where you are naturally strong and your passion fuels what you do every day and not your job description.

There are many different types and styles of effective leaders.  What you must determine is what do I uniquely bring to the table for the leadership assignment I have been given that sets me apart for this specific role. 

You may be a nine or ten in only one particular aspect of leadership but if you know what that is and you primarily stay in your strength zone then your ultimate impact will be incredible.  Most people are not willing to pay the price to be a ten at anything they had rather spend their time working on their weaknesses.

 

 

 

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Situational Leadership

Posted by on October 21, 2010

The one word that best describes the leadership model of the last century is positional.  Most of the major decisions were made at the top and the role of the team was to merely execute the plan.

When you move to the new models of leadership today the one word that best describes these styles is participative.  This simply means the team is involved in helping form the priorities and strategies in addition to execution.

When hiring a leader for the old model you found the best person that fit the job description.  Then the team would adjust to the style of the new leader.

Today situation leadership is the key model in these highly participative team dynamics.  It is now the responsibility of the leader to shift his or her style to the needs of each team member and the chemistry of the team as a whole.

The needs of the team members and the team as a whole will shift based on their competency and commitment levels.  These levels will always change depending upon the task or project at hand and that is the whole point of validating the need for situational leadership.

If a person has very low competency based on lack of experience then a more hands on directive approach is needed.  On the other hand if there is high commitment and high competency then the leader should shift to delegation.

The poor communication that is produced by misalignment between leaders and followers is the major factor in decreased productivity within our organizations. 

 

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The Juice is Gone

Posted by on October 17, 2010

I freely acknowledge that this post is not going to be for everyone.  However, if you are a growing Christian and working in the corporate world it may be exactly what you need to hear.

As we mature in our relationship with Christ we start to see things the way He does and not the way the world does.  Most people at work are motivated by power, pleasure, position and pride.

Even for us as Christians we get caught up in what kind of car we drive, the clothes we wear and the houses we live in.  Our success status can even be defined by where we are in the leadership ladder at church.

When we grow to the point of real spiritual brokenness we move beyond success to significance. This means that we realize that the only lasting thing that really matters at work are the people and not the profits or performance reviews.

 For the first time in our lives all the things that used to be important no longer motivate us in light of eternity.  We often ask ourselves a thousand years from now will this really matter.  Now we have moved from Success to Significance to Surrender.  The old juice is gone.

Now your career has become your calling.  No, you do not need to quit your job and go to seminary because you are headed for Africa.  You need to live your new Christian life right where you are with reckless abandon for the glory of God.

 

 

 

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Leaving Legacy

Posted by on October 12, 2010

The real question is not will you leave a legacy but what kind will it be?  An even more important question is what do you want it to be?

It is amazing how proficient we have become in establishing clear and attainable goals in the business sector.  We can break down our plans into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, and beyond to ensure that we accomplish what we have determined is important.

I am convinced the reason we do not give the same amount of passion and excellence to our private lives is that we have never taken the time to define what is really important.  This lack of prioritization leads to a hope it all works out mentality that would not last for one week in the hit your numbers or else corporate sector.

Most people I have talked with over the years will tell you that in the end the personal part of their life that includes family and friends is really more important to them than the public part.  If so, then why this huge disconnect?

It all goes back to understanding Covey’s time matrix in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  Almost everything in our public lives fits into the urgent category.  They demand that we respond even though many of the things we do every day are not really important at all.

The people we care about the most fit into an important category that is not urgent.  Ball games, piano recitals and dates with your spouse will not scream in your face but they are the things that make up your legacy.

Don’t wait for the heart attack or cancer, have the courage to take a major time out and define in very specific terms what really matters so that in the end you will leave this world a better place than you found it.

 

 

 

 

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Peter Principle

Posted by on October 10, 2010

Every leadership expert that I have read in the last five years understands that the most important asset for any organization is the people who are on your team.  If you have not transitioned from the industrial age to the information age in how you are leading your people you will not be able to compete in the new global economy.

Good to Great makes the point about getting the right people on your bus and making sure you get the wrong ones off.  There is also a priority on verifying that everyone is in the right seat on the bus.

This is where the Peter Principle can create blind spots within your organization.   Just because someone has been a very effective employee in the past does not mean they can continue to be effective in the future.

The natural tendency is when someone does a good job they eventually assume even greater responsibility.  They were the best customer service representative you had when your company started and there were less than one hundred accounts.

When the company reaches three hundred accounts then other customer service representatives are brought on board and now your best practices representative just became a manager of other people.  After all they deserve the job because they have tenure, expertise and loyalty to organization.

There is only one major problem; they are not gifted or passionate about managing a customer service department that one day will grow to over one hundred employees.   These once great team members who are no longer effective have been promoted beyond their capabilities and that is why they are failing.

Never assume that because someone is great in one discipline they can naturally transition to leading others in the same area.  If you do not watch this one very carefully you run the risk of a dysfunctional customer service department and tragically loosing a once great employee in the process.

 

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Courage

Posted by on September 29, 2010

One of the most important character qualities of effective leaders is courage.  It is the ability to act in the midst of adversity and seemingly difficult circumstances.

Courage flows out of our core values as individuals because they give us clarity when we are in the midst of conflict and confusing situations.  When you believe you are doing the right thing for the right reason then you can make good decisions.

It takes courage to pay the price to change the culture of any organization because you know there will be resistance.  However, when you know it is the best interest of the people involved you can act with conviction because you know they will be benefited when the transition is complete.

It takes courage to admit you were wrong and did not make the right decision.  When people know you are keeping it real it will not cause them to respect you less but just the opposite they will trust you more as leader.

It takes courage to terminate an underperforming employee that is liked by everyone and who does not want to go.  You must believe that it will benefit your team and that it is ultimately for their good to get them to a place where they can be successful.

It takes courage to walk away from all the good things that you could be doing to concentrate only on the best things.  Leaders with courage can say no with emphasis although all the rest of the world is saying yes.

 

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Final Performance Review

Posted by on June 14, 2010

 

We have all had good and bad experiences with this wonderful but sometimes problematic annual rite of passage in corporate America.  It is always helpful to know what is expected of you and to hear from your superiors how they think you are doing.

As Christians we must never forget that ultimately our real employer is our heavenly Father. Because of the price He paid for our redemption we should have a passion to live our lives in reckless abandonment to His will.

His expectations are very clear as we are going about our everyday lives we are to be spreading the aroma of His grace to all of the people we come in contact with in every situation.  Our lives should be living epistles to be known and read by all at home, at work and in the normal patterns of life.

As we unconditionally minister grace to other people we are earning the trust and opportunity to share with them the reason of the hope that lies within us.  Our conviction is that stuff and success don’t really matter in the end but what we have done to move others toward knowing Christ does.

Jesus said it so clearly that it cannot be missed as the Father has sent Him into world He now sends us. We are to be storytellers of His personal grace and compassion in our lives and hope givers for all the broken people who live in utter despair.

During my final performance review I only want to hear one comment, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

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Light The Fuse

Posted by on June 10, 2010

 

Lighting the fuse is an appropriate analogy for any leader who is about to initiate a significant change process. If you make a mistake during this critical process the whole situation can figuratively blow up in your face leaving your people and your organization in worse condition than before you started.

 It is never enough to just do the right thing, you must do the right thing, the right way, and especially at the right time.  There are at least four major reasons for initiating the change process:

  1.  Need Must Be Met—this would appear to be the easiest of all the reasons after all there is someone or something that is not right and we can make it better.  However, rarely does everyone in your group see this need in the same way and many may not be directly motivated by this cause at all.  Be careful of needs that only touch a limited constituency. 
  2. Opportunity Should Be Taken—this one requires everyone to look out into the future and see a new reality that is better than the one they are in today.  This requires maximum amount of visionary leadership to paint a picture that people can embrace to the point they are willing to move forward.
  3. Problem Can Be Solved—here again one person’s problem is merely another person’s distraction.  Compelling reasons must be given that this situation not only if affecting people in a negative way but if it is not resolved it will only become worse.
  4. Crisis Threatens Our Future—now you have an issue that can be communicated in such a clear and dramatic way because if it is not dealt with the future of this group of people or organizations is in peril.  Never take a problem and try to turn it into a crisis for impact sake because people will see through the clever marketing and lose confidence in the leader.

The bottom line for any leader is that you have a very limited amount of leadership capital with your people so spend it wisely.  Most people will only be motivated to change when the pain of the present is clearly worse than their fear of the future.  Be careful not to judge them for that because to some degree we are all the same way.

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