A recent article spoke of the importance of developing leaders internally within an organization. The passing away of Steve Jobs was mentioned as an example of organizations that need to plan for the future generation of leaders. Apple is a great company and it will be interesting to see how the new leaders within that magnificent organization respond to the challenges ahead.
The vision, mission and goals of an organization rely upon the leaders within the organization to make it happen through the efforts of the entire team. Leaders must be present at all levels of the company from the CEO level down to the line level supervisor. In fact, good organizations recognize the importance of leadership and begin working with line level employees on leadership development related skill building. Here are three key initiatives to take that will assist any organization in developing leadership internally.
Initiative Number One: Create an Internal Leadership Development Strategy
The first thing to do here is to schedule the time to actually think and properly strategize a complete and comprehensive internal leadership development strategy for the entire organization. Secondly make sure the internal leadership development strategy is complete and comprehensive. Make sure all levels of the organization are covered.
Leadership development is something that must be constantly worked on. The strategy must be built with this in mind. No leader ever reached a point where the people around him/her say that that is good enough he/she does not need to work on anything else. Great leaders are in a state of constant learning and development. Create the strategy with them in mind!
Initiative Number Two: Properly Fund the Strategy
Nothing will kill morale more than promising training and development for employees but having to cancel the training and development for budget reasons. Realistically, budgets do have to be created and resources have to be allocated based on changing and challenging conditions. The annual budget should result in money being allocated to training and development. Make the promises for training and development after the budget is known.
Make sure the importance of training and development gets an equal seat at the table with the various other needs for resources. Remember that failing to properly train and develop future leaders will have a cost to it. Average or poor leaders result in a drop in revenues and customer loyalty ratings.
Initiative Number Three: Measure the ROI for Your Strategy
Leadership development done appropriately will result in improved performance at all levels of the business. Leadership development is not a onetime let's get a quick boost in employee morale type of program. Leadership development should be measured by traditional business performance standards. Here is a short non inclusive list:
- Improved Sales
- Improved Performance
- Higher Customer Loyalty
- Fewer Employee complaints and negative interactions (law suits)
- Less Sick Time
The return on investment should be clearly present. If not, the leadership development program needs to be reviewed and changes made. The results will speak for themselves. Make sure proper measurements are in place. Make changes as necessary. leadership development done appropriately will provide for a competitive advantage. Is it time to develop a leadership development program?
Great communication is a key to being a good leader. Communicating with the entire team can be a challenging thing to take on. An article posted in linked in highlights several key areas in which a leader can increase the level of communication with employees at all levels of the organization. The improvement in communication with employees will result in higher employee engagement. This blog post will highlight five key areas any leader can concentrate on to improve his or her ability to communicate more effectively.
Tip #1: Listen
The most overlooked communication trait of great communicators is the ability to really listen. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated. The best thing any leader can do is take the time to listen to what they have to say.
Change the letters of listen around and the word silent can be found. Listening requires being present and being quiet. This is a skill that can be developed over time. A quick hint to start is to focus on remaining quiet when an employee is speaking. It will be amazing what you will hear.
Tip #2: Ask Lots of Questions
Employees often are not great communicators themselves. They may have great ideas and thoughts that at first blush do not sound like much to consider. Asking lots of good questions to gain clarity about what the employee is actually trying to communicate will result in a ton of useful and practical information. Good leaders ask lots of great questions.
Coaching tip – ask lots of questions during your next five conversations with employees. The results of this will astonish any leader who practices this tip.
Tip#3: Create Action Steps Based on the Conversation
Hearing what is said is crucial but actually acting upon the employees words is where the actual gold is. This can be done in a variety of ways depending on the conversation. Encourage the employee to further the discussion with others and assist that effort by engaging others yourself.
Agree with the employee what next steps will be taken and actually make sure that both of you follow-up. Action steps not taken result in zero progress. Activity will bring results.
Tip #4: Follow Up with the Employee
Good leaders communicate often with members of their team. Follow-up on conversations so the employee knows that what they communicated will be acted upon in some manner. The follow-up can be done directly or through others who have responsibility for the particular issue(s) at hand.
Make sure that you also encourage the employee to follow up. Communication is a two way street and the employee is also responsible for making sure the communication lines remain open. Business can be hectic and chaotic. People make mistakes and forget deadlines sometimes due to heavy workloads. . Follow- up with each other and focus on results.
Tip # 5: Praise Active Participation on Organizational Goals
Great leaders actively seek out times to praise good work and good effort. Employees who take the time to share their thoughts and ideas should be praised and encourages. Leadership is about getting others to engage in activities in support of the vision, mission and goals of the organization. Let everyone know that employee engagement is appreciated and encouraged.
A key component for any leader to master is to have open and honest discussions about performance with members of his/her team. Good leaders are able to achieve success through the performance of others. These discussions can at times be difficult and or painful. A recent article gave some excellent tips as how to have a discussion with an employee experiencing a poor performance. The most important thing to remember about these discussions is to measure them by the result that is subsequently achieved.
This blog article will apply to both the conversation with an employee who is performing well and with an employee is performing below expectations. Here are three helpful hints for engaging in these important conversations.
Hint Number One: Be Prepared
Managers and top level leaders must be adequately prepared for these conversations. This is a conversation that must be based upon facts. The information discussed during these meetings is not theoretical or based upon emotions. Performance is something that must be measureable or how can it possibly be improved upon. A common example is with a sales person who is tasked with achieving certain sales goals within a set period of time. The discussion must be based upon the achievement or failure to hit those numbers.
Additionally, this conversation must be properly scheduled so both parties are aware that it is going to take place. Schedule the appropriate amount of time for a good conversation to take place. Forty-five minutes to an hour is a fair amount of time for a performance conversation. Make sure to have this conversation in a private area with no outside intrusions.
Hint Number Two: It Is A Conversation
Managers and top level leaders often mistake this type of conversation as a disciplinary type of conversation. This is not a disciplinary conversation unless the poor performance is a repeat subsequent to a prior conversation. This applies to both the good performance conversation and the poor performance conversation. This is a great opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation with the employee.
Start the conversation with an honest discussion of the measureable results of their performance. Next allow the employee to talk. This will require the manager or top level leader to listen. Employees who are not performing up to expectations may have some valid points to be made that need management attention so performance can be improved. Equally important, good performance can also be improved based upon input from the employee requiring management assistance. Listen and it will be amazing what the members of your team will tell you! Leaders are responsible for their teams overall performance. Take ownership of this area with all your team members.
Hint Number Three: Set Goals Going Forward
Performance is an issue that needs constant attention. What's next should be a big part of this conversation. Make sure both parties are crystal clear on expectations going forward. This should also be subsequently documented in writing and copies provided to both parties and to the organization as appropriate.
Performance expectations must be clear but so also should training and development opportunities. Performance can be enhanced by providing training and development. Make sure this is a part of the conversation and a part of the goals going forward.
An article published by the Leadership Development group highlighted eight core competencies for critical leadership success. The article makes an important distinction about each and every one of the core competencies. They can all be assessed and most importantly they can all be learned or better stated developed over time. A close look at the eight core competencies reveal that a few stand out. This blog article will discuss in some depth three of the eight core competencies.
Core Competency Number One: Leading People
This is perhaps the most important of all core competencies. Leaders lead others in the pursuit of the vision, mission and goals of the organization. Leadership is not telling other people what to do but rather creating the opportunity for others to engage in activity in furtherance of the vision, mission and goals of the organization. Good leaders display leadership in a variety of ways. There is no one leadership model to follow. Good leaders lead by example. This is seen in a variety of ways such as giving inspirational speeches such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
Good leaders surround themselves with good people and delegate to those people the critical tasks and responsibilities required to get the job done. In short, leaders delegate appropriately and praise those who perform liberally. Good leaders understand that it is not really about them but rather it is about "US"! The ability to develop good leadership skills is possible.
Core Competency Number Two: Strategic Planning
The failure to appropriately plan is essentially planning to fail. Good leaders understand the value of strategic planning. Leaders who understand that strategic planning is not a once a year or even a once a quarter event are able to achieve significantly improved business results. In essence, to good leaders strategic planning is a way of being.
Strategic business planning needs to take place at every level of the organization. Strategic planning done properly will help to build good teamwork because it is done in a collaborative manner. Members throughout the organization must be involved. Obtaining input from as many of the team members as possible provides numerous benefits. Employees who work in an area of the business often have great ideas about how to do things more effectively and efficiently. A good leader listens and makes changes as necessary to gain competitive advantage.
Core Competency Number Three: Inspiring Commitment
Good leaders are able to work with other people to accomplish the vision, mission and goals required for sustainable business success. This cannot be done with employees performing at just an average or even below average level. Employees will go the extra mile for a good leader. Good leaders by their very nature make the people around them better. Inspiring commitment is another way of really saying employee engagement. Engaged employees perform better.
It is true that hiring the right people is crucial to building the right team. Good leaders understand this and work within the organization to make sure the right people are hired. It is the ability to train and develop people after hiring that separates the average company from the industry leaders. Good leaders spend a lot of time training and developing the people who work for them. This makes sense because it is the people themselves who will be asked to perform ninety-nine percent (99%) of the work.
Executive coaching is being utilized with fantastic results by business leaders and professionals to achieve improved results. Articles reflect that the return on the investment is many times at a rate of 5 to 1 to as high as 7 to1. Each month this blog will highlight three reasons to hire an Executive Coach.
Reason #1 Looking To Achieve A Significant Goal In A Short Period Of Time
Busy business leaders and professionals are often faced with opportunities that must be capitalized upon within a short period of time. A major benefit of executive coaching is the ability of the coach to work with the client to achieve results in this area. Executive coaches are able to concentrate on the following areas:
- Create Strategy To Achieve The Goal
- Accountability For Actions Taken
- Delegation Of Other Responsibilities Appropriately
Accomplishment of goals is significantly improved when working with an executive coach. The ability to create the appropriate strategies to achieve the successful accomplishment of the goal requires strategic thinking and time to concentrate. Delegation is an issue many leaders need to improve upon. Finally, accountability is crucial for the achievement of any significant project or goal.
Reason #2 You Prefer An Outside Perspective Of Your Progress
Executive coaches are outside sources of help. They are not subject to the limitations of being an insider. Leaders can and should rely upon their team for input and contribution. However, there are certain conversations and situations that do not easily allow for complete and total honesty to be given. For example, a leader may make a promise to get a certain project or item accomplished by a set date. Subordinates are not in a position to hold the leader accountable. The executive coach is in a great position to do this!
A fresh set of eyes allows for a unique perspective to be provided for. Working in any environment for any period of time will result to some degree in tunnel vision. The executive coach can help to widen that vision by bringing a fresh set of eyes to the table.
Reason #3: Finding The Appropriate Work/Life Balance
Business leaders and professionals are high achievers by nature. They are able to focus on tasks and areas of responsibility and deliver results. Often times this takes a great deal of time and effort. What gets lost in this is the balance of overall life style that brings true value to an individual’s life. Balance of work/life is going to look different for each individual. Executive coaching will assist the individual in exploring a wide variety of issues both professional and personal that will allow for choices to be made.
Life is short. Life balance is crucial for living the life each one of us chooses to live. The ability to have a meaningful and impactful life both professionally and personally is possible. Executive coaching can make this happen. Is it time to achieve work life balance?
The issue of employee engagement is of crucial significance to any business leader. The ability to be productive, innovate and create loyal customers requires a dedicated and committed team. Employee engagement is not that difficult to measure. There are surveys and diagnostic tools available to measure where a given company is at any given time. These at times can be costly and may not actually be a perfect fit for a particular organization.
A recent article posted in Linked-In highlighted ten (10) ways to measure whether employees are disengaging from an internal only perspective. The article made some great points that would be a beneficial gage on this important area. Here are three (3) tips that can assist:
Tip #1 Customer Complaints are Increasing
The main objective of any business is to obtain and retain customers. This goal cannot be reached if customers are unhappy with the product or services received. This tip is only effective if the business has effective and appropriate measurements in place to capture the needed data. Remember most unsatisfied customers do not complain in any formal manner. They simply go elsewhere for the product or service in the future.
It is important to have both formal and informal tools in place to measure this information. Customer surveys are a good start. Simply keeping track of customers in a manner that captures repeat customers is recommended. A loyal customer not only returns but brings other customers with them. Track referrals from customers closely.
Tip #2 Negative Employee Interactions Increasing
Employees who are unsatisfied with their work environment are more likely to engage in negative behaviors. Here is a non-inclusive list:
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Employee Complaints/Law Suits Rising
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Increase in Sick Time
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Turnover Increasing (only in good or stable economy)
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Productivity Decreasing
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Lack of Participation
Employees may not always speak up when they feel things are not going well. Good leadership within an organization at the management and executive levels maintains a constant awareness on the overall pulse and climate of the employment atmosphere. Good leadership development and management development within an organization will catch issues much earlier and provide solutions to get the team back on track.
Tip #3 Quality Of Work Issues
Engaged employees perform at a higher level. A drop off in quality may be an indicator that something is out of sync with the employees in general. Here again is a non-inclusive list to consider:
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Missed Deadlines
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Increase in Customer Returns or Poor Quality Products
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Lower Level Management Frustration With Performance at Employee level
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Less Innovation From Staff
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Lack of Participation At Meetings
The quality of the product or service is a direct reflection of the people in the organization. Issues with quality will likely reflect issues with people. This is not an exact cause and effect situation but should at least turn on a warning light for the leadership team.
Employee engagement at a high level will provide for a competitive advantage. Do you know where your organzation stands?
A recent article in Linked-In that was titled "The Social Graces of Memorable Leaders." written by the Leadership Development group illustrated some great tips any serious leader would benefit from. The article highlights six areas where a leader can illustrate social grace and improve communication. Those six areas are:
1. Say "hello" to anyone.
The ability to create a friendly and welcoming environment for all members of the team starts with simply acknowledging their presence. The mistake many leaders make is avoiding contact with all members of the team. Every person has value and should feel as part of the overall team. Leaders help create a positive and engaging environment by bringing forth a positive energy. A warm smile and friendly hello is a great way to show that every member has value. Set a goal to say hello to everyone you meet.
2. Ask more than you tell.
Leaders who ask questions receive great value in return. Talking more than asking will not create a culture of contribution and engagement. Asking questions allows for employees to feel valued and respected. A huge part of asking questions is really listening to the answers. As this great article stated with clarity askers are the people you look forward to spending time with! It will be amazing what you hear!
3. Let your life speak for itself
Many leaders seek to impress their people with a long biography of their individual accomplishments and achievements. Your abilities will speak for themselves. Giving credit to others and accepting more than their fair share of blame will allow for the leader to be seen as worthy and responsible. In short, this will allow for the leader to become respected! Respect is earned not given.
4. Complain behind closed doors
The power of being positive cannot be overstated. Think of anything worthwhile that has been accomplished in your life. Think about your attitude and general mindset during that time. It is almost guaranteed that your attitude and mindset were positive. Goals are reached through actions. Actions that are positive in focus create more energy and better results. Negativity is like a cold in that it is very contagious. Likewise being positive is also contagious. A great leadership tip for anyone is to be positive. Business will always involve challenges and set- backs. Accept them for what they are on focus on positive thoughts to overcome them.
How many negative people are successful?
5. Find a reason to thank someone
Similar to number four make sure to praise good effort and result. The article makes a great point in that it is always easier to see what is going wrong. Go out of your way to see what is being done right. Remember a lot of great ideas resulted from failure. Praise good effort at every opportunity. A simple thank you goes a long way for virtually everybody in the workplace. Being acknowledged for hard work and accomplishment will improve employee engagement. Engaged employees are productive employees. Set a goal to say thank you at least five times every day!
6. It is the danger of the 15%
This social grace is something all leaders should make a note of right now. Being the boss does not make you smarter or better than anyone else. Leaders sometimes are simply wrong and do not know it. The way to avoid this trap is to remain open minded on all issues. Actually accepting and implementing the above listed five social graces will go a long way toward reducing this trap. Ask yourself what if I am wrong? Do you want to be right or do you want to be a great leader? It’s time to choose!
Leadership Development is a wise investment for any business looking to gain a competitive advantage. Performance is the key issue with any leadership development program. Performance is crucial to obtaining sustainable and consistent business results. Here are three key areas of business performance a good leadership development program can be focused upon:
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Employee Engagement
Recent surveys indicate a shocking high number of employees are not totally engaged in their current position at work. A recent Gallup article illustrated that engagement is a key indicator of overall business success. In companies recognized for being world-class the ration of actively engaged employees to disengaged employees is 9.57 to 1. In average organizations the ratio of actively engaged employees to disengaged employees is a paltry 1.83 to 1.
Leadership development within an organization focused on performance will increase the number of actively engaged employees. Additionally, those members who are not performing up to standards set by the organization are identified and proactive steps are taken to improve performance. Leadership development focuses on not only the performance of the leaders within an organization but ultimately on the performance of every member.
2. Organizational Alignment of Goals
Leadership development based on performance results in all leaders being focused on common goals directed toward the attainment of the mission and vision statements of the organization. Managers and executives who are working in unison toward the accomplishment of larger goals aimed at the ultimate accomplishment of the mission and vision will by necessity be performance driven. A recent article written by Donald T. Tosti and Stephanie F. Jackson articulates this point in great detail.
The ability to align all activities within the organization with the vision and mission is accomplished only by a leadership team that is performance driven and in constant communication with each other. Good intentions do not always provide the best results. A team focused and engaged on a common mission will outperform a similarly talented yet unfocused team every time.
3. Enhanced Customer Loyalty
Business is about the ability to attract and maintain customers. Leadership development focused on performance will be customer focused. A loyal customer is worth the price of gold. A recent article published by Advanced Systems – The Learning and Process Specialist highlighted the great benefits of a good customer loyalty program. The article highlights the importance that great customer loyalty must be leader driven.
The loyal customer will stay with an organization for a long period of time. Additionally, a loyal customer will act as a sales force for the organization by referring others to receive the valuable product or service delivered. A focused leadership development program will emphasize the importance of the loyal customer. Increasing the number of loyal customers will bring significant positive results to the bottom line.
Leadership development must be a priority for any business that is looking to achieve success. Is it time to invest in the leaders in your organization?
Easy as 1, 2, 3
Planning to do something important? Does it also happen to be something you keep putting off? The best time to start is RIGHT NOW! Stop saying to yourself, "later, tomorrow, next week, after tax season, next quarter, (insert your procrastination term here!)." Here are 3 quick ways to move that project forward: 
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Examine your motives for pushing it off. Is this really important to you or are you just being lazy ... doing things as you've always done them and expecting different results?
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Is the project in alignment with your goals, your values, and your dreams? Has this task passed the Important/Urgent test?
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Allocate 5 minutes to get the job started. You'd be amazed how just those 5 minutes can motivate you to tackle the rest of it.
The ability to understand what is important to you cannot be over emphasized. Procrastination could be a reflection that you are working in areas that do not bring true value to your life or business. It could also be a reflection that the task is administrative and or menial in nature. Is it time to consider outsourcing this task? Secondly, is the task in alignment with your overall vision and mission statements? If it is it is time to get moving on accomplishing the task. If not, why are you doing it now? The ability to prioritize is essential to being effective in both your personal and professional lives. 
Starting the task is the hardest part. Once momentum is created the task can get accomplished in a proficient manner. Try this out the next time you find yourself putting something off. It is amazing how well it works! Apply these three techniques to that project that keeps appearing on your "to do" list, and you'd be amazed at how much better you feel! It really is just as easy as 1, 2, 3!
There have been numerous studies that illustrate the importance of leadership development within any organization. What is truly noteworthy is the evidence that organizations that invest in leadership development significantly outperform the competition. A recent article published by the Leadership Development Group (http://theldg.org/) highlighted four specific areas of an organization that benefit from a leadership development program. Here is a link to the article. The four areas are:
1. Improve Bottom Line Financial Performance
Leadership development within an organization is a smart business decision. Organizations that invest in leadership development have a history of outperforming those organizations that fail to do so. A famous quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes sums up this issue beautifully, “The biggest tragedy in America is not the waste of natural resources, though this is tragic. The biggest tragedy is the waste of human resources." Justice Holmes is absolutely correct the most important asset of any organization is its human capital. It is people that make everything in business happen.
The research in this area is clear failing to properly invest in leadership development is simply a bad business decision. The results show up in the form of increased productivity, revenue enhancement and customer loyalty ratings.
2. Attract and Retaining the Best Talent
Hiring from the outside is sometimes necessary. However, organizations that promote from within have a significant advantage over those who fail to do so with any level of consistency. These benefits are illustrated in the article. What organization would not benefit from the following?
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Improved employee retention
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Improved employee engagement
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Retention and teamwork of leaders significantly improved
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Leaders found and promoted from within at much higher rate
3. Drive a Performance Culture
Leadership development programs result in an organizational culture that is performance driven. Organizational alignment takes place when all the moving parts on focused on the same common goals. Goals are set in alignment with the overall mission and vision of the organization. Managers are provided training to improve their own ability to communicate with their direct reports. Fewer personality conflicts take place and productivity rises.
The article relates a positive experience working with a large and prestigious law firm Baker and McKenzie. Retention of top legal talent is crucial to a law firm’s ability to provide services to its clients. A leadership development program instituted with in the firm resulted in significant improvement.
4. Increasing Organizational Agility
Change is the one constant that any organization will face. Leadership development is a proven method for assisting organizations in dealing with change in an effective and efficient manner. Employees are more flexible after receiving leadership development. There is more focus placed on the team and organization and less focus on the “me” first mentality.
Leadership positions within an organization are much more likely to be filled from within. This is a huge benefit. The culture of the organization is known and they understand the importance of the other parts of the organization. Loyalty to the organization increases and this in turn allows for customer loyalty to be enhanced.
Is it time to initiate leadership development in your organization?