Brilliant Leadership

The Definition Of Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

One thing I am asked quite frequently is, "What is the definition of leadership?" and of course, I can never remember the exact quote from my book - yes I know it's a sign of getting older :) - so I normally faff around with some general distinctions around the difference between managing and leading. So I thought I'd start the new year off with offering a new defintion of leadership:Leadership is about creating an environment in which people can and do perform to the best of their

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Leading Remote Workers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:07:00 +0000

If the 2011 CISCO Connected World Technology Report is anything to go by, attracting and retaining the top talent of the future will be less about the traditional workplace motivational drivers and far more about issues such as remote working and flexible working hours.

What challenges does this trend create for leaders?

Leading remote workers has always been a difficult area as it presents leadership challenges around aspects such as trust, performance management, staff development and

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Leadership Development versus Leadership Training - Is there a difference?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:07:00 +0000

When I introduce myself to people as a Leadership Development specialist one of the more common responses revolves around leadership training – “So you run leadership training?”, “What type of leadership training do you specialize in?”, “I really value leadership training” etc.

Is there really a difference between leadership training and leadership development? You bet there is and it is much more than an exercise in semantics.

Leadership training is a learning intervention.

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Leading With the Brain in Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:07:00 +0000

In October I wrote an article introducing the SCARF model that has been developed by Dr David Rock of the NeuroLeadership Institute. Today, I’d like to take the concept further by exploring some of the key activities that might provide a threat stimulus and therefore, an away reaction versus those that provide a reward stimulus and therefore, a toward reaction. As you will see, these same factors also enable us to identify some of the differences between managing and leading.

Commanding

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Do Cultural Boundaries Exist?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Anyone who works for a global organization will be familiar with the issue of working across cultural boundaries but my provocative question is; do they really exist? And moreover, to what extent do these boundaries need to be addressed in order for global organizations thrive?

Of course every country and in many cases, regions within countries, have their own cultures. These are driven by religion, climate, industrial development, tradition and custom. Clearly there are different cultures

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How should we measure leadership potential?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

In talent management circles, the received wisdom is that leadership potential is best measured by assessing learning agility – often described as an individual’s ability to learn, adapt and change. I believe this makes a certain amount of sense as people who have these three attributes would be able to learn the skills required to lead and make the transition from being an individual contributor to becoming a leader.

Is this the right approach? And is learning agility itself

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Leadership - It's a marathon not a sprint

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:06:00 +0000

One of the toughest balancing acts facing leaders at all levels is the need to deliver short-term results versus the leadership activities that will help sustain and increase those results over the longer term. For example:

- How often do you have to put managing vision and purpose to one side while you focus on delivering this quarter’s results?

- How often do you have to put planning to one side while you focus on delivering this quarter’s results?

- How often do you have to put

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High Trust Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:05:00 +0000

One of the age old questions that continues to drive many people to distraction is “What is the difference between management and leadership?” There are of course a plethora of answers to this question that have kept academics, trainers and writers going in perpetuity. For me, one of the key differences between the two is that leaders build a high level of trust with their people – that is, they create respect based relationships rather than authority based relationships.

But how can

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We Have Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:39:00 +0000

This blog has now moved to http://brilliant-leader.org - there will be no new posts here.

Seminars on DVD - Great Offer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:03:00 +0000

I have just had an email from Michael Jeffreys at Seminars on DVD that there is a 50% sale on all products from now through to December 10th. Simply process your order as normal and add the coupon code IMPACT on checkout.

And these DVDs are great value anyway with some of the top business, leadership and personal development gurus of our time bringing you high impact seminars for only a fraction of the cost of being there.

Click here to browse the Seminars on DVD range.

The Icing on the Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I had the pleasure last week of attending the Institute of Recruitment Professionals annual award dinner, courtesy of my client, Derek Goff of Advanced Resource Managers who had been nominated for the Best People Development Business Award 2009. And I am delighted to say that it turned out to be a winning nomination!

But being recognised in this way is really just the icing on the cake for what has been a hugely successful investment in both leadership development and talent management. Like most recruitment companies ARM were facing challenging economic conditions at the start of the year but while others were cutting costs, this Havant based recruiter was investing in its people. Here's a summary of what worked so well:

The company made a proactive investment in people development during a recession.

The program was driven from the top, embraced and supported by the whole senior leadership team.

The program was divided into two halves - a leadership development program for existing people managers and a talent development program for prospective managers.

The program was designed and delivered on a modular basis so that delegates could apply their learning between modules and I could review their experiences at the beginning of the next module.

Derek Goff, the Learning and Development Manager, attended each module so that he could provide ongoing coaching support.

The leadership program was aligned with the Chartered Management Institute's professional qualifications so that staff could receive formal recognition of their achievement.

But the aspect that impressed me most was the overall attitude and application of the staff attending each module. These were busy people who have faced a challenging business environment all year and yet they produced a 100% attendance record and worked together between modules to ensure key concepts and principles were being applied in their day-to-day activities.

Not surprisingly, the company, the managers and their staff are reaping the rewards of all this as they set themselves to come out of a tough economic climate stronger than they went in. From my perspective, it was a pleasure to have worked with ARM, designing and delivering both the leadership and talent development programs and providing additional coaching support when required.

In an industry where less than 1% of annual turnover is invested in staff training, it is refreshing to see a company reverse the trend. The real prize is the positive impact on the business and people's careers and while it is nice, last week's award is really just the icing on the cake.

From Left to Right:
Derek Goff, Learning & Development Manager ARM
Samantha Templer, Human Resources Manager ARM
Simon Cooper, Program Facilitator
Joel Hard, a member of the talent development group who has since been promoted to Team Leader

The problem with promoting your best people

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:30:00 +0000

I recently appeared on the Sales Roundup Podcast discussing the problems and challenges of promoting top sales people to the role of sales manager - a problem that is magnified with a failure rate as high as 50%. This problem is not restricted solely for promoting the best sales people but can be extended to a wide range of expert doers from I.T. to finance and just about any specialist or professional discipline.

The major challenge faced by expert doers being promoted to management or leadership roles is making the transition from doing the job themselves to getting it done through others - often, people who are not (yet) as good as doing the job as they were. This presents significant issues around delegating to others, training or coaching others, making performance interventions, helping others to solve their own problems, trusting and empowering the team, motivating others. In short, it is a steep learning curve and one that all first-time managers have to go through.

But, here's the kicker...

Many expert doers don't really want to be managers but rather, it is the only career path available to them if they want to be promoted.

On the one hand, companies need to consider creating expert career paths that do not include managing others, enabling expert doers to progress and add value in other ways. On the other hand, when promoting expert doers to management roles, companies need to invest time and resources in training and supporting them through the transition. The key learning areas are likely to be:

- How to manage and motivate others.
- How to move from self-centred behaviour to team-centred behaviour.
- How to create an environment where results are delivered by others.
- How to help others learn and solve their own problems.
- How to let go of the doing.

This training should be at the point they need it - either just before or at the time of making the transition to management. Ongoing support or coaching should be provided through the first year or two in a management role. And if it doesn't work out, a route back to being an expert doer should be made available.

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is the author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Where are the Hot Spots in your company?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:46:00 +0000

"You always know when you are in a Hot Spot. You feel energized and vibrantly alive. Your brain is buzzing with ideas and the people around you share your joy and excitement. The energy is palpable, bright, shining."

This is an extract from the excellent book Hot Spots by Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at London Business School. Dr Gratton's research is based on a number of in-depth case studies and Cooperative Advantage Research in collaboration with executives and teams from seventeen companies. The aim was to explore why some companies buzz with energy and innovation and others don't.

In conclusion, Dr Gratton found that there were four key elements:

Element 1 - A cooperative mindset. This is the basic assumption and expectation of ourselves and others that we will behave in a coopertaive and supportive manner.

Element 2 - Boundary spanning. For true Hot Spots to emerge, initial networks need to expand from immediate colleagues to stretch across the boundaries of groups, functions and companies.

Element 3 - Igniting purpose. An igniting purpose provides the focus for the energy that has been created and can be triggered by an igniting vision, an igniting question or an igniting task.

Element 4 - Productive capacity. For value to be created from a Hot Spot, there needs top be an emphasis on productive practices. Depending on the complexity of the Hot Spot this might include appreciating talents, making commitments, resolving conflicts, synchronizing time and establishing a rhythm.

Dr Gratton then goes on to consider the leader's role in Hot Spots, designing for the emergence of Hot Spots and resources for creating Hot Spots. It is a truly innovative and ground breaking study of teams and organizations that are a cut above the rest and includes some excellent case studies, examples and anecdotes that bring the text and concepts alive.

Hot Spots can be purchased online

and you can visit the Hot Spots website

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is the author of Brilliant Leader, the best selling leadership development book.

Are you getting that Coach Energy?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:21:00 +0000

Why is it that some leaders love personal coaching and absolutely swear by it and others reject it as unnecessary and a waste of time?

There might be many reasons of course but one significant factor became apparent to me recently when I was having a discussion with some colleagues about the Wilson Learning Social Styles Model - you know, the one that breaks our preferred communication styles down into Driver, Expressive, Amiable and Analyst.

One of the traits that most coaches seem to share is what I refer to as 'coach energy', a vibrant, open and engaging communication style that is apparent as soon as they walk into the room. This translates pretty well into the social styles model and indicates that many coaches share a natural preference for the Expressive style. But this could be a problem if you have a strong preference for one of the other styles. You might see expressive coaches as unfocused (Driver), intimidating (Amiable) or shallow (Analyst). In turn, this might see you spurn the services of a leadership coach, even though you might need one more than you realise.

Of course, the best coaches develop an intuitive ability to adapt their style for different types of people. And we should not forget that the social styles model is just one lens through which we can view character traits and communication styles. Nonetheless, it highlights one of the reasons why some leaders totally buy-in to their coach and others don't.

While 'coach energy' can be infectious and motivating, it can also have the reverse effect on some, especially those with a strong preference to communicate in a different style.

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is the author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

How Expensive is Poor Leadership?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

More than you think...

Retaining talented employees should be a major focus for companies these days. I have heard over the years, that “anyone is replaceable.” When I was a young engineer fresh out college, I believed it myself. There were over 50 engineers in my graduating class and I was competing for jobs like they were. We had very similar skills and backgrounds and I knew I had to separate myself from them so an employer would hire me and not them. Even a couple years after college, I still believed that I could be replaced at any moment by fresh new talent.

It has been drilled into our heads over the years that we are replaceable and we have to conduct ourselves in a way that borders on humiliation. I took my first leadership role over a year ago after working for a few companies that really did not value the contributions of their people. Overtime and chaos was name of their games. Fortunately, those experiences allowed me to create my own leadership philosophy that centers on the fact that my people are not replaceable.

Employee turnover is very expensive. I recently was invited to speak at the Talent Management and Succession Planning Conference on creating a work life balance for employees to motivate and retain good talent. My emphasis will be on the importance of creating a pleasant work environment where leaders and employees respect each other. People will generally stay with a company if they are treated fairly, are given legitimate challenges, and feel their contributions are recognized.

The best way to illustrate the cost of poor leadership is give an example of what it takes today to hire a mid-level engineer. First, the engineer’s resume would cost the company around $15,000 provided it is coming from a recruiter. Today, many professionals move around the country, so the company would offer a full relocation package that would include moving of household items, vehicles, and pets. This would cost around $8,000. Then the employer would cover travel expenses including airfare, temporary housing, rental cars, and maybe thirty days of living expenses during the transition. I will be modest here and say that would cost around $5,000. Many employers also cover closing costs on both selling and buying of a home that could run as high as $10,000 total. Finally the engineer may be offered a starting bonus of $2,000. So, before the employer even starts paying the engineer his or her $65,000 a year salary and before the new employee steps in the door they have paid out around $40,000. This is a very large investment and I have seen many people in these positions quit after ten months to a year from poor leadership in a hostile work environment. Now the company has to do this routine all over again.

Good leadership is the key to retaining good employees and bad managers will only drive them away. As a leader myself, I cannot afford high turnover. I invest time and money into enhancing my people to be better employees. It becomes expensive to keep hiring people and training them to be productive and successful employees. I realize employees leave companies for a variety of other reasons. However, I can still do my part to make their work life a pleasant one.

Guest writer Chris Ortiz is a senior lean consultant and the owner of Kaizen Assembly. He has spent the majority of his professional career working for Fortune 500 companies, teaching and guiding them to become more efficient businesses. He has designed and constructed well over 100 assembly lines and other manufacturing processes resulting in millions of dollars in cost savings and waste reduction. Chris can be reached at chrisortiz@kaizenassembly.com or visit his company's website at www.kaizenassembly.com

Seminars on DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:40:00 +0000

Part of continuously developing your capability as a leader requires that you keep up to date with developments in the leadership world. Of course, following blogs like this will help, along with reading the latest leadership books. But what about those great seminars you are invited to but don't get round to attending or those you would have attended but didn't hear about in time?

These are the keynote seminars by the thought leaders and gurus of our time. We all know the problems - no time, no budget, wrong part of the world - but these are the type of seminars that can have a profound impact on your own development and the success of your business. So, shouldn't you really find out about what you might be missing?

I am delighted to announce that we have teamed up with Seminars on DVD - an exclusive service that enables you to keep up to date with the latest business and leadership seminars by having them shipped to you on DVD. Watch them at your own convenience (and watch the key parts over again!) at just a fraction of the cost of attending in person. Each keynote seminar on DVD costs just $89 but there are significant reductions if you are buying more than one.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be reviewing some of the most powerful of these seminars from globally recognised names such as Mike Lipkin, Tony Allesandra, Dr Nate Booth, Warren Greshes, Jack Canfield, Don Hutson and Brian Tracy. In the meantime, if you'd like to check out the full list of seminars currently available on DVD you can just go there now.

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Leadership and the 8th Muda

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:53:00 +0000

As a leader in your organization, do you add muda or subtract it?

Muda is a Japanese term for waste. One of the prime tenants of the Toyota production system, to which much of that company’s outstanding quality and profitability can be attributed, is to reduce muda. The organization is built on constant striving to identify and eliminate anything that does not add value for the final customer. The Toyota processes are now used worldwide, often called LEAN processing.

Seven mudas are traditionally recognized: overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, over processing, excess inventory, unnecessary movement, and defects. Jeffrey K. Liker, in his excellent book The Toyota Way, adds an eighth muda – unused employee creativity.

Liker describes the eighth muda as the waste of “losing time, ideas, skills, improvements, and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees.” Too many organizations suffer from CEOs or owners that inflate the eighth muda, rather than contribute to its elimination.

In the last two weeks alone I’ve heard a handful of unsolicited stories about clueless bosses who seem eager to be eighth muda poster icons. They shut down employee contributions by:

Blowing up angrily at errors, apologizing, but then doing it again. Bring them bad news, they kill the messenger.
Arrogant statements of who is in charge – “It’s my way or the highway,” or “In this company, I am god.”
Ignoring and refusing to discuss looming challenges that keep partners, directors, and other lesser executives awake at night.
Refusing to let other executives to speak on the company’s behalf, even if they are more polished presenters - but also can’t seem to find time to improve their own basic presentation skills.
Discounting human concerns, while fixating on a company goal – “I don’t care about anything except making this quarter’s numbers.”

In all fairness, these executives are often passionately optimistic and enthusiastic about their company or idea, incredibly smart and talented individuals with inspiring visions, with plenty of success they can point to at any moment. What is often outside of their awareness is the erosion, if not outright destruction, of relationships that could sustain their success.

Paradoxically, it is those leaders most obsessed about squeezing each penny that leave tons of money on the table, particularly in the form of lost opportunity and employee turnover. When faced with 8th muda bosses, the best and the brightest look for opportunities to go where they are appreciated, places where they not only have economic opportunity but can make a contribution to something larger than themselves.

I hear plenty of stories, too, of great places to work, and of incredible leaders who strive to bring out the best talent of everyone in the company. By whatever name they call it, they are intentional about eliminating the 8th muda, the waste of untapped employee talent. They invest in employee development, pay attention to the human side of their businesses, and correct unintentional disincentives whenever they are discovered. And they eat their competition’s lunches.

Seeking to reduce the muda on the human side is as important and as do-able as reducing muda in manufacturing processes. It does, however, require an effort and an attitude of doing what’s best for long-term value.

Look at your company. Look at yourself. Where are you eliminating muda? Where are you creating muda – and what are you going to do about it?

Guest writer Tom Stevens heads up Esquare Leadership.

Leadership Techniques for Everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the funeral of my friend Kermit. A pleasure, you ask? Yes, a pleasure and a honor, because it was a great celebration of Kermit’s life and the passion and spirit he brought to living it.

Usually, when I go to funerals, the spiritual leader (pastor, minister, rabbi, cleric, etc.) goes on and on about the deceased, a person he barely knows; and maybe one or two friends or associates might say something about the deceased. Well, Kermit’s funeral was special. The pastor spoke briefly, a singer sang a hymn, and then the pastor asked for comments from the audience. That’s when the funeral became really special. After one and a half hours later, over forty people had gotten up and shared their positive experiences and what Kermit meant to them. People from their 20’s to well over 60-year-old people from different spiritual, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds stood up to make comments. People who served with him in the Navy (Kermit retired as a Commander) stood up and spoke about how Kermit changed their lives.

There was story after story about how Kermit made the speakers overcome obstacles and made them believe they could do better, and did this with passion. Some of them were as follows:

1. Past ballplayers talked about Kermit’s cowbell as a rallying cry at their ballgames.

2. A woman told of having a flat tire on a busy roadway and Kermit, whom she didn’t know at the time, stopped and helped her fix the tire; and then they became friends.

3. A businessperson talked about how Kermit volunteered his time to help him launch a business that is still going strong after ten years.

4. A previous player described how he was motivated by Kermit to make something of himself. He went to college and is a very successful basketball coach teaching the same principles that Kermit taught him.

5. A man explained that he was going through a divorce and bankruptcy and was thinking of committing suicide. Kermit heard about his troubles, called him, and helped him through these dark times. Now this person helps others through their challenging moments in life.

Wow! It moved me. Here are five leadership and success secrets Kermit shared with us. How can you apply them to become more successful and outstanding leaders?

1. What is Your Cowbell?
Create Passion! Kermit truly enjoyed working with people to make them better. It was not just the cowbell, but the emotion and excitement he experienced when seeing other people succeed. The cowbell was just the tool that Kermit used to show his passion so that others became passionate. Let your passion show. Let people know that you are excited about their accomplishments, and the passion will multiple.

2. Expect the Best
Excellence Will Take Care of the Rest. It was said about Kermit that when meeting people, he never met a stranger. In his mind they were already someone he knew. Kermit always expected the best when interacting with people, and they eventually rose to his expectations.

Expect the best out of people, and they will rise to your standards.

3. Understand So That You Are Understood
Kermit’s conversations were always centered on understanding the other person. For all the years I knew him, I never knew he was a commander in the Navy. He didn’t make his title the focus of the conversation. You see, it wasn’t about him; it was always about the other person’s interests, needs, etc. Because of this, people naturally wanted to become involved in Kermit’s projects and help Kermit make other people successful.

So my question is: How well do you understand your employees?

Take the time to understand their goals, wants, needs, hobbies, etc. The more you take time to understand them, the more your employees will want to help you succeed.

4. Give of Yourself
Kermit always gave his time, energy, and passion without “keeping score.” In return, the people he helped not only helped him, but went on to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Take the time to go the extra mile to see how you can help your employees, your team, and/or your organization without “keeping score.” Your employees will feel that you care, and then they will go to a new level of caring.

5. Share the Knowledge
Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others so that they become more successful. Whether it was coaching a sports team, helping a friend start a business, or sharing his experiences to get a person through a difficult time, Kermit took the time to share his knowledge with others. Because Kermit shared his knowledge, other people became more successful and they shared their knowledge with others so that they could be more successful.

What special knowledge do you have that can help others succeed? Don’t hoard your knowledge, share it. By sharing your knowledge, you multiply yourself and become known as a developer of people. Your knowledge, once you share it, will live on after you are gone.

Apply these five leadership techniques and create success in your business, with your team, in your community, and your life. Just like Kermit, you will also see instant results.
Thanks for sharing, Kermit, and making the world a better place.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, presentation skills, customer service, and team building.

Conduit goes open

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:33:00 +0000

Great news this week for our toolbar users. The platform providers, Conduit, have introduced an excellent new feature. By simply clicking on the + symbol at the end of our toolbar, users can access the Conduit marketplace and add any component of their choice from 200,000 other toolbars. Combined with the option to include/exclude any of the components we already provide such as direct feeds to the best leadership blogs, every user can customise their own toolbar to provide a unique and personalised browsing experience - all completely free.

Our leadership toolbar can be downloaded from here

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is the author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Virtual Networking - I love it!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:08:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I received an unsolicited email from a reader of an online article I had written. He wasn't trying to sell me anything but just asking for some advice about the value of article marketing. Having reviewed his website I replied to the email with what I hope were some helpful comments.

To cut a long story short, it transpired that my new connection and I shared much in common in relation to our views on both leadership and learning. Dr John Dentico has just launched his new leadership blog, LeadSimm - The Games Leaders Play and if his first article is anything to go by, it is going to be an extremely valuable addition to both new and experienced leaders around the world.

Welcome to the world of leadership blogging John!

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Individualism v Teamwork

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:40:00 +0000

INTRODUCTION
As you travel around corporate America these days, you hear a lot about "teams";that groups, departments or whole divisions are trying to behave more as a teamas opposed to a group of individuals. Its the latest catch phrase du jour. I guess someone finally figured out the power of teamwork. But just how much of this represents sincere efforts? My corporate contacts tell me its mostly facade. They contend they get some nifty new corporate shirts and some great pep talks, but aside from this, little else. As much as corporations tout the need for teamwork, most still encourage rugged individualism.

There is more to creating a team than simply saying you are one. New shirts and axiomsare nice, but in order for this to work, people have to think and act as a team. In otherwords, success hinges on it becoming a natural part of the corporate culture.

CORPORATE CULTURE
Teachers, coaches, and drill instructors have long understood the value of teamwork. The intent is to turn a heterogeneous working environment into a homogeneous environment whereby everyone is working in a concerted effort towards common goals. But do corporate managers truly understand teamwork? Not necessarily. Many still create competitive environments in the hope that the strongest will rise to the surface. Teamwork is more about cooperation than it is about competition.

This brings up an important point: Teamwork is taught. It means developing a disciplinedwork environment where the participants must conform to a specific set of rules. Inevitably,it means breaking some work habits and creating new ones. This can be painful, yetnecessary if you want to achieve the desired results. Basically, you are teachingpeople how to live and work together as opposed to apart.

In the United States there is more of a natural inclination to teach individualismas opposed to teamwork; perhaps this is because we are a nation based onfreedoms. For example, our public school systems have minimal dress and hair codes; each student is allowed to look and dress as they personally see fit, many with some very questionable taste. This is permitted as it is believed the individual must be allowed to freely express him/herself. This may be fine, but it certainly does not promote a spirit of teamwork. Compare it to other countries, such as Japan, where students are required to where school uniforms and are given group assignments, such as the preparation andcleanup of their daily lunch. In Japan, students are taught the value of cooperationat an early age which has the added benefit of improving their socialization skills.
As mentioned, teamwork requires the establishment of a working environment conducive to teamwork. It doesn't happen simply by making some platitudinous statements. A managermust do more, much more; some suggestions:

First and foremost: Lead. All teams need a leader who can articulate goals and give direction. The team must trust and believe in its leader. Without such confidence, the team will not likely follow the leader, particularly in times of difficulty. The leader should also be wary of leading by democratic rule. Soliciting input is one thing, as ishaving assistants, but there can only be one ultimate leader to guide the team.

Institute uniform operating practices that everyone will be expected to conform to,such as operating hours of work, dress code, office appearance, speech and conduct, etc. Such uniformity stresses the equality of the workers. As another suggestion,downplay job titles and put more emphasis on work assignments instead. Job titles tend to emphasize a person's stature in a company and can be disruptive in terms ofequality.

Establish standard practices for executing work assignments, thereby everyone isfollowing the same methods, and using the same tools and techniques in their workeffort. This improves communications, provides for the interchangeability of workers,and promotes the development of quality work products.

Make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and assignments and understandstheir importance. Nobody wants to be regarded as the weakest link and, as such,the manager must be able to communicate their importance and carefully balancethe workload. Yes, there will be those workers who will undoubtedly excel over others, but teamwork is a group effort. If a weaker worker needs additional training, either give it to him or replace him.

Routinely check progress. Whenever applicable, keep statistics on both team andindividual performance. However, it is not important to publish such stats. It isimportant for the leader to know the team's strengths and weaknesses, but it isnobody else's business.

Be on the lookout for conflicts in working relationships. Some people will simply notget along and it is up to the manager to referee such conflicts. Either have the peoplework out their differences, keep them apart, or rid yourself of them. You want harmony,not contention, on your team.

Allow time for the team to meet and discuss issues as a group. This keeps everyonein tune with common goals, problems, and the team's general progress. It also allows the team to socialize and form a camaraderie (a bonding of unity).

Recognize individual achievement but reward on a team basis as opposed to an individual basis.

CONCLUSION
Are we really trying to promote teamwork or is this nothing more than the latest corporate fad that is being implemented more for public relations than anything else? Let's hope for the former and not the latter. Teamwork is a powerful concept, particularly when there is anything of substance to be done.

Shrewd managers intuitively understand the need for teamwork. Let me give you an example from the world of entertainment. Jack Benny, the famous comedian of yesteryear had a great appreciation for teamwork. His radio and television shows wereconsistently at the top of the rating charts for a number of years. When asked what his secret to success was, Benny simply said teamwork. To Jack, it wasn't important that he personally got the best lines and laughs week after week. In fact, he was often the butt of many of the jokes. Instead, he made sure his cast, guests, and writers all received the accolades they deserved. It was more important to Benny that people said they had tuned into "The Show" as opposed to tuning in to see "Jack Benny." He was right.

I realize there are instances in business when it becomes necessary to exerciseindividualism, but these are becoming a rarity. Instead companies can find greaterglory as a team as opposed to a group of individuals.

"Individual glory is insignificant when compared to achieving victory as a team."- Dot Richardson, M.D.U.S. Olympic Softball Team Two time Gold Medal Champions

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has 30 years of experience in the field. Heis available for training and consulting on an international basis. He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com

US Army Leadership Principles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:19:00 +0000

An internet search for the title of this article comes up with several hits for the US Army's Eleven Leadership Principles. These are as follows:

- Be tactically and technically proficient
- Know yourself and seek self-improvement
- Know your soldiers and look out for their welfare
- Keep your soldiers informed
- Set the example
- Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished
- Train your soldiers as a team
- Make sound and timely decisions
- Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates
- Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities
- Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions

It seems to me that with a little adaptation, these principles are largely applicable to leadership in the civilian environment as much as the military.

With thanks to David McCallum for bringing these principles to my attention.

Simon Cooper heads up ELC Training Solutions and is author of the best selling leadership development book, Brilliant Leader.

Managing Talent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Attract and retain the most talented employees by managing talent and save your organization time, money and resources. This article will provide you with talent management strategies and solutions that help companies succeed. Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, the following information will be beneficial to you.

Talent management strategies have evolved significantly in the last few years as technological advancement becomes a calculated, competitive edge for businesses. Progressive companies use talent management solutions to interface, or even integrate the multiple solutions they employ, empowering them to recruit, hire, develop, retain, engage and promote top talent seamlessly.
Since the widespread recognition of the importance of human capital in organizations, enterprise companies are creating talent management strategies that align people with business objectives to conquer challenges and create a competitive advantage. By investing in new technology and ongoing research, your organization can proactively eliminate hiring, on-boarding, employee development, talent retention and career planning issues before they begin and address challenges that already exist.

There are many talent management strategies that can help your organization cope with the many employee issues you currently face. Here are some examples:

Applicant Tracking
Businesses employing large numbers of workers face unique hiring challenges. Taking applications, screening, interviewing, hiring, and on-boarding dozens, hundreds or even thousands of new hires can lead to confusion, missed opportunities, lost time and wasted resources, including money. Application tracking gives managers the ability to review and hire the right applicants quickly and efficiently. Applicant tracking solutions are easy to use, require little training and do not require expensive hardware of software. By automating your hiring process, you can reduce your organization's recruiting costs by 40% or more.

Assessments
Every job or position has requirements that go beyond the customary job description. When an employee's job duties conflict with their natural talent and skills, they suffer from tension and stress that can lead to organizational conflict and employee behavioral problems. Assessments will help you make the right hiring decisions and put the right people in the right positions, which will result in increased productivity, reduced stress, less tension, decreased conflict and a positive impact on your bottom line.

Employee & Career Development
One of the greatest challenges faced in organizations is the strategic personal development of their human capital in order to ensure effective use of their talent. In order to properly manage this vital resource, companies must identify their challenges and then implement training and employee development curriculum for improvement. Employee & Career Development strategies help manage employees who need improvement, the area in which they need further development and the progress they have made toward improving the necessary skills, retain and empower your employees by allowing them to develop and manage their career paths and align them with organizational strategy, and identify highly talented and productive employees who can become successors to key executives.

Learning Management
Organizations use learning management to have a competitive edge and a measurable impact on employee performance. The value of learning management solutions enables organizations to demonstrate the return on investment they make in training, and in turn they are able to continue improvement processes that drive higher levels of return through enhanced performance over time. Learning management strategies can help organizations manage the administrative aspects of learning such as registration, class enrollment, attendance and performance tracking, making it easier for managers and employees to create, implement and track personalized programs.

Jim Sirbasku is co-founder and CEO of Profiles International, a leading provider of human resource management solutions and employment assessments for businesses worldwide. For more information about talent management solutions, visit our website.

10 Principles of Law of Attraction for Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:45:00 +0000

I believe that everyone is a leader to someone. Leadership is in each one of us. The amount that you utilize this gift to be a leader will all depend on you. Utilizing the principles of the Law of Attraction in a leader role consciously will attract more results and success. These principles can carry on from being a leader in your business to being a leader at home.

Here are the 10 principles of Law of Attraction for leaders:

1. Take responsibility. This is one of the principles many have a hard time dealing with. You create you reality and therefore you must take responsibility for your reality and actions. The sooner you get you control the output by your thoughts, feelings, words and actions the sooner you can create the life and business you want. Lead by example and you will have a great team by your side.

2. Be a partner. You may be a leader but you are also a partner. Do no try to do everything on your own. Ask for feedback, ideas and work together with your team to meet your goals. Cooperation and collaboration are necessary.

3. Be aware of your energy. Pay attention to your energy. If you are in a bad mood, your energy can and will transfer to those around you. Be consciously aware of your energy and choose to make it a positive one and spread positive vibes. The higher your vibration the more connected and grounded you are, the more inspired you are and because of this you will see greater success.

4. Be pleasant. If you are leading by example and utilizing the Law of Attraction, than having an awesome personality will be easy for you to do. When you are focused on abundance, taking action and the possibilities people will be drawn to you.

5. Be understanding. Put yourself in their shoes. Better yet ask them what you can do for them to really understand where they are coming from and how you can better assist them. Do not be judgmental, rather be open minded and concentrate on solutions.

6. Share your visions. Create a plan, a vision of where you want to go with your project, business, product, service, etc. Have a plan for your advertising, marketing and more. Share these plans with those working with you and get their feedback and mastermind on improving the plans. By having a set direction that is agreed on will promote team work, responsibility, confidence and action.

7. Surpass expectations. Whatever you do, do it to the max. Go beyond what people expect of you. Give more value than what is asked. You will be setting the Law in motion to provide you with more than what you expect and be setting a great example.

8. Make passionate choices. When you are passionate and inspired about your choices it comes through in your presentation and implementation. When others see you are passionate about the decisions you are making it will help for those decisions to be embraced and understood.

9. Harness positive self-talk. Do not let doubt, lack or other negative thoughts enter into your self-talk. When you perceive something to be negative, look for the positive or create a positive. Keeping your self-talk positive and focused will make the rest of your day much brighter and easier.

10. Be open to the possibilities. Have an open-mind to the Law of Attraction and what it can do for you as Leader and in your life. Being resistant is a surefire way to get the opposite of what you want. Be open to utilizing these principles in your life so you can create the success and happiness you deserve.

Ruth Sias is a former Commercial Escrow officer, turned Entrepreneur from Sacramento, CA.
Ruth has taken her 23 years as a business professional, combined with her strong people skills to create wealth for her and others online.
To join Ruth's team, visit Synergy Cash System and request a tour.

Want Feedback?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Most conversations, articles and training regarding feedback is focused on giving leaders, managers and supervisors more tools and approaches for offering feedback more effectively. This is very important information, and these are skills that can help you be significantly more effective in developing others.

But it's only half the story.

Because you can do everything “right” in delivering feedback, but if it isn't heard, welcomed or valued by the other person, your technique is of little value. This article talks about the other half of the feedback equation: receiving feedback successfully.

As a coach or leader you can share these ideas with those you give feedback to, with the goal of making the feedback you give them more effective. But, this article is really written for all of us - because we all need feedback for our ongoing growth and improvement. Take your coaching hat off now and consider these ideas as a part of your personal development plan. Besides, once you've practiced them for yourself, you'll be in a better position to share them with others!

Ways to Receive Better Feedback

• Ask for it. Perhaps this should go without saying, but we all need the reminder. People often talk to me about wanting more feedback on their work, a specific project, or a situation. They will lament me that they didn't get any feedback or the feedback they got was insufficient. My first question is always, “did you ask for feedback?” The blank stare I typically receive tells the story. The lesson? If you want feedback you have to ask for it! While it is often best to ask for feedback before the situation, so the other person can watch for and observe in a way that allows them to prepare for their comments, asking at any time is a great strategy for getting more feedback.

• Value it. How do you feel when you give someone feedback and they don't seem to care about it or don't seem to give it much weight? Are you as likely to willingly give them feedback in the future or to work to make that feedback as effective as it could be? Probably not! If you want more (and better) feedback, you must value it which includes (among other things) thanking the person for provided us with the input for their help.

• Listen to it. Getting the feedback isn't enough, you must hear it! Listen with your ears to what is being said, so you hear the words. But listen too with your eyes and your heart. Try to understand what isn't being said as well. Remember that giving feedback isn't always easy, and the person sharing ideas (positive or negative) with you might not be 100% comfortable, or very experienced in, doing it. For you to get the most value from the feedback, you must listen closely and actively - asking clarifying questions and for additional details and insights.

• Be open to it. Being open to feedback is easy when you agree with or have already thought of the ideas being shared. But some feedback comes as a surprise. It is especially important in those instances to be open to it. If you value it, and really listen, it will make it easier to be open. It's important to recognize that there will sometimes be barriers in your mind. When others sense those barriers, you are making it less likely that they will want to share future feedback with you. Be open and you will get more feedback in the future (and you'll make better use of the feedback you are currently receiving!).

• Depersonalize it. The single biggest barrier to receiving feedback is defensiveness. And when you get defensive, it is usually because you are taking the feedback personally. I'm sure you have received feedback from someone when you felt like it was about you personally and not your behavior. Regardless of how someone intended the message, you can - with practice - decouple the feedback from you personally and keep it focused on your behavior. When it is about your behavior and not about you as a person, it is easier to drop your defenses and hear, and be open to, the feedback. Depending on the situation and the nature of the feedback, this depersonalization may not happen instantly, but overtime you can become more effective at translating the feedback into behavioral comments rather than interpreting them as personal in nature.

• Use it. Will you agree with - and take action on - every piece of feedback you receive? Probably not. And that's OK. On the other hand, even if you do the first five ideas well but never take any action to change, you not only aren't using the feedback to improve, but you're telling others (through your actions) that you don't really want or need any feedback.

As you read through these six ideas you hopefully see a common thread. Each of these ideas will help you get more or better feedback - and some do both! When you recognize the value feedback can have in improving your results you know it's too important to leave to chance. Use these six ideas and you will find yourself with more input and ideas to propel you to greater performance and results.

Potential Pointer: Feedback is a powerful tool for personal development, too powerful to leave up to others. If you want more and better feedback, you need to take responsibility for making that happen.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him and a special offer on his newest book, Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at http://RemarkableLeadershipBook.com/bonuses.asp