This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

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This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

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This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

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When you read these ideas, think of how you could use them with the people you deal with everyday. Implementing some of these are real challenge for many executives and individuals in positions of leadership today.

Twelve Ways of Winning People to Your Way of Thinking

Rule 1: The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

Rule 2: Show respect for the other man’s opinions. Never tell a man he is wrong.

Rule 3: If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

Rule 4: Begin in a friendly way.

Rule 5: Get the other person saying, “yes, yes” immediately.

Rule 6: Get the other man to do a great deal of the talking.

Rule 7: Let the other man feel that the idea is his.

Rule 8: Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

Rule 9: Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.

Rule 10: Appeal to the nobler motives.

Rule 11: Dramatize your ideas.

Rule 12: Throw down a challenge.

Excerpted from: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

You might get the impression, while reading over these rules, that this is not the way a leader should relate to their subordinates. “They need stern direction, not coddling.” “This is too warm and fuzzy.” “I’m not going to be their friend.”

Well, you won’t necessarily be their friend, but by using these ideas, you will relate to them as a person first.

It takes real courage and personal development to drop the persona of the “Leader” and begin to authentically relate to someone as yourself. Business is not the military. You can drop the mask and begin to be yourself, just in a position of authority.

That is unless your self is less than optimal. Maybe the real you is repulsive. Maybe you have the personality of a dead fish. Maybe you can’t stand letting someone have a peak under the hood out of fear that they will discover a dreadful secret.

But maybe not.

Maybe you have something more to offer. Maybe you have been looking for a way to let that out and use it in your work and life.

Are you big enough to try?

Give it a shot. Do the work necessary to develop the inner you so that you can improve the outer you.

This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

Old School Leadership Influence

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“Influencing others is a matter of disposition not position.”

John C. Maxwell, The 360 Degree Leader

How you show up is more important than where. A fully engaged person will be far more effective than a dud a few levels higher in the organization.

Do you know how you show up?

You better figure it out.

Your co-workers know.

This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

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• Inability to rapidly develop skills to address current/future business needs almost 55%

• Lack of leadership capability about 35%

• Employee skills not aligned with current organizational priorities about 35%

Lack of adaptability is the bottom line in regards to all these workforce issues.

If the workforce was more adaptable it would be able to rapidly change its skill set to reflect current trends as well as align itself with the organization.

Additionally, adaptability would enable leaders and future leaders to change the way they do things and increase their capacities for leadership.

But, adaptability is difficult and rare, as the numbers show. It is actually a talent that enables you to live in the moment and operate in a environment with a high degree of ambiguity.

Unless individuals with this talent are identified by organizations and nurtured, it does not appear that these issues will be mitigated soon.

Can leaders and employees alike develop this talent?

Yes, to a point, and with a lot of work. Adaptability requires an even-keel mindset where the unpredictability and setbacks of the day won’t result in frustration and emotional turmoil.

• Start with assessing your adaptability quotient. Do you crack at the first sign of pressure, or do you go with the flow. Where are you on that continuum. What situations are you best in? What are most challenging for you?

• Developing a calm and reassuring personality. When events no longer
  upset you as much, you are able to keep focused on the task at hand and
  see more possibilities for action. Meditation has been used for
  thousands of years towards this end.

• Visualize. Think of situations that cause uncomfortable and strategize what you would do. Make a game of it.

• Push the envelope. Get uncomfortable. Start placing yourself into situations where you need to use some flexibility. Keep breathing, and keep thinking.

Unless your one of the lucky ones who come by this naturally, ultimately, it’s change or die. The numbers show that this won’t go away soon.

Leaders are the one who have it, or can develop it quick. Companies will pay a premium for those who can stay just ahead of the power curve.

It’s worth investing in yourself now to realize a long term payoff over your career.

This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

Organizations Are Failing at Leadership and Employee Adaptability

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“Research showed that leaders who focus on self-management and relations produced 390% more.”
(from Primal Leadership - Goleman)

This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

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The test results are useful for establishing your own understanding of where you want to be as far as ideal behaviors, and are not meant to be an assessment of your actual style.

VALUES TEST RESULTS

My leadership values results reportedly reflect my preferences which express themselves as a dominant and backup style. The dominant style is the approach I value as the most effective way to work with others, and the backup style is the one I prefer when the dominant approach temporarily will not work.

The 9,9 Style: Sound (Contribute and Commit)

Excerpt from the book, The Power to Change.The 9,9 style is located on the top right corner of the Grid figure and integrates a high concern for people with a high concern for results. The difference between 9,9 and the other six Grid styles is that the 9,9 person sees no contradiction in demonstrating a high concern for both people and results. He or she feels no need to restrain, control, or diminish the concerns for people or results in relationships. The consequence is a freedom to test the limits of success with enthusiasm and confidence.The 9,9 attitude leads to more effective work relationships based on “what’s right” rather than “who’s right.”The full integration of concern for people and results is in contrast to the levels of control evident in each other style. The 9,1 person feels that a high concern for results disables the expression of a high concern for people. The 1,9 person feels the reverse-that a high concern for people is more important than results.The 5,5 feels that a high concern for either is too risky, and prefers to remain at a middle level to maintain the status quo. The 1,1 sees any high concern as unrealistic and too demanding.The paternalist expresses a high concern for results and for people, but is unable to relinquish control and allow others to make their own contribution. The opportunist sees a contradiction in working with others in the first place and so uses people and organizations to further selfish goals.The 9,9 style is firmly entrenched in logical reasoning and common sense business thinking: If you have a problem, get it out into the open and work through it. This person is truly objective, and is not afraid to tackle tough issues openly and honestly. This approach brings strength and focus to team resources and potential results, but can also lead to dramatic resistance in a culture unfamiliar with the concept.Although effective, the 9,9 style can come across as forceful and blunt in a team or company where the culture dictates playing politics, smoothing over conflict, or always deferring to one or more people in authority regardless of how sound or unsound their actions might be. Over time, however, 9,9 actions demonstrated in a team overcome any fears that prevent people from embracing the style.

The 1,9 Style: Accommodating (Yield and Comply)

Excerpt from the book, The Power to Change.The 1,9 style is found in the upper left corner of the Grid figure. This person demonstrates a low concern for results with a high concern for others. The high concern for people brings a valuable quality to teams for building relationships. This individual maintains a heightened awareness of personal feelings, goals, and ambitions of others, and always considers how proposed actions will affect them. He or she is approachable, fun, friendly, and always ready to listen with sympathy and encouragement. The interdependent low concern for results, however, works against the high concern for others in the workplace by shifting the focus away from work achievement. This makes the relationships, although warm and friendly, too shallow and superficial for synergy to occur because full candor is lacking. This leads to individuals and teams that are ultimately unprepared for the kind of challenges that arise in the pursuit of improved productivity and change. The 1,9 and 9,1 styles are diametrically opposed in their perspectives.Each of these orientations leads in a narrow and singularly focused manner by trying to diminish the other primary concern in the workplace. The Achilles’ heel in 1,9 thinking is, “As long as I’m keeping people happy, they respond by working hard to achieve results.” The evidence shows the opposite: relationships suffer when employees are not challenged in the workplace. People become bored with work and frustrated with each other because something is missing in the relationships. Further, productivity decreases when the concern for results is low.Some cornerstone phrases of the 1,9 attitude are “Let’s talk about it.What can I do to help? Let me know what you think.” The main weakness, however, lies in the focus of the discussions. Instead of focusing discussions in specific terms of causes and solutions, 1,9 discussions include an overwhelming emphasis on personal feelings and preferences. The discussion itself becomes the goal, so conversations can meander in any direction. If an individual is angry, the 1,9 person follows the comments and offers sympathy and encouragement whenever appropriate. If an individual is pleased, the 1,9 person offers compliments and celebration. He or she uses discussions to constantly gage morale levels and quickly offer encouragement, support, and praise as needed.

Click here for more detailed information on Grid Theory.

This is a post from: Kevin Leinbach at Living Integral Coaching

Personal Leadership Style Values Test

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