The Rare Leader™

We've Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Thanks for following me and our journey with the Rare Leader™.

We have moved and migrated all the great posts and wonderful comments to our new site at www.ovationleadership.com

Please click on, and join in, bookmark, follow, and enjoy!

Steve Riege

When Changing Senior Leadership Becomes Personal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:09:00 +0000

The Challenge:

Evaluating, or considering changes with Senior Leadership can be a considerable challenge. Many times this executive has become more than a coworker. When leading together in times of both war and peace, a bond develops with deep emotional ties. Sometimes, this leader had been hand-picked, mentored, and championed throughout the organization by you.

While these attributes of assessment, and change seem to be universal when reviewing any member of your Team, considering the future success of a senior executive reporting to you may bear extensive personal risks as well. The “perception ladder” holds more stakeholders when the reach of the senior executive extends beyond their own closely held team.

As an example, typically the performance of an individual team member (with lesser company strategic impact) is perceived by perhaps only a few associates in addition to themselves and their immediate manager. However, when a leader’s career grows, and they extend their reach and impact upon the greater organization including its customers, vendors, employees and even its brand, there are far more contributors to the joint perception of the success (or lack thereof) of a leader.

As a result, the perceived performance or potential for success of the senior leader brings a shared responsibility to you, from amongst your peers. These peers, at the highest senior executive level of the company may tend to evaluate your personal performance on the merits of those you have hired, mentored, and led to make you more successful.

Perceptions may seem unfair or without merit because of the lack of knowledge of day-to-day challenges, barriers, and successes. These perceptions of individual performance within the culture of an organization are real, and become more pronounced as the stakes become higher with executive level decision making. Surrounding yourself with people who can make you more successful can be a double-edged sword when the perceived performance of those around you is not as successful as you would hope. Their perceived lack of integrity in their own performance now reflects on your ability to succeed in the eyes of others.

When evaluating, or considering changes with a senior leader, this “perception ladder” overlaid upon the personal bond that has developed between yourself and the senior leader over time, does indeed create a considerable challenge.

Moving Forward:

Succession planning teaches us more than preparing for the eventual retirement of a key employee. An effective succession planning program ensures leadership continuity and the ability to build talent from within an organization. A key aspect of this ability is a focus upon competencies.

Competency in its pure form seeks to define underlying characteristics of an employee. Items such as skills, description of role, knowledge required, etc. is expected to lead to superior performance. Competency models can therefore help to clarify differences between prescribed levels of performance.

Competencies can also be developed in a visionary form, helping to pinpoint what is required of key employees to be successful into the future. The discovered gap between current and future competencies clearly spell developmental needs for the individual, and on an aggregate basis, the entire organization.

More recently, use of competencies have also been extended to link and align the organization and its culture, to performance of each position.

I see a competency framework within three specific groups.

Universal (required of everyone within the organization. Emphasis upon brand, culture, and values of the organization are stressed here)
Leadership (measured from all employees in a supervisory, management, or leadership responsibility of people or programs)
Individual (knowledge, skill, ability, and experience relative to the specific position)

Channeling the perceptions of others into a formatted series of competency checks can be effective at controlling runaway perceptions based upon factors other than indicators of true success. When evaluating a senior leader, look outside of your relationship with this coworker, friend, and key employee. Ask yourself, “how is this senior leaders ability to succeed based upon universal, leadership, and individual competencies viewed by those around them?”

A self evaluation by the senior leader and a separate independent assessment by you will complete the circle of knowledge;

1. Do you have established competencies for this position?

Universal?
Leadership?
Individual?

2. Are these competencies reflecting a future Vision for the Organization and this Position, as well as the current expectations? Are there future gaps to indicate new development or assessment opportunities?

3. How is this Leader perceived by others within all three competency groups by;

Self
Team
Executive Team
Other Leaders
You

4. How are these perceptions impacting on;

Ability to grow and succeed?
Engagement of the Team?
Success of Team throughout the Organization?
The Organization meeting it’s goals?
You...

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

When Delegating Goes Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:16:00 +0000

The Challenge:

Moving Forward:

More recently, use of competencies have also been extended used to link and align the organization and its culture to performance of each position.

I see a competency framework within three specific groups.

Universal (required of everyone within the organization. Emphasis upon brand, culture, and values of the organization are stressed here)
Leadership (measured from all employees in a supervisory, management, or leadership responsibility of people or programs)
Individual (focused on knowledge, skill, ability, and experience relative to the specific position)

“How is this senior leaders ability to succeed based upon universal, leadership, and individual competencies as viewed by those around them?”

A self evaluation by the senior leader and a separate independent assessment by you will complete the circle of knowledge.

Delegating at a senior level brings new and more dangerous implications. When its good, wow, life is good and you succeed. But, when it’s bad, yes, it’s really bad. And when delegating goes bad at a senior level, it is more difficult to unravel and repair, and it impacts you personally.

Who is a senior level leader you delegate to?
What competencies exist where you assess delegating?
Where is delegation with a senior leader in trouble?
When do you apply competencies to assess delegation success?
How will you approach a senior leader who is failing?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Cleaned My Desk Today

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:15:00 +0000

That is a good Friday feeling. Wow, it was a tough week.

I put on my coat, and after placing the wooden hangar on the silver hook mounted on the back of my door, I glanced into the office, and it felt, oh, so good. My wife was working late on this Friday, and it gave me a rare opportunity to get things in order.

Typically, if I stay late on weekdays, the other offices and cubies are filled with colleagues. Some are busy crunching those final touches on their reports, presentations, or research. Other work spaces are occupied with the golden children, making certain they are seen working late by the correct people who can continue to support their career climb based on others thinking they put in so many long hard hours. The rest of the office is cluttered with socializers with no where else to go. Either way, it makes serious evening work difficult.

There’s always that 6:30 knock accompanied by “hey, got a minute?”...Actually no, I don’t, but I guess because you already interrupted me, I can give you the other 45 seconds too. Or there’s noise, commotion, or just other stuff making it difficult to focus on my stuff. However, on Friday night, when no one wants to be around it was my time. The other “weekday lions” had better things to do tonight. It was the beginning of a great weekend. I was the winner, marked by their absence.

So on this Friday evening, as I glanced back after putting on my coat, I marveled at such a proud site. My desk was clean, carrying a remarkable reflection from the 28th floor window overlooking the bright lights of an active city. Casual onlookers might exclaim, “wow, look, he has a desk with a wooden top”! Or, “better check the dumpster, he must have filled it.”

But this time they were all wrong. No dumpster diving, no desk designing. Soon, they would all know where the stacks, files, and post it notes went. This time rather than re-stack, file, or organize the yellows and blues, I actually found a better home for everything that had cluttered my desk while I was busy spending my week being important. This time I Delegated.

Ah yes, the fine art of delegation. It’s one of the time honored traditions and trappings that come with success. You work hard, you get promoted, people work for you, and now you can delegate. Delegate...I grew up thinking that meant giving people who work for you all the stuff you don't want to do, can’t do, or don’t have time to do. Sometimes I learned delegating must have been a form of punishment towards people Boss’s didn’t like, or minions that had done something wrong, and now had to pay the price.

Somewhere, I learned delegating meant something more. When I began to realize the value of hiring great people on my Team, [see “Hiring Up” http://bit.ly/gdPQvG from March 22, 2010] this delegating thing began to take a new shape and a new, more profound meaning. What if...you actually invited people on your team to become engaged in each-others work? What if you took this idea a step further and actually invited others to become engaged in your work? And just think, what if you made this work meaningful, made certain your team understood the assignment, motivated them, gave them feedback along the way, and shared in the rewards of a job well done? I know this sounds crazy, but what if you didn’t micromanage their work?

Well, you’re probably already a step ahead of me in understanding where this thought took me. When I assess why I have been successful, in addition to hiring people smarter than me, I became passionate about engaging them in my work, my success, and my rewards.

Thinking back to that clean wooden desk, it was more than simply finding a better home for all the clutter. I very carefully considered who could help me champion each of these important tasks. Because if I was going to delegate these tasks and projects, they must’ve been important. Being an important task or project was only the beginning. Knowing it was meaningful, I need to make certain my team member had 100% clarity of the project. Realizing each of my employees was different than the other I had to consider what might motivate this employee to be as excited about this project as I was. I decided to make certain I could step up to the plate and help them along the way, (without micromanaging) because in the end I too wanted to make certain there was success to share.

A Team member empowered through great delegation, will go a long way to ensure success...for them, the organization, and also for me.

Who has an uncluttered desk and empowered employees?
What can you do to delegate better?
Where do you learn how to delegate?
When is the best time to begin to delegate?
How can you empower employees when delegating?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

It’s Now Or Never

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:45:00 +0000

If you are old enough, you know who made this phrase famous. I can hear Elvis singing “Tomorrow will be too late...it's now or never...”. Elvis was so good at what he did, he only needed a first name to be memorialized forever.

As a Leader, we will also be remembered, for our Decisions, both good and poor. But have you ever been with a Leader who just can not make a decision? I wrote earlier of Life Is Full Of Choices...make one. We learned “Rare Leaders™ must be Decisive”. In my message Freedom Lies In Being Bold, I suggested “failure in Decision making is sometimes a Bold tool”.

As Leaders, the opportunity to make Decisions is present at every moment. We occasionally make Decisions quickly, or sometimes we have days to prepare. Some Decisions are obvious, and some leave us with anxiety similar to buyers remorse. We have made Decisions showering us with praise, and we have unfortunately made Decisions darkening us with blame. We find the loneliness of Decision making is not for the meek.

In his short story “Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner”, Alan Sillitoe describes a young boy who uses running as a method of both an emotional and a physical escape from the bleak prospects and few interests of his personal life. It was Sillitoe’s intention from the start to make Colin Smith deliberately lose the race. If he had won the race, he wouldn’t have been half the man he was. He had to lose. He had to fail, in order to win.

Carrying the burden of making Decisions is heavy, especially when you carry the lives, and futures of so many people with you. In this way, great Leaders carry a tremendous responsibility to others in their Decisions. How do you find a healthy emotional and physical escape from the responsibility of your deliberate Decisions? Because, looking back on your actions, you must have no regrets.

You are a leader. To be a Rare Leader™, you must make deliberate Decisions, without regret, every day, every minute, with every breath you take. That’s what Rare Leaders™ do.

Who makes Decisions without Regret?
What is your healthy escape from making Decisions?
Where do you see Decisions not being made?
When will you make deliberate Decisions?
How will your Decisions impact others?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Freedom Lies In Being Bold

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Be Bold he said.

She said to be Decisive.

Feel Passionate and Free they told me.

Robert Frost claims “Freedom lies in being bold”.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”

"No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess", penned Isaac Newton.

"Be bold when others are scared.” claimed Thomas J. Powell

When making decisions, Life can be a very lonely.

The taste of this freedom Frost speaks of; from being stuck in neutral, drives the Rare Leader™ to move forward, to be bold, and win glorious triumphs, even if checkered by failure. After all, stuck in neutral brings no chance of success, only fear of repeated failure. And, in the competitive marketplace of our new economy, repeated failure does not bode well.

I was 12 at the time. My friends and I were selected by our parents to study the Catechism of the Lutheran Church. Not many children are able to choose their own faith and which church or religion to follow. At this young formative age, our parents make that choice for us.

I remember sitting in Mike’s dad’s car. Nolan had picked us up from Jr. High School to deliver us to church for class. With Mike in the front, we sat in the back seat.

In 1966, Nolan’s Mercury Park Lane cruiser had a rear window that rolled down. Not the rear door window, but the rear window overlooking the trunk. I’ll always remember that car, because of the long ride that first day of Catechism class. We were all so very quiet, unusual for these four 7th graders.

We were not certain why we were going, and what we would be expected to learn, but we knew the choice to attend had been made for us.

I’ll also remember that ride in the Mercury cruiser, because Nolan smoked cigarettes. He smoked as if his life depended on it. And since our ability to live on depended on our not smoking, that rear window was our life saver.

Pastor Hoven welcomed us that day. For two years we made the trip to class. And we learned about the ten commandments, the creed, the sacraments, prayers and confession. We committed everything to memory, so we could pass the public examination and wear those white robes on confirmation day.

I can still recite most of what I learned, and it became the foundation of my faith today. However, perhaps the most valuable lesson was not found in the small handbook we carried for two years.

At some point in our studies, something - somewhere must have happened. Im guessing there was a major event in world news, politics, community, our church, or with a family member of our class. The details of this triggering event has since escaped me. But the impromptu lesson Pastor Hoven delivered that day as he put down the teachers manual, and strayed from the syllabus, changed my life forever.

He taught “Freedom to Fail”.

It was short, and for some reason it stuck. Life, he began, is filled with choices you must make. Not all of your choices can, or will be the best.

I challenge you he said, to be bold, and speak loudly in your choice, and move forward, out of neutral. If you fail, God will pick you up, and help you try again to make a better decision. “That’s it?” I mumbled to myself. I thought there must be more.

Pastor Hoven challenged us to live our lives on both sides of this story. Be bold he said, make the best decision you can, and if you fail, someone who cares for you will be there to pick you up, dust you off, and encourage you to try again. In that same way, look to your friends, your family or even a stranger who tries to be bold in their decision, but fails. Be there to pick them up, dust them off, and help and encourage them to try again.

With this lesson of a “Freedom to Fail”, the fear of repeated failure blows away, like foul cigarette smoke through that rear window of your life, and the fresh air of a new chance to try again with a better chance for success fills you with a Freedom you will taste forever.

I made this “Freedom to Fail” a granite building block in my personal foundation for Leading others. I have used this lesson with my children, with friends, with colleagues, with clients, and with those rising stars on my Teams, who helped to make me successful.

Remember, as a Rare Leader™, you must move toward a solution, and be willing to take a risk. Be Bold. There’s a great freedom out there.

Who is there to pick you up if you fail?
What decisions have brought you failure?
Where can you find fresh air to try again after failure?
When did you pick up others who failed with their decision?
How will you help others who fail in their decisions?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Life Is Full Of Choices…Make One.

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Collaboration...Teamwork...Delegation...Job Sharing...Cooperation...Empower...Partnership...Compromise...and the list goes on. What do these words have in common? Potentially they mean - “nothing gets decided”.

These terms of the day, are all the rage. However, inclusion of your Team and your Associates is more of an art than a science. Because, all of this talk of sharing in the decision seems to also slow down the process of actually making a decision.

I was asked to help a new leader assimilate into her role. It sounded simple enough as she had been an important part of the success of this office.

Cynthia was the ideal choice to be promoted to Lead the regional office. She had been with this industry leader for 15 years. Her resume carried all the necessary signs of success. Double major in marketing and business, an MBA, and high grades from her Team in her 360 reviews. The Succession Planning program had highlighted the competency gaps between her current strengths and this new position. An accelerated development program closed the gap quite nicely over the past 15 months. Everyone loved Cynthia.

During the assimilation we found mostly support for her and few surprises to work through in her Coaching agenda. Although, I did feel some level of caution in my mind with one particular topic. It seemed that everyone loved Cynthia too much. Think about it. Hasn't every leader you have followed had some flaw? Hasn't every leader done something to promote some level of distaste or second guessing?

I spent some time with the group trying to bring out this concern. After some difficult pushing, pulling, and dragging, it finally came to me. The culture of this office had slowly eroded to a picture perfect example of passive aggressiveness. Everyone was afraid or unwilling to make a decision on their own, and the success of group meetings was built on a foundation of alliances, and coffee talk, making certain no one would be offended by the resulting group decisions. Yes, everyone loved Cynthia. She was gifted at being passive, able to stay out of the fray of decision making.

I decided to let the group move in their chosen direction. But, we agreed I would visit again for a followup in a month or two. In advance of my planned re-visit, I was called by the home office to listen to their anxiety driven story. It seems Cynthia's office was in trouble. Production was down, customer service inquiries were diving downward, two key producers had quit, and their exit interviews told the story of an office frozen with no direction, no leadership, no answers to key questions, and day to day issues with no purposeful resolve.

As the group came into our room, the look was indeed different. It was amazing how quickly the aggressive side to their culture had taken control. This was one group of unhappy people. But everyone still seemed to love Cynthia.

Through our group discussions, and some affinity group coaching exercises, I was able to help the group reach some important conclusions. Cynthia was not Leading;

Don’t get me wrong, she was a Visionary, but what good is her Vision when the walls are crumbling around you after only 60 days on the job?
She had Charisma. Everyone still loved Cynthia. Amidst the turmoil, Cynthia was still the fun one to be with.
Cynthia was still Driven To Succeed. She was the first one in the office, the last one to leave at the end of the day, and made it quite clear she logged more miles and met with more customers than anyone else in the office. As the walls were tumbling down, Cynthia needed to make certain her own numbers were still up.
Cynthia was protecting the Relationships she had created over her 15 years with the company. Relationships are important to a Leader...but at what cost?

Yes, Cynthia still had many good competencies and behaviors of a Leader. But something was indeed lacking?

Cynthia had established a very rigid schedule of group and team meetings. She had opened each meeting with a quick discussion of the words which would be key to their success.

Collaboration...
Teamwork...
Delegation...
Job Sharing...
Cooperation...
Empower...
Partnership...
Compromise.

Yes, it’s those words again. But one key phrase was missing. She was ignoring the focus of “Decision Making”.

Nothing was getting done. It may have been a small symptom of a larger problem, it may have been a customer complaint, or it may have been a blowup between key employees. But on this day, we came to realize Cynthia was not making a decision as their leader on most topics that came her way.

Yes, yes, yes...these are great words. These are wonderful sets of Teamwork ideology. But lets face it. Someone must make a decision. In the end, (or perhaps in the beginning, or even midstream) The Leader must be decisive. The Rare Leader™ must be able to assess, analyze, and move toward a solution using instincts, and be willing to take a risk where the absence of facts makes the better decision. Life is full of choices…make one.

Who is responsible to make the decision?
What decisions never seem to be made?
Where can you go if you need to resolve a question?
When will you start making Decisions?
How will you change your behavior of avoiding decision making?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Peeling The Onion...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:53:00 +0000

Did this title really bring you here? I’m guessing it wasn’t because you thought I would teach you how to correctly peel an onion with out crying. (Although I know how to do that as well.)

You’ve no doubt heard the expression “peeling the onion” back farther to reveal a deeper underlying root cause, instead of just the surface symptoms. Or, perhaps we venture out in life being very good at “peeling the onion,” by asking why, and why, and then why again, until we have gone as deep as we can go in getting answers.

My Grandson Mason mastered this technique. Mason, don’t run down the stairs, I would yell. Why not Run Grandpa? Because you’ll fall and get hurt. Why fall Grandpa? Because your legs are too short for the stair height. Why legs so short Grandpa? Because you’re only 3 years old Mason. Why 3 Grandpa? Whew...by this time he was down the stairs safely, but I was worn out. He won.

As adults, and as Leaders we need reminders that many situations warrant digging deeper than others typically do. In today’s high speed technology driven world of diverse people and generations, we often feel pressured to “finish” one task and quickly move on to another.

Why is Tom failing Debbie asked me? He seemed perfect when we hired him. He has a good undergraduate degree, and an MBA from the best business school in the Midwest. Tom’s 10 years experience in very specifically related tasks seemed to qualify him well. His references all checked out. The onion skin had now been broken and peeled back, revealing a very shiny aubergine layer.

How has Tom done in his first year, I asked? Well, you know, it is the honeymoon time being new on the job, and the markets have been really tough. And then we lost a big client. But I thought Tom was doing pretty well, until...Now the second layer of the onion was about to be pulled away. A subtle symptom of a failing employee fell to the floor.

Well, until one of our key employees began to complain. Now I really trust Barb. She’s a legacy employee. She’s loyal, and smart, and has no reason to make things up, so I listened Debbie said. Barb told me Tom had not been truthful on performance reviews. Everyone was getting a similar above average rating. Another layer of the onion fell away.

When Debbie subsequently asked Tom about the performance reviews, Tom was a bit uncomfortable, and seemed to have a pretty good answer to every question. It didn’t add up to Barbs concern. Another layer came away.

Debbie carefully peeled away yet another layer of not so subtle symptoms, and reviewed all the performance appraisals herself. Barb was correct. These are all vanilla. Tom was lying to me, Debbie thought to herself.

When Tom came in Barbs office, he could see the reviews stacked on Debbie’s desk. He knew the topic of the hour. Debbie began her questions. but this time she was prepared. She had peeled enough layers of the onion away to be near the truth. After the normal course of who, what, where, when, and how questions, Tom was as worn out as Grandpa was from Mason.

Debbie told me how pleased she was to have continued to probe, peeling the onion to discover the truth about Tom’s failing performance. Now, she wanted advice about what to do next with Tom. She was prepared to fire him.

I asked her to peel the onion even further. After peeling away the final layers, and taking a closer look, and Debbie summarized she discovered Tom had supervised people before, but not such a diverse work force as this. At his previous employer, the culture was quite easy going and laid back, while here, we are driven and accountable to metrics and goals. And, when finally arriving at a place of personal trust with Tom, he confided, that he had an aversion to conflict.

Debbie had now found the core of the onion. If Tom could receive some help understanding the rules of engagement within this culture of accountability, and learn to use the available tools to manage conflict, he just might be come a better manager.

So it really wasn’t about Tom failing to document performance. It was about her own failure to assess and recognize the culture differences and conflict aversion issues Tom has had all along in his career. She had focused on the last of the “C”’s (Craft), and missed the Core and Character “C”’s in the hiring process. [see “Hiring Up” http://bit.ly/gdPQvG from March 22, 2010]

The Rare Leader™ today must accept the Ambiguity of the workplace. Knowing when and how to peel back the onion at the same time as juggling lots of balls while maintaining focus, will help to view micro and macro details fitting into the big picture.

And sometimes, when we peel back the onion, we need to realize we find ourselves at the core.

Who is at the core of the onion in your conflict?
What can you do to make certain you have peeled away every layer of the onion?
Where can you discover the onion in an issue facing you?
When will you begin to peeling the onion to discover core issues?
How can you learn the skill of peeling the onion?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Connecting The Dots...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:06:00 +0000

He handed me the envelope. It was sealed, dated, and said simply Steve. “Save this and open it when we finish our work” he said, with a slight upturned grin.

4 months earlier, Vince and I began collaborating on a strategic planning project. Several weeks ago, he gave me this envelope. Knowing him as well as I did, I knew this had something to do with the project. So into my briefcase went the letter sized envelope, almost forgotten until today.

Today, we met with the CEO to present our final report and recommendations. We were very prepared. Our respective Teams had done their research, compiled data, and aggressively challenged each other on options and final paths. We were confident of the new direction the Organization needed to go, and now we needed to convince the Charismatic leader.

As Vince offered a brief introduction of our agenda, I placed the thick deck in front of him. The CEO placed his hands around the binder, and then slowly let it fall back on the table. “Guys”, he said, “I want to take a brief diversion. It may change the course of your recommendation”. Great, I thought. We did all of this careful work, and the CEO had been holding out some important information we should have considered. But we did our homework. We had open access to everything. What else could there be?

The CEO’s eyes focused carefully on each of us in this moment of silence that seemed to last 15 minutes, and then spoke strongly and slowly...“I have decided to resign”.

Separate from our work, the CEO had realized the Organization needed to go in a direction he was not prepared or interested to lead. His self assessment of his skills, his passions, and his own personal goals made it clear to him it was time for a change.

The meeting took an obvious turn, and the CEO was correct. Throughout the next 45 minutes, he was able to predict almost every recommendation and path our Teams had decided upon. The plan met his approval, but with his imminent departure, there was now an additional step required to make it succeed.

As we drove away together, I was still a bit shocked. One of the issues Vince and I struggled with, was a concern about the CEO being able to successfully lead this new venture. But how did he know? Vince asked me if I still had the envelope he gave me. I reached into my crowded briefcase and there it was, still sealed. I carefully slid my pen under the glued seal and tore it open. Inside was one piece of yellow legal pad paper, tri-folded. I opened the page and there were three words printed in Vince’s handwriting. “He will resign”.

“What? How? How did you know?” I immediately thought the two of them had colluded, speaking secretly behind me. Vince said, “I just have this ability to connect the dots. I can’t explain how, or why, but I see things coming together very quickly and over the years, I have been correct most of the time”.

I reminded myself that Vince was himself a retired President, CEO, and Board Chair of several very successful organizations. “But how did the CEO know” I asked?

This CEO is a remarkable Leader. On one hand he knows the organization, and the business very well. All the research and data we collected and analyzed, he either knew previously or sensed. While he sees the successes and achievements, he also lives with daily stress, roadblocks, and frustrations. Think about the number of balls he is juggling at one time. But most importantly, he has a wonderful ability to focus. He takes all of these details and visionary trends both big and small, and like puzzle pieces, fits them all into the big picture.

On the other hand, he knows himself. He knows his strengths. But most importantly he understands his weaknesses. And in the end, he knows when it is time to walk away, and look for the next challenge he will passionately pursue towards success.

It’s like connecting the dots I asked? “Yes...It’s just like connecting the dots...the correct dots.”

These are two Leaders who can accept and promote the ambiguity of leadership. They can connect the dots, and put all the pieces together into the puzzle. But most of all, as a Rare Leader™, they also instill this into their Team.

Who do you follow that can “connect the dots”?
What does it mean to “connect the dots”?
Where can you see “connecting the dots” as a leadership behavior?
When will you begin to “connect the dots”?
How can “connecting the dots” help you Lead?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

You Annoy Me! (But I have to Lead you anyway)

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:54:00 +0000

I was spending the afternoon riding in the car with a good friend. This long trip could have been more expedient with a short flight, but my host was a road warrior, and he loved the drive.

As we cruised comfortably at 70, I realized he also had an another motive. He was considering retirement and was now looking back on his very successful sales career. Knowing of my work with successful leaders and business owners, he asked me a striking question. “Steve”, he quietly said...”what do you think is missing? I mean, I’ve had quite a great career. I want nothing more financially, and I have more respect than I deserve. But what do you think Steve? Based on your experiences with business leaders, is there one more mountain I should climb? Is there one more war to win? Should I close one more rainmaker?”

We had an engaging discussion of what might have been, what could be, and while we laughed, and we thought deeply, we were very open and honest. I laughed the hardest at his response to a simple question. I asked him if why he had never considered a position in management. Never at a loss for rapid answers, he raised his voice and said “Cause they annoy me”. They annoy you, I probed? Yes...Yes, those people who don’t do it right. Those people who always have stupid questions, those people who are lazy, those people who have no drive to achieve, those people who, who...Yes I said. I get it. People who would work for you would annoy you? “Actually I find them quite frustrating” he said. “I would not be a good Leader.”

I thought this was fascinating. Not that he was annoyed by other people, but the concept that perhaps all high flyers, or all high achievers are annoyed by others they perceive are not up to their level. But some of these potentially annoyed high flyers are Leaders. And some of them are very successful leaders.

So I ventured out into the world of these high flying achievers who were also successful Leaders and asked 2 questions.

Do you find some of the people you lead to be annoying? (the universal answer was nearly 100% Yes)
How do you overcome the distraction of this annoyance? (the answers to question #2 were not so simple)

Ahhh - How to overcome the distraction of being annoyed by the people you lead? That is the question of the day.

In no particular order, here’s what I heard.

Because I have to...It’s my job. (ouch)
I believe in developing others.
I insulate myself from others when ever I can. (ooooh)
I love being around my Team. I look to their innocence and inexperience as a grounding for me.
I have always felt the ability to be patient, and sensitive to others.
Leaders must believe others have untapped potential. It’s my responsibility to find it.
If I respect and expect the best, they will learn and succeed...(and also stop annoying me)
If I show them I believe in them, they will reciprocate and follow me.
I listen without bias, using my eyes and feelings, and I reflect back to them what I heard them say.
I remember when I was there when I was younger...(and I knew I annoyed my boss)

In the end, the real truth is, we do get annoyed by others, but if we are expected to Lead, we must overcome this distraction. After all, showing others we have the ability to handle frustrations such as annoying people, while at the same time we juggle lots of balls, manage stress, and keep the big picture in view, is part of what makes us a Rare Leader™.

Who annoys you at work?
What do you do to overcome the distraction of annoying people?
Where can you make a difference in someones life?
When can you change your attitude about people who annoy you?
How will you develop those who annoy you today?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Help me...I’m Multi-Tasking Multi Tasks!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:33:00 +0000

If you are near to my age, or as Florence Dusty might say, a “baker of my generation”, multi-tasking has a distinct meaning. When you hear someone say they are multi-tasking, you think of a list of several “to-do’s” that you focus on today. Or multi-tasking might also mean doing two things at once, such as Florence baking muffins and doing laundry at the same time. The other day at my desk, I was on the phone, and with my headset on, I was able to pack my briefcase and walk to my car. Yes, that was multi-tasking too.

Multi tasking takes on several skills applied simultaneously. but admittedly drains the ability to focus. If I am really listening to my caller, am I remembering everything I needed to put into my briefcase? Or if my briefcase gets organized well, am I actually listening to my caller?

This older generation of mine grew up in a pretty focused, single dimension world. Today’s leaders developed their craft in a world of singular focus, working face to face with customers and employees, creating quiet time to read thick documents, while staffers helped with administrative tasks such as dictation, meeting set up, filing, answering phones, and guarding the door. It made my doing more than one task at the same time a bit easier. As I left a meeting, my secretary would hand me the file for my next appointment, and brief me on a phone call she fielded, while reminding me of my lunch appointment downstairs. As she recited these 6-7 updates, I was glancing at the file summary note and walking at the same time. Yessss, That was multi tasking refined. I was like a well oiled machine, until Becky took a day off. Then I was lost and multi tasking came to a halt. Actually, single tasking became difficult too.

I was visiting a client a few months ago and touring their beautiful new headquarters. As I left his office and walked away from the executive suite, his secretary reminded him of his lunch appointment and told him of an important message in his voice mail box. He bristled a bit and when the elevator doors closed, he grumbled something about “so much to do”.

When the doors opened, we were on the second floor. He chuckled and said “welcome to the experiment”. This “experiment” was a floor designed completely by the employees. There were no private offices. The only private rooms were in the center core. They were labeled with names of people, places, and things, and organized either traditionally, or quite eclectically for small private discussions, or larger group gatherings. There were a few very small workstations scattered through out the floor. But the remainder of the floor was furnished with couches, bag chairs, benches, and heavy wooden tables. And yes, there was a pool table and a ping pong table too. Some areas were lit brightly and lively with a large screen tv, and others were tucked away with warmer colors and quiet music. Instead of the old bun coffee maker next to the refrigerator, there was a professional quality espresso press, and a mini juice bar.

But I was more taken back by the employees themselves. Working alone, or working in small groups, the floor was really alive. I first watched a younger woman sitting in a comfortable lounge chair, with her ear buds tucked in, watching the large screen television, and chatting away with a friend while clicking away on her laptop. At a nearby table, three people were engaged in a conversation while focused on their laptop screens, sipping good latte’s. In one of the quiet areas it looked as if one person was actually napping. In an inner core room, two young children were working on what appeared to be home work from their grade school. Employees were coming and going. But it was alive. My friend explained this floor was designed by employees who pledged that if they could design a workspace fitting their culture, they would be more effective, happier, and engaged. He said the early results were very exciting.

I don’t know how they do it he said, but that first younger woman is one of our accounts payable employees. While listening to itunes, and watching TMZ, she was auditing a payables ledger with her partner from compliance. The three Latte sippers, were also video linked to a few branch offices, conducting a training session. Yes, one person was napping, because he had come into work after a good evening out with friends, and it made better sense to get some work done rather than drive home and back again a few hours later. Now he was catching up prior to a presentation. The grade schoolers were studying until mom an dad could leave work. It was easier than going to day care, and mom and dad were right there on the same floor, working but able to check in on their kids.

“Somehow”, he said, “this whole thing works. I can’t seem to do two things at once without my privacy and a secretary, but they are able to thrive while multi-tasking multi tasks. These are among our most successful and highest potential employees”.

Managing this type of workforce, and world of work requires a new set of skills for today’s Rare Leader™. The fact is, younger workers who will carry the success you have envisioned work differently than you do. They have been developed, and have found the ability to adapt with technology and relationships to do more things at the same time. Juggling several things at once actually drives them to more productivity. While this new machine can work effectively under new updated conditions, it still requires leadership.

The Rare Leader™ of this workforce of today’s generation must accept and promote a Tolerance for Ambiguity. The Rare Leader™ shows others the ability to handle stress, disappointment, roadblocks, and frustrations at the same time as juggling lots of balls while maintaining focus. She can view micro and macro and how these details fit into the big picture. But most of all, this Rare Leader™ can instill this into their Team.

Who do you know that can multi-task multi tasks?
What do you do to help you understand today’s multi taskers?
Where can you observe and learn this style of ambiguity?
When can you begin to add more “balls in the air”?
How will you begin to move from Florence Dusty’s generation to the more ambiguous generation of “multi tasking multi tasks”?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

So...You’re Allowed To Be A Jerk?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 03:52:00 +0000

My Boss is a jerk. I really don’t like my Boss. What gives him the right to treat me this way? She has a bad day and I suffer. Ok, enough already. Do you know that’s what they really say? Do you know they are talking about you? So... you’re allowed to be a jerk, just because you’re the boss?

I get concerned when I hear these pronouncements. After I follow up on the statements I hear the same excuses from these bosses. They say; I have so much stress. They have no clue what it’s really like in this office. With this economy and business challenges it’s not easy being the boss. I should just fire them all.

You know, they might be right. As Will Ferrell said in his portrayal of an American President, “This presidenting is really hard”. But that is not an excuse. When the going gets really tough, it is not time to crawl into a hole and make autocratic decisions, ignoring your employees and your leadership team. When you leave those collaborative times of Peace, and find yourself in the decisive times of War, it still calls for you to be a good leader of others, in addition to yourself.

If you change your style because the conditions demand it, let people know the rules of engagement have changed. If being decisive requires you to make immediate decisions, you still have the responsibility to communicate the state of business, and the impact on your organization.

Emotional Stability in a Rare Leader™ is exemplified by the “boss” who can alter their leadership style as conditions dictate. Emotional Stability in a Rare Leader™ is bookmarked by increased targeted communications indicating the style and rules of leadership have changed. Emotional Stability in a Rare Leader™ is noticed by others when the Integrity of Character never falters when times are tough. Emotional Stability in a Rare Leader™ shines through, and creates a Charisma which in turn develops an even stronger following when employees need direction.

One of my clients found himself faced with pretty dire conditions as the market conditions hit his company even harder than expected. Even though they planned for a downturn, and applied their tactical plan, revenues tumbled, and the news was bad. But my client realized the bad news was not a secret. Employees throughout the company now feared the worst. It wasn’t merely about jobs anymore, everyone knew it was about company survival.

Rather than sit in his office and dictate office closings, job eliminations, and deeper expense cuts, this president went on the offensive. Rather than put on a happy face and try to tell his close supporters that they would weather the storm, he told the truth. He told the truth to everyone. He visited every office and held town meetings. He listened. He spoke openly about the challenges facing everyone. But he also spoke bravely about the tough decisions he was making every day. He laid out a very specific plan of the limited options to create survival.

The groundswell of support grew as word spread about the Character, Charisma, Decisiveness, and Emotional Stability of their leader. We may need to wait another 12 -18 months as the economic recovery slowly continues to see if they survive. But what we know immediately, is that these employees want to believe in their Leader. These employees want to follow their Leader. Even though times of Peace have been left far behind, the new style of leadership in this time of War has been clearly communicated, and employees have accepted the challenge to follow.

Don’t be a Jerk...Become a Rare Leader™.

Who do you turn to when times get tough?
What do you do when you find plans are not working?
Where is your comfort zone during times of War?
When will you begin to communicate realities of the future?
How will you lead your employees when the going gets tough?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

War and Peace...or is it Peace and War

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:26:00 +0000

If you are looking for the latest discussion of Napoleon, Nicholas Rostov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostov, or Princess Helene, you’ve googled the wrong War and Peace. Tolstoy needed four volumes to tell the of the disastrous 1812 Russian invasion as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families.

We’ll identify the qualities and behaviors of a Rare Leader™ during Times Of Peace, and also during Times Of War, in a more abbreviated fashion. So, why not read on.

Beginning in the later 1980’s, I realize I had switched my learning emphasis from technical topics such as labor negotiation strategies, self funded underwriting of medical benefit plans, or regulations relative to the financial securities industry. My study interests shifted towards a discovery of why people are successful, and more specifically, who leads people to success...and how?

We were coming off an explosion of interest in China. Venture capitalism, technology, and restructuring the corporation were the rage. But there was not really a focus on the competencies of leadership. Historically, Leadership had grown out of the top producer being awarded from great achievements in sales, engineering, or finance with a promotion to the coveted corner office.

Leadership was ill defined, and success in the roaring 90’s came a bit easier when the economy and business was good. These Leaders were leading in Times Of Peace.

I have read many books on Leadership. Perhaps too many. Early on, theories of Collaborative Leadership emerged, encouraging skills and attributes for cross boundary success. Interpersonal connections were replacing formal systems of process. After all, who would argue against the common theory of “two heads are better than one”?

When the economy was strong, business was going well, and growth came as a natural progression, collaborative Leadership became a hallmark of success. Transparency, open door policies, long term strategic planning, delegation, team building and even more theories expounded upon in the leading business books, encouraged this style of collaborative open decision making while in Times Of Peace.

Hello Recession...The times are a changing. More, and more I see successful organizations able to react tactically, as they continue to find new avenues of success. But with the problem solving process shortened, and economic challenges demanding fast decisive decisions, Leaders find themselves altering their behaviors of leading others.

Sometimes, Leaders simply have to make decisions on their own. This does not encourage a fall back to closed door meetings with secret agendas. But it does encourage more strategic preparedness and interaction between key employees helping to prepare their Leader to be more decisive on behalf of the Team in these Times Of War. Preparation, open discussions, careful research, communication, and support of individual decisions have become the bugle of a new call to arms.

A new competency of leadership has emerged. The Rare Leader™ who has balance, poise, and ability to maintain composure through ups and downs, and knows when to apply intellectual intelligence and maturity can Lead in times of both War and Peace. The Rare Leader™ can not only differentiate between the two, but has the ability to draw upon both skill sets when needed, to Lead others.

Do you have this level of Emotional Stability as a Leader?

Who do you know that can lead effectively in times of both War and Peace?
What can you do to build your competencies to lead to during both Peace and in these times of War?
Where do you see success from Leadership in times of War?
When will you switch your style of leadership for these times of War?
How do you switch from the attributes of leadership during peace, to the skills needed to lead in these times of War?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Calm Before The Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Have you ever experienced the calm before the storm? As I gaze out the window on the train, I can see the purple and black billowing clouds far away in the west. But here, with my world re-sized by headphones and my laptop, there is a peaceful calm, punctuated by the occasional glance to my left, noticing the clouds becoming more ominous and near, as I reach my destination North. I realize I need to make a contingency plan for my arrival, to make it to my car with my bags intact, and dry. But then I turn my head back to my writing, and I am again - calm.

This Calm Before The Storm is a wonderful quality of the Rare Leader™, an important descriptive behavior of emotional stability. Sometimes the employees, the customers, or stakeholders do not sense the storm ahead. Perhaps they do not have the insights of the Rare Leader™ to see the storm clouds in the distance. But if they did...would they...would you...be able to be the calm before the storm for others? Would you have made contingency plans for the rainy day?

During my executive days at Baird, when Fred was President, he would enclose a personal note with each bonus check, thanking every employee for their contributions to the company success, delighting in the opportunity to share the rewards. However, no matter how rich the rewards, he ended every note the same words of caution. He would carefully advise us to “save some of this reward for a rainy day ahead, because some day it will rain”. And indeed he was right. And those who heeded his simple words of leadership again benefitted from his “calm before the inevitable storm”.

Sometimes the Rare Leader™ is not always the one to predict the storm, but is perhaps the one to sense it, or to accept the wise words of predictive knowledge from those he or she has chosen to trust.

But, the Rare Leader™ is the one you chose to follow who maintains this unique sense of calm and Emotional Stability. The Rare Leader™ has balance, poise, an ability to maintain a level course of direction through ups and downs, and knows when and how to apply their intellectual intelligence and maturity.

When have you sensed a storm ahead in your organization?
What contingencies have you set aside for the rainy day to maintain a level course?
Who have you identified you will trust for predictive knowledge?
Where have you proven to your Team you have poise and balance through ups and downs?
How will you be perceived by your Team during the Storm?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

My Boss Is Relentless

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:33:00 +0000

When I asked Tim what was on his mind, he really opened up.

“I love my job. I really do. But there are some things that make it really unbearable. I mean, I’m really good at what I do. Well, that’s what my friends tell me. The company is great, and I believe in our products. From what I see, we are in a great position to grow, and I could have seen myself happy here for a long time...could have. You see, it’s her fault. You’ve met her. Yeah, my Boss. Wait, I’m not saying she’s a bad person. I’ve met her husband and kids, and they all seem really happy when they’re together. Her brother works here too. He’s also an owner, and he’s not like her. You see, she’s quite bright. No, actually she’s brilliant. She’s patented several of our formulas and is respected industry wide. But my issue is that she’s relentless. She is all over me. I just can’t seem to be doing enough to please her. I don’t know how the others do it. I cant take it. Yes, that’s why I’m leaving. You need to help me”

I first met Tim at one of my networking events - “1,2,3@5”. This is an open networking event I host 4 times each year, attended by a few hundred people. It’s fabulous networking, and has been labeled as the “premiere networking event” in the business community. But, it is not the place for confidential coaching. So when Tim was introduced to me he said, “Steve, I have been wanting to meet you. Based upon your success Coaching other executives, I know you are the right person to help me.” I thanked Tim for the gracious compliment in front of the few gathered in our circle near the entrance, and suggested we meet soon to chat in private. When we met a week later, Tim told me his story, and diagnosed what he felt was his issue.

When I am engaged with a career coaching client, so many times the client will tell me they love their job, but they can’t work for their Boss. It’s always the Boss’s fault. Yeah, that’s right. Typically this is the Boss who built up a nice $100m business, is admired by the community, and is followed by a growing number of successful “C” level leaders. We have all met this Leader. To be this successful, many times they embody most of the behaviors of the Rare Leader™.

So why then, does Tim, and perhaps many of you have this identical issue? First, let’s be honest and cut to the truth. Many times people who self diagnose their issues are the worst doctors. They locate all sorts of cuts and bruises and apply nice looking band-aids, and take ibuprofen, and all seems well...for a day or two. These self diagnosers never find the core issues beneath these symptoms of pain and discomfort. It is far too difficult to look inside yourself with any deep effective level of an unbiased assessment.

Tim, while thinking this was all about his Boss, had self diagnosed himself to be distant from the problem. After all, this Millennial has what it takes. A nice degree, a quality internship, a good family legacy in business, and after 18 months on the job, Tim is ready for the world. He does not have the patience to be treated like a kid by his Boss. Tim sees himself ready to be anointed for greatness.

One of the behaviors that made Tim’s boss successful was her Achievement Drive. As one of the 12 behaviors of the Rare Leader™, she knew she needed to achieve, and realized she needed to lead others to achieve. She had Goal Clarity from her collaborative work with her Team. Tim knew she was persistent. But Tim only saw her persistence as pushing and prodding and “bugging him”, rather than her actually trying to motivate him to also be decisive and take action. Tim was so self involved, that he did not see that Kate’s pushing and prodding made those around her successful too. In reality, Tim was too selfish to see his Boss cared so much for him that she was making every effort to help him succeed.

Now, after several Coaching sessions, Tim was hoping it was not too late to revive his chances with Kate. Had Kate given up on Tim?

Can YOU save your career?
Are your job frustrations someone else’s fault...or your own?
Are you too self involved to see others are trying to help you?
Do you self diagnosed your problems at work?
Does your Team understand why you push and prod them to achieve?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Committed to Achieve?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:58:00 +0000

When I initially meet with my coaching clients, we complete an initial assessment. Part of the assessment helps begin to uncover core issues for our future work together. New clients usually take great care to explain who they are. However, because we have not yet built the trust required in a coaching relationship, these new clients are careful not to disclose anything too revealing, or damaging.

True to form, it’s almost as if they have a scripted message they never tire of delivering. I’ve heard it so many times. If its a family business, they talk of their Grandfathers dedication and vision to build this company passed on through the generations.

If not a family business, their self assessment initially focuses on their targeted education from a respected University, their rise from an entry level job, and their baby boomer work ethic that took them to the top.

Bill told me about his rise to the top, but became agitated when speaking to his reason for seeking my help. “No one here shares my passion for our mission, goals, and objectives...I seem to be the only one with the drive, and commitment to make certain we’re successful”

I always find it interesting the burden some executives feel that they are alone in their quest for success. They feel like the 3 handicap golfer always dragging the 15 handicapper in the 2 golfer best-ball tourney. Bill’s shoulders were tired.

I decided to ask Bill’s permission to speak with some of the employees to gain their honest perspective...(This was something he had never done). Focusing on Bills assumed solo ride on the “commitment train”, I discovered some valuable perspectives. Some substantiated comments were;

“Yeah, Bill’s pretty crazy about his wanting to win.”
“Bill constantly complains in leadership meetings about the Team not getting on board...Frankly, I’m not certain what that means. Bill’s all over the place with his goal of the week.”
“That’s pretty funny actually. Like last week when he was all over us, driving us, really angry, telling us we must not care...and then he decided at the last minute yesterday to go on some golf trip today with his buddies, and canceled our Team meeting. This commitment thing comes and goes with him.”
“Committed to his vision? Committed to his goals? Oh, yes, that’s Bill all right. But to be honest, I’m not certain what this vision is, and what specific goals he has set. How am I supposed to join him if I don’t know what he really wants?”

As Bill and I spent more time together, we found that trust which is required to build the foundation of our work. Eventually a more complete disclosure of “what keeps Bill awake at night” came through. Over time, Bill discovered solutions to some bigger internal issues, enabling him to find confidence with himself and his Team.

Bill found he was able to work with his Team to collaboratively discover the Company vision, and set a course of accountable actions to reach goals towards success. This goal clarity enabled Bill and his Team to see the vision and goals together as partners, and share in the strategies and tactics.

The shared accountability between Bill and his Team, and between the Team Members gave a new level of commitment and persistence towards achieving goals. This persistence was fueled by a functional trusting Team, with a leader sharing and encouraging his commitment to achievement.

As you think of your own Achievement Drive, answer these questions;

Are you considered “crazy” or “passionate” about your achievement drive?
Are you “consistent” with your Goals, or “flexible” as needed?
Are you “committed”, or merely “participating” with high energy?
Are you a high achiever at providing clarity with your Team?
Are you driven by “goal clarity”?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Achievement Drive - Is there some Mozart within you?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Have you ever been in the presence of someone who has this unmatched passion and drive to succeed at what they set out to do? Don’t you look at them and feel this huge “aha” moment, and wish it were you? We typically apply this to a high achieving athlete, such as an NFL quarterback capping a long drive with a touchdown, the top ranked tennis player at the Open winning on a tiebreaker, or the basketball player, who during a time out huddle in overtime says to the coach...”give me the ball, I will score”....and they do, and he does.

From somewhere deep inside, these gifted athletes draw upon a strong quality enabling them to step up and deliver. We tend to look at them as “at the moment performers”. When they need to turn it on, they can. But what we athletic mortals do not understand, is that they do not turn this high achievement drive on and off. They will tell you they are ON, all the time.

My father, who was a gifted musician always spoke of that “Mozart within us”. He believed that all of us have been given the gift from God to be just like Mozart at something. You might know, that Mozart as a five year old wrote his first composition, Andante in C. We might think of outstanding, once in a lifetime athletes as having found their Mozart. Maybe it is so evident because they take their gift a bit more public as evidenced in their high achievement drive to succeed.

Have you found your own Mozart within you?

If you were a Mozart at athletics, we would know who you are. However, maybe you have a Mozart gift giving you the ability to lead. If you are a Rare Leader™ I suspect you have found a bit of that Mozart within you. Why not “be like Mike”, and ask for the ball and Lead others. Show everyone you have the same High Achievement Drive to succeed in leading an organization, and in leading other successful people.

As a Rare Leader™, you must show you have the ability and energy to release a strong commitment and persistence from within. This is only possible when you have goal clarity supporting your need to achieve. This is driven from an unrest - to push, prod, and motivate others, taking decisive action.

Do you believe there is a Mozart in all of us?
Are you a Leader who “wants the ball”?
Do you feel you have High Achievement Drive?
Can you release a strong commitment and persistence from within?
Is your need to achieve guided by goal clarity?
Are you driven to push, prod, and motivate others to take decisive action?

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

I’ve Got Wonderful Relationships...I’m their Boss.

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:01:00 +0000

One of my clients asked me to help them discover a downward trend in profits at one of their locations. Everything seems to check out, they said. Marketing plans are consistent with our corporate guidelines. Inventory control checks are all green on my dashboard. Our service menu is easily the most inviting within a 60 mile drive. Our online presence is great, with our website winning an award a few months ago. Our pricing is in line with our competition. But over the last year, our revenues have been slipping, and now we are below target on our bottom line.

I looked at the data and he was correct. His dashboard looked very green, but the rolling 12 month report on revenues and profit was revealed something was wrong.

What are your customers saying...I asked? They did not have reliable data here. All they had were a few comment cards filled out by customers on their way out (if they took the time). I suggested a targeted customer contact study. Over the next month, we sent e-mails with a brief confidential survey to every customer from the past 12 months. The return rate was actually quite high. We invited 24 random customers to focus group events, teasing them with some nice “freebies”. My facilitation of these gatherings told us what we had not known. We changed the comment card and left it and an envelope with each customer during their service. We used a “secret shopper” program to get an inside view of the customer experience.

I love data. It not only verifies our intuition, but opens new doors to explore. The customer data revealed one important topic, with several issues we had not anticipated. The employees were failing their customers expectations. We found inconsistencies in delivering the service that customers selected. (employees altered the service to what they “felt like doing”.) We found customers were disappointed to learn their favorite employees had left. Looking deeper we discovered turnover was high, but because of the great reputation, filling open positions came easy, disguising the turnover. Employees generally seemed disengaged, unhappy, and a “turn off” to customers. In short, the employees were turning customers away.

There were no exit interviews. There were no follow ups with employees who left. There was no corporate intervention on employee relations issues. There was no data to analyze, leaving us to imagine the employees seemed isolated on an island with their manager.

The Manager can’t be the problem, said my client. She’s great...she’s one of our best leaders. Her reports are accurate and on time, she’s engaged with our Leadership Team, everyone up here at “Corporate” loves her.

But when we did talk to employees, we found the other side of the story. Their comments included...She was a bully, she’s toxic, It’s all about her and no one else, she micromanages, she doesn’t care about service consistency, she ignores standards and protocol, she has mood swings, she has favorites, she doesn’t care about what I think. And finally the revealing comments saying...”she makes certain the number one goal of her looking good to “Corporate” is always top priority”.

So...in short, the financials all seemed to check out until it was too late from a revenue to profit indication. The business model seemed to shine. The Manager (I hesitate to call her the Leader) was focused on her own success, and failed to build quality relationships with the employees who in the end, drove customers away.

Can we save this business?
What steps would you take to turn losses into profits?
How can you ensure customer satisfaction?
Does this manager listen, understand, respond, or sense the needs of other people?
What if this Manager focused on others first?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

But, Do I Have To Like People To Be A Leader?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:44:00 +0000

We have concluded one of the twelve behaviors of the Rare Leader™ is to be high in “relationships”. The quick response from some people has been...”so what you’re telling me, is that if I don’t like to be around people I can’t lead?”

I’ve heard feedback on assessments when I review candidates for an Executive Leadership opportunity for a client...

If my MBTI shows me to be an “E” rather than an “I”, am I doomed to be in the trenches, rather than leading the troops?
My DiSC profile shows me to be a lower “I”, should I see this as an indication I can not influence the people I lead?
My Culture Index profile indicates I am a lower “B”. Because I like to think and focus on the tasks at hand rather than socialize shouldn’t be interpreted that I can not lead.

Now what?

While there is a great amount of reality that Leaders interact with people, and establish that mutual trust between them, it is not intended the “relationship” behavior of the Rare Leader™ be an emphasis on social skills and desires.

However, the Rare Leader™ is always dealing with people, displaying the ability to listen, to understand, and to respond. The Rare Leader™ uses intuition to sense what people are feeling and thinking. The Rare Leader™ is able to recognize different behavioral styles proving he or she can focus on others rather than themselves.

Sometimes, “E’s”, or higher “I’s”, or higher “B’s” struggle leading others. Perhaps their personal focus is on the social side of working with others rather than actually leading.

This high “sociability” might even mask their inability to establish a trusting relationship, disabling any intuitive skill to sense what motivates their Team, or to understand and appropriately respond to differing styles of behavior. After all, the key to utilizing these assessment profiles is understanding how you can affect others, and how to sense and interact with others.

So let’s make a deal here...

Don’t take the popular assessment tools at face value as an indicator of Leadership. We need to understand what they really mean.
Social Skills are not the same as “relationship” behaviors and abilities.
Consider these important questions;

Do you have the ability to listen to people?
Can you understand what others are trying to communicate to you?
Are you able to respond effectively to others?
Are your intuitive skills heightened?
Can you sense what people are thinking or feeling?
Can you recognize differing behavioral styles in people you lead?
Do you focus on the success of others as well as your self?

Check back with us soon, to discover and share more about your answers to these questions.

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

I have people skills, I am good at dealing with people...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:31:00 +0000

The Rare Leader™ is always interacting with people. The Rare Leader™ is able to utilize intuition to sense what people are feeling and thinking. The Rare Leader™ has the ability to interact positively, actively listening, understanding, and responding to different behavioral styles. The Rare Leader naturally proves he or she can focus on others rather than self.

"Well, look, I already told you. I deal with the #*@#$% customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?!"... Tom Smykowski responding to Bob Slydel - Office Space

Tom was a leader of the Software Engineering Team at Initech, a company plagued by excessive management. When pressed, Tom really felt his number one skill was “dealing with people”, because had “people skills”.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I think of people skills, unfortunately I think too many times about managers like Tom, who really do think their people skills are second to none. Even though Tom is a fictional leader, from a fictional company, from a movie, it is in fact, rare to find real leaders from real companies with great people skills. The reason Tom felt his people skills were so strong, is that he was so focused on himself, rather than the Team members he was leading.

Great relationships with people do start and end with the skills and behaviors you show in establishing powerful, long lasting, relationships of trust, collaboration, and shared success.

Do you have great intuition? Can you connect the dots of what you observe about the people you lead? To properly observe, you need a keen ability going beyond what you might easily see, hear, or touch. Intuition takes you inside the character of the people you lead, to sense and understand what they are thinking and feeling. What does the connection tell you? Connecting the dots and applying your intuition about people is similar to the skills you find as a visionary, using data and trends to see into the future. Your intuition should enable you to see the future possibilities between yourself and other people.

What is your ability to interact with others? Are your active listening skills refined? Does it come naturally to listen intently and be able to repeat what you heard...word for word?

After listening, can you understand what the other person is really saying? What is their hidden meaning? What action are they seeking from you? Do they desire you to offer a response full of ideas, suggestions and directives, or are they merely seeking a listener with empathy?

What is your response? Does your response come from truly caring about what they have to say? Or, is your response quick, to the point, enabling you to move to your next agenda item of your day?

Perhaps the hidden challenge for the Rare Leader™ with relationships is adapting all of these skills to the “human factor”. After all, like snowflakes, no two human beings are alike. This gives you great opportunity to develop your intuition, interaction, listening skills, understanding, and response, to varying styles and diversity of people. This adaption to diversity draws from the Core of your Character. This adaption to diversity of behavior styles in your Team, is the test of the integrity of your Character.

In the end, your relationships with others have no grounding if you continue to focus on yourself first. This was really Tom’s issue when self analyzing his number one skill at Initech. I see this same issue when observing, assessing, and coaching leaders who fail at building positive relationships as a proven characteristic of becoming a Rare Leader™. The core of these failings continue to look back at a narcissistic self involved, “me first” Leader.

Who do you focus on? What is your style?

Do you have great intuition?
What is your ability to interact with others?
Are your active listening skills refined?
Can you understand what the other person is really saying?
Does your response come from truly caring about what others have to say?
Can you prove you do focus on others rather than yourself?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Look Before You Leap

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:28:00 +0000

“I’m Decisive. I own this company and I am expected to make decisions.” Is this you?

Or does this sound familiar? “You spend so much time trying to figure out what to do, that nothing gets done. I didn’t hire you to sit around and do nothing”.

Jack was stunned as he listened to Julie and Robert.

Jack owns a very successful business. Its been in the family for two generations before him, and his two children will carry it into the fourth generation. Jack has already made that decision. After all, Jack plans to retire someday, and as part of his exit strategy Julie and Robert will need to begin their preparations.

Jack decided Julie should finish her degree in finance. Her math skills are top notch, and she is at the top of her class in the business school. Robert will need to apply himself more. He will be taking over sales, because Robert is such a great people person, just like his grandfather. Jacks dad Bill likes to stay involved, so Bill will be mentoring Robert in sales.

Jack will require both Julie and Robert to spend some time at other business to learn more without the family ties and platform of favoritism. Jack has already made those connections and arrangement with a few friends from his country club.

Jack told his wife Susan that with these decisions, the retirement is in place, and his name on the door of this well known business will pass on to another generation. “A perfect plan”, Jack said.

Susan agreed that the plan sounded wonderful. Her vision of this business has always been for she and Jack to retire earlier than most of their friends, and begin to travel and enjoy a second home in a warmer climate. In fact, Susan was in negotiations on the purchase of this second home in Arizona.

Jack engaged me to work with Julie and Robert. He wanted my coaching expertise guiding them along as they finished college, worked a few years outside the company, and then began their careers in the family business.

In my first meeting with Jack, he told me of the decisions he had made. He was quite proud. After all, he learned the importance of being Decisive after attending one of my seminars focused on the twelve behaviors of the Rare Leader™. Yes, Jack had learned pretty well. He and Susan had their Vision as owners. Jack had a natural Drive to Succeed, a Positive Outlook, and he was now displaying his Decisiveness. He had also mastered several other behaviors of the Rare Leader™.

However Jack missed the bell on the balance between Planning and Execution. This is why I titled this program the Rare Leader™. Great leaders may possess great skill levels in some or most of these behaviors, but it is very seldom (if ever) that someone can actually master a perfect score at all twelve behaviors of the Rare Leader™. That is why I call it Rare.

I asked Jack about his planning process to have created this perfect plan. Jack explained how easy this had been. Considering his vision, the academic success of his children, and the ability to pass the business on to the next generation, there wasn’t much planning needed. He saw the opportunity, and made the important decisions.

I asked Jack how Julie and Robert felt about the plan. Jack told me how excited they both would be. He knew they admired him, and shared the pride of the success and reputation of the family business. I caught the words “would be” and paused, looking for words to place in my next delicate question. So, Jack, as I understand you, Julie and Robert are not aware of your plan? Have they not been involved in the planning? “No, not yet” he answered, “but we’ll be telling them this morning when I introduce you to them”.

Jack was stunned as he listened to Julie and Robert.

Jack opened the meeting with his children very well. “Have you each been thinking about your life after college”, he asked?(Remember the sage old advice, to not ask a question unless you know the answer?) Jack had not anticipated Julie and Robert’s answer would be different than the answer he had already decided they would make.

Julie had come home this weekend to announce she was accepting an internship with a large financial research firm in New York. Part of her excitement included the continued employment that typically is granted to successful interns. Robert had thought very carefully about his education. His aptitude scores helped him confirm his decision to follow his passion into Ministry. He would be making his applications soon to seminary.

Jack was stunned...

Julie and Robert had grown up watching the anguish and fighting between uncles and aunts fighting over what their father Bill had built, only to see the older child Jack walk away with the reins to the family business. Christmas was never the same any more. Vacations were not spent with their cousins like the good old days. They saw the tension and heartache of running a family business, and both Julie and Robert had decided long ago to never go into the family business and take a chance of hurting their own close relationship together.

Stunned...

What about working in the family business? What about the fourth generation? What about my Vision? What about...

What about the planning portion of executing a decision?

Does your Decisiveness take you away from good Planning?
Does your Planning include key partners affected by your Vision?
What could Jack have done differently?
What other behaviors of the Rare Leader™ should be exercised when discovering the fine balance between Planning and Execution?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Stuck In The Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:11:00 +0000

I left a lengthy session with a client deeply involved in their strategic planning process. When I say deeply, I mean way over the top. They asked me to help them finish the plan. They felt they were too close to the task at hand to hold themselves accountable to the finish line.

This is a company that has experienced great growth. Ownership felt they needed to put some type of plan together rather than run in the direction of hot sales as they have on the past.

So here they are - planning, and planning, and planning. Meanwhile, the world and all of those hot sales are passing them by. Everyone is committed to planning, leaving no one to keep the business flowing. Operations are slowing down, designs contain more errors, and the road warriors are not on the road selling. All the key players are focused on planning their future. And, just as they dove in and pursued the hot sales during the infancy of their company, they are now driven and focused on the planning efforts. However, they have become “stuck in the moment” of all the planning...and they “can’t get out of it”.

In Leadership, there is a time to realize the balance between planning and execution needs an adjustment. Todd the CEO, realized this at the quarterly review when studying the running 12 month reports on sales, backlog, errors, and manufacturing.

Then he called me...

As we worked through activities of the past few months, it was clear the collaboration process and Team involvement on the strategic plan had taken leadership control away from Todd. We worked through the symptoms to the core issues. Todd found his leadership had been absent while he was allowing all the planning activities to take over the momentum of his Team away from their focus on execution.

Todd was faced with two challenges. First, he needed to get his Team engaged in the tasks at hand. Secondly, the Team needed to put some of their planning to work and begin to execute some of their action steps.

As time has passed, Todd is leading again. Sales are coming in. Quality is on track. Manufacturing is in process. And, there are some elements of the strategic plan completed.

The Rare Leader™ is able to blend all twelve of the key behaviors, and balance them with, and against each other.

The Rare Leader™ is also able to

discern the fragile balance between planning and execution.

Are you “Stuck in the Moment”?
When you are stuck, are you able to “get out of it”?
How do you prevent getting “stuck”
What tools and resources can you use to identify and maintain the proper balance between planning and execution?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Are You Planning To Execute?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:43:00 +0000

There is this fine balance in everything we do. There are decisions to be made. Each moment of our life requires execution to some degree on every breath, every movement, every thought, and of course every action. Some execution comes with an instantaneous decision. And then there are some points of execution that were the results of long, laborious planning. Yes, there is that fine balance in planning and executiuon.

How much time, effort and resource do you put into making a decision and leaping into action?

When your execution results in leading others, your discernment of this fine line between planning and execution is now affecting others, compounding the stress of getting it right.

I recently presented a sales training seminar on the topic of “Why Sales People Fail”. In this portion of the five part series, I focused upon the “failure of sales people to operate from an accountable, written plan”. The necessity of a clear and focused direction is paramount.

Preparing a personal business plan requires six essential steps.

Assess strengths and obstacles
Articulate a strategy
Align resources
Focus your effort
Deploy resources
Revisit, Revise, Remain

Step two, “articulating a strategy” is where the planning takes place. Working on the triad of a foundation of "where you are", a Vision of "where you want to be", and an action plan of "how to get there", prepares you to move from planning to execution.

When preparing your personal business plan, whether it is for selling, or what ever your vocation may be, these six steps will help you define the fine balance from planning to execution. In the end, your Team will see you as visionary, decisive, with high achievement drive, and they will follow you. It’s one of the reasons you are a Leader...perhaps a Rare Leader™.

When it comes to planning - remember - The Rare Leader™ has the keen ability to lay out clear plans and organize people and resources. The Rare Leader™ will display a balance between planning and execution, meaning = how and why to plan, and how and why to take action.

Perhaps it is time for you to define that fine line.

Do you sometimes find yourself “frozen” in the planning mode and unable to take action?
Do you find that sometimes you took action too quickly and perhaps some careful planning would have been in order?
Do you have a process to plan? (This process can enable you to move thoroughly, but quickly from planning to execution)
Are you balanced between planning and execution?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Passion is...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:32:00 +0000

Ready, set, go. Everybody have their list in front of them? who wants to go first? Ok, go ahead...define passion. Hmmm...That’s what I thought. When you really have to put it down on paper, or describe it to a group, it’s not that easy is it?

That happened to me as I sat down to write about Passion. When I think about defining Passion as I am driving, or getting ready to start my day, I can see it so clearly I can almost taste it. Passion. But when I sit down and attempt to put pen to paper, I get writers cramp or something else that gives me pause.

You are probably like me. When you see someone who is Passionate about something, you can tell. No one has to say “Wow, that Pastor Gable is so passionate about the word of God when he preaches”. If you were to have dinner with Bud Selig as I did, you can tell the commisioner is very Passionate about baseball. Even my five year old grandson Mason gets passionate about things in his young life that matter so dearly to him.

So how do you define Passion? The answer is that you don’t. Thats the wonderful thing about it. When you meet someone who has Passion, it doesn’t require definition. It is so obvious, because it comes so easy and naturally to the person you have observed.

When a Leader Takes Ownership with Passion, it is no secret. We can all see the obvious.

Think about the other side. Some people approach their role as a leader with pain. It hurts to watch them, let alone actually work for them. They simply don’t care. When it’s crunch time, they hope somebody else will step up and make it happen. Goals are not met, no one is held accountable, sales suffer, good employees leave, and still, the leader without Passion takes no responsibility to assure success.

Taking Ownership of assuring success combines responsibility with passion. Being passionate about your job as a leader almost eliminates the need to discuss responsibility. That’s why Passion is so important when the Rare Leader Takes Ownership.

When John Gable preaches with Passion, it is because he has prepared, he believes he has been called, and he actually loves what he does. Bud Selig has loved baseball all his life. He invested his own money to buy a professional team. He knows why baseball is Americas past time.

They are passionate because this is “their Mozart”. Thats what my dad called it. He was a classically trained musician. He was certain God created something very special and unique for every individual. How else could Mozart compose his first composition, Andante in C, at age five? Unfortunately, not everyone finds it. But when they do find that Mozart in themselves, they Take Ownership with Passion.

What is the Mozart in you? Is Leading organizations and people touch that Mozart in you? If so, then Take Ownership of Leading, and do it with Passion.

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

Give Me The Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Riege) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:22:00 +0000

There’s 10 seconds left in the game. We’re down by 2 points. This is the championship. This is what we have worked so hard all year long to accomplish. It was our BHAG.

And then, during the timeout, someone speaks up and says it. He looks at everyone in the huddle, and says those four words. “Give me the ball”. It is at that moment you realize someone has taken over. When it really matters, he announces he is taking ownership of the crucial score. He is telling us if he makes the three pointer we win. If he misses the shot, if he is anything but perfect for 10 seconds, he is to blame. And...he is ok with that responsibility.

Make it we win, and perhaps he is a hero. Miss it, and the season os over, and the spotlight of blame is on one person.

Would you interpret this scenario as an analogy to “Taking Ownership” at work?

You’ve been there. It is a crucial moment. The Board meeting begins in moments, and there is one more question we had not expected. Or, just before you reach an agreement on the details of a large sale the buyer throws in one more twist. You tell others...”give me the ball, I’ve got this one”.

I will agree with you that this is a time where someone takes ownership of finding the right answer, or meeting the terms to create that sale. However, the Rare Leader™ will be found Taking Ownership differently.

As a leader, Taking Ownership is not about you taking the final shot. This is about you leading others. The Rare Leader™ understands the importance of accepting responsibility as a Leader, not as the MVP. A Rare Leader™ of people, and of organizations reaches pinnacles of success by finding others who will step up to be the MVP.

The Rare Leader™ will fill the organization with people who are passionate about taking responsibility for choices, feeling, thinking, and in everything they do. The Rare Leader™ provides an example, so others on the Team will stop blaming others for their own decisions, and will teach them to be responsible for who they are. The Rare Leader™ will initiate this type of change of culture in their organization because they believe in themselves.

Have you ever heard this prophesy? “The greatest sales people may not make the greatest leaders.” Great sales people are really successful at selling, because they are passionate about selling. They love being the MVP of the sale. They love the hunt, the harvest, and they love devouring the fruit of success.

If I am a Rare Leader™, my team hopes being the greatest performer at my "craft" was not the top qualifier for the job. My team does not need the MVP as their Leader. My Team needs a Rare Leader™ who is passionate about making them the MVP at what they do. My Team needs a leader to Take Ownership of making the entire team and the entire organization successful.

I need to Take Ownership of Leading others.

Have you ever wanted the ball as time was running out?
Have you ever been the MVP?
Have you hired an MVP?
Have you led a Team of MVP’s?
Are you a Rare Leader™ who is passionate about Taking Ownership in leading others?

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.