One of the most common problems I encounter when working with leaders to build results and create effective teams, is described in the statement, “My people just don’t do what I need them to do.” I suggest that this problem comes from the leader and not from the team.

When a leader defines the vision and then sets specific goals to achieve that vision, it’s important to leave a place for team members to create their strategies for their work. It is limiting for team members when a leader not only defines the outcomes, but also defines all the steps to get there.

You have a worthy vision and have created powerful goals that will drive processes toward achieving that vision. Create systems where team members can fill in the blanks. Once each team member can contribute a process step, they move to being interested in the vision to owning the vision.

If you create a sloppy process for this process, then you are creating a less than excellent organization. Inspire excellence. Define the goal, move forward by creating a process to define all the steps to achieve that goal, put the steps into a sequence and then let the team members divide up the responsibility for managing those process steps. Be focused in your process. Allow each member to contribute. Assign responsibilities and deadlines. Shift the accountability from you, the leader, to the team.

TIP: Plan the outcomes of the planning meeting. Plan the process to get to the outcomes. Define the process and outcomes at the beginning of the meeting. Keep the group on task. Excellence in planning leads to excellent results.

TweetFailure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. ~Henry Ford In looking at expensive rings with a variety of brilliant gems that sparkle in the light. They sparkle because they are highly polished and engraved for excellence. Gems cannot be polished without friction. I remembered at that moment that there were times in my life with friction. At the time, I did not appreciate the value of that friction to the ultimate value it created for my in my leadership skills. People would say encouraging things to me to help me deal with the disappointment and to help me get refocused. At the time of the stress, I could not fully embrace those helpful comments. After that stress is gone and I am in a better place emotionally, it’s easier to understand that I have grown in my skills. The experience is valuable looking in the rear view mirror. The value of evaluation can be powerful in developing leadership skills. Perspective provides wisdom that we otherwise would not have. Failure is a welcome experience in the right perspective. Those who succeed get up one more time than they fall down. Failure is a step toward growth. Growth is a journey and not an event. Henry Ford also said, “Obstacles are thing you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” The wisdom here is that having specific goals is a key element for success. Your goals may be bold. Actually, that’s good. It’s better to have high goals and fail rather than have mediocre goals and succeed. Bold goals stretch skills and empower personal growth. Skilled leaders can share stories of how those skills were strengthened over time. Usually, the journey to excellence is punctuated with challenges. Welcome challenges as teachers. Embrace the teaching moments and look for the value those teaching moments bring to you. You and only you are in charge of your attitude. You will not grow without trials. Learn to discipline your disappointment. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the definitions of true wealth as listed by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow RichThe book is full of examples of great leaders who overcame what some would classify as insurmountable obstacles. You are in charge of you. What attitude will you choose today?

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Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.

Once upon hearing a person tell me that he had worked continuously for four years with no vacation, I stopped to think about how unsuccessful that person appeared to be to me. Now, I fully realize that to some people who enjoy their work, this might be a desired result – work all the time because that’s what makes you feel good.

I prefer to think of life like a musical composition. It’s full of variety – tempo changes, dynamic variations, rests, fermatas, and more.

With a variety in like the Transformational Leader is equipped to think clearly and respond to the challenges of leadership with a fresh perspective.

TIP: If you plan to create variety in your life, the change of pace with empower you for challenges ahead for your leadership. Do not lag behind the curve, be prepared to lead the charge by being rested and focused.

Many of us know that we are not achieving the standards of excellence that we envision, not making the profit desired, and certainly not free of conflict and confusion with teams. In summary, we are not achieving the goals that will make us successful.

When having the first conversation with clients who want to improve things in their organization, many are confused as why employees, boards, committees, staff, and other teams perform at a lower standard than expected by the leader. Some leaders blame themselves and some blame the teams. Blame will not get us any useful results; so let’s explore ways to increase capacity for functioning at a higher level for ourselves as leaders and the teams we lead.

First, let me describe my four leadership principles. If you can master these principles you can be effective in leading any type of organization. Since I spent over 40 years working as musical conductor and know what creates harmony and how to orchestrate success, I express these principles in musical terms first and then apply them to non-musical situations.

1. Know the Score: Foundation – The musical conductor must be knowledgeable about every note, chord, tempo, and dynamic in the musical score before the first rehearsal. The conductor must have a clear picture of the end result and a plan to get there. In organizational leadership, whether religions, nonprofit, or business, the leaders must have an equivalent of the musical score, which is the strategic plan. The leaders must be fully knowledgeable about that plan in have goals and action plans for team execution. The foundation is a prerequisite for leading teams and empowering transformation. Without the plan there can be confusion and lack of interest even in the best of the best on teams. The first principle is clarity of purpose.
2. Hire the Best: Relationships – In hiring orchestras for my programs, I was able to draw on the personnel from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony, and the Kiev Orchestra. These were the best players. On teams for organizations, it’s also important to recruit the best players. It works in music. It works in sports. It works in business and other types of organizations. Do not compromise. Hire the best and define their role, responsibility, and performance expectations. Build and maintain effective relationships. This principle is clarity of commitment.
3. Rehearse for Success – In a musical rehearsal, the conductor demands the best playing just as if there were an audience listening. If there is a note that is played incorrectly or out of balance, then the situation is addressed immediately and as a matter of fact. Nobody is angry. A culture of excellence has been created and the leader (the conductor) is expected to maintain the standard of excellence. Rehearsals shape the performance. In organizational leadership we conduct boring, unproductive meeting, conduct poor performance evaluations (if at all) and do not deal with out of balance situations until they become a problem. Rehearse for excellence. Create a high standard of excellence in ever system. Create the DNA of excellence in everything you do as an organization. Focus on results and not on activity. This principle is about clarity of results.
4. Value the Rests: Balance – If the brass section in the orchestra or the tenors in the choir are too loud for the rest of the ensemble, then it’s the conductor’s job to address the situation – that’s balance. Rests in music are placed carefully in the music for a specific purpose – that’s balance. In our lives as leaders, we must place the rests carefully. We must be sure that all the players are functioning together with balance. We also set the bar for balance in attitude by caring for ourselves. Balance home and work. Balance multiple priorities. Balance personal factors of spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and family. Be at your best when you work. Create balance by preparing to work by not working. The final principle and about clarity of focus. My friend Allen taught me that this means Free of Clutter and Unnecessary Stuff.

This is a system that you can teach your teams. This is transformational leadership. It starts with the leader and is transferred to the organizational culture. Create harmony and you orchestrate success with clarity of focus, results, commitment, and purpose.

Developing the system is the first challenge. Learn about Transformational Leadership and why it’s different from other styles of leadership. Here is my short list that describes the transformational leader.

The transformational leader:

1. Clearly articulates the vision and goals
2. Defines things other can do
3. Builds leaders on teams
4. Delegates effectively
5. Encourages boldness
6. Gives information and support
7. Affirms and celebrated competence
8. Respects the individual
9. Avoids micromanaging
10. Model what they preach

Who will you choose to be your accountability partner for the journey of transformation ahead?

I got this title from a blog post by Seth Godin who uses an amazing economy of words in expressing complex concepts. Leaders use too many words and confuse people who want to understand their intent and deliver the desired results.

If you lead people and aren’t getting the results from them that you have expected, then it’s time to improve your communications.

Enough said.

Read Seth’s blog post HERE

Having a mentor is essential.

Recently I had a chance to meet with Art Ross. Art served as senior pastor in St. Pete, Florida at the church where I was Director of Music. Art and I had conflict. We were both creative and in control. He was head of staff and I was not. I’m lucky that I kept my job, but more fortunate that I learned so much.

It’s been many years since we worked together. The lessons, however, still ring true in me. I shared with him what he taught me over 10 years of working together. I still use these bit of wisdom on a consistent basis.

Art coached me on important things that I could not learn from reading books. He was my mentor for success. I reflecting on what I learned over those 10 years working together, I am constantly aware of the strides I made in my leadership skills.

Here are some topics:

Watch the triangles…

The leader as a resource not a doer…

Allowing others to function up by raising the bar…

Ask thoughtful questions and listen carefully to the answers…

There are many more subject that are very deep and have lasting impact on people and systems. Remembering what we have learned is a constant challenge for leaders.

The point – have a coach or mentor (different functions). The reason “Blind Spots” have that name is because they are.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

Meetings provide a forum …

…for creative energy…

…for developing conflict…

The leader chooses.

The follower lets the subversive energy control the team.

This is your opportunity to step up to the plate and take a swing at the pitch coming toward you. You may not hit a home run every time. You will be successful when you focus on the desired results. Home run record holders also held the strike out record at the same time. They did not let the failure be a failure. The failure was practice for the future success…many successes..

How will you change the meeting paradigm starting today

Check out my post, “An Agenda, The Enemy of Productivity in Meetings”
http://transformationalstrategist.com/agenda/

Conflict exists…

Conflict shows that there is creative energy…

Conflict is not resolved, it is managed…

Do not pull back from conflict, move toward it…

Keep from becoming anxious…

There is much more to say, but if you can start with these you can succeed…

To learn more check out my new mini book:
Creating and Sustaining Healthy Teams: Preventing and Managing Conflict
http://createhealthyteams.com/ 

Sarah Palin on Fox News Sunday

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On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin noted President Obama doesn’t have “the cojones” to effectively address the issue of illegal immigration.

Here’s the story: Palin Says Brewer Has Something Obama Lacks: ‘Cojones’. History will define whether or not she is on target.

The word “cogones”  is a borrowed work from Hispanic roots. It basically means courage to step up and do the right thing. Leader are always being criticized by followers for something. So, why not be criticized for doing what you feel is important and necessary as the effective leader you are?

The issues about Obama is simply a political football – or is it? Anyway, it does set the stage for looking at leadership courage.

Here are some ways that the Transformational Leader can step to action:

1. Address the Issue – Leaders continually ignore inappropriate or unproductive behavior and do not address it head on. Not dealing with an issue can cause your organization to suffer larger consequences: time, money, relationships, public image, market share, etc. Not dealing with the issues when first discovered will only allow it to grow larger and create more damage. Pay the upfront cost and deal with the issue immediately. A musical rehearsal is to correct mistakes before they become learned behavior and before they impact the entire orchestra or choir. Business and church leaders have the same responsibility – fix the problem now before it multiplies
2. Do not Place Importance on Popularity – The musical conductor is expected to correct mistakes before they become learned behavior. These actions are not considered to be personal in nature – it’s simply part of the leaders’s responsibility. Business and church leaders are too worried about upsetting the balance, or about hurting someone’s feelings, or seeming to be confrontational to be effective in preventing or correcting problems. In fact, the leader is respected more after taking action and addressing the difficult issues. Teams do not respect a leader who does not or cannot deal with these situations. Pay the upfront cost – act on issues appropriately, let popularity find its place.
3. Be Aware that Others Follow Your Behavior – If you have children you will understand this dynamic easily. Those we lead will pick up and emulate our habits – especially our habits that we do not like. The lesson is authentic, ethical, firm, focused leadership inspires the same. Model the results and behavior that you want to see in your organization.
4. Do Not Guard the Information – Effective Transformational Leaders share information needed to accomplish tasks and meet deadlines for goals. Have the courage to share all the information you have in order to enable your team members to share in the success of meeting organizational goals. It’s not only you. It’s not about you. It’s not only up to you. It’s a shared effort. Share the information and share the celebration. Be courageous and know that you will make it happen, but you do not need all the attention or all the credit. You are, in fact, the leader. If there is success, then you have lead the team and the organization to that success. It becomes self-evident.
5. Be Transparent – Do not pretend to know everything – those whom you lead know the facts, so why pretend? In fact, if you try to pretend that you have no weaknesses, then those who work for and with you will prove you to be wrong. It might be intentional. It might not be intentional. It just happens. Transparency is a trait of strong leaders. Being vulnerable and letting your team know that they have a place for acting that complements your skills a leader will empower them to do their best. It’s now their skill and not yours. They have a chance to step up as well.

This is a short list of courageous behaviors for the Transformational Leader.

Tip: Would you rather be criticized for being and action leader behaving boldly for the good of an organization or would rather be criticized for “play it safe”?

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Thinking small, isn’t hard. It’s just a habit. A habit with consequences.
Same for thinking big.

When it’s only you, then you can be very flexible – do what you want to do when you want to do it. (not really true, but many solo entrepreneurs experience the world this way) Once you get a team ( for this discussion, 2 or more people), then the status changes. You must then plan the scope and sequence of the work.

Many leaders of major companies treat their systems and processes like the company is small – making dramatic changes and starting the change right away – planning the day on the fly – running meetings but the seat of their pants – just making autocratic decisions and not utilizing project teams or work centers for multi-tasking and working on multiple priorities, just to name a few.

If you want a big company, then develop systems that support the opposite of the situation describe above.

Effective leadership inspires effective work from those whom you lead. The output of the team is in direct proportion to the clarity of their vision about roles, responsibilities, and functions as a team.

TIP: If you don’t like to have your time wasted, then respect the time of those whom you lead by developing systems to achieve maximum results from your great teams.