Center for Hispanic Leadership

5 Signs that Employees are in Survival Mode

2012-01-15T21:46:05-08:00

Today’s workplace is a reflection of the times: uncertain and unstable. As employees navigate this short-term, fast-paced, tension-filled terrain, they develop an attitude that creates an uneasy environment: survival mode.

The workplace used to be focused on the planning and execution of short, mid-range and long-term growth objectives. It was a place where careers were born and legacies were created. A place that encouraged teamwork, unity and advancement, fueled by collaboration, partnerships and client relationships. Today, long-term business goals have been eclipsed by short-term personal goals: survive the unknown long enough to stay in the game. For employees this means adapting to a role where time management is unmanageable and where everything is a priority.

As you think about the dynamics in your workplace, watch out for these five signs that your employees are in survival mode:

1) Relationship Building Amongst Peers is Fading

In the past, having lunch with the colleagues you worked most closely with was normal. But now, you’re lucky if anyone in the office can spend time with you during work hours. Because employees in survival mode focus specifically on people who can salvage their jobs and careers, socializing is infrequent and relationships are fading.

2) Meetings Are Frequently Cancelled or Rescheduled

Today’s survival-mode environment has made it increasingly difficult to get a team of people in a room, because they each have a different set of urgent issues to deal with. Canceling and rescheduling meetings has become more common than ever because people want to make sure that the right people are in the room so they can sell themselves, rather than advancing the organization’s initiatives.

3) People Don’t Trust One Another

Because everyone has their own survival agenda, employees have grown to distrust one another. Since people don’t know their colleagues’ hidden agendas, employees are wary of engaging with those who may violate their trust to advance themselves. One example might be two people who were once close colleagues competing for the same promotion within their department.

4) Turnover is High and Employer Loyalty is Low

People become disenfranchised when survival mode takes over. Think about it: When you go to work and people are only interested in themselves, what’s the incentive to give more. For example, when your manager is focused more on his or her own advancement than the betterment of the team, it sends the wrong message. Over time you realize that you are not valued and thus you begin to lose that fire in the belly and you lack the desire to give it your all. You become a victim of someone else’s survival strategy and thus begin to lose loyalty for your organization. Ultimately, you leave the organization.

This year I have seen this scenario play out more often than not. In fact, people work more on their resumes than their own jobs.

5) Self-Promotion is Out of Control

Self-promotion is the ultimate sign of survival mode. When employees get desperate they begin to sell themselves in ways that become irresponsible and that can harm the organization and client relationships. Survival mode creates a fierce dog-eat-dog mentality. Even the least likely employee can turn on a dime. Keep your eyes wide open, so that you don’t get blindsided by the lack of organizational loyalty the survival mode can create.

They don’t teach survival mode in school. None of us started our careers hoping to work only for our own short-term goals. But survival mode takes over in more and more workplaces each day, as uncertainty looms and the future becomes unclear.

The Case of the Missing Latina Leaders

2012-01-09T23:21:55-08:00

There is a well-documented and dramatic absence of Latinas in leadership positions in many organizations in this country. In my experience as a researcher looking to identify Latinas in upper management for my research and as an organization consultant focusing on building inclusive organizations, I have consistently noted that the higher one looks, the fewer Latinas one sees at the decision-making table. While there continue to be more examples of Latinas assuming prominent positions in many industries, the numbers are far from adequate when one considers our representation in the population.

The question becomes how one explains this absence. Of course, there are those who are quick to attribute this dynamic to the lack of leadership competencies or experience among this group. Latinas are seen as lacking the ambition or competitive drive to move into senior positions. Instead their consideration for the well-being of others and concern for the collective needs of the whole are seen as deficits which make them unfit to lead. The problem, however, lies not with Latinas themselves but rather with how leadership is defined and enacted in most organizations which is based on a stereotypical model of a strong, competitive, individualistic, rational, task-focused male leadership style.

Leadership theories have typically focused on what was called “The Great Man” approach, which described the ideal leader as a hero of superhuman ability to inspire and lead his followers into battle. In this model leaders were born with traits like charisma and dynamism. You either had it or you didn’t. Other theories framed leaders as demanding task masters who got the work done by holding people to high standards and providing incentives to workers to perform in a fairly transactional manner – a days pay in exchange for a days work.

Though today’s workforce has changed dramatically from the 1950’s and 60’s when these theories were developed, many organizations have not significantly changed their ideas about what leadership is or needs to be. Today’s younger, more diverse workers are looking for new models of leadership that allows for power to be shared and provides them with opportunities to have influence on the context in which they work. The skills needed to work well and manage these new workers are more related to collaboration and team engagement than the top-down styles of the past.

Now is the time where Latina leaders are most needed yet their talents to lead are under-recognized and not fully leveraged to meet the needs of these changing organizations. Organizations and their leaders need to take off their blinders and appreciate the unique style of leadership Latinas exemplify and provide developmental opportunities so these qualities can flourish and mature. While Latinas interact and lead in non-traditional ways, the results they are able to produce speaks volumes about their abilities.

Part of the equation involves Latinas themselves recognizing and amplifying their leadership skills. They sometimes take for granted that their emphasis on the well-being and productivity of the work group or team are important. Their upbringing taught them that success in any endeavor is related to attending to the needs of a diverse group in order for each person to contribute to the overall task. Their ability to build long-lasting relationships and networks allows them to create cohesive teams and build trust among diverse co-workers.

When the mystery of the missing Latina leader is solved, organizations will see that the leadership ability they bring are exactly what is needed to inspire today’s workers – and these powerful “mujeres” have been hidden in plain sight for far too long. Perhaps 2012 will be the year when these patterns are recognized as unworkable and Latina leaders will gain the exposure and prominence they deserve!

6 Essential Characteristics All Business Leaders Will Need in 2012

2011-12-21T09:09:43-08:00

The United States is undergoing great change -- and at an ever-accelerating pace – during these tough post-2008 economic times, with upheavals in the political, social, and economic spheres all at once. The political mood is bitter, the social fabric is ripped in many places, and the economy continues to deliver bad news in terms of foreclosures, business failures, and high unemployment.

How to survive in this tough, fast-changing terrain? When my Cuban parents came to the United States in the wake of Castro’s revolution, the most precious possession they brought with them was their perspective. It was that perspective – their immigrant values – that enabled them to adapt, reinvent themselves and ultimately thrive in a new country, a new culture, and a new set of challenges. That’s what we need today. The following represent the six (6) characteristics that define the immigrant perspective on business leadership that will be essential for business leaders to embrace in 2012:

1. Keep Your Immigrant Perspective:

Like an immigrant who comes to a new country with nothing but faith, hope and love, all employees must not have myopia where opportunities are concerned. We need to see that opportunities are everywhere, every day, and we must make the most of those that cross our path. We need to see the opportunities that others don't see.

2. Employ Your Circular Vision:

My family – like most immigrant families – experienced crisis and change in our mother country – strengthening in us a sort of essential sixth sense, an ability to anticipate false promises and unexpected outcomes. Because our immigrant perspective allows us to see opportunities others cannot, we have wide angle vision and are proficient at anticipating crisis and managing change before circumstances force our hand. All leaders in 2012 will need to develop this ability to see around the corners up ahead.

3. Unleash Your Passion:

Our ability to inject intense passion into everything we do makes us potent pioneers. We not only blaze paths few would go down, we see them through to the end. Our passion opens new doors of possibilities that we aim to share with others. When the terrain is difficult, only passion for the quest will see you through.

4. Live With an Entrepreneurial Spirit:

In America, you might be an entrepreneur. In Latin America and other developing countries, you must be one, just to survive. The ability to see and seize opportunities to build relationships, advance commerce, and better humanity is an inborn survival mechanism for immigrants – and must become one for all business leaders in 2012.

5. Work With a Generous Purpose:

It is our nature to give. We are raised to consider others’ needs as much as our own. This begins with giving inside our family when we are young, and then, when we are older, we are taught that we are a part of a larger family all around us. Our propensity to give to others from our harvest ensures us a perpetual harvest. Business leaders who adopt this abundant, glass-half-full attitude will find 2012 a year of surprising opportunities.

6. Embrace Your Cultural Promise:

Our familial style of relating brings potentially everyone within the circle. The strongest bonds in business, across the entire value chain, occur when employees, partners and distributers alike are treated like family. The treatment is reciprocated and opportunities continue to arise. Our cultural promise is that success comes most to those who are surrounded by people who want their success to continue. Business leaders – and their companies – that embrace this attitude, and practice this skill, will thrive in 2012.

2012 – the year of the immigrant perspective. Because the times demand it, and all business leaders need to embrace the opportunities this perspective provides.

Hispanic Leadership in the Next Decade

2011-12-21T08:53:00-08:00

The successful recall of Russell Pearce in Arizona shows what a powerful political voice Hispanics can have when we work together. It is critical that in the next decade our community unites to exercise similar influence in the corporate world.

When I founded the Center for Hispanic Leadership (CHL), one of the first things we did was to carefully listen, observe, and learn from other Hispanic professional organizations and their leaders. Our findings were disturbing: our community is overly protective, we don’t trust one another, and we don’t often collaborate with one another.

There is no central agenda that each organization can act on to support the advancement of its Hispanic professional members. Hispanic professional organizations operate in silos, they are territorial, and they don’t do a very good job of finding ways to unite to accelerate the advancement of the Hispanic professional community. At the current rate of development, the Hispanic identity crisis will last for generations.

We Hispanics continue to create barriers to our own advancement. In the next decade, we must unite to empower ourselves as Hispanic professionals. This begins by being transparent with one another and sharing our intentions, challenges, goals and objectives – openly. We must activate our generous purpose within our own community.

It’s time to learn from the lessons of other cultural groups that have been faced with similar challenges in the workplace. Let’s employ our circular vision. If we don’t manage our Hispanic brand, the marketplace will do it for us.

The challenges for Hispanic professionals could overwhelm the resources available to all Hispanic professional organizations - combined. We must not view one another as competitors, but as strategic allies. At CHL, we want to unite, empower and expand the leadership of our community, so that those from the outside can begin to experience the cultural promise that is inherit in the ways we think, act and innovate as managers and leaders.

It’s time to unleash our Latin Passion - with proper focus - to engage those around us in ways that can create opportunities and innovations to create and benefit our whole society.

The next ten years will define our Hispanic leadership legacy. Instead of thinking why we shouldn’t unite, let’s think about our entrepreneurial spirit and how we have limited our potential for advancement because we continue to find reasons to disconnect.

Let’s connect our immigrant perspective and our powerful voices to work as one. I have been told by many corporate diversity and talent management executives that we are unlikely to unite. Collective leadership is the only solution to our problems, and it must be developed within our community. We must embrace the unique cultural difference and the deep-rooted diversity that exists with our community. We must educate the doubters by being more accountable than ever.

Hispanic professionals have been forced to assimilate to seek equal opportunity in the workplace. In the next decade, we must teach others the value of assimilating to some of our ideas, by focusing on being our whole selves in everything we do.

Hispanic professionals are in a unique position to take advantage of the many untapped opportunities that the post-2008 economy has created. But that will only happen if we can unite as Hispanic leaders, and create a platform for sustainable impact and influence.

Executive Presence in the Workplace: Do You Have it?

2011-12-21T08:49:00-08:00

In the new normal workplace, corporate social responsibility (CSR) must come alive in how employees express their generous purpose in meaningful ways that touch the business every day. An undervalued behavior that must represent the core of an employee's generous purpose is their ability to have executive presence; a critical success factor to support a healthier, happier and community-minded high performance workplace culture.

Executive presence is not about selling a business transaction, or showcasing your knowledge, capabilities and skill-sets. Executive presence is one’s ability to create a moment; an experience that ignites others to want to know more about you, your personal brand and your business. Executive presence is mastered over time. It requires self-trust, confidence, self awareness and the ability to navigate the needs of people. Executive presence is about being a good listener and the ability to quickly connect the patterns of conversation in order to detect ones personal interests, leadership style and business needs. Executive presence is about earning the right from others to explore a more meaningful and purposeful business relationship. Executive presence is not about you; it’s about others. The one with highly effective executive presence is invited to the next meeting with the opportunity to create a more formal relationship. Executive presence is about having impactful, long-lasting presence that inspires others to want to know more.

I have worked with many prominent corporate executives. The most successful executives, visionaries and pioneers had the best executive presence. They made you feel that you were an important part of their initiatives. They allowed you to learn more about their personal life and always seemed highly engaged to learn about yours. They took the time to ask questions and you never felt that they were trying to sell you or convince you about anything. They always made you feel important, wanted and needed. The most effective executives always do. Executive presence is not about exercising your power and influence; but rather the ability to make others feel your powerful presence in a safe environment. For those that desire to intimidate others with their power; their executive role and influence will be short-lived.

As a fast track executive in my 20’s, I remember the wisdom my father shared to help me successfully navigate the dynamics of the corporate world. He said, “if you ever want to start a conversation with a person of high authority and influence, always be prepared to ask questions that are important enough to them – that it will ignite a meaningful dialogue. In order for people to take me seriously in the United States in the mid-60’s, as a Cuban immigrant who had an accent, I realized that to build new and / or sustain existing relationships that were meaningful and purposeful, I had to always add-value (lots of value) to the lives of others first. I treated them like family. When people realized that my intentions were genuine and responsible - actions ensued; opportunities became abundant for me – and the treatment was reciprocated. I always expressed my generous purpose. I built a reputation of being authentic, reliable and trustworthy. These are the types of relationships highly influential people desire. They don’t have time to waste.” In retrospect, my father’s immigrant perspective represented the tenets of Executive Presence.

One point of caution: many people in positions of authority do not always have executive presence. Their self-doubt, lack of confidence and preparedness may not lead towards developing a more formal relationship. Most often, they are concerned to reveal their own personal and professional limitations and insecurities. Just because someone has an important job title doesn’t mean they have character, and / or are well intentioned. In the end, it’s all about people.

Take a moment to observe some of the world’s most influential leaders like as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton and others (see 2010 Time List). What makes you want to know more about them (whether you like them or not) is their mysterious appeal driven by their Executive Presence.

Here are a few characteristics of executive presence:

• Your presence is felt once you walk into a room
• You inspire people; you are likeable and trustworthy
• People are very curious to know more about you
• People want to be your friend; build a relationship with you
• You are perceived as important, valued and respected
• You have an elegant way of approaching, engaging and getting to know others
• You ask timely, relevant and thought-provoking questions that ignites a dialogue
• You are social, well read and share fresh perspectives
• You always leave behind a thought-provoking message that people remember
• You relate equally well with different types of people (regardless of hierarchy or rank)
• You positively impact others and those around you immediately
• You share and create opportunities for others
• You smile, maintain eye-contact and always make people feel important and hopeful

I welcome your comments, thoughts and experiences with executive presence in the workplace.

May this Immigrant Perspective on Business Leadership, serve you well.

50 Million and Growing: Why The Political World Must Pay Attention to Hispanics

2011-12-21T08:45:00-08:00

It’s not what you think. Yes, the Census counts more than 50 million Hispanics in the US. But the new prominence of the Hispanic population shouldn’t just matter because of their votes and the 2012 election cycle.

It’s time for America as a whole to understand the real value, the unique characteristics and the new types of opportunities that Hispanics can create for the country. The identity crisis that Hispanics are faced with each day has made it difficult for them to advance, thus damaging their identity and limiting their contributions to the economy.

Today, we need the Hispanic professional and the broader Hispanic community in this country to start bringing their unique immigrant perspective to work and to help solve the enormous problems facing America today.

The news media are obsessed with the illegal immigrant discussion, but that should be a side issue in a country overrun with debt, mired in a recession, and -- most importantly -- stuck in a morass of self-doubt.

Who’s going to get America moving again? The fiercely competitive global market requires everyone to begin contributing in newly meaningful and purposeful ways to the global economy. Hispanics must embrace this to-do like everyone else. They cannot afford to continue thinking of themselves as victims, and the US economy cannot afford that victim thinking either.

It’s time for Hispanics to bring their immigrant values and resourceful thinking to bear on getting America moving again. The crisis of confidence is the important issue now, and Hispanics can help.

The time has come for Hispanics to embrace their unique cultural differences and realize the power that this diversity gives them. Hispanics must recapture their authentic identities and train non-Hispanics to understand them. Hispanics must embrace their immigrant perspective, circular vision, Latin passion, entrepreneurial spirit, generous purpose and cultural promise – the natural characteristics that are inborn in their culture and that allow them to be highly effective contributors to the economy. It’s time for Hispanics to take it upon themselves to break out of their identity crisis and claim influence amongst their non-Hispanic peers.

Hispanics need to stop being viewed as victims of lost opportunities in their mother country and start being held accountable as new sources for innovation, economic prosperity, global influence and the economic revival of our country.

It’s time for Hispanics to earn the right to be more influential in America. Population growth alone does not entitle Hispanics or any other group in society to own the resources of our great country.

Until Hispanics discover their authentic leadership role, they will continue to be misrepresented and misunderstood. Today, many non-Hispanic whites believe they are financing the Hispanic population growth. Hispanics must seize the moment, take on their responsibilities, and change the role of the Hispanic immigrant in the United States. At 50 million strong, and growing faster than any other group, Hispanics must grow up now.

As I discuss this issue with executives in the boardroom and professors in the classroom, they often refer to Hispanics as second-class citizens. And because of this, Hispanic professionals, adults and children would rather assimilate and reject their essential identities. If this assimilation continues, we will lose the brilliance and innovative flair of the Hispanic population, and the US economy will suffer as a result, in the competition with the rest of the world.

How Diversity Will Drive Business Growth

2011-12-21T08:44:00-08:00

Diversity management is the key to growth in today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace. No longer can America’s corporations make excuses about their lack of cultural intelligence. Organizations that seek global market relevancy must embrace diversity – in how they think, act and innovate. In today’s new workplace, diversity management is a time-sensitive business imperative.

To better understand this fast-changing terrain, I reached out to three notable diversity executives -- pioneers within their respective industries – to share their insights and perspectives regarding the future of diversity and some of the new best practices that will allow diversity to play a more strategic role in cultivating sustainable business growth:

Dr. Rohini Anand, Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo
Ron Glover, Chief Diversity Officer, IBM
Kathy Hannan, National Managing Partner, Diversity & Corporate Responsibility, KPMG LLP

Make it Real or Lose Your Authenticity

Most corporate leaders pay lip service to diversity but don’t really live it. Diversity is more than employee demographics and support for a few non-profits. You can’t buy diversity, and organizations that continue to embrace this approach will tarnish their brand. If you are not authentic, consumers and employees will begin to question the sincerity and leadership of your organization.

As Rohini Anand says, “The traditional representation perspective originated from the Civil Right era. This will never go away entirely. However, diversity must go beyond this mentality. At Sodexo, diversity is embedded in our brand. The Sodexo brand is synonymous with diversity. Though the Sodexo brand is not a known consumer brand, diversity leadership defines our brand – it’s all about talent. Diversity is about responding to the needs of our clients in a holistic way.”

And Kathy Hannan adds, “Companies must take a long term strategic approach to engage diverse talent. Companies must define their role in the global marketplace. The train has left the station. You may not be where you want to be with your diversity strategy, but you need to get started!”

Executives Are Still Short-Sighted

I’m reminded of a pre-recession discussion I had with a consumer goods executive who said: “Diversity is another way of saying affirmative action and we are forced to support it in order to protect our brand in the trade and amongst our consumer audience. Diversity has no real value tangible to the growth of our business.” Unfortunately, many executives still share this opinion today.

Rohini Anand says, “Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies have been particularly effective with diversity from a marketing initiative standpoint. However, this is different from embracing diversity holistically. Companies must think about diversity beyond addressing niche needs. Diversity is not just about accessing multicultural markets. Companies must look more broadly to reinvent the way we think about how business is done. How can diversity be pulled out of this commoditized mentality? Diversity leadership must drive innovative perspectives. Companies have not yet figured out how to unlock the potential within markets and processes that must be enabled globally.”

Diversity is much more than just a multicultural issue. Diversity is about embracing many different types of people, who stand for different things and represent different cultures, generations, ideas, and thinking. As Ron Glover says, “Innovation is about looking at complex problems and bringing new views to the table. Diversity has allowed IBM to be innovative and successful for 100 years and to work across lines of differences in 172 countries, amongst 427,000 employees.”

For example, are you paying attention to the Internet and how online communities continue to grow and represent different voices and points of view – and opinions about your company?

Kathy Hannan notes, “Diversity has moved from a nice-to-have, to a must-have for companies as a strategic business imperative. KPMG has a multinational client base. We must understand their protocols, their ways of doing business. Diversity must move from just a value, to being operational.”

Anand adds, “Diversity must drive the formation of new business models. Leaders must think about the changing landscape. The economy is changing, how business is being done is changing, so the question is how can diversity be utilized as a strategic enabler in today’s changing landscape.”

And Glover says, “Diversity is a core belief of IBM in how we succeed in business. In order for IBM to successfully expand globally, we need a workforce that understands the local market. Our clients are as diverse as our employees. And there are now 5 generations in the workplace. We must focus on building communities inside of IBM to embrace differences to drive innovation globally.”

Diversity needs a Refresh

Diversity clearly needs a refresh. The misinterpretations of what diversity means and what it truly represents have limited its ability to have the real impact and influence it warrants in America’s corporations. In fact, the executives who get it today will tell you how concerned they are for their business, because their people, products, and services do not connect naturally with the new faces of America. As one executive told me, “Our business demands diversity and we are more uncomfortable with our lack of diversity preparedness than ever before. We are in trouble if we don’t fix it!” As a result, most companies have been forced to react not only to the changing face of America and but the mindsets of the global marketplace. Consequently, executives have started to confront the inevitable: a new business model that fully integrates diversity as a business growth enabler.

Kathy Hannan says, “No homogeneous talent pool can be innovative. Diversity is essential. And, there are broader implications across the whole supply chain. Diversity is about how you do business across the board.”

The Future of Diversity

To better understand the future of diversity management and its role as a business growth enabler, think back to when Information Technology (IT) was viewed as just a cost center. IT was not associated with driving business growth 20 years ago, but rather as a required cost of doing business. Just like diversity today, many people then thought IT got in the way of business. Today, IT is considered a profit center by many and a high priority for organizations as a business growth enabler. In fact, many CIOs (Chief Information Officers) are next in line for the CEO role.

CDOs (Chief Diversity Officers) will experience many of the same functional role and responsibility shifts as have CIOs. They will not only be required to assume their practitioner responsibilities, but they must also learn to play a more integral strategic role in the design of new business models. Glover notes, “Diversity is a critical leadership success factor at IBM. Globally diverse leaders are maximizing the effectiveness of our teams. IBM has recognized the importance of building teams across the company from different countries. It’s not just about leadership, but capability. Diversity is fundamentally focused on talent! Those differences create real opportunities for those who learn to master them and a disaster for those who do not.”

Diversity management will begin to develop rapidly, out from under the traditional human resources and talent acquisition roles, to assume more dotted-line responsibilities that will touch corporate strategy, corporate social responsibility, organizational design & effectiveness, corporate marketing and even sales. Therefore, the requirements to be an effective CDO will mean that they must include operating more holistically in a general management and operational capacity to ensure that diversity becomes an embedded mindset with common threads that touch all functional areas (internally) and the supply chain (externally).

Hannan notes, “Good intentions are not a substitute for accountability. Everyone must be accountable for advancing diversity.”

How you manage diversity in your organization from today forward will determine your long-term success or failure in the global marketplace.

We Must Stop Being Recognition Addicts in the Workplace

2011-12-21T08:42:00-08:00

In the world of business, we recognize those who sell well, but we respect and remember those who give well.

There’s nothing wrong with recognition. It helps to advance a career, company, or cause. The worker must ensure that his boss sees his success. The company must ensure that its consumers see the effect of its product or service. The nonprofit must make its needs known. But smart people don’t seek recognition alone. In fact, they don’t seek it primarily. Those that lead with the immigrant’s perspective understand that respect is more lasting than recognition.

A regional sales manager takes his team to the top ranks in revenue and keeps them there for three consecutive quarters. Several company executives recognize his success and wonder if he is a candidate for a higher position, perhaps the new vice president of North American sales. It is a position that will soon be vacant.

The sales manager also sees this opportunity. Perhaps, he tells himself, his hard work will finally pay off.

However, the question is not whether the candidate deserves recognition. The numbers speak for themselves, and for these he will be recognized as at least worthy of consideration. No, the question that remains – the question that will determine whether this man’s harvest will expand further – the question that will dictate whether he sustains his good fortune, is whether or not he has earned respect.

As the interview process begins, company executives will give the man an opportunity to speak for himself, but they will also speak to those he has managed and those with whom he has done business. Do they like working with the man? Do they trust the man? Do they think he will continue to succeed? Ultimately, these questions culminate in one: Do they respect the man? Any wise executive must have reservations about the man who can get people to work for him and buy from him but cannot earn their respect.

The great difference between the recognized man and the respected man is the difference of the head and heart. The recognized man appeals to the head where things are easily forgotten. The respected man captivates the heart. And the heart does not forget.

Unfortunately, the corporate world has taught us to be recognition addicts. In a world of fierce competition, we have come to believe we are our own best allies. We believe we must rely only on ourselves. We believe we can sell ourselves better than anyone else. But these things are a great long-term danger to one’s career.

Smart workers know that others are far better promoters of their fortune than they are. So always make certain that your work includes others, and touches their hearts. Always ask, “How will my work make the biggest impact?”

You should keep track of your successes. You’ll need to be able to talk about them, and have confidence in yourself when you do. But you never want to rely on your resume alone. You must earn respect to sustain good fortune. To do so, you must set out to share your harvest every day.

The Immigrant Leader vs. the Traditional Leader: The 3 Essential Differences

2011-12-21T08:41:00-08:00

Leadership in today’s fiercely competitive global market requires a new fresh approach, attitude and mindset. The following represents the three (3) primary differences between traditional leaders and immigrant leaders. Immigrant leaders are the ones to emulate if you are to create and sustain positive momentum in your work.

Difference #1: The traditional leader looks to increase income; an immigrant leader looks to increase influence.

The world of business is full of wealthy people who are fixated only on keeping their money. These people will always have their ups and downs. No matter how much money they have, they will not be able to avoid great misfortunes. Some of the world’s greatest moneymakers have filed for bankruptcy. Some have filed more than once. These people will eventually fail to sustain their momentum because they look primarily to increase income rather than influence.

The wealthy person without influence will always be at risk of betrayal, because people are only loyal to his money. If you want to avoid misfortune, you must increase your influence.

Influence is the greatest single force in the business world when properly obtained. True influence is earned only through the respect of others. To build your foundation of good fortune on anything but genuine influence is to build your foundation on sand.

The mortgage industry has collapsed, and many have faced great misfortune. Which ones have escaped the blow? The few who maintained genuine influence among those they work with and serve. The immigrant leader who looks primarily to earn and sustain influence with the source of all income: people.

Difference #2: The traditional leader leans on expanding creativity; an immigrant leader leans on expanding community.

The traditional leader invests in the next business opportunity. He must constantly differentiate himself from others. He must always find a way to create space in which he can be recognized. He is thus always in competition, and even at the top of his game he will not win every time.

The immigrant leader takes a different approach and instead invests the abundance of his wealth in expanding his community. His strategy for success is to increase support around him. In doing so, he leans on the security that comes from many people wanting him to succeed.

The immigrant leader’s success will be their success. This leader need only listen to the needs of his growing community in order to know how to navigate his next opportunity. The strongest brands in the world, such as IKEA, are experts in this skill, and it is the reason they are so difficult to supplant. Many desire their good fortune to continue, and thus the only way to topple them is to somehow take away the respect of the community.

The employee with the greater measure of respect and support within the company will most often get the promotion, the raise, and in general, the better opportunities. Thus the employee who sustains a momentum of good fortune that propels him up the corporate ladder is most often the one who leans on a strategy of expanding his community.

Difference #3: The traditional leader desires to make a mark; an immigrant leader desires to leave a legacy.

The traditional leader’s work makes only a temporary mark that will eventually wear off. The immigrant leader takes a different approach and thus has a much different effect. He seeks, ultimately, to leave a legacy that will bring continued good fortune to many lives after he or his company is gone. He employs a strategy to collaborate with a select few who will not only benefit from his good fortune but also be prepared to continue cultivating a perpetual harvest in the months and years after he has gone.

This legacy of good fortune is first passed to a small number of supporters in order that they themselves will begin producing a similar harvest of good fortune. The immigrant leader understands that it is not his name that must reverberate after he is gone but rather the good fortune his name has earned.

In the end, there is only individual effort, but no individual purpose.

If you want to create and sustain a legacy of good fortune, you must ultimately create a community in the business of bettering the world. This is the legacy of an immigrant leader.

America’s leadership needs a re-think

2011-12-18T05:44:57-08:00

Leadership in America should be about holding everyone accountable to the highest standard of community and commerce. It should represent a voice that is diverse in its spirit, attitude and ownership. A voice that inspires us all to take action for the betterment of a healthier whole; where we can all stand for something that makes us feel that we have each other’s back and that we are pulling for one another’s advancement.

Leadership should not be represented by specific moments in time. President Obama’s recent surge in the popularity polls because of the successful elimination of Osama bin Laden is not a reflection of good leadership; that’s what we call management. We find leadership instead in the long hunt for bin Laden – by two presidents and many other people throughout government and the military. Leadership should be authentic and trustworthy, a voice that holds on to its relevancy, impact & influence through time.

As a young man, I remember how President Reagan inspired a country. Reagan was authentic and whether you believed in his policies or not, you believed in him as a person. He made you feel proud to be an American. Reagan delivered a message as if it were a two-way conversation. Many agreed with him, many did not; but all acknowledged his capacity for leadership.

So, what does leadership look like today in the US? It appears to be a combination of sensationalism and entitlement. Think about the following: Arnold, Tiger, Donald, and Sarah — just to name a few. The fact that we refer to them by their first name says it all.

Today, the people are not paying attention. All the noise around us has made it difficult for people to understand the intentions of our leaders and of our own personal responsibility for leadership. As such, we are quickly losing our leadership identity. We need leaders who can cut through the noise and remind us of what we are about – and what our personal responsibility is.

As Gen Yer’s get ready to take over the leadership of America, who are their role models and what will define their approach, style and attitude? Mark Zuckerberg and Lady Gaga? How can we help this new generation of leaders? It’s time for us all to step back and ask ourselves the question: what is my leadership responsibility and how can I act now?

I welcome your comments and remarks.