The Personal Leadership Insight Blog

General: Valuable Student Impact Lessons

2012-01-30T11:53:00.001-06:00

This past weekend we had 35 students going through an all day intensive leadership training sponsored by Touchstone Energy. The students were going through my Student Impact Model. Here are some tweatable and Facebookable and Classroom-Wallable quotes from the students:

Surround yourself with classy people. @Sarah_Reasnor

Everyone is connected, and therefore it is important for me to maintain my influence, spirit, class, and legacy, no matter who I am around. @yns1

Leaders are humble, loving servants to others. What we do for others speaks volumes about our character! Lead by example. @KellyBarnes

Passing on a bit of myself to one person can make the bigger impact than I think. @KellyBarnes

Pressure isn`t all bad. It can make me stronger. @Sarah_Reasnor

Stick to your own values. @yns1

Legacy is made by my mentor helping me to be a mentor for someone else. @Sarah_Reasnor

Good mentors make other good mentors and that's how you make a legacy! @Sarah_Reasnor

To be a great leader you must be resilient. @KellyBarnes

I can overcome any situation successfully. @Sarah_Reasnor

If you're using someone else's image, who has your's? @KellyBarnes

Be positive, have the drive to succeed! Go change a life! @yns1

Spirit goes further than talent in life. @Sarah_Reasnor

The more you copy someone else, the harder it is to be yourself. @KellyBarnes

Leadership is not only an act but a lifestyle. @yns1

Class is realizing what makes up my life, and sticking to it. @KellyBarnes

You have to find YOURSELF, before you can leave your legacy. @Sarah_Reasnor

When you make it to the top, act like you've been there before. @KellyBarnes

The Leader's Most Important Resolution

2012-01-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

1. Learn.

Spend more time this year asking your team, clients, competition, peers and experts questions. Actively listen. Sharpen your behavior, approach, mind-set and strategies based on what you hear.

Other important resolutions...

Add variety to input streams
Forgive
Invest in quiet time
Purposefully develop others
Hand write more personal notes of gratitude, appreciation or encouragement
Listen to, watch or read amazing creative works
Volunteer
Fill meal times with one-on-one personal time with family, friends and team members
Organize electronic note taking system for ideas, projects, important thoughts/data
Take action on "haven't been strong enough or willing to do" list

Emotional Maturity - The Attitude Experience

2011-12-05T13:46:00.000-06:00

My speaking company trains thousands of students and professionals every year. Every December we have over 1,200 Oklahoma FFA members for two weekends for the Made For Excellence conferences. This year is The Attitude Experience. As you are winding down your year and preparing your 2012 leadership goals, keep in mind these four key lessons from our training:

1. The Rubber Band Principle - When you stretch a rubber band, you physically change its composition and it can never go back to its old size. We are the same way - once we are stretched in life, we can never totally go back to who we once were. If you want to change your attitude, stretch yourself. Experience new things, travel to new places, read new books, meet new people, think about situations in a new way, etc.

2. The Stages of Self-Confidence - There are three stages: be you, be okay with you, believe in you. Our attitude about life grows from our own self-confidence. It starts with understanding who you are - your strengths, weaknesses, personality, values and beliefs. Then you must decide you are who you are for a reason and be okay with it. Stop trying to be someone you are not and start owning yourself. If you are able to do these two things, you can get to the final stage - owning a sense of self-confidence and carrying a clean, powerful and positive attitude through life.

3. You Find What You Focus On - If you look for the bad in life, you will find it. If you expect poor performance from others, they will be more likely to deliver it. Once you decide something or someone is boring or a waste of time, you have negatively changed the reality of your interaction with it. People who carry a positive spirit do not have perfect lives, they have simply learned to look for, encourage, highlight, emphasize and thus grow the good. Our attitude is a garden. If you let the weeds grow, they will choke out the vegetables. And the opposite is true as well.

4. Challenges Fill the Gap - Most people are perfectly fine with living an average life, having average relationships and carrying an average attitude because excellence in life requires too much hard work. Actually the gap between average and excellence in life is filled with challenges. Failure, stress, difficult conversations and falling down (when handled correctly) are all building blocks to reaching an excellent life and an excellent attitude.

Good luck and happy holidays.

General: The Student Impact Model

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000-06:00

Tiffany Grant understands how to make an impact on her world. She also is a living breathing example of something called The Student Impact Model - Influence, Spirit, Class, and Legacy. When Tiffany was six years old she was diagnosed with APD - Auditory Processing Disorder. The doctors told her she would never speak legibly her entire life. She didn't believe them and she worked hard everyday to learn how to speak clearly. Tiffany's fight to overcome APD gave her the confidence to start her own business while in high school called Prom Wishes, Inc. She gathered donations from dress and tuxedo makers, limo services, hair/nail specialists, shoe makers, etc. and opened her own store in her little Oklahoma town. She then advertised to the surrounding schools that anyone who couldn't afford to go to prom in style could come to her store and get what they needed for free. Her company's tag line was "everything you need for a great prom except for the date." Tiffany knew how to be a leader within her school and community. How about you?

The Student Impact Model is four simple concepts every student leader should hold as central beliefs directing their behavior and thoughts. Its not an all-inclusive list, but these four can super-charge your ability to make a difference. As you read through the list, think about whether or not each are present in your life and to what extent. Lead is a verb; leader is a noun; leadership is both. It is the combination of who you are and what you do. Each of these require action to truly allow you to make an impact.

Influence. Everything leadership-related starts with this word. Everyone leaves a mark, for good or bad, on everything and everyone we encounter. Think of it as having a theme song playing everywhere you go. Pick a positive, kind, empowering song others will want to turn up. Making an impact begins with you interacting with others in such a way that makes them want to be around you, work with you and follow you. Encourage your friends. Give compliments freely. Choose to avoid gossip. Author and teacher Stephen Covey says the best way to build trust with someone in the room is to talk up about people not in the room. Use your influence to build up those around you; in big and small ways.

Spirit. Tiffany's story is most inspiring because of the challenges she had to overcome to just get by in life, let alone serve others at a high level. Spirit is our ability to remain positive in the face of negative people and situations. It is your capacity for responding to life's challenges with a growth mindset. Failure is a natural part of life. Everyone has a failure factory. Failure comes into our lives and then we decide what to make with it. Follow Tiffany's example and use the challenges and difficulties in your life to inspire you to help others overcome, as well. A positive spirit is not the absence of troubles; it is the decision to make the absolute best of them. Be thankful when troubling times come into your life. They carry a purpose. The key is you get to decide whether the purpose is to weaken you or to strengthen you. My good friend and speaking peer Bill Cordes calls these times "Great Moments" - moments meant to give us what we need to lead through the good times and the bad.

Class. Every student leader who deeply understands how to make a positive impact in the lives of others knows they must first be someone worth following. This requires a commitment move; making the decision to live a life of character and excellence. A classy leader sets a high standard for their personal behavior, interactions with others, attire, personal hygeine, work ethic, service to others, etc. It is not easy to live the life of a first-class leader and that is what makes it so honorable. Students who truly make an impact on others gain followers not by yelling or demanding, but by inspiring others to want to follow them. Apply classy strategies to your social media use, also - specifically Facebook. Two examples include:

1. Share your good days on Facebook. When you are having a bad day, talk to someone privately about it. Classy people avoid publicly whining and complaining. Plus, when tough times show up, you need one-on-one interaction to rebuild your spirit.

2. Think about this question: do you keep your Facebook clean because you never know who may see it or do you keep your life clean so you don't have to worry about it? Classy students understand the first part of that question. Facebook is called a social network for a reason. You never know who may see a status update or picture and form a negative opinion of you. However, if you follow the lesson from the second part of the question, your character will never be questioned.

Legacy. The most important reason why the Student Impact Model works so effectively as a guideline for students is the end game is not about the leader, but about the people they are serving and helping. Every great leader is entrusted with the critical task of doing work that will last after they are gone. When a student leader leaves a positive influence on others, uses challenges to fuel future success and operates in a classy manner, they are creating a legacy of excellence for other students to follow. This legacy is not the reason for making an impact, but it is a sweet by-product.

Influence. Spirit. Class. Legacy. Four simple words that create exceptional results in the lives of student leaders and the people they lead. Go give the best of you and the world will give you its best right back!

Fostering Relationships: The Biggest Team Mistake Leaders Make

2011-10-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

The biggest team mistake leaders make is not delegating work properly. This poor leadership tactic is also known as micro-managing or helicoptering. It ranks as the largest team mistake for these seven reasons:

It has a large negative impact on quality of work, team culture and individual motivation.
It is very common. Letting go and letting the team is not easy for many leaders. It requires a complex series of personal, strategic, team and repetitive efforts.
The reason we have teams is because there is too much work for one person to do or because the work requires specialized talents. A leader trying to do all the work on their own goes directly against the reason the team exists in the first place.
Team members need to feel valuable and needed. When their leader doesn't delegate work properly it robs them of this basic desire.
Since a young age we have wanted autonomy; to feel like we can "do it on our own." This is a driving force of leaders being dictators. This is also why leaders must let go and not micro-manage the team. Your team needs you to train well, correct when needed, but let them do the work on their own.
The best ideas and highest quality work never materialize because the dictator leader is holding everyone and everything back due to their need for control.

The old parenting quote (that is applicable to the work place also) goes, "If you don't let me help when I'm not needed, then I won't want to help when I am needed." This quote sums up nicely the internal workings of team members regarding their need to engage with the team. So, why do so many leaders fall prey to this poor leadership approach? Here a few of the most common:

Not trusting team members.
Not understanding that the enemy of excellence is perfection.
Not letting team members try/fail/learn/re-try.
Hold an inflated sense of self-esteem.
Think that just because you can do something means you should do it (instead of letting your team do it.)
Have been burned in the past and are super-imposing past mistakes of others on current team members.
Haven't invested the time or resources to fully train the team.
Are blind to the negative impact of their behaviors (because many of them are unseen, at least initially.)

If you recognize any of these patterns in your behavior or thoughts, it is time to change. Teams work best when five things happen - two of the most important are that the team leader is trusted and the team members are engaging their core strengths to do meaningful work. Running your team like a dictator defeats both of these. Make the change and you will see tremendous positive results.

Vision: Steve Jobs' Legacy

2011-10-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

His vision for how technology can help you change the world will live on.

Fostering Relationships: What Harley Riders can Teach us About Motivation

2011-09-14T15:54:00.001-05:00

There are over one million loyal Harley Davidson motorcycle riders stretching from coast to coast. These people are not just customers, they are fanatics. I have a friend who waited 8 months for her special order "Hog". This product is the genesis for a family of people who ultimately only have one thing in common - they absolutely love cruising the open highway on their Softail, Dyna, Sportster, Touring or VRSC Harley Davidson motorcycle.

So, what is it about this bike that makes it such a communal product? More importantly, what lessons can leaders glean from this commercial phenom to help their product, company, team, etc. produce such rabid loyalty? The following seven qualities of the Harley experience not only give insight to why Hog lovers act like they do, but it also digs deeper into core human needs that just might transfer over to your world and help you understand how to inspire a stronger and more authentic bond with your people.

Why riders love their Harleys:

Easily recognizable. We all have a need to belong; to connect with other humans. A motorcycle is a visual product. When one rider sees another rider on a Harley, they instantly cut through the chatter and know they can connect.

Not everyone can or wants to do it. A Harley Davidson can cost anywhere from $9,000 to $35,000. They aren't cheap. And motorcycles obviously are not for everyone. This taps into our desire to be involved with something rather elite, private, VIPish. When you ride a Harley, you are a member of a club.

There's a rebel feel to it. Ever since rules were invented, humans were breaking them. This rebel banner flies on Harleys every day. The mild-mannered CPA by weekday suits up in black leather and a red bandana and speeds through the weekend. This sense of collective rule-breaking or rule-bending unites riders in a very unspoken way. Movies have even immoralized this act. The Wild Ones with Marlon Brando. Hells Angels on Wheels with Jack Nicholson. And Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator.

Different types of people come together. We have a need to belong. We also have a need to bring people together. Even though Harley riders enjoy their "superiority" over other bikes, they also relish their inclusiveness. A pack of Hogs cruising down the road is probably an eclectic group of doctors, lawyers, mechanics, bankers, etc. It does help grease the wheels of your growth when literally the only qualification needed for acceptance is the machine you are riding.

Involves travel. We are nomads at heart. We love to travel. When you are on the back of a Harley speeding down the highway, you have a feeling of freedom and movement that you can't get any other way. It's more intimate and exhilarating than any other form of transportation.

Involves masks. Especially those riders who really only have their Harleys for weekend rides or special trips, you can become someone else on a Harley. Its all suits and ties during the week and then its leather and boots on the weekends. Humans have a desire for anonymity. This desire is fulfilled to a certain extent on the back of a Hog.

Recognized as a cool group. Harley riders think Harleys are cool and so do a ton of other people. When you own a Harley, you are in the cool kids club. Everyone wanted to picked first in dodgeball in grade school. Everyone wanted to have a great date to the prom. Everyone wants to be involved in some type of cool group even as adults. It helps shape, define and express our identity.

If your staff, team members, customers and/or volunteers are under-motivated, try cross pollinating this list with your set-up. If you aren't providing opportunities for travel, risk-taking, anonymity, elite status, inclusiveness, etc. then you shouldn't be surprised that you aren't creating loyal fans.

Emotional Maturity: 16 Ways to Preserve Your Battery Life

2011-08-30T18:39:00.004-05:00

There are many tips on how to preserve your smart phone's battery - turn down the screen brightness, turn off the WiFi, stop playing Angry Birds all day, etc. But what about your battery? Leaders are called to do more, be more and produce more. Yet, your battery may be the same size as everyone else's. Therefore, your strategies for having the energy (i.e. battery life) to do life as a leader must be well-planned and they must work. Here are 16 time-tested physical, emotional, relational and mental tips for helping your battery stay charged.

Preserve Your Battery Life List

1. Get adequate sleep.
2. Consume nutritionally sound food and drink.
3. Maintain positive relationships.
4. Do meaningful work that aligns with your core values.
5. Have a hobby and do it often.
6. Keep harmful chemicals out of your body.
7. Remove the clutter from your vehicle, home, office space and life.
8. Stop the gossip.
9. Help others in need.
10. Stop making tiny issues into big deals.
11. Forgive others.
12. Create a cool memory often. (I.e. - new restaurant, road trip, date night, catch some live music, etc.)
13. Take vitamins daily, naps weekly and vacations yearly.
14. Clear your email inbox regularly.
15. Forgive yourself.
16. Listen to positive, uplifting music and human interactions.

Give your Twitter followers some positive messages this week:

Take vitamins daily, naps weekly and vacations yearly. @pli_leadership

Remove the clutter from your vehicle, home, office space and life. @pli_leadership

Do meaningful work that aligns with your core values. @pli_leadership
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Skill Assessment: Components of Reaching Excellence

2011-08-25T09:42:00.002-05:00

I enjoy the light travel load August brings for many reasons: family time, dedicated office time, space to work on writing songs and, most importantly, time to sharpen my iPad/iPhone game skills. One of the games filling my rec. time this season is called Aqueduct. It is a complexing puzzle challenge that takes time to move through and requires certain skills to master.
Isn't personal and professional success the same? The following list contains eight components necessary for reaching excellence in activities ranging from guilty pleasures like Aqueduct to meaningful pursuits like being great at your job.
How do you get from here...
...to here?

The 8 P's of Reaching Excellence
Prior experience - Excellence today is a fruit growing on the tree of yesterday's hard work.

Passion - This hard work is fueled by a love for your craft. All actions have self-motivation at their core. All great actions have passion at their core.

Practice - The skills you need to rock to reach excellence in your area are muscles that need to be exercised. Greatness in the public is born from hours of practice in private.

Perfection - I actually believe perfection is the enemy of excellence. However, a game like Aqueduct is a reminder that in many pursuits there is a gold standard; a goal to be reached; a method for knowing whether you've hit success or not. Excellence can only be reached if you have identified what it looks like and go after it with perfection driving your journey.

Pliable - This skill is essential when you have firm performance metrics in place. Goals change, people get in the way, life happens, etc. Flexibility to adjust on the fly is critical for remaining on top of your game (and staying sane).

Produce - Although relatively assumptive, it is important to highlight that excellence isn't just something you are, it is what you do. You have to produce. You have to go to market. You have to get the deal done.

Patience - Success doesn't happen overnight and excellence doesn't happen "overyear". It takes (sometimes) many years of continual work to be exceptionally great at something. Also, this is an active patience. You aren't waiting on it to happen. You are just doing your job and doing growth right and excellence happens over time.

Pursuit - Focused, laser-focused pursuit. Steve Jobs, the Apple (now former) CEO, is a shining example of the power of focused pursuit. He led Apple with a dedicated pursuit of making products that spoke to our creative, functional, inspired, human and beautiful needs. Your excellence may not lead a $330 billion company, but that doesn't diminish it's importance - to you or the people and projects you influence.

If you have room to grow (i.e. - you are breathing), examine your life and see which of these eight components needs more of your attention.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Fostering Relationships: Motivate the V.I.P. in Others

2011-08-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

To truly motivate someone, you need to learn about the V.I.P. in them...

Values + Interests + Personality

Then you design a motivation plan for them based on who they are. Essentially you are figuring out which "carrot" will work for them. This puts the individual at the center of your approach instead of the desired outcome or your perception of the individual. It is challenging and time-consuming if you have a large team, but it is time well spent.

Here are a few other posts with more motivation techniques:

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2007/03/emotional-maturity-inside-out.html

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2009/03/fostering-relationships-how-to-motivate.html

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2009/07/motivate-with-direction.html

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2007/06/skill-assessment-understanding.html

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2007/01/fostering-relationships-light-match.html

http://pliblog.yournextspeaker.com/2008/06/skill-assessment-doers-throughers-and.html

Good luck!

Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Teaching PLI: 10 Essential Leadership Questions

2011-08-15T21:51:00.003-05:00

The PLI curriculum is built on the 10 Essentials of Leadership. If you are teaching the curriculum this year or if you are just wanting a guide for developing your own leadership abilities, the following 10 questions serve as a primer for gaining insight into the importance of each Essential.

Vision - What am I doing today to be where I need to be in 5 years?

Integrity - How am I helping my team trust me?

Innovativeness - What are the challenges I am facing today that require more "solution thinking"?

Wise Judgment - Who do I consult with before making major decisions?

Service Mindedness - Do I have enough volunteerism in my life?

Goal Processing - Do I have challenging goals that stretch and grow my abilities?

Skill Assessment - What is my core strength and have I put myself in the position to do that everyday?

Emotional Maturity - Do I handle struggles and "failures" with grace and a growth attitude?

Fostering Relationships - What is the condition of my most important relationship?

Masterful Communication - Do I listen to others with focus?

Now, print this post and invest time thinking about, writing down and working on your answers. Good luck!
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

General: Four Attributes of Great Leaders

2011-08-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

Source: http://www.deviantart.com
There are four attributes of great leaders I challenge you to develop or grow for the purpose of being a solid model of leadership for others.

Great leaders believe in others more than they do.

Great leaders create positive interactions with others.

Great leaders carry a spirit of tested optimism.

Great leaders see different things by seeing things differently.

Great leadership is making a positive difference in people and situations to create value and growth. These four traits move leaders for this purpose.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Teaching PLI: Great and Awful Teacher Traits

2011-08-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

Last year we set out on a mission to answer this critical question...

What are the commonalities of great teachers and awful teachers?

We heard from students, teachers, administrators, vendors, etc. The following lists contain the most frequent answers we found among the hundreds of responses.

Best/Most Effective Teacher Traits

Organized

Passionate about seeing students succeed

Passionate about their subject

Holds high expectations for students; challenges them to succeed

Seeks out professional development

Avoids using negative weapons - embarrassment, guilt, fear

Invests in students beyond teaching the subject

Worst/Least Effective Teacher Traits

Doesn't teach for understanding; only teaches for testing

Does not understand subject

Does not have effective teaching techniques

Reads straight from textbook

Doesn't make an effort to get to know students

Talks down about other students not in the classroom

Is vocal about not liking their job, the school, the staff and/or the students

This project was both inspiring and discouraging. Many of the traits from the bottom list came directly from students. They don't like teachers who take it easy on them or who only make the classroom fun. They want to enjoy school, but also learn what they need to learn. The study was also discouraging because of all the clearly awful teachers these students have to be around and these administrators/teachers have to put up with. It is so difficult to remove a teacher from a school, the awful ones stay in the system even though they are clearly not fit for the task of inspiring, motivating and educating.

If you are a teacher and/or have influence over one, please share this list. At the 2009 TED conference, Bill Gates said there are two major global issues he believes are not getting enough attention and, if fixed, would significantly improve our quality of life. Figuring out how to make teachers great was one of those. I am excited to be playing a part in this inspiring task at school faculty/staff in-services this year. Teaching educators how to be great is a challenging, yet rewarding mission.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Skill Assessment: What Is Your Hole #3?

2011-07-29T01:07:00.003-05:00
We all have strengths and weaknesses. It is a defining part of the human experience. However, certain weaknesses impact our ability to positively lead others more than others. These weaknesses can become our "Hole #3".
I used to play golf all the time. Ten years ago it wouldn't be uncommon for me to play 50-60 rounds per season. The last few years I was lucky to get 5-6 rounds played per year. 2010 was one of those years.
In October I dusted off the clubs for a round with my great friend and speaking partner, Kelly Barnes. It was a magical round... except for hole #3. Examine this score card....

As you can see, it was a great day on the links. All pars and bogeys (great for me), except for one double-bogey and a disaster on hole #3. Here's a closer look...

Yes, that is a score of 13 on that one hole! It was a train wreck. It was so bad Kelly and I were not even going to score it - hence the scratches. If I had even bogeyed that hole, I would have scored a 79 and achieved something I have only done twice in my golfing career - breaking 80. Needless to say, I ended an otherwise great day of golf very, very frustrated.
As leaders, we are expected to deliver results - i.e. birdies and pars. However, if we have even one glaring weakness or shortcoming (one Hole #3), it can diminish our effectiveness and make many of our strengths irrelevant.
Fortunately, leadership (unlike golf) is a team sport. The best leaders are surrounded with people who are strong where he or she is weak. Yet, a Hole #3 type weakness can still hold us back and block our leadership's full power, scope and range. The following grid shows how you can have 9 of the 10 vital components of great leadership and still fall short of your potential.

(The abbreviations are the ten PLI Essentials.)

Examine your skills. Be honest with yourself. What is a weakness you possess that has a Hole #3 type meaningfulness? Find it and begin today working on growing, changing and improving. At the end of the day, a 79 might only be 7 strokes from an 86, but those 7 strokes might mean the difference between being a leader who is an "also played" and a leader who is a game-changer. One that is leaving a legacy of excellence, remarkable results and a life-changing score for those you serve.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Teaching PLI: The New Blog Label - Teaching PLI

2011-07-25T10:37:00.000-05:00

When you have over 300 posts (which are essentially 300 additions to the PLI leadership curriculum), keeping everything organized is very important. We have added another layer of organization for our PLI teachers and anyone else who reads our blog for the purpose of adding to their leadership teaching or learning!

We have a new label for our posts called Teaching PLI. This label is applied to any post where the purpose is to give ideas, instruction, clarity of mission or tips/tricks on teaching leadership and specifically teaching the PLI leadership curriculum. You can quickly access all of these posts by clicking on the Teaching PLI Posts link in the right-hand column.

Enjoy!
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Fostering Relationships: Watering Dirt

2011-07-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

Anyone who has ever tried to motivate someone has experienced this struggle...

"Are we just watering dirt?"

I.e. - can we really do anything, say anything, offer any incentive that will nurture growth in this person or are we just wasting valuable resources?

It is a difficult and frustrating situation to be in. One that causes you to second guess your abilities, your strategies and ultimately your decision to have that person on the team.

When you find yourself in this position, talk through the following points:

1. Everyone has a price. You probably need to change the currency you are using with that person. Is she motivated by money, position, prestige, responsibility, autonomy, appreciation, social status, etc.? Find what works for her that also aligns with what you can give and give it.

2. Everyone needs their best inspired out of them. Even the most cynical person responds to words and acts of encouragement, appreciation and thanks. Some will never tell you, but this doesn't change the fact that it works.

3. Everyone is self-motivated. At the end of the day, people must move on their own. They will also do it on their own timeline. You can mandate her actions, but you can not mandate her BEST actions. (BEST - Better Every Single Time - Source: Kelly Barnes)

4. Everyone needs someone to believe in them more than they do. Sometimes it's a race to see who will give up first. If you throw in the towel before she does, you might miss something special. Give her your best and see what happens.

5. Everyone needs honesty from their leaders. Once you do all you can, if she is still not showing progress or living up to clear expectations, it is time to let her go. This could be just what she needs to make a change. Wake-up calls happen in life and serve as opportunities to see how our actions are pulling us down instead of lifting us up. If you care about her, be honest. Don't pass the buck or let her ignore what everyone can see except for her.

When done correctly and with class and spirit, these concepts will show you it was more than dirt you were watering - an unseen seed was waiting for you to help it grow.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Goal Processing: Nine Daily Habits of Leaders

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001-05:00
Following are nine daily habits leaders use to put action to the Student Impact Model...

1. Quiet time
2. Eat healthy food
3. Physical activity
4. Connect with friends
5. Read positive material
6. Create something
7. Encourage someone
8. Move one step closer to a goal or fixing a problem
9. Help family

Self-audit your life and check to see how many of these habits are evident in your daily routine. Increase your ability to impact others in a big way through these small acts of awesomeness.
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

General: 4 Critical Leadership Skills for College Students

2011-06-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

1. Build a powerful Failure Factory.

Life isn't fair. We all fall down. If you are a machine built for performance and excellence, your extreme approach to life will create intense highs and intense lows. Thus you need a Failure Factory built to process failure to ensure future success. People are inspired by, careers are built upon and dreams flourish by handling failure and disappointment with grace, patience, a growth perspective, boldness and a willingness to learn and change.

During a period of self-discovery and life changes like the college years, you must attack life with a well-established Failure Factory and put yourself out there regardless of how high or low the chances are for success. Ask for that job, call that recruiter one more time, run for that campus office, send twice as many resumes, etc. Approach the start of your career with zeal and no fear of failure. Life will have plenty of opportunities to try to steal those two things from you later.

2. Work to see things differently.

An approach to life that aids in the creation of a powerful leadership ability is always seeking out the new, the fresh, the unique, and the uncommon in everyday life. Your value in the workplace will seed from many sources. This is one that is hard to relate on a resume, will cause many "workplace veterans" to beat you down and is an extreme career builder. Practice sharpening this skill now. Approach your classes, college-life, job searching, networking, etc. in your own unique way. It is amazing how you see different things when you make an effort to see things differently.

A good example is your relationship with your professors, advisors, and other university personnel. If you wanted a job from me, the first people I would call aren't your references list (everyone white washes those). I would call the campus people who I know have worked with you. I would ask these people questions to learn about your key leadership indicators - work-ethic, social skills, like-ability, problem-solving skills, etc. Many of your peers don't give a second thought to the impression their actions leave on these important people. They skip class, listen to music in class, never seek sage counsel, don't mind their appearance, etc. You should see things differently and understand how many chances you have over the course of your college career to build a network of fans. You may never directly need them, but if you ever do they are huge allies to have.

3. Diligently repeat the Three C's every day.

Aristotle said we are what we do repeatedly. College is such a crazy, busy, fast-moving time that many college students forget to leverage the span of years it covers to slowly build more value than just a diploma. The job market beats down the status quo, but rewards the diligent souls who invest in their abilities. The Productive Flourishing blog did a post in 2009 illuminating three key "daily habits" college students should get into their routine.

Beyond these, there are industry specific items (based on your major) you should be working on. This is where a mentor, job shadowing and/or internships come in handy. You can pick-up clues about certain knowledge-points, competencies, etc. that will come in extra-handy not only on the job, but in the ever-daunting process of landing said job.

4. Be a servant of others.

Leadership at it's best is many things. Leadership at it's core is serving others. Invest time in college helping others (being a friend worth having), serving others (volunteering and/or running for office) and developing the muscles that enables you to lift others higher than yourself. College can be a very self-serving time. Its supposed to be - you are getting yourself built right so you can go out and get hired, start your career and change the world. Thus, it is impressive on many levels when you can travel through this selfish time with a focus on building others. Hopefully, it will be a mission that lasts a lifetime. The benefits of it certainly does.

Good luck and enjoy these days. They will prove to be some of the most spirited of your life.

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Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: The Thunder Principle

2011-06-13T08:00:00.020-05:00
This is the final post of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

Thunder Principle
Have one face for the organization.

Our final principle comes straight from the chief customer service conductor of Oklahoma City's NBA team - the Thunder. I called my friend Pete Winemiller and asked him one important question, "What is the primary tool you and your team use to help create the fabulous customer experience at Thunder basketball games?" He said, "We carry one face for the organization." He went on to explain that no matter who you work for (the Thunder, Coke, Pizza Hut, the NBA, etc.), it is vital for everyone to operate as one team in the arena when interacting with customers.

This principle is especially important for any organization with multiple vendors, project groups, buildings, stores, sites, etc. There is nothing more disheartening for a customer than to hear a team member talk down about or blame a member of their own staff. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth and does nothing to enhance the organization's image or to improve the customer's experience.

Here are a few ideas on how to put the Thunder Principle into action to create a culture of team-oriented customer service excellence:

Always talk up team members, departments, etc. that aren't present

Move information, people, actions down the line in the most complete fashion possible

Take care of a problem if you can without just passing the buck

Be on time

Do your work

Think about how your actions impact a team member not present

Leave your area/project/etc. clean and prepared for the next crew

The Thunder Principle is the perfect manifestation of excellent customer service because it is based on the thinking that everyone is ultimately on the same team - me, my team mates and my customers. We are all wanting the same thing, we just have different approaches to get there and those differences can cause seemingly unsolvable problems. The "one face" mindset allows us to start on the same team and is the best way to end on the same team, as well!
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: The YourSpace Principle

2011-06-10T08:00:00.002-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

YourSpace Principle
Your way + My way = Our Way.

The hallmark principle of excellent customer service is being others-focused. This manifests in many ways. One of the most powerful is the mindset of always seeking to understand where the customer is coming from, finding out their point of view, really listening to their opinions and concerns, etc. Then taking that data, combining it with the information you are armed with and acting out the YourSpace Principle - Your way + My way = Our way.

This isn't just pretending to listen for the purpose of making the customer feel heard. The YourSpace Principle is a methodology designed for four purposes:

Leaving the customer feeling appreciated

Gathering useful information from his or her side of the situation

Providing the customer a clear explanation of your side

Moving forward with a plan aimed at satisfying both sides' needs

Better information, empowered customers, collaborative decisions - all winning outcomes for excellent customer service interactions.

Next up, the Thunder Principle - Have one face for the organization...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: Walking Billboard Principle

2011-06-08T08:00:00.003-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

Walking Billboard Principle
You are the brand.

This is one of the simplest customer service principles to understand and one of the most difficult to pull off successfully and completely. The Walking Billboard Principle states, "You are the brand." This means that when the customer interacts with you, the are essentially interacting with your entire organization. If they like you, they like your company. If they are upset with you, they are upset with the institution. And vice-versa. They might be frustrated with you, even it is your company they are frustrated with.

This principle illuminates the fact that you must always be mindful of your words and actions. They don't live in a silo - isolated from making an impact beyond that one situation. They have a long tail. This is another reason why great customer service organizations are surgical when it comes to hiring people whose values and beliefs align with the organization's values and beliefs. It is easier to "be the brand" when you don't have to fake it.

Up next: The YourSpace Principle - Your way + my way = our way...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: Toyota Principle

2011-06-06T08:00:00.002-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

Toyota Principle
Enable and encourage problem solving right now.

Toyota adopted a new set of management principles (under the direction of management guru Peter Drucker) that set out to move away from their old controlling and rigid top-down structure and move closer to a true teamwork system. These changes created a culture of responsibility across all levels and gave each employee the autonomy to decide how to best reach a clear set of objectives. An example is a change on the production line that allowed anyone to stop the line immediately when they caught a mistake. The old way involved paperwork up and down the chain before any action could be taken.

Are your people empowered to and enabled with the tools to serve your customers to the best of their ability? Do they feel like they can question processes and practices without retribution? Can they solve problems on their own or do they always have to "get permission"? When you enable and encourage problem solving in the moment not only do customers get served better, but your staff takes more ownership.

Up next: The Walking Billboard Principle - You are the brand...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: Toddler Principle

2011-06-03T08:00:00.002-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

Toddler Principle
Friendly first.

Our newborn loves to smile. Most babies do. However, our newest little one's frequency, consistency and intensity of her smiles are higher than most. It certainly makes for a fun parenting experience. When she smiles it is nearly impossible to not smile back. This raw, pure interaction serves as a reminder that we were born to smile and the best customer-oriented people live to smile.

Its not always on their face - that's not genuine or natural. However, it is their home base and they start there with customers. The Toddler Principle is about starting with a positive emotion and then moving forward from there. No matter what is going on in your world, when a customer enters into it - stop, make eye contact, smile and give a friendly greeting. It is amazing how many good things show up when you start with friendly first.

Up next: Toyota Principle - Enable and encourage problem solving right now...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: The Fresh Air Principle

2011-06-01T08:00:00.019-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

The Fresh Air Principle
Ask great questions.

When I am traveling my primary source of entertainment is my music and podcast library. One of my favorite podcasts is the daily radio interview show Fresh Air. Terry Gross is the host. Rarely does an episode go by without a guest making the comment, "That is a great question, Terry." She (and her team) script out excellent questions that get right to the heart of the matter.

Great customer service professionals love questions. They enjoy it when customers ask questions (because it is a sign of interest and because it provides an opportunity to solve a problem or serve a need for the customer) and they thrive on asking customers questions. Here is a short list of questions you should be asking regularly:

How can we help you today?

How are you today?

What concerns do you have?

How can we make this better for you?

What else can we do for you?

What questions do you have?

How did you hear about us?

Up next, the Toddler Principle - Friendly First...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.

Service Minded: The Irving Principle

2011-05-30T08:00:00.014-05:00
This is part of a series highlighting the 12 Excellent Service Principles.

The Irving Principle
Get clear on why you are successful.

The Vienna Beef Co. had a problem after they moved into their brand new production center in the Chicago area. Even with 40 years of experience, something was wrong - their hot dogs didn't taste the same. Same spices, same process, different taste. They spent 18 months researching the problem and discovered it was Irving's fault. Their previous plant was a cobbled together chain of old manufacturing buildings in Chicago. Irving was the man who pushed the cart of cold, newly formed hot dogs 30-minutes across the plant to the next step in the process. This trip was unnecessary in the new plant because the two steps were right next to each other for efficiency purposes. The only problem was that Irving's 30-minute walk allowed the dogs to warm up. This proved to be a critical step in creating their signature taste.

The Vienna Beef Co. had enjoyed success for years, but wasn't totally clear on why. Great customer service organizations are infatuated with learning why customers keep coming back. This, obviously, is a major reason why they do. They understand it, embrace it, train against it and continually adjust for it.

Up next, the Fresh Air Principle - Ask Great Questions...
Learn more about our fresh, new leadership curriculum at www.PersonalLeadershipInsight.org.