The Leadership Coach™

Are You Punishing Loyalty?

Paul Andrew — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:04:41 +0000

Maybe you’ve had an experience like this?

I called my cable television provider a few weeks ago because I’d seen them advertising some special deals for the holidays. I’ve been with them for a few years, and their hold message repeatedly claims that I’m a “valued customer”.

Well it turns out that their advertised rates are only for new customers and as an existing “valued customer” I did not qualify. On pressing the salesperson I discovered that the only way to qualify would be to close my account, wait 30 days, then reapply as a new customer.

This is called punishing loyalty.

I wasn’t on contract. Needless to say they lost me to a competitor.

In a day when business leaders talk so much about customer loyalty, why do we allow business strategies that punish loyalty? Why do we so often reward the fickle and neglect the faithful?

Sadly TimeWarner is employing a philosophy of value that can be seen in all kinds of organisations.

So what else does punishing loyalty look like?

Managers who take their longest-serving staff for granted.
Leaders who wait for everyone to arrive before starting meetings punish the timely and reward the tardy.
Companies that lure new staff with premium salaries while loyal team members are trickle-fed CPI increases.
Fostering “squeaky wheel” cultures where those who complain or rock the boat get your attention and those who are conscientious and compliant get ignored.
Offering the best price/ best deal/ best seat/ best project to the last on board.
Shipping substandard products to the passionate early adopters that require endless patches/ fixes/ recalls (think software giants).

If new customers or new team members around you feel special, while the loyal ones feel unappreciated, it might be time to rethink your values.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™

He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

You’ve Changed!

Paul Andrew — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:16:57 +0000

It’s said like an insult… “You’ve changed!”

Perhaps you were in a conversation with a lifelong friend or a family member. Something you did or said wasn’t quite what you always used to do or say. And then out it comes, with a hint of disgust… “You’ve changed!”

Here’s the problem: if you want to reach your potential in life or leadership you have to change.

Those jibes might be subtle or even well meaning. Yet they still reinforce a fundamental mindset that in order to be “true”, “authentic” or “fair dinkum” (for the Aussies!) we should always be how we’ve always been.

The opposite phrase is just as much of a problem. Why is it generally considered a compliment when we say to someone, “You haven’t changed a bit”?

If you haven’t seen me in ten years and you say to me, “You haven’t changed a bit” that might just be the lowest insult of all.

The inability or unwillingness to change is the path to extinction. If your clothes, your business strategy, your cell phone or your website are still “staying true” to how the world was ten years ago, prepare for extinction.

Let’s reverse the trend. This week find three people who’ve changed for the better and compliment them by saying “You’ve changed!”

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

——————–——————
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™

He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Armchair Critics

Paul Andrew — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:14:29 +0000

Through the years of leading people experience has taught me that there will always be armchair critics, the only question is how I will respond to them.

While I welcome constructive feedback and critical thinking from those who share my values, I have no time at all for the armchair critic.

Armchair critics are the backseat drivers of this world. Rather than do something they prefer to criticise those who do. They can usually be found in the company of other critics picking apart what people do and say, from the safety of their comfort zone.

I heard someone say recently that, “Critics are like the eunuchs in a harem – they know what you’re supposed to do, but can’t do it themselves.” Sadly for all the impotence in their actions, their words still have the power to discourage and distract you if you let them.

Truth be told, I’ve let the critics get to me too many times over the years. I got defensive. I stewed on their accusations. I got my eye off the ball and focused on the hecklers. And as long as I focused on the critics in the grandstand I couldn’t play the game on the field to the best of my ability.

I’m determined to stay open to the right opinions… the voices of those who know and believe in me.. the perspective of people working alongside me. In fact I’m in very a dangerous place as a leader if no-one can question me.

We see journalists, police officers and presidents alike weighing the value of information that comes to them on the basis of the credibility of the source themselves. A reliable source who is close to the events is a precious resource. But if the source is without credibility and proximity it’s unlikely anyone will even read their “information” let alone act on it.

So leaders, let’s develop the habit of weighing criticism according to its source before we react. And at the same time, let’s cultivate a circle of trusted advisors around us who can speak truth from a proven track record and a shared vision.

Leave the armchair critic to his armchair. It’s called a La-Z-Boy for a reason.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt (Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910)

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

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The Most Crowded Marketplace Of All

Paul Andrew — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:55:12 +0000

I have always pursued the ideal that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

As I’ve worked with leaders around the world, I have discovered that mindset is not only a more satisfying way to live but it’s also a hallmark of those who rise above their competition.

The most crowded marketplace of all is mediocrity.

Think of your own industry. How many leading companies or organisations are there that have clearly risen above the crowd? And by comparison, how many of the “mediocre masses” are there? The eagles have a different experience of this world than the pigeons.

So here are a few exits on the highway to mediocrity that you might consider if you long to escape the throng-

1. Do less.
Thin out how much you do… in order to do what you do with excellence. Hold three events not ten. Offer two services instead of seven. Creativity is as much about what you leave out as what you leave in. And often doing too many things is the enemy of doing the most important things with excellence. Often, but not always…

2. Do more.
At the risk of contradicting myself, sometimes the answer is to do more. Go beyond what others offer. Market research would have told Ford and Jobs that people just wanted faster horses and smaller phones. Instead they gave them something more, something they didn’t even know they needed until they experienced what “more” looked like in the automobile and the iPhone.

3. Do it differently.
There’s a wine shop in my neighbourhood that I like. They’re not the closest, the largest or the cheapest. But they do something their competitors don’t- they get out from behind the counter and talk about their wines. They make it fun and educational without making customers feel inferior. Remember that whether you’re selling a product or a service, you’re really selling an experience. So do it differently.

So if you’re ready for the air up there, scorn mediocrity and ask yourself, “How could we do less, do more or do it differently?”

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
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Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

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Work Horses And Show Ponies

Paul Andrew — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:10:53 +0000

I’ve come to realize that being gifted and being productive aren’t always the same thing. Every leader makes a largely unconscious choice to encourage either show ponies or work horses in their leadership stable.

Show ponies remind me of those team members that are gifted to the eyeballs, look the part and parade around to be judged on their appearances.

On the other hand, the work horses are best known for their strength and productivity, and they are valued for their output. They’re both horses, but they’re two different animals to lead.

Show ponies need constant grooming

If you find your team members need continual affirmation and attention, or for their egos to be stroked… perhaps you have some show ponies in the stable. There’s a lot of coddling, sheltering and special treatment required to protect them from anything that might cause a blemish or real exertion.

Show ponies don’t like to work hard

It’s usually easy to spot a show pony when the team is working hard. You’ll find them excusing themselves from responsibilities, “supervising” in some self-appointed role, or absent with something they deemed more important. The truth is they have little stomach for hard work (and leaders- make no mistake, the rest of the team know it.)

Show ponies shine in the limelight

Unlike their sudden absence during hard work seasons, the show pony is front and centre when there is attention or applause to be gained. They were born for the spotlight, where the work horse earns their keep far away from the crowds and accolades.

Personally, I’m most grateful for those selfless, unassuming and hard-working individuals who care more about getting the job done than who gets the credit. They’re low maintenance and high output. Give me that rugged beauty over pampered perfection any day.

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I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Affirmation Addicts

Paul Andrew — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:51:30 +0000

Over breakfast recently I was discussing the journey of leadership with a new friend when he described himself as a “Recovering Affirmation Addict”. Just quietly, so am I.

Reflecting on my own past as a world-class people pleaser, it was clear to both of us that we had not become truly effective as leaders until we had broken that self-sabotaging mindset.

Of course receiving affirmation should be a perfectly normal and positive thing. We all need some encouragement from time to time. A healthy team should point out people’s successes and remind them of their value as an individual.

But when a person allows insecurity or a feeling of inadequacy to rob them of their sense of confidence and personal worth, then an Affirmation Addict can be born who craves encouragement to fill the void in their life.

Affirmation Addicts want a good thing for the wrong reason. And sadly, like all addictions, it brings dependance, then debilitation and even destruction if it continues to grow.

Affirmation Addicts receive less from their affirmation
Ironically the more emotionally needy you are, the less impact each encouragement tends to have. You need more encouragement, more times, with more adjectives, from more important people, in more public settings. The dosage gets higher and higher to give you the feeling you used to get from a simple compliment.

Affirmation Addicts get tainted encouragement.
Once those around you see the addiction in action, they begin to watch what they say. People mince their words, tell you what you want to hear, or embellish what they really mean. Their words get tainted by the complications that come with trying to navigate your brokenness.

Affirmation Addicts find their leadership gets compromised.
It’s hard to make the tough decisions when you need everyone to like you. All too often doing the right thing as a leader has nothing in common with doing what is popular. So the Affirmation Addict is torn in their leadership between ensuring the long-term success of those they lead and trying to meet their own short-term craving for praise.

Affirmation Addiction is like reversing your polarity.
Far from being attractive, the addiction reverses your magnetism and repels the very things you hope to attract. It’s as though there is an invisible energy field around you pushing people away.

So, take it from a leader who got clean a while back. You can be free… you can comfortable in your own skin… and you can make your relationship uncomplicated again… by breaking the addiction.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

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Three Potent Words

Paul Andrew — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:48:05 +0000

Three words in Rudy Giuliani’s book titled “Leadership” had a lasting impact on my life.

In it he explained the essence of his philosophy on leadership as he reflected on leading New York City as its Mayor through both triumph and tragedy, including the attacks on the World Trade Center. On his desk throughout his time as Mayor sat a sign with just three potent words:

“I AM RESPONSIBLE”

It strikes me that many of us could use a reminder like that sitting on our desks.

How do you lead a city like NYC and at the same time hold yourself to such a tough standard? Does “I am responsible” mean that I’m to blame for everything that goes wrong?

In the aftermath of terrorist attacks when many were pointing fingers, Giuliani focused instead on taking responsibility for the needs at hand. In fact throughout his tenure as Mayor he led a reversal of the city’s crime record with a myriad of seemingly small actions that worked together to achieve change on a massive scale.

Something in all of us prefers to resist responsibility and focus instead of what’s outside of our control. But the true leader doesn’t waste energy and precious time fixating on issues they can’t address. Instead they take action. They step up and do what they can.

Living those three potent words – I am responsible – means knowing that although it’s not only up to you… keeping focused on your own responsibility is the surest way to live to your real potential.

So be your own leadership coach for a moment and ask…
* To what extent am I allowing myself to be distracted by issues or others, rather than focusing on my own part to play?
* If I was to take 100% responsibility for this… what would I do differently?
* What action can I take TODAY to begin to address a situation that’s important to me?

Your time starts… now

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

The Inner Circle Test

Paul Andrew — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:39:57 +0000

Real leaders surround themselves with people who challenge them, not people who worship them.

You can tell a lot about a leader by the sort of people they surround themselves with. Often the conversations on this subject focus on the calibre of those you have in your inner circle, and I agree with that to a point. Getting highly capable people around you is a real key to your next level of success. But… a high calibre / low diversity team is not the answer.

Weak leaders seek “yes men” and agreement.
Sadly it’s possible to train your team to blindly agree with everything you say and do. With enough fear, manipulation and control even a high calibre can become vulnerable and find themselves telling the emperor his new clothes are splendid when the truth is that he’s naked.

Weak leaders create monocultures.
In a monoculture there’s an overwhelming prevalence of one way of thinking and acting. It’s like a clone army. We dress the same, talk the same, see the world the same. It doesn’t take very long for a culture like that to isolate and ostracize a new person who is different.

Weak leaders equate “different” with “bad”.
The low diversity team rejects someone different in much the same way as a body can reject a transplant. They sense different DNA and in thousands of microscopic ways they attack it until it’s removed. This team sees it as a negative to be different. Something that person needs to work on, or overcome in order to “fit in”.

Real leaders enjoy the different perspectives that diversity brings.
We can all see the same issue from our different viewpoints, and all be “right”. I’ve observed some world-class leaders in action and their capacity to bring diversity to the table is clear. They synthesize the best of these perspectives and then set the direction of the organisation. Interestingly they experience greater unity later having had the disagreements up front, where weak leaders discourage disagreement upfront and often experience disunity later.

Real leaders are comfortable with a certain level of tension.
I don’t mind a level of tension in my team. There’s a healthy tension that drives creativity, and without it we’ll likely oversimplify our challenges. The quality people and the quantity people are both right. Sales people should push the design team to get a product to market, and the design team should push back so it’s of the highest standard. Don’t let conflict get personal, or it’s effect be cumulative… but declare war on mediocrity and may the best idea win.

Real leaders unify their team through what they have in common.
Rather than fixate on the differences in their team, effective leaders use their common ground as the focal point. Perhaps they share a common goal, a common enemy, or a common value. When they keep these at the centre, they enable a team that would otherwise fragment to stay united.

So take a moment now and put yourself to the Inner Circle Test. Have you made diversity your friend or your enemy?

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Everyone Leading

Paul Andrew — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:12:29 +0000

Truly great teams are places where everyone leads. While most organisations are content to build leadership structures, the best companies instead build leadership cultures.

Leadership is more than a title, a job description, a corner office or place on the org chart. Leadership is as much about how we carry ourselves, and how we carry the vision, mission and values of our organisation as it is about how many people report to us.

I have a goal: Everyone leading.

Sure, someone needs to have the final say on the direction of the team. But everyone should approach the challenges and opportunities faced by the whole group as a leader, not as a mere passenger.

When everyone is leading-
* A high level of ownership is standard fare.
* There’s a pipeline constantly producing quality candidates for senior roles.
* Those at the top spend far less time motivating or micro-managing their people.
* Innovation comes from team members everywhere, anytime.
* The culture of the organisation is reinforced and multiplied.
* People bring their “A game”, every game.

It’s a goal worth pursuing.

If you want a team that is comfortable to lead then just build a mediocre team full of workers and followers instead.

Franky, when everyone is leading you’ll have some strong personalities to contend with… frank opinions will be shared… conflicts will occur… boundaries will be tested… change will be par for the course. But that’s the sort of pressure that can turn everyday coal into a diamond.

Maybe today is the day to promote everyone on your team to leadership.

The L-Myth

Paul Andrew — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:03:16 +0000

In his bestselling book “The E-Myth” Michael Gerber attacks some common misconceptions around what it means to be an entrepreneur. He debunks why people become entrepreneurs, what a business really is, and helps explain why so many people struggle with their small business that was supposed to give them “freedom”.

I believe there’s an L-Myth too. The Leadership Myth has kept many a capable person from believing they could lead others.

Millions of people have accepted fallacies like these-
* “Real leaders are born leaders” – as though it’s a birthright… yet so many of us need to lead, even when it doesn’t come easily
* “You need to be an extrovert to be a leader” – as though it’s a personality type… yet some of the best leaders in history were quiet achievers or introverts
* “The leader has to be the smartest person in the room” – as though it’s an IQ test… yet many smart people don’t lead, and many world-class leaders didn’t finish school let alone their PhD
* “You can’t learn to be a leader” – as though it’s a completely mysterious art… yet there is a science of leadership too

In many ways I write these articles on The Leadership Coach™ for the 90% of leaders who find themselves leading out necessity. Not because they were born leaders. Not because they love the limelight or were the best and brightest. But because there was a need or an opportunity and they stepped up.

I actually believe that leadership is more an attitude than it is a position. That it’s more about the way we carry ourselves and our organisations than it is about the corner office or the fancy title.

Everyone leading. That’s the goal. Thinking like leaders, acting like leaders, making choices like leaders, carrying the vision like leaders, taking responsibility like leaders.

So great companies don’t build leadership structures, they build leadership cultures. They harness the latent leadership in all of us.

It’s time we rethink leadership.

So what do YOU think are the myths or half-truths people believe that keep them from becoming the leaders they could be?

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Have You Capped Your Potential?

Paul Andrew — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:29:19 +0000

There’s an unusual looking building I often walk past in New York at 11 Madison Avenue. Today it is home to Credit Suisse’s World Headquarters. Back in 1909 the Met Life Tower on the site was the tallest building in the world. In the decades that followed, the enormous base of what was to be a record breaking 100-story tower was constructed… but then the Great Depression hit.

As the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building soared to new heights, the decision was made to cap the Metropolitan Life North Building after finishing only the 32-story base of the planned tower. So here it stands today with the all the potential and foundations in place for a structure more than three times it’s final height.

11 Madison Avenue is a beautiful building inside, but it’s not the tour map icon it would be if it had reached it’s potential.

I wonder if you’ve settled for reaching only a third of your potential as a leader?

There are many reasons why leaders cap their potential. Some fear failure and settle for achievement that’s comfortable. Some suffer failure or disaster and don’t want to experience the pain again. Some are plagued with self-doubt or insecurity. Some dwarf their plans in tough times. Some get jaded and lose that child-like faith that they can live a life worth noting.

I wonder what your real potential is?
I wonder what future plans are gathering dust rather than gathering momentum?

I wonder. But you know.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Leadership Dashboard

Paul Andrew — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:23:46 +0000

When you’re learning to drive a car the dashboard can seem so complicated.

I remember how scary it felt to drag my eyes away from the road for a fleeting moment to glance down at the dashboard. For fear of speeding fines I would try to remember to check my speed occasionally, but that was about it at first.

The immature driver doesn’t notice the fuel light is on. They don’t hear the engine roaring as the hit the freeway in second gear. They’re still indicating from the last turn, the back wipers are on by mistake, and their fog lights could be switched off too.

What’s on your leadership dashboard? If all you’re checking is the speed of your organisation then you are missing vital signs that could help you avoid damage or disaster.

If you were to identify 8-12 critical indicators of health and performance for your team, what would they be?
* Perhaps they would include measuring how many clients or sales you’re losing, not just your net increase.
* Perhaps quantifying how many new leaders or team members are in your pipeline right now.
* Maybe the average tenure of your staff; to know if you’re building experience or bleeding it.

Every leader needs a dashboard. In the busyness of life, I need to know at a glance what matters most.

The same principle is true of the leader’s own life.
* What matters enough to be on the executive summary of my life?
* What are my critical indicators, my personal performance markers, my warning lights?
* What will eventually hurt me and those around me if I ignore it?

Don’t wait for a costly breakdown to remind you how important that knowledge truly is.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

** Universities are now seeing the value of leadership; Masters in Public Administration and MBA degrees have made leadership a primary focus.

On Being A Champion

Paul Andrew — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:03:20 +0000

“Champion” is a noun, but it’s also a verb. I believe a leader’s ambition should be both: to be a champion, but also to champion others.

There’s something unattractive about the person who is great at what they do, but lets it go to their head. They forget that true success is not measured only their personal performance. Real, enduring success is about the whole team winning.

Be The Champion
There’s no doubt that your personal example is your most potent tool in influencing the success of others. As leaders we can’t say “Do as I say, not as I do” and expect to build a culture of greatness. Leadership begins with self-leadership. So there’s no escaping the leader’s personal responsibility to be a champion.

• Are you the best example of the values and goals you want to see in your team?
• Does the level of your achievement inspire those around you about what’s possible?
• Or do you make excuses for your own performance, while expecting others to rise to the occasion?

Champion Others
When I champion members of my team I develop the greatness in them. As long as it’s sincere (and not manipulative) there is real power in celebrating the strengths of those you lead. But it takes a secure leader to be able to make heroes of others without feeling like less of one themselves.

• Do you constantly search for opportunities to give your people the limelight, the credit and the spoils of war?
• How often do you use your meetings to praise individuals publicly? Or are your meetings more about fault finding?
• Is the legacy of your leadership that people slowly become the champions you had told them they were right from the start?

As leaders let’s remember “Champion” is something to both be and do.

Distracted By Defining Moments

Paul Andrew — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:23:08 +0000

I’m concerned that our modern obsession with “defining moments” in life is distracting us from the real business of building our future. Don’t get me wrong- there’s no doubt that each of us experiences major events, both good and bad, that have a profound impact on who we are.

It could be conquering a mountain… Losing a loved one… Getting a major promotion… Experiencing abuse…

In an moment, these turning points can significantly shift the way we view our world, ourselves and our future. I’m a certified executive coach and part of my training dealt with helping people identify these “defining moments” and then unlock the way to move forward again. So I understand their potency.

But if we define ourselves by just a few moments, we may miss the power contained in the millions of moments that actually compose a life.

I believe in the final analysis that who you really are is the sum total of many, much smaller moments and the choices that you and I make every day, every hour, moment to moment. I’ve had triumph and I’ve had tragedy. Some events propelled my life, some scarred it.

And yet I find that my life and leadership today are largely made up my smaller choices. Playing with my kids. Giving to charity. Serving my clients. Learning new things. Enjoying my city. All these moments I could miss if I obsessed over my so-called “defining moments”.

Do you find yourself saying “If only…”, “What if…”, “Remember when…”, “Now I’ll never…”, or “I can’t…”?

Perhaps as 2010 draws to a close it’s an opportunity for you to reflect on what you’re allowing to define your life and leadership.

Don’t underestimate the value of life’s small moments, ordinary hours, beige seasons. That’s the real stuff of life.

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you” Thomas Jefferson

“Your mistake does not define who you are… you are your possibilities” Oprah Winfrey

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Breaking It Down

Paul Andrew — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:53:48 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with IKEA. On the one hand they sell exceptionally cost-effective furnishings that can often look good for the price. On the other hand I so often find that the frustration of dealing with their products overshadows the money I save.

Take the shelving system I bought last weekend for example: they didn’t include the screws needed for attaching the shelves. Worse though, when I opened the “instructions” what I actually found was simply a picture of the parts and then a picture of the finished product. No steps. What could have been a simple assembly process turned into trial and error, hours of aggravation, and the inevitable discovery at the end that I had some pieces left over whose purpose remains unknown.

• As a leader, is your vision an “IKEA instructions experience” for your team?
• Do people around you seem to spend a lot of time trying to clarify what you see or what they’re supposed to achieve next?
• Do you convey a big picture outline sketch of the finished product you see, then direct people back to a list of resources and leave them to “figure it out”?
• Do projects take much longer than you think they should?

Maybe this is an opportunity to ask whether or not you’re taking the time to break it down for your team.

Like it or not, most team members need both the vision and the next steps. This is not about micro-managing. And it’s not an anti-vision message either. In fact, if you can’t show people a vision of what you’re trying to build then all the steps in the world may be nothing more than “busy work”… or as the old adage goes, “climbing the ladder, only to find it’s leaning against the wrong wall”.

But let’s face it – it’s faster and more fun to come up with ideas than it is to break those ideas down into a plan that people can actually execute. I’ve consulted with organisations that clearly had “vision fatigue” – the cumulative effect of endless ideas and initiatives that rarely get executed. Whether it’s you, or someone else whose gift is turning ideas into plans, don’t underestimate the price we pay for not translating all that possibility into steps our team can actually take.

So if there’s an aspect of your vision that seems to have stalled why not take some time this week with a few of your top producers to break it down. Create a plan. Lay out a sequence of steps. Clarify the starting point. Set some milestones. Then see if pictures and plans produce better results than pictures alone.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others