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5 Important Words For Leaders
I worked with a super-fantastic guy once. He was a senior manager that I thought could always run the company. He talked about these 5 words with respect to a leadership team. I wrote them down immediately and have always remembered them.
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My Collaborative Leadership List!
Here if the final draft of the “Collaborative Leadership List” that I compiled in June 2012 with a “Five Star 5” post. My points are in bold, followed by the contributor’s comments. Thanks to everyone for the awesome additions!
- Motivate, inspire and most importantly have fun
- Give an enthusiastic “thank you” when things go well, and a supportive ear when things go wrong
- Be a positive example with your work ethic, and have a desire to succeed that others are proud to follow
- Understand that all your employees are unique people and need to be managed accordingly
- As often as possible smile, laugh and have a bounce in your step!
“Beat employees regularly with a big stick!” (Joking of Course!) – Stuart Young
“Be authentic and transparent. Say what you’re going to do and do it. Transparency requires humanity. Show your team you’re vulnerable. Not only will they be more forgiving, they’ll be more supportive.” – Chad Miller
“My best leaders have been able to see (and bring out) more greatness in me than I could see in myself. My dad has long contended that the best leaders philosophically approach their leadership with the idea that they need their people more than their people need them.” – Broc Edwards
“Step in and help out when it is least expected just to lighten another’s load.They really appreciate it and most of the time deserve it.” – Tina Del Buono
“I make an effort to catch my people doing something RIGHT, then I praise them for it. Too easy to catch them doing something wrong.
When something goes bad I make sure I am “firm on the issue, not the person”. – Steve Vanega
“On your second point.. great leaders not only be a supportive ear but also takes the responsibility when things go wrong. We have seen this great example through Howard Schultz of Starbucks. On your 4th point, I totally agree with you. This happens in my organization where the leaders often see their followers as a collective unit as opposed to recognize their own unique personality.” – Chen Choon
“We often “Celebrate” as well. Ups, Downs, challenges and all the other nitty gritty goodies that come in sales. Having spirits high and loyalties in check = imperative” – Cara Adams
The Five Star 5 – My Favourite Words
These words were once spoken to me by an executive manager, who became a friend I respect greatly to this day:
- Trust
- Respect
- Loyalty
- Passion
- Inspiration
I will never forget where the conversation occurred, and how it affected me going forward. They were “stamped” in his memory, and the commentary came straight from the heart:
An organization and specifically a sales team “achieving” these five words can mean great things are currently happening or are coming soon. On the flip side, if any or all or these words are “breached” by team members, well let’s just say things may not go as planned!
I have tried to write something very insightful utilizing these five words for at least four years now, but always have trouble.
I will leave it open to your interpretation.
What do these five words mean to you?
I just know that I get to a very good place in short order when I see those five words all in a row!
The Five Star 5 – FANTASTIC Leadership Goals
Carol Blair recently spoke at a Toastmasters Leadership Institute event that I attended.
She outlined 5 FANTASTIC leadership goals:
- Pursue purpose with passion
- Practice solid values
- Lead with your heart
- Establish lasting relationships
- Demonstrate self-discipline
- What do you think of this list?
- Would you add anything to it?
If you are an up and coming leader, this is a great list to focus on. If you are a well established leader, hopefully this helps take your “leading-abilities” to the next level.
You can find Carol at:
http://www.carolblairassociates.com/
Let’s Connect!
Have A Laugh Fridays – “Boss or Leader”? Your Choice!
This is VERY true!
Have a fantastic weekend.
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Have You Ever “Tucked A Tie Into Your Shirt?”
My first job out of university was with Enterprise-Rent-A-Car. It was high paced, non-stop action role that keeps me running all day. Most days I did not believe that we could take care of all the customers, but we did. Things just always worked out.
Part of our jobs was washing cars. On the surface anyone should be able to wash a car. But in that business, the key was to wash it quickly, but still make things spotless.
I worked for several Branch Managers and Assistant Managers during my 2+ years with the company, and they were each different. They got similar exceptional results, but the way they each lead and managed was unique.
But there was one commonality. They would never hesitate to jump into the car wash and clean a vehicle at a moment’s notice. I was once told that you just “tuck your tie in to your shirt so it does not get wet, or sucked up in to the vacuum“, and just GET IT DONE.
They would also do many other tasks that were not on their job description like pick up customers, and start cars when it was colder than -30 degrees celsius!
These people stood out for me as true leaders. It would have been easy for them to sit in their offices, shuffle paperwork and pretend that they were doing more important things then help customers be completely satisfied with their rental experience, but that was not in their DNA. They were there to help, no matter how crummy the tasks were, all in the name of “just being one of the team”.
Even though it was over 15 years ago that I washed my last car at Enterprise, I still think back fondly of the lessons learned – and there were many of them.
But the best lessons learned taught a shy, stuttering young kid how to be a leader. How to never put myself ahead of the team, and how to never put myself on a pedestal too high, that I could not help out people who really needed me.
- Who were the best leaders that you have worked for?
- What made them a cut above the rest?
The Five Star 5 – Leadership Lessons From Coaching Kids Hockey
I never thought being an assistant coach for my son’s six-year-old hockey team would be easy, but there is more to it then I thought!
I have learned many leadership lessons from the experience, and here are my favourites:
- Patience – Many of these kids still sleep with teddy bears. They are very young and their development takes time
- Encouragement – “High-Fives, pats on the back, and a “great job” goes a long way for their confidence
- Focus On The Positive – We tend to focus on what is being done wrong, that we sometimes forget to reward what is being done right
- “Sandwich Method” – Put a suggestion for an area of improvement between two positive comments
- SMILE – Then laugh with them, and make them feel comfortable. It is truly about having fun, developing skills, and learning what it means to be part of a team
As I was writing this, I realized many of these points can be related to managing in the corporate world, or business in general. At least, I thought I could inspire other coaches who may need some new perspective!
If kids are not inspired by their coaches, there are many other activities that they can do these days. Each interaction with them is critical to building that connection.
Is it time to tweak your coaching, managing or general leading philosophies?
Have A Laugh Fridays – “Who Just Joined, Who Just Joined?”
NEVER join a conference call late!
Have a great weekend everyone….
10 Ways to Win at Office Politics
Another fantastic post by Dan Rockwell – aka the “Leadership Freak”. Check it out and have a wonderful day.
Lack of leadership invites backstabbing, gossip, sabotage, game-playing, and foot-dragging. But, don’t expect a savior on a white horse to rescue you after you’ve been stabbed in the back.
Responding:
Getting even with the person who made you look bad makes you look bad. Respond in ways that you would brag to mom about.
You look fearful, weak, vindictive, angry, and defensive when you respond negatively to negative office politics.
You lose if you can’t deal with office politics.
Judge your motives and behaviors by two questions. Does this intention reflect who I want to be? And, am I acting in the best interests of my organization?
Winning at office politics:
- Don’t expect the boss to intervene. Most bosses let politics play out.
- Don’t get involved in office turmoil.
- Don’t share office gossip.
- Don’t complain about colleagues. Use the “in the room” rule. Imagine the person you are talking…
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Dumb and Dumber
Dan Rockwell, aka “The Leadership Freak” had me at “Dumb and Dumber”! I love the premise of this post, and how it relates to always trying to find answers. Enjoy and have a fantastic day!
The same people sitting around the same table produce the same results. It’s dumb to think otherwise.
It’s even dumber to expect the people who caused the problem to solve it.
The future is the past without intervention.
Working harder, if you’re already working hard, won’t change much.
Efficiency is never the path to exponential change.
Hope for dumb and dumber:
- Identify an opportunity. Drucker said, “Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.” Leaders who only point out problems lose.
- Entrenchment produces resistance. Expect entrenched people to resist change. Rotate jobs and modify job descriptions.
- Don’t rely on working harder. Hard work got you here. Sincerity and good intentions won’t work either.
- Embrace the pain. Your leadership contributed to the results you currently enjoy. Disappointing results point to unsatisfactory leadership. The more control you have the more responsible you are.
- Determine what to stop. Stopping is…
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