Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category

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Unburdened Meetings–Friday Leadership Tips

October 16, 2015

I hate meetings.

OK, sometimes you just have to have them. At least, that is what “they” say.

There are those regular meetings that you have because it’s Tuesday morning or Thursday evening.

Those are often the worst. You meet at the regular time–except for George and Linda who are always late. The agenda is the same. Someone talks. Others surreptitiously check email. Or Facebook. (In the old days, we daydreamed or passed notes.)

It doesn’t matter if you are at a church, a non-governmental organization, or a business. You’ve suffered through them.

Yet, there are times when a meeting is necessary.

Looking into the book of Acts, we see where Paul needed a meeting of the church leaders. He needed a decision. He also needed a blessing. The best way to achieve the goal was to gather all the players at one place at one time. Lay out the proposal and make the  argument. Listen to the discussion. Make a few changes. Then go and do.

So, that famous meeting was good. Decisions were made, and Paul was empowered to go out to the world beyond Judea to spread the gospel. The world was changed.

  1. When you need to bring a number of people together because a decision must be made where they are affected and you need buy in, then call a meeting.
  2. When you need to build community among people who seldom see each other during their work days (maybe you have remote workers), then have an occasional meeting where you can share what you are working on and allow time outside the official meeting for conversation.
  3. When it’s Tuesday and you’re supposed to have a meeting but there is nothing going on, then don’t call the meeting. Let everyone go to work.
  4. When it’s Tuesday and you’re the leader and you have to hold that regular staff meeting, then craft an agenda that focuses on a topic that is important for moving the organization forward. Focus on the agenda, expect participation, end with summary of decisions and actions. End promptly.

I don’t always hold meetings, but when I do, I demand focus.

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Leaders Are Communicators

October 9, 2015

Reflecting on Paul, perhaps the greatest leader (outside of Jesus) in the early church. He came out of nowhere. He was not part of the inner circle. Heck, he wasn’t in any circles when Jesus was alive. We don’t hear about him until after the resurrection and the formation of the early church. And then he was an instigator.

Then, he was converted. He was taught. He was commissioned.

He visited little groups of followers and taught and preached. He encouraged them to grow in numbers and in strength of spirit.

He also wrote. That’s how we know about him today. We all study what he wrote way back then in letters that he could only hope would make it to their destinations, let alone make it into books that we read today.

He had a vision. He had passion. But he exploited that through his use of the written and spoken word.

Much as  I never much cared for Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, he did teach me one thing from his books–the importance of crafting your message as a leader and then speaking and writing that message at every opportunity. As a leader, you have to get your message out.

I have interviewed the senior leadership of a $7 billion automation company many times. I’ll interview the CEO, and he’ll give me the message. Then I’ll interview three or four senior vice presidents. They’ll all give me that message as it relates to their areas. Then I’ll talk to director level people. Same thing. The message gets through.

How about your organization? Does it have a message? Is it clearly articulated such that just about everyone can understand it? If I interviewed all the people in your organization, would they be able to tell me what the message is and be able to relate it to their role?

In some of the organizations where I am in a leadership role, I find myself communicating all the time. Emails, notes, brochures, phone calls, text messages, Facebook or Website. You’ve got to use every means available.

If you are working quietly away from people, you’re probably not leading.

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Most Leadership Training is BS

October 2, 2015

It’s time for my Friday thoughts on leadership. See if you relate to this.

You got shipped off to some type of leadership training. Maybe it was for work. Maybe for church. Maybe for another type of organization.

You attended the training. It was long. The coffee was less than satisfactory. The pastries were stale. The leader was pumped up on something that made him or her optimistic to the point of causing gagging. You recorded a bunch of cute sayings from old leaders in your conference notebook. The talks seemed like they belonged in some sort of old-fashioned tent revival meeting.

I have been to so many of these that I’m lucky to be able to lead a kid to a candy store!

So the article title on the email newsletter caught my eye. Why Leadership Training Is So Much BS. It is in a manufacturing trade journal called Industry Week written by an acquaintance, Steve Minton. He interviewed Jeffrey Pfeffer author of Leadership B.S.: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time (Harper Business, September 2015).

“But a steady diet of inspiration fables, Pfeffer warns, also misleads and does little to improve organizations.” He contrasts the state of leadership training with medical education, which strives to base its teaching on carefully measured studies and their results.

“No wonder medical science has made significant strides in treating many diseases while leadership as it is practiced daily all over the world has continued to produce a lot of disengaged, dissatisfied, and disaffected employees,” he writes.

What can businesses do to improve their leadership development efforts? Pfeffer told IndustryWeek that companies first need to change their evaluation criteria. Too much development work either is not evaluated or evaluated on the basis of enjoyment of the course.

“What are we trying to accomplish in leadership development? If we are trying to attain higher levels of employee engagement, higher levels of trust in leaders, higher levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of turnover, more people succeeding and having more people ready for leadership positions, then those are criteria you ought to use to evaluate your efforts,” he stresses, “not whether or not people had a good time, whether or not they liked the donuts, whether or not they thought the speaker was inspiring.”

Companies must also have people teaching these programs who have at least some expertise in leadership, he adds.

I continue to see people go off to leadership training only to memorize stories and tips. Putting the knowledge into practice is left to chance.

Better leadership training is done in smaller groups over time. This allows time for trial and error and feedback.

Think Yoda teaching the young Jedi Luke Skywalker.

Find your Yoda. Or, find your Luke. Me, I’m looking for another Luke to bring along.

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Leadership Through Mentoring

September 18, 2015

Paul (the Apostle) must have been quite a leader. He is credited with almost single-handedly spreading the Christian church all over the northwest and northern Mediterranian area. Yet we know him through his letters and some stories in Acts.

He wasn’t a bishop. He evidently was not a pastor. He was a speaker, teacher, and writer. Yet he did plant churches and shepherd the people and their leaders.

We lack much detailed information. Reading carefully through the letters and stories in Acts, we can find examples of many other leaders who also went about starting and nourishing churches.

I became a leader in an organization first by saying Yes. I decided to serve the group.

Then I applied myself to diligently learning and growing in experience. I studied so that I could answer questions.

Then, I started looking for the next people to do that and carry on further than I could go.

I think Paul did much the same.

He was the most educated of the Apostles. That education served him well enabling him to provide documentation of the theology and practice of the new movement.

Then he said Yes.

After saying Yes and committing, he applied himself diligently to learning beyond his formidable education. And he gained experience speaking.

In this way he could teach, and speak, and write.

Then we notice his letters to Timothy. We see another side of Paul–Paul the mentor.

He picks his next generation leaders. Then he nurtures them. Giving advice, consolation, support, encouragement. 

We can say Leaders are [lots of things]. But for sure, Leaders are Mentors.

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Sustainable Leadership

September 11, 2015

There is leadership for a brief season. Then there is sustainable leadership. Take a look at Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church or Andy Stanley at Northpoint Community Church for example. These guys have staying power.

This week’s big leadership news is on the other side of the coin. I follow United airlines. I’ve been a Continental/United frequent flier for about 12 years. I’ve seen it in good times (when Gordon Bethune was CEO), sliding to mediocre times (when he was replaced by Larry (?) a bean counter), and then straight downhill under Jeff Smisek (a mergers & acquisitions lawyer).

Suddenly this week, Smisek is out. Along with two other senior executives.

It’s been building for a while. There have been technical glitches. Employee morale is in the tank. Now there are discussions in the New York Times about ethics problems.

Bethune at Continental and Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines both focused on the customer and the employees. They did things to boost morale. They focused on customer satisfaction. This month’s Leadership podcast from Andy Stanley features Frank Blake retired CEO of The Home Depot. He also discussed customer focus first, employee focus next, and CEO self-focus last.

Sometime you get the idea reading the news that CEOs spend more time negotiating their own pay and perk packages than on thinking about how to lead the company.

Ethics problems continue to bring down high level executives, yet, many think they are immune. Until it all hits the fan.

I’ve seen church leaders flit from one program to the next. No sustainable initiatives. Worse, no focus on the customer (people to bring into the church) or focus on the “employee” (people who volunteer to help the church and are used, abused, and discarded.

Solution? Focus on your customer. Know what business you’re in and what value you provide. Then provide it–with a loyal staff that feels supported and empowered.

You might get your millions, but how do you and your wife face the folks at the country club in the morning?

Sorry, that was a cheap shot. But you get the point.

Ethics and focus on others. Gee, that sounds familiar. Maybe I read it in a Gospel or something!

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Listening: Leadership Trait and Narcissism Cure

August 28, 2015

Is there a narcissist in your life?

If you live in the West, especialy in America, the odds favor a yes answer. One hopes that the person is not your boss. I further hope the person is not you! (But if it is, you’re not aware of it.)

There are a few in my life. I asked a therapist (my daughter) about what the DSM says. She said there is no known cure. Either live with it or avoid them.

Jenny Dyer writing on Donald Miller’s Storyline Blog came up with some interesting thoughts. Not valid cures at this point, but interesting thoughts.

I have written several times about listening and how it’s a great leadership trait to develop. It may go deeper than that.

Dyer writes, “In the recent HBO hit series, “In Treatment,” Gabriel Byrnes discusses his role as a psychotherapist.”

He notes, “Listening, I think, is one of the most profound compliments that you can pay to another person. To truly listen and to feel that you’re heard is deeply fulfilling in a deep human way.” This awareness of listening is an act of empathy.

Hearing the story of another human, and deeply listening to that story, is an act of compassion, altruism, and love. It involves losing yourself and experiencing a “vicarious introspection” into the life of another human being.

To truly hear a story is an act of empathy. 

Neurological studies show that altruism is actually a biological response, hard-wired into the brain.

In fact, acts of generosity, empathy, or altruism light up a primitive part of the brain that is usually associated with pleasurable actions like eating good food or sex.

They might actually cure narcissism.

So if you’re starting to fear you’re a little too self-absorbed, stop to listen, think about others instead, and give generously with what you have.

Ironically, in combating narcissism through empathy, the individual who has long suffered from narcissism actually secures the greatest win—a pleasurable biological response—when focused on others.

Reflecting on that idea, it came to me that he may be on to something. I think I have witnessed that in a couple of lives. Maybe more. Something broke through their consciousness. They started to actually think about other people. Give money, time, gifts.

In none of the cases was it a total cure. But it was an improvement.

So if you are feeling a bit too self-absorbed. Or maybe someone you know is. Try breaking through the fog and just try listening to someone with no thought about what you might say. If a thought comes to mind about your experience to share with the other, say to yourself, “It’s really not that important. Let’s listen to the other person.”

You can learn a lot just by listening to someone else.

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Committees Speak With A Single Voice-Leadership Tip

August 21, 2015

My Friday thoughts on leadership are targeting committees.

Most of us have no doubt served on a committee. These are groups of people brought together for a purpose. Sometimes it is a special occasion, for example organizing a reunion. Sometimes it is a standing committee formed to support a function or need of the organization. These might be trustees of an organization or marketing committee or finance.

Committees are rarely composed of only one person. Therefore when a committee meets several voices are heard. That is often why a committee is formed. Bringing in diverse points of view provides a better chance of finding the best solution to the problem that the committee is formed to solve.

When the committee decides, then it must speak with a single  voice. There may be members who do not agree with the majority. There may be background concerns or opinions. Whatever that may be, the committee must either report to the main body with one solution or tackle its work in a single direction.

That is where the leader’s role becomes crucial.

The reunion committee agrees on date, location, theme, entertainment, and the like. Then assignments are made to area leaders to get the various tasks done.

The finance committee must report its findings and recommendations to its governing board. The report cannot include the discussions and a variety of half-formed “concerns.” It must be specific in stating the problem and recommending actions.

The governing board leader and the committee leader must:

  • Clearly define and communicate the problem
  • Keep the committee discussions focused on solutions
  • Strive to focus on the business and not on personalities
  • Bring the committee to a decision regarding solution to the problem
  • Clearly communicate the solutions or actions needed to all concerned

If that last task is not done, then the work of the committee is subverted and desired actions will not be carried out. Argument and divisiveness grow in the organization. The problem festers.

We have all experienced the committee from hell where we drank lots of coffee and ate lots of doughnuts and talked endlessly (or maybe quietly checked email or Facebook while others talked on and on).

The good leader will keep things focused, minimize personalities, respect others’ time, and guide the group to a conclusion.

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Think and Do

August 14, 2015

Welcome to the Friday leadership tips post. By the way, this week I passed the 1,000 post barrier. That’s a lot of writing. 

What happens when you realize (finally) that you could use some help?

I know, too many people think they can do it all by themselves (guilty!). Sooner or later you’ll need some help. And you’d better ask for it.

When help arrives, do you know how to make the best of it?

Several incidents and a couple of conversations lately have clued me in to thinking about this.

First–know what needs to be done.

Think about your task. Break it into chunks. Figure out what only you can do. Figure out what sort of person can do the rest.

Second–write a detailed list.

List what you will do. List what you’ll ask your help to do. Trust me, this hard work of thinking ahead of time will save you bundles in the long run. When you list what others can do, include a vision of what the completed work will look like. Include some instructions and best practices. Give them room to think and create a workflow. But, be perfectly clear about the outcome you desire.

Third–do.

Then you all get to work. It’s a good practice to reflect on what you’re doing to make sure it is best use of your time as the project evolves. Check with your helper. Make sure they’re on the right track. Ask if they need any help or additional tool.

Oh, and celebrate and enjoy the fruits of a job well done.

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Leadership Tip-Team Building

July 31, 2015

What made Phil Jackson such a great coach in the National Basketball Association. Arguably it was his ability to take a group of super-talented individuals and convince them that their role in the team was important but that all of them working together blending their roles would bring championships.

Building teams is the best way to move an organization or even committee forward.

Here are some elements of team building for leaders:

  • Define why you are building a team (winning NBA championship, leading a new building campaign, selling a product, leading a church)
  • Define the roles you need to be successful (not just filling spots, but recruiting talented people to fill roles)
  • Carefully recruiting people who can fill a role or be trained for that role
  • Continually work with each person and the group to build trust and communication
  • Leaders must constantly hold out the vision and purpose to the team to avoid splintering into factions going different ways

If you are leading a team of leaders, it’s the same thing. But each team member will go off to lead their teams. It is important that the team building be passed down the organization. A good team at the top builds teams all the way throughout the organization.

The enemy of teams–silos. When leaders appear to communicate together, but the conversations are superficial, that is a warning sign of silos. When each leader goes off and does their own thing without regard to the work of other teams, then the organization grows dysfunctional. That reflects lack of top leadership. It also reflects lack of vision.

When Jesus said people would know his followers by their love, he didn’t exactly mean that they were always sitting in a circle holding hands and singing Cum Ba Yah. Love demands respect.

A team-building leader respects people as a first priority. And respect for people filters througout the entire organization.

A great team consists of people who fulfill their roles in pursuit of the common visions where everyone has respect for the others.

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Perseverence Is A Key Leadership Trait

July 24, 2015

A couple of guys meeting regularly felt a call to start a coffee shop. Not just a coffee shop, but one with a mission. 

The mission was brought to them through a conference in Thailand where the plight of coffee farmers was brought to awareness. As is often the case with commodities, large corporations buy up all the coffee paying the lowest possible price.

Farmers cannot make a living, often being forced to sell daughters into the sex trade. Evidently men have such great physical need along with a lot of money to make selling sex a lucrative business.

Smaller roasters buying directly from the farmer can pay a fair price for the product and still bring the coffee back to sell at a reasonable price to the retail customer. In the case of a farmer in Thailand, he was able to make a profit and at the same time pay his laborers a fair wage such that 50 young women were brought back home rescued from their horrible life.

The thought of the coffee shop based on Direct Trade coffee grew. Plans were laid. Investors sought. Contractors interviewed until one came forward with a workable plan within budget.

Just when they thought they could go no further, a new investor or donor came forward. Work could proceed. Even at the last minute when a sign needed to be purchased and installed and working capital obtained, new investors came forward.

Two years is a long time to work on a dream. Today, the High Grounds Cafe opens. I changed my “office” from the local Starbucks which is at a grocery store and Tim Hortons this week. I’m an investor and I’ve witnessed the perseverence that led the investors, contractors, employees to this stage.

I’ll never forget a poster I saw about 30 years ago showing a heron swallowing a frog. But the frogs front legs (“arms”) were free and it was strangling the heron. The caption–Never Give Up.

Certainly perseverance is a necessary leadership trait. Now–what can I learn from that. Congratulations Chuck and Chris.

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