Leaders have a big job. They have big responsibilities, manage big goals, solve big problems, and make big decisions. Many people are drawn to leadership for big reasons (big paychecks aside) – they want to challenge themselves to reach their full potential, they seek high levels of achievement and success, they want to have significant influence or find their best means to “make a difference”. We need big leaders, no doubt, and thankfully there are people willing to take on those big jobs. 

But is leadership really all about “big” things? In my work coaching and consulting with organization leaders, I often reflect on what brings leaders to success, what threatens their effectiveness, and what helps them overcome their challenges. Interestingly, it’s often some very small things. I’m reminded of something Mother Teresa once said, “There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.” Certainly the context for her words of wisdom was much different than...

 

I’m a big proponent of feedback – giving it and asking for it.  In fact, I often recommend to leaders that they seek feedback in the form of a 360 assessment – getting input from their peers, direct reports, and manager. Now anyone who has ever opened themselves up to this kind of feedback knows this can be a difficult process personally, requiring an open mind and even a healthy dose of courage. But it also follows the old adage “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”. In other words, as I always tell my clients when reviewing their 360 feedback, you may not agree with the feedback, but it is useful to understand how others perceive you. 

However, before you can get any value from difficult feedback you must overcome the tendency to be defensive. That alone can be difficult. And yet, if you can’t get over that initial defensive reaction you’ll never reach the true value of seeking feedback in the first place.  So there are two issues to consider: 1) how to receive feedback with an...

It’s the beginning of another year. With that comes the standard greetings we are so used to hearing: “Happy New Year”, “Many Blessings in the New Year”, “and Best of Luck in the New Year.” We often accept these well wishes with little thought. After all, if we are focused at all on the “New Year” we’re likely to be thinking in terms of New Year’s resolutions (although even those get little attention anymore). In reality, we’re already back to being buried in the business or “busyness” of our daily work and personal lives. Who has time for resolutions, anyway?

Yet, if we admit it, we’re probably looking ahead into 2011 and hoping for the best, envisioning success and milestones reached, and anticipating the good things we’d like to see come our way. Why not make a resolution that will serve that purpose? You might say you don’t need a resolution for this; it comes in the form of your business or performance goals, your development or career plan, or your family and personal goals. You’re right; those things...

Motivation remains a curious concept for us much of the time, and oddly enough, often eludes us when we most desire it.  What motivates people in general?  How can I get myself motivated to do something?  And maybe the biggest question of all, how can I motivate someone else to do what I need them to do?  Admittedly, I believe that motivation ultimately must come from within.  This produces an interesting, if not seemingly impossible challenge for leaders who see a need to motivate others.

If you can relate to this conundrum, let me help you reframe that challenge – your job as a leader is not to motivate people; your job is to help people find their own motivation.  Subtle, right?  But now we have something to work with as leaders.  The question becomes how do we help people find their own motivation?

A few clues can be found when we think about how we motivate ourselves.  Consider a recent accomplishment – how did you do it?  I don’t want to simplify this too much but I’m guessing that this was...

Over nine months ago I established some business goals to focus on for the year 2010. This is a common practice for many businesses and leaders. In fact, most businesses provide some direction for employees through a strategic plan, annual business goals, or a more sophisticated process for establishing unit/team/department goals that all funnel up to the larger organization goals. The purpose, of course, is to provide some direction and establish priorities for the year. I like this basic idea because it helps prevent some major problems like spending too much time on activities that don’t actually produce the right results, or even any results.  Equally troubling is the possibility that you find yourself living out the old axiom “when you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” 

So here we are over 10 months into the year and quickly closing in on the end of 2010. This is the season when we typically take stock of our blessings and what we’re thankful for, and maybe even reminisce...

On my desk I have a quick reminder jotted on a sticky note, posted at eye level. It says simply: Ask ?’s. It might seem kind of silly to have to remind myself of this basic everyday tool, a method that we often employ routinely, without even thinking. However, I find that the times I am most frustrated, stressed, or overwhelmed are the same times I’m worrying so much about having the right answer or doing the right thing, that I forget the value of asking good questions. 

As any experienced coach knows, the best answers often come from asking the right questions. This works well when you’re working with others, but is equally effective when you direct the right questions straight back at yourself in certain circumstances. If you’re interested in reading a short fable that illustrates this point perfectly, check out the book Change Your Questions Change Your Life, by Marilee Adams. If you want a couple of immediate examples, let me share two here:

When a new software implementation process started...

 

I am a huge proponent of giving feedback, both in the workplace and in our personal lives. Now I also know that a lot of times feedback isn’t delivered in an effective manner - so there’s lots of room for improvement even when we are committed to giving and receiving feedback. It certainly requires some skill (and patience, and discipline, and . . .) to pick out the beneficial aspects of some of the feedback we receive.  Consider the following examples: “Why did you do that – that was stupid!” “What were you thinking – your actions just cost us that huge account!”   “Are you crazy? You’re never going to meet that goal.” “You just don’t seem to have what it takes to be successful in this job.”  

How can this kind of talk bring positive results? Think about it – how do you feel when you’re on the receiving end of this kind of feedback?  De-motivated? Belittled? Beat up? Unsuccessful? Disengaged? You fill in the blank. The fact is we are often on the receiving end of this kind of negative feedback. And...

For as long as I can remember I’ve been pondering the value of being a generalist versus a specialist in one’s career. I’ve wondered if my own calling was suited to one more so than the other, if my own gifts, talents, and strengths inherently pointed me down one path over the other. I’ve also asked myself on many days, “What am I, a generalist or specialist?” All of this may be more semantics than anything, but my recent review of a Harvard Business Review article on whether management is a profession (July-August 2010), has taken me back to this issue once again.

 

 

Time for Feedback

When we think of the skills we want to develop, or consider the options for improving in any specific area, or even take a look at our annual performance goals and complementary development needs, it can be overwhelming. Ask anyone to name one of the reasons they have not made progress on their personal development, and they are likely to include “time” as one of the obstacles. Despite our good intentions, all too often other priorities take our attention and focus away from our development. 

One of the good things about the advancements with technology and learning is that information and access to knowledge, resources, and training opportunities are available anytime, anywhere, making the issue of "time" a little less problematic. Not only do we have things like e-books and self-paced learning modules, we also have the likes of Facebook and Twitter emerging as engaging resources for learning. If you haven’t yet explored how these resources might serve your learning needs,...

 

Remember when all the talk was about management skills and what was needed to be effective? Things like planning, organizing, measuring, and controlling were emphasized. Now much of the focus is on leadership skills and how to develop them in current managers, hi-potentials, and even in positions with no supervisory responsibility. Everyone can be a leader, after all, despite the position or title, right? 

I’ve found myself in many conversations, workshops, and coaching sessions analyzing and discussing the difference between managing and leading. The academic exercise of outlining and debating all the differences and similarities may or may not be valuable to you. What is important is to understand why – why do we keep hearing about the differences between leadership and management, why is this such a topic of curiosity? One clue might lie in something Warren Bennis said, “Failing organizations are often over-managed and under-led.” Leadership is critical to success. But what is there about leadership...