Why Are You Talking To Me?

Why? Why are you doing what you're doing RIGHT NOW? You came into my office to give me an assignment or correct a mistake...and as soon as your next "order" is out of your mouth you are OUT THE DOOR! Or worse yet, maybe you just walk by me and say "Hi, how are you?" without ever slowing down long enough to hear my answer. Maybe when I ask you a question you give me a canned response without ever even looking up from your paperwork. Why are you doing what you're doing?

A good leader's goal is to develop the people around them. Are you really just giving me orders...or you trying to help me see why we're doing it this way? Are you asking "how are you" because it's the first thing you say to someone in the morning...or because you noticed that I've seemed a little stressed out and you want to know how I'm doing? Why are you doing what you're doing? Next time you're doing a "menial task", just stop and ask yourself why. There may be more than meets the eye!

You Can't Change Them

You don't have nor will you EVER have the capacity to change someone. We know this in our head but how often do we frustrate ourselves by trying to change people? That person that is never on time is not waiting for you to fix them. The person who loses his temper at the drop of a hat is not waiting on your next great revelation. Now, I'm all for developing people. But development is very different from changing someone:

• Development is a mutual agreement. They have to want to change and you have to give them the tools to change. If they don't want to change, then you're finished before you start.
• Development is a process. Sometimes we try to change someone to make life easier for ourselves. But, if we are development-minded then we will be thinking with long-term goals in mind.
• Development is intentional. There are no mind games or underhanded remarks. They know you're trying to develop them, and you know you're trying to develop them. Change is often a one-way street, where you create situations where you HOPE maybe they will just change without knowing what you're up to.

As leaders our primary job is people. So, next time you're dealing with that difficult team member remember to ask yourself..."I am trying to change them?"...STOP, it's not going to happen!

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Let's face it. No reasonable person LOVES conflict and confrontation. Most of us like to be liked, wouldn't you agree? Lot's of times I struggle because I am a nice person. There are some things that people just don't give me the right to say or do...because I'm seen as a nice person. If I was a jerk I could do anything I wanted and no one would think twice about it!

It's okay to be nice...but its okay to not be nice too. Your value as a person doesn't come from you being a nice person. Your value as a human being comes from you being a COMPLETE PERSON. You may be nice most of the time, but not all of the time. There are times when nobody is going to listen to you unless you get a little "ugly". You may need to confront a co-worker and you might have to say some things that are not-so-nice. IT'S OKAY FOR YOU TO BE A COMPLETE HUMAN BEING! In leadership, if you give yourself this right (and give the people following you this right)...then you will be more relaxed when you have to deal with issues that come up. And if you carry it to far and you say something you shouldn't have...you can always apologize. What?! A leader apologizing...is that allowed?

Fix it Now!

Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana. Adinkra symbols are graphic representations of popular maxims or philosophical concepts. The Sankofa symbol depicts a mythical bird which holds an egg symbolizing the future in its beak. The bird moves forwards while looking backwards to the past. The symbol is expressed in the Akan language as "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki". Literally translated, this phrase means " It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot".

During this upheaval time in our country, lots of mistakes from the past are becoming blatantly obvious. Your business may not have to close your doors...but take some time to evaluate where you are and where you want to go. Don't wait until you're faced with a crisis to go back and fix what you've done wrong. This is a perfect time to get your team together and find out what your teammates are seeing. YOUR NEXT BIG IDEA MAY COME FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY PERSON!

Get Your Bearings

I drove my wife into a busy downtown district in our area today. We had no clue where the office we sought was located, and I was not very familiar with the area. We drove around with no luck until finally I pulled over into a parking area, grabbed my PDA, and went to Google to seek wisdom. In no time, we arrived at our destination.

Often in leadership, we are called upon to make decisions. Do yourself a huge favor. Stop, get your bearings, and make sure you aren't making a decision out of pressure or confusion.

Easy Way to Motivate

What does it mean to motivate? Dictionary.com's definition is "to stimulate toward action". To motivate your team members is to stimulate them toward action. So, how do I motivate my team? It's simple really. They are already doing what they're already doing. If you are already selling 5 widgets a week, you don't need to be motivated to sell 5 widgets a week anymore. What we as leaders often do is try to motivate people to do something they're already trying. "Let's work hard!" or "Everyone really keep a good attitude this weekend!" for example. But here's the key to REALLY motivating someone: Stimulate them to do something NEW!

• 1 new idea can totally change your way of doing business.
• 1 new idea can save you from burn out.
• 1 new idea can make your employees WANT to come to work.
• 1 new idea can change everything for you and your team!

We naturally lose our passion and motivation when we do the same thing day in and day out. So shake things up for you and your team. Even if you have to google something...try some new small idea and watch what happens.

Hitler Could Even Be A Good Boss

Check this story out I came across on www.foxnews.com:

A maid for Adolf Hitler in the '30s is speaking out about what it was like to work for the dictator, saying he was 'a great boss.'

"He was a charming man, someone who was only ever nice to me, a great boss to work for," 91-year-old Rosa Mitterer told the Daily Mail. "You can say what you like, but he was a good man to us."

Mitterer, who worked at Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat alongside her sister Anni, said she only knew Hitler as a man who was good to her.

"I didn't have to be a Nazi party member or anything," Mitterer told the Daily Mail. "After a while I relaxed a bit. Apparently it was Hitler's orders that Anni and I be taken to church every Sunday because he thought this would be 'good for us.'"

After the war, Mitterer was forced to confront the reality of the Holocaust.

"That he had ordered such terrible things, I just couldn't believe it," Mitterer told the Daily Mail. "Even now, I prefer to remember the charming facets of his personality."

It obviously doesn't take as much to be considered a great boss, as it does to be considered a great leader. We can learn a lot from Hitler.

Appearances

So I'm sure if you keep with the news you've heard about Ford, GM, and Chrysler and their attempts to "save" the US auto industry. The Big Three car manufacturers are in Washington today trying to secure some of the bail-out jackpot for their respective companies. Now, don't be confused...these CEOs are not doing all this for themselves. They seek to save the US auto industry and in the process secure multitudes of jobs for the American people (wink wink). There companies are hurting so badly that they can no longer afford to fly to Wal-Mart in their corporate helicopters and jump in their jets to go across the state. It's gotten really tough when you can no longer pay your $50k/yr janitor his christmas bonus.

Oh, now Ford CEO Alan Mulally says that if his company takes any government money...he will take a $1 per year salary. Pretty intelligent move, I agree. But here's the problem I see in this situation:

Like the boy who cried "wolf", these leaders have consistently sent the message that they only care about themselves. They didn't think before they jumped in their corporate jets to fly to Washington..."maybe we could get rid of these jets and we wouldn't need to take the taxpayer's money." They allow their companies to be ran into the ground by the greed of worker unions. Then, all of a sudden, Alan Mulally makes a brilliant leadership move. Through his agreement to take a $1 salary...he speaks volumes. But, his decision had ZERO INFLUENCE ON ANYONE!

We, as leaders, must be mindful of how we appear to the people around us. You will only have influence with your words in the context of your appearance. If you appear to never care about anyone...coldly dictating and bossing everyone around...and then one day you try to tell your team how much you care about them and want them to communicate with you about any problems they have...IT MEANS NOTHING!

Do your words and your appearance match up? If not, what do you need to do starting today?!

Leadership Bucket

What the....? I know. Bear with me.

So think with me for a minute...What can you handle? How much can you handle before you break or stress out? I believe that each one of us have something like a "leadership bucket". The bigger your bucket, the more you can handle. Have you ever seen someone lead effectively in one situation and then totally "blow it" in another situation? I know I have. I've even been that person before!

Here are some ways that you can tell if YOUR bucket is too small: Are there leadership decisions you are putting off that you know you should make? Do you try to avoid certain people in your organization? Do you feel like you're not as good a leader as you used to be? These are all indicators that your bucket is too small. We instinctly avoid situations that we feel we can't handle. We naturally stay away from things we aren't good at. But you don't have to stay there!

3 Things you can do now to enlarge your "leadership bucket":

1. Read, Read, Read - Almost all of the great leaders today are readers. You may not read but one paragraph a day...but put some information in your head! I don't know how many times I have been burnt out and stressed out, and one line from a book gave me that new idea that sparked my excitement again.
2. Find a Hero - Who's a leader that has what you want? If you could take a leadership quality from someone, who would it be? You can learn alot from another person's mistakes and successes. (Note: You don't have to be obnoxious. You're "hero" probably never needs to know what you're up to. Just pay attention and ask the right questions.)
3. Blow Money and Waste Time - WHAT?! I say it that way so that you won't forget it, but what I mean is ENJOY YOURSELF! Enjoy your family, plan that next vacation, go eat somewhere nice on a week night, take a long lunch, etc. You will be more relaxed and this in turn will get your creativity flowing and make your "bucket" bigger.

You can't lead if you can't handle the pressure of leading. So, what are YOU going to do to enlarge your "leadership bucket"?

What's Your Goal?

It's the end of the month. You haven't quite met your quotas yet and you need that last little push to finish strong. Being in sales, I've been here multitudes of times. So what do you as a leader do? I've seen it handled a few different ways:

1 - Threaten - "If you guys don't step up and accomplish x then I'm going to find someone who can get the job done."
2 - Bribe - "If you accomplish x then I'm going to give you $500 cash."
3 - Give Up - The managers usually allude to some vague moment in the future..."This month is basically all but over. We're not having another month like this...We're about to make some changes...I'm sick of finishing like this...We'll try again next month...etc."

These methods don't work. You may meet your quota, but WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? You're short-sighted goal of wanting to meet THIS quota THIS month leads you to abandon long-term success for short-term gain.

Is there a better way? OF COURSE! Your goal as a leader should be to develop the team around you to accomplish more. Sure, you may meet your quota by threats, bribes, and innuendos...but what about next month, next year, the next 10 years?! If you demoralize your team then YOU lose! So what else could you try?

"The end of the month is almost here. You guys have worked so hard this month and I want you to know I am truly grateful. In the big scheme of things, this team has hit a home run this month. We have 4 days left in the month, and honestly, I'm not worried in the least. You guys have proven time and time again that when we need to finish strong, we will pull together and make it happen. Next month is going to be a great month but for the next four days I want us to pretend that it all ends here. Leave nothing on the table going into next month, as I know you always do. Now, what do you need from me as a leader to meet your quota?"

Your circumstances and situations are unique. Your business may be under extreme pressure because of the economy right now. YOUR TEAM NEEDS YOU TO NOT PANIC. They are looking to you. So, at the beginning of the last month in 2008 I leave you with the question: "What is your goal?"