Leadership

As leaders, one of our primary responsibilities is to grow our people. They will grow the business. We need to create an environment for growth where continual learning is expected. Leadership also models this behavior. I am a strong believer in one-to-one coaching, which involves a designated time/ frequency to be determined together. I have found that a designated time is the most effective way of connecting and learning what is really happening in their world. The leader is 100% locked into the coachee, and the leader stays curious and asks open-ended questions. I believe three factors influence performance: The degree to which you sincerely believe they can achieve more. The degree to which they believe that you believe that. The [...]

In most instances, our society tends to use the term accountability to determine who we punish when something has gone wrong. As leaders who are growing are people who, in turn grow our organizations, let's try a different approach to accountability. Let's "front-load" accountability. Here is what I mean. When you front-load accountability, you include specificity in your commitment. We don't simply say, "I expect you to do a good job." When we front-load, we clarify precisely what we want to be done, what success looks like, and why this is important. There is no ambiguity to the expectation. In an accountability culture, people take ownership of what is expected of them. They feel responsible for their team members and [...]

The main event is a practice John Maxwell shared with a group of us a while back. Most leaders have their inner circle or their executive team. Typically, there are regular meetings, often referred to as the weekly or daily huddle. It is an opportunity for team members to learn what is happening in their respective worlds, including issues, opportunities, reporting progress, etc. The main event is an activity, appointment, or project for that day or week, depending on the frequency of the meetings. It is added to the reporting. The main event definition requires the team member to be 100% all-in. It becomes mission-critical. As an extreme example, it is acceptable if nothing else gets done that week or day [...]

I have come to believe the essence of leadership is simply influence. To be clear, I’m not referring to manipulation. The leader must be authentic to influence others positively and help change behavior. Recently, in one of my coaching sessions, I discussed influence with my client. She asked me for some examples of how best to gain influence. She wondered if there was a process or a system to follow. I responded that it was not; however, some factors must be present to gain influence. I explained that influence is earned over time. It doesn’t happen overnight; people will follow and buy into your leadership. I went on to discuss the following factors with her. I have found that the [...]