Leading and Managing

Ever notice how much energy it takes to try to control a something or someone? Leaders provide direction while managers try to control direction. We know that we can’t control people nor can we control circumstances in a persons life. Leaders understand that surrendering and admitting our limitations frees us to be better leaders. Leadership is based on what we do while management is based on what we do and how we do it. Even a terrific leader, has limits, such as we can’t force people to take responsibility for themselves.

In the last 20 years the needs of leaders has changed. We have people who lead, but are not given official authority over the people they lead. In today’s workforce, loyalty means the employee will look at for his or her self first and the company later. Granted there are still some pockets of the population that may still have employees who are loyal to the company first, but this is a thing of the past, unless the company is taking positive action with employees.

I recently worked with an international company that does a great job examining the people within the company that are doing a good job. They are very proactive in their promotional steps. They have learned that what worked 20 years ago – even 10 years ago isn’t effective today. So they have stopped operating out of habit and started operating with intention. Their intention is to change the reward systems and determine what rewards and recognitions the employees personally value, so that it has meaning. This has involved taking time to meet with employees and to get to learn what employee’s value. In addition, the company has re-examined promotional methods. No longer does a person have to serve time to get a promotion, rather they have to show service and skill. But there is still more that needs to be done. While it sounds like this company has it together, we met because there is a missing piece.

The leaders are moving people into leadership positions in a timelier manner, which pleases the employees who can see the opportunity for growth, but that is where they drop the ball or stop the process. Do you know companies that have great employees that have potential so to reward the person they promote them and then abandon them? This can cause the employee feel unappreciated, which is confusing, because they initial reason the promotion occurred was because he or she was doing a great job, now they are left alone to try to survive. Some companies think that this strategy is an attempt to stop that managerial style approach that says I will tell you what to do each step of the way. Setting them free to sink without assistance isn’t leadership. There is a balance that needs to be found. Yes, a leader needs to realize that it is important to give a person room to grow, so we have to release our grip. We also have to teach future leaders how to release the grip and how to direct people. Leaders are not superheroes or people with special powers. Many of the most effective leaders in the world had no power over anyone, but had the greatest influence.

We can increase energy in a company by properly teaching people who serve in a leadership capacity regardless if they have authority over people or not. For those that get responsibility with authority, there is still another decision to make. Does that responsibility mean that have the necessary training to lead others. A hard dedicated, ambitious employee may just be a hard-dedicated employee but not a groomed effective leader. They may have leadership skills, the emotional intelligence to lead, but may lack the skills to effectively lead a group of people. To often companies unintentionally set people up for failure, because they take the best and then neglect to give them the training needed to assure that they will succeed, thus they have to learn to survive on their own. Human instinct to survive often means that they will survive but may eat up other good employees along the way. This is unintentional, but still it happens too often. Companies set people up in a great office and give them office equipment, but neglect to equip them with training. Some of the excuses are unbelievable. Those employees aren’t in the upper tier of leadership, so they don’t need it, we don’t have a budget for that group. Do you have a budget for hiring, because when leaders without direction lead others the wrong way, you may find yourself having to recruit new members for the team? As a leader we owe it to the people we lead, regardless of where they sit in the company to give them the internal equipment that is needed to assure their success and ultimately to assure our success.

Farmers know that when you want to reap something you must sow it. Why? Because the seeds you plant will reproduce their own kind. But the better care you take of the seeds, the soil and the environment, the better the crop. What are you doing to grow your future leaders? If you are not sure test the soil? Ask the leaders what they need from you and then listen to the answers. Take control of your direction by giving direction to the people who lead others.

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Leadership the Next Generation

Leaders wanting employees or family members to grow need to aim them in the right direction. Companies are very much like a family both functional and dysfunctional. To increase productivity and the ability to function properly leaders have the responsibility to nurture, and grow people. Leaders can accelerate or stifle a person’s gifts. They can also spend time, money, and energy providing benefits. The goal of companies and of families is that by putting time and energy into employees and family their will be a better chance of loyalty. In the last newsletter Vol. III No. 36, discussed how leaders are often aimed toward leadership but not given the authority to lead. In addition, we discussed the fact that larger companies are realizing the old corporate ladder didn’t create loyalty for the newer generations seeking advancement for their skills rather than for their years of service. So that today we need to stop operating out of habit and start operating with intention. Leaders have an obligation to the next generation to prepare them.

One of the first areas in which companies can fall short when promoting individuals within their organizations is in providing leadership skills necessary to help the organization function effectively and productively Many times people the goals have not been formally identified and communicated to employees. Too often companies wait until the unthinkable happens such as a leader having to take emergency and is on medical leave etc. Successful organizations are always preparing the next generation of leaders so that if a leader leaves, an equally talented and prepared employee is ready to step in and assume the responsibilities of the position. Without blinking an eye, a company should be able to send in a backup who will keep the team moving forward. Identifying and developing employees for leadership positions is essential.

How does a company establish a system for developing talent within its organization? Defining who is and who is not a leader in an organization largely depends upon the organization itself. Identification begins with a look at the company philosophy and objectives, as well as the fit of the person with the current people in leadership positions. Be careful to look for people who compliment yet who are not clones of the people already leading the company, diversity is essential to success. In a study conducted by SHRM and Personnel Decisions International in 2000, only 45 percent of the responding organizations reported having development plans for non-exempt employees. What these numbers indicate is that more than half of these organizations lacked formal leadership development plans for their rank and file–a critical part in identifying the next generation of leadership. As you are reading this, you may realize that your organization suffers from this problem. Companies such as Fed Ex, Avon, and Pampered Chef succeed because leaders are constantly seeking new people to become involved in the company and they are continually preparing there leaders by providing educational programs that are customized to their company.

If your organization is lacking in training it isn’t alone. A study conducted jointly by Anderson Consulting and the Economist Intelligence Unit confirmed that there is a lack of comfort that most organizations feel when it comes to the topic of leadership development. Ninety percent of the CEO’s reported that their organizations leadership development process was in its infancy phase and had definite room for improvement. FedEx, a Fortune 500 company based in Memphis, Tennessee in the USA, values training its employees. FedEx found that training was directly linked to its competitive advantage in the marketplace. As a result, its internal commitment to the philosophy of P-S-P (people-service-profit) has been at the center of this company’s training measures and initiatives. Establishing the link between training and profitability. Companies such as Fed Ex learn that leadership training is at the heart of an effective business model. Realizing the payoff is seen in quality, profitability and in retention. For the future leaders and employees, the payoff is equally as great, as they are offered training and development opportunities.

Great leaders and managers do not necessarily start with the basic skills needed to make them great. Companies that consistently, uniformly and regularly offer classes in management and leadership for up-and-coming employees find that promotion decisions are a lot easier because the training has taken place and people are ready to take on added responsibility. Another survey shows that eighty-two percent organizations are having a hard time finding qualified leaders. This leads us to ask questions: What does your current leadership training initiative look like, and is it working for your company? Does your organization identify people with potential leadership skills? What types of training and development opportunities are in place for these employees?

Leadership development—broadly defined as formal and informal training and professional development programs designed for all levels of executives and management employees to assist them in developing the leadership skills and styles required to deal with a variety of situations. Effective leadership development encompasses two key areas: 1) the ability to move future leaders forward and begin developing their leadership talent; and 2) determining cost effective leadership methods such in-house training programs, or hiring outside trainers to either build the program or do the training. Leaders like parents have a responsibility to prepare for the future. As leaders, we must look at ourselves closely and make sure that we reflect courage and are willing to encourage our organizations to make positive changes to develop leaders for the future. Too often companies find great people promote them and then see if they can lead.

The Importance of Thinking Before We Speak

Have you ever had a conversation with a person only to realize they weren’t listening? Perhaps you have had an entire conversation in which people were talking but no one is really listening, they are only waiting to reply. In the United States we are approaching a holiday called Thanksgiving. It is very typical for friends and family to come together during this time and attempt to communicate with one another, when in actuality all most of them are doing is talking, but they are not listening. They are so focused on sharing their information that they do not hear what other people are saying. They only hear the silence they take as permission to start making noise. This same problem happens everyday in any one of the 25 million meetings taking place or between worker and co-worker.

Listening is rare. Do you have people in your life that know how to listen? To really listen? If we are fortunate, we have someone in our life who we feel we can talk to because they listen and listen with such a deep capacity that they hear the person, the emotion, and even the unspoken words. They are able to communicate on a level rarely reached by people who listen to only the words. Listening on this level requires a skill. There are people who enable us to be as we are and to learn why we have never been more until we are willing to hear what they have to say.

Recently, I was doing a team building training program with a company and they had selected to have a debrief with me after the event was complete. The debrief involved me meeting one-on-one with each participant and discussing what I had observed, felt and heard. My role in this interactive teambuilding session was to use my skills, training, knowledge and expertise to determine what this team was doing well and what areas each team member needed to work on improving in order to move the team forward. In order for people to grow, they must understand how people hear them. A person who can help enlighten you on how what you say in your actions as well as in your words is invaluable. It has been said that a person will never truly know his or herself until they find a person who can listen and can help them to discover who they are. We can hide from ourselves alone, but we cannot discover ourselves alone.

Do you have a professional coach, an older, wiser, more experienced person who will stand on the sidelines of your life and see the big picture? So often in business people are competing with one another and are unable to see that growth isn’t about winning a race, rather it is about the performance in the race. While some people may walk away with a trophy, we all have to walk away with ourselves regardless of where we finished in the race. Do you have someone who will give honest feedback to you or to your team, see beneath the facades and openly discuss the way people work together and what needs to be done so that everyone is in the same game?

Who stretches your mind? Who can make you wince as they expose the truth that you don’t want to face? Who can give you feedback in a way that is open and informational so that you can grow? Many of us have people in our lives who are more than willing to expose our inadequacies and shortcomings, but they communicate in a way that is negative and thus it prevents us from hearing the message.

Who listens and encourages your growth personally and professionally? Success happens because visionaries see the possibility and hear destiny calling them. We need visionaries who can communicate the possibilities with us. They can see the dream and hear what we have to offer so that we can reach for our dream by making it a goal.

Companies who are having the most success with retention and motivation today have worked on improving communication among employees. They have heard the need and have established programs to build better communication across generations and from Top Management down and across.

When was the last time you attended a program on Generational Diversity or on Communication basics? Do you have a mentor or a coach? Does your employer offer a mentoring program to help employees grow? Are meetings facilitated in a manner that allows everyone to participate and be heard? Do you participate in strategic planning retreats with an outside facilitator trained to make sure that everyone’s ideas are heard? If you or your company are without these items, then it is very likely you or your company have come to a holding pattern. I am presently writing this newsletter, while in the air and delayed because the flight before was put in a holding pattern. A holding pattern is when a plane is unable to land because of unfavorable ground conditions. This is why planes have to carry extra fuel to make sure they can stay in the air longer should they be placed in a holding pattern. But this is costly! Either personally or professionally when we don’t have a person who can listen to us, or who can relay what our communication is saying to others, then we are in a holding a pattern. For growth and progress will not occur until we hear.

The company I just finished working with was pleasantly surprised at my ability to get to the issues so quickly and to help each person develop a plan of action, as well as the team, so they could begin to soar higher. Are you ready to soar higher? Then let’s get ready to take off together. Let us know what we can do to help you or your company improve communication. Don’t delay, take action today.