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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #087

Developing People Is Difficult

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Leading on Level 4 requires high levels of maturity and skill. There are reasons that many leaders do not develop people. It is not easy! Consider these 4 primary causes that leaders breakdown at Level 4.

Self Centeredness can cause leaders to neglect people development – Maturity is the ability to think beyond yourself and to see things from another persons perspective. Said another way, when you become a leader you give up the right to think about yourself. If you are going to be successful at Level 4 leading you probably should devote 80% of your energy to helping others grow, learn, and achieve. If you focus is always on yourself and what you want then people become obstacles to your goals! Author Max Depree states the leader is the servant who removes obstacles that prevent people from doing their jobs. Perhaps the most famous statement on servant leadership is from Zig Ziglar, “If you will help others get what they want, they will help you get what you want.”

Insecurity can make leaders feel threatened by people development – Wayne Schmidt former Vice President of Wesley Seminary in Indiana stated “no amount of personal competency can compensate for personal insecurity.” Insecure leaders sabotage themselves and others. The leader focuses so heavily on his position there is little time to invest in others. If you suspect that your insecurities are preventing you from moving up to the People Development level of leadership, then be prepared to do some work in the following three areas – Ego, Control, and Trust. Jack Welch former CEO of General Electric sums these three areas by stating, “A leader’s role is not to control people or stay on top of things, but rather to guide, energize, and to excite.”

Shortsightedness can keep leaders from seeing the need for people development – How many times have you considered giving something to do and instead thought; it’s easier to just do it myself? We have all said and done this. To become a developer of people you have to adopt a LONG-TERM mindset. Doing work yourself is always faster and easier, but it is also short-term thinking! As a leader you must adopt a long-term mind-set for developing other people. If you pay the price on the front-end, the dividends. Shortsightedness like insecurity and selfishness is another sign of immaturity in a leader. When you choose to help another person become a competent leader, almost always it will take longer than you think and more difficult than you expect. YOU MUST DO IT ANYWAY! Otherwise you limit the potential for yourself, the people on your team, and the organization you are attempting to lead.

Lack of commitment can keep leaders from doing the hard of people development – Nearly anyone can lead others positionally. Many people can lead others relationally. Few people can be productive and put a team together to achieve goals. But very few people are both able and willing to develop others to become leaders. This is why most leaders will only lead followers. It takes tremendous effort to lead leaders!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

 

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Stress

Stress gets a bad rap. But there is positive stress, called Eustress. This is that adrenaline rush you get that helps you finish that project on time. It is that feeling of excitement when you are in a demanding position and you meet or exceed expectations – that thrill of coming through.

Positive stress is what gives life that zing! That oomph! It gives you the energy to jump in the game and go for it – take the bull by the horns and run with it. Positive stress is that motivating factor that keeps you going.

Imagine not having stress. Imagine living a life of boredom. Even negative stress gets you out of the chair now and then and onto something else. Although stress gets a bad rap there are certainly benefits that keep you motivated, moving and achieving goals.

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #086

Level 4 - People Development

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Level 4 leadership is about bringing out the best in other people. When this is achieved you bring our the best in the team. This will require time, energy, money, and thinking into growing others as leaders. To underscore the importance of leading at this level Peter Drucker offers some insights that are worth listening to: Making the right people decisions is the ultimate means of controlling an organization well such decisions reveal how competent management is, what its values are, and whether it takes its job seriously. No matter how hard managers try to keep their decisions a secret, people decisions cannot be hidden. They are eminently visible…”

Consider 5 insights regarding being a people developer as a leader.

People Development Sets You Apart from Most Leaders

Most leaders are looking for ways to grow their organizations through production – Level 3. How do you grow your organization? By growing the people in it. If you are very serious about this, then grow not just people but leaders leaders. Denis Waitley, author, suggests that leading at this level requires that as a leader you belief that you are worth the time, effort and energy. This in turn splashes over to believing that others are valuable, there dreams are worth listening to, your time investment into that person will produce a return for the organization.

People Development Assures That Growth Can Be Sustained

Sustaining growth is not easy. Many new-starts fail within the first months of existence. Even companies who have declared their products and services as “built to last” don’t last. In the book, Flight of The Buffalo, the authors suggest that instead of leading from “head-buffalo” that we should start leading more like a flock of geese in the v-formation. In this paradigm shift they offer these 4 insights:

1.Leaders should transfer ownership for work to those who execute the work

2.Leaders create the environment for ownership where each person wants to be responsible

3.Leaders coach the development of personal capacities

4.Leaders learn fast themselves and encourage others to learn quickly.

When this approach is taken then everyone has the potential to lead in some area or capacity.

Don’t allow yourself to become the lid on your organization. Give it the best chance for a bright future by developing other leaders.

People Development Empowers Others to Fulfill Their Leadership Responsibilities

Many leaders invariably become the lid on their organizations. When you cannot lead others to reach their potential everything suffers. This is called the Peter Principle – people rise to the level of their incompetence. You must help people break through this organizational lid. It starts with the leader that invests in other people’s potential and fulfilling their dreams.

People Development Empowers the Leader to Lead Larger

Many leaders do not want to share responsibility with others because they don’t want to lose their power. When you make a choice to share leadership with others, it does not take anything away from you. Instead you get something in return that only comes by developing others – it gives you back time. Other people expand their territory and thereby expand yours as a leader. This frees you to do other important tasks and dream new dreams. If you truly want to be an effective leader you have to move from being a perfectionist to pragmatist.

People Development Provides Great Personal Fulfillment

Howard Schultz founder of Starbucks stated, “Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from one person, but from joint achievements of many. The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another.”

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

 

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Strength

Mental strength means many things to many people. It could be staying calm with the kids for a mother and pushing to the finish line for a runner.

Strength is the state of being strong, having mental power, force. Having strength is empowering and exhibiting self-control. Without resistance there is no need for strength so when we are using our mental strength then we are up against some resistance or obstacle. Most people avoid resistance and obstacles and therefore give up their power and control.

Being mentally tough is not the same as strength. Toughness is a burden to perform or accomplish something difficult. Think of when you have a callous on your hand. At first it is rough and toughens up. It eventually thickens and then you lose all feeling in the callous. Then the callous becomes painful. When you toughen up with people, you exercise a roughness that leads to insensitivity and then pain.

It is common to confuse toughness with strength. Sometimes these terms are even intermingled and misused but keep in mind that when toughness is exercised, pain follows and when strength is exercised, power follows. Mental strength is the ability to overcome mental resistance and consciously cause goals to be achieved

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #085

Best Behaviors on Level 3

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Moving up to Level 3 leadership based on solid relationships of Level 2 leadership is no small feat. Many people find themselves incapable of leading at this level. If you are one that has achieved this new level, here are six insights on maximizing your accomplishment.

Understand How Your Personal Giftedness Contributes To The Vision

How would you describe your strength zone? Is it writing content to help others, connecting people through relationships key note speaker? Having this information helps you to stay focused on the development of your talents. Many people suggest that you should work on your weaknesses to excel in life. I would suggest the opposite – hire somebody to do the work for you in your weak areas and stay focused upon your strength zone. Learn to let things that you will never be good. If you want your team to be good at what they do, then you need to become good at what you do. Productivity starts with the leader. Focus here first and then you will have opportunities to help others improve and help them reach their potential.

Cast A Vision for What Needs TO Be Accomplished

Vision casting is an integral part of leading. Fuzzy communication leads to unclear direction which produces sloppy execution. Leaders show how short term impacts the long term. A compelling vision is clear and well defined, expansive and challenging at the same time. Consider these three truths.

  • Leaders help people define the success of the vision. Help your team see what success looks in your non-profit. As a leader if you do not define the target you are aiming at, how do you expect others to be successful?
  • Leaders help people commit to the success of the vision. The commitment of the team begins with the commitment of the leader. Teams do not win without leaders that are dedicated to advancing their non-profit toward the vision. Make the vision clear!
  • Level 3 leaders help people experience success. Few things in life inspire people quite like victory. The job of the leader is to help the team succeed. If you want your team to be inspired to win, then reward the smaller daily victories that your team achieves.

Begins To Develop Your People Into A Team

Becoming a good team is always greater than the sum of its parts and is able to accomplish more than individuals working alone. Consider these four truths.

  • Team members should compliment one another – Team leaders should make that happen. Stephen Covey stated that “the job of a leader is to build a complementary team where every strength is made effective and each weakness is made irrelevant. John Wooden stated once the one who scores a basket has ten hands.
  • Team members should understand their mission – Team leaders should make that happen. Good leaders never assume their team understands the mission. Don’t assume that everyone knows what you are thinking – speak clearly and help people to see how their talents is moving the team toward the goal.Prioritize The Things That Yield High Return

    What is the key to being productive? PRIORITIZING! Jim Collins in his book Good To Great states that we try to build momentum by doing, doing, doing, and doing some more. This rarely works. TO become great you have to STOP doing some things are start doing the right things – get rid of the junk!

  • Team members should work in an environment conducive to growth and inspiration – Team leaders should make that happen. Criticizing and censuring everyone will diminish friends, increase enemies, and hurt your leadership – Ben Franklin. If the leader is open for growth, learning, and encouragement, the team will follow. Make no mistake developing a high performance team is hard work, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
  • Team members should receive feedback about their performance – Team leaders should make that happen. Most people are willing to change if they are convinced that changing will help them win. Productive leaders take responsibility for walking team members through that process.

We need to learn to stay in the areas of strength and out of the areas of your weakness. This is a key to personal productivity. The Pareto Principle states that if you do the top 20% of your to-do-list it will yield an 80% return on your efforts. In order to do this you need to answer the following three questions:

1.What is required of me? (What I must do)

2.What gives me the greatest return? (What should I do)

3.What is the most rewarding to me? (What I love to do)

Be Willing and Ready to Be A Change Agent

Progress requires change! Change in any organization is always a leadership issue. It takes a leader to create positive change. Any leader who wants to make changes is tempted to point our differences and try to convince others that change is needed. That rarely works. Focus on the common ground areas. Consider the following:

VISION – When the vision is similar you can bet that people are standing together.

VALUES – It is difficult to travel with others very long if your values do not align.

RELATIONSHIPS – Great teams have people that are as committed to one another as they are the vision.

ATTITUDE – If you are going to get people to work together for positive change, their attitudes need to be positive and tenacious.

COMMUNICATION – For change to occur, communication must be open, honest, and ongoing. When people are in the dark they create their own storyline that may not align with the truth of the matter.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

 

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Start

Many people get ready to get ready. Maybe you would like to learn to play the piano. You research teachers in your area and maybe even call around for schedules but then you stop short of setting up your first session. Why is this? Why is it so hard to get started? It’s very simple. Fear.

Fear is a debilitating emotion that can keep you from reaching your full potential. We all have fears and many of us have learned that until we conquer our fears, we are stuck. We can’t start that project or that goal or achieve that which we so desire.

How do we start when we are scared stiff? Instead of working on the fear, let’s try a different approach and let’s look at the end result. Using the piano example, maybe this has been a dream all your life to learn but you never had the chance; circumstances got in the way. And now you have the time and you have the means to get the lessons but you are afraid. What if you stink at it? What if you are too old to learn? What if you can’t master the keys and the chords? So what! So what! You will never know unless you try.

Think about your vision, your dream of playing that concerto piece you love so much. Or playing that Billy Joel song. Whatever your vision is of learning to play the piano – that is what you need to focus on every day. Every time you get scared, every time you doubt yourself, see yourself at your first recital playing a piece you practiced for hours and hours, day after day and now you are ready to play for a group. Imagine yourself experiencing the enjoyment of reading the music sheet and then turning the notes into actual music – pouring out of the piano – imagine how that would feel.

Now is the time to start. No more excuses.

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #084

Level 3 - Production

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So what are the upsides to Level 3 leadership? Here are six things to consider.

Leadership Production Gives Credibility to The Leader – The ability to produce has always been the separation line for success. Peter Drucker stated; “There are two types of people in the business community: those who produce and those who give you reasons why they didn’t.” Colin Powell apt stated; “You can issue all the memos and give all the motivational speeches you want, but if the rest do not see you putting forth your best effort every single day, they won’t either.” Level 3 leaders take people to where they want to go – they do not send them there.

Leadership Production Models and Sets The Standard for Others Visually – Productive people are leaders are an example to the people they lead. Their productivity sets the standard for the team. President Lincoln recognized this when he relived General John C. Fremont; “His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself and fails to allow people to see him. Productive leaders thrive on results from themselves and others. They show the way and others follow.

Leadership Brings Production Clarity and Reality To The Vision – Good leaders constantly communicate the vision of the organization They do it creatively, clearly, and continually. Level 3 leaders help people to see what productivity looks like. This brings the team one step closer to realizing their dreams of a fulfilling vision. This gives validation to the team members the in fact their work is making a difference. Understand that productivity expands the vision.

Leadership Production Solves A Multitude of Problems – Many people in leadership positions try to solve problems by using systems. Or they try to pay other people to solve their problems for them. But the truth of the matter is you cannot delegate the solving of your problems to someone else. You have to be presently active in the problem solving process. Historian Thomas Carlyle observed, “Nothing builds esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.”

Leadership Production Creates Momentum – When well-led organizations sustain high high morale and high productivity over time, they gain momentum. The BIG MO is a leaders best friend. Things go easier when momentum is on your side. Things are much harder otherwise. The vast majority of people don’t start or stop anything. They just go along for the ride. If momentum is moving they move with it. If is has stopped they stop. Their productivity is based upon someone else making things happen. All the more reason that good leaders are needed that produce and create a productive environment. Morale is defined as “faith in the leader.” Coach “bear” Bryant stated once, “Don’t worry about making friends; don’t worry about making enemies. Worry about winning, because if you win, your enemies can’t hurt you, and if you lose, your friends can’t stand you!”

Leadership Production Is The Foundation For Team-Building – Who wants to leave a championship team? NO ONE! People love being on a winning team. Winners attract all sorts of people. The key to building a winning team is recognizing, selecting quality people, and retaining good talent. Understand that having talented people does not equal success. Remember you can lose with good players on your team. But you cannot win without good people on your team.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

 

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Risks

You set that lofty goal and you are ready to go for it but something holds you back. Something inside you says, hold on, what do you think you are doing?

Fear steps in and you become unsure of that goal now. You aren’t ready. This isn’t the time. Tomorrow, yeah tomorrow is a better day…

Stop! It’s time to reboot and remove the uncertainty and fear. Taking risks is part of life. It is necessary to achieve new levels, to achieve goals. If you want the most out of life, you will have to take risks and stretch yourself. Something worth having is also worth taking a risk for.

Here are 4 steps to help you as you navigate through taking risks:

  1. Evaluate the risk. Before you begin, see the end in mind. Imagine achieving your goal, imagine the benefits and rewards. Keep your reason for wanting this in the forefront of your mind – know your ‘why’.
  2. Know the obstacles. Identify what may get in your way and prepare yourself mentally so when you do come up against an obstacle, you are prepared.
  3. Begin your journey. No more getting ready to get ready. It is time to start. It is time to take that first step forward.
  4. Enjoy the journey. You may not hit your goal as quickly as you want and that is ok. If you achieve it too easily, it wasn’t a stretch for you.

Risk taking is a crucial part in achieving goals and living your dreams. You cannot get from A to B without taking a step. And sometimes there will be rocks in the road. Keep the end in mind and you will glide through the process better equipped for the journey.

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SA Leadership Podcast Episode #083

Best Behaviors of Level 2 Leaders

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Level 2 leading is about working to win people’s permission through relationships. How do you do that? There are five areas of discussion in answering this question.

Connect With Yourself Before Trying To Connect With Others

One of the first steps to connecting with others and building relationships is liking yourself. The first person we examine is ourselves – It is that person that is reflected back to us from the mirror. Relationship building starts within first. How aware are you regarding your tendencies and actions; strengths and weaknesses. How aware are you regarding your self-Image? Are you comfortable with how you look, where you are going, what you have achieved? Thomas Jefferson stated once; “In matters of conscience stand like a rock. In matters of fashion, go with the flow!”

Do you realize that the first person to cause a problem is yourself. How aware are you regarding self-honesty? It is very hard to be self-deluded and successful at the same time.

Develop A People Oriented Leadership Style

Permissional leaders don’t rely on rules to lead people. They do not depend on systems. They never attempt to rule with a stick. Instead they use a personal touch whenever they deal with people. They listen, learn, and then lead. They develop relationships! They have more than an open door policy. They realize that the door opens both ways – they go through it and get among the people to connect on a personal level. Herb Kelleher once stated, “Leading an organization is as much about soul as it is about systems. Effective leadership finds its source in understanding.” If you are going to be effective as a Level 2 leader, you must think less about systems and more in term’s of people’s emotions. You must think more in terms of human capacity and less about regulations

Practice The Golden Rule

One of the criticisms of permissional leadership is that it can become manipulative. Yes I will admit that at times people have manipulated others for personal gain – that is always wrong! There is a fine line between manipulation and motivation. The simplicity of the Golden Rule; “Treat others as you want to be treated,” is universally accepted and understood. It establishes a relationship standard that is easy to understand and follow. Practicing the Golden Rule enables everyone to feel respected.

Become The Chief Encourager of Your Team

Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A stated once; “Do you know how I identify someone who needs encouragement? If the person is breathing they need a pat on the back.” Mother Teresa stated, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless.”

Strike A Balance Between Care and Candor

Some people think that success on the Permission level of leadership means treating people on their team like family. Others feel they should give people permission to do whatever they want to do. These two extremes are BIG MISTAKES!

Every person will make mistakes. Every person needs to improve and every person needs someone to come along side of them to help them accomplish their goals. Care without candor creates dysfunctional relationships. Candor without care creates distant relationships!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

 

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Responsibility

There is a video trending on YouTube of a little 2 year old boy with sprinkles on his face and his mother asks him if he has gotten into the sprinkles and he denies it. She continues to ask him if he is sure he hasn’t eaten any sprinkles and he says no. She even asks him how the chair was pushed up to the counter where the sprinkles are spilled out and he says he doesn’t know. She then asks him if he saw anyone come and push the chair up to the counter and eat the sprinkles and he continues with his story of not knowing anything. She asks him one last time and he tells her he absolutely did not eat the sprinkles as a two year old can best explain.

Of course we all know he ate the sprinkles and we believe he pushed the chair to the counter and made the mess while he was eating the sprinkles. He wouldn’t take responsibility for his actions. He knew at that early age that what he did was wrong and that there were consequences to his actions that were not favorable so he tried the lying tactic. However he was only two and clearly not sophisticated enough to wipe his mouth clean of the evidence!

How often have we as adults been in a similar situation where we know the impending outcome to our actions is, on the surface, more painful than telling the truth so we skirt around taking responsibility and either deny or deny and then blame someone or something to take the heat off us? I can certainly raise my hand. I am sure you can too. Whether it is a little white lie or a doozey of a lie. We have all been in similar situations where it just seems like the better choice. But is it?

When we take responsibility and say – yes, I did that or, yes I forgot to do that, or I am sorry for what I did even though the initial reaction may be negative and depending on the indiscretion, may result in a severe punishment such as losing a job or ending a relationship, in the end, it is always the best decision.

Responsibility is defined as the state or fact of being accountable for something within one’s power, control or management. Everyone makes mistakes or indiscretions of varying degrees. That is part of being human. Taking responsibility is the best way of handling those mistakes and beginning the healing path to becoming whole again.