The 5 Admired Female Business Leaders of the Past Year

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Robert Cordray

Women in Business

As gender equality becomes more of a priority in world society, more women are becoming prominent business leaders.

Women prove their savvy, leadership and humanity in major organizations across the globe.

5 Admired Female Business Leaders of 2012

Here are five women who have led their businesses to success in 2012.

Melinda Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Melinda GatesMelinda Gates is the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the wealthiest and most philanthropic private foundation in the world. Melinda Gates’ major achievement this past year was challenging the Vatican to reverse its stance on birth control.

She has vowed to improve access to contraceptives to women throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Other recognitions include:

  • 2006: Received Order of the Aztec Eagle for philanthropy in world health and education, specifically in Mexico
  • 2006: Honored at Seattle Children’s hospital with the Melinda French Gates Ambulatory Care building

Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo

Indra NooyiIndra Nooyi is the chair and CEO of PepsiCo. The past few years have shown tremendous growth under her leadership. She has reorganized management and improved advertising budgets. Shareholders received $5.6 billion when the net revenue increased 14% to $66 billion.

In addition to launching a mid-calorie soda with 60% less sugar, she rearranged the top executives this year, a move that her peers interpret as preparing for her successor. Her other achievements include:

  • 2009: Recognized as one of “The TopGun CEOs” by Brendan Wood International
  • 2008-2011: Named to Best CEOs list in Institutional Investors

Irene Rosenfeld, Kraft Foods

Irene RosenfeldIrene Rosenfeld is the chair and CEO of Kraft Foods. This past year, she was the genius who planned dividing Kraft into two separate companies. She will lead the snack food side of the business, which brings $35 billion in revenue and will be called Mondelez International.

This means that, as director of marketing and statistics, she will manage the brands Oreo, Ritz and Tang. She sees this as a wise investment as ever busy consumers eat fewer meals at home. Her major recognitions include:

  • 2008: Placed on Wall Street Journal’s “50 Women to Watch” list
  • 2012: Ranked #13 on Forbes’ list of Power Women

Ursula Burns, Xerox

Ursula BurnsAs the chair and CEO of Xerox, Ursula Burns leads the copying business. This past year, Xerox obtained six outsourcing companies, which will expand the company across Europe. Burns wants to repackage Xerox as a copying service, not just a retailer of copying machines and printers.

The company now earns half of its revenue from services such as managing electronic ticket transactions, road tolls and parking meters. Burns also sees growth in small investments in healthcare and processing technologies. Other achievements include:

  • 2011: Spoke at MIT’s commencement
  • 2012: Protested the Augusta National Golf Club’s male-only membership policy; the club opened membership to women for the first time in 80 years.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook

Sheryl SandbergAs Facebook’s Chief Operations Officer and first female board member, Sheryl Sandberg is responsible for profit strategies. This past year, she headed the $100 billion IPO launch of the company. In addition to her role at Facebook, she serves on the board of Disney, where she advocates young women at work.

Past positions include serving as the chief of staff for the Department of Treasury under Bill Clinton and being in charge of Google’s online sales. Her other achievements include:

  • 2010: Gave a TED talk on “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders”
  • 2013: Released her first book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Many people worldwide respect and admire these great businesswomen. They have demonstrated impressive skills in leading their respective businesses. They have worked hard to be on equal ground with their male cohorts, and they will continue to set the standard for excellence for women in the workforce.

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Robert Cordray

Robert Cordray is a freelance writer with over 20 years of business experience
He does the occasional business consult to help increase employee morale
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web

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Authentic Leadership: Living and Leading Outside-the-Box

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Michael R Stanford

Inside-the-Box

I have worked for a long time only to find too many people with little passion for change. They simply want to “stay inside their box.” There are also too many leaders and managers that look at their way being the correct one.

Very rarely do these types want to listen to new ideas or embrace the ideas of others (or even their own.)

Inside and Outside the Box Thinking

I am a very passionate leader who loves to help others. I love to teach, train, educate, and live out dreams.

So here is my perspective on leadership. It boils down to living and leading in a state of low risk/low reward that I call Inside-the-Box thinking,  or living and leading in a state of higher risk/higher reward that I call Outside-the-Box thinking.

Living Inside-the-Box

Living and leading with an inside-the-box mentality allows one to feel that the world is safe and secure; there is uniformity, control, and routine. Most people would prefer to stay inside-the-box because change only exists in small doses. This box is a symbol of how one’s world does not have to be perceived differently beyond basic vision.

Although there is perceived safety, comfort, and control, this thinking has its downsides, too.

Staying inside a box restricts growth and a the ability to branch out and meet new people developing great ideas, taking great leaps and doing amazing things. The world would be a boring place if everyone lived inside the box. The box is where dreams stay dreams instead of becoming a reality.

L2L Reader Survey 2013

Living Outside-the-Box

Stepping outside-the-box requires courage and willpower. Outside-the-box is a place of the unknown and frequent changes, where new people can be met and great accomplishments can become achieved. Stepping outside-the-box can be a scary and unconformable place for those who are used to living with an inside-the-box mentality.

A person usually will step outside of the box only to take a “giant leap” to a different box, or just to another box that is just bigger.

Rarely does one leave their box with enough courage, determination, and fight to really increase their influence and live a bigger dream.

But however the risk, living outside-the-box is a place of creativity and desire. This place is completely new and exciting all of the time. It is where change is like a rapid river moving from mountain to valley allowing for exploration and mistakes to happen. Those who live with little fear will thrive in this space allowing for dreams to become reality and for great progress to exist.

This place is a great platform to teach, train and experience what the world has to offer.

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Free Downloadable PowerPoint:

Authentic Leadership comes from those who live and lead outside-the-box.

To understand this, answer this question:

Are Leaders born or Are They Made?

  • There are those who are born with the ability to live without the need for a box, they live freely outside-the-box and naturally influence others.
  • There are those who have lived in a box and have taken a leap by listening to those whose passion for outside-the-box ways have inspired them. They found an inner passion to live among those who thrive outside-the-box.
  • Then there are those who were designed or taught to live inside-a-box and follow the world build for them to tell the tales about the possibilities that are outside-the-box they wish not to leave.

I have seen passionate people stop from leaving the confines of their box because they didn’t want to “risk it all.” I have seen people fall and not want to get back up. I have seen people succeed and never look back.

But for me, I live and lead outside-the-box. I live and lead in a world not yet created.

Future leaders need not ask the question “Are Leaders born or made?” They simply lead the answers they wish to find. Leadership is not a focus on the question “why?” Leadership is the desire to find “the how?”

So many have asked the question are leaders born or made, what is your opinion?

One of my favorite answers is this:

“Leaders are born to be made.”

Change involves people of all types to coexist in a movement toward progression. What are some of the biggest challenges for change leaders today?

What will it take for a inside-the-box thinker to break the stagnation and become a great leader? What sort of courage is needed? How can you help others gain that courage and teach them to live outside-the-box? I wold love to hear your thoughts!

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Michael R Stanford is Doctoral Learner at UOP
He does occasional motivational speaking for community colleges
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L2L Book Review: Leaders Open Doors

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Tom Schulte

L2L Book Review

Using his own personal experience, author and veteran consultant Bill Treasurer wrote “Leaders Open Doors” to encourage leaders to accept responsibility for noticing, identifying, and creating opportunities for the benefit of people, organizations, and society as a whole. 

He believes strongly in opening doors for others and providing assistance to the next generation of leaders.

L2L Book Review

Title: Leaders Open Doors: A Radically Simple Leadership Approach to Lift People, Profits, and Performance

by Bill Treasurer

Leaders Open Doors by Bill TreasurerBill Treasurer’s new book “Leaders Open Doors” is exactly what the subtitle suggests: a  radically simple leadership approach that I certainly can image would lift people, profits, and performance in any organization.

Premise:

The premise of the book is that a simply selfless approach to leadership that has one opening doors and creating opportunities for others is the jackpot mentality to effective leadership.

Intro:

As a self-confessed former “complexifyer” of leadership, he went from a journey as a young man in graduate school where his thesis was this:

“The efficacy of the initiation of psychological structure through the use of directive leadership styles as a negative correlate of role ambiguity and positive correlate of employee satisfaction in workplace that have undergone a recent reduction in force.”

to understanding from a simple conversation with his five-year old preschool son Ian about what it means to be leader where his son answered the question “What did you get to do as the class leader?” with this gem:

“I got to open doors for people!“

This simple statement struck the author with such clarity that he renounced his quarter-century membership in what he calls the “Legion of Leadership Complexifiers (LLC)” and takes a pledge “to speak plainly and simply.”

And in this book, he does just that. His simplicity and clarity is radiant and the radical approach to dropping complexity and picking up a servant-leadership mentality is pure genius. He takes a machete and cuts through years of Organizational Development (OD) and Leadership Development “hairballs” and allows his voice to speak simple truths in a busy world.

A Reader’s Guide

One of the things I enjoyed in this book is how the author breaks down for the reader what they will be reading and tells them how it will benefit them. He has a place early on that tells you “What You’ll Understand” and “Key Chapter Takeaways” in the introduction and in each of the nine concise chapters.

The reader will easily understand the following 10 points:

  1. What a leader is, simply
  2. Why leadership means opening doors
  3. Why focusing on problem-solving is far less effective than focusing on the opportunities those “problems” nearly always provide
  4. Why making people uncomfortable – in a way they can absorb – is every leader’s primary job
  5. Why giving people opportunities to prove themselves taps into people’s need to excel and can supercharge motivation
  6. How the actions leaders take can help broaden and shift people’s perspective so they can face challenges more creatively
  7. How you can gain deep loyalty and commitment when you open a door to a second chance, especially after big mistakes
  8. Why leaders need to pay special attention to the needs of people who are outside the majority
  9. How instrumental leaders can be in bringing about career and life transformations for people
  10. How you can have the greatest positive impact on people only when you open yourself up and show your true self to those you lead

Get This Book

L2L Book Review - 5 Stars

I give this book the L2L 5-Star rating and strongly recommend getting it for yourself, your team, or even your boss. I give it my highest recommendation. You can buy it here.

I rate it this way because of its stunning clarity, its humble, honest, concise and practical approach, and for the step-by-step way to get anyone to become a more effective leader.

Editors Note >>> 100% of book proceed are going to charity.

I got this note from the author:

“The good news is, I’m donating 100% of the royalties to programs that support children with special needs. You may recall that I have a 9-year old daughter who has cerebral palsy and is deaf. Since the book is about creating opportunities for others, it seemed natural to donate all the royalties to charity. Now the book will open doors for others too!”

See why he is donating the proceeds here: http://youtu.be/t6ax_D27RME

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Tom Schulte is Executive Director of Linked 2 Leadership
He provides leadership training fit for the Blackberry-Attention-Span
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On Leadership, Positivity and Notions of Power

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Dr. Robert Brescia

Positive Power

What makes for a “powerful” leader? Is it authority, position, or seniority? Could it also be personal gravitas in the way the leader speaks and acts?

The interesting thing about power is that leaders and followers alike have an opinion about it but rarely take the time to try and define what it really is – it just happens.

We can better understand power and learn how to make it work better for you and those who interact with you.

Notions of Power

Old Notions of Power:

Power is contained within the long-lasting, durable structures of society: the police, the political machines, doctors, lawyers, educators – anyone or anything that is tied to a bureaucracy.  Power is almost always a negative connotation – it’s “power over” somebody – making that person do something that he wouldn’t have done were it not for your “power play”.

New Notions of Power:

Real power in our times comes more from what a leader says and does – not from the organizational architecture that she is a part of. How about the COO that everyone “goes around” because he just doesn’t add any value to ongoing initiatives? Consider the state representative who can’t get any of his legislation passed in the House because he doesn’t know how to garner support from his colleagues.

A leader’s power is not in the structure – it’s in the interaction.

L2L Reader Survey 2013

Positive Power – Practiced by Great Leaders Everywhere!

What can you do as a leader to employ positive and effective power? Consider these actions:

  1. Shorten the distance between what you say and what you do.
  2. Use power as a multiplier in your organization, not as a personal kingdom-maker.
  3. Your own language can make you powerful – or not. Watch what you say and how you say it.
  4. Recognize and reward those who are practicing positive power.

1 – Shorten the distance between what you say and what you do.

Measure the distance between what you say and what you do. Look at the goals and objectives you have written down in strategy documents – how have you acted on them? Add a “1” if you’ve acted on them successfully – add a “0” if you haven’t. Tally up the number of “1”s and “0”s and calculate a percentage of “1”s to the total.

90% to 100%:     Congratulations – your distance between talk and walk is very short!

70% to 90%:        Work on it. Either your goal-setting is faulty or you are just not following through.

0% to 70%:          Really work on it – a lot. Your power factor is low. Seek coaching and mentorship. Understand that if you are just a pontificator, you have no real power.

2 – Use power as a multiplier in your organization, not as a personal kingdom-maker.

When I was in military service, I once had occasion to see two Generals having an argument with each in the headquarters. They were in each other’s faces, using their “outside” voices, and all this in front of others.

Each one was trying to exercise “power over” the other – through force, if you will – domination and intimidation. This only served to provide a bad example to us all and inhibit the number of powerful leaders in the organization.

Instead, we should help multiply leadership throughout the organization by demonstrating positive power even when we disagree. Remember: all personal “kingdoms” eventually disintegrate because they are held together by the wrong type of power. The more durable groups remain longer because their structures are made from long-lasting materials – positive power, trust, and respect.

Powerful leaders are those that set the example of civil and respectful relationships with everyone regardless of station and circumstance.

3 – Your own language can make you powerful – or not. Watch what you say and how you say it.

What kind of language are you using with everyone? Is it dominating, coercing, authoritative? Do you employ a lot of ideology and rhetoric? Rhetoric skews your message in some type of desired manner.

Politicians exercise power every day by employing rhetoric in effective ways. In other words, are you using language that is associated with old-school notions of “power over”?

Powerful leaders are those that set informal and lighthearted work environments by using their own voice and language in non-threatening and encouraging ways.

4 – Recognize and reward those who are practicing positive power.

When you observe someone practicing positive power, are you taking advantage of that action by recognizing it with some type of affirmation? If you acquiesce and let it pass, you will have missed a great opportunity for multiplication of positive power.

If you openly recognize that behavior, everyone will strive to emulate it. When they do, your whole department will experience a very beneficial effect of positive power. As an added benefit, you will have reduced fear in the workplace.

Powerful leaders set a “positive power” example and praise those who subscribe to this desirable behavior.

So how can you move toward a more positive notion of leadership and influence? What steps can you take today that will help you lead better tomorrow? What else can you add to this to help people understand the true force behind positivity and leadership? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Dr. Robert Brescia
Dr. Robert Brescia is Executive Director at JBS Public Leadership Institute
He teaches young Texans about leadership, ethics, and public service
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Web | Book | Skype: robert.brescia

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Lead like Water

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Andrew Ma

Lead Like Water

Think of water for a second. What is your first impression when you come across this term?

>>> Weak? Common? Boring?

Now think about Leadership?

>>> Strong? Extraordinary? Outstanding?

When we put these 2 seemingly contradictory terms together, we get what we typically refer to as oxymoron in English.

Yet, three historical wise men from East to West both suggested leaders to lead like water.

3 Very Wise Leaders

Laozi

LaoziThe Tao Te Ching is fundamental to the Philosophical Taoism. Laozi, one of the wisest men in Chinese history who lived in 6th century BCE, emphasised the “tao” or “the way.” As such, tenets about leadership and social behavior are said to simply follow the operation of the natural system.

In Tao Te Ching, Laozi often used metaphors to illustrate his abstract concepts. He used the metaphor “water” to describe the leadership style of a sage as water processes many key attributes of leadership.

The essential leadership approach based on Taoistic leadership can be described as “Wateristic.” Chen and Lee (2007) who wrote an excellent book called Leadership and Management in China: Philosophies, Theories, and Practices.

They summarised the wateristic leadership in five key features:

1.     Water is altruistic to others

2.     Water is modest and humble

3.     Water is adaptive and flexible

4.     Water is transparent and clear

5.     Water is gentle, yet persistent

Mike Rice’s example of leadership at Rutgers University in yesterday’s L2L post was a most certainly poor one.

L2L Reader Survey 2013

King Solomon

King SolomonOne of the wisest men in history of Middle East is King Solomon as recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible. He wrote a few wisdom books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes about three thousands years ago (four hundred years before Laozi).

In Proverbs, he wrote a lot about the key mindset and behaviour of wise kings that equally applies to leaders.

He wrote this:

“Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.” (Proverbs 21:1, Message)

King Solomon was referring to good leaders are willing to channel to the right resource to their followers when they need. Good leaders are committed to do whatever it takes for the success of their followers and the whole organization.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ

Fast forward about 1000 years in the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus Christ demonstrated what it means by leadership by demonstrating one of the most surprising act to his followers using water. In the gospel of John,

…..he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron….

Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve

done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life. (John 13:4-7, 12-17, Message)

So what can we apply these ancient wisdoms into real life in 21C?

My experience tells me that these days when dealing with the Millennial Generation (or the Post 1980 Gen in China), “wateristic leadership” may especially work well with them. According to many researches, the next generation prefers managers with less power distance, and they would like to have managers that assume the role of friends and coaches rather than someone who just give them orders.

Managers as servant leaders demonstrated by Jesus are willing to ”wash their feet” are definitely welcomed by the next-gen as they see gentle and modest leaders.

Moreover, as the Facebook generation are accustomed to receive frequent, just-in-time feedback, the wateristic leaders who provide nourishment and channel the resources available to help their success when they need help are key to gain their trust and loyalty.

In the postmodern era, people, especially the young ones, prefer authenticity and transparency in their trusting leaders. Leaders who “lead like water” with the focus of transparency are definitely more welcomed than those pretentious leaders.

Is it merely a coincidence that three of the wisest men in the history of mankind all pointed to water when they talked about leadership? Next time when you take a sip of water or wash your hands, pause for a second, and think if you are leading like water.

And when you feel frustrated by the next generation, perhaps you can try practicing what suggested by Laozi, Solomon, and Jesus.

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Andrew Ma
Andrew Ma is Executive Director of Chorev Consulting
He specialize in Leadership Development, Assessments, Cross Cultural Training 
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Web | Skype: andrewma99

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Technical Foul: Leadership Lessons from the Rutgers Basketball Scandal

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Scott Span, MSOD

Fired

What leadership lessons can we learn from the recent firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice?

If you have been following the news story about how now former Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice was verbally and physically abusing his players, then you undoubtedly know that he was fired and that his assistant Jimmy Martelli has also recently resigned.

In addition, others at the university are also under investigation.

Why is this happening?  Mike Rice has been shown in videos as a poor example of a leader – shoving, throwing basketballs, yelling gay slurs at players. Some call it passion. But is this passion appropriate?

Passion on Display

Passion is important, but how that passion is displayed is also very important. Now, we all have a different level of tolerance for “tough love” leadership; however, for those serving as role models for young people, distinguishing between an appropriate amount of toughness and going too far often becomes a fine line. Unfortunately for many involved, Mike Rice crossed that line on more than one occasion.

New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, said it perfectly:

“This is not the type of example we should be setting for our young people.”

The Governor is absolutely correct. Most of us learn by example. We learn by what we see and hear. Leaders need to set good examples for those they lead, whether on the court or in the boardroom. Rice’s example of leadership was a most certainly poor one.

L2L Reader Survey 2013

Levels of Acceptable Behavior

What this shows is when you’re teaching someone to do something, that if they don’t do it right, instead of encouraging them (and that’s not to say, particularly in sports, that a bit of tough love is discouraged when used appropriately) being physically or verbally abusive is an acceptable way to motivate them to perform. It isn’t.

“Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate.” ~ Vince Lombardi

The evidence that this does not work can be proved simply by looking at Mike’s record over his 3 years as head coach. His record shows a measly 44 wins and 51 losses. Now, his type of leadership style is not the only reason for the losing record, however it is certainly a contributing factor to it.

Whether you are a coach, a CEO, an educator, or a Governor, it’s your job to lead by positive example.

It is your job to lead the team in a way that inspires others and make others want to follow you. You have to do this whether they are players, employees, or constituents. Good leadership is about supporting and influencing in a way that makes others want to follow your lead, respect you, and trust you.

Creating Your Environment

It’s the job of a good leader to create an environment in which people can fully develop their potential and actively participate to the fullest extent for the benefit of themselves and the group.

Good leaders should never need to resort to belittlement, manipulation, or force.

Imagine how people would have responded if Governor Christie threw basketballs at those who ignored his warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Sandy?  Imagine if a CEO yelled slurs at an employee for not grasping a concept they were trying to convey? They may not get fired, but they certainly will have a tougher time gaining support and high performance in the future.

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. ~ Sam Walton

So how do you lead by example and gain high performance? How do you get people to follow, respect, and support your leadership?

3 Ways to High Performance Leadership

Communication 

Be transparent. If your team isn’t performing to what you think is the best of their ability, then tell them, and explain why. Offer some constructive criticism and ideas for improvement. Ask their opinions. Don’t scream and yell and throw a tantrum.

People can usually tell when “something is up.”

So before frustration mounts and productivity is impacted, communicate with your team. When trying to increase performance, making strategic decisions, determining changes, or facing issues that impact the team or organization, successful leaders need to be very specific in their actions

They need to be transparent and to communicate with those they lead about the concerns, performance, how these matters arose, their thought process for improvement and how solutions or lack of action may directly impact those they lead.

Trust 

Create a safe and trusting environment. This can’t happen if you’re verbally, emotionally or physically abusive to those you lead.

Trust is a fundamental behavior for any relationship, both personal and professional.

According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb & McKee, 2009).

They found this: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction and high performance.

Trust must be earned. Leaders can earn employee trust by helping those they lead understand the overall strategy and mission, informing them how they contribute to achieving key goals, and sharing information with their team on both how the organization is doing and how a team member’s own performance is relative to organizational objectives.

It is much easier for employees to trust a leader that supports their growth and development and shows a genuine interest in them.

Self Awareness 

Be self aware. Successful leaders have a heightened level of self-awareness; they have an understanding of themselves, their behaviors and actions, and how those behaviors and actions are interpreted by, and directly impact, those they lead.

Personally, I don’t think Mike Rice was wearing his self-awareness hat.

A good example of leadership self-awareness is exhibited in the U.S. Army’s leadership philosophy of “be, know, do.”

  • Be proficient and competent
  • Know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses
  • Do take responsibility and lead by example

Always be open to further growth and learning. Professional coaching is also a great way to help further develop leader self-awareness.

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better. ~ Bill Bradley

So, what are you doing to be an example of positive leadership? Are you contributing to high performance or hindering long-term success? Remember, whether a leader on the court or in the office – you’re a role model – so act like one!

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Scott Span
Scott Span, MSOD is President of Tolero Solutions OD & Change Management firm
He helps clients be responsive, focused, and effective to facilitate sustainable growth
Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog | Facebook

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35 Fun and Affordable Team Appreciation Ideas

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Sean Glaze

Team Appreciation

As an effective leader, you are likely always looking for fun and affordable ideas to show appreciation to your team.  Everyone enjoys recognition, and one of the most impactful ways to motivate your team is to reward behaviors that you want repeated.

As a basketball coach, our program had a “hard hat” award that was given each week to the player that had the most charges and deflections.  And just like in sports, whatever industry you work in, there will be important statistics that you can choose to measure and celebrate.

And no matter what field you work in, it is important to remember this quote by VCU Basketball Coach Shaka Smart:

“Appreciation is the currency of success.”

35 Fun and Affordable Team Appreciation Ideas

The following list of 35 ideas will hopefully inspire you to begin celebrating small victories along the way, instead of waiting until the end of your project or season.

Every team performs better when they feel appreciated for their efforts.

Consider adopting some of these fun ideas to show appreciation to people on your team:

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1. Publish a “praise” column in your newsletter. Ask employees to submit suggestions for the honor to recognize their peers.

2. Bring in soft drinks and juices to stock the staff refrigerator for the week.

3. Use a dry erase marker to write a message to your employees on the window at the entrance of the building or office.

4. Purchase and inscribe a favorite book as a gift.

5. Create a “traveling trophy” that could represent excellence in your organization and be given to a team member to display it for a week

6. Begin meetings by recognizing accomplishments and highlighting employee successes.

7. Give a personalized coffee cup mug filled with candy.

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8. Start a peer-nominated employee of the month award, and print a certificate to honor the teammate who is voted for and why they were selected

9. Publicize the praise. If you hear a positive remark about a person, repeat it to that person as soon as possible—perhaps via email, and copy managers as an especially powerful way to help employees feel appreciated.

10. Send a hand-written thank you note to the team member’s family, such as: “Please accept our sincere thanks for the support you have given to _________ as she (or he) has dedicated so much effort to our company. We are fortunate to have her (him) on the team and want you to know that she (he) is a great asset to our family as well…”

11. Photoshop a million-dollar bill with the employee’s face on it, and post it around the office with a note saying, “Thanks a Million.”

12. Post a birthdays and anniversaries Celebration Calendar in your office. Celebrate employees’ birthdays and employment anniversaries.

13. Give “honored” employees an extra-long lunch break.

14.  Complete a simple daily task for the employee – whether by surprise or as his/her choice, they will appreciate you “lightening their load.”

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15.  Give the person a membership or subscription that relates to their work

16. Post a large “celebration calendar” in your work area. Tack on notes of recognition to specific dates.

17. Surprise the team with doughnuts or a breakfast buffet as they near completion of an important or difficult project.

18. Fill their office or workspace with brightly colored balloons and a card.

19.  Give a framed poem as a thank you.

20.  Send a gift card to the employee’s home, signed by a manager.

21.  Bring a baked gift basket (cookies, etc.) for an afternoon team surprise.

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22.   Allow the team to flex their schedule or work adjusted hours if possible, to allow for more family time or errands.

23.  Award the teammate a coveted parking spot, set aside for the “most driven” employee of the month.

24. Give them a chance to connect with new people or learn new skills by sending high performing people to conferences or other networking events.

25. Loosen up the dress code for a day (teachers love jeans!)

26. As a manager or supervisor, have fun putting on an apron and serving THEM coffee one morning – taking orders as a “servant” leader.

27. Ask for their input and involve them in meetings that may impact them in the future to show you trust their perspectives and ideas.

28. Let them eat cake – for birthdays, or new hires, or met quotas, etc.

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29. Get other employees to share a “what I appreciate about _______” sentence, and then frame and sign it as a gift.

30.  Call a meeting and have everyone give a 30 second standing ovation to the person whose efforts or accomplishments you want to recognize.

31.  Contribute to THEIR cause, and make a donation or participate in a worthwhile charity that they care about.

32. Send flowers to them at their desk, compliments of the company.

33. Put together a scrapbook that clients can see as an “album of all-stars,” and publish one new page for each all-star employee behavior, including a picture and description of the achievement.

34. Play their favorite music at the office during lunch (or an entire day!)

35. Send a very formal summons to meet with a manager – then surprise them with your praise for their efforts and a picture to be included in a company-wide email.

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Doing it Right

While planning which of these 35 team appreciation ideas to use, keep in mind that if you think you provide enough recognition, remember that you can always do more.

It is nearly impossible to say “thank you” enough or be specific enough about what the employee did to earn your recognition. Great leaders outlaw saying “good job,” and are always specific with their praise – so teammates both feel appreciated and are motivated to repeat that particular behavior again.

If you are looking for an even more fun and impactful event to thank your large office staff or to help prepare them for a challenging upcoming project, consider the impact that a day of laughter and lessons from a team building speaker could provide.

Team development is an ongoing process, and the toasts and rewards you choose to share will have a tremendous influence on your organization’s morale and motivation.

What other creative ideas would you suggest for team appreciation? I would love to hear your ideas!

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

———————–
Sean Glaze
Sean Glaze of Great Results Teambuilding
He Delivers Engaging Events that Transform Laughter into Lessons
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Filed under: Conflict Management, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Servant Leadership, Team Building Leadership | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

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