Wake Up! Leaders are Dreamers

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Dr. Bill Donahue

Leaders are Dreamers

Risky Dreams 

“The limitations you are willing to accept determine the boundaries of your existence.” ~ Erwin McManus, Wide Awake

As I reflect on what I learned a few years ago in Erwins’ book Wide Awake, I am challenged, prodded and provoked to live and think differently.

I wonder this:

  • “Am I living too safely?”
  • “Am I leading too plainly?”
  • “Am I willing to dream again—bigger, better, bolder?”

Remember: Great leaders are born out of great dreams.

I Have a Dream

Some of those “great dreams” emerge from a creative idea. Jeff Bezos, in 1992, was a SVP for the New York hedge fund D.E. Shaw when he dreamt of building a company that would sell books on the Internet. Ever heard of Amazon?

Others are stirred deeply by injustice. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman dreamed of freedom, battling slavery and racial oppression. It cost MLK his life.

Some dreams do that.

MADD as Hell

Not infrequently dreams are birthed in the midst of great tragedies. On May 3, 1980, Candy Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver in Fair Oaks, California.

Angered by the relatively light sentence the driver received for his recklessness, she launched Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) which raises awareness of the damage wrought when driving under the influence of alcohol.

McManus says “a dream needs a person to bring it to life.”

An isolated dream will only fester in the heart of one person and eventually die; and sometimes it takes the dreamer with it.

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Living the Dream

Dying dreams are as contagious as living ones. How many of us have buried dreams only to realize that we have placed a bit of ourselves in the ground? A dream must be shared, embodied and empowered for it to be life-giving.

Dreams are intensely communal.

McManus provocatively says:

How long you live does not reflect how well you live. The real question is, were you alive when you died?

I love that question! And I fear it.

  • What if my dream fails?
  • What if no one else is inspired by my burning desire to live the dream?
  • What if my dream is just an illusion, a momentary fit of grandiosity and self-indulgence?

Becoming a Dreamer

We need to focus our energy and rekindle the fires

McManus notes the word focus comes from the Latin word for “hearth” or “fireplace” and thus means “the burning center.” What is the burning center of my life? To find it I must carve away distractions, cut off the peripheral could-do for the more central must-do. But the “do” must be centered in the “be” – what I am becoming.

Before I have a dream am I becoming a dreamer?

That takes some time and effort. Focus seems like a luxury only a well-subsidized artist can afford—someone who’s paid to paint one portrait, not run around frantically splashing paint on every blank canvas, hoping for a quick a sale.

Can we make the changes needed to be real dreamers? Are we willing to make a focused effort?

Build the Core with Focus

McManus tells the story of therapy he received for a back injury – to work on his stomach. It seemed odd but he soon understood that “core training” was key to a healthy back. POW’s learned to do it so they’d remain strong enough for a potential escape, but not look so strong in the arms that they’d pose a threat.

We need to work on our “core” – core beliefs, practices and convictions; core mission, vision and strategy. FOCUS! But it is not easy or glamorous, so I settle for superficial solutions and neglect the core.

“I think a lot of us choose the opposite path,” McManus chides. “We do the tanning booth and the Botox and the collagen so we can look healthy on the outside, but we are really weak at the center.”

Admittedly, I am weaker at the center than I’d care to admit. And, as a result, my team is not as strong. Because core training is best when we do it together, like Navy Seals prepping for the mission of their lives.

So What’s a Leader to Do?

There are no quick steps. But here are some routines that will help leaders dream with focus and persistence.

1)     Shore up Relationships at Home (or friends)

My wife and daughter come first (my son’s out of the house now). Centered relationships will let you dream freely, knowing you are caring for the fires at home before you try to save the world.

2)     Spend Some Money

Dreaming has a cost. I suggest 1-2 conferences or gatherings and books. I am in the process of ordering about 30-40 leadership resources for the coming months. This is a mix of biography, provocative thinkers, life shapers and students of culture, and personal growth materials. I need to hear other voices as I recalibrate my own.

3)     Do a Dreamers Inventory

What inspired you before? What are the roadblocks now? What gets you up in the morning and keeps you up at night? What can you do that others cannot do? What must be done? I live in these questions.

4)     Get Around Other Dreamers

Hanging out with I’m-building-the-dream-right-now-and-it-is-a-wild-ride kinds of people will light your fire and keep it burning. You know the type – upstart business leaders, creative teachers, provocative activists, church planters, artists without boundaries. (ESPECIALLY if they are not in your field!!!). I am doing it this week.

5)     Pull the Trigger

At some point you simply must act. I was recalling in my journal all the things I started in the last few years, some large, some small. Many “failed” or fizzled, or took an unexpected turn. Yes, I was frustrated, angry, disappointed, lost momentum, and almost threw in the towel. Actually, I did– but I picked up some new towels. I am not where I want to be – but I am moving!

 The real question is, “Were you alive when you died?”

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Dr. Bill Donahue
Dr. Bill Donahue is President of LeaderSync Group, Inc
Bill is a professor at TIU and a Leadership Speaker and Consultant
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Hey Leader: Whose Expectations Are You Trying to Meet?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Carlann Fergusson

Expectations

Sometimes, a question can strike you with such clarity that it remains with you for life.

The following question was posed to me early in my management career and is one that has provided deep insight up until this day:

“Whose expectations are you trying to meet?”

The Super Syndrome

After another exhausting week, I attended a community seminar based on the Superwoman Syndrome by Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz. this seminar’s topic referred to women holding themselves to unrealistic expectations to simultaneously be the best career women, mothers, spouses, community members , etc.

Today it could easily be the Superman & Superwoman Syndrome as advertising and media routinely throws images of being the best parent, partner, leader, global conscious servant, etc. Just look at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

If they can raise their kids, solve world issues, be block buster professionals and stand by each other why can’t we all?

Just forget that they are exhausted and have a few personal challenges.

Getting Really Real

Eventually Something Has to Give

At work everyone wants something from you: your boss, your peers, internal customers, external customers, the Board, the stockholders.

They all act as if “No” is not an option.

But in the real world, if you treat all their expectations as equal, then you will most certainly burn out and never meet many of your stated goals. The old adage “you can’t please everyone” is true.

If you try to meet everyone’s expectations at least one of those attempts will result in lower than anticipated quality and both of you won’t be feeling too great about the outcome.

If you can’t physically and mentally do it all, what is going to move to a lower priority? If you let your stakeholders define this for you, you will continue in the land of the tyranny of the urgent. Whatever is the next thing screaming for attention will get your time.

Gaining Real Focus

Stop the Spinning

If you are already spinning from the long list of things you supposedly “have to do,” then your response to my advice to take time to analyze your work is going to be “but I don’t have time.”

Which is more painful; making time to narrow your focus and be able to say “no” to some requests, or continuing to spin at the pace you are at?

In all likelihood if you continue without taking a more strategic view your pace of spinning will increase because the number of people asking you for support will increase. By always saying “yes” you have reinforced them and others that you will always be there to help regardless of the request.

You have essentially created your own problem.

Getting Real Results

Get Out the Pen and Paper

List all the activities you are doing and the ones you anticipate doing this year.

  • Which of these services, products, activities are essential to the company meeting it’s vision?
    • Which of these am I the sole source for (no one else in the company can provide this)?
  • Which activities, products, services are not related to the vision?
    • What drives me to provide each of these activities, products or services?
    • What could happen if I stopped providing these?
      • What would really happen if I stopped providing these (75%+ confidence that it would occur)?
    • What could I, my key stakeholders and my company gain if I stopped these activities?
      • Which of these gains are of higher value than the activity itself?  (this will serve as your compelling reason to stop offering this service or support)

Gaining Real Perspective

Letting Go

If you are still reluctant to take something off your plate that is not of high value, ask yourself these questions:

  • What personal need(s) does providing this service or activity fulfill?
  • What makes this need so compelling for me?
  • Is there another way to fulfill this need with the more critical activities, products or services?

Here is a great example:

Jack is in a support function. He spends 2 hours each week in one of his key stakeholders staff meetings. He started attending to learn more about the stakeholder’s business and to be present in case some need related to his function was raised. Rarely does this need show up. He already has learned about his stakeholder’s business but he keeps attending for reasons of visibility, status and perceived customer service.

After doing the exercise he realizes that spending the 2 hours each week on the projects directly tied to the vision, will bring him greater visibility. He talks to the senior leader about his rationale for no longer attending and offers to sets up a 15-minute monthly check in meeting to ensure their needs are met.

Three months later, Jack’s increased quality and creativity on the strategic project is gaining him visibility at the executive level and meeting his personal desire for greater status.

Gaining Real Satisfaction

Expectations vs. Vision

Shifting from trying to meet everyone’s expectations to meeting the company’s vision and your personal vision will keep you a valued asset to the business and yourself.

Whenever someone asks you to do something, instead of immediately answering yes, respond that you need time to assess priority.

So how has this process, or something similar, or something different helped you to manage your time and energy? Have you changed to become more realistic in setting appropriate expectations? What can you do in the future to better examine your personal set of expectations and use that model to better understand and help others? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Carlann Fergusson

Carlann Fergusson is owner at Propel Forward LLC
She provides seminars and consulting on Strategic Leadership Challenges
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Leaders: The Importance of Rewarding Your Employees Regularly

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Robert Cordray

Rewards

Anyone who has built a successful business knows that at the core of a well-run company is a good workforce.

However, creating one of those can be somewhat of a challenge.

On Hiring and Performance

Collecting good resumes and having a stringent interview process goes only so far. You might have a set of employees with excellent qualifications, but all of this means nothing if you are not getting their best out them.

Employees rewards programs might not seem like something that you want to have to deal with, but there is strong evidence that indicates the benefits may be greater than you realize.

Building a Corporate Culture

Rewarding your employees with things like service awards is about more than just motivation. Anyone who is working at your company is there to do a job, and get paid.

But how can you transform this into a group of people who are passionate about their job, and more importantly, the company for whom they work?

Creating a community within your company does more than just improve the mood in the office. When people feel more connected to the with whom they work, and the company that employs them, they are more likely to excel at their tasks, and give their all at the office.

A good corporate culture not only increases productivity, but it helps with employee retention, and improves a company’s image.

Increased Productivity

Even if it the corporate culture is still a work in progress, rewards will produce immediate results. There are a couple of ways in which you can introduce employee incentives.

The most important thing to remember is that you want to do something that will help to increase productivity, while not letting employees get distracted from their work.

One way to do this is to create a company-wide competition.

You can base it on results or, if you want it to be more relaxed, something fun like a weight-loss competition or a March Madness sweepstakes. The benefits of such competitions are two-fold. They help to mold that company culture that you are looking for, but they also motivate people to produce better results.

Another employee incentive can be to give people service awards for good work. If people remember that their hard work was rewarded in the past, they are more likely to repeat their actions in the future.

Good Publicity for Your Company

Social networking site LinkedIn recently gave each of their employees an iPad Mini, something that was well publicized both on news sites and on social media.

Word of generosity spreads fast, and generates free PR for a company, which provides more business for you, plus a greater pool of willing applicants for you to hire. Obviously it is unrealistic to give out free iPads regularly, but there are ways that you can recognize your employees publicly using resources such as social media.

For example, a picture of a person holding their award for Employee of the Month will fast spread through social channels.

Fostering a Community

We are long past the Ebenezer Scrooge way of managing our employees.

The boss is no longer the enemy.

A company is a community, and it must be so in order to succeed. If you want to bring your company to the next level, consider a rewards program to improve your corporate culture.

So, what do you do to reward your employees? How often do you reward them? Or have you forgotten how or when to reward them? And how’s that working for you? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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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
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Sowing the Seeds of Mutiny – The Lunacy of Just-In-Time Scheduling

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Anil Saxena

Acrobatic Employee

Every company wants to run a tight ship because it is important to make efficient use of resources and to schedule employees work hours to make sure that customers get the very best experience. 

But this mindset can go too far and begin to sink that tightly run ship…

Far too many organizations are pursuing this goal at the expense of their employees by employing a tactic called “resource optimization” or “just-in time scheduling.”

Just-in-Time, Out-of-Touch

Just in Time Scheduling , widely used in the service industry, results in last-minute schedule changes with employers even sending workers home after they arrive for work or asking them to stay beyond the end of their shift.

This practice is ridiculous, really.

Time and time again, managers and corporate planners put policies in place that are meant to boost numbers or cut down on overhead, but actually work much better to anger and alienate their employees.

Retail companies (Whole Foods and Container Store, among others) are notorious for this, rotating their employees’ schedules to meet customer demand, and inadvertently disrupting their personal lives in the process.

The flexing schedule is meant to keep costs down and provide improved service for customers, but instead creates resentment among workers who can’t plan other responsibilities around an unpredictable schedule.

Bad for Business

Employee MutinyIt sounds great in a corporate board to utilize employees or resources only when they are needed. That is not to say employee scheduling should not be managed or maybe even automated – that would be naive.

But scheduling employees to open the store one day and close the store the very next day is not only bad for them, but also bad for business.  Employees who don’t feel like they have some control over their time can leave work feeling left out, in the dark, and like they have no control of their lives outside of work.

If employees feel like they are getting the runaround from management, or that their interests are secondary to profit, the only outcome is reduced job satisfaction and plummeting morale.

If the ship metaphor holds, these are grounds for mutiny.

Righting the Ship

Little by little, managers and corporate policy-makers are starting to understand the importance of happy, engaged employees – according to Vineet Nair in his recent book Employees Come First, Customer Come Second:

“If you do not put the employee first – if the business of management and managers is not to put the employee first – there is no way you can get the customer first.”

Plenty of companies are still out there making decisions based on dollar signs instead of their employees’ best interests. If only they understood that if they put their staff members first, necessities like efficiency, teamwork, and great customer service improve naturally!

Until companies realize that personally invested, contented employees are their greatest asset, there will continue to be this kind of poor decision making that keeps workers and managers at odds, hurting the productivity of the business at every level and sowing the seeds of mutiny.

What good is a captain without the support of his crew?

So, how are you managing the scheduling for your employees that works best for everyone involved? How can you work to keep the right balance of employee engagement with profitably and productivity and avoid a mutiny? How close are YOU to irritating your people to where they make YOU “walk the plank?” I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Anil Saxena
Anil Saxena is a President & Senior Consultant Cube 214 Consulting
He helps organizations create environments that generate repeatable superior results
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog | (847) 212-0701

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Leadership Transparency: When the Unexpected Happens

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Cheryl Dilley

Hiding Under Desk

It is human nature to create our own reason to a problem when something unexpected happens and when we don’t know the true answer.  It is a survival instinct to explain the unexplained and to provide purpose to the unknown.

And when leaders don’t realize this human tendency, it can really damage morale and productivity in the workplace.

Understanding Leadership Roles

A few months ago I had a conversation on leadership capabilities with a General Manager that I have known for most of his career.  We discussed the different challenges for leaders depending on what type of organization they head.  I wanted to get his perspective on the differences he observed in leading his current organization versus leading the mainstream business.

When I mentioned a colleague’s recent move to lead a “turnaround” organization because the previous leader failed, he questioned my premise.

He defended the other leader and the organization.

  • He was adamant that the previous manager was a great leader
  • He insisted that the change was not a result of  any mistakes
  • He also argued that the organization was not in trouble

Getting to the Truth

But my colleague was uninformed and incorrect. He was just plain wrong. And I thought that he needed to know the truth. So having insight into the organization in question and having a long time relationship with this GM, I spent some time with my colleague and gave him the truth.

I was up front and told him that many people simply didn’t know the truth about the situation. And without enough communication on the subject matter, the reason for the leadership changes would probably not be clear to those who worked for the replaced leader. My friend who worked there simply believed something different than what actually took place because he didn’t have the facts.

So in communication the truth, my honesty provided a new perspective to this leader and he thanked me for giving him a new lens on being transparent.

When something unexpected happens and leaders don’t communicate enough, followers will make up their own story which may not paint the right picture.  The leader may think they have provided what’s needed but a high level statement will not be sufficient if it does not contain enough “why.”

A Little Closer to Home

I serve on the Board of Directors of my Home Owners Association.  I could write a new reality show on the drama that exists in a community that appears from the outside to be a beautiful paradise.

I have learned that this is not uncommon in large communities.  Who knew?

Due to different circumstances during my tenure, we have had a lot of turnover on the Board and with the Association Manager.  In most circumstances, the board was not able to disclose the reason for the departures without legal risk.

I recently got to know one of my neighbors with a great network within the community.  She told me the various rumors that were circulating on the different departures.  I could not believe my ears.  The stories were so far from the truth, it floored me.

I asked her “how do people make this stuff up?”

When information is lacking, people will create their own version of what they believe to be the truth.  The more distrust in the leader, the more harmful the story.

Impacting Morale and Results

I recently had lunch with a colleague who works for a small company in the Midwest.  She shared an unfortunate example of lack of transparency and the impact.

The CEO of her company unexpectedly announced her departure.

The CEO’s statement followed by a scarce press release from PR created a whirlwind of water cooler talk filled with employees speculating if they should bail ship.  Stories being conjured up included lack of faith in the company, indiscretions, political aspirations, health issues and so on.

It has negatively impacted morale and productivity in a time where the company can’t afford to pause.

My colleague’s concern was that the true reason may never be known which could unintentionally shake the foundation of bench leaders or cause the company to go under.

A Better Way To Lead: Use Wisdom and Truth

Here are a few questions that can point to a better way to handle things:

  • Leaders need to consider when something unexpected happens, how much can and needs to be disclosed?
  • What do employees need in order to have trust?
  • How can a leader turn concern into contentment and acceptance?
  • If legal risks or confidentiality prevent details from being disclosed, what CAN be communicated?

Shortly after one of our Association Managers left unexpectedly and an angry crowd showed up at the board meeting demanding to bring her back, we disclosed that due to risk of litigation, we couldn’t provide details.

Amazingly the noise stopped!

We didn’t have to disclose the details, we just had to provide the “why”.

Have you experienced a leader being transparent in a rough situation that resulted in unexpected success?  What examples do you have of leaders not being transparent and the consequences?

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Cheryl Dilley
Cheryl Dilley is a Program Director at Intel Corporation
She is a transformation leader, coach, and program strategist
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Leaders: You Can’t NOT Communicate!

Posted on July 6, 2012 by David Grossman

Communication

There are very few things in this world that are neutral.

Consider a gift that is carefully wrapped with special wrapping paper and decorative bows. It says something nice about the thought, the meaning, and the care taken in presenting that gift to someone special.

It communicates something very different than a plain brown paper grocery bag simply stapled shut with no decoration or creative flair. 

So either way the package is wrapped, it is projecting something about the person giving the gift. And it is saying it out loud.

Your Impressions

Similarly, everything you do, and everything you say, communicates something. And, importantly, everything you don’t do, and everything you don’t say, communicates, too.

This is a reality for everyone in business and life. And it is important for people to understand this.

Yet for leaders, it’s even more critical because all eyes are on you.

Whether you like it or not, your employees, your leadership peers, and everyone else read into your actions.

  • Who do you talk to regularly?
  • Who don’t you talk to regularly?
  • Did you seem distracted in that meeting?
  • How do you spend your time?

Your actions are interpreted by others based on their own perceptions, experiences, and biases.

You can’t not communicate. So, shouldn’t you get better at it?

The Business of Communication

In business, the leaders that understand that their success often rests on their ability to communicate are those best able to get employees focused and moving in the right direction.

They do this to:

  • Build engagement and motivation
  • Get teams moving more quickly
  • Generate consistent, successful results from their reports

They generate business results by communicating strategically. And they do it well!

They are what I call Leader-Communicators.

Real Communicators

Real communication, with real meaning, can be a difference maker for leaders.

With it, you can:

You can inspire confidence in team members and offer advice. These are huge steps that can help enable a leader in strengthening the work of an individual contributor, and your entire team.

With communication, you can spur success in your company, and you can build a legacy by developing a new strategic direction. 

Communication can set you apart from everyone else:

It’s a bona fide superpower in today’s business world.

Becoming a Communication “Superhero”

Superhero LeaderSo, how can you get this superpower?

Despite how difficult it seems to communicate at times, and how much easier it might seem to say nothing and move along (>>>Warning>>> Remember not communicating actually is communicating), becoming a communication superhero is easier that you might think.

As with anything though, perfect practice makes perfect.

Greats like Picasso, Michael Jordan, the Beatles, and Wayne Gretzky all spent years learning, practicing, and honing their skills.

They didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be great.

The best business leaders do the same thing – learning about new ways to tackle issues, reading about the lessons of others, and continually improving.

Great speakers learn the basics, and practice in front of mirrors and friends before moving crowds with their words.

Have faith. With practice, I know you can be a communication superhero.

So, now that you know you can’t not communicate, take a step back. What is it you’re actually communicating today? What’s the first step can you take right now to improve the way you communicate?

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David Grossman
David Grossman is Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group
He is a much sought-after Consultant, Speaker, and Executive Coach 
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Leaders: Steps to Making an Ethical Decision

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Frank Bucaro,CSP, CPAE

Moral Development and Leadership? What a concept!

We all make decisions constantly. We decide what to wear, what to eat, whether to answer the phone, which route to take to work, and so on.

We’re used to making decisions. But the really tough decisions are those where there’s right and wrong on both sides, or where our decisions may cause pain to another individual or to ourselves.

Understanding Decision Making

Right and Wrong

It’s important, first, to understand just how we make decisions, and second, to have a method of evaluating things so we can make the tough choices with a clearer mind and easier heart.

So, how are we conditioned to make decisions?


Jean Piaget, a Swiss child psychologist, studied the ways children make decisions, and constructed a theory of what he called the “stages of moral development.” Later another psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg elaborated on Piaget’s theory and applied it to adult decision-making as well.

This work states that, as we go through life, our decisions are based upon different factors, arranged in a logical progression.

Stage 1

The first stage is through the threat of punishment.

That’s how a lot of us were raised growing up: “If you don’t clean your room, you can’t go to the party.” Punishment deals with fear and external motivation—not a very high place from which to make a decision, and certainly not a way to run a business or corporation.

Stage 2

The second stage is with reward.

“If you clean your room, I’ll buy you that jacket you want.” This is how we turn our kids into capitalists. Reward is great motivation, but unless you want to be held hostage by constant demands, it’s not effective. If your kids or any of your employees ask you, or imply this attitude of: “If I do that what will you give me?” you know they’re motivated only by reward.

Stage 3

The third stage is the concept of good and bad.

You’re a good employee if you do this, a bad employee if you do that. However, the terms “good” and “bad” are relative; they mean the person doing the speaking is making a value judgment. If I call my employee “good,” what I’m really saying is, “You did what I wanted you to do.”

But does that necessarily mean that the employee sees it in the exact same way?

No. He or she could be saying inside, “Boy, that was a stupid way to get that done,” or “Gee, that wasn’t the kind of service I wanted.”

Stage 4

The fourth stage is rules and regulations.

Did you ever hear your parents say, “As long as you live in this house, you’ll do the dishes” or “take out the garbage” or some other list of chores? Every business also has rules and regulations for its employees’ behavior.

We all have to live with rules and regulations.

However, what’s directing our choices in all of these cases—punishment, reward, good and bad, rules and regulations? It is all based on external forces. We’re deciding based upon what other people are telling us, not what we’re telling ourselves.

Stage 5

The fifth stage is choice and commitment.

As you grew up, you began to make more and more choices for yourself, right? You chose the courses you took in school, whether to go to college, what you majored in, where to live, who to date. You chose and then committed to that choice.

Whether it’s the kind of peanut butter you buy or the job you take, choice and commitment form the basis of most adult decisions.

Stage 6

The sixth stage is internalization.

You become what your choices are. You are a doctor, or a cop, or a secretary. You’re married or single. And the great thing is, you can continue to evolve based upon your choices every minute. None of us are truly stuck in what we are because we’re constantly evolving, constantly becoming something different and hopefully better. Becoming is the essence of living—you only stop becoming when they put dirt on your face.

We need to be operating from the highest possible level of decision-making, where we have internalized the ethics and values that are important to us and we allow ourselves to evolve as human beings, managers, workers, parents, spouses, and children.

These stages of development are extremely useful when we examine our decisions from an ethical perspective. The first step is to identify your own level of decision-making. It’s an important question, because you cannot lead people beyond where you are. The goal is for you and your associates to make decisions based upon choice, commitment, and internalization.

You want to choose and commit to the values of your company, and internalize those values so completely that there is no question about the appropriate response in any situation.

Understanding the Stages

How can you tell where people are on this scale? If someone is working on levels one through four, they will use the phrase, “What do I have to do?”

If they’re operating on levels five and six, they will be using the phrase, “What can I do?”

Your people will tell you where they are.

It’s your job as the leader to empower them to move to a different stage, to a different level of relating and motivation, but only if you are on the level you want your people to function on.

Therefore the onus is on the leader to be able to discern not only where your people are on these “stages” but more importantly the “stage” you’re on, as a leader, because you cannot lead beyond the stage your on.

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——————–
Frank Bucaro is President at Frank C. Bucaro and Associates, Inc.
He is leading the crusade for ethics in business and leadership
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Image Sources: illustrationsource.com, freepictures.in

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