Have You Capped Your Potential?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Paul Andrew

11 Madison Avenue

There’s an unusual looking building I often walk past in New York at 11 Madison Avenue.

And it got me thinking recently…

All Base, No Stride

Today the stout-looking building in the picture above is home to Credit Suisse’s World Headquarters. Back in 1909 the Met Life Tower on the site was the tallest building in the world.

In the decades that followed, the enormous base of what was to be a record-breaking 100-story tower was constructed… but then the Great Depression hit.

As the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building soared to new heights, the decision was made to cap the Metropolitan Life North Building after finishing only the 32-story base of the planned tower. So here it stands today with the all the potential and foundations in place for a structure more than three times its final height.

11 Madison Avenue is a beautiful building inside, but it is not the tour map icon it would be if it had reached it’s potential.

I wonder if you have settled for reaching only a third of your potential as a leader? Have you capped your potential?

Are you stuck at 11 Madison Avenue?

Some People…

There are many reasons why leaders cap their potential.

Some fear failure and settle for achievement that’s comfortable.

Some suffer failure or disaster and don’t want to experience the pain again.

Some are plagued with self-doubt or insecurity.

Some dwarf their plans in tough times.

Some get jaded and lose that child-like faith that they can live a life worth noting.

I wonder what your real potential is?

I wonder what future plans are gathering dust and not gathering momentum?

I wonder. But you know.

——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York
Email | LinkedIn | Website | Blog | Twitter | +1 917 913 4598

Filed under: Coaching Corner, Future Leadership Issues, Leadership Assessments, Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Leading Change, Team Building Leadership | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Why Leadership Is A Tool

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Greg Githens
Leadership is a Tool

Getting stuff done within an organization requires resources, people, and planning. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes… not so much. In any case, it always requires leadership.

Something Easy

Easy ButtonSimple projects like finding out what office supplies need ordering and getting them into the stock room on the right shelf at the right time (and at the right price) is straight forward and relatively easy to carry out.

Assigning tasks to team members for small projects can be a bit harder than getting office supplies, but it is also relatively easy to carry out if one uses common sense.

But many things need to get done that are much more difficult to do. Some things seem nearly impossible.

Something Impossible

Mission ImpossibleImagine coming in to work on a Monday and finding out that you are in charge of opening up a new call center in Bangalore, India using a brand new ERP computer backbone; closing another call center in Mumbai, India due to some sort of government demand; and get all the computers in the Mumbai center through customs in the US and get them up and running on the new software system in the Austin, Texas office. And you have 21 days to do this.

In this scenario, you would need to get a serious plan in place and execute on that plan quickly. You need results and you need them now.

Executing Strategic Initiatives

A strategic initiative is an endeavor that aims to deliver benefits to important stakeholders. The outcome?  A transformed, higher-performing organization. I tell people, leadership is an essential element for transforming vision into results. I assert that:

“Leadership causes results.”

Think about the premises and propositions for that statement. As the following table shows, there is a linkage between leadership elements and organizational benefits. The left-hand column lists key elements of strategic initiatives, and the right column shows leadership attributes.

Strategic Initiatives involve:

Leadership Functions
Stretch goals that require creativity and innovation Inspiring others to bring out the best of people’s energies
Dealing with harsh, frightening threats and realities Showing courage: Bravery is needed to venture into the unknown. Truth telling is necessary revealing unpleasant information.
Working with vision, ill-defined problems, emerging opportunities, and other abstractions Helping people to overcome ambiguity and develop common mental models of vision, metrics, and methods.
Gaining the support of important stakeholders that are external to the organization Reaching out, listening, and promoting compelling ideas. Cultivating personal relationships and making promises
Accountability for results Modeling and expecting integrity
Different points of view about the nature of the problem and the solution Sharing and building values and ideals

As I watch executives, I see that some “use” the leadership functions listed in the right column more skillfully than others. There is a direct correlation between the skill in the listed function and the quality of the result achieved.

Stated differently, leadership could be considered a means to an end.

Your Opinion

Now to the next assertion and argument: Tools help in the performance of a task; they are also a means to an end. Therefore, if leadership is a means to an end, and tools are a means to an end, a provocative question is:

Is Leadership a Tool?

My short answer: Of course leadership is a tool. It helps in achieving the expected result. A person is more likely to achieve the intended results of a strategic initiative with leadership than without it.

My Perspective

My Myers-Briggs is ENTJ type, and I value competencies, capabilities, capacities, skills, and ingenuity as they relate to performance.  That’s just how I make sense of the world around me.

ENTJs are 5-12% of the population, and the other 8-95% of people would see leadership differently.

Other temperaments might see leadership in spiritual, nurturing, and sensible paradigms.  For instance, check out the course description for an executive course called The Soul of Leadership (Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business) declares that the learner will gain the “Understanding the soul as a confluence of contexts, meanings, relationships and archetypal themes.”

I can see that understanding relationships, context and meanings are important leadership ideals. But it doesn’t ignite my passions.

If I’m standing in front of the CEO, I’m sure that I want to talk about gaining results and not touchy-feely abstractions.

I want to get things done, and I want the tools that will help me.

So, do you think that calling leadership a tool soulless? Given a specific task or situation, can you choose to use or not use leadership? How would you get those computers in from Mumbai? i would love to hear your thoughts!

——————–
Greg Githens helps organizations turn vision into results.
He does this through coaching, seminars, speaking, and consulting.
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Blog | Web

Image Source: to55er.files.wordpress.com, starkgray.net, gallery.photo.net

Filed under: Leadership vs. Management, Leading Change, Practical Steps to Influence | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Confessions of a Leadership Coach

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Doug Ramsey

Leadership Confessions

Do we live in a professional world of magical thinking?

Consider this:

Our leaders reduce complex issues into sound bites and slogans.  We cheer and applaud as if something significant has occurred.  We anxiously execute change programs, performance improvements, training and development, coaching and other interventions with the highest of hopes and beliefs that we will develop better leaders and organizations.  And yet, nothing much changes, at least over the long-term.

We even offer transformational outcomes in our programs.  Wow could it get any better than that?

Raising Up Leaders?Very Happy Office People

As good professionals trying to deliver effective programs as organization and leadership developers and coaches, we continue believing we will make difference.  Our motives (for the most part) are honorable.  Our goals are noble.  Our efforts are sincere and the work is hard.  We’re motivated and dedicated professional helpers caught between the dog and the tree.

As survey after survey tells us that employees are miserable, cultures are unhealthy - even toxic, work environments are filled with fear, favoritism, abusive power and other types of dysfunctional leadership behaviors from incompetence to grossly unethical, greedy and self-serving behaviors.

There are criminals who are called great leaders before they are busted.  So while crime may not pay, it appears that slime does in many cases.

This begs the question for all of us who wear the developer/change agent brand;

  • Do we really know what we are doing?
  • Is leadership development some mythical idea that few of us have ever seen?
  • Or, are we all part of the great game of collusion and false agreement where each of us gets something positive (from an ego perspective) for playing our role cheerfully and enthusiastically?

As Sheldon Kopp reminds:

“By learning to pretend, I became the character I was miscast to be.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Some Serious Questions

Is Kopp talking about us?

So will the real Leadership Development gurus please stand up?

Or, just sit down so the game within the game can continue.

What is leadership?

Is it just another dumbed-down word for the qualities of whoever is in charge?

Or, is there something meaningful and valuable here?

We have all had good bosses/clients and bad bosses/clients.

So what?  The organizations considered many of them leaders some maybe even excellent leaders.

Is leadership just us filtering (biases and all) personality and behaviors to see who makes the cut by our personal standards and learning experiences?

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Trust Me

Really?

In my experience much of what passes as development is rooted in behaviorism and by design is partial and reductionistic.  I fall back and you catch me and now I trust you.  Really?

I build on your strengths and not your weaknesses (a Drucker idea in case you skipped the classics) and now you are motivated and fully engaged.  Really?

We have a conflict and with help, we “confront it.”  Now there’s no disagreement and we’re buds.  Really?

I want to be an HR consultant, coach or an OD practitioner.  I read a book or several, attend a seminar or school, buy a credential.  Now, I’m an expert and ready to help executive leaders wake up and grow up.  Really?

Is there any wonder that executives are skeptical about our profession?  Look how long it took Jack Welch to wake up.  If my remarks sound critical, please know that I am firmly in the boat with you.  And, I don’t like it!  I know we all work hard, most of us are lifelong learners, and we all try to honor the “first do no harm” rule.  But where’s the depth?

A Higher Calling

So maybe all I am suggesting is that we work harder to “get over ourselves” so that marketing higher order outcomes ceases to be an ego need as we seriously take up the practice of our profession.  Putting the “helper in a box” tools away for good.

Or, maybe the operating question is one that we were taught to ask repeatedly in evaluating our effectiveness as HR and OD practitioners, “whose needs are being served by our behavior?”  Peter Block reminds:

“If there is no transformation inside each of us, all the structural change in the world will have no impact on our institutions.”

What say you?

Bookmark Confessions of a Leadership Coach

——————–
Doug Ramsey is Managing Director at Designed Management, LLC
He helps with performance improvement, change mgmt consulting & coaching
Email | LinkedIn | Web

Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed under: Coaching Corner, Leadership Lessons Learned, Leadership vs. Management, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Leading Change, Organizational Health, Professional Development, Servant Leadership, Team Building Leadership | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Leading Below The Radar

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Ken Jones

Radar

As far as customers are concerned you are the company. This is not a burden, but the core of your job.  You hold in your hands the power to keep customers coming back – perhaps even to make or break the company.

~Unknown

Nothing Up My Sleeve…

As funds to purchase services have become more and more scarce, customers with dollars to spend expect to receive a high level of service from the companies they hire and the individuals they deal with.  Whether you are involved in direct sales, skilled trade services,  or professional services, your ability to develop relationships and retain customers is critical to your personal success as well as the success of your company.  If you are a service provider, you know that a great deal of work occurs behind the scenes, or “below the radar“, to adequately prepare yourself and your team for interactions with your customers.

My perspective on this topic is in the context of an Architectural design firm.  A lot happens in the time between client meetings to make an extremely complex process appear effortless.   It is not uncommon to spend hundreds of hours preparing for a 30 minute presentation to a client.  A successful design presentation must be inspiring, address a client’s immediate issues, acknowledge his or her previously expressed concerns and anticipate potential future challenges.  Preparation for a relatively brief customer interaction often involves weeks of analysis, research, creative problem solving and coordination with other design professionals.

In an Architecture firm, as is the case with many service providers, it is typical that a leader will be responsible for multiple projects with multiple clients.

Regardless of how many customers you have, each one should receive the quality of service that you would provide if he or she was your only customer.

This does not require a leader to be a superhero or a magician.  However, leaders in service industries must work to develop their “juggling” skills.  Multi-tasking and efficiency is key.  Organization and time management skills combined with the ability to instantly switch from one project to another at any point in the process are all critical to successful leadership below the radar.

I’m Just A Bill…

When I was a boy, my brothers and I would watch cartoons every Saturday morning.  During commercial breaks the station would occasionally broadcast short educational cartoons set to music called Schoolhouse Rock.  One of these songs described the process that occurs for a Bill to become a Law.  While I was too young to understand exactly what the song was about, I recall that it sounded very complicated.  Starting out as an idea introduced in congress, Bill gets reviewed, modified, reviewed again, passed from one committee to another,  voted on several times and eventually becomes a Law.

This is very similar to the design process that Architects and Engineers go through.  Clients hire us to manage a very complicated process so that it progresses seamlessly toward a desired outcome.  Sometimes we do such a good job of not exposing our clients to ”how the sausage is made” that they question if we’ve actually done enough work to be paid our fee.  However, this is the exception to the rule.  Most clients understand the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and are fine with not knowing all of the details of the process.  As one client told me not too long ago while we were leaving a meeting together,

I don’t need to know about transformers, voltages, circuits and wire gauges, that’s why I hired you.  I just want to flip the switch and have the lights come on.

Doctors, Attorneys, Accountants and other service providers all “lead below the radar” most of the time as well.   The end result is what is important to the customer and is typically what determines if the feedback will be negative or positive.  Did my Doctor help me get better, did my Attorney keep me out of prison, and did my Accountant show me how to pay less taxes?  At the end of the process, as long as the switch turns on the lights, everyone is generally satisfied.

Recalling the quote that I opened with, if you are the primary customer contact for your company, to the customer you are the company.  The quality of service you provide to your customers can often determine their opinion of your entire company.  It is a great responsibility to be entrusted with serving a customer and should be approached as such.  Every interaction will strengthen or weaken your relationship.  Peter Drucker said that “the purpose of business is to create and keep the customer.”  The work we do ”below the radar” is the preparation that will determine if we succeed at accomplishing this objective.

How do you prepare prior to meeting a customer?  Do you anticipate questions and issues that will come up at the meeting and arrive ready to provide solutions?  Do you communicate to your team the importance of the work they do ”below the radar” and how it relates to strengthening the company’s relationship with the customer?  Have you ever been in a meeting where someone was completely unprepared?  If so, what was the result?  How can you reinforce to your team the need to be thoroughly prepared before interacting with a customer?

Bookmark Leading Below The Radar

——————–
Ken Jones, AIA, LEED AP is a Vice President at Grimm + Parker Architects in MD
A service-focused leader, Ken helps create meaningful architecture + client  success
Email | LinkedIn | Web | My Blog

Image Sources: grimmandparker.com, faqs.org, stuffwelike.com

Filed under: Coaching Corner, Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Organizational Health, Professional Development, Servant Leadership | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Risk – The Tumbling Dice of Leadership

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Ken Jones

Oh, my, my, my, I’m the lone craps shooter, playin’ the field ev’ry night.  Baby… can’t stay…you got to roll me, and call me the tumblin’ dice.

~ The Rolling Stones, Tumbling Dice 1972

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

“New roller coming out” yelled the croupier as he slid five dice toward me.  The table was packed.  I was having a particularly good night and as a result had made thousands of dollars for my 15 new best friends.  “Let’s go Maryland, 7 or 11” a guy at the other end of the table said, referring to the University of Maryland shirt that I often wear when I have the chance to play craps.

Suddenly, the entire crowd started to chant “Maryland, Maryland, Maryland…”

We were on a cruise ship in the middle of the Gulf headed to Mexico and I was hitting my numbers each time it was my turn to roll the dice. If you don’t play the game called craps, the basic object is to throw your first roll of the dice, called the “come out roll,”and establish a “point” number.

Let’s say you roll an “8.” You then continue until you either roll another 8 and everyone wins, or you roll a 7 and everyone at the table loses. This is a VERY basic explanation.

There are hundreds of possible  side bets that can also be made during the course of a single roll, many of which I don’t really understand. I prefer to play using a simple strategy that gives me the best odds of success without taking too many unnecessary risks.

During this game, it occurred to me that this concept of “best odds of success” might be an interesting leadership topic.

Boxcars – Leadership Requires Risk Taking

Leaders cannot avoid taking risks. they should take risks. Ideally, the risks a leader takes are carefully calculated to position the organization for a successful outcome. In craps, there are “relatively safe” bets and there are “very risky” bets.

The level of risk has to do with the odds of winning vs the odds of losing.

For example, you could place a ten-dollar chip on double-sixes (also known as “Boxcars“) which pays 30 to 1.  But that is a one-roll bet, so you are betting that the very next roll will come up double-sixes. If not, you just lost your ten dollars. The odds of you winning that bet are 1 in 36, the most risky bet on the entire table.

Play the Table – Adapt to Changes

Leaders must be willing to take calculated risks and then adapt to any changes that result. One could argue that a leadership position will never be achieved without taking risks.

What risks are acceptable for the leaders of a company?

In craps, people will refer to the table as being “hot” or “cold” depending on whether most rollers are winning (hot) or if they are losing (cold.)  When the table is “hot,” people will tend to make higher risk, higher payout bets. As the table starts to “cool off,” lower risk bets are placed.

Likewise, during a robust economy, when there are more opportunities, it is acceptable to take greater risks. The impact of a single loss will be greatly offset by the many wins that are likely to occur.

In flush times, leaders can practice “offensive” leadership.

Examples of this are:

  • Focusing on future strategic initiatives
  • Aligning resource requirements with growth projections
  • Developing future leaders
  • Expanding market share

However, in a down economy, leaders tend to adapt their styles to more  “defensive” leadership.

Examples of this are:

  • Focusing on economic survival
  • Keeping existing customers
  • Maintaining quality levels
  • Holding on to market share
  • Taking on work that might have been overlooked in busier times.

As external circumstances change, the leader must be prepared to adapt the level of risk they can afford to take.

Do you know people who take unnecessary risks with your company’s  resources? Have you ever taken a calculated risk and had it pay off?  Do your team members know what types of risks are acceptable and which are not?  Would you practice the same approach to risk at home as you do at work?

Bookmark Risk – The Tumbling Dice of Leadership

——————–
 Ken Jones, AIA, LEED AP is a Vice President at Grimm + Parker Architects in MD
A service-focused leader, Ken helps create meaningful architecture + client  success
 Email | LinkedIn | Web | My Blog

Image Sources: 123RF.com,  ecpt.com, gambling-systems.com

Related articles by Zemanta
Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed under: Coaching Corner, Leadership Assessments, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Professional Development, Values Measurements | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Leading In The No Wake Zone

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Joe Colavito

CINAP  T’NOD

I took a deep breath and tried to process the name on the back of the boat in front of me. The letters were printed backward making them difficult to read.

Just seconds earlier, the truck towing this large boat had pulled out of the driveway onto Suwannee Dam Road, forcing me to slam on my breaks. We slowed from 40 miles an hour to zero in a matter of seconds, our seat belts keeping us glued to our seats.

DON’T PANIC … I suddenly realized what I had been reading. Quite an ironic name for that particular boat.

“Easy for him to say!” I blurted out. A quick glance in my rear view mirror confirmed that we narrowly missed getting rear-ended by the vehicle behind us.

The pick-up truck and the boat continued toward the intersection as I caught my breath. “That was the most dangerous, reckless, selfish driving maneuver I’ve ever seen!” I exclaimed to my wife Debbie.

“Absolutely clueless!” she replied.

Following this frightful episode, our reckless driver pulled another dangerous stunt. Without warning the truck swerved into the turning lane. The light was red and we had a few cars in front of us.  We had barely pulled up next to the truck when the driver suddenly cut across the intersection.

Left In The Wake

Unfortunately, his second reckless decision in less than a quarter-mile left a wake of destruction behind him. In order to avoid crashing into the side of the boat, the driver of the mini-van was forced to slam on his brakes.

“No!” shouted my wife. We watched in horror as the woman driving the SUV smashed into the mini-van crushing both vehicles.

True to the name on his boat, the driver of the pick up truck did not panic; nor did he stop. He just drove off to the lake, leaving the rest of us to sort out the details he left in his wake.

My wife and I could barely process what we had just seen, but the sequence of events was indelibly burned into our minds. I could see the two innocent victims introducing themselves in the center of the road in my rear view mirror.

We have to go back and be a witness, I said.  ”Otherwise, the police will blame that poor woman,” Debbie added.

By the time we turned around, got back to the scene of the accident twenty-five other cars were being directly impacted by the careless driver’s actions. The SUV was leaking fluid all over the road and the woman was in shock. “I’ve never been in an accident,” were her first words. “Please stay with me.”

Fortunately, neither the drivers nor the woman’s two young daughters who were sitting in the back seat were injured. The man looked at the fluid and said, “Internal damages. Looks like she blew a gasket.”

A Wave of Destruction

After the police took our statements, and informed us that “the owner of the boat would not be charged because he was not directly involved,” I nearly blew a gasket or two of my own. I was steaming!

Not directly involved. Are you kidding me? None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been involved.

On the way home, we couldn’t stop thinking about the owner of that boat and the injustice related to the entire scene. “Those poor people will now spend money and lose time fixing the damage he caused,” I said. “And the driver of the pick up truck will go on about his business, spending the day on the lake as if nothing had happened,” replied Debbie. “That’s just not right!” we agreed.

“I wonder if the captain of DON’T PANIC observes the rules in the NO WAKE ZONE on the lake,” I mumbled. Based upon the way he endangered the rest of us on Suwanee Dam Road I doubt it, I thought to myself.

Leading In the Zone

As leaders in our homes, communities, and businesses, what can we learn from this accident scene? How might the driver of the pick-up truck’s irresponsible actions influence us to act more responsibly?

At a minimum, this situation has caused me to think about the people I leave in my WAKE ZONE each day. When I drive by others on the road, are others positively or negatively impacted by my actions? Are they better or worse off than before I crossed their path?

While it occurred to me that others may admire an assertive leader with a DON’T PANIC mantra, what if the reason for that leader’s demeanor is based upon a reckless, clueless, and selfish approach to business and life?

Imagine how dangerous our daily commute and our daily interactions in the business world would be if every leader adopted a DON’T PANIC, JUST CALL A MECHANIC approach to achieving their own goals.

If left unchecked, what impact would this type of leader have in the workplace?

What if, instead of protecting his or her followers’ best interests, the leader only protected his or her best interest?

As my wife and I learned on Suwanee Dam Road, we can’t always rely upon laws or corporate policies to hold our leaders, ourselves, or our neighbors accountable. That’s why, as leaders, we must establish our own NO WAKE ZONE policies based upon our core values.

Bringing It Back Home

We must value others more than ourselves if we expect our teams to follow us safely down the road we’ve established for achieving the goals of the organization.

One final thought: If you happen to know the owner of DON’T PANIC please pass along this message: on behalf of those he left in his wake: DON’T PANIC, BUT WAKE UP AND CONSIDER OTHERS WITHIN YOUR WAKE ZONE, before your actions lead to more serious damage!

Do you know of a leader who doesn’t appear to care about the impact he or she is having on others? What if the “employees” who assume they are operating in a NO WAKE ZONE are actually in a high risk zone? What if their leader wouldn’t think twice about pulling out in front of them to take full credit for their work or cutting corners to achieve his or her own goals? What actions can you take at work to create a NO WAKE ZONE?

Bookmark Leading In The No Wake Zone

——————–
Joe Colavito is Vice President, Development and Delivery at Wells Real Estate Funds
He is an Inspirational Speaker, Storyteller, Author, and Coach
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Web | Blog

Edited by Ken Jones

Image Sources:  flickr.com, fotosearch.com, calininjury.com, photobucket.com,mizzenmast.com

Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed under: Coaching Corner, Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Life Balance, Servant Leadership, Team Building Leadership, Values Measurements | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Leadership By The Gallon, What Flavor This Month?

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Robert C. Varga

A Scoop of History:

Founded in the 1920s, Howard Johnson’s famously served up 28 ice cream flavors along America’s highway system. Baskin Robbins came along in the 1950s and upped the ante with its 31-derful flavors.

Over the years Ben & Jerry’s, Bruster’s, and others have joined the list of notable purveyors of the sweet treats, adding to the seemingly endless and senseless choices (including my new favorite flavor: Tooty Fruity Touch of Grey!)

Despite this explosion in choices, the penchant among Americans for the big three flavors has remained relatively constant over the years.

After adjusting for the curious popularity of Neapolitan (it’s the #3 bestseller in the grocery store,) the top three flavors in terms of U.S. ice cream consumption have remained relatively constant over the years: Vanilla (29%); Chocolate (15%); and Strawberry (6%). Despite endless alternatives, the big three account for over 50% of all ice cream consumed.

“Sprinkles” of Contrast:

  • To contrast the ice cream industry, have you observed the absence of a consistent leadership style among leaders?
  • If so, why so some leaders become like this?
  • Is the Flavor of the Month leader a positive or a negative development?

A “Cone” full of Answers:

My observation has been that most leaders switch their leadership messages frequently because they lack core-level confidence in their leadership style.

Perhaps the leaders who switch leadership messaging like it was the flavor of the month are not sure if they will be liked if they simply serve just “vanilla or chocolate.” Or, perhaps they are not sure if their team even likes vanilla or chocolate.  Or maybe they are not sure that vanilla or chocolate is as good as something as tantalizing as Peach-Fuzz-Ripple.

Not being 100% committed to their own message, ineffective leaders repeatedly switch among a multitude messages.  They are continually open to something new because of their lack of confidence in the tried-and-true. They get excited and hope the next flavor will do the trick.

This can result in a team hearing a variety of messages that end up undercutting constancy of understanding, purpose, and direction for the team’s efforts.

Then there are those leaders who believe constant change and a steady influx of new ideas is a vital part of leadership. Continuing education ranks high with these leaders and the Flavor of the Month fits the bill.

Also, the unchecked ego of the leader can also be at play in a Flavor of the Month organization. How many leaders do you know place events in motion merely to show their own knowledge of the subject?

How many Flavor of the Month leadership lessons have you observed simply because your boss read a new best-seller or attended a conference?

Did the Flavor relate to the organization’s needs? Was it as memorable as that Licorice-Mocha-Lime-Twist cone your leader double-dipped for you last month? Did it lead to more resistance or did it lay the foundation for positive change?

Or did the impact of the latest leadership flavor simply melt in the bowl and eventually turn sour?

The Banana “Split” – Positive or Negative?

As for the question “is Flavor of the Month leadership positive or negative,” I propose that most leaders are not effective enough to be constantly mixing and switching messages. Effective leaders understand the vital importance of patience and consistency.

This is not to say that new ideas and new directions are not valued in an organization, but leaders who constantly seek to impress with the Flavor of the Month do so by sacrificing the power and clarity of a consistent message. This is definitely a negative for organizations.

In advertising, the power of any message is its constancy repetition. Having worked in politics earlier my career, I became acutely aware of the importance of a clear, consistent, and repetitious message.

This is also true of organizational leaders.  We don’t have the luxury of constantly mixing our messages in a Flavor of the Month approach.

Leaders need to have the patience to stay on message. This is the best way to get the positive results your organization needs. Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry have been around for a long time. And for a good reason. Resist the urge to throw the tried-and true workhorses overboard every month merely because someone invented Granola-Melon-French-Fry-Delight and made it available to you.

“As for me…I’ll have vanilla. Oh, wait… make that a double, please.”

What “Leadership of the Month” approaches have you seen in the workplace?  Are there “trends” that many leaders are trying for the first time just because they are new?  Do you feel that frequently trying out new leadership ideas helps or hurts an organization?  As a leader, are you willing to live chocolate, sleep chocolate and consistently incorporate chocolate into your message? On the other hand, how have you been pleasantly surprised by a new flavor?

Bookmark Leadership By The Gallon, What Flavor This Month?

——————–
 Robert C. Varga is Executive In Residence at Kennesaw State University
He is a trusted adviser to chief executives and business owners
 Email | LinkedIn | Twitter

Image Sources: student.chula.ac.th, watchmojo.com, mentaljokes.com, bbs.chinadaily.com.cn


Filed under: Coaching Corner, Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Servant Leadership | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 37,791 other followers

%d bloggers like this: