Posted on July 18, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Effective Leaders treat others the way they would like to be treated. They are individuals who have:
1. The ability to accept people as they presently are, not just as the leader would like them to be. Though effective leaders see the potential in their people – and encourage movement toward that potential – they are careful to also show love and acceptance now. Sometimes it is easier to see the future potential in someone than to show them acceptance today.
2. The capacity to approach relationships in terms of the present rather than the past. They do not allow past deficiencies skew an accurate assessment of the facts today.
3. The ability to give people they work with at least the same level of courtesy, and kind attention, that they extend to strangers and friendly acquaintances.
4. The ability to put their trust in others, especially when delegating a task that involves significant risk.
5. The ability, and inner confidence, to do without the constant approval and recognition of those around them.
Posted on July 06, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
The road to failure is paved wit
h many good intentions. Take a good look at the people you work with, and you'll find many Good Starters — individuals who want to succeed, and have promising ideas for how to make it happen.
...And then something happens. Somewhere along the way, they lose steam. They get bogged down with another project and start procrastinating or missing deadlines. Their projects take forever to finish - or never gets finished at all.
Does all this sound familiar? If you are guilty of being a Good Starter, but a lousy finisher — at work or in your personal life — you have a common problem.
More than anything else, becoming a "Great Finisher" is about staying motivated from a project's beginning to its end. Research has uncovered the reason why this can be so difficult - and a simple strategy to keep your motivation high.
University of Chicago psychologists Minjung Koo and Ayelet Fishbach examined how people pursuing goals were affected by focusing on either how far they had already come (to-date thinking) or what was left to be accomplished (to-go thinking). People routinely use both kinds of thinking to motivate themselves. A marathon runner may choose to think about the miles already traveled. A dieter who wants to lose 30 pounds may try to fight temptation by reminding themselves of the 10 pounds left to go.
Intuitively, both approaches have their appeal. But too much to-date thinking, focusing on what you've accomplished so far, can undermine your motivation to finish.
Koo and Fishbach's research consistently shows that when we are pursuing a goal, and ponder how far we've already come, we feel a premature sense of accomplishment - and begin to slack off.
Great Finishers force themselves to stay focused on the goal, and never congratulate themselves on a job half-done. Great managers create Great Finishers by reminding their employees to keep their eyes on the prize, and are careful to avoid giving effusive praise or rewards for hitting milestones "along the way." Encouragement is important, but to keep your team motivated, save the accolades for a job well — and completely — done.
(Revised from an article by Heidi Halvorson in the Harvard Business Review.)
Posted on June 27, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Most people prefer feelings of comfort and tranquility over the feelings that accompany change and innovation. This is true even for leaders. One way a leader will choose comfort – over the uneasy feelings associated with change – is by championing the value of “loyalty” within their ranks.
Loyalty is a big deal these days - and many times rightly so. But if a leader is not careful, the call for “loyalty” can subconsciously be used to create a wall of protection around a leader - that can make a leader blind to what is right, worthy, innovating, and truly possible.
Sometimes, to protect their comfort, Executives will put “loyalty” right up there with the values of “integrity,” “trust,” and “respect” in what they expect from subordinates – But is this always wise?
Many times this felt need for “loyalty” has nothing to do with loyalty to worthy goals or creative efforts – but is about being “loyal” to whatever the CEO wants, and nothing else. In this case, loyalty is a code word for a culture of obedience – not a culture of innovation and constructive discontent.
The truth is we are usually better served by behavior that many people would regard as discontented and disloyal – behavior that delivers unvarnished honesty about what is going right, and what is going wrong, in our leadership and companies – delivered straight and early, not in some watered down version at the eleventh hour.
As William Blake said, “Without contraries, there is no progression.” More friction in your leadership circle can fire up your company (and leadership) to become much more ingenious and constructive. So if someone offers a contrary opinion? Do you choose to be inspired by it – or do you get defensive?
Research has shown that in growing companies this “productive friction” is what often fuels periods of accelerated growth and strategic breakthroughs.
Challenge: Who under your leadership is offering “constructive discontent” that you are ignoring or discrediting? What are the positive merits of the feedback they have been sending your way?
Posted on June 10, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“Small seldom-seen habits have the power to drive us irresistibly toward a successful destiny.” – William James
It is fine to have positive thoughts about the future, but it is concrete actions that make the difference. The people who are most successful at achieving their dreams and goals are those who are actively moving toward them.
In addition, when a person transforms their actions into habits – they have then equipped themselves to make their success automatic. And... these daily habits do not need to take much time either.
One simple, yet critical habit is to set aside just 15 minutes… to devote about 15 minutes every day to focus on your goals by considering how your current actions are helping (or hindering) the achievment of your goals - and deciding what you can do to improve. Spend this time analyzing how you can better align your daily actions to where your want to go - both personally and professionally.
** So the challenge is this:
First, start spending 15 minutes each day thinking and analyzing your goals.
Second, implement new habits into your daily and weekly routine that will help you stay focused on, and move toward your goals. Some examples include:
• Before leaving for work each morning, start a habit of looking at your Day Calendar to pre-plan your day. Decide what you really need to do, and what can be delegated, or not done at all. In addition, pre-determine what specific steps you will accomplish that day to proactively move you toward one, or more, of your goals.
• Another critical habit could be to get up ½ hour earlier each day for physical fitness. Knowing that this habit will boost your energy and self-confidence.
• The habit of reviewing your day each night is another very useful discipline. A friend uses the following acronym as a guide to review his day. After he has put his kids to bed, he takes out his journal and writes down along one side of a page the letters B, A, G, E, L, S (spelling the word “bagels”). Alongside each letter he writes a one-sentence response to the question each letter represents. The acronym is as follows:
o B (Behavior) — What is my goal for tomorrow?
o A (Attitude) — How do I feel about yourself? (Write in the present tense)
o G (Major Goals) — What are the major goals I am presently focused on?
o E (Key Experiences) — What was the key experience of the day?
o L (Lesson Learned) — What were the lessons I learned today?
o S (Success) — What was the success of the day?
Taking time to complete this list each night will help to refocus your mind on how you are growing, and where your life is positively headed.
Challenge: Start spending 15 minutes each day doing… well, what was just described above.
Posted on June 01, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
There is a dynamic in organizations that may not be fair, but is very real. In fact, it is so real there is a theory to help explain it.
“Attribution Theory” can be used to explain the cognitive process by which a manger determines the reason for effective, or ineffective, performance of a subordinate – and then what to do about that performance.
Attribution Theory states that a Manager will attribute the major cause of good or poor performance to either something internal to the subordinate (lack of effort, ability, initiative, intellect,…) or to external issues beyond the subordinate’s control (forces in the economy, competitors, weather, technology,…)
Now here is the key thought… And it regards those who are in the leader’s inner circle – and those who are not.
Attribution Theory states that managers will tend to attribute effective performance to internal causes for those within the manager’s “inner-circle,” and attribute effective performance to external causes for those in the “outer-group” (or those not in the inner-circle of the leader/manager.) ** READ THIS AGAIN IF NEEDED…
And vice versa… That a leader will tend to attribute ineffective performance to external causes for those within their inner-circle, and attribute ineffective performance to internal causes for those subordinates not in their inner-circle.
** By the way, studies show that when hired, a person has about 90-120 days to gain access into the inner-circle of their leader – and in that time, if they have not been able to do so – they will most likely be forever regulated to the outer-circle.
So a few thoughts to consider:
1) If you are a leader, you need to be careful, fair, and systematic when evaluating a subordinate’s performance – regardless of personal friendships and loyalties.
2) If you are a subordinate, the impression you make in the first 90-120 days when working for a new leader/manager will likely dictate where you stand with that leader from then on out. Right or wrong – this dynamic is usually the case.
3) If you are a subordinate who has been working for a manager for some time – and you are not in their “inner-circle” – this is a reality you need to proactively deal with. This can be overcome, but it will not be easy. I will leave it to you do some reading to figure that out.
Posted on May 20, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
In my consulting work I find organizations where there is a high level of excitement, enthusiasm and positive energy; and other organizations where employees just seem to be hanging on till the next pay day.
One difference I have found in an organization with a positive and energized culture is they have leaders who are willing (and able) to powerfully engage their people, who carefully listen, pay attention, and remain in an authentic learning posture. This type of leader engages and energizes their organizations much more redily than leaders who are just good at thinking "strategically."
This type of engaging leadership takes courage. It takes courage to step down from the “I am right and know the way” pedestal, to a true “partnership” mindset. Where a leader is willing to authentically engage their co-workers… learn from those around them… rather than just prove they are right.
A courageous leader is careful to balance the “head” of leadership (the analytical, strategic, process driven, thinking part of being a leader) with the “heart” of leadership (the relational, heroic, loving and sheparding part of being a leader.)
Fundamentally, there are 3 qualities reflect the “heart” side of leadership:
1) Honest Self Awareness
2) Sincere Enthusiasm
3) Compelling Courage
As I coach executives and leaders, I usually start with self-awareness – and then move onto increasing enthusiasm, and then finally the strengthening of courage as they lead the way. Results of courage in a leader include:
At the personal level: Integrity, Innovation, Intuition, Balance
At the interpersonal level: Seeing others with fresh eyes, Development of trust, Artful delegation
At the organizational level: Effective decision making, Standing up for the truth, The formation of compelling futures
Posted on May 10, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Life is a series of sales calls. Every day at work and in social settings, people – especially leaders – sell themselves. So it is wise for a leader to consider how well they are “selling” themselves on a daily basis.
One needs to consider how they are selling themselves on a daily basis because most sales transactions are not made in the first contact. Multiple contacts are needed. Thus, not only first impressions, but a leader’s multiple impressions – over time – are what provide lasting value.
** President Lyndon Johnson had the following list of behaviors that he wanted his life to reflect as he “sold” himself to the nation – and sought success both personally, and in his Presidency.
In his own words, here are JBJ’s rules:
1) Remember names.
2) Be comfortable. Be an old-shoe kind of an individual.
3) Acquire the quality of relaxed easygoing, so that things do not ruffle you.
4) Don’t be egotistical.
5) Cultivate the quality of being interesting.
6) Study to get the “scratchy” elements out of your personality.
7) Sincerely attempt to heal every misunderstanding you have had or now have.
8) Practice liking people until you learn to do so genuinely.
9) Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulations.
10) Give spiritual strength to people, and they will give genuine affection to you.
Posted on April 26, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“Still trembling, Ordinary picked up his suitcase, turned his back on Familiar, and walked to the sign. And even though his fear kept growing, he shut his eyes and took a big step forward – right through the invisible Wall of Fear.
And there he made a surprising discovery.
On the other side of that single step – the exact one Ordinary didn’t think he could take – he found that he had broken through his Comfort Zone.”
(From the book “The Dream Giver” – Bruce Wilkinson)
John Ortberg writes, “My story, like every human story, is, at least in part, the struggle between faith and fear.” Robert Kiyosaki states, “We all have tremendous potential and gifts. Yet, the one thing that holds all of us back in some degree is self-doubt… It is excessive fear and self-doubt that are the greatest detractors of personal genius.” Our fears can make cowards of us all. Fears conquered make heroes of us all!
“Everything we want is on the other side of fear.”
Many of the most enriching experiences in life will follow a time when we choose to walk through a specific fear, yet some people will do almost anything to avoid their fears. But all successful people have been willing to take a chance. They are willing to take a step of faith, trust their intuition and simply “go for it” in life.
In his book “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat” John Ortberg asks, “What do you guess is the most common command found in the Bible?” Surprisingly, it is not to be more loving, nor to be more giving, to avoid pride, or to serve others. The most common command found in Scripture is to “Fear Not.” Don’t be afraid. Instead, God instructs us to be “strong and courageous.”
Fear is the primary reason why many individuals do not reach their potential, or live out their dreams. Fear prevents one person from the commitment of marriage. For another, the fear of financial failure prevents them from starting a business. And yet another person may never make a career change because they fear leaving the security of their current position. Fears paralyze our potential!
Pursuing our dreams & potential will always demand we step through our fears. Our dreams will require us to take steps that lead us outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown. Like when a person chooses to skydive for the first time, we must be ready to courageously step through our fears so we can experience the exhilaration of falling through the sky all by our self – riding on the winds of your dream.
Challenge: What specific fear is preventing you from growing today?
Posted on April 19, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
It have been proven that "leadership development" is fundamentally about experience. Whether good or bad.
We learn from job changes, stretch assignments, people, and in a variety of other ways. And it the experiences that are the hardest – that we can learn the most from.
So when it comes to leadership, mistakes are good... if they are learned from. Here are 10 mistakes every leader should make - and then learn from:
1. Take too long to fire a problem performer. This is probably the number one regret seasoned executives express. They waited too long to take action on a poor performer. They kept their head in the sand in denial, thought they could perform a miracle and save the employee, or were aware of the problem - but just didn’t want to face it.
2. Putting too much emphasis on credentials and experience in a hiring decision - and not enough on personality and cultural fit.
3. Not having a vision. Without a clear and compelling vision, it is very hard for teams or organizations to have a clear sense of purpose, priority, or mission. Corporate actions will then revert to mundane, business as usual, reactive behaviors. Too many leaders drift from keeping the vision centered and in focus.
4. Not managing upwards. Many leaders operate under the assumption that “no news is good news”, or “my performance speaks for itself” when it comes to their relationship with their boss. It is important to keep your manager informed of your team’s accomplishments, and to build a solid relationship that can be leveraged when needed.
5. Overrelying on a few strengths and not paying attention to personal development. It is easy to continue to fall back to the same handful of strengths that got you to where you are. However, without continuous development, you will stop growing and fall behind.
6. Not listening. This is often a blind spot for leaders, and sometimes it takes a major screw-up to get them to realize it’s a problem.
7. Trying to be liked by everyone. Leading change usually means ruffling someone’s feathers. Being a leader requires developing a thick skin and being able to take the heat - without taking it personally.
8. Not asking for help. Driving around lost for hours because you’ve got too much pride to ask for directions might make a funny commercial, but as a leader, it can have disastrous consequences.
9. Ignoring your peers. Some leaders make the mistake of paying attention only to their boss and employees. The inability to build coalitions with fellow peers prevent that leader from getting the cooperation needed in order to solve cross-functional problems or complete needed change.
10. Not seeking, or being open to feedback. Leaders have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for them. Thus they need feedback. In addition, because they wield power over others - they are at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk - and not realizing it.
(Adapted from a blog by Dan McCarthy)
Posted on April 13, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
When it is time to search for the next leader, the following traits will help you spot leadership potential in an individual:
1. Does the person offer a constructive spirit of discontent? There is a big difference between constructive discontent and a critical spirit. If somebody says, "There's got to be a better way to do this." - I check to see if there is leadership potential by asking, "Have you thought about what that better way might be?" If the person does not have ideas - he is only being critical, not constructive. But if the person does have ideas - then they may have a constructive spirit of discontent. This is a trait found in good leaders - for people locked in the status quo can not lead others into the future.
2. Do they offer practical ideas? Highly original people are often not good leaders because they are unable to judge if their creative ideas are realistic – many times they are unable to distance themselves and discern if their idea will work, or won’t. Not everybody with creative ideas is a potential leader - leaders are able to identify which ideas are practical, and which are not.
3. Is anybody listening? Potential leaders have an "EF Hutton" quality about them. When they speak, people listen. When some people talk, nobody listens – yet others tend to draw a crowd. Take notice of an individual who naturally attracts the ear of others. These people have influence.
4. Do people respect them? Peer respect doesn't reveal leadership ability, but it can show character and personality. Maxey Jarmen said, "It is not important that people like you. But what is important is that they respect you. If they just like you, they still may not follow you. If they respect you, they'll follow you, even if they don't happen to like you."
5. Are they open to receive critical feedback? Potential leaders know that they (and their personal opinions) have blind spots. Even veteran leaders never see the entire picture accurately – thus they embrace feedback and the perspectives of others. They are coachable.
6. Do they maintain a learning posture? Potential leaders reflect an inherent posture for learning. In a world of constant change - are they intimidated by this change, or do they embrace it with a learning and discerning posture?
7. Do they get things done? Has this person shown the ability to see a task to completion?
** There are other traits found in emerging leaders - but these mark some major indicators…
