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(17843, 260, '2010-11-11 07:00:56', '2010-11-11 13:00:56', 'Even if you haven\'t personally experienced the <a href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/16/business/la-fi-travel-briefcase16-2010jan16\" target=\"_blank\">financial changes in airline travel</a>, you have probably heard all the hoopla about the relatively new tariffs we are so blessed to have inherited with our travel itineraries. It seems that carrying our things around with us has become more expensive than it used to be.\n\nThis isn\'t exactly a new concept.We have been paying for baggage for generations; it\'s just being expressed differently as of late. None of us have had a perfect life. We\'ve experienced disappointments, we\'ve been raised by imperfect parents, and we\'ve been exposed to numerous (some more than others) events that had a negative impact on us. To assume that we are impervious to the effects of our less than perfect past is nothing more than ignorance and a bit of a pipe dream.\n\nIf we haven\'t purposefully addressed these things, they can have a detrimental effect on the quality of our life and our leadership. It can be quite easy to develop a feeling of being a victim and allow that to become an excuse (masquerading as a \"reason\") for our less-than productive behavior and choices. Many times we can be completely blind to this baggage and just wonder why we make the same mistakes over and over again. It can seem as if we have no control over these things.\n\nThis baggage doesn\'t have to be a part of our lives and, consequentially, our leadership. We are not chained to our baggage.  We have recourse.  We can check our baggage, just the same way we do at the airport. We \"set our bags down\" so we are able to do accomplish the necessary tasks. Our lives aren\'t any different.\n\nWe always have the option to set our baggage down and simply walk away. Sure we may need some support from other professionals, depending on the nature of our challenges, but the choice always rests with us.  To be the best leader we can be, we must make the choice to set down our personal baggage. We owe it to ourselves and those we\'re leading.  We must bring our personal best and leave our baggage behind.\n\nWhat choices do you need to make in order to leave your lingering baggage at home? What fees are you paying because you keep dragging your baggage with you on every trip?  What fees are being paid over and over by those you\'re leading?\n\nDo you have a success story of baggage you\'ve left behind?  Would you please share about the changes you\'ve made and how that has changed your influence and impact?  Comment below to help others eliminate their baggage fees.', 'There&#039;s a Fee for Those Bags', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'theres-a-fee-for-those-bags', '', '', '2010-11-11 07:00:56', '2010-11-11 13:00:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4230', 0, 'post', '', 24),
(17844, 243, '2010-11-13 07:00:02', '2010-11-13 13:00:02', 'On Monday, November 22, 2010 at 9 PM Eastern, 6 PM Pacific, let\'s assemble the community for an opportunity for members to share something for which what they\'re grateful.  The idea belongs to Connie Vallejo (<a title=\"Connie\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/cvallejo64\" target=\"_blank\">@cvallejo64)</a>.  Connie is a bundle of energy and excitement with an open Christian faith who is a member of the group and friend to many on Twitter.  She is thankful for many things including how social media and the Internet have given her an opportunity to be a blessing to families and children who are hurting.\n\nAnyway, Connie and I will host the radio show and we\'ll also have a tweet chat too using the #thankful hashtag.  Yes, I know that\'s a pretty common hashtag, but we\'re not trying to bring attention to ourselves.  We just want to give our friends and the people who see us the opportunity to express gratitude for something that\'s important to them.  Gratitude is a special attitude because it returns instant benefit.  It\'s very difficult to be grateful and discontent at the same time.\n\nSo join us for either the call by listening below, or calling in to <strong>(646) 721-9815</strong> or going on to Twitter using the hashtag #thankful and share what you\'re thankful for.  Let\'s swamp Twitter and the phone lines encourage people to express gratitude.\n\nI don\'t know a better way to make a positive difference.  Do you?\n\n<span style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<img style=\"visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;\" src=\"http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyODk*MTM5NDY5OTMmcHQ9MTI4OTQxMzk1MDc1MCZwPTQ1MDk3MiZkPTEyOTU2NCZnPTEmbz1lNjQwZmQ1MWJjNjQ*/ZTVmYTA2YjlmNzg*MjViODAwNg==.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" /><object id=\"1371403\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"210\" height=\"105\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"name\" value=\"1371403\" /><param name=\"quality\" value=\"high\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><param name=\"menu\" value=\"false\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fmikehenrysr%2Fplay_list.xml?show_id=1371403&amp;autostart=false&amp;bufferlength=5&amp;volume=80&amp;corner=rounded&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com//FlashPlayerCallback.aspx\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2fmikehenrysr%2fplay_list.xml?show_id=1371403&amp;autostart=false&amp;shuffle=false&amp;volume=80&amp;corner=rounded&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx&amp;width=215&amp;height=108\'\" /><embed id=\"1371403\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"210\" height=\"105\" src=\"http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fmikehenrysr%2Fplay_list.xml?show_id=1371403&amp;autostart=false&amp;bufferlength=5&amp;volume=80&amp;corner=rounded&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com//FlashPlayerCallback.aspx\" flashvars=\"file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2fmikehenrysr%2fplay_list.xml?show_id=1371403&amp;autostart=false&amp;shuffle=false&amp;volume=80&amp;corner=rounded&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx&amp;width=215&amp;height=108\'\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" menu=\"false\" wmode=\"transparent\" quality=\"high\" name=\"1371403\"></embed></object>\n</span>', 'LeadChange Gratitude Gathering', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadchange-gratitude-gathering', '', '', '2010-11-13 07:00:02', '2010-11-13 13:00:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4243', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(17845, 243, '2010-11-12 07:43:41', '2010-11-12 13:43:41', 'Each week Contributing Members of the Lead Change Group post articles to help build and edify the community.  Our goal is to apply character-based leadership to make a positive difference.  These people understand that the measure of a leader or a person is what they give, not what they get.  And they each gave some of themselves this week.\n\nTo appreciate that gift, I like to share a post from each of their blogs.  Please take a moment and read these posts if you haven\'t already and share this post with your friends to introduce our community and our contributors to the rest of the world.\n\nTristan Bishop\'s latest post on his <a href=\"http://knowledgebishop.com\">KnowledgeBishop\'s Mission</a> blog is about accountability and how the proliferation of information on the Internet is creating a new accountability.  The freedom of social media provides new information and new responsibilities.  Go check out his post titled <a title=\"The Age of Accountability on KnowledgeBishop\'s Mission\" href=\"http://knowledgebishop.com/2010/11/08/the-age-of-accountability/\" target=\"_self\">The Age of Accountability</a>.\n\nMike Myatt\'s latest post over at <a title=\"N2Growth Web Site\" href=\"http://n2growth.com\">N2Growth</a> is about Veteran\'s Day.  Mike spells out very clearly three different Tributes (actually a tribute, a rant and a leadership tutorial) regarding the holiday, our relationship with the military and the definition of quality leadership.  Go check out his post titled simply <a title=\"Veteran\'s Day at N2Growth Blog\" href=\"http://www.n2growth.com/blog/identifying-leaders/\">Veteran\'s Day</a>.\n\nWilliam Powell\'s latest post at his blog William Powell Coaching is about the US election.  Simply put, he talks about how the election process contradicts the very ideas we have for quality leadership.  Why elect people who run their campaigns in a way that reflect poor character?  It\'s a challenging post titled <a title=\"Election 2010: A Leadership Disaster\" href=\"http://www.theleadershipadvisor.com/blog/?p=165\">Election 2010: A Leadership Disaster</a>.\n\nFinally, our editor-in-chief, Jennifer Miller helped coordinate all of this great activity.  She\'s got a new post up at her blog, <a title=\"The People Equation\" href=\"http://people-equation.com/\">The People Equation</a> about how an interview with a rock musician triggered some serious thought and contemplation on the topic of trust in the workplace.  (Yep, that\'s right!) You need to read the great post titled <a title=\"Rock Opera and Trust\" href=\"http://people-equation.com/rock-opera-and-trust/\">Rock Opera and Trust.</a>\n\nNext week, if all goes according to plan, watch out for posts from Lead Change rock stars Erin Schreyer, Shawn Murphy and Mandy Vavrinak.  Be sure to check in, comment and share so we can help spread leadership revolution!\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/3244378\">© Ronen - Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Contributors Tribute November 12, 2010', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'contributors-tribute-november-12-2010', '', '', '2010-11-12 07:43:41', '2010-11-12 13:43:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4247', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17846, 243, '2010-11-15 06:09:18', '2010-11-15 12:09:18', '<p>Great leaders invest in people.  Investing in others creates margin and return.  We know the intrinsic benefit of helping someone who can\'t help us back.  Some call it serendipity, some call it luck and others call it divine intervention, but there is an equilibrium that occurs.  Investors create an asset, an account receivable, by putting value into others.  We all know this internally.  That\'s why we give to charities and to non-profits.  That\'s why we support causes.  We know it works that way.</p>\n<h3>Give More Than You Take</h3>\nBut most of us have areas where we tend to take more than we give.  Left to ourselves, we become paranoid and self-focused.  If there is no one else around to focus on, our nature tends to become more selfish.  There are exceptions, I know.  But in my experience with people I\'ve seen this over and over again.  Others expand our vision and our horizon.  Other people force us to think about something other than ourselves.\n<h3>Investing Builds Community</h3>\nThe act of investing in others builds community.  Community or common unity is a place where everyone is connected to each other by something more than geography.  When we understand the affect of our actions and when we have the attitude of creating our life rather than reacting to it, we become mutual investors.  A community of peers investing in one another is a joy.  You can\'t wait to be around those friends because they always invest in you.  But if you always go looking for them to invest in you, eventually they won\'t be there.  You must engage for the purpose of investing.  They will then be looking for you!  You make yourself and your community more valuable by giving yourself away, not by hoarding, reacting and consuming.\n<h3>Community of Investors = Culture</h3>\nAs a result, great leaders create a culture of leadership by their investment.  They model the behavior that builds relationships, and relationships fuel achievement.  Investors follow one another too.  People are challenged to invest by the investment of others.  Have you ever noticed how winning leaders attract winning leaders?  Great people are revealed by the investment of others.  Most of us need a hand up.  We need some help.  We need people to take some risk and invest in us.  Great people, and not-so-great people, are revealed by the investment.  You never know how truly great someone might be, until you invest.\n<blockquote>Great people are revealed by the investment of others.</blockquote>\nYou may know an exception, but how many truly self-made leaders are there these days?  Many people have challenged their environment, against tremendous odds, with little help or resources. But few would tell you they didn\'t need or want the help.  We all know the value of others investing in us.  We all know and want the investment.  Become the investor and apply that principle to discover the truly great around you.\n<h3>So What?</h3>\nWhere (or in whom) do you need to increase your investment?  Where are you becoming selfish and weak?  Where are you reacting more and inventing less?  Your investment may be as simple as a thank you, or as complex as a change in your lifestyle.  Don\'t let another day pass without examining your portfolio and adjusting your investments to create results.  Your community, your sphere of influence is counting on you!\n\n<a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-154260-learn-to-give.php\"></a>', 'Leaders Invest in People', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-invest-people', '', '', '2010-11-15 06:09:18', '2010-11-15 12:09:18', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4252', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(17847, 256, '2010-11-16 07:00:15', '2010-11-16 13:00:15', 'I spent most of last week with clients in New York City.  Wow, does that city move!!  There is always something going on; so much excitement to see and energy to feel!!  It’s a melting pot of people, interests, food and shopping – something for everyone, if you can find it amidst the crowds and activity.\n\nI feel like our world, in general, is in a big state of activity as well.  So many political and economic changes are driving companies to make adjustments.  Companies are reacting with changes in their workforce, service offerings and compensation…and employees are feeling the effects.\n\nDon’t get me wrong, change can certainly be a good thing.  Sometimes, it’s truly needed.  That said, change isn’t always easy for people to digest.  They tend to have an immediate and sometimes physical reaction to any announcement of change.  But the best companies will always adjust…and so change will be part of the equation.\n\nLeaders should be cognizant of the impact of change on their team and be ready to support people through the process.  Because the basic human need of feeling secure and valued is innate in all of us, leaders should be prepared to help nurture these emotions as change is occurring.\n\nI’ve started a list of things that leaders can be proactive in doing to help ensure a smooth transition for their employees.  What would you add to the list?\n\n<strong>Communicate the change effectively. </strong>This is critical to the success of <em>any</em> change.  A clear expectation must be set with as many details as can be provided (and then followed-through on!)  Leaders should be transparent…but that doesn’t mean they should disclose every single detail.  It means they should be authentic and honest, while they share as much as they can at the right times.\n\n<strong>Involve your team in change</strong>, when possible.  Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, “Change is a threat when done to me, but an opportunity when done by me.”  People want to play a part on what’s happening to their future.  Engage their expertise to guide the change and they will reward you by being more energized by it.\n\n<strong>Remain consistent in your core values</strong>.  While processes, procedures and services may be changing, your people need to see the stability of your core values.  This will help them to remain confident in what’s happening, even if all the questions can’t be answered.\n\n<strong>Share the vision and hope for the change</strong>.  This is what I often refer to as the “power of why.”  Most people are fairly purpose-driven.  They want affect change and have an impact, so it’s important to share the value and benefit of the change, as well as to help each person understand their role in that bigger picture.\n\n<strong>Be an obstacle-remover</strong>.  In times of change, more than ever, a leader must provide the right tools for success and remove obstacles that are impeding progress.  Leaders should encourage open communication and innovation.  They should also allow for graceful failures.  This is where great leadership will come through, as the true “rallying” of the team is what facilitate a smooth transition through change.\n\n<strong><em>What’s been your leadership experience in the midst of change?  Are you a great leader who has some additional ideas to share?  Or have you been led by someone who inspired everyone through a difficult transition?  Let’s all add to this list and develop a great resource we can all benefit from!!</em></strong>', 'Change is Good!  How’s Your Leadership in the Midst of It?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'change-is-good-hows-your-leadership-midst', '', '', '2010-11-16 07:00:15', '2010-11-16 13:00:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4259', 0, 'post', '', 68),
(17848, 243, '2010-11-18 16:33:43', '2010-11-18 22:33:43', '\"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.\" Theodore Roosevelt\n\nDo you ever feel as if you are lacking something?  One of the great passions as we become more global in our knowledge of others is comparison.  We seem to constantly focus on what we don\'t have or didn\'t get.  \"Someone is more gifted, more attractive, smarter, younger or wealthier than I.\"\n\nI am constantly reminded of my own tendency to compare myself to others with more when I want something but I compare myself to others who do less when it comes to obligation.  Tom\'s wealthier than I am but I give more to the church than Archie does.  Why don\'t I compare my giving to Tom\'s and my earnings to Archie?\n\nNotice how when you do that, you give your limitations authority over you.  They dictate your situation.  You have given them the ability to direct your focus to inactivity.  When you adopt President Roosevelt\'s attitude above, you reclaim the authority over your circumstances and your world.  You dictate the results; you transform yourself from victim to creator within the space between your ears.\n\nIn every instance there is a best thing we can do.  For Christians, I refer to that as the most-Godly response.  What is the most-Godly action I can take?  For anyone wanting to be successful, we must do the most-Roosevelt response; we must always do what we can with what we have, right where we are.  Rather than focus on the things we cannot do, giving them authority to make us a victim, we choose instead to focus on what we can do and we become a creator.\n<blockquote>Leaders don\'t make excuses. Leaders make a difference.</blockquote>\nAre you creating your future?  Care to offer some ideas or encouragement for others?  Don\'t just click away from this page.  Share an idea on how you will create your own future this week.  How will you do what you can, with what you have, right where you are?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\"><a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/19078419\">© Tatiana Belova - Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Leaders Act', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-act', '', '', '2010-11-18 16:33:43', '2010-11-18 22:33:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4263', 0, 'post', '', 44),
(17849, 248, '2010-11-17 09:39:07', '2010-11-17 15:39:07', 'As a leader, letting go of control over a situation or person takes practice and discipline. No matter if you are a leader of a formal group or one who emerged out of necessity, leadership fulfills the purpose of getting things done through others.  What I find absolutely intriguing is why some leaders are phenomenal at working with others to accomplish success, and some leave a wake of dead bodies behind them.  While there are many reasons successful leaders succeed, I want to focus on one thing specifically – mindfulness.\n\nFirst, let me define mindfulness.  It’s a person’s ability to vigilantly observe what is unfolding around him and remaining open to what is happening.  A mindful leader recognizes what is unfolding around him and can let go of control without much thought.\n\nMindfulness is about awareness of what is said and not said. What is done and not done. To cultivate mindfulness as a leader, you must be willing to get in tune with others.  This ability serves as a powerful way of being that can strengthen working relationships to the level of deep and lasting success.  Imagine working with someone or a group of people where your unspoken words speak as loud as your spoken words.  This is made possible because you are aware of each other’s presence, silence, and actions.  A successful leader doesn’t focus on letting go of control, but on responding to a situation based on the circumstances.\n\nSurely it takes skill to strengthen your mindfulness.  That skill relies heavily on observation. In a separate blog post, I shared <a href=\"http://achievedstrategies.com/blog/5-observations-managers-use-to-adjust-their-leadership-approach/\">5 observations </a>that are critical to cultivating mindfulness.  The mindful leaders I had the pleasure to work alongside also had these tremendous abilities:\n\n<strong>Constantly question your own worldview</strong>. Your worldview is how you make sense of the world shaped by your life experiences. Mindful leaders recognize the importance of challenging and letting new ideas become part of the lens through which they see the world.\n\n<strong>Surround yourself with opposites</strong>. Build relationships with a diverse mix of people who challenge how you think.  If you’re not a numbers guy, be sure you have a few in your inner circle.  If you’re a numbers guy, be sure to have creative, expressive people in your inner circle. Like-minded groups run the risk of mediocre results.\n\n<strong>Meditate or pray.</strong> Okay, I might turn a few of you off with this. Hear me out though.  One reason meditation or prayer is helpful is that it forces you to focus on other people.  It also forces you to slow down the pace of your life. Mindfulness is an outcome of either practice.\n\nCultivating mindfulness is a powerful way of building teams and causing results.  For leaders in our complex, dynamic world, you must also know when to find your neutral gear to more fully understand situations that require your input or decision. Mindfulness allows you to find \"neutral\" and then power back into fourth or fifth gear.\n\n<strong><em>What do you do to strengthen your ability in mindfulness?</em></strong>', 'The Mindful Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-mindful-leader', '', '', '2010-11-17 09:39:07', '2010-11-17 15:39:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4266', 0, 'post', '', 60),
(17850, 266, '2010-12-09 06:00:56', '2010-12-09 12:00:56', 'I have been running across the topic of judgment in my reading, and in conversations, with a number of people over the last several days.  When this type of thing happens repetitively, I know I need to spend some time thinking about the topic and how it applies to leadership.\n\nThe Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines judgment as the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing.\n\nJudgment in both forms, approval and disapproval, can suck the life right out of the person being judged.   As you move throughout your childhood, you often build walls around those parts of yourself that have been criticized, hiding the wholeness of who you are in an effort to gain approval from those you love.  You forget what it is like to take initiative and have a viewpoint.  You “go with the flow”, even when it creates dissonance within you to do so.  This behavior gets carried into adulthood, and often is the difference between success and failure, imitator/follower and visionary/ leader.\n\nHow, you ask, can approval be detrimental ?  It is true that it doesn’t hurt, at least not as much as criticism does.  But it can subtly destroy your ability to be who you really are.  Once you get a taste of that heady feeling you receive when you are praised for your behavior, you begin striving for more.  It becomes addictive.  You lose sight of your true value, and begin to create your personal value assessment based upon what others praise you for doing or being.\n\nApproval is not to be depended upon.  Just when you think you have it nailed, it can be taken away by the people you want most to receive it from – even yourself.  This striving requires an enormous amount of energy, taking away from your ability to be an authentic and valuable leader, at home or at work.\n\nDo you catch yourself considering the impression your words and behaviors create?  How your presentation affected your audience?  Do you engage in activities only to get approval?  Do you edit what you say – creating a chasm between your thoughts and the words you use – participating in conversation only to please others?  Sometimes these activities are so pervasive, you no longer know if you are in integrity with who you really are.\n\nThe challenge to becoming a truly great leader is in recognizing and loving the parts and pieces of who you are, and according the same to your co-workers and family, in all directions.   It means allowing everyone around you to share their thoughts and ideas, giving full measure to the dialogue that ensues.  It means developing trust in yourself to know the right thing to do and say in any situation, and trusting those around you to do the same.  It means living and leading from your strengths, gifts and values, and requesting that your co-workers and family do so as well.  It implies acceptance of the diversity of others, and gratitude for their insights.\n\nAs you begin to knock down the walls created by judgment you may find, as I have, that what I perceived to be my greatest weakness has turned out in the long run be my greatest strength.   Other things, of which I was proud, have proven to be among my greatest weaknesses.   I am thankful I have lived long enough to recognize these external and internal judgments, and to reap the benefits of my failures.\n\nWhat walls have you created due to self-judgment or the judgment of others?', 'Knocking Down Walls', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'knocking-down-walls', '', '', '2010-12-09 06:00:56', '2010-12-09 12:00:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4284', 0, 'post', '', 28),
(17851, 249, '2010-11-23 07:00:37', '2010-11-23 13:00:37', '<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>If you’re doing it for your business, it’s managing. </em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>If you’re doing it for your people, it’s leading.</em></p>\n<em> </em>\n\nWe would be hard pressed today to find many people complaining about being “over-led.” We would not however have to look very far to discover groups of people feeling as if they are “over-managed” on a daily basis. It seems amazing to me that after decades of discussion about the difference between managing and leading most companies today remain over-managed and under-led.\n\nMuch has been written regarding the differences between managing and leading. There is still an ever-shrinking minority that would say there is no difference, that it is just all semantics.  Most successful people however, followers and leaders alike, would say that without a doubt there is indeed a difference.\n\nWhat is the difference? Let’s begin by explaining what leadership is not. It is not about a great personality or striking charisma. While a great personality and a bit of charisma can certainly help a leader’s cause, they are not absolute requirements for a leader. Leadership is also not a replacement for management. Both leadership and management are essential for success and that is even truer in difficult business environments.  Finally, leadership is not a set of intangible skills that are hard to describe. Leadership skills are every bit as tangible as those of the most successful managers.\n\nManaging is about coping with the current. Good managers use processes and control systems to make certain things “run” as designed. Managers follow the plan.\n\nLeadership is about creating the “should-be.” The should-be comes straight out of vision casting and an insatiable desire to be better. Great leaders know that good enough never really is and they know that without a doubt; good is the certain enemy of great. Leaders develop the plan.\n\nManaging is about helping good people do well. Managers “assign” tasks to achieve planned for results.  Managers spend time with their people to ensure the tasks are accomplished. Managers organize their people according to the task in the hope that they succeed.\n\nLeadership is about helping good people become great. Leaders “delegate” tasks to help their people grow. Leaders invest time with their people to enable them to excel and surpass the requirements of the task. Leaders align their people according to their strengths to ensure that they succeed.\n\nWell-managed people and organizations can survive in tough times. Well-led people and organizations can <em>thrive</em> in tough times. Good organizations have people that excel as managers and people that excel as leaders. Great organizations have people that excel as managers <em>and</em> leaders.\n\nTrue success as a leader is only possible when we realize that what makes us a good manager will not make us a great leader. The most successful people have developed themselves in both areas. Have you?\n\nphoto credit: istockphoto.com © MorePixels', 'Managing or Leading', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'managing-or-leading', '', '', '2010-11-23 07:00:37', '2010-11-23 13:00:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4286', 0, 'post', '', 36),
(17852, 263, '2010-11-24 07:00:19', '2010-11-24 13:00:19', 'I love the way we talk leadership here. It always inspires me to read what others are saying, to hear the radio shows, to be in the presence of the Lead Change community. So here’s what I have been pondering lately. I hope we can continue to explore it together.\n\nConsider this: True leadership is not a position or even a role you take on. It is an everyday, creative, constructive practice where you become increasingly aware of how you influence others with your actions, the ideas you share, the vision you lay out. That perspective brings about a whole new set of questions.\n<h3>What would the practice entail?</h3>\nIf leaders get over themselves for a minute and take this on as a practice that can be expanded upon day by day their perspective might change radically. Into what they are doing in the now and how it is being received. Into what they can do to hone their leadership today. Into presence and awareness of what you are feeling, thinking, doing as a leader. Ask yourself the questions that allow you to explore the possibility of being a better leader for the practice you accumulated today. Instead of aiming for perfection and not showing weakness, leaders might lean towards vulnerability and welcoming feedback as ways of creating a learning environment for themselves to continuously improve. What ingredients would YOU add to your leadership mix if your intention were to practice leadership more and more?\n<h3>What elements should a leader revisit frequently to get better at what she does?</h3>\nWhen you are trying to be the perfect leader you want to be ahead of the bunch. Innovating. Leading to new heights, new depths, or totally new places. But when you are in the practice of leadership, you recognize the patterns. The way you come full circle and repeat the parts of the practice that you and your followers can still benefit from. Should you be questioning your assumptions? Could going back to the drawing board be the best way to move forward? Without the fear of losing the lead, a leader might find himself at ease with replenishing, revisiting, revising and re-energizing.\n<h3>What must a leader remain passionate about to become more and more effective in time?</h3>\nJust as with any practice, staying true to purpose helps. Why else would musicians repeat a passage of the score a zillion times? Why do YOU keep striving to lead? What makes you tick. If this is a practice it will require your determination, commitment and L-O-V-E. There! I have spelled it out. If you don’t LOVE leading, you probably won’t have what it takes to keep at it. Purposeful practice requires an ambition to thrive, to learn, to endlessly hone one’s skill and keep at it when it’s hard, easy, simple or difficult to see. There must be something else that moves you. Beyond the joy of being followed by others, or even seeing your vision take life. It must be in the practice itself. You become one of those rare individuals that are intrigued by setbacks, driven by puzzles, happy to put in the elbow grease and moments of frustration to continue on the path of a practicing leader.\n<blockquote>So what other questions come up for you - as a leader - when you think of what you do as a practice? Does it bring up new ideas/actions? Does it free you or make you feel unsure? Try it on for size. Then, let us know what you are thinking. Surely, we can lead change by shifting our point of view about leadership as a practice. I welcome your thoughts and look forward to joining in this conversation with you.</blockquote>', 'Leadership is a Practice', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-is-a-practice', '', '', '2010-11-24 07:00:19', '2010-11-24 13:00:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4288', 0, 'post', '', 44),
(17853, 280, '2010-11-26 06:41:48', '2010-11-26 12:41:48', 'Business leaders today face an often tough climate in which to succeed. The protracted recession has taken its toll. Where one might expect to find employees ‘grateful to have a job’, as one business owner I consulted with lately said (with a straight face, which I found disheartening), instead I talk to employees who are resentful, fearful and unwilling to do more than the minimum to get by. What is wrong?\n\nAfter speaking with dozens of leaders recently, (many of them entrepreneurs), my latest musing goes something like this: employers face a crisis of personal leadership. Businesses of all sizes are floundering, and responsibility lies in large measure not with the workers who have soldiered through the larger fiscal crisis, but with managers, who in many cases appear to be tone-deaf when it comes to what they are saying to employees. What these managers are missing is emotional intelligence – the ability, as author Daniel Goleman says<a href=\"#footnote1\">[1]</a>, “to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively.” (timeless thoughts really)\n\nWe talk a lot about emotional intelligence and leadership in the <a href=\"http://talentculture.com/\">TalentCulture Community</a> and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join forces with the community here at LeadChange to continue the conversation and connect with other valued leaders. I’d like to use this forum to explore the relationship between management styles, emotional intelligence, and a business’s financial and spiritual health. It turns out that management style can affect up to a third of a business’s financial performance; in difficult times, who can afford to ignore its impact?\n\nWhat is emotional intelligence? Goleman defines four ‘capabilities’: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skill. A manager with emotional intelligence may not manifest each of these capabilities at the same time, but should have the ability to switch among them as the needs of the business – and most especially its employees – require. Yet it’s shocking how few managers actually exhibit emotional intelligence. They may be geniuses at solving technical problems, inventors and entrepreneurs, but they lack the basic social skills a leader needs.\n\nOverlay these capabilities with management styles, and you begin to see how a manager with a low level of emotional intelligence can wreak havoc on the bottom line. A ‘coercive’ leader forces everyone to do things his or her way. In a crisis this management style may work, but only for a short time. An ‘authoritative’ leader shares a vision but lets employees find their own ways to make the vision work; this style is broadly useful. A ‘democratic’ leader builds common cause, but giving employees an equal voice in every decision may backfire. A ‘pacesetter’ drives people to perform to his or her high standards – fine if everyone can perform at a high level, a disaster if you have some B or C employees. Finally, a ‘coach’ focuses on personal development, great for employees but no guarantee work will get done.\n\nThe exciting magic happens when a manager is self-aware enough to switch between styles, and has acquired the social skills to communicate why he or she is doing so to employees.  My prescription for managers who may not be gifted with the emotional intelligence necessary to personal leadership is:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Observe how employees interact with you.</strong> Do they tell you what’s going on with their work? What’s their body language? Do they lean away or stand rooted in the doorway of your office? If so, you may need to work on your emotional self- awareness. Try to read the reactions of your employees to things you say and do; a heightened sense of self-awareness will make you more attuned to their needs, and better able to help you lead them. Employees will respond, and the business will benefit.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Manage your own behavior first.</strong> Many managers try to control others’ behavior by being coercive, manipulative or demanding. Control your impulses, take responsibility for your actions, and be adaptable. If you aren’t a responsible leader, don’t expect employees to shoulder the responsibility for making your business a success.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>It’s ok to be empathetic.</strong> Don’t resent your employees because they don’t seem to see what a great guy/woman you are: pay attention to the emotional tone of the workplace and the effectiveness of the organization will improve.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Work to be more social.</strong> Don’t sit in your office and expect everyone else to understand what the business needs. Talk about your vision for the company, listen for feedback and be prepared to change. It can be a lot of fun, really.</li>\n</ul>\nLet’s return to the relationship between emotional intelligence, personal leadership and fiscal performance. It’s clear that a tone-deaf leader, one who has abdicated personal leadership, will find his or her employees balky and resentful. That attitude will be communicated to customers and the business will suffer. But a manager who accepts the responsibilities of personal leadership – to be aware, emotionally connected, and able to shift management styles to meet the needs of employees and the organization - has a greater chance of building a successful business while creating a meaningful and durable corporate brand. Other companies will want to do business with you, because your vision, awareness, social connection and personal leadership will be appealing and compelling.\n\nIn the long run, a great product or service will only be appealing to customers if it’s delivered by a great organization, with a management committed to real personal leadership. Short-term you may be able to get away with a lot, but building value requires a long view – and a commitment to your employees and community members.\n\n<a name=\"footnote1\"></a><strong>Be a personal leader. Let’s all take this challenge. I’m working on this daily. Who’s in? </strong>\n\n<hr size=\"1\" />\n\n<span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">[1] <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Leadership That Gets Results</span>, Daniel Goleman, <em>Harvard Business Review</em>, March-April 2000.</span>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leading with the Heart— and a Dash of Emotional Intelligence', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-with-the-heart-and-a-dash-of-emotional-intelligence', '', '', '2010-11-26 06:41:48', '2010-11-26 12:41:48', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4300', 0, 'post', '', 56),
(17854, 258, '2010-12-02 07:00:51', '2010-12-02 13:00:51', 'When I was about five my mom enrolled me in the Red Cross beginner’s swimming lessons at the local pool. I failed to learn to swim so she signed me up again. And again. And again. Six times in fact before I could swim well enough to pass the class. It is one of my earliest memories.\n\nI went on to swim for more than ten years. I swam hundreds of races and thousands of miles. I swam for my high school team, and my name was on the school record board for a while. We were state champions twice. But these are not the things I think about when I think about the value of my swimming career.\n\nThe most significant thing that happened to me in the pool was during a random day at practice. My junior and senior year I was the leader in lane two. I set the pace and as swimming is single file, if I missed the interval, everyone did. It was my job to make it, to do it right, every day, every set. Swim ten 200’s on 3:00. Swim six 400’s negative split. Do eight 75’s breathing every 5th stroke. For the uninitiated, this is all gibberish. For me, it was the daily challenge, each set designed by a wise coach, pushing our limits, making us stronger and faster.\n\nAnd I worked hard. Every day. Every set. I wasn’t the fastest, but I knew how to lead. I was consistent. We didn’t always succeed in completing every challenge, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I always gave Coach whatever I had that day. Every single day.\n\nWell, every day except one. I don’t even remember the set or the reason. I do remember that I was tired, physically and mentally, and when it came to the final repeat, I started thinking, “I cannot do this. I am going to fail.” And so I did. I failed.\n\nFor me this was such a revelation. I had failed, not for good reason, but because I had decided to fail. And I took everyone with me. In that practice I learned some of the most important lessons of my life. I learned about the power I had in my own head. I learned about my responsibilities as a leader. And when I stood in Coach’s office afterward, humbled, I learned that everyone fails, but it’s what you do next that says everything about you.\n\nFast forward 25+ years. As an adult, I spend my days and many of my nights thinking about young people. I teach leadership to high school students, and I have spent the past year agonizing about how I can help young people become better leaders. Much of what I know about myself and what it means to be a leader has come from hours in the pool. I was given the chance to lead and to fail and to learn. I look at young people today and wonder who gives them a chance to lead? Is it only through sports that we learn skills to be leaders? Can I give youth the freedom to dream and fail and pick up and try again?\n\n<strong>The youth in your organizations today are your leaders tomorrow. What would you want our youth to learn about leadership in school? What do you do in your organization to strengthen youth and teach them to lead? How can I help them (and you) while they are still in the classroom?</strong>', 'Learning to Swim', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'learning-to-swim', '', '', '2010-12-02 07:00:51', '2010-12-02 13:00:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4309', 0, 'post', '', 48),
(17855, 244, '2010-11-30 07:00:14', '2010-11-30 13:00:14', '&nbsp;\n\nIt is common knowledge that blog/article titles starting with “How To…” or have lists like “The 5 Ways To…” are popular.  As a blogger I have been encouraged to use this strategy for my titles more often by other bloggers and marketers.\n\nWe appreciate it when someone takes something complex and hard and makes it simple and easy for us.  After all, why reinvent the wheel? If someone can show us a shortcut to understanding and/or action, why not take it?\n\n<strong>The ability to simplify is definitely an important and valuable skill in today’s world, perhaps more than ever.  But...\n</strong>\n\nAre we really looking for simple or are we deluding ourselves that simple also means easy?  Is this just another version of our endless search for the quick fix:  “take this pill and you’ll lose 30 pounds, no exercise and diet required”?\n\nThe web is rampant with promises of difficult made easy.  When we read the simple version of anything it makes so much sense it can seem like it will actually be easy to execute.  Unscrupulous marketers prey on people with promises of taking the pain out of success selling “simple and easy” in the form of countless varieties of “get rich quick” programs or that this new marketing tactic is “the” solution to turn around your results.\n\nI’m not saying we shouldn’t learn from others who have gone before us or model practices and systems that are proven and work.  But are we looking for guidance so we can develop and apply our own thinking and ingenuity or are we looking for answers in the form of “it’s as easy as 1-2-3” steps that eliminate the need to think and ensure we get results anyway?\n\nIt like being given the answers to a test and expecting not just to get an A but expecting that you actually learned something of value.  Behind every answer, “how to” instructions, or simplified lists there is a rich context of beliefs, knowledge, mindsets, etc. that made the simplification possible.  Getting to simple is far from easy.\n\n<strong>The \"lists\" will change over time, but it is the thinking behind those lists often leaves us with the enduring principles and understanding needed to apply them and adapt successfully over time.</strong>\n\nWe can’t consume our way to success by reading, listening to audios and watching videos.  We have to actually consciously apply it in real life or we won’t really learn anything that makes a difference.  And when we do it is not likely to be as easy as 1-2-3.  If it was, we probably could have figured it out for ourselves.\n\nAs a coach I have been trained to resist the pull to give answers and instead ask the questions that can help someone find their own way and their own answers.  And ultimately I have gathered enough of my own evidence that this is what really serves people.\n\nI have resisted the advice to just give people what they want (or what I am told people want anyway) – the answers, the solution to their problems.  My attempts to do this have been few and the few have been unsatisfying.  There are quite a few unfinished posts in my blog’s draft folder!\n\nI have wondered whether I am being a purest to my own detriment.  Now that I am working to market my own products I am challenged by the same phenomena.  I can promise what I offer to be simple to understand, to translate theory into pragmatic action, and that when applied it has worked consistently.  Yet when I offer simple do people also expect easy?\n\nCreating the product isn’t the hard part.  Marketing it is in a world that continually looks for the ultimate solution to their problems. Besides, often what people think their problem is turns out not to be the problem at all.\n\nWhether it’s a blog post, a product, or even a vision we have to consider how to appeal to the market if we want anyone to invest their attention, time and/or money in what we have to offer.  Somehow we have to get people’s attention in an attention deficit world.\n\nHence I\'ve been in a personal inquiry:  do I have to learn to “market” to the least common denominator who seeks simple and easy to get people’s attention online, or are there other approaches that work just as well and maybe even better?  I would of course love to hear your thoughts on this.\n\n<strong>A question I specifically have for you is:  What characterizes the posts you value most and/or the products you are willing to invest your time, attention and money in when it comes to developing yourself as a leader?</strong>', 'The &#034;How To&#034; Dilemma', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-how-to-dilemma', '', '', '2010-11-30 07:00:14', '2010-11-30 13:00:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4313', 0, 'post', '', 80);
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(17856, 362, '2010-12-01 07:00:04', '2010-12-01 13:00:04', 'As a Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), this is usually one of the first questions I ask when one of our account executives tells me they just landed a new project. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint) I am a person who asks very pointed questions that require very actionable answers.\n\nWhen I joined our business almost two and a half years ago, it was in critical shape. Our credit line was fully extended, we had unprofitable locations, and I needed to make drastic changes quickly. This required lots of hours and no time for vacations.\n\nEven though the economy continued to erode, my team and I managed to find creative ways to reduce costs and improve our financial margin. However, I still felt that I needed to be available twenty-four hours a day. If you are on an airplane with me, I am the person that the flight attendant is challenging to turn off their cell phone.\n\nIn the midst of all this activity at work, a stirring was happening in my heart: I needed to leave a legacy.\n\nI have a many passions: following Christ, to someday have a successful marriage, learning all that I can, pouring my life into young leaders, providing hope for those who are in prison, and using my talents to help special needs children. I sit on the boards for a few not-for-profits and for-profit organizations. There are many days where I leave my house at 6AM and don’t return till 10PM.\n\nNow as a leader I am asking myself “What’s the ‘margin’ in my personal life?” I know that as a CFO, a for-profit business thrives by having a strong profit margin. Likewise, a human being thrives by a different type of margin— a kind of “space” that allows time for reflection and renewal. A person without enough downtime is like a company with too little margin in its Profit and Loss statement: stressed and vulnerable to failure.\n\nAs a leader, when you’re overloaded by activity, you can only think of yourself. You’re in survival mode, just trying to make it through another day. And that limits your usefulness in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">all</span> areas of your life!\n\nWhen you have no downtime (or what we CFO’s call “margin”) in your life and an incredible opportunity falls in your lap, your first response isn’t joy. Your first response is, “Oh, no! Another thing to do! Sorry, I’d like to do that, but I\'m just too busy.”\nWe end up resenting the great opportunities people brings into our lives. You don’t have to live on overload. You don’t have to live in survival mode. Begin today to build a buffer around your schedule. Then enjoy the benefits of margin!\n\n<strong><em>My question to you is “What’s the margin on Project You?” </em></strong>', 'What&#039;s The Margin?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-the-margin', '', '', '2010-12-01 07:00:04', '2010-12-01 13:00:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4321', 0, 'post', '', 32),
(17857, 245, '2010-12-03 06:30:51', '2010-12-03 12:30:51', 'Here at the Lead Change Group, we are always honored when someone gives a nod to our efforts in promoting character-based leadership.  On Monday, entrepreneurial advisor <a href=\"http://www.evancarmichael.com/blog/about/\">Evan Carmichael</a> listed the Lead Change Group blog as one of <a href=\"http://www.evancarmichael.com/blog/2010/11/30/the-top-50-leadership-blogs-of-2010/\">2010’s Top 50 Leadership blogs</a>, in the “Leadership and Vision” section. You’ll no doubt recognize some of the blogging community’s most well-known thought leaders on a wide array of leadership topics.\n\nOf course, we don’t promote leadership excellence to win awards, but we do appreciate the affirmation of our commitment. For those of you who are Contributing Members to our blog, we thank you for your wise and thought provoking essays and leadership during our webinars and conference calls. We thank those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help Mike Henry create a vibrant community dedicated to “stirring the pot” for better leadership.\n\nFinally, we thank you, our readership, for your continued contributions here on the blog and participation in our <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/leadchangegroup\">Facebook</a> and <a href=\"http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1875191&amp;mostPopular=\">LinkedIn</a> communities.', 'Lead Change Named to Top 50 Leadership Blogs for 2010', '', 'trash', 'open', 'open', '', 'lead-change-top-50-leadership-blogs-for-2010__trashed', '', '', '2017-10-13 21:00:12', '2017-10-13 21:00:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4324', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17858, 246, '2010-12-07 06:00:36', '2010-12-07 12:00:36', 'The music, the lyrics, the vocals, the passion… I was moved to emotion. And I remembered one of my favorite quotes:\n<blockquote>People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou</blockquote>\nAnd the song “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars made me feel! I was running errands a few weeks ago when I first heard this song on my car radio.  Samuel, my 8-year old, was in the back seat.  He was singing along as I was tearing up and it made me think…\n<blockquote>Performance excellence starts by saying: You are amazing, just the way you are.</blockquote>\nFrom our workplaces to our homes, we would all benefit from implementing the Mars philosophy of performance improvement: Accepting each other just the way we are, celebrating our uniqueness, and to strive, as leaders, to make people smile and stay for a while.\n\nRead the lyrics, watch the video, and share your thoughts…\n<ul>\n	<li>What emotions does it make you feel?</li>\n	<li>What actions can you start doing today to accept people just the way they are?</li>\n	<li>How can adopting the Mars philosophy lead to performance excellence?</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Just The Way You Are</h3>\nOh her eyes, her eyes;\nMake the stars look like they\'re not shining.\nHer hair, her hair;\nFalls perfectly without her trying.\n\nShe\'s so beautiful;\nAnd I tell her every day.\n\nYeah; I know, I know,\nWhen I compliment her\nShe won\'t believe me.\nAnd it\'s so, it\'s so\n\nSad to think that she don\'t see what I see.\nBut every time she asks me \"do I look okay?\",\n\nI say:\nWhen I see your face,\nThere\'s not a thing that I would change.\nCause you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\n\nAnd when you smile,\nThe whole world stops and stares for a while.\n\'Cause girl you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\n\nYeah, Her lips, her lips;\nI could kiss them all day if she\'d let me.\nHer laugh, her laugh;\nShe hates but I think it\'s so sexy\n\nShe\'s so beautiful,\nAnd I tell her every day.\n\nOh you know, you know, you know\nI never ask you to change.\nIf perfect\'s what you\'re searching for\nThen just stay the same.\nSo, don\'t even bother asking\nIf you look okay;\nYou know I say:\n\nWhen I see your face,\nThere\'s not a thing that I would change.\n\'Cause you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\nAnd when you smile,\nThe whole world stops and stares for a while.\nCause girl you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\n\nThe way you are.\nThe way you are.\nGirl you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\n\nWhen I see your face,\nThere\'s not a thing that I would change.\n\'Cause you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\nAnd when you smile,\nThe whole world stops and stares for a while.\n\'Cause girl you\'re amazing,\nJust the way you are.\n\nYea-eah.\n\n<object width=\"625\" height=\"375\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LjhCEhWiKXk?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US\" /><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"625\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LjhCEhWiKXk?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" /></object>', 'Just The Way You Are', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'just-the-way-you-are', '', '', '2010-12-07 06:00:36', '2010-12-07 12:00:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4331', 0, 'post', '', 72),
(17859, 245, '2010-12-15 06:30:26', '2010-12-15 12:30:26', '<em>So much of leadership training is about team-building and collaboration. I say, “That’s all very important, but there will come a time when you will have to stand alone and say, ‘This is wrong’ or \'This is my responsibility—I don’t agree with you, and I’m going to do what I think is right.\' \"</em>\n\n- Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense\n\n<em>Excerpted from <a href=\"http://gergensvoice.blogspot.com/2010/10/legacy-of-leadership.html\">A Legacy of Leadership</a>.</em>\n\nIt’s one of the great paradoxes of leadership.  In order to lead, there must be followers. Yet, in many of the most crucial leadership situations, it’s up to the leader, who stands alone, to say aloud that which must be said. It might be painful for the leader or the audience, but so be it. These are the moments when true leadership shows its face.\n\nDoes it take courage? Yes.\n\nDoes it require a moral high ground? Absolutely.\n\nThis speaking up is tricky business though. Courage and moral fortitude may be the impetus for opening one’s mouth, but <em>how </em>one says it determines if the leader remains an island or becomes a catalyst for change. Savvy leaders know how to speak up in a way that doesn’t shame their followers or embarrass their bosses. They can get peers on board by appealing to the greater good without being seen as brown-nosers. They manage to come across as sincere without being preachy. They are confident, but not cocky. They are assured in their position, but open to dialog.\n\nThey know themselves.\n\nIt’s in this <em>knowing</em> that true influence shows itself. Anyone can open his or her mouth and speak up. It’s what happens after that first word emerges that is the true test of influential leadership.\n\n<strong><em>Have you ever had to stand alone?  How did you find the words to do so in a way that helped move your cause forward?</em></strong>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Standing Alone', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'standing-alone', '', '', '2010-12-15 06:30:26', '2010-12-15 12:30:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4334', 0, 'post', '', 28),
(17860, 363, '2010-12-08 06:00:28', '2010-12-08 12:00:28', 'According to management guru <a href=\"http://www.cgu.edu/pages/292.asp\">Peter Drucker</a>, “No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it.  It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.”  As we continue to embark on the seemingly endless journey toward an anticipated economic recovery, the ability to “stretch resources” has become a popular catch phrase once again.  While it is most prudent to conserve our expenditures and outlays in the interest of survival, we must be cautious to not begin to ask our employees to do the impossible – become “geniuses or supermen” - in their attempt to do more with less.  All employees want personal success while helping to contribute to the success of the corporation.  Without the proper resources, their innate desire to succeed will surely dwindle and their desire to perform will follow suit.\n\nMost employees welcome a career that is challenging yet fair.  Their expectations of having the necessary resources to meet those challenges head on are not unreasonable.  A great leader has the ability to test people’s ability to think differently, approach a task from a different angle, and increase their contributors’ creative potential.  This is now most crucial as we may be asking our most valuable resources – our employees – to do more with less.  We need to find that utopia of creative involvement without appearing overbearing.  If we are able to achieve this, our employees will be wiser, better, and more successful when we return to a regular level of business.\n\nWhile the worst is not yet over, it is imperative we use this time wisely to encourage our people to better themselves, become stronger, and be ready for the days that lay ahead.  How?\n<ul>\n	<li>Challenge others to become better while the opportunity presents itself during this slow time.</li>\n	<li>Better your organizations by empowering your employees and colleagues to better themselves.</li>\n	<li>Demonstrate your willingness to work side by side with your personnel to further enhance their career development.</li>\n</ul>\nNot only will this greatly increase organizational morale, you will also witness an inspired staff that willingly works harder because their employer is making an investment in them.  If you truly want to inspire your organization to survive through this turbulent time, follow more advice from Mr. Peter Drucker: “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">photocredit: istockphoto.com © Peter Booth</span>', 'An Empowered Organization Survives Turbulent Times', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'an-empowered-organization-survives-turbulent-times', '', '', '2010-12-08 06:00:28', '2010-12-08 12:00:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4340', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17861, 267, '2010-12-14 06:30:12', '2010-12-14 12:30:12', 'Since 1964, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” has stood out as America’s longest-running annual holiday TV special. Why? According to the USA Today’s <a title=\"Why some holiday specials are still special, and others aren\'t\" href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2010-12-09-TVclassics09_CV_N.htm\">Robert Bianco</a>, there are five important factors that the best TV specials share in common.\n\nIs it possible that these factors could teach us something about leadership as well?  Here are Bianco\'s five factors along with my thoughts on why I think they do:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Music.</strong> It has to be memorable, with melodies and harmonies that elevate people. What kind of “music” and “rhythm” do we share with people at work? This is not to suggest that there is never tension or discord – great music requires all of the notes. But what is the overall tone? The cultural vibe is not easily hidden even from customers and clients.</li>\n	<li><strong>Message.</strong> The barrage of fear and duplicity in the news and in toxic work environments will numb us into compliance, but they aren’t sustainable or endearing. Only warmth, humor, and honesty will bring people back to FEELING again. Start by being more transparent.</li>\n	<li><strong>Magic.</strong> Bianco surmises that the best stand out because “the heart wants what it wants, and reason isn’t always part of the equation.” I agree. We have a tendency to wipe out subjectivity and creativity when we rely solely on objectives and rational thought. People want to be inspired. This is bigger than the stock price or latest quarterly report.  We need to give people a compelling future to look forward to – as we dream, imagine, and discover the possibilities together.</li>\n	<li><strong>Story.</strong> The days of learning by lecture are numbered. To engage people, we need to communicate in a meaningful, clear, and simple way. Story invites others to join us in the cause rather than dragging them along. It lowers barriers, and permeates into minds that may otherwise ignore the message entirely. More importantly, it creates space for people to see for themselves how they fit and the role they play in achieving organizational success. Story also demonstrates respect and confidence in others because they are given the opportunity to make their own conclusions on lessons learned.</li>\n	<li><strong>Timing.</strong> Listen. Pause. Breathe. Wisdom: knowing when the best answer is to simply be present without the need to respond.</li>\n</ol>\n“A show may not need all, but without four [of the five factors], it shouldn’t expect to be back for next year’s reindeer games,” concludes Bianco.  The best TV specials stand out year after year, but it isn\'t by accident.  They were intentional and purposeful in the pursuit of excellence by elevating, communicating, inviting, and engaging the audience to be part of the journey.\n\nWhat do you think?\n\nWhat would you add or subtract from this list when it comes to factors that make the best leaders stand out year after year?\n\nPhoto credit: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net', 'Five Factors that Make the BEST Stand Out Year After Year.', 'USA Today’s Robert Bianco, says there are five factors that the great TV specials share in common. What does this mean for leaders?', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'five-factors-that-make-the-best-stand-out-year-after-year', '', '', '2010-12-14 06:30:12', '2010-12-14 12:30:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4355', 0, 'post', '', 48),
(17862, 243, '2010-12-11 18:10:43', '2010-12-12 00:10:43', 'This past week, I had the distinct pleasure and the opportunity to join the crew at HR Happy Hour (Twitter hashtag <a title=\"Search Twitter for #HRHappyHour\" href=\"http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23hrhappyhour\">#HRHappyHour</a>) for a panel discussion on Religion and Politics in the Workplace.  Jason Seiden (<a title=\"Jason\'s Twitter profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/seiden\">@seiden</a>, <a title=\"Jason\'s Website Fail Spectacularly\" href=\"http://jasonseiden.com/\">web</a>) guest-hosted the call in place of regular host <a title=\"Steve\'s Twitter profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/steveboese\">Steve Boese</a>.  <a title=\"Shauna\'s Twitter profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/HR_Minion\">Shauna Moerke</a> assisted with the hosting duties and <a title=\"Tammy\'s Twitter profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/TLColson\">Tammy Colson</a> was also a panelist.\n\nThe discussion and the associated tweet chat were very lively.  I don\'t know if they archived the Twitter traffic or not but the audio including about 15 minutes of teleconference beyond the end of the show are recorded here.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><object id=\"btr\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"210\" height=\"108\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"name\" value=\"btr\" /><param name=\"quality\" value=\"high\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><param name=\"menu\" value=\"false\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"gig_lt=1292110123377&amp;gig_pt=1292110133140&amp;gig_g=2\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eblogtalkradio%2Ecom%2Fplaylist%2Easpx%3Fshow%5Fid%3D1418752&amp;autostart=false&amp;bufferlength=5&amp;volume=80&amp;borderweight=1&amp;bordercolor=#999999&amp;backgroundcolor=#FFFFFF&amp;dashboardcolor=#0098CB&amp;textcolor=#F0F0F0&amp;detailscolor=#FFFFFF&amp;playlistcolor=#999999&amp;playlisthovercolor=#333333&amp;cornerradius=10&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx?referrer_url=/show.aspx&amp;C1=7&amp;C2=6042973&amp;C3=31&amp;C4=&amp;C5=&amp;C6=&amp;hostname=Steve Boese&amp;hosturl=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/steve-boese\" /><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"gig_lt=1292110123377&amp;gig_pt=1292110133140&amp;gig_g=2\" /><embed id=\"btr\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"210\" height=\"108\" src=\"http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eblogtalkradio%2Ecom%2Fplaylist%2Easpx%3Fshow%5Fid%3D1418752&amp;autostart=false&amp;bufferlength=5&amp;volume=80&amp;borderweight=1&amp;bordercolor=#999999&amp;backgroundcolor=#FFFFFF&amp;dashboardcolor=#0098CB&amp;textcolor=#F0F0F0&amp;detailscolor=#FFFFFF&amp;playlistcolor=#999999&amp;playlisthovercolor=#333333&amp;cornerradius=10&amp;callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx?referrer_url=/show.aspx&amp;C1=7&amp;C2=6042973&amp;C3=31&amp;C4=&amp;C5=&amp;C6=&amp;hostname=Steve Boese&amp;hosturl=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/steve-boese\" flashvars=\"gig_lt=1292110123377&amp;gig_pt=1292110133140&amp;gig_g=2\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" menu=\"false\" wmode=\"transparent\" quality=\"high\" name=\"btr\"></embed></object>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Thanks to Jason, Shauna, Tammy, Steve and all the wonderful folks from the HR world that were on the call or listened in.  I probably followed 50 new people but at the same time I also saw some #LeadChange members who are also in the HR community including <a href=\"http://twitter.com/sbrownehr\">Steve Browne</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/MeghanMBiro\">Meghan Biro</a> and <a href=\"http://twitter.com/rustiann\">Rusti-Ann Blanke</a>, and many other friends participated in the chat too! I enjoyed it very much.  We\'ll have to return the favor one day soon.</p>', 'Religion and Politics in the Workplace', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'religion-and-politics-in-the-workplace', '', '', '2010-12-11 18:10:43', '2010-12-12 00:10:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4358', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(17863, 364, '2010-12-16 06:30:11', '2010-12-16 12:30:11', '&nbsp;\n\nI count myself fortunate to be one of those individuals that is both idealistic enough and naive enough to believe that we can improve the world of leadership and leading one person at a time, and make a big difference for the better along the way.\n\nThis belief in a better approach built upon a foundation of solid values and supported by an attitude of serving is a binding force for those of us at Lead Change. While new to the group, I find the mission and the ideals powerful and important.\n\n<strong>I learned from my parents that anything worth pursuing is worth working hard for, and this mission to change and improve the practice of leadership for the better is no exception.</strong> Progress will be measured in small steps over decades, and success is truly in the hands of our children and their children. However, those of us practicing leadership and supporting new leader development owe it to future generations to provide a solid foundation to build upon as they assume their responsibilities as leaders.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">A Glimpse of the Future of Leadership:</span></strong>\n\nIn my recent essay, <a title=\"link to Tanveer Naseer\'s blog for Art Petty essay: Leadership Journey\" href=\"http://www.tanveernaseer.com/the-great-and-perilous-leadership-journey-ahead\"><strong>The Great and Perilous Leadership Journey Ahead</strong>,</a> (a guest post at Tanveer Naseer\'s blog), <strong>I shared a description of a young engineer that to me characterizes the challenges our next generation of leaders face</strong> in this always-on and interconnected world.\n\nThis engineer, a citizen of India, is working here in the U.S. for a German software firm with offices along the banks of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin. He is responsible for leading a cross-functional team spanning four countries on three continents. Of the ten members of his team, only three report directly to him. If this weren\'t challenging enough, this gentleman is a participant, not a leader, on two other global teams.\n\n<strong>As I express in the </strong><em><strong>Leadership Journey </strong></em><strong>essay, the core practices and ideals surrounding effective leadership are timeless and universal, however, the context changes over time.</strong> Consider the staggeringly complex cultural, communications and motivation issues faced by my engineering friend. His work is several orders of magnitude more complex than many of our own early leadership roles. This style of business is increasingly the norm for many firms.\n\nThere are ample opportunities to create magic by working with a diverse, cross-cultural and globally distributed team. There are also a remarkable number of opportunities to flail and fail in this setting.  Tomorrows leaders will be tested and challenged in ways that are perhaps difficult for us to relate to.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Times Define the Leaders:</span></strong>\n\nThe times define the leaders and the challenges that upcoming generations face are considerable, even when compared against the backdrop of human history. From environmental to economic to geo-political forces to the distance and cultural issues faced by my engineer friend, I suspect that the next few generations will be fighting harder for peace and prosperity than any generation since the the one we named The Greatest.\n\nIn that spirit, I offer my attempt at guidance for our future leaders. Please add yours as well.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Nine Suggestions for the Next Generation of Leaders:</span></strong>\n\n1. Always lead with grace, humility and strength. All at the same time.\n\n2. Technical skills will help you earn a living. Leadership skills will help you make a difference. Learn to lead.\n\n3. People and ideas are the motive power behind organizations. Harnessing this motive power is your goal as a leader.\n\n4. The best leaders build their careers on a rock solid foundation of leadership principles that reflect fairness, strong values, unshakeable ethics and the recognition that leading others is a privilege. Build upon a solid foundation.\n\n5. You will work and live in a world where leadership is interchangeable with followership. You will lead when your team believes you are the right person to help the team succeed, and you will need to follow when someone else is the best for the mission at hand. Learn to pivot between leadership and followership.\n\n6. Your world will be nearly borderless, and while there is strength and opportunity in diversity, you must respect the differences and learn to manage and lead with and through them. Learn and appreciate cultural differences.\n\n7. Your best opportunity to influence others as a leader will come from being influential. You will need to seek and cultivate power and influence. Do this fairly, ethically and always for the advancement of your organization\'s cause, not your own.\n\n8. From time-to-time, you will fail to live up to these lofty expectations and noble sounding points. The best approach for coping with failure is admitting your mistakes, dusting yourself off and moving forward.\n\n9. Remember to make friends, share laughter and camaraderie and remember that the true joy in leading doesn\'t come from numbers or successful programs, it comes from making a positive impact on the lives of those that you touch.\n\n<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Bottom-Line for Now:</span></strong>\n\nI see glimpses of the future leaders in my sons and their friends, and in the students that I teach and I am encouraged. However, for those of us helping to build steps towards this future, our work is far from over. It\'s time for us to redouble our efforts in support of creating the next generation of effective leaders. It\'s time to lead change.', 'Leadership Guidance for Our Children', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-guidance-for-our-children-2', '', '', '2010-12-16 06:30:11', '2010-12-16 12:30:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4367', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(17864, 243, '2010-12-24 09:30:29', '2010-12-24 15:30:29', 'The new year is upon us.  This year marked several first in the history of Lead Change.\n<ul>\n	<li>We had LeaderPalooza 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale where 15 people decided to advance the idea of character-based leadership through this group.</li>\n	<li>We began our first ever Round Table in May of 2010</li>\n	<li>We re-launched the blog as a membership site with Contributing Members who contribute articles and content into the community.</li>\n	<li>We launched the Leadership Character webinar series.</li>\n</ul>\nThe Lead Change Group exists to help leaders grow leaders.  We understand strength is created through community.  Let\'s make our next year about helping one another even more.  How can we continue to expand the growth of the organization and our impact in ourselves, others and our community?  Working together is key.\n\nSo we took a survey of the Contributing Members to learn about their plans and desires as member of the group.  We will have a call January 6, 2011 at 8 PM Eastern to share the results and discuss ways we can help one another achieve our goals for 2011.\n\nSince this is our inaugural call in this format, we decided to open the call to any interested Lead Change member.  Because space is limited, please click below to register.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1139697867?ref=ebtn\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"http://www.eventbrite.com/registerbutton?eid=1139697867\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Register for January 2011 Contributors Call in Online  on Eventbrite\" /></a></p>\nThe confirmation will contain a link to the URL of the meeting.  The audio will be delivered over the web only, but a recording will be made available after the call in case you can\'t attend.\n\nPlease join us for this call to learn more about the community and how we can help each other continue to increase our impact in 2011.', 'Contributors Call January 6, 2011', '', 'trash', 'open', 'open', '', 'contributors-call-january-2011__trashed', '', '', '2017-10-13 21:00:12', '2017-10-13 21:00:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4390', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17865, 259, '2010-12-30 06:30:20', '2010-12-30 12:30:20', 'As 2010 comes to a close and we prepare for a new year ahead, it’s worthwhile to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year and what we hope to achieve in 2011. As seasons of our lives change, so do our motivations and dreams, and all successful leaders know that you have to know your current state in order to properly plan for future actions.\n\nWhile many of us take this time to update our business plans, ready to get a jump-start on the New Year, I want to take a step back a moment and ask you a deeper question. This question forms the foundation for everything you’ve laid out in your plans, because it identifies the source of your motivation and how committed you’ll be to carry out the actions in your plan.\n\nSo, here it is… Are you ready? My question simply is:\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>What is your driving ambition?</strong></span></p>\nNow, some of you may be squirming at reading that question… After all, when you read the phrase “ambitious leader,” images may pop into your head of political leaders who have stopped at nothing to secure their power, or industry magnates who attained fame and fortune while climbing on the backs of others.\n\nHowever, everyone has an ambition that motivates them and dictates which courses of action they pursue, and which they pass by.\n\n<a href=\"http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ambition\">Dictionary.com</a> defines “ambition” with the following terms:\n\n<span class=\"oneClick-link\">\"an</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">earnest</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">desire</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">for</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">some</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">type</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">of</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">achievement</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">or</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">distinction,</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">as</span><span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">power,</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">honor,</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">fame,</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">or</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">wealth,</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">and</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">the</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">willingness</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">to</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">strive</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">for</span> <span class=\"oneClick-link\">its </span><span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">attainment\".</span>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>\nWhile we tend to cringe when we think of “ambitious leaders” because of the negative connotation associated with them, by itself, ambition is not a bad thing. The real issue is whether your ambition (the thing that motivates you the most) is self-focused or “other-focused.”\n\nThe definition above focuses on power, honor, fame or wealth as being some of the top ambitions. But what if you approached this year with the ambition to be more connected, as our fellow leader, Monica Diaz (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/monedays\">@monedays</a>) is passionate about? Or if you decided to be more encouraging to those around you, as Thomas Waterhouse (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/encouraging\">@encouraging</a>) inspires us to do? Or if you chose to raise the bar on your own self-leadership, as William Powell (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/LeadrshpAdvisor\">@LeadrshpAdvisor</a>) has done? Or if you’re determined to do the right thing like Ted Coiné (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/tedcoine\">@tedcoine</a>) because you know that being socially responsible pays? Or even if you decided to be as Christ-honoring as humanly possible, as our group’s founder, Mike Henry (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/mikehenrysr\">@mikehenrysr</a>), strives to do?\n\nWe have so many great leaders in this group, who model the kind of ambition that ultimately makes the world a better place to live. So find those who inspire you, and seek to learn from them. I know that my fellow Round Table members have inspired me this year with their own unique ambitions. Susan Mazza (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/SusanMazza\">@SusanMazza</a>) brings accountability into our lives, which helps us reach goals that would otherwise be a stretch for us. Erin Schreyer (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/erinschreyer\">@eschreyer</a>) models a bright, positive, giving nature that’s refreshing. Shawn Murphy (<a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/shawmu\">@shawmu</a>) is truly a mindful leader, aware of the needs of those around him and willing to help in any way he can.\n\nSo as you view the blank slate of 2011 spread out before you, what will your driving ambition be? What will motivate you to scale new heights? Will you choose to make the world a better place as you build your business, your teams, and the community around you? Or will you fall into the trap of worldly ambition, seeking instead for power, honor, fame or wealth?\n\nAs the greatest servant leader of all time, Jesus Christ, shows us, seeking to serve others first is something that will never be forgotten, even long after you’re gone…', 'What&#039;s Your Driving Ambition?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-your-driving-ambition', '', '', '2010-12-30 06:30:20', '2010-12-30 12:30:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4401', 0, 'post', '', 36),
(17866, 248, '2010-12-28 07:35:51', '2010-12-28 13:35:51', 'Naturally at this time of year our attention turns to the coming new year.  And in the transition we ponder and plan what to do differently or do more of.  If you’re like me, you’ve routinely found yourself falling in and out of making resolutions. Frustrated with empty promises, my approach over time has morphed into assessing focus areas: what areas (roles, relationships, beliefs, disciplines, etc) in my life will I focus on in the new year? Declaring resolutions have turned into an introspective process with the challenge being to uncover how I can build upon who I am as a human being, as a character-based leader.  A new year is like getting a do-over, another shot at achieving my goals.\n\nAnd as I stare down the remaining four days in 2010, I want to share with you 3 core drivers that are at the heart of my 2011 growth opportunities.  My intent is not to share them as a way to pound my chest and shout, “look at me.” No. I share them in hopes they spark thoughts for you as you reflect on your focus areas in 2011.  I share them as a public declaration of my intentions. I believe we create the world with our words. This is a purposeful act of creation.\n\n<strong>Hold Others and Myself to The Promise of Greatness</strong> – My dear friend <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/\">Susan Mazza</a> has a tremendous understanding of accountability.  She sees accountability as a promise.  When we promise to do something for another person, group, organization, even our community, it gives a face (meaning) to that commitment.  I have come to understand that our human nature is to find the shortest route to success. There is time and place for such short cuts, but not when it comes to success.\n\nMy company has audacious goals for 2011. I have to stand for greatness in success by leading my team and myself through the sewage and to stop and revel in joy. I will not build a business by taking short cuts.  I will build a business with a foundation solid and capable of weathering the good and the bad.  Reaching greatness will always be just beyond arms length.  I stand for greatness by holding those with whom I work and myself to the promise of enduring all that comes along in the journey to it.\n\n<strong>Model “Doing What I Say I’ll Do”</strong> – If you want to push one of my buttons, commit to something and then not do it. Leadership is about getting things done through and with people. I can’t hold people to their promise of doing something if I don’t do it. We need more leaders to follow what they advocate.  There is much to be done in the coming years. A good place to start is doing what you say.\n\n<strong>Don’t Settle for Mediocre Leadership Acts</strong> – A mediocre leadership act has many faces. They are the ones that seek out short cuts inappropriately.  The last two years showed us what happens to companies when leaders take inappropriate short cuts to profit, to quality, and growth. Business is a big game and requires bold leadership acts. When you are in the moment of an interaction or at the precipice of a decision, you’ll know what leadership act is required. Go against it and you may be settling.  To accomplish greatness requires a leadership-sentry to encourage others to defy the easy way and resulting mediocrity.\n\nThe three drivers are very closely linked together.  In total, they aim to raise people up to achieve a level of success beyond what is thought possible.  I cannot think of anything more important as a leader to drive my actions and intentions in 2011.\n\nI hope you join me in stepping up how you show up as a leader next year.\n\nHappy New Year.', '3 Drivers to Grow As a Character-Based Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '3-drivers-grow-character-based-leader', '', '', '2010-12-28 07:35:51', '2010-12-28 13:35:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4406', 0, 'post', '', 28),
(17867, 243, '2010-12-31 06:00:38', '2010-12-31 12:00:38', 'Thank you.\n\nYou have honored and blessed me with your attention.  Your attention suggests that you agree... <em>individuals can make a difference.</em> It encourages me to challenge myself first and my friends to act on behalf of their best dream of the future.  Your attention and connection tells me that others share the idea that our best is good enough to matter.  We don\'t have to be Tiger Woods or Jack Welch or Richard Branson to make a difference.\n<blockquote>Your attention suggests that you agree... individuals can make a difference!</blockquote>\nIt also energizes me to think that we can know hundreds of people who strive to be a better person first before becoming a better \"whatever they do.\"  Thank you for helping me as I struggle with my character and how it affects my leadership.  Thank you for joining and creating an honest community motivated to make a positive difference, resisting the urge to judge or blame.  Thank you for taking the time to connect, share and help others who want to sharpen their influence skills, not for personal gain alone, but for the benefit of a growing community.\n\nThank you for connecting, taking the time to share about yourself in a way where we each develop common friendships.  Thank you for focusing on the multitude of things we have in common rather than the few ways we\'re different.  Thank you for clicking a link and reading, thinking and sharing electronic ideas, and then using those ideas to elevate attitudes and mobilize each other to make some small corner in the world a bit better, even if it\'s only with a smile or a retweet.\n\nThank you for spending a minute considering the people we know in common.  I may only \"know\" your avatar and your online \"persona,\" but I smile whenever I look at TweetDeck and see so many friends.  Yes, you\'re a friend even though we may not have met face-to-face, mostly because we share an experience and a hope.  Thank you for sharing a bit about yourself so we can connect.  Thank you for taking action, bringing your best and making the world better.\n\nI appreciate you.  You make my world a better place.  Take a minute and thank the people who matter to you too!  Happy 2011!\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo by <a title=\"Applause \" href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3405900-applause.php\" target=\"_blank\">iStockPhoto © Dmitriy Shironosov</a></span>', 'Connection and Gratitude', '', 'trash', 'open', 'open', '', 'connection-and-gratitude__trashed', '', '', '2017-10-13 21:00:11', '2017-10-13 21:00:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4412', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17868, 261, '2011-01-06 06:30:21', '2011-01-06 12:30:21', 'Leadership isn’t just about keeping everyone on the team or at work doing what they are supposed to be doing so things get done. That’s being a good supervisor or manager. Leadership aims for a much loftier goal. Too often we call people excellent leaders when they are really only excellent at supervising people.\n\nA true leader guides people to become all they are and evolve into something even more than that. Leadership is not about maintaining the status quo even if the status quo produces good results.  It’s about leading people to a level of performance beyond anything they have achieved in the past. When that is done, a leader then inspires their people to go even further.\n\nLeadership is about the never ending quest for better. There is no stopping point. No final touchdown that wins the game. Because this game has no final clock, no final result, no end.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nEach of us is a bundle of untapped potential. No matter how successful we have been or what we have achieved, we still contain more unrealized potential than real world results. When we assemble a group of people together for a common purpose, that group creates an even greater bundle of potential.\n\nIf we simply supervise the group so they effectively use their existing abilities and knowledge together, we may achieve results but will fall far short of what could have been. We also fall short of helping each person to continue to grow and evolve.\n\nOur goal in life is to leave as little unrealized potential as possible when we pass on. But we can’t do that alone. We need others to help us along our journey. They are called leaders. A true leader understands this calling and won’t let their people down by expecting less of them then they can be.\n\nFor organizations, this makes all the difference in the world. It’s the difference between a sales team meeting their quarterly revenue target versus exceeding it by 25%. It’s the difference between a manufacturing plant achieving a 99.2% defect free rate versus producing zero defects.\n\nIt’s the difference between customer service satisfying 98% of customers versus satisfying 99.9% of customers. It’s the difference between companies whose growth rate holds its own against competitors versus increasing its growth rate enough to increase its market share by 15%. It’s the difference between firms that turn over 25% of their employees annually versus those that turn over less than 5%.\n\nExceptional performance by a business, school, church, charity, sports team or any other organization starts when each person performs at an exceptional level every day. And that will only happen when those organizations or teams are led by true leaders who never stop raising the bar on their people’s performance expectations.', 'Leadership Is About The Never Ending Quest For Better', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-is-about-the-never-ending-quest-for-better', '', '', '2011-01-06 06:30:21', '2011-01-06 12:30:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4418', 0, 'post', '', 32),
(17869, 250, '2011-01-12 06:30:49', '2011-01-12 12:30:49', 'No longer is there a need for the leader who is rarely seen and even more rarely heard. I believe there are opportunities to lead from wherever you sit in your organization. This blog post, however, is focused on those who are decision makers and are responsible for outcomes as a result of the actions of their employees.\n\nPersuasion, defined as a process that changes attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or behaviors; may be the single most powerful skill a leader may possess. Creating a desire enveloped in enough credible data to sustain the desire long enough for a group of people to take action will provide the preferred outcome. This provides a leader the ability to shift and transform employee groups and, ultimately, company cultures.\n\nSo, why are some leaders more persuasive than others? Today’s workforce is made up of employees who no longer just ask, “<em>What should I do?</em>” They also ask, “<em>Why should I do it?</em>” This supports a case for why persuasion is more critical than ever. Leaders who practice these skills are much more engaged with and trusted by their employees than those who merely present data – the old ‘command and control’.\n\nThere was a time when persuasion was considered a sales tool and defined as merely manipulation. That is no longer the case. Persuasion is a skill based on a process of learning and negotiation that leads to a shared solutions-driven outcome.\nWhile, in theory, this appears doable, below are five steps in establishing and strengthening your personal power of persuasion.\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Build Credibility</strong> – true leaders must be seen as having deep expertise. They must use sound judgment and be well informed. In addition, they must cultivate and nurture strong relationships. If you develop a reputation for working towards what is best for others, you will build trust and confidence.</li>\n	<li><strong>Find Common Ground</strong> – in other words, know your employees and the culture in your workforce. People are motivated when they connect with an issue on an emotional level. When a leader considers the employee perspective prior to delivering a message, it provides an opportunity to revisit the shared advantages.</li>\n	<li><strong>Use Imagery</strong> – in order to inspire your employees to follow you, you must capture their hearts and minds. Providing only conceptual data and words, your message may be short-lived. On the other hand, if you use words that evoke vivid pictures and describe how it will feel to achieve the outcome – you will build an alliance.</li>\n	<li><strong>Connect on an Emotional Leve</strong>l – this is certainly not new, motivational speakers do this all the time. Matching the tone of your emotion to the ability of your audience to receive your message. Do your homework and research how previous events have been received. Due diligence will prepare you for how your message may be interpreted and assist you in crafting a message that will be best received.</li>\n	<li><strong>Remain Self-Aware</strong> – while it is important to know as much as you can about the culture in your organization and the people, as a leader, you must remain aware of your own behavior. As important as knowing how your employees will perceive your messages, leaders must remain aware of personal motivation. In positions of power, leader’s words are powerful and often are the catalysts for change. Understanding what triggers you, as the leader, to take action for change will give you a deeper and wiser understanding of your employees. Vulnerability and humility are strengths that will provide balance and clarity.</li>\n</ol>\nAs you prepare to deliver a message of change, bad news or even celebration, take the time to craft a compelling and persuasive story that will leave your employees knowing they have the right person at the helm.', 'The Power of Persuasion', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-power-of-persuasion', '', '', '2011-01-12 06:30:49', '2011-01-12 12:30:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4434', 0, 'post', '', 40);
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(17870, 365, '2011-01-11 06:30:45', '2011-01-11 12:30:45', 'This week I was reminded of the diversity in leadership while attending the International <a href=\"http://CESWEB.ORG\">Computer Electronics Show </a>(CES). With well over a hundred thousand people attending, I often found myself watching, listening and interacting with a very diverse group from all over the world.\n\nImagine being placed into a scenario where language, familiarity with local culture, traditions, beliefs, gender, background, personalities, business climate, business practices and opinions are all in the mix. From a leadership perspective, it could be a challenge, but an evolutionary experience in creating a dynamic and flourishing team.\n\nLeading diversity is now an everyday occurrence. Each day, we interact and possibly lead people from different countries and locations, partners from other organizations, those who have relocated to an area from other regions or we work for or with a globally diverse organization.\n\nPersonally, I have worked with geographically diverse teams for two decades and have found the interactions and adaptability of most people to be very positive. My leadership style has evolved and adapted with each experience and I have created some great relationships and learned a lot about culture, styles and personal goals and expectations.\n\nOver the years, I\'ve found there are several basic principles that leaders should consider when working with diverse teams.\n\n<strong>Listening - </strong>How often have you heard someone say, \"You’re not listening to me\"? In diverse groups, language may be seen as a barrier, but it’s really listening that’s often the issue. When my children were growing up, my favorite saying was, <strong><em>Listening is an art, and hearing is a gift</em></strong>. If we are to be successful leaders, we have to practice the art of listening with intent to understand.\n\nLeaders must take time to ask more questions, consider insights and responses and work to overcome any barriers such as distance in communications.\n\n<strong>Communications - </strong>Everyone has a style and preference when it comes to communications. I’m not talking about your favorite tool or device of choice. In diverse organizations, not everyone will have the same communication approach and leaders should consider how they can utilize the expertise of each person matching the comfort of their communications with their role and value to the organization. Some cultures find strength in one-on-one discussions, others in small groups and many learn in their youth that whoever is leading deserves respect and honor.\n\nIt’s the leader\'s challenge to learn the patterns of communications with each person, and understand the cultural heritages that may influence participation, interaction and ongoing communication.\n\n<strong>Trust - </strong>Developing and cultivating trust in diverse teams is a keystone to successful teams. There are two elements in building and growing trust. The first is overcoming fear. In any organization, people will reserve comments and interactions until they have confidence and a level of comfort in their leader. I\'ve found that most people are looking for common association, acceptance and support. Until they are comfortable with the organization, team, expectations, role and their interaction, there\'s some level of intrepidation. the second element is-  do they trust you? Heather Coleman-Voss recently shared in her post <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/just-trust-me/\">Just Trust Me</a>, \"Employees want to be trusted and respected for their work. Team members believe that their passion for their job, their work ethic, efforts and experience in their specific area should be recognized and rewarded.\"\n\nIn culturally diverse organizations, leaders should consider how you can build trust with each person, taking time to:\n<ul>\n	<li>Set expectations and communicate to everyone.</li>\n	<li>Do what you say you’re going to do and be consistent.</li>\n	<li>Live in the present, while having a vision or charter for the team.</li>\n	<li>Looking at you first before considering the challenges of others.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Acceptance - </strong>For any leader, accepting people for their contribution, character and capabilities should be first on the list. When leaders keep this at the forefront of their goals, it shouldn\'t make a difference about a person\'s heritage, background or culture. I look at it this way: if a person gives me their best and desires to work with my limitations, they deserve my acceptance. They also require my willingness to support them and promote their contribution on a continuous basis.\n\nSome things to think about:\n\nAs a contributor, am I open when it comes to being the part of a culturally diverse team? What do I bring to the table that will make it successful?\n\nAs a leader, how do I leverage the cultural diversity in my team and do I seek for persons that bring this to the organization?', 'Leading Diversity', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-diversity', '', '', '2011-01-11 06:30:45', '2011-01-11 12:30:45', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4441', 0, 'post', '', 24),
(17871, 280, '2011-01-13 06:23:37', '2011-01-13 12:23:37', 'Heather Coleman’s excellent post on <a title=\"Just Trust Me | Lead Change Group\" href=\"/just-trust-me/\">trust</a> started me thinking about some of the attributes of trust. In the web economy, trust must have at least three components: identity, privacy and security. Many social-networking powerhouses such as Facebook have two but not three, and sometimes only one, of these attributes, on any given day.\n\nIn the web economy trust can be seen as a transaction, or a precursor to a transaction. When attributes of trust fall off the list, people react, often negatively, to that company. Transactions – commercial, informational, transformational or tacit – drop off.\n\nCompanies have the same problem, seen through a different lens. In the workplace economy, trust can’t be a transaction; it must be a condition of employment.\n<h2>Identity</h2>\nBrands inspire trust by projecting a strong identity. So too leaders may inspire trust by enabling individuals to build an identity, typically a personal brand. Working smart, a leader can construct an environment of trust in which personal brand and workplace brand share attributes, which enables a community to emerge within the workplace.\n\nBy building trust – telling the truth, being honest in the sales and marketing of products and services, projecting clarity in ideas and direction, even cultivating shared preferences - a leader can manage the unknown for employees. As we’ve seen in the past two years, the unknown is an enormous threat to productivity, personal well-being and economic stability. The more unknowns there are in a workplace, the less productive and motivated employees will be. Customers will sense that uncertainty and stay away from your brand.\n\nIn short, trust is a core competency, even a currency, in today’s workplace. It is the basis of a solid working relationship. It requires emotional intelligence on the part of a leader. A good leader knows this in his or her heart, but it helps to occasionally take stock and refresh your stores of trust. Let’s go back to the three tenets of trust – privacy, identity and security – and think about how cultivating emotional intelligence in the workplace and social community feeds trust.\n\nI think of identity as personal brand – we’ve written lots about that, and its close relative <a title=\"Culture Fit + Models of Interaction + Pragmatism / Idealism = Progress\" href=\"http://www.talentculture.com/culture/culture-fit-models-of-interaction-pragmatismidealism-progress/\">culture</a> fit, at TalentCulture. Without diving deep here, I’d say that personal brand and culture fit are not always on the mind of a leader – but the leader can nurture them in employees by creating a workplace of shared trust.\n<h2>Privacy</h2>\nIt may seem odd to think of ‘privacy’ as an attribute of a workplace, especially when many people live in cubesville. In this context, I think of ‘privacy’ as akin to internal space: giving employees the emotional, creative and mental space to work and make good decisions. As Heather pointed out, micro-managing destroys trust. It is also the enemy of privacy – the ability of an individual to work independently, with the respect and support of management.\n<h2>Security</h2>\nThen there’s security. I don’t mean data security (although you need that too in the workplace) but the trust in leaders necessary for employees to feel secure in being creative, serving clients, adding value to the business – even if it means pushing back on leaders from time to time. To do their best work most people must feel secure. They must feel trusted, and show trust. They must have trust in the ideas of leadership.\n\nTrusting organizations requires enlightened leadership. Trusting people means trusting yourself as a leader first, so you can relax enough to trust your employees.\n\nLet go and trust your employees, and watch them thrive. Employees, trust your leaders; if you can’t, tell them why. It’s difficult, but necessary, because trust will lead us out of the doldrums and into this new year with the hope we need to rebuild our companies/teams/communities and our brands as we see fit.\n\nWhat are your trust issues? How do they affect your ability to lead? Let me know.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/gleonhard/3411793744/\">by gleonhard</a> on Flickr</span>', 'Workplace Trust – Cultivating Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'workplace-trust-cultivating-leaders', '', '', '2011-01-13 06:23:37', '2011-01-13 12:23:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4446', 0, 'post', '', 64),
(17872, 243, '2011-01-14 06:26:23', '2011-01-14 12:26:23', 'What are your plans for 2011?  This is a video and slide deck of the call we had on January 6, 2011 to talk about the future of the Lead Change Group.  It is also the first of monthly calls between the Contributing Members of the group to talk about ways we plan to grow and make a difference in 2011.\n<h2>Video</h2>\n<iframe src=\"http://player.vimeo.com/video/18729733?byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"625\" height=\"461\" frameborder=\"0\"></iframe>\n<h2>Slides</h2>\n<div id=\"__ss_6548659\" style=\"width: 625px;\"><strong style=\"display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;\"><a title=\"Contributors Call January 2011\" href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/mikehenrysr/contributors-call-january-2011\">Contributors Call January 2011</a></strong><object id=\"__sse6548659\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"625\" height=\"522\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"src\" value=\"http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=contributorscalljan2011-110113073934-phpapp01&amp;stripped_title=contributors-call-january-2011&amp;userName=mikehenrysr\" /><param name=\"name\" value=\"__sse6548659\" /><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed id=\"__sse6548659\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"625\" height=\"522\" src=\"http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=contributorscalljan2011-110113073934-phpapp01&amp;stripped_title=contributors-call-january-2011&amp;userName=mikehenrysr\" name=\"__sse6548659\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object>\n<div style=\"padding: 5px 0 12px;\">View more <a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/\">presentations</a> from <a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/mikehenrysr\">Mike Henry Sr.</a>.</div>\n</div>\n<h2>What\'s Next</h2>\n<p>Our next Contributors call is scheduled for February 3, 2011 on the topic of Blogging Together - Leveraging Our Blog(s) to Make a Positive Difference.  Save the date and stay tuned for details.  </p>\n<p>We have planed several joint activities this year to promote character-based leadership.  Among those are webinars, posts and ebooks, talk-radio shows, and even video conferences.  Our goal is to promote leadership that draws its influence from \"who you are\" rather than what position you have - character-based leadership.  Care to join us?</p> ', 'Contributors Call January 2011 Follow Up', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'contributors-call-january-2011-follow-up', '', '', '2011-01-14 06:26:23', '2011-01-14 12:26:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4449', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17873, 253, '2011-01-18 06:30:04', '2011-01-18 12:30:04', '<h4><em>People HATE change.</em></h4>\n&nbsp;\n\nThey loathe and despise it. They see it, abhor it and team up to fight it. Mind you, not all people, all the time. But certainly most people, much of the time.\n\nPeople rebuke change. People will <a href=\"http://twitter.com/gaplogo#\" target=\"new\">mock</a> change. People will link up and gang up to stop change. The Gap found this out last year, through their <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/10/new-gap-logo-despised-symbol-of-corporate-banality-dead-at-one-week.html\" target=\"new\">new logo roll-out</a>. It lasted a week, before it was rolled up and thrown out.\n\nI\'ve stood before torrential opposition a time or two this past decade. You see, I\'m something of a \"change agent\" in my work. Specifically, I talk about changes I\'d like to see in the <a href=\"http://knowledgebishop.com/2010/12/22/a-techcomm-christmas-list/\" target=\"new\">Technical Communications</a> and <a href=\"http://www.zendesk.com/blog/dont-keep-your-customers-waiting\" target=\"new\">Customer Service</a> functions. Along the way, I\'ve explored ways change managers can inspire detractors and win over the reluctant. I want to share three of these ways with you:\n<h4><strong>1: </strong>Prove that Your Proposed Change Crushes the Status Quo</h4>\nAccording to Harvard professor John Gourville, \"<em>People irrationally overvalue benefits they currently possess, relative to those that they don\'t.</em>\"  Gourville <a href=\"http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2010/05/clinging-to-what-we-know---the-jar-jar-binks-theory.html\" target=\"new\">suggests</a> that a proposed change has to be \"<em>NINE times better than the incumbent option in order to motivate people.</em>\" This is because people pitching the change will \"<em>overvalue their new idea by a factor of three and people clinging to the status quo will undervalue the proposed benefits by a factor of thre</em>e\".\n<blockquote>If your proposed change is better, say so emphatically. But use facts, not rhetoric.</blockquote>\n<h4><strong>2: </strong>Prove that the Peril of Inaction Outweighs the Risk of Destabilization</h4>\nConsider an evacuation notice for a hurricane. For some reason, even in severe situations, there are always people who simply refuse to evacuate. <a href=\"http://www.livescience.com/culture/080915-hurricane-evacuation.html\" target=\"new\">According to Rebecca Morss</a>, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, these people \"just don\'t perceive the risk to be that high.\" People are weary of the \"boy who cried wolf\"; they are numb to warnings. They don\'t believe that you\'re painting an accurate picture.\n<blockquote>If your proposed change will save them from certain doom, you must show exactly how and why.</blockquote>\n<h4><strong>3: </strong>Prove the Call for Change isn\'t Driven by Self-Interest</h4>\nDistrust of leadership has steadily grown for the past 45 years. For example, according to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who distrust Government has <a href=\"http://people-press.org/trust/\" target=\"new\">risen</a> from 25% in 1958 to 80% in 2010! If four out of five people openly distrust the motives of their official leaders, why do you expect them to trust YOU?\n<blockquote>If you expect your change to be trusted, you\'ll have to show how it benefits those they care about, and prove you have nothing to gain at their expense.</blockquote>\n<h3>You MUST Lead Change Anyway</h3>\nInherent aversion to change is the Gospel truth. It goes back at LEAST 2,000 years:\n<blockquote>\"No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, \'The old wine is better!\'\" - Luke 5:39 (GWT)</blockquote>\nPeople are going to hate change. But change is <strong>so</strong> needed. I hope these three tips can help us to lead it.', 'Convincing the Resistant', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'convincing-the-resistant', '', '', '2011-01-18 06:30:04', '2011-01-18 12:30:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4452', 0, 'post', '', 76),
(17874, 255, '2011-01-20 06:30:57', '2011-01-20 12:30:57', 'Do your workplace communications ever feel as if you’re spending most of your time attempting to assuage the concerns of the irrational? Over the years I’ve simply come to the conclusion that many otherwise savvy business people have yet to grasp – <strong>you can’t argue with crazy</strong>. We’ve all heard the saying “pick your battles,” and in my experience, one of the most futile battles that can be waged is attempting to change the mind of someone who already lives in an altered state. So, in today’s post I’ll share some thoughts on how to make sure the lunatics don’t gain control of the asylum…\n\nLet’s begin by defining “Crazy.” While most of us don’t encounter clinical insanity in the workplace on a frequent basis, we regrettably must contend with a whole host of other frustrating characters…the irrational, the ignorant, the closed-minded, the pathological liar, the overly political, the self-serving, the zealot, the megalomaniac, the CFO (just kidding), the power hungry, and any number of other “corporate crazies.” The corporate landscape is littered with very sane people who are better suited for the padded room, or the romper room, more than they are the board room.\n\nIt is simply not fruitful to attempt to debate business logic with those who do not recognize logic to begin with. If there’s one tidbit of wisdom you need to take away from this post, it’s that you cannot convince someone who always thinks they’re right that they are in fact wrong. No matter how logical and grounded your approach, they simply won’t accept your facts over their opinions, emotions, and self-interests. So, what can you do when logic and reason fail to prevail? The following list of suggestions is my gift to you in hope that it will allow you to outsmart those that feel they cannot be outsmarted…\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Define Acceptable Behavior</strong>: This first thing all CEOs need to do is to accept responsibility for any “corporate crazies” who have taken residence in their organization. They serve at your pleasure, and as CEO, are your issue to deal with. Rest assured that if their behavior is bothering you, then it’s highly probable that their behavior is adversely impacting others to an even greater degree. Just having a definition for what constitutes acceptable behavior is a positive step in containing the crazies. Creating a framework for decisioning, using a published delegation of authority statement, encouraging sound business practices in collaboration, team building, leadership development, and talent management will all help even out the uneven. Having clearly defined job descriptions so that people know what’s expected of them, and a well articulated chain of command to allow for effective communication will also help people to play nicely.</li>\n	<li><strong>Hit Conflict Head-On</strong>: While you can’t always prevent conflicts, it has been my experience that the secret to conflict resolution is conflict prevention where possible. By actually seeking out areas of potential conflict, and proactively intervening in a fair and decisive fashion, you will likely prevent certain conflicts from ever arising. If conflict does flare up, you will likely minimize its severity by dealing with it quickly.</li>\n	<li><strong>Understanding the WIIFM Factor</strong>: Understanding the other person’s WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) position is critical. It is absolutely essential to understand others’ motivations prior to weighing in. Other than the obvious solution for dealing with difficult people (choosing not to deal with them at all), the best way to calm the perpetual storm is to help them achieve their objectives. If you approach problematic relationships from the perspective of taking the action that will help others best achieve their goals, you will find few obstacles will stand in your way with regard to resolving conflict.</li>\n	<li><strong>The Importance Factor</strong>: Don’t allow yourself to get sucked into succumbing to conflict for the sake of conflict. However if the issue is important enough to create a conflict, then it is surely important enough to resolve. If the issue, circumstance or situation is important enough, and there is enough at stake, people will do what is necessary to open lines of communication and close positional gaps.</li>\n	<li><strong>View Conflict as Opportunity</strong>: Hidden within virtually every conflict is the potential for a tremendous teaching/development opportunity. Where there is disagreement there is an inherent potential for growth and development. If you’re a CEO who doesn’t leverage conflict for team building and leadership development purposes you’re missing a great opportunity.</li>\n</ol>\nBottom line…If you can’t avoid the crazies there is still hope…I sincerely believe productive working relationships can be formed with even the most difficult people where there is a sincere desire/need to do so. Turning the other cheek, compromise, forgiveness, compassion, empathy, finding common ground, being an active listener, service above self, and numerous other approaches will always allow one to be successful in building rapport if the underlying desire is strong enough. If taking the high road fails, or is not the best course of action, then relax…you’re the CEO – you can always let them go, which is probably what you should have done long ago.\n\nThoughts?', 'Dealing with Corporate Crazies', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dealing-with-corporate-crazies', '', '', '2011-01-20 06:30:57', '2011-01-20 12:30:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4458', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(17875, 243, '2011-02-09 15:51:23', '2011-02-09 21:51:23', 'Sonia Di Maulo will be re-starting our Leadership Character webinar series by presenting <a title=\"Register for Influence with Peers\" href=\"https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/859926102\">Leading Across - Influence with Peers</a>.  This is an update to the webinar originally scheduled last November.  This is Episode 4 of the the Leadership Character webinar series.  The webinar will take place live on February 22, 2010 at 3 PM Eastern, 2 PM Central and Noon Pacific.\n\nThe Lead Change Group exists to connect and mobilize character-based leaders.  Please join us for this free webinar where Sonia will share skills, techniques and attitudes required to establish rapport, build trust and strengthen relationships with your peers and bring energy and creativity to your organization.\n\nThe Leadership Character webinars are hosted by contributing members to help connect and grow the Lead Change community.  Sonia’s mission is to help you cultivate trust and collaboration.  She is Founder and Lead Feedback Enthusiast of <a href=\"http://www.readytofeedback.com/\">Ready to Feedback</a>. She has witnessed the power of authentic feedback move mountains! She is currently working on her first book, The Apple Seed, a story of a brave little apple and his quest for finding purpose and connection with the apple orchard. She offers Workshops, Coaching, and Keynotes aimed at getting you ready to cultivate trust and collaboration.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.getyourbigon.com\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-4567 alignleft\" title=\"gybo\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gybo1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"119\" height=\"119\" /></a>The Braithwaite Innovation Group is the sponsor of the Leadership Character Webinars.  They offer a service called <a href=\"http://getyourbigon.com\">Get Your Big On</a> offers webinar promotion and assistance.  You bring your content and the <a href=\"http://getyourbigon.com\">Get Your Big On</a> team will help you get your message out!  You can find out more at <a title=\"their website\" href=\"http://getyourbigon.com\">http://getyourbigon.com</a>.\n\nSpace is limited, so Register Now!\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/859926102\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4568\" title=\"button_registerNow\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/button_registerNow.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"31\" /></a>After the event, a link to the recording will be provided.  Don\'t miss this great opportunity to sharpen your skills and make an impact!</p>', 'Influence With Peers - Leadership Character Episode 4', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'influence-with-peers-leadership-character-episode-4', '', '', '2011-02-09 15:51:23', '2011-02-09 21:51:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4121', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17876, 254, '2011-02-03 06:47:08', '2011-02-03 12:47:08', 'Character grows upon the foundation of absorbing attitudes. It derives from internalizing precepts. Character forms when it exists under healthy authority, the authority of someone, or some ideology. For character to grow, it must remain in this state of willing subjection to its chosen higher power.\n\nAs adults, we are mindful, resistant, or mindless of this crucial dynamic. If we are mindful, then we choose appropriate authority and subject ourselves to it. If we are resistant, then we evolve by reaction, choosing the authority that we will stand against. If we are mindless, then we passively absorb the attitudes and precepts of our culture. Either way, a character forms.\n\nWilling subjection says, “I am less, you are more, and I will follow”. It says, “Yes” without question. And here is the twist. As we are properly under authority, we gain authority. There is no other graceful path to constructive empowerment. As we are in a state of chosen subjection, gracefully under authority and internalizing its precepts, something magical happens.\n\nAs we come under authority, our character grows. We become empowered, and one day we notice our promotion. We begin to see that we have followers. We realize that others are entrusting themselves to our care, coming under our authority and often, we don’t even see it coming. This journey of coming under authority, and then having authority, is an organic process that yields incredible life for all who embrace it.\n\nAuthority, subjection, obedience, and internalizing precepts are not popular ideas in modern times, but the facts remain. They are the vehicles by which we grow healthy and strong in character. People of healthy character have principled power, and therefore they wield positive and proactive influence. Absent the authority principle, we act out relationally void or relationally destructive power with those around us.\n\nTo see what I mean, look around at the leaders of our generation. You will easily see their chosen relationship with authority. Some are mindless “chameleons of culture”, subtly corrosive of the best within us. Others are resistant and they create division everywhere they turn. Fortunately, some are mindful, always embracing a higher path, and they the ones who win our hearts and minds.\n\nI’m under authority. Not perfectly by any means, but I am. It keeps me growing and deepening in character. And I’m pleased to see evidence of my subjection, obedience, and internalized precepts. I’m a leader, I have followers, I have positive influence, and I never once sought for this to happen. This is just the way that it rolls. There’s a continuum of relating with authority ranging from “mindless” to “mindfully resisting” to “mindfully embracing”, and we have a choice of where to place ourselves upon that line.\n\nWhat is character to you? How do you think it develops in adults? Have my thoughts stirred a reaction? Are you “under authority”? If so, then who, or what ideology are you in subjection to? I hope you will weigh in on these matters. Your answers are crucial to the growth of the Lead Change community.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">The Path to Character - Copyright © 2011 Thomas Waterhouse. All rights reserved.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-683960-track-to-mount-cook-new-zealand.php\">iStockPhoto</a> © glenn maas\n</span>', 'The Path To Character', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-path-to-character', '', '', '2011-02-03 06:47:08', '2011-02-03 12:47:08', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4504', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17877, 259, '2011-02-17 06:14:43', '2011-02-17 12:14:43', 'Benjamin Zander is an incredible conductor, teacher and speaker. He believes strongly in the <a href=\"http://www.benjaminzander.com/book/\" target=\"_blank\">Art of Possibility</a>, which is the subject of a book he co-wrote with his wife.\n\nTowards the end of a talk on music and passion at TED2008 (around the 17 minute mark in the <a title=\"On Music and Passion\" href=\"http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html\" target=\"_blank\">video</a>), he asks the audience “How would you walk, how would you talk if you were thinking ‘3% of the population likes classical music. How do we move it to 4%...’ vs How would you walk, how would you talk if you thought ‘Everybody loves classical music! It’s just that they haven’t found out about it yet!’”\n\nThis statement stopped me dead in my tracks. Yes, I enjoy classical music. But what was profound to me was the fact that this applies to more than just your taste in music. As a leader, we can limit ourselves and our teams by short-changing by our goals (expanding 1%), or we can set our teams free by reaching for the stars (everybody loves it)!\n\nBen goes on to state that he suddenly realized one day that his job was to awaken the possibility that lay in other people. So, how do you tell whether you’re doing that or not? You look into their eyes! If their eyes are shining, you know you’re doing it. If their eyes are not shining, you get to ask a question. “Who am I being that my followers’ eyes are not shining?” Ben’s definition of success isn’t about wealth and fame and power. It’s about how many eyes are shining around him.\n\nAs a leader, are your followers’ eyes shining? Are they nodding their heads in agreement as they hang on your every word? Have they embraced a passion for your shared purpose that will enable them to reach for the stars? If not, who are you being that your followers’ eyes aren’t shining? And what are you going to do about it?', 'How Would You Walk?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-would-you-walk', '', '', '2011-02-17 06:14:43', '2011-02-17 12:14:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4525', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17878, 259, '2011-02-04 07:00:29', '2011-02-04 13:00:29', 'The Lead Change Group is a contributor-supported leadership development community. Contributing Members commit to help build a leadership development destination on the web. They give not only their time, but also their money and expertise as well. Their contribution enables us to create a destination spot that attracts individuals wanting to further develop their leadership potential.\n\nIn support of building character-based leadership this week, our contributors wrote about the rewards of leadership, being aware of our leadership style, and disciplining ourselves to be the best leaders we can be.\n\nMonday, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/members/mike\">Mike Henry</a>, founder of the <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/\">Lead Change Group</a>, posted <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leadership-reward-culture/\">here</a> on Lead Change. The post he shared, titled Leadership, Reward and Culture is about how when we do something for someone else, knowing that our actions cannot be repaid, we receive an immeasurable benefit in return.\n\nOn Tuesday, Georgia Feiste of <a href=\"http://collaborativetransitions.com/\">Collaborative Transitions Coaching</a> wrote about discovering your leadership style, and the place that authentic leadership has in her life. Check out her post entitled <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/authentic-leadership-is-this-your-leadership-style/\">Authentic Leadership – Is This Your Leadership Style?</a> On her blog, she recently revisited an older book by Neale Donald Walsch, called “<em>The New Revelations</em>,” which she writes about in <a href=\"http://collaborativetransitions.com/blog\">Change is the Nature of Life</a>.\n\nWednesday’s post was written by Sonia Di Maulo of <a href=\"http://readytofeedback.com/\">Ready to Feedback</a>. <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/what-you-heard-is-not-what-i-meant/\">What You Heard Is Not What I Meant</a> is about cultivating a discipline of clarification. On her blog, a guest blogger, Harold Thompson, shared his ideas about <a href=\"http://readytofeedback.com/?p=3951\">When Feedback is Hard to Take</a>.\n\nThomas Waterhouse of <a href=\"http://www.simpleencouragement.com/\">Simple Encouragement</a> posted on Thursday about <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/the-path-to-character/\">The Path to Character</a>. In this post, he writes about how character forms when it is placed under some form of healthy authority. On his own blog, a recent post explored <a href=\"http://www.simpleencouragement.com/_blog/Simply_Encouraging_Blog\">A Place Called “Thank You.”</a>\n\nWhat we love about this leadership community is that the posts and insights that contributors share encourage all of us to lead from where we are, not from some position or power. Anyone can choose to practice character-based leadership, no matter what their position in life.\n\nSo, please do check out these posts and click through to the sites of other members. You can also see a list of links to all of the contributors’ blogs on the Leadership Blogs page. Our working together as a community will help attract people to the group and empower us to grow other character-based leaders.', 'Contributors Carnival February 4, 2011', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'contributors-carnival-february-4-2011', '', '', '2011-02-04 07:00:29', '2011-02-04 13:00:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4534', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17879, 245, '2011-02-12 07:00:34', '2011-02-12 13:00:34', '<em>In addition to the blog posts created specifically for the Lead Change blog, many of our Contributors write for other blogs as well. We’ve established a “Best of the Blogs” series featuring favorite leadership posts offered by our contributing writers. </em>\n\nWe’ve all seen it before—the person driving down the highway, talking on the cell phone and performing some form of personal grooming as well. It’s called “multi-tasking” and we think we’re pretty good at it. As it turns out, we stink at doing more than one thing at a time. According to researchers <a href=\"http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~cfc/\">Christopher Chabris</a> and <a href=\"http://www.dansimons.com/\">Daniel Simons</a>, much of our multi-tasking is ineffective and possibly dangerous. Chabris and Simons are the authors of <a href=\"http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/overview.html\">The Invisible Gorilla</a> and they say that people vastly overestimate how well they perform while multi-tasking. Their research began when they were undergrads at Harvard with this now-famous experiment, which you can <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/user/profsimons#p/a/u/1/IGQmdoK_ZfY\">watch on YouTube</a>.\n\nIra Flatow of NPR’s <a href=\"http://sciencefriday.com/\">Science Friday</a> interviewed Chabris and Simons in a segment called “<a href=\"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129934804\">How We Pay Attention</a>”.  In the interview, they discuss the implications of this overconfidence:  from the highly serious (police officers who miss critical information) to the more mundane (teens who say they concentrate “better” when they study while listening to music and watching television).\n\nSays Dr. Chabris,\n<blockquote>“It’s a fallacy that we’re able to multitask and do two or three or four or five things at once, just as well as we could do them if we did them one at a time. This is, for example, one of the reasons why some people talk on the cell phone while they’re driving – because they don’t get the sense that they’re driving less well than they actually are. They don’t get the sense that they’re missing unexpected things because, of course, they don’t see what they’re missing.”</blockquote>\nIt was a fascinating discussion about human perceptions, backed up by some thought-provoking research. I found myself wondering about the implications of this research for leaders in the workplace. Nearly every leader I know is swamped: hundreds of emails a day, demanding customers, understaffed departments. The pressure to produce faster, cheaper and higher quality output is never-ending.\n\nSo is it any surprise that a leader might turn to multi-tasking in an attempt at getting more done? It sounds like a reasonable tactic and it’s one that we’ve heard proffered by many time-management gurus.  I once had an executive proudly recite his time-management techniques to me. Among his favorites: reading business periodicals while walking on the treadmill and completing “no-brainer” paperwork while attending others’ staff meetings. I should point out that this was a highly effective leader who was personable and well-respected amongst both peers and staff members. He was not an interpersonal dolt. Rather, he was overestimating his effectiveness at multi-tasking and therefore felt it was acceptable to “kill two birds with one stone” at staff meetings.\n\nAccording Chabris and Simons’ research, to perform a task optimally humans must focus intently on one thing at a time.  Moreover, it’s the false perception that we <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">are</span> keeping track of all the important data that gets us into hot water. And this, in my opinion, is how this research can help leaders: don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re “getting stuff done” because you can do three things at once. Instead, ask yourself: “Is this task worthy of my full attention?” If the answer is “Yes”, then put down the smart phone, close your day planner binder and focus. Maybe you’ll get a few less emails answered, but you’ll enjoy the benefit of a fully aware interpersonal experience. And who knows, you might actually see the gorilla in the room.\n\nThis post originally was originally featured on <a href=\"http://people-equation.com/great-leaders-dont-multi-task/\">The People Equation blog</a>.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Great Leaders Don&#039;t Multi-Task', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'great-leaders-dont-multi-task', '', '', '2011-02-12 07:00:34', '2011-02-12 13:00:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4536', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17880, 273, '2011-02-09 06:10:58', '2011-02-09 12:10:58', 'In the course of your day as a leader you are faced with many decisions. Some come in emails, some in inquiries, and some in meetings. Some you have time to consider, for some you will rely on input from others, and others you must make immediately.\n\nThere’s no question, leadership requires decision-making.\n\nThe decisions described below are, in large part, a different kind of decision. These decisions are not thrust upon you; they are decisions in front of you all of the time. These decisions are typically decided subconsciously or by default likely because you’ve not considered them at all.\n\nI’ll share them with you and suggest a decision. Then you can decide your response.\n\n<strong>Decide to focus.</strong>\n\nAre you scattered in your approach and thinking? Are you disciplined to stay on task and move yourself and your team in the direction of your goals? Do you know the most important things you and your team need to be doing and thinking about? If you are consciously diligent about your focus, you may not like your answers to those questions.\n\n<strong>Decide to trust.</strong>\n\nIf you want more trust in your working relationships, begin by being more trusting. This doesn’t imply blind trust or trusting people to do things they aren’t prepared for, but it does imply that trust is a decision. How much trust are you granting to others? Are you happy with this choice?\n\n<strong>Decide to set high(er) expectations.</strong>\n\nPeople tend to live up to – or down to – the expectations we have of them. Do your people know what is expected? Are those expectations not only clear, but aspirational? If you want improved performance both of these answers need to be yes.\n\n<strong>Decide to lead by example.</strong>\n\nPeople are watching you. They are watching what you say and what you do. The reality is you are already leading by example. The question is – is your example what you really want them to be emulating?\n\n<strong>Decide to look for the good.</strong>\n\nPeople grow from encouragement, a focus on their strengths and positive reinforcement. It is hard to share those ideas if you don’t see the examples. Are you intentionally looking for what people are doing right?\n\n<strong>Decide to create a positive environment.</strong>\n\nEnvironment matters to productivity, job satisfaction, retention, collaboration, creativity and more. As a leader, you set the tone and are the most important regulator of the environment. What environment are you choosing to create?\n\n<strong>Decide to engage.</strong>\n\nAre you an absentee leader, leaving your team to “do their work”? Do people see you as a part of the team – a caring, participating member? You are not just part of the work product, you must be part of the social fabric of the team.\n\n<strong>Decide to start.</strong>\n\nSome things that aren’t being done won’t get started until you go first. That is the role of the leader. What needs to get going? What needs a push? What must you decide to begin?\n\n<strong>Decide to stop.</strong>\n\nThe status quo will continue without your leadership. When did you last consider what no longer needs to be done? When did you last look at the work of your team to determine what work is no longer needed? More personally, what are you doing that is inefficient or counter-productive?\n\n<strong>Decide to learn.</strong>\n\nBeing a continual learner is a choice. Are you pleased with your personal performance? Have you mastered your most important roles and tasks? What else do you want or need to learn? The best leaders are learners. What have you decided is next for your personal growth?\n\nThese are not <em>all</em> the subtle decisions available to you as a leader, but they are among the most important.\n\nI challenge you to consider each one individually and make conscious decisions; decisions that will help you be a more effective and successful leader.\n\n<em>Originally posted on <a href=\"http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leadership/ten-decisions-leaders-make-everyday/\">Kevin\'s blog, Leadership &amp; Learning</a></em>', 'Ten Everyday Leadership Decisions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ten-everyday-leadership-decisions', '', '', '2011-02-09 06:10:58', '2011-02-09 12:10:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4541', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17881, 274, '2011-02-10 06:12:01', '2011-02-10 12:12:01', 'Leadership begins with a <em>decision</em> to make a difference.\n\nIt is a decision to act, a decision to <em>do something</em>.\n\nLeaders are people who <em>decide </em>to live and act in a way that brings about positive results: in their organizations, families, and communities.\n\nThe first decision, each day, is the decision to make a difference through leading others.\n\nEven people who hold a position of leadership must choose to step up and lead.\n\nFrom the first decision, many others follow — leadership is established through a series of decisions. Leaders face many decisions, both large and (seemingly) small. Yet each one is another opportunity to confirm and under gird the first one.\n\nAnd that first decision is the one that matters most.\n\nWill you choose to lead?\n\n<em>This post originally appeared at Mountain State University LeaderTalk and is reposted with permission. </em>', 'The Decision to Lead', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-decision-to-lead', '', '', '2011-02-10 06:12:01', '2011-02-10 12:12:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4561', 0, 'post', '', 10);
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(17882, 277, '2011-02-16 06:12:44', '2011-02-16 12:12:44', 'I have a theory: <strong><em>all</em></strong> good managers have ready access to two fundamental skill sets—the ability to Relate and the ability to Require.\n\nYou may be a little skeptical about the simplicity of this theory, but play along for a little while and tell me what you think.\n<h3>Define: Relating and Requiring</h3>\n\"Relating\" encompasses relationship-building behaviors: asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging. When managers relate well, their employees feel heard and cared for. Each employee understands he/she is an important player on the team. Employees bloom professionally and their contributions to the organization also grow.\n\n\"Requiring\" refers to results-oriented activities: creating expectations, focusing on goals, insisting on excellence, setting appropriate controls, asserting your views and confronting problems. When managers require well, the group performs well—high quality, high productivity, new ideas being generated to solve existing problems. Employees see the results and appreciate the part they play in making things happen.\n\nMy theory states that <strong><em>all</em></strong> good managers have ready access to <strong><em>both</em></strong> skill sets, but my research shows that very <strong><em>few</em></strong> managers actually possess this versatility naturally.\n\nMost managers find that only one of the skill sets feels natural, so they rely on a single skill set too much. Those who instinctively Relate are usually less effective at Requiring. Those who instinctively Require are generally weaker at Relating.\n<h3>Extremes can damage business results and relationships</h3>\nSometimes, managers utilize their natural style way too much. Over-Relaters and Over-Requirers come in many varieties. For example, softies who do not confront poor performance, sacrificing business results in an effort to preserve relationships, have gone overboard in the Relating department. Micromanagers who request status reports every 30 minutes are taking Requiring too far.\n\nTo become more versatile, managers first need to evaluate how much they use each of these fundamental skill sets. Then, they need to begin practicing the skills they have been under-utilizing or avoiding and pulling back on skills they are overusing.\n<h3>A simple checklist</h3>\nInstead of dreading this as a change management task, managers can use the Relating and Requiring skill sets as a daily check list. They can think about upcoming employee interactions and ask themselves, “Which of these skills will help me most in this situation?” Or if an interaction goes poorly, a manager can ask, “Which skill, if I had used more of it, would have produced a better outcome?”\n\nFor example, you might need to ask more questions and listen fully to the employee’s responses. Or, you might need to confront a performance issue earlier next time and with more confidence. These steps feel like feasible to-do items, rather than impossible personality adjustments.\n\nLooking at the list of skills, a manager might say, “I want to learn more about coaching. I don’t feel I know enough about how to do that.” And it becomes a voluntary quest for new knowledge instead of an external mandate for change.\n\nThere is not one “right” management style. Natural Relaters and natural Requirers can both be excellent managers. The key is versatility—knowing <strong><em>when</em></strong><em> and <strong>how</strong></em> to utilize each skill in each business circumstance and employee situation that arises.\n\nI’m curious to hear your thoughts on this theory. Are there any additional categories you would include on the Relating or Requiring skill lists?\n\n<em>If you are a manager, you can find out where you score on the Relating and Requiring scales for free by visiting <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.managingpeoplebetter.com</a> (you will be helping us with a research study, too). All participants will get a free personal report with recommendations.</em>', 'The Keys to Managing People Better?', 'Theory: all good managers have ready access to two fundamental skill sets—the ability to Relate and the ability to Require. \"Relating\" encompasses relationship-building behaviors: asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging. \"Requiring\" refers to results-oriented activities: creating expectations, focusing on goals, insisting on excellence, setting appropriate controls, asserting your views and confronting problems. Over- or under-utilizing these skills can damage business results and/or relationships.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-keys-to-managing-people-better', '', '', '2011-02-16 06:12:44', '2011-02-16 12:12:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4574', 0, 'post', '', 18),
(17883, 259, '2011-02-11 06:00:47', '2011-02-11 12:00:47', 'The Lead Change Group is a contributor-supported leadership development community. Contributing Members commit to help build a leadership development destination on the web. They give not only their time, but also their money and expertise as well. Their contribution enables us to create a destination spot that attracts individuals wanting to further develop their leadership potential.\n\nIn support of building character-based leadership this week, our contributors wrote about the rewards of leadership, being aware of our leadership style, and disciplining ourselves to be the best leaders we can be.\n\nOn Monday, Chad Balthrop started his series on <a title=\"Posts Tagged Transactional Leadership\" href=\"/tag/transactional-leadership/\">Transactional Leadership</a> on Lead Change. Look for the remaining installments of this series on upcoming Sundays. It’s a great way to start off the week! On his blog, theFarpoint, Chad recently explored the question “<a href=\"http://thefarpoint.org/2011/02/what-do-you-ssee/\">What Do You See?</a>” In it, he talks about how the “art of atta boy” is the most important resource in your strategic and tactical leadership tool chest.\n\nTuesday, S. Max Brown wrote about Gender, Leadership &amp; a new term, “CSV” on Lead Change, which addressed three Harvard Business Review articles covering new leadership research that came out this month. Max’s <a href=\"http://rideau.com/blogs/s-max-brown\">blog</a> gives you a sneak preview of what’s to come on his Real Recognition Radio program.\n\nKevin Eikenberry provided Wednesday’s post on Ten EveryDay Leadership Decisions, despite busily preparing for the launch of his new book next week. Be on the look-out for <a href=\"http://www.frombudtoboss.com/\">From Bud to Boss</a>. It’s a warm and engaging read that shares the secrets to transition from a peer to a Remarkable leader. I’m still preparing my review of the book, but I definitely encourage you to read it. It contains nuggets of truth that both young and old leaders can benefit from receiving. With less than a week to go until the launch, Kevin shares some of his thoughts in “<a href=\"http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/books/just-one-week/\">Just One Week.</a>”\n\nBecky Robinson continued the theme by providing Thursday’s post on The Decision to Lead, despite helping Kevin prepare for the launch of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">From Bud to Boss</span>. On her own blog, Becky chose to share <a href=\"http://www.weavinginfluence.com/social-media/five/\">Five</a> details for you about the book, its related development community and her role in it.\n\nThis leadership community is filled with great minds and talents who are honestly seeking to build themselves and those around them up as character-based leaders. Whenever one of us reaches a milestone like Kevin has, it makes the rest of our hearts sing!\n\nSo, please do check out these posts and click through to the sites of other members. You can also see a list of links to all of the contributors’ blogs on the Leadership Blogs page. Our working together as a community will help attract people to the group and empower us to grow other character-based leaders.', 'Contributors Carnival February 11, 2011', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'contributors-carnival-february-11-2011', '', '', '2011-02-11 06:00:47', '2011-02-11 12:00:47', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4576', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17884, 252, '2011-02-14 08:52:19', '2011-02-14 14:52:19', 'The other day, an esteemed colleague and I were having a discussion about why it seemed so difficult for some leaders, or others in authority at work, to see employees as humans and treat them accordingly. It compelled me to connect leadership and love.  With Valentine\'s Day approaching, I decided it was a perfect time to go public.\n\nThe issue at hand was an example I had from a client — a manager who had inherited an employee who was clearly not a fit for a position she had been shoe-horned into.  The employee knew it.  Her manager, my client, knew it.  The employee needed to find another position with the company or move on.  It was an increasingly painful experience as they both continued to suffer from her non-performance and insecurity.\n\nThe issue for me was that \"the powers to be\" (yep, I\'m being cryptic on purpose) had yet to craft and finalize a letter to this effect in the appropriate language, which I can only assume would limit liability.  They had been working, or should I say, not working on this for four months.  My client and her employee really couldn\'t proceed as they needed to without it.\n\nEvery time my client called them they acknowledged it was not a difficult or time-consuming activity, but there were just more pressing issues.\n\nNot for my client and her employee.\n\nAs a former HR Manager, I found out by accident that I tended to have a different perspective.  Instead of leaving those I serve hanging, I made the choice to deliberately assess my options and whenever possible, do what I could so that they are not leaving work with a knot in their stomach or suffering a great heaviness in their heart and possibly losing sleep that night.\n\nUnfortunately, all leaders aren\'t built the same way.  They allow their challenges (and choices) to result in unnecessary discomfort for the people they serve. And the end result appears to be inattention or indifference, to the other people in the organization.  It happens far too often.\n\nMy conclusion: true character-based leadership is love.  You can say I\'m really talking about compassion, empathy or thoughtfulness, but I say \"love\"; not the emotion, but love used as a verb.\n\nThe Greeks called this type of love, \"agape,” which can be described as choosing what is right and best for the other person, rather than what you want or feel like doing.  It is about behavior, not feelings.  Yes, it requires an openheartedness.  You can call that feeling, but I suggest that to open your heart is a choice too.\n\nAs a leader, are you willing to choose to be openhearted enough to allow yourself to see how your actions affect others?  <em>Your</em> choice can cause someone to lose sleep.  What would it take for you to be openhearted enough to feel the consequences of your choices?  Are you openhearted enough, as a leader, to make a choice right now to lighten another\'s load and allow them some ease?\n\nWhether you consider Valentine’s Day personal, about romantic love, or a holiday contrived to make money… in this “season of love,” I ask you to consider, do you make the choice to lead with love?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Image credits: Microsoft Clipart</span>', 'Leadership is Love', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-is-love', '', '', '2011-02-14 08:52:19', '2011-02-14 14:52:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4591', 0, 'post', '', 44),
(17885, 250, '2011-02-15 06:15:03', '2011-02-15 12:15:03', 'There are as many books on leadership today as there are leaders to read them. Most of these deal with what it takes to be a leader and what poor leadership looks like (and should be avoided).  Lucky for us, Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris have authored a new book, <strong>From Bud To Boss</strong>, <em>Secrets To A Successful Transition To Remarkable Leadership</em>, launching this week.  <a href=\"http://www.frombudtoboss.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">http://www.</span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">frombudtoboss</span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">.com/</span></a>\n\n<strong>From Bud To Boss</strong> is not only a practical guide about transitioning into a leadership role, it’s a truly great read.\n\n<a href=\"http://budtobosscommunity.com\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4600\" title=\"From-Bud-toBoss-cover-rot-185x240-glow\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/From-Bud-toBoss-cover-rot-185x240-glow.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"185\" height=\"240\" /></a>The most tenuous position to be in is the shaky new ground that you may find yourself balancing as you enter into a leadership position.  Eikenberry and Harris offer a refreshing perspective on one of the most prevalent issues for new leaders everywhere – how to successfully navigate the journey from ‘every day employee’ to ‘confident and effective leader’.\n\n<strong>From Bud To Boss</strong> is organized into the six (6) major themes.  These themes evolved out of Eikenberry and Harris’ years of consulting, training and coaching. The common stories that kept coming forward in their careers revolved around the areas they address in this amazing book.\n\nIn order to equip readers to discover their ‘true north’ on this journey, <strong>From Bud To Boss</strong> incorporates assessments for each of the six themes and ties them back to an online community you are invited to participate in via the website. You are also given ‘Bonus Bytes’ as you experience the read that you can find on the website and offer additional tools to arm readers for their best success.\n\nWhile <strong>From Bud To Boss</strong> is written in traditional book form, along with electronic support, you are encouraged to act on and put into practice each element as you forge your unique path into your leadership career. This approach is meant to allow readers sustainable lessons they can build upon.\n\nRegardless of what type of learner you are, this experience will foster a systemic support system and information that is invaluable and necessary for transitioning, managing change, effective communication, coaching for success, collaborating through relationship building and committing to the having the courage of your convictions.\n\nIt is rare to find a resource that you have the opportunity to put into practice and tailor to your particular situation and circumstance, especially one that is written by consummate experts in the field of leadership.\n\nLeaders may or may not be born, but leaders are definitely built and require the tools, support and experiences to ensure they leverage their own leadership strengths. As a woman who went from HR Generalist-to-Manager-to-Global Vice President of a Fortune 500 company in less than three years, I highly recommend this book.\n\nKevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris\' book <a href=\"http://www.frombudtoboss.com/\"><strong>From Bud to Boss</strong></a> launches on Tuesday, February 15th. To celebrate the ?launch, they have gathered some terrific gifts from? a number of partners. To find out about the gifts, please visit <a href=\"http://www.frombudtoboss.com/\">http://www.frombudtoboss.com</a>.', 'From Bud To Boss', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-bud-to-boss', '', '', '2011-02-15 06:15:03', '2011-02-15 12:15:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4599', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(17886, 270, '2011-02-18 06:10:55', '2011-02-18 12:10:55', '<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>“Together you stand, Divided you fall.” </em></strong>Ancient Greeks, John Dickson, Patrick Henry,</p>\n&nbsp;\n\nThis saying first captured my attention after watching the movie <em>We Were Soldiers</em>.  In battle soldiers have been prepared to think about strategies that can divide and defeat them.  They are warned that if they don’t stand together, their very lives are at stake.\n\nOver the course of many years, I’ve come to realize how important it is for us to apply this truth in our daily lives…\n<ul>\n	<li>In sports – A division on a team may mean losing a game or a season.</li>\n	<li>In business – A division can create internal barriers to success and prevent growth.</li>\n	<li>In churches – A division can turn-off communities and cause current members to leave.</li>\n	<li>In cities and countries – A division between government, business, education, non-profits and citizens can cause issues to continually repeat themselves and grow in magnitude as the years go by.</li>\n</ul>\n…While divisions in these situations may not result in immediate life or death for individuals…  They can:\n<ul>\n	<li>Result in the life, death and overall effectiveness of entire organizations.</li>\n	<li>Impact the way two people work together on a team, or the way thousands of people work together in a city or a country.</li>\n	<li>Determine how well resources are utilized and how quickly problems are solved.</li>\n	<li>Limit the amount of joy and commitment people have when they engage with that organization.</li>\n</ul>\nHow does division start?  …With something as tiny as a whisper…  <em>“Do you think so and so is __________?” </em> (You fill in the blank.)  Once asked, a seed of doubt has been sown.  And that doubt can quickly become a growing focus that erodes trust and destroys relationships.  Sometimes that whisper begins in reaction to pain, sometimes that whisper begins as a genuine question and other times that whisper begins as an intentional strategy for someone to manipulate and control a situation.  Regardless of the reason, the results are destructive.  On a small scale the whisper may damage one specific relationship.  …On a large scale, fully grown seed of doubt create fear and mistrust that can entangle entire organizations and impact effectiveness for decades.\n\nSo in our human world, where gossip is viewed as news and consumed as a part of our daily diet and truth and accountability are not always easy to identify and execute…  What can organizations do to protect themselves from division?\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Focus everyone on a clear and motivating vision that unites them in a meaningful cause. </strong> As Management Expert Ken Blanchard points out, “<em>A vision builds trust, collaboration, interdependence, motivation, and mutual responsibility for success.  A vision helps people make smart choices because their decisions are being made with the end in mind.”</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Establish core values AND a process of checks &amp; balances so <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">that EVERYONE is accountable to those values regardless of their position. </span></strong></li>\n	<li><strong><em>Pro-actively</em></strong><strong> teach your people why division is so harmful, and give them a common language and tools to use to limit division and to work through it when it begins to occur.</strong> (Peacemaker’s model encourages individuals to determine if they are naturally Peace-FAKERS, Peace-BREAKERS, or Peace-MAKERS, while arming them with tools to work through conflict instead of avoiding it or escalating it.)</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>…None of us can accomplish alone, </strong>\n\n<strong>What is possible when we are working together!</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>QUOTES</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n<ul>\n	<li><strong><em>“Divide  and Conquer”</em></strong> From a Latin Proverb</li>\n	<li><strong><em>“Together you stand, Divided you fall.”</em></strong> Ancient Greeks, John Dickson, Patrick Henry</li>\n	<li><strong><em>“A house divided against its self cannot stand.”</em></strong> Abraham Lincoln</li>\n	<li><strong><em>“…No city or house divided against its self will stand.”</em></strong> Matthew 12:25</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>RESOURCES</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Leading at a Higher Level, Ken Blanchard: </strong><a href=\"http://www.kenblanchard.com/About_Ken_Blanchard_Companies/Business_Leadership_Books/blanchard_on_leadership/\">http://www.kenblanchard.com/About_Ken_Blanchard_Companies/Business_Leadership_Books/blanchard_on_leadership/</a></li>\n	<li><strong>Peacemaker’s Slippery Slope of Conflict: </strong><a href=\"http://www.peacemaker.net/site/c.aqKFLTOBIpH/b.958151/k.5236/The_Slippery_Slope_of_Conflict.htm\">http://www.peacemaker.net/site/c.aqKFLTOBIpH/b.958151/k.5236/The_Slippery_Slope_of_Conflict.htm</a></li>\n</ul>', 'Together You Stand, Divided You Fall', '“Together you stand, Divided you fall.”\n\nIn battle soldiers have been prepared to think about strategies that can divide and defeat them.  ...If they don’t stand together, their very lives are at stake.\n\nThis is a foundational truth impacts our daily lives...', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'together-you-stand-divided-you-fall', '', '', '2011-02-18 06:10:55', '2011-02-18 12:10:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4557', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17887, 245, '2011-02-23 06:06:26', '2011-02-23 12:06:26', '<p style=\"text-align: center;\">People HATE change.\nThey loathe and despise it. They see it, abhor it and team up to fight it.\nMind you, not all people, all the time. But certainly most people, much of the time</p>\nThese are the opening lines of the post, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/convincing-the-resistant/\">Convincing the Resistant</a> by fellow Lead Change contributor Tristan Bishop. “Most people, much of the time” certainly reflects the uphill battle that leaders face when implementing change.\n\nBut exactly <em>how many</em> people, and <em>how often</em>? If you’re to believe a recent NPR story, it would appear that for a small percentage of folks, the need to change never occurs. In a highly entertaining Morning Edition story <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/02/04/133188723/tools-never-die-waddaya-mean-never\">Tools Never Die. Whaddaya Mean, Never?</a>, Cool Tools blog editor <a href=\"http://www.kk.org/cooltools/about.php\">Kevin Kelly</a> (and author of the book What Technology Wants) boldly says, \"I say there is no species of technology that have ever gone globally extinct on this planet.\" NPR’s science correspondent <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/people/5194672/robert-krulwich\">Robert Krulwich</a> then spends the remainder of the story trying to prove Kelly wrong. The thing is, he can’t. A sample of things still being made:\n<ul>\n	<li>Paleolithic hammers</li>\n	<li>6 pages of agricultural tools from an 1895 <em>Montgomery Ward &amp; Co. Catalogue</em></li>\n	<li>Carbon paper</li>\n</ul>\nKrulwich is still on a mission to prove Kelly wrong via his <a href=\"http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/02/04/133188723/tools-never-die-waddaya-mean-never#commentBlock\">blog</a>. Regardless of whether he finds a truly extinct tool or not, it’s clear that when it comes to change, there will always be hold outs. The fact that people hold on to cherished, albeit, outdated, forms of technology points to an element of the human condition that leaders must acknowledge:\n\nWhen implementing change, there are diminishing returns for convincing the resistant.\n\nIt’s the economic principle of the Law of Diminishing Returns boiled down to its simplest terms: “the <a href=\"http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/gain.html\">gain</a> is not <a href=\"http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/worth.html\">worth</a> the pain.\"<sup>1</sup> A leader committed to a change aims for 100% change adoption. And a wise leader will have a back up plan in place in the event there are a few resisters. There comes a point in every change initiative when a leader must consider the extra effort needed to get those last few hold outs on board.\n\nI’m intrigued by the notion of how a leader determines when “enough is enough” in change management efforts. Will you engage with me in conversation around this idea?\n\n<em>What does your experience tell you about the law of diminishing returns in change management—what percentage of adopters do you need before the change will take hold?</em>\n\n<em>And, how does a leader deal with the resisters— in a character-based way?</em>\n\n<sup>1 </sup>Source: <a href=\"http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/law-of-diminishing-returns.html\">businessdictionary.com</a>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Change Management and the Law of Diminishing Returns', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'change-management-and-the-law-of-diminishing-returns', '', '', '2011-02-23 06:06:26', '2011-02-23 12:06:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4570', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(17888, 278, '2011-03-01 06:02:37', '2011-03-01 12:02:37', '<em>Things are going to get a lot worse </em><em>before they get worse. </em>- Lily Tomlin\n\nHow bad does it need to get before you do something about it (\"IT\" is the processes and systems in your organization)\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000003165948XSmall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4658\" title=\"iStock_000003165948XSmall\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000003165948XSmall-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>In reading a post by Guy Kawasaki on the American Express <a href=\"http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/ten-tiny-things-every-small-business-owner-should-do-in-2009\">OPEN Forum</a> site, I found this comment, \"Act like a prospective customer and call your company to see how the phone system and receptionist treat you.\" It made me think about the systems I have implemented. Are they going as I perceive, or do they just appear to be effective?\n\nHmmm... How I can really check? This thought gave me a paradigm shift. It\'s time to play the part of a customer or church member and look at the systems in my organization from their point of view. What a great idea!\n\nSo, develop feedback systems that are authentic and consistent. Don\'t check once and think that it\'s done. Develop a balanced scorecard to constantly evaluate your systems. This is not a reflection on the leader personally. It\'s not a sign of failure. It\'s simply a process check. Authenticity in leadership (an important Transformational Leadership trait) means that you eliminate the \"elephant in the room\" where everybody knows something is wrong, but nobody talks about it.\n\nTo be effective as a leader, you must establish systems to evaluate your systems. This is a great activity for teams and you may want to occasionally include consumers or members (for church or non-profit) in some of the discussions. Develop an effective evaluation system and then capture the concepts in an action plan to insure that are not having the same issues in the next evaluation.\n\nHere’s a model that I use often with great success:\n<h3>Evaluation</h3>\n<ol>\n	<li>What we do well or what is working;</li>\n	<li>What needs changing;</li>\n	<li>New things to consider.</li>\n</ol>\nThese categories will provide you with ample material to work with.\n\nBy the way, be sure to develop strategies for changing the things that need changing and monitoring the change.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo iStockPhoto <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3165948-silhouettes-of-a-boy-and-his-fater.php\">© Rade Lukovic</a></span>', 'Check on How You Are “Really Doing&#034;', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'check-on-how-you-are-really-doing', '', '', '2011-03-01 06:02:37', '2011-03-01 12:02:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4613', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17889, 243, '2011-02-23 12:41:11', '2011-02-23 18:41:11', 'Carry your candle, run to the darkness, Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor\nHold our your candle, for all to see it, Take your candle, go light your world.\n\nChris Rice, Go Light Your World\n\nA few days ago, I witnessed character-based leadership in action.  We talk quite a bit about character-based leadership in this group and on this site.  Character-based leadership is leading from who you are, rather than your position or power.  A person of character, who is also believed to be capable, generates energy and effort that is contributed by others.  Seth Godin called it emotional labor in <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591843162?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591843162\">Linchpin</a>.  People submit to character-based leaders and align themselves and their effort to the cause.\n\nAt the <a title=\"Chinowth &amp; Cohen Realtors website\" href=\"http://www.cctulsa.com\">Chinowth &amp; Cohen Realtors</a> awards banquet, Sheryl Chinowth and Lee Cohen hosted over 300 members of their organization, \"Oklahoma\'s Real Estate Elite,\" to dinner, dancing and an awards ceremony.  My wife has been associated with Chinowth &amp; Cohen since their first year in business, just 7 years ago.  In the few awards banquets I\'ve been to, I\'ve noticed a reasonably tight-knit group of independent real estate agents.  I\'ve noticed many of the same faces over the years and many of the same award winners.  However I was struck by a difference this year that motivated this post.\n\nThe year 2010 was a difficult year for every industry, but after manufacturing, probably no industry had a tougher year than the real estate industry.  Housing has been in a terrible slump since 2009 and even with government tax subsidies and other enticements, people buying homes are few and their expectations are very high.\n\nBut light is more clearly seen in the dark.\n\nIn the midst of our global and local economy, Sheryl and Lee have resisted the temptation to contract, lay off, hunker down, demonstrate fear or take the defensive.  Sure, they\'re careful, but they\'re careful to invest in and support the people and the organization that many referred to as family.  You don\'t just lay off family.  You don\'t just tell your family no.  You find ways to make the best of the situation.  Twenty-ten was a year when people learned where they fit on the \"family tree.\"  Lee and Sheryl resisted the temptation to draw a small circle around the \"few.\"  You could see energy, appreciation, hope and courage on the faces of the associates and everyone in the room.\n\nSheryl and Lee invest the best of who they are to serve the community of Chinowth &amp; Cohen.  That\'s character-based leadership in action.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/371.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4630 alignleft\" title=\"-371\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/371-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" /></a>The theme of the night was \"Singing in the Rain\" because in spite of the hard year, they were determined to make the best of it.  There were stories of success and difficulty, inspiration and sacrifice.  Even in the difficult year, Chinowth &amp; Cohen opened two new offices.  They gave dozens of awards.  One agent\'s wife endured quite a transition as her husband took the actions necessary to launch a successful practice during his rookie year, and for that she won the \"Wind Beneath My Wings\" award.  There were other inspiring stories of contribution and sacrifice that one seldom sees in organizations where it\'s \"every man for themselves.\"  Sheryl and Lee have invested their character, their who-they-are, in the lives of the associates of this organization.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000010092832XSmall.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4625\" title=\"Burning candle\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000010092832XSmall-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Go Light Your World | Lead Change Group\" width=\"199\" height=\"132\" /></a>Instead of Singing in the Rain, the lyrics to Chris Rice\'s Go Light Your World came to mind.  Sheryl and Lee have taken the light of who-they-are and run into the economic darkness of our time.  Their effort lights up the Tulsa sky and the faces and hearts of the people associated with their organization.  As a Tulsa area resident and spouse of an associate, I want to say thanks to them for their contribution to our community.  Their investment and sacrifice in their Chinowth &amp; Cohen family lights the world.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Lyrics by Chris Rice © Universal Music.  Photo by <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-10092832-burning-candle.php\">iStockPhoto</a>\n</span>', 'Leaders Light Their World', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-light-their-world', '', '', '2011-02-23 12:41:11', '2011-02-23 18:41:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4615', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(17890, 366, '2011-02-25 06:36:52', '2011-02-25 12:36:52', 'As a leader and manager, I\'ve had many experiences shape my values and beliefs when it comes to leading.  However none have quite had the impact on me, as much as the philosophy of \"givers gain.\"  Let me explain...\n\nMany years ago, when I first got into management, I found I was often frustrated by what I felt was a lack of accomplishment.  Or at least, the same sense of accomplishment I had experienced as an individual contributor.\n\nAs a consultant, I felt my accomplishments were largely based on completing a project or a significant milestone.  Once my project was completed (and the customer was happy), we all gave each other high-fives and <em>it felt good</em>.  Every few weeks, I would finish another project, high-fives again - <em>all goodness!</em>\n\nHowever, now as a manager of consultants, there was a certain emptiness I felt as these were now the accomplishments of others.  I could only live vicariously through their results (serious downer).\n\nIt wasn’t until a few years into management, I was first introduced to the concept of “givers gain.”  Givers gain is the belief that when people help others, they gain more out of the experience than the person they are helping.  The satisfaction can be derived by helping others reach a lofty goal, clearing out an obstacle preventing success, standing-up for an employee or simply giving some positive feedback when a person is feeling down.\n\nIn your own life, think about the times when you have gone out of your way to give to others.  Let\'s look at a few examples:\n<ul>\n	<li>How do you feel when you take the time to stop by someone’s office to tell them happy birthday? What about when you seem them smile after you say it?</li>\n	<li>How do you feel when you recognize someone\'s efforts on a project (that have largely gone unnoticed by most), then you see the sense of pride well up in their eyes?</li>\n	<li>How do you feel when you have the opportunity to offer someone a new job?</li>\n</ul>\nOn a personal note... I know how excited my son was the very first time he caught a ball.  He smiled from ear to ear, then shouted (at the top of his lungs) \"hooray!!!\"  I’m not sure how he <em>exactly</em> felt… but <em>I know</em> I felt like I was <em>on top of the world</em>.  I picked him up and swung him high in the air.  We exchanged high-fives, then both ran around the yard acting like crazy kids (only he had an excuse).\n\nOf course, deep down this was his accomplishment.  However, I had worked with him to keep his eye on the ball  and to see it come into his hands - <em>I had helped</em>.  To know my helping him catch a ball (that clearly meant a lot to him) generated so much pride and self-confidence for him.  As a father – that was priceless.  That\'s “givers gain!”\n\nAnd while this philosophy works for anyone (in any walk of life), it can be especially powerful as a leader and manager - where you have the ability to impact so many people.\n\nWell... fast forward nearly 10 years.  I have come to feel a sense of accomplishment in various ways as a leader and manager, but none have impacted me as much the mindset as this simple philosophy - <em>givers gain</em>.\n\n<strong>QUESTION:  As a leader, what do you do to feel a sense of accomplishment?  In what ways have you used the givers gain approach to lead?</strong>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo by <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=8541488\"> iStockPhoto</a></span>', 'Givers Gain – A Leader’s Perspective on Getting the Most Out of Giving', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'givers-gain-leaders-perspective-getting-most-out-of-giving', '', '', '2011-02-25 06:36:52', '2011-02-25 12:36:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4617', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17891, 277, '2011-03-04 06:09:56', '2011-03-04 12:09:56', 'Your personal beliefs can enhance or limit your effectiveness as a manager. These beliefs influence the way you communicate with others, make decisions, handle conflicts and much more.\n\nMy <a title=\"The Keys To Managing People Better?\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/the-keys-to-managing-people-better/\" target=\"_blank\">first post</a> shared a theory that <strong><em>all</em></strong> good managers have ready access to two fundamental skills sets—<strong><em>Relating</em></strong> (asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging) and <strong><em>Requiring</em></strong> (creating expectations, focusing on goals, insisting on excellence, setting appropriate controls, asserting views and confronting problems).\n\nA versatile manager knows how and when to use each of the Relating and Requiring skills. Most managers, however, find that only one of these skill sets feels truly natural. The other skill set takes effort. It is not automatic and may feel awkward. Or even feel impossible and totally out of character. Managers can enhance their Relating and Requiring skills by adopting these 16 versatility-fostering beliefs…\n\n<strong>For Natural Requirers who want to improve their Relating </strong>\n<ol type=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:20px;\">\n	<li>I don’t have all the answers.</li>\n	<li>My employees may know things I don’t about the best way to get the job done; I can learn from the people I manage.</li>\n	<li>My employees may have new ideas about how to improve my department.</li>\n	<li>Many employees want freedom to choose how to achieve the end result.</li>\n	<li>I would make better decisions if I consulted with my employees, tested my tentative conclusions with them and gave them a chance to react to my thinking.</li>\n	<li>My employees need to feel appreciated to do their best work.</li>\n	<li>I need to convey that I am available so people feel comfortable coming to me for input.</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>For Natural Relaters who want to enhance their Requiring</strong>\n<ol type=\"1\" start=\"8\"  style=\"margin-left:20px;\">\n	<li>My employees expect me to manage, make decisions, set priorities and deal with unacceptable behavior quickly; the conflicts this creates are necessary.</li>\n	<li>Poor performance puts extra burdens on my group and on me.</li>\n	<li value=\"10\">My employees cannot grow without feedback. Helping them see a needs-attention area is a gift, even if the conversation results in temporary awkwardness.</li>\n	<li>A true relationship can withstand talking through tough stuff and often becomes stronger as a result.</li>\n	<li>I can\'t please my employees all the time. I can trust that over time they will see I care about them.</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>Versatility-fostering beliefs for all managers</strong>\n<ol type=\"1\" start=\"13\" style=\"margin-left:20px;\">\n	<li>Employees want to achieve individually and be part of a winning team.</li>\n	<li>I want to help those I manage to do good work and succeed.</li>\n	<li>I am not responsible for my employees’ success or failure. I can guide, advise and suggest, but it is each employee’s responsibility to succeed.</li>\n	<li>If an employee wants to learn, I will share what I know—even if that employee may one day surpass me professionally.</li>\n</ol>\nThese 16 beliefs are rich soil for cultivating employee talent and great business results. These beliefs create attitudes that translate into good managerial behaviors. For example, Belief #2—“My employees may know things I don’t about the best way to get the job done”—facilitates the behavior of <strong><em>asking</em></strong> for employees’ input, <strong><em>listening</em></strong> to their ideas and <strong><em>involving</em></strong> them in deciding the best course of action.\n\nIn contrast, an over-Requiring manager may believe, “I already know the right solution, and my job is to assign and oversee implementation tasks.”\n\nWhich manager creates the more satisfying work experience? Which manager\'s group does the best work?\n\nWhat other versatility-fostering beliefs should be on this list?\n\n<em>If you want to check your own versatility, go to <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.managingpeoplebetter.com</a> for a free evaluation and report. </em>', '16 Beliefs Held By Effective People Managers', 'Your personal beliefs can enhance or limit your effectiveness as a manager. These beliefs influence the way you communicate with others, make decisions, handle conflicts and much more. Here are 16 beliefs that can help you manage people optimally. What others would you add to this list?', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '16-beliefs-held-by-effective-people-managers', '', '', '2011-03-04 06:09:56', '2011-03-04 12:09:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4620', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17892, 261, '2011-03-09 06:06:06', '2011-03-09 12:06:06', 'Over the years, I have always enjoyed reading articles about some of the great sports coaches. While I’m not a sports fan myself, I find the methods of coaches who consistently produce championship teams very helpful in understanding how to be an effective leader. From Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and John Wooden in Basketball, to Tom Landry, Joe Paterno and Woody Hayes in football, and Casey Stengel, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa in professional baseball, they all have some things in common.\n\nNone of these coaches are perfect people. Each one has their quirks and has done things we would not consider an effective leadership practice. But that is true of all of us. We all hope to be as effective as possible and somehow do enough right to make up for our human weaknesses. <strong>You don’t have to be perfect to be a leader…just have your heart in the right place and do enough things right to make a difference to those you lead.</strong>\n\nEach of these famous coaches is a study in individualism. Some are known for blowing off steam. Others for making wildly outlandish statements. A few are known for being a class act. Others not so much. But underneath these all too human ways lie true leaders who were able to get each individual to play at their best and work together as a team to win many championship games.\n\n<strong>They all focused on the whole person, not just the athlete.</strong> Just as we talk about a character based leader leading from who they are and not from a title, a great leader focuses on the character of each person they are leading. A gifted athlete with a poor character, weak discipline and other failings will never be able to reach their potential. As they let themselves down so they let the team down. That’s true for members, employees, and anyone else we might lead.\n\nNo one approached this better than John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach who won 10 NCAA championships in 12 years. When I was in junior high school, I went with my father to the annual father-son dinner. The speaker that evening was Johnny Wooden who talked about his <strong>Pyramid Of Success</strong> that he focused on with all his players. What’s not evident from reading these 12 leadership principles is what he talked about when discussing them which included mastering schoolwork and the importance of practice.\n\nBeyond a leader focusing on the character of those they lead, they also have to focus on minute details or what we might call blocking and tackling. Some may say this is about training or teaching, not leadership. The truth is that no one is going to follow the instructions of a teacher, trainer or coach unless they respect that person as a leader first. <strong>It’s through effective leadership that we create an environment where someone can learn.</strong>\n\nThe most successful coaches all focus on minute details and measurements of performance. They measure the number of inches someone jumps every time they rebound. They measure the position of their eyes, arms, body and feet every time they swing a bat. They literally measure everything they are doing so they can pinpoint changes in what they are doing that are causing them to not perform as well. They then focus on correcting those techniques to improve their rebound percentage or batting average.\n\nGreat leadership is about all the big things like vision and character as well as the little things like technique, steps and methods…and everything in between. You don’t have to be perfect to be a leader but you do have to put the focus on all the areas that matter which includes among other things their character and skills.', 'You Don&#039;t Have To Be Perfect To Be A Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'you-dont-have-to-be-perfect-to-be-a-leader', '', '', '2011-03-09 06:06:06', '2011-03-09 12:06:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4672', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17893, 253, '2011-03-12 07:16:14', '2011-03-12 07:16:14', '<em>A LeadChange \"Best of Blogs\" post, originally shared on <a href=\"http://knowledgebishop.com\">KnowledgeBishop.com</a></em>\n\nA woman and her small boy are walking down a cobblestone path in the sweltering summer sun. As they round the bend, they come upon three men on their knees, each with a brick in one hand and a trowel in the other. \"<em>Mama, what are they doing?</em>\" asks the boy. \"<em>Why don\'t you ask them, darling?</em>\" she answers. Gingerly, the boy poses his question to the men.\n\nThe first answers: \"<em>I\'m stacking one ROCK on top of another ROCK: same thing I\'ve done for the last <strong>30 years</strong>, kid!</em>\" The second says: \"<em>I\'m earning an honest living, and providing a home and food for my wife and children.</em>\" The third one looks up, with a gleam in his eyes and answers: \"<em>I\'m building the <strong>most beautiful chapel ever made!</strong></em>\"\n\nSome of us are trapped in the drudgery of daily labor, haunted by a nagging sense that our work has no meaning at all. Others have accepted the reality that sustenance requires effort, and we shoulder the burden with resolve. But a select few have taken the time to search out how their daily efforts impact the big picture.\n\nI have seldom been the first man, but I\'ve spent many days as the second: Doing what must be done, in order to make ends meet. Far too few of us have become what we aspired to be as children: We wanted to be artists, astronauts and acrobats. But lately, I\'ve found myself resembling that third man.\n\nWhere I work, we protect the innocent from those with ill intent. And, back when I was a kid, I wanted nothing more than to find my way into a seat on the Justice League council. Somehow, I have ended up doing that same work. My daily contribution is part of a unified effort to defend the decent from the degenerate.\n\nCould it be that <strong>YOUR daily work is helping someone, significantly?</strong> If you take the time to figure out <strong>who</strong> and <strong>how</strong>, you just may see extra spring in your steps today. <strong>Perspective brings purpose, and purpose drives productivity.</strong>', 'Purpose-Driven Productivity', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'purpose-driven-productivity', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:31:31', '2017-10-15 22:31:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4696', 0, 'post', '', 2);
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(17894, 263, '2011-03-21 06:02:09', '2011-03-21 11:02:09', '<strong>I</strong> still hear that a lot. How lonely it is at the top. How difficult it is to remain a character-based leader. How it\'s a tough job but somebody has to do it. Right? Well, as I said, not necessarily. Last night I was watching <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scent_of_a_Woman\" target=\"_blank\">The Scent of a Woman</a> for the umpteenth time. I like doing that. Some good movies or books reveal new details to me every single time I see them. This jewel is not the exception.\n\nI noticed that in the scene where Al Pacino\'s character defends Chris O\'Donnel\'s for his integrity, the audience busts into applause after he speaks. The silence of the rest of the session is broken by that sudden, spontaneous outburst. It\'s like when audiences stand to applaud an artist on stage. You feel that pull inside you. You stand out of unity and awe at a breathtaking performance. No loneliness there. What seemed like a bad move, or a lonely path suddenly becomes a collective source of inspiration.\n\nSo, though loneliness is not to be feared, a better indicator that you are leading out of character might be the reaction you elicit from people when they realize what you\'ve been up to. <em>The only reason it is lonely at the top is because you have built your network as a pyramid</em>, with you on the top and everyone else below. You have made that pyramid hard to climb and difficult to master. Is that really what is needed or does it reflect what you truly wanted out of leading?\n\n<strong>Think community instead of power and you will be surrounded by supporters.</strong> Your biggest problem will be how to organize so that you are not swamped by requests or lose your way to ego. The need for community being evidenced by social media today is not a result of chance. It is human nature to want that. And it is great leadership to understand how a community can be built around taking a stand in the face of injustice or building a vision to improve quality of life, or including people in a worthy cause. It doesn\'t even have to be grand. Just inviting and inclusive. It doesn\'t have to be non-profit. There is a place in business for community, within organizations as well as in society at large.\n\n<strong>Think service instead of advancement and you will go so much further! </strong>On the shoulders of great people. In the ranks of a moving crowd. Hand in hand, side by side. Build your network into a roaring crowd that is moving forward at a contagious pace. Change your vertical thinking to horizontal and see what happens. Don\'t just take loneliness to be a necessary casualty. Do something. Build that pyramid top into a plateau, or better yet: move past it and step into the crowd below. There is no true leadership lost by being humble enough to do that.\n\n<strong>Think standing for something instead of pushing for it and you will find your authority turns to wisdom.</strong> The kind that people want to heed. The brand of knowing that commands true respect and brings out the best in collaborators and foes alike. When you stand for a just cause or a clear vision, it shows. The more you hone that vision, the more it guides your decisions. The more you are decisive to stand for what you want to contribute to the world, the easier it will be to get compliance. So many people whine about incomplete delivery from their people. True leaders worry that they are on the right path because they know they will be followed. They raise their voice to make a point and need not scream or bully people into respecting that point.\n<blockquote>The point is, when you make it to that top, make sure it is not a lonely place. And then, you might even feel cozy up there, your leadership stronger than ever. So what do you say? Is it lonely at the top?</blockquote>', 'Lonely at the Top? Not Necessarily.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lonely-top-not-necessarily', '', '', '2011-03-21 06:02:09', '2011-03-21 11:02:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4722', 0, 'post', '', 28),
(17895, 266, '2011-04-04 06:03:58', '2011-04-04 11:03:58', 'One of the essential qualities of an authentic leader is that they understand their purpose.  This implies that they have taken the time to look deep inside to gain a strong understanding of who they are, what they value, what they are passionate about, and what motivates them.   Without having looked deeply into what drives them, many leaders quickly succumb to the power trip, driven by ego and the impulsiveness of a narcissist.   Because no two people are exactly alike, I have discovered that while there is commonality among great leaders, the purpose for each person’s authentic leadership role is uniquely theirs.  It is based upon their passion and their values.\n\nThis introspection is not necessarily an easy task, and often takes the longest time in discerning who you are willing to be, and where you want to work when you are being that.  The key is to find an organization whose purpose and values mesh with yours.  And, you may have to experience multiple organizational cultures before you find exactly the one that is right for you.\n\nLeaders, in my mind, are defined by the strength of their values and their character.  An authentic leader takes care to lead from the core of their personal beliefs and their values.  These beliefs and values have been developed through continuous study, introspection, and a lifetime of experience and conferring with others.  Authentic leaders have a profound awareness of doing what is right.  They live in integrity with themselves, and their surroundings, a character trait that develops deep trust with their followers.  This is the foundation of their moral fiber, and because of that they inspire others to take up the passion of common purpose.\n<blockquote>Leaders... have a profound awareness of doing what is right.</blockquote>\nA colleague recently said, “many leaders of today forget that without followers, you will never be a leader.”   We see in many corporations throughout the world an ever expanding gulf between the “leaders” and their employees.   I see leaders who have come up through the ranks without any clear understanding of their values.  In fact, it is often unlikely that the subject was even brought up in the business schools and universities they attended.  Some schools offer ethics courses, but the topic of ethics and values is rarely carried into the conversations held in corporate cultures, and is even more infrequently modeled by the leadership within those organizations.   Employees struggle within these organizational cultures because this lack of integrity often translates into a lack of community, where not all people are perceived to have value and most do not share in the fruits of their joint labor in equal, or at least reasonable, proportion.\n\nMany CEO’s today receive earnings between one hundred fifty to five hundred times their average employee’s wage.  A common conversation that takes place when employees are laid off due to budget cuts to stem expense outlays is one of angst when they know that if the CEO would freeze or cut their own multi-million dollar salary and bonuses, by even fifty percent, that most or all employees could be retained to do the work required to sustain the organization.  When leaders indulge themselves in behavior and actions such as these, they damage their reputation as leaders, and rapidly lose their followers.  They are operating most often out of ego, not passion and purpose.\n\nThe danger of not being clearly grounded in your purpose and your values when you begin your path toward leadership is that you will not have the character to sustain your ability to lead when the going gets tough.  Once you move away from your values and succumb to ego, even once, it becomes easier to make decisions that are not for the greater good of your employees, or the company.\n\n<strong><em>As a leader, can you articulate the purpose for your leadership?  What values do you hold that sustain and motivate your purpose and your passion?</em></strong>', 'As A Leader, What Drives You – Passion or Ego?', 'Leaders, in my mind, are defined by the strength of their values and their character. They live in integrity with themselves, and their surroundings, a character trait that develops deep trust with their followers.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'as-a-leader-what-drives-you-passion-or-ego', '', '', '2011-04-04 06:03:58', '2011-04-04 11:03:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4726', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(17896, 243, '2011-03-20 07:21:14', '2011-03-20 12:21:14', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/liz.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-4739\" title=\"liz\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/liz-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of a conversation with Liz Strauss (<a title=\"Liz\'s Blog\" href=\"http://lizstrauss.com\">web</a>, <a title=\"Liz Strauss on Twitter\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/lizstrauss\">Twitter</a>, <a title=\"Liz Strauss on Facebook\" href=\"http://www.facebook.com/lizstrauss.fan\">Facebook</a>, LinkedIn) of <a href=\"http://sobevent.com\">SOBCON</a>.  Liz is a special personality in the social media, marketing and community building worlds.  In a short, idea-filled hour, Liz gave me several ideas about community, business, and leadership.  Here are a fewso you might understand a bit about her expertise and consider joining <a title=\"SOBCON\" href=\"http://sobevent.com\">SOBCON April 29 - May 1, 2011 in Chicago</a>.\n<h2>Decide</h2>\nThe most memorable thing for me related to the Lead Change Group. She said I needed to decide what the group would be and do. Then she said:\n<blockquote>You know the difference between a choice and a decision, don\'t you?  A choice is when you go into a Baskin-Robbins and you choose vanilla or chocolate or some other flavor.  You can always make another choice.  When you de-cide, that\'s like homo-cide. You KILL all the other options.\"</blockquote>\nIn my life and my leadership, that comment will ring for a long time.  I\'ve been killing options since we talked but I still haven\'t killed them all.  I\'m getting there Liz.\n<h2>Help</h2>\nTake the word <em>\"help\"</em> out of my vocabulary for 6 months.  Once I started listening, I learned that I use the word a lot.  As a consultant and a coach, \"help\" is difficult to quantify. As a coach or consultant, I <em>do</em> certain activities.  Those activities take time, and time costs money.  \"<em>Help\"</em> on the other hand is difficult to quantify and even harder to charge for. Focus on the activity and the benefit to the customer rather than generic <em>\"help.\"</em> Particular activities and measurable results are more easily quantified and billable.\n<h2>Vision</h2>\nFinally, we talked about the vision for Lead Change.  More will be coming on that in the next few weeks.  She said, \"Knowing where you\'re going is irresistibly attractive.\"  I\'ve been working on my unique personal vision and articulating my passion for the group\'s vision and purpose since that call (and a bit before, too). People can choose to join or abandon a concrete vision.  Concrete visions compel a choice.  She challenged me to articulate my vision and own it. \"Stop being a host and start being the CEO,\" she said. Become ultimately responsible for what happens.  Own the vision.\n<h2><a href=\"http://sobevent.com\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4740\" title=\"ChicacgoHeader\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ChicacgoHeader-300x134.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"134\" /></a>SOBCON</h2>\nBe sure to go check out <a title=\"SOBCON 2011 Chicago\" href=\"http://sobevent.com\">SOBCON, the Successful Online Business Conference - Where the Virtual Meets Concrete</a>.  There are a number of wonderful speakers and Successful, Outstanding Bloggers who will be in attendance.', 'Community Leader: Liz Strauss', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'community-leader-liz-strauss', '', '', '2011-03-20 07:21:14', '2011-03-20 12:21:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4738', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17897, 262, '2011-03-25 06:06:05', '2011-03-25 11:06:05', '<em>This post originally appeared on LeadSwag and is reprinted here as part of the Lead Change Best of Blogs series.</em>\n\nHow many of us have heard this? How many of us have <em>said</em> this? I remember being about eight years old and having a kid yell this at me on the playground. I remember thinking, \"Of course I throw like a girl, I <em>am</em> a girl.\" And for reasons I could not yet articulate, I felt ashamed.\n\nLooking back, it\'s so sad to me that eight year old boys of my generation were taught to say things like that, and that little girls were taught to accept it. Why was throwing like a girl a bad thing? An insult?\n\nDuring my senior year of high school, I had the audacity to ask my teacher why women weren\'t allowed to be leaders in the church. His response was that it wasn\'t God\'s will. I told him everything I had read in the Bible emphasized that we are <em>all</em> blessed with certain God-given talents and abilities, and it seemed to me that if God granted a woman with leadership qualities, she should indeed be a leader in the church. His response, after a moment, was that I was \"erring in my faith.\"\n\n<strong><em>Sigh.</em></strong>\n\nThere are so many things I could write about here - about the sexual harassment I endured while working my way through college, about comments in my late twenties meant to be compliments, \"Wow, you\'ve already accomplished so much in your career - <em>for a woman</em>.\"  I can tell you about jobs I\'ve been offered with equal responsibility and less pay than my male counter-parts, about possible promotions I was considered for, the only concern being that I \"might get pregnant in a few years.\"\n\nI turned forty this past summer. The things I\'ve experienced as a young professional didn\'t occur several generations ago - they happened within the last <em>two</em> decades. We have come so far, and yet we have a long way to go.\n\n<em>Listen</em> to this outstanding TED talk given by Tony Porter:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1PbsV6B80\">Tony Porter: A Call To Men</a>\n\n<strong>Did you hear what he was saying?</strong> Because the thing is, <em><strong>men have been hurt by gender discrimination, too</strong>.</em> While women have been discriminated against for simply being female, men have been equally hurt in the process.\n\n<strong>I look forward to the day...</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>That a \"male nurse\" isn\'t a title or a differentiation, or that a \"male secretary\" is an outdated term.</li>\n	<li>That fathers don\'t have to fight so hard to obtain equal custody of their children.</li>\n	<li>That all men feel comfortable crying over a great loss - because showing genuine emotion<em> is</em> being a man.</li>\n	<li>That little boys can grow up being who they are and who they are meant to be without fear.</li>\n</ul>\nAlways, <em>always </em>while we women have endured, then fought, against the absolute ignorance of gender discrimination - there were men right by our sides fighting <em>with </em>us. Brave, courageous, intelligent men - genuine leaders who saw how discrimination held their team, their community, their companies back. Men who would not allow discrimination to affect the potential of their daughters - and their sons.\n\nI admire the genuine leadership of these men - men who stood up amidst the peer pressure, who saw the extraordinary <em>abilitie</em>s, <em>intelligence and value of women</em> when it would have been easier to do nothing at all. Men who lead with character, integrity and vision, fighting for our collective future. Fighting for our children and their children - for a world where people are accepted as people, not seen as a gender, an ethnicity, or judged by sexual orientation. <em>Real leaders lead people</em>.\n\n<em>Leadership starts in our homes, and strong male leadership is as critical as female leadership in the growth and development of our children.</em> Any of you who know me also know how much I love my husband; he is simply the most wonderful man I know. I love his strength, his sense of humor, his insights and ideas, his intelligence, his respect for me and how well he listens. I love how he will admit his mistakes and how willing he is to forgive mine. (And, I must say, I make a few!)\n\nMy husband is a great leader, as a professional and as a father. What I love most of all is that our daughters and his son are his <em>first priority</em>. As a father and step-father he is a true role model: He is strong enough to cry, supports their natural talents and abilities, encourages them to express themselves, to be confident in who they are and to believe in the potential they have for their future. He shows them through our relationship what to expect for themselves. <strong><em>He shows them that leaders also love.</em></strong>\n\nWomen\'s Leadership Month is dedicated to the outstanding leaders out there in every capacity: The women who have fought and continue to confidently move forward...and it is <strong>dedicated to the men who lead right alongside us.</strong>\n\n<em>\n</em>', 'You Throw Like A Girl', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'you-throw-like-a-girl', '', '', '2011-03-25 06:06:05', '2011-03-25 11:06:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4745', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17898, 264, '2011-03-22 06:06:02', '2011-03-22 11:06:02', '&nbsp;\n\nGreetings Leaders!\n\nI wake up some mornings, read the headlines and shake my head in bewilderment. War, Budget Crisis, Market Meltdown, Real Estate Crash, Poverty and Scandals. I see these headlines play out almost everyday and often feel a wave of despair flow over me. I often wonder, how did we get here? Where did we go wrong? The answer is simple. Despite all the things leaders say, it is what they do that counts. And what they\'ve done is lose sight of what is important. They have forgotten how to Lead With Honor. To quote Pogo, \"we have met the enemy, and the enemy is us.\" So as a Leader, I ask you, have you lost sight of how to Lead With Honor?\n<h2>Losing Sight of What is Important</h2>\nI can easily point my finger at prominent leaders who, because they lost sight of what is important, led our country to the brink of financial ruin. The scary part - we aren\'t out of the woods yet. My list would include Presidents, CEOs, Senators, Governors, Mayors, Union Officials, Board Members, Real Estate Agents, Government Officials, Regents, Scientists, Bank Officials, Loan Officers etc... There is a lot of blame to be shared. What I want to ask though, is have you and I also lost sight of what is important? Let me ask you a few questions. Have you ever...\n<ol>\n	<li>Lied or falsified a document at work? This would include documents like proposals, reports, performance reviews, white papers, marketing brochures, product details or specifications. You get the idea.</li>\n	<li>Lied about being available for a meeting or called in sick, when you really weren\'t?</li>\n	<li>Yelled at someone out of frustration or bullied someone to get a point across or get your way? How about lying to close a deal? Is winning all that matters?</li>\n	<li>Created a position for someone, especially in government, because you knew they needed the position to make more money at retirement? Have you ever created a new department or division, because you knew it would increase your power and prestige in the company... when it really didn\'t make sense to do?</li>\n	<li>Let conflict go unresolved, because you were afraid to address it?</li>\n	<li>Transferred a bad performer to another department, just so you wouldn\'t have to deal with the problem?</li>\n	<li>Made a decision, without really understanding the implications?</li>\n	<li>Failed to hold someone accountable for something they did that resulted in damage to someone or something else?</li>\n	<li>Failed to apologize for something you did that resulted in damage to someone or something else?</li>\n	<li>Lobbied for a cause that you knew was bad, because you would get a bonus?</li>\n</ol>\nI could continue the questions until you realized that you...and I... are part of the problem too. We can all be better leaders. It is when we forget that we need to be constantly growing as leaders, that we lose sight of what is important. This in turn, leads us to losing our way and to the many problems we face today. So how do we ensure we don\'t lose sight of what is important, by deciding to Lead With Honor... everyday.\n<h2>Leading With Honor</h2>\nLeading With Honor isn\'t for wimps! This isn\'t something we should only be teaching in church and in school. Leading With Honor is what we all need to do, to make the world a better place. The Lead With Honor Challenge:\n<ol>\n	<li><em>Serve others</em>. Whatever you do, should benefit others. This includes every product you help make, every service you help provide and every decision you make that impacts others.</li>\n	<li><em>Lead with integrity</em>. Never... ever... lie, cheat or steal.</li>\n	<li>S<em>how respect to everyone</em>. Everyone desires respect. Everyone. Regardless of your position or power, ensure you show everyone respect. Theodore Roosevelt made a reputation of caring for everyone he met. He knew all the White House staff by name and made it a point to make them feel important.</li>\n	<li><em>Agree to disagree... without being disagreeable</em>. We all disagree. As leaders we all have our own thoughts and agendas. If you disagree with someone, just remember to do it agreeably. Our politicians should take note of this one. To act otherwise is childish.</li>\n	<li><em>Take all things to account, before making a decisio</em>n. As leaders, we often have conflicting roles and responsibilities. We must lead organizations, provide value to stakeholders or the public, yet also care for our employees and staff. You cannot take a stance that only values one party. As a leader, you must learn to take all things into account, and make balanced decisions.</li>\n	<li><em>Listen More. Talk Less</em>. Leaders can only make good decisions, if they understand what is going around them. The last time I looked, you mouth isn\'t necessary for comprehension, but you ears certainly are.</li>\n	<li><em>Reward and Discipline as necessary</em>. Ensure that those who deserve to be rewarded are recognized and that those that are poor performers get help.</li>\n	<li><em>Treat everyone fairly</em>. Again, everyone wants to be treated fairly. You can make a profit or get a promotion, while not taking advantage of someone else.</li>\n	<li><em>Become an expert at what you do</em>. You cannot lead, if you don\'t know what you\'re doing. Whatever you do, become the best at it.</li>\n	<li><em>Lead a balanced life</em>. We cannot lead, if we are unbalanced. Ensure that your family, spiritual and personal lives don\'t take a back seat to your career.</li>\n</ol>\nI challenge you to Lead With Honor. To constantly think about what you are doing in terms of leading others. If we all practice these things, the world will become a better place.\n\nAll the best!\nAll the time!\nJohn\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles</h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jim-taylor/10-qualities-of-a-prime-l_b_837065.html\">Dr. Jim Taylor: 10 Qualities of a Prime Leader</a> (huffingtonpost.com)</li>\n	<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a href=\"http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201103/success-and-leadership-are-not-the-same-thing\">Success and Leadership Are Not the Same Thing</a> (psychologytoday.com)</li>\n</ul>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" href=\"http://www.zemanta.com/\"><img class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"float: right;\" src=\"http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=691dfa9c-d78c-4a55-a1f4-5b617be0ce9e\" alt=\"Enhanced by Zemanta\" /></a></div>', '10 Things Leaders Can Do To Make A Better World', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '10-things-leaders-can-do-to-make-a-better-world', '', '', '2011-03-22 06:06:02', '2011-03-22 11:06:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4749', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17899, 268, '2011-03-27 06:08:08', '2011-03-27 11:08:08', '<em>This is part 3 of a 3-part series on dealing with poor performance. The first two are Part 1: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/the-urgency-of-dealing-with-poor-performance/\" target=\"_blank\">The Urgency of Dealing With Poor Performance</a> and Part 2: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/13-bad-excuses-for-letting-poor-performance-slide/\" target=\"_blank\">13 Bad Excuses for Letting Poor Performance Slide.</a></em>\n\nMany managers view \"reprimanding\" in the same way they view root canals—something to dread or even avoid. But if an employee is doing something that jeopardizes business results or relationships, the manager needs to say something. Letting the behavior continue can damage the organization, the employee’s career, coworkers\' morale and your reputation as a manager.\n\nFeedback, even if it stings temporarily, is a gift to an employee, not a curse, because it allows the employee to grow. It is also an opportunity to deepen a relationship with an employee, not damage it, if you follow the 10 steps below (which assume you want to keep the employee on board).\n\nIf, after reading this post, you still feel weak-kneed at the thought of initiating a performance discussion, find a coach or mentor who can help you pinpoint and overcome whatever is holding you back.\n\n<strong>Plan in advance, particularly when the stakes are high</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li>On a piece of paper, describe the behavior that concerns you, along with specific examples (dates, customer complaints you have received, etc.).</li>\n	<li>Next, list the consequences of the behavior to the business, to you and to the group.</li>\n	<li>Decide what action you/the business will need to take if the behavior happens again.</li>\n	<li>Determine what resources, if any, you want to offer the employee to help him/her change the behavior. A class? A coach?</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>Pick time, place and tone with care</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li>The conversation needs to be private and without distractions. Set aside a block of time on your calendar and turn off your phone so you can devote your full attention to the discussion.</li>\n	<li>Be frank but kind. For example, \"I have received several pieces of feedback from customers that I want to bring to your attention because they involve you.\" (Explain the details.)</li>\n	<li>Avoid sugar coating. \"As you can see, this feedback has serious implications for our company.\" (Outline the negative impact in detail.)</li>\n	<li>Draw the employee out. There may be information you need to weigh as you decide what to do about the situation. \"Were you aware of the customers\' discomfort or is this feedback coming as a surprise?\"</li>\n	<li>Involve the employee in finding a solution. \"I want to work with you to come up with a plan for addressing this issue.\"</li>\n	<li>Describe what happens next. \"I will be adding a write-up of this conversation to your personnel file and...\"</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>Some things to keep in mind</strong>\n\nSome managers avoid confronting poor performance because they fear they will damage the relationship. Just the opposite is true. Most people want to do a good job, and sometimes they need frank feedback in order to get on a better career footing. Just as a basketball team wants its coach to provide guidance, your employees expect that of you.\n\nConfront in a timely manner—no excuses like the 13 in my <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/13-bad-excuses-for-letting-poor-performance-slide/\" target=\"_blank\">last post</a>. Allowing poor performance to drag on for weeks or months can damage the morale of an entire team. The manager loses credibility and the team\'s respect.\n\nKeep an open mind. Awhile back, I managed an exceptionally gifted customer service representative. She exhibited grace under fire when working with upset customers. So, we were shocked when she began shouting at coworkers. I asked her into a conference room to discuss the yelling. Initially, she was silent. But then, she started to shed tears and finally admitted that she and her children were being physically abused at home and she didn\'t know what to do about it. Knowing the root cause enabled us to help her—and to keep her as an employee.\n\nSometimes, poor behavior has a surprising root cause. Stress from a financial crisis, a child\'s medical problem, caring for an aging parent or being in a wrong-fit role can lead people to act or communicate in unproductive ways.\n\nWhatever the root problem, it’s your job to spell out expectations and monitor performance. If someone is not measuring up, act now.\n\n<em>If confronting poor performance is hard for you—or even if it’s not—check out the free assessment at <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</a>. You’ll gain some additional insights that will make performance discussions easier.</em>', '10-Point Checklist For Confronting Poor Performance', 'Feedback, even if it stings temporarily, is a gift to an employee, not a curse, because it allows the employee to grow. It is also an opportunity to deepen a relationship with an employee, not damage it, if you follow the 10 steps in this post. If, after reading this, you still feel weak-kneed at the thought of initiating a performance discussion, find a coach or mentor who can help you explore what’s holding you back.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '10-point-checklist-for-confronting-poor-performance', '', '', '2011-03-27 06:08:08', '2011-03-27 11:08:08', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4778', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17900, 243, '2011-04-01 06:00:15', '2011-04-01 11:00:15', 'I wonder what someone would have called you if you suggested, say 30, or even 20 years ago that people would get their news and ideas from a handheld TV that they use as a telephone.  What would you have said to the person 30 years ago who suggested that you would “meet” people all over the globe using a computer?  Be honest.  We’re talking about 1981, the year the PC first shipped.\n\nIn the claw-your-way-to-the-top business world of the 60’s – 80’s, it sounded silly, even foolish to suggest that you could grow your business by freely sharing your intelligence.  The world’s wealth was scarce and to get ahead you had to climb over others or take something from them.  Business was war.\n\nFor many today, business is still war.  Do you remember who said this and when?\n<blockquote>“Think big.  Think positive.  Never show any sign of weakness.  Always go for the throat. Buy low. Sell high.  Fear, that’s the other guy’s problem.  Nothing you have ever experienced can prepare you for the unbridled carnage you’re about to witness.  The Super Bowl, the World Series; they don’t know what pressure is.  In this building, it’s either kill or be killed.  You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute, you’re up half a million in soybeans and the next minute – Boom – your kids don’t go to college and they’ve repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?” – Dan Aykroyd as Louis Winthorpe III in Trading Places, Released in 1983.</blockquote>\nBack in the 80’s when I graduated from college, kill-or-be-killed was the prevailing mindset.  The way you got to “the top” was by climbing.  There are a few businesses and industries where this mindset remains the prevailing attitude.  Everything is a competition.  The person with the most “insert whatever here” wins.\n\nIn 1983, it would have seemed very foolish to suggest that you can give away everything you have and still “get ahead.”\n<blockquote>\"But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.\" Jesus (<a title=\"Luke 6:27-28 NET Bible\" href=\"http://net.bible.org/#!bible/Luke+6:30\">Luke 6:27-28 NET</a>)</blockquote>\nNow you can criticize me for using Jesus as an example which I occasionally do, but I believe he has a few more followers than Jack Welch, Thomas Watson or Henry Ford, not to even mention the ones we famously like to quote, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, or Winston Churchill.\n<blockquote><a href=\"http://thinkexist.com/quotation/life-s_most_persistent_and_urgent_question_is/193786.html\">“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Dr. Martin Luther King.</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_value_of_a_man_resides_in_what_he_gives_and/15612.html\">\"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.\" Albert Einstein.</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://thinkexist.com/quotation/you-make-a-living-by-what-you-get-you-make-a-life/1377052.html\">\"You make a living by what you get.  You make a life by what you give.\" Winston Churchill</a>.</blockquote>\nIt seemed foolish then and it seems foolish today to think that we can gain by what we give away.  Each of the leaders quoted appeared foolish before reaching their pinnacle of influence.  Dr. King was killed for his influence.\n\nFools are dangerous.  They aren’t easily controlled and they don’t usually behave.  They don’t conform, but they transform.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeff_kontur/3810495637/\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4804 alignright\" title=\"flickr3810495637\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/flickr3810495637-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Leaders or Fools | Lead Change Group\" width=\"171\" height=\"228\" /></a>Will you be a fool?  Status Quo’s and “best practices” don’t fall easily.  Remember, many people believed to be a fool were (and are) courageous leaders in disguise.  It seemed foolish to think the world was round, that humans could fly, or that we could walk on the moon.  It seemed foolish to think that you could get ahead by putting others first.  It seems foolish to believe that the greatest person is the servant of all.\n\nThe problem with stepping out on what you believe is... you really may be fool.\n\nBut what are you if you never try?\n\nHere’s to trying.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photos: Splash! Fish Jumps iStockPhoto <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1742051-splash-fish-jumps-to-a-better-home.php\">© Charles Ciho</a>, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeff_kontur/3810495637/\">I wish I could Fly by MoreSatisfyingPhotos.com</a>\n</span>', 'Leaders or Fools', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-or-fools', '', '', '2011-04-01 06:00:15', '2011-04-01 11:00:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4800', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17901, 269, '2011-04-08 06:18:20', '2011-04-08 11:18:20', 'I am very blessed to have <a href=\"http://www.ceoconnection.com/\">CEO Connection</a> as one of my clients.\n\nIt’s an organization connecting CEOs of companies with more than $100 million in revenues and I spend time with the CEOs early on in their membership as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee.\n\nOne of the perks of the job is that I am able to attend the annual <a href=\"http://www.ceoconnection.com/article.html?aid=172\">CEO Boot Camp</a> that takes place in Chicago every November, with this year’s event taking place earlier this week.  An intimate group of CEOs from companies around the world, representing some major brands – and some you’ve never heard of - gather to share insights and experiences that will enable them to be stronger leaders.\n\nOver time I’ll be sharing with you some general nuggets of wisdom that were unearthed during the course of the event.  The one I wanted to share first particularly struck me as we were discussing what kinds of skill sets CEOs look to hire.\n\n<strong>The nugget was this, “I hire for values more than skills because that way I know what they believe in.  I look for aspiration instead of ambition because it’s more pure.”</strong>\n\nNever had I heard a more resounding testimonial for values by someone at that level of an organization – one that didn’t sound like company-speak.\n\nHe wants to know what the people working with him genuinely believe in and he wants their intentions to be pure.\n\nThough we did not further discuss this as a group I’d like to posit the following:\n<ul>\n	<li>Knowing what your team member believes in and that their intentions are of the highest repute enables you to trust them</li>\n	<li>Being able to trust and be trusted is a requirement for highly effective teams and organizations</li>\n	<li>As a leader, letting your followers see the truth about what <em>you</em> really believe in enables them to trust you</li>\n	<li>If your followers trust you, they’ll be more likely to follow you with conviction</li>\n	<li>What you really believe in is the heart – the North Star – of your larger vision</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>All of which led me to deduce that bringing your values to your leadership approach – and letting others see who you truly are and what you believe in – may be your greatest predictor of success.</strong>\n\n<em>What has your experience been?  Do you hire for values and if so, how has it impacted your organization? I\'d be honored to hear from you...\n</em>\n\nPhoto is first light by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/\">paul (dex).</a>', 'The Absolute Best Reason for Bringing Values to Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-absolute-best-reason-for-bringing-values-to-leadership', '', '', '2011-04-08 06:18:20', '2011-04-08 11:18:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4757', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17902, 362, '2011-04-05 06:10:36', '2011-04-05 11:10:36', 'Many of my “2D” friends laugh when they first meet me because I am built like the prototypical NFL quarterback 6’5”, 235lbs. This week I met with Carrie Wilkerson (<a title=\"Carrie Wilkerson\'s Twitter profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/barefoot_exec\">@bareboot_exec</a>) and she gave me the typical first comment “You are much bigger than your profile picture.”\n\nAs a kid growing up in Philadelphia, the best part of my summer days was playing a sport with all of my friends. However, within in the first two weeks of the beginning of summer, almost on cue, one of my friends would break their arm. This required a summer of patience.\n\nCulture change is hard work and requires enormous patience. Many leaders are by nature impatient people who think results can be produced with the snap of a finger and completed by the end of the week or the end of a quarter.\n\nCulture change takes a long time because it is complex and disruptive. Culture change involves unlearning old habits and acquiring new ways of thinking and behaving. Many employees have invested years in performing the way they are, typically with great rewards.\n\nGetting people to abandon their old ways and embrace new ones cannot be accomplished through an edict, a pronouncement, or a “to all employees” memo. And, the larger the organization and more dispersed the employees, the more challenging it is and the more time and patience it requires.\n\nComing back from any type of injury requires daily visits to physical therapy and a multitude of doctors’ visits.\n\nLeaders sometimes think their role in a culture change effort is simply an occasional meeting in which the topic is one of many on the agenda or visiting the troops on special days.\n\nCulture change involves daily actions that can be easily witnessed by employees and teammates. Think of the effort this way: how much leader time is presently devoted each day to efforts related to the budget, the bottom line, administration or operations. If the culture change effort is not elevated to at least that level, it will be viewed as an extra, not as the pursuit of a new way of working. Employees have many priorities competing for their limited time and resources, and the “extras” ultimately get ignored or left to chance.\n\nSo, how much patience do you have to change the way to do things? Are you willing to invest DAILY in the hard work off the field so your team is stronger on the field?', 'Every Leader Needs to Break an Arm', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leader-needs-break-arm', '', '', '2011-04-05 06:10:36', '2011-04-05 11:10:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4777', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17903, 267, '2011-04-14 07:49:23', '2011-04-14 12:49:23', 'This past weekend, I had all kinds of things to accomplish before I flew out again for another week of presentations.  Everything was going according to plan until I realized my two-year-old son wasn’t feeling well.  Indeed, all he wanted to do was sit in my lap.\n\nHave you ever had one of those days when things didn’t go as planned?  If so, how did you respond?  For me, I find that I respond better to this question when I ask this question first: “How do I define success?”\n\nSince having kids, it has taken me a while to learn that my agenda is no longer my own (I’m a slow learner).  Fortunately, many years ago, my wife and I decided that our relationship, and the relationship that we have with our kids, is a priority that cannot be compromised.  In fact, our family relationships are the biggest part of our definition of success.\n\nThis isn’t easy considering my hectic travel schedule.  Needless to say, when I’m home, I’m working to be more present with my family.  I would love to say that I have it all figured out, but I am still a work in progress.  So, how did all of this translate in my actions this past weekend?\n\nGratefully, I realized that my son, and my family, needed me more than my “to do” list.  More importantly, I needed them more than my “to do” list as well.  We cooked comfort food and spent a lot of time just reading books, driving, playing games, watching movies, and sleeping.  When the weekend was over, I still had a long list of projects left incomplete (including this blog), but I actually drew closer to our family definition of success.\n\nIndeed, the hours spent holding my son reminded me of what life is all about.\n\nHave you ever had one of those days when things didn’t go as planned?  If so, how did you respond?\n\nIs it time to revisit the question and ask:  How do I define success?\n\nIs it possible that if you left some things incomplete you could actually be closer to your own definition of success?', 'How do I define success?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-do-i-define-success', '', '', '2011-04-14 07:49:23', '2011-04-14 12:49:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4850', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17904, 244, '2011-04-25 06:02:23', '2011-04-25 11:02:23', 'The abilities to both compete and collaborate are clearly keys to success in today’s world.  Yet it seems our education and corporate systems continue to be designed to foster more competition than collaboration.\n\nOne example in our schools of an attempt to foster collaborative behavior is assigning a group project.  Some teachers do a better job than others to support the group in truly collaborating and teach students how to work together and hold each other accountable for contributing.  But more often than not the focus is on the grade each individual takes away, not the way the group worked together or didn’t and what can be learned from the process.\n\nIf you participate in sports or academic competition you have the opportunity to learn about teamwork, but there are a lot of kids who never have that inclination or opportunity.  Also, in the absence of a strong coach, the more talented participants can often get away with being a poor team player in service of winning the game.  Great collaboration isn’t always essential to winning the game.  And let’s face it, where you go once you graduate is ultimately dependent on your individual achievement.\n\nWe carry that context, intentionally or not, into the workplace.\n\nBeing part of the same company or organization does not automatically create an experience of being on the same team.  In corporations multidisciplinary and cross functional teams are often formed with the best of intentions and highest of hopes.  Yet the culture, fueled by the organizational structure and reward system, significantly impacts just how effective those teams are at collaborating, and can easily become the lid on the potential of the team.  In a hierarchical organization structure with an individually driven reward system (or a reward system that unwittingly pits one part of an organization against another), effective collaboration can be very difficult to achieve.\n\nThere also seems to be a pervasive yet unexamined belief in organizations that a team of talented and intelligent individuals will naturally form an intelligent and talented team.  Yet any group as a whole will never deliver anything greater than the sum of the individual contributions, and will likely deliver even less, unless there are two key ingredients – a shared commitment to a clear and meaningful goal and leadership.\n\nOn the other hand there are those who are lucky enough to experience the extraordinary intrinsic rewards of being part of a team, whether they experience it in school or at work.  Ultimately the drive for collaboration is fueled by a deep desire to be a part of something larger and more significant than ourselves.  While winning feels great, I believe that desire for many people is a desire for much more than just winning.\n\nThere will always be people who just want to belong and will fight hard for the status quo so they can keep on belonging.  There will always be those who are primarily motivated by winning and/or individual achievement.  The human systems we have designed will likely continue to reward these values for some time to come.  Yet there is a groundswell of people who are focusing on contributing the best of what they have to offer and who want to create extraordinary value with others.  That is what gives me hope that we can and will continue to forge ahead to find new and better ways to collaborate to do extraordinary things.\n\nCan collaborative behavior prevail?  Not only do I think it can, I believe it will be the hallmark of successful organizations of the future.\n\nPerhaps a more pressing question at hand today is this:  How can we achieve greater levels of collaboration in a system in which extrinsic rewards and individual achievement continue to be the focus?\n\nWhat do you think?\n\n&nbsp;', 'Can Collaboration Prevail?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'can-collaboration-prevail', '', '', '2011-04-25 06:02:23', '2011-04-25 11:02:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4877', 0, 'post', '', 26);
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(17905, 366, '2011-04-28 06:14:09', '2011-04-28 11:14:09', 'Growing up most of my life, I’ve always been told to respect and follow the G<em>olden Rule</em>.  Of course, when I refer to the <em>Golden Rule</em>, I mean the idea of treating others in the same way you’d like others to treat you.  On the surface, this has always seemed like a noble and well intended rule.\n<h4>The Case against the Golden Rule</h4>\nIt wasn’t until I was managing my first team, I realized the <em>Golden Rule</em> is not always so golden.  In one case, it backfired completely.  I had an “A” player employee who had gone above and beyond to take care of a customer.  There had been numerous examples of this person providing top-notch customer service.  In this most recent example, the customer had taken the time to write a nice note to me about the service they’d received from this person.  As a manager, I wanted to recognize their efforts.\n\nFor me, I love to get recognition in front of groups of people.  It gives me a boost of energy to work hard and get recognized publicly.  So, in following the <em>Golden Rule</em>, I decided I would take time at the next staff meeting to recognize this individual and read the letter I had received from this customer.  It was a complimentary letter and in no way discounted any one else’s work.  So, I didn’t see any harm in my actions.\n\nMuch to my dismay, this star performer came to me after the meeting and had shared with me their embarrassment by my effort to recognize them.  They now felt separated from the rest of the team.  How could this be?  After some discussion, I came to realize this person was a very private person.  And while, he acknowledged my intent, he would have preferred if I’d just recognized his effort privately.  That was the “juice” that gave him energy.\n\nIn this case, me treating him in a way I would have appreciated, missed the mark.  Even worse – they felt worse off by my actions.  The <em>Golden Rule</em> let me down.\n<h4>The “New” Golden Rule</h4>\nThe truth is people are different.  They have different likes, dislikes, goals, not to mention motivators.  It was from this lesson, I discovered a new <em>Golden Rule… </em> <em><strong>Treat others as they would like to be treated.</strong></em>\n\nLooking back, if I had followed this rule, I would have known this employee as a private person, and the fact they like to be recognized privately.  In doing so, they would have received the acknowledgement in they way that was energizing to them!\n\nThe more I thought about this rule, it hit me.  It applies to everyone - from the people you work with, all the way down to the people you live with.\n<h4>The “New” Rule is Not for The Faint of Heart</h4>\nEvery time I follow this new paradigm of thinking, I’ve found the results more positive and rewarding.  At the same time, I realize this “new” <em>Golden Rule</em> requires extra effort.\n\nIn order to follow this way of thinking, you need to really know the other person and how they want to be treated and recognized.  You need to know what makes them tick, then call on that knowledge when engaging with them.\n\nI admit, this is not an always easy task. Not everyone is good at it.  There is no short-cut here.  It requires effort and caring.  However, one that I believe is well worth it.  Not to mention it is through application of this “new” <em>Golden Rule</em> that can endear people to your leadership.\n\nMy challenge… take the time to get to know those you lead.  Understand what motivates them and how they like to be rewarded and recognized.  When the opportunity strikes – <em><strong>treat them the way they would like to be treated</strong></em>.  Then… just <em>step back and observe</em>.', 'Does the Golden Rule Apply to Leaders?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'does-the-golden-rule-apply-to-leaders', '', '', '2011-04-28 06:14:09', '2011-04-28 11:14:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4923', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(17906, 259, '2011-05-04 06:06:37', '2011-05-04 11:06:37', 'At this time of year, there are some people who are eagerly planning their gardens, waiting for the last frost to pass so that they can transplant tender seedlings outside, prepare the soil, and start planting in earnest.\n\nI was thinking about this the other day, while eagerly planning my own garden. I had to start first with knowing what kind of crops I wanted to grow. Based on this information, I could determine how much sun and shade the plants required, what the quality of the soil and amount of drainage was that was needed, which plants would boost or deter crop yields, and whether I could start seedlings inside or had to plant them in place.\n\nAs all of this was going through my mind, I couldn\'t help but notice that the same things apply to leaders.\n<ul>\n	<li>While gardeners must know what crops they want to grow, <strong>leaders must have a goal in mind</strong>. They have to know their purpose in order to share that with others in their team. Just as a gardener can’t plant corn seeds hoping for tomatoes, leaders can’t bring together a team of business analysts when they need engineers.</li>\n	<li>Once the leader has clearly defined a goal or set or goals, <strong>they must be clear about the level of direct involvement </strong>that will enable the team to best reach those goals. How much light or shade is needed or, better yet, how much guidance and direction do team members need as opposed to how much freedom they require?</li>\n	<li>At the same time, <strong>the leader must balance the environmental factors</strong> that will affect their team. How much will team members need to be educated to reach the goal? Is knowledge available via osmosis (on-the-job training) or does it need to be supplemented in other ways?</li>\n	<li>Companion gardeners know that certain plants release nutrients into the soil that other plants require to thrive. For instance, beans release nitrogen into the soil that corn adores, and beans love to climb up the strong and healthy corn stalks that result. By planting the two crops together, both plants yield more produce. Add some squash in the mix as a ground cover to minimize weeds that would otherwise choke out the beans and corn, and you have an ideal growing situation for all three plants. By the same token, <strong>leaders must understand the unique needs of their team members</strong>, and how best to combine individuals to strengthen those around them.</li>\n	<li><strong>Leaders must also understand the sensitivities of their followers</strong>. Some individuals thrive on change and can be moved about frequently. Other people like to grow deep roots, and are happiest when they can stay in one place, doing one thing, for long periods of time. If a leader frequently changes the expectation, location, or direction of individuals who are deep-rooted, the results will be underwhelming.</li>\n</ul>\nForrest Gump once shared that his mama told him “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” I think that “Great leaders are like avid gardeners. They know what crops they intend to grow, and plan accordingly.”\n\nHave you taken the time necessary to grow your team properly? Do you know the needs of the individuals in your team? Are you leveraging the strengths of some of your followers to supplement the weaknesses of others? Have you determined how to get the best yield out of the followers you do have? And when your team doesn\'t produce the way you expect them to, do you take the time to understand the factors that caused the failure so that you can address the issue next time?', 'How Does Your Garden Grow?', 'Forrest Gump once shared that his mama told him “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” I think that “Great leaders are like avid gardeners. They know what crops they intend to grow, and plan accordingly.”', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-does-your-garden-grow', '', '', '2011-05-04 06:06:37', '2011-05-04 11:06:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4919', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(17907, 251, '2011-05-17 06:04:44', '2011-05-17 11:04:44', 'Everyone agreed George was a tough boss. He was demanding, settling for nothing less than one\'s best. He was goal-oriented, charismatic and driven. He pushed when outcomes weren\'t up to par; he beamed when they were. He challenged when he knew people were capable of more. He offered up praise, appreciation and thanks. He had his team\'s back.\n\nGeorge \"got\" tough empathy.\n\nCombining empathy with accountability is a unique skill set no leader should be without. In their Harvard Business Review article, <a href=\"http://www.lesaffaires.com/uploads/references/743_why-should-anyone-be-led-by-you_Goffee_Jones.pdf\"><em>Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?</em></a> Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones define tough empathy as \"giving people not necessarily what they want, but what they need to achieve their best.\" It\'s the ultimate leadership balance beam act between task completion and relationship. Being tough and tender. Having high standards and high touch.\n\nWe\'ve seen bosses who bark orders without regard to feelings, guessing they must eat babies for breakfast because they\'re so uncaring. On the other hand, we\'ve seen bosses who are so tender-hearted we wonder if they have a spine as no one ever receives correction or meaningful feedback.\n\nSo what must a leader do to demonstrate tough empathy?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Intervene early and constructively</strong>. When performance goes awry, sit down and talk with the employee (this is not the time for an email). Let the employee know you believe in them and how important their contributions are to the organization.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Don’t sugarcoat a one-way message</strong>. Provide solid facts, specifics, and examples. If you offer up an impression, define the details that created it. This is the time for dialogue.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Don’t settle for an “I’ll try” response</strong>. Assure the individual commits whole-heartedly to learning, performing and improving. They own and are responsible for their performance; the leader owns holding them consistently accountable.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Show some </strong><a href=\"http://getyourbigon.com/leadbigblog/love-in-a-business-blog-post/\"><strong>love</strong></a>. Celebrate, recognize, appreciate. The file cabinet in the corner doesn’t have feelings, but employees do.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Let it be OK for people to fail (occasionally)</strong>. Expecting success every time leads to mediocrity and snuffs out innovation. Research by professor Amy Edmondson reveals “people in organizations feel psychologically safe when those in power persistently praise, reward, and promote people who have the courage to talk about their doubts, successes, and failures, and who work doggedly to do things better the next time.”\n\nDuality is the new reality. Practice both accountability and positive people support. Tough empathy belongs in every leader’s toolkit.', 'Good Leaders: Tough and Tender', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'good-leaders-tough-and-tender', '', '', '2011-05-17 06:04:44', '2011-05-17 11:04:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5001', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17908, 272, '2011-05-18 06:05:31', '2011-05-18 11:05:31', 'This is the first in a planned series of articles introducing some of the founding / contributing members of the Lead Change Group. For the next few months, we\'ve got the list of people we\'re planning on interviewing. However, if you are a member of the Lead Change Group, sometime in the future we might be able to arrange an interview to share part of your story. Send an email to dan (at) leadershipfreak (dot) com if you\'re interested.\n\n<strong>Meet Steve Keating:</strong>\n\nA loafer and a woman are among the things that made Steve Keating the man he is today (Twitter: @LeadToday).\n\n<img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5028\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/o_steve_keating_14075-150x150.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" />Steve Keating has a degree in engineering. His love for gadgets resulted in the development of currency validation device for RC Cola. You might expect Steve’s story to continue down the engineering path of designing and refining useful devices. But something unusual pursued Steve, sales.\n\nSteve didn’t pursue sales, sales pursued him. It was during his time at RC Cola that a Dale Carnegie sales team stopped in to “sell” training. He told me he wasn\'t interested. He told me that he felt like he already knew everything he needed to know about selling.\n\nHowever, the Dale Carnegie representatives helped Steve uncover motives he didn’t know he had for selling more. Through an incredibly comfortable questioning strategy they helped Steve see his need. He enrolled in the program that day.<strong> </strong>\n\nEight weeks into his Dale Carnegie course, Steve left RC Cola and went to work for Dale Carnegie. So much for knowing everything.\n\n<strong>A loafer:</strong>\n\nSteve told me a mentor at Dale Carnegie changed him. It was during a short presentation that Steve unconsciously but repeatedly used his big toe on one foot to slip off the loafer on his other. During the follow up meeting, Steve’s mentor brought his attention to this distracting habit.\n\n<em>It wasn’t what was said that mattered most.</em> It was the way it was said. Steve said it was the first time in his career he actually felt that a supervisor was interested in him for <em>his</em> sake. Steve said, “I believed he cared for me, for my sake.” Steve experienced the transforming power of caring for people without ulterior motives. It’s one of the things that made Steve the man he is today.\n\nOn a side note, he stopped wearing loafers.\n\nToday Steve travels the world as the Selling Skills Manager for Toro. One of the things Steve loves saying is, “You can care without leading but you can’t lead without caring.”\n\nWe spent some time discussing relationship building within the business world; something near and dear to Steve’s heart. He taught me, “If you wait until you need a relationship it’s too late to develop it. The suspicion factor is difficult to overcome.”\n\nIn life and in business, “<em>Develop relationships because it helps them before it helps you. People can tell when you are in it for yourself.</em>” If you follow Steve on twitter, you know he practices a give-first philosophy.\n\nI was surprised to learn Steve believes that Toro retains <em>both</em> their customers <em>and</em> their employees based on what I’ll call relationship-retention.\n\n<strong>A woman:</strong>\n\nThe second thing that changed Steve was a woman; a woman he met at Dale Carnegie, it was the women he would marry.\n\nGuys can be a little slow and Steve is no exception. After his marriage, he came home one day after his wife had opened a letter explaining a sales promotion at his company. If Steve did well they could enjoy an all-expense paid vacation. She was excited about the opportunity. It dawned on Steve that what he did mattered; that he mattered.\n\nSteve said, “Responsibility changes you. I realized my decisions impact others.” He felt a new and deeper kind of motivation.\n\nI (Dan) like to say that you won’t matter until you decide to matter. It’s an overstatement that drives home the importance of believing you can make a difference. Steve began seeing his own worth through the eyes of someone he loved.\n\nLife tips on seemingly insignificant events like a mentoring conversation and the enthusiasm of a loved one. You never know when you can matter. I just know you do.\n\n<strong>Steve on Twitter:</strong>\n\nI asked Steve what I should be asking him and he said, “People ask me where I find the fun-facts I tweet.” So I asked and he said, “I have an iphone app called Fun Facts.”\n\nFrankly, I was hoping for something more dramatic like, \"I stay up at night reading the encyclopedia.\" But then I realized no one has them anymore.\n\n<strong>Electronic Free:</strong>\n\nRelationships are important to Steve. So with that in mind, a few weeks ago he stopped using all electronic devices on Sunday. At 2 p.m. on Sunday’s family comes for dinner in their Minnesota home. The only communication is face-to-face with your real voice.\n\nHe said it was a bit awkward at first. But now, “We think we like it a lot.”\n\nI’m thankful for the opportunity to spend time on the phone with Steve Keating. I found him insightful, honest, humble, and deeply caring. If you spent a day with Steve, you’d be a better person. It’s a pleasure affiliating with him in the Lead Change Group.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Meet Steve Keating', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'meet-steve-keating', '', '', '2011-05-18 06:05:31', '2011-05-18 11:05:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5027', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(17909, 252, '2011-05-25 06:09:08', '2011-05-25 11:09:08', '&nbsp;\n\n<em>A \"Best of\" <a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com/new-humans/\" target=\"_blank\">post </a>from Mary Schaefer\'s blog, Reimaginework.com, Feb. 24, 2010</em>\n\nMy colleague in leadership, <a href=\"http://www.joegerstandt.com/\">Joe Gerstandt</a>, and I sometimes exchange Q&amp;A\'s - the latest from Joe being:\n\nJOE: We both talk about new ways of leadership in our work...for you, what are some examples of what that actually looks like?\n\nMARY: Great question. I’m into lists this week, so what I’ve crafted is,\n<h3>Mary’s Seven Ways to Be a New Leader to Your Employees</h3>\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Make decisions as if people matter.</strong> Business doesn’t exist in a vacuum. How do you think all this stuff happens? Your computers or lab equipment don’t care if you hit quarterly goals. You might as well leverage your resources you have who might give a darn (i.e. humans). BTW, you do that by meeting basic human needs at work. Ignore - at your own peril - the fact that you have human beings as your employees.</li>\n	<li><strong>Talk to your employees as if they matter. </strong> Try to keep in mind what it is like to be an employee, because after all, even if you are a manager, you ARE STILL an employee too. Think about what employees would be concerned with and show them you considered them in your thought process.</li>\n	<li><strong>Be impeccable with your word.</strong> (Thank you Don Miguel Ruiz.) If you say you are going to do something, large or small, do it. Your employees are watching. They WANT to trust you. Give them a reason. It helps to tell them when you are following up on something you promised to say, e.g. “I’m doing this thing as a result of our talk last week.”</li>\n	<li><strong>Talk to people like YOU are a human being.</strong> People can see through stalling and spin. If you can’t discuss a matter, say so. Anticipate questions from your employees\' point of view, and <em>practice.</em> You may have to work with your response for awhile to ensure it’s authentic, sincere and respectful of their intelligence. Don’t shortchange this. (If you have any more questions on this, see point 1.)</li>\n	<li><strong>Care that they understand what you\'re telling them.</strong> “The meaning of the communication is the response it elicits” (an NLP concept). Why do we think we’ve communicated when we drop people an email? And asking, “Do you understand” is fruitless. Who wants to look like a nincompoop by saying “no?” Or how do you know they understand the way you need them to? Ask them what they heard you say, or what they are going to do based on what you said, to test understanding.</li>\n	<li><strong>Get over yourself and be open to what works.</strong> “Leading is changing your behaviors so the other person follows.” We wouldn’t put water in our car when it needs oil, and expect it to perform. Why do we disdain and resist what humans at work need? (examples: appreciation, belonging, contribution and meaning) Using this knowledge doesn’t require that you be something you\'re not.  Find what adjustments would work for you and your people both – so that they will WANT to work with you.</li>\n	<li><strong>Consider that human employees are good for business.</strong> Meeting the human needs of your employees may actually result in a better outcome for the business. I can’t underline enough the value of human discretionary energy. This is what makes the impossible happen.</li>\n</ol>\n<blockquote>As a society, we have come to a point where people too often treat one another as objects and opportunities, rather than as fellow human beings. Respecting one another as individuals, or not doing so,seriously impacts the future, for all of us.\n- Gail Purcell Elliott</blockquote>\nOne day our society and the world will grow and prosper in a whole new way because each employee does their work from a place of knowing they play a legitimate role and truly make a difference. My wish is that one day we all embrace the belief that there is an inestimable power and potential in human beings treating each other humanly.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Seven Ways to be a New Leader to Your Employees', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'seven-ways-to-be-a-new-leader-to-your-employees', '', '', '2011-05-25 06:09:08', '2011-05-25 11:09:08', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=4941', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17910, 266, '2011-05-31 06:04:04', '2011-05-31 11:04:04', 'A few weeks ago, one of my clients – a business owner, parent (of four) and wife – sent me an email crying out for help in dealing with the overwhelm enveloping her from all directions.  There is NO balance in her life, and she is desperate for the breathing room that a balanced life would give her.  She is also deeply resistant to finding that balance, desiring more than anything to be the best in all areas.  As a result, she does not take care of herself, and may be doing a deep injustice to her business and her family.  At some point, the pain of not making the effort to create a balanced life will be far more than the pain of the overwhelm she experiences daily.\n\nWhy do we aim for a balanced life?  We aim for balance because a balanced leader will develop a healthier business.  They are able to delegate more, rather than racing to answer questions, email and meeting with clients in five minutes or less.  They are more thoughtful in their decision making, and are more effective in their ability to lead.  Their employees are more committed to the company because they know they make a difference.  And, last, but not least, the bottom line results are better.\n\nLeadership will thrive once the owner/parent/wife recognizes the correspondence between work, their personal life and the mission of their company.  This recognition, and making a strong effort to achieve balance in these three life areas, is imperative for leading a fulfilling life.  If you sell your soul to the company, at the end of the day it is likely to fall apart, and the leader without balance may find herself with nothing, including the work that bound them hand and foot throughout her life.\n<blockquote>If you sell your soul to the company, at the end of the day it is likely to fall apart,\nand the leader without balance may find herself with nothing…</blockquote>\nBalance at home is critical, as well.  Setting priorities for the family in making commitments to sports, outside activities, school, church and each other is imperative.  When families are overcommitted, it becomes difficult for everyone, not just the parent(s).  And, the larger the family the more difficult it becomes.  Can you imagine two parents each working a 40 – 60 hour work week, 8 soccer games in five days, a school picnic (parents actively involved in putting it together), five full days of school (with homework), choir rehearsal three times for the week, a concert, church, the oldest child working a part-time job and needing transportation, and a science fair to attend? Making intentional choices when setting priorities for the family, delegating responsibilities for each member of the family, and parents setting boundaries is the only way for balance to occur.  Otherwise, as in the case of my client, each parent will end up compartmentalizing each of their roles, and behaving as expected whenever they find they are in that specific situation.\n\nWhat happens when you compartmentalize?  You become less than you are.  You fall out of integrity.  You become inauthentic in each of the roles, because you don’t bring the whole you to the table.  And, you begin to build walls.  The challenge of tearing down the walls we build because we think we need them to survive is greater now than it has ever been.  Today’s world asks more of us, not less.\n\nFinding a balance between work and home is one of the most difficult issues a leader can face.  Nothing is cut and dried, and there are continual compromises and setting of priorities that must be made.  We all want to be successful, and have a comfortable family life.  The problem comes when you make it a habit to sacrifice yourself and/or your family for the company (or even sacrifice yourself for your family).  This choice creates pressure both for the leader and the family, and when we don’t focus on what we value, the pain will increase until we are forced to make a different decision or face the possibility of losing what is really important in life.\n\nThe key to keeping your work and home life in balance is to check-in often with yourself, be conscious of where you are choosing to step into an unbalanced situation, and make adjustments where they can be made for the sake of your family, friends and for you.  With some real effort, you can live a life of integrity and authenticity as a leader in all areas of your life.\n\n&nbsp;', 'A Balanced Life - Does It Make For a Better Leader?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-balanced-life-does-it-make-for-a-better-leader', '', '', '2011-05-31 06:04:04', '2011-05-31 11:04:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5070', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(17911, 248, '2011-06-06 06:02:00', '2011-06-06 11:02:00', 'You have tremendous capacity to inspire people to contribute their best.  In yesterday’s Beginning post, I wrote about Values and Life Purpose.  These two core areas of Leadership on Purpose ground you, force you to sit up straight.  They help steer your leadership so that you can more clearly understand the third core areas of Leadership on Purpose.\n<h3>Final 2 Core Areas of Leadership on Purpose.</h3>\n<strong> </strong>\n\n<strong>Getting that this world is not about you</strong> – Let us not forget that Leadership on Purpose is about helping a team or a company to deliver a product and/or service hitched to it’s vision and mission.  It’s not about the leader’s history, degrees, or even great speeches. These are merely inputs and outputs.  What matters is that people come together and accomplish something. Leaders should not be put on pedestals or idolized. If these are drivers for a leader, it ceases to be about people and becomes leader arrogance. It’s time to demand more from our leaders.  Arrogant leadership has become common.  Idolized leaders are too frequent and overly celebrated.  Let’s get down to the leadership business of enabling people to apply their talents to a problem, project, possibility.  That is the focus of leadership – creating a space to let people apply their talents.\n\nRemember, we need you to unleash your crazy, beautiful, brilliant leadership on those waiting to contribute their talents.  Sync up this triad with the profound understanding that this world is not about you, but about revealing the best in those around you magic happens.\n\n<strong>Evolving clarity of your gifts</strong> – Your gifts as a leader are not stagnant. Gifts you don’t have today will emerge as you transform your leadership. How you stay in touch with the evolution of your gifts is up to you. It is, however, a vital leadership act.\n\nYour gifts are your talents that ooze out of you. People see them when you use them.  They can move people. They can inspire people. Bottom line: we need leaders to know what their gifts are, what they are becoming, and what they are not.   And we need you to share them. Use them.\n\nYes, there are forces to malign our leadership to mediocrity.\n\nBut such forces are held at bay when you shape your leadership by defining your <strong>Values</strong> that become central to our actions and decisions.\n\nYou remain centered, zany even, when you explore and identify and explore some more your <strong>Life Purpose</strong>.\n\nAnd when you lead knowing that your leadership orchestrates people coming together to unleash their talents, you instantly realize what it means that <strong>this world is not about you</strong>.\n\nBut what is about you is knowing, sharing, and <strong>evolving your gifts</strong>.  These are what help you lead and leave your mark on those in your life. On the world.\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Photo courtesy of iStockphoto</p>', 'Leadership on Purpose – Conclusion', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-on-purpose-conclusion', '', '', '2011-06-06 06:02:00', '2011-06-06 11:02:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5086', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17912, 264, '2011-06-10 06:09:21', '2011-06-10 11:09:21', 'You don\'t have to go very far to find a failed multi-million dollar project. To be clear, let\'s define failure as a multi-million dollar project that ran consistently over budget and behind schedule; some came in years late. If you\'ve been around for any length of time, I\'m sure you\'ve involved with a few. I know I\'ve seen my fair share. To give you a few examples, here are some interesting articles on failed projects:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.cio.com/article/486284/10_Famous_ERP_Disasters_Dustups_and_Disappointments\" target=\"_blank\">10 Famous ERP Disasters, Dustups and Disappointments</a>: From CIO Magazine\n\nFamous Failures of Complex Engineering Systems: CalTech\n\n<a href=\"http://calleam.com/WTPF/?page_id=3\" target=\"_blank\">Catalog of Catastrophe Why Technology Project Fail</a>: Calleam Consulting\n\nSo... why are these projects failing? I\'m sure you\'ve seen the typical answers, Poor Project Selection, <a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Scope creep\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_creep\" rel=\"wikipedia\">Scope Creep</a>, Bad Estimates, Poor <a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Project management\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management\" rel=\"wikipedia\">Project Management</a>. However, there may be another reason <strong><em>unrelated to project management or organization dysfunction</em></strong> that may surprise you...\n\nI am in the middle of reading <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Impact-Highly-Improbable/dp/1400063515%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1400063515\" rel=\"amazon\">The Black Swan</a></span> by <a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Nassim Nicholas Taleb\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassim_Nicholas_Taleb\" rel=\"wikipedia\">Nassim Nicholas Taleb</a> and while it deals with life in general, I couldn\'t help but relate it to project management. His basic premise is that life is unpredictable. This is not good news for project management. Don\'t get me wrong. As a project manager I obviously think project management can improve the project success rate. But... can it always? If the project is small, and the length of time is short, odds are that a managed project will come in as planned. But even that is not always guaranteed. Life is unpredictable. Key resources could leave, the organization could change its vision, the company could be bought out.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Impact-Highly-Improbable/dp/1400063515%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1400063515\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5172\" title=\"blackswan-193x300\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/blackswan-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"140\" height=\"218\" /></a>What about large projects? If life is unpredictable, large projects will most certainly come in late and over budget. Think about it. Name one, just one, successful project over $10 million and over a year long, that didn\'t run into some sort of problem that pushed the date and budget out. This is especially true in technology projects, or construction projects that deal with new technology.\n\nSo my question is, are we just kidding ourselves into thinking we can manage large complex projects, and if so, why? Well as a species, humans don\'t like uncertainty. We try so hard to create the illusion that life is in our control. We go about our lives in such a way as to give us the comfort that life is predictable. Bad things happen... but not to us. I don\'t understand why people in flood or earthquake zones are so surprised when it floods, or when there is an earthquake where they live.\n\nIf you consider our leaders in government and business, most of them are successful because they are good at creating the illusion of certainty. CEOs are hired because they WILL get things done. Politicians are elected because they WILL bring home the bacon. Executives, Managers and Project Managers are all in their position because the WILL get their teams to perform. But on large complex projects... can they... really?\n\nMy answer is no. Because we believe in success (things getting done), because we worship power and control, because bad things happen to others and not to us, we have created the illusion that large complex projects can be managed successfully.\n\nI know that some of you will point to a successful project that will be the exception to the rule. But... could this be due to chance, and not to project management itself? Odds are that some projects will be successful, but are they the outliers? And if they are the outliers, can we really take the best practices at those projects and apply them to other projects and expect the same results? Again, on a small project, perhaps. On a larger project? I don\'t think so.\n\nSome of you may be wondering if I am saying that we shouldn\'t manage large complex projects? Not at all. What I am proposing, is a new paradigm for looking at large complex projects. If you are considering a multi-million dollar project, there is a HUGE risk that the project will not adhere to the original plan. The question you must ask yourself is how to reduce the risk as much as possible, and to admit, from the very beginning, that the project could double in cost and time. Is the organization willing to absorb that possibility?\n\nExecutives and Project Managers will bring in charts, graphs, numbers, assesssments, all showing that the project can be done. But, on large projects, this is just an attempt at creating a sense of control. Control that we don\'t have. Too many things could go wrong, and they will. Accept this up front before you begin.\n\nWhy do large complex projects fail? Because life is unpredictable and the larger the project, the greater the odds of something happening that will negatively impact the project. In other words, large projects will undoubtedly be late and overbudget, because they are large.\n\nThoughts?\n\nAll the best!\nAll the time!\nJT\n\nThis post was originally published over on John\'s <a title=\"Original Post\" href=\"http://www.leadwithhonor.com/blog/2011/05/30/why-multimillion-dollar-projects-often-fail/\" target=\"_blank\">Coaching Leaders blog</a>.\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">\n</span>', 'Why Large Complex Projects Often Fail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-large-complex-projects-often-fail', '', '', '2011-06-10 06:09:21', '2011-06-10 11:09:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5151', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17913, 290, '2012-02-15 06:02:09', '2012-02-15 12:02:09', '<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Today’s world is an electronically connected one. It is rare to escape it all. However, there are times our full attention is needed, and meetings are one of those times.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Here is what is happening.</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As people walk into the meeting, they have their laptops in hand. They sit down, and up go the lids.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As the meeting begins, a smartphone is pulled out of a pocket, and a text is sent.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">During the meeting, people are staring into their laptops and typing something.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">People across the table are receiving an instant message from someone on the other side.</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">How can anything productive be accomplished in such a distracted meeting? What message is being sent to the participants and leaders in the meeting? People at all levels in an organization are exhibiting this behavior, but it seems to be condoned by the leaders through their complicity. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">It is time to step away from our devices for an hour, listen, interact, and reach agreement on the issues being discussed.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">In school, we used to get in trouble for passing notes during class. In today’s meetings, we are passing electronic notes via instant messages. What is being exchanged? Why can’t it be shared with the group? We should make people doing this get up in front of the meeting and read what they just sent via an electronic text or message!</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">If our attention cannot be gained for 60 minutes, then cancel the meeting! Multitasking is one thing, but multi-meeting is almost ridiculous!</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Here is the message leaders are really sending by not giving their full attention:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I am so important that you can only have one-third of my attention for the next hour.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">What this meeting is about is not that important, so I am going to stare into my laptop and do something else.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I am going to give my real opinion about this meeting to a person across the table through an instant message.</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">There are many challenges we are trying to address. We need us to sit up, listen, and participate fully. If our presence was requested at a meeting, then we need to be fully present!</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Here are the rules. First, the <em>“you shall not”</em> rules are:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You shall not surf the web during a meeting.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You shall not send an instant message to anyone in the meeting.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You shall not send text messages with any mobile device.</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Next, the <em>“you can”</em> rules are:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You can research topics that are relevant to the meeting.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You can type notes.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">You can share information from your device to a projector for all to see.</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Meetings are a time for people to listen, discuss, and solve problems. Meetings are a time to share and discuss with your voice and ears. Meetings are a time to align people, activities, and initiatives. Meetings are a time to give your full attention.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Let’s make the most of our meetings. Let’s set the right example.</span></span>\n\n<strong><em><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">During meetings, what rules have you set for the device-enabled and electronically-connected?</span></span></em></strong>', 'Step Away from Your Devices During Meetings', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'step-away-from-your-devices-during-meetings', '', '', '2012-02-15 06:02:09', '2012-02-15 12:02:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6224', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(17914, 367, '2012-02-29 06:02:57', '2012-02-29 12:02:57', 'If you look at your team and see people who represent several generations, you may find yourself with some conflicting thoughts. Is it wise to take each generation into account or is that over-complicated? Is it better to let the employees manage their own age-related perceptions or is it your job to step in and find methods of management that balance generational gaps?\n\nThese are tough questions, and relatively new ones. Three distinct generations are at work in most offices today, sometimes even four. There are the Baby Boomers (born after 1945), Generation X (1961 – 81) and Generation Y, often called the Millennials (1982 to the present). Here is a practical guide to dealing with age <a href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/cultural-sensitivity-training-the-key-to-unlocking-your-teams-potential/\">diversity</a> in your workplace.\n<h2>Identity and Age in the Workplace</h2>\nFirst, recognize that age and perception do matter. As tech-savvy and open-minded as a Baby Boomer may want to be, it is not easy for an older person to watch the young generation come into a workplace. These days, there are fewer age-related boundaries as well—often older people report to people years younger. The Generation X employee should be the most at peace with age differences, being in the middle, though this generation does have some recognized attributes you can assess. The Generation Y person will want to be taken seriously and may feel both awkwardness and impatience in dealing with older employees. Generation Y employees tend to expect equal treatment from day one on the job.\n<h2>Productive Attributes of Each Generation</h2>\nSecond, appreciate the value of each generation’s experience and perceptions. As the post-WWII generation, Baby Boomers value hard work, loyalty and security in employment. Of course, they also have historical perspective concerning the company, if they have worked there for years, or the nature of their job. They tend to prefer formal ways of communicating, such as face to face meetings, phone calls or emails. While Baby Boomers tend to have tough work ethics, Generation Xers prefer a balance between work and home life.\n\nThose of Generation X are versatile when it comes to technology, readily able to use both older and newer methods, and generally more adaptable. Those of Generation Y are similar to Gen-X, except they have lived their entire lives with technology. They can be less patient with <a href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/intercultural-communication-in-the-global-workplace/\">communication</a> that is not instantaneous, yet they are great multi-taskers thanks to their wired mentality. Like gen-Xers, they prefer a balanced lifestyle, but some may go even further in pushing for flexibility in their working hours. Generation Y is confident, and of course, they represent the technological workplace of the future.\n<h2>Ideas for Employee Interactions</h2>\nHere are a few ideas which may assist you in dealing with generation gaps.\n<ul>\n	<li>Partner employees for certain projects in ways that utilize their contrasting differences. For instance, pair a Baby Boomer with a Generation Y employee. Assign the Baby Boomer the task of presenting perspective and creating a goal. Assign the Y employee a task related to technological follow-through.</li>\n	<li>Partner employees on either extreme with one from Generation X. Those in Generation X represent the middle, and they are generally versatile. Use them to bridge gaps.</li>\n	<li>Use several meetings or relaxed office days to discuss generational differences with your group. Let your employees air their opinions. Sometimes simply stating the obvious, such as the age difference between 25 and 65, relieves tensions and brings some refreshing humor. Perhaps those on your team are anti-stereotype and push themselves to step outside of the usual bounds. You can use that to your advantage also.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Taking it Day by Day</h2>\nThe best overall tip for dealing with generational gaps is this: take generational gaps seriously. Regardless how creative a person is, there are realities of one\'s generation which tend to create specific ways of thinking. The technologies a person experiences during childhood, the business world that predominates during one\'s first ten years of employment, social perceptions of the economy during one\'s lifetime—these factors and more do have effects on us. As a manager dealing with employees who represent multiple generations, remain sensitive to the perspectives these ages represent. All in all, there is one point that truly unites everyone from age 22 to 68—we are the first to live in such a highly <a href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6229\" title=\"176x76_ND_Logo_2c-copy\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/176x76_ND_Logo_2c-copy.gif\" alt=\"University of Notre Dame Online\" width=\"176\" height=\"76\" /></a>educated and multi-generational workforce in America.\n\nLinks above refer to some of the programs offered by the University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business where Jason is affiliated.  If you have questions about those programs, <a href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/\">click here</a> or connect with Jason.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo - <a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/36209243\">© Sergej Khackimullin - Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Ultimate Multi-Tasking: The Art of Managing People from Multiple Generations', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ultimate-multi-tasking-art-managing-people-multiple-generations', '', '', '2012-02-29 06:02:57', '2012-02-29 12:02:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6228', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17915, 283, '2012-03-01 10:35:34', '2012-03-01 16:35:34', 'Today\'s SmartBlog for Leadership post is by <a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/eandtsmom\">Tara R. Alemany</a><strong>,</strong> the owner and founder of <a href=\"http://alewebsocial.com/\">Aleweb Social Marketing</a>, a consulting firm that helps authors, speakers and other creative-types build their online platform.  \"So, what does happen when you get 21 leaders together to work on a project? Relationships are built. Myths are dispelled.\" Read more about the <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/03/01/8-leadership-myths-dispelled/\">leadership myths</a>.', '8 leadership myths dispelled', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '8-leadership-myths-dispelled', '', '', '2012-03-01 10:35:34', '2012-03-01 16:35:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6318', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17916, 283, '2012-03-05 08:47:13', '2012-03-05 14:47:13', 'Welcome to the March 4th, 2012 <a href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/03/march-2012-leadership-development.html\"><strong>Leadership Development Carnival</strong> </a>Going Green Edition. Nope, it\'s not sustainable, organic, or renewable..... not <em>that</em> green. It\'s the wearing of the green to celebrate Saint Patrick\'s Day this month!', 'The March 2012 Leadership Development Carnival Going Green Edition', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-march-2012-leadership-development-carnival-going-green-edition', '', '', '2012-03-05 08:47:13', '2012-03-05 14:47:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6350', 0, 'post', '', 1);
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(17917, 265, '2012-03-07 06:01:04', '2012-03-07 12:01:04', 'Have you ever watched an artist or athlete who made what they do look easy?\n\nTheir performance comes so naturally that, as you watch you think, \"I could do that.\" Whitney Houston opens her lips, amazing music comes out. Michael Jordan goes in for a layup, jumps from the 3-point line and soars through the air to the basket. Those who are genuinely world class have this way of making what they do seem effortless.\n\nBehind every world class artist, athlete, business leader, craftsman or scholar is hours of <em><strong>practice</strong></em>. After thousands of missed shots and hundreds of lost games, Michael Jordan makes history. Before the Beatles break out they spend <em>every night</em> for a year playing the night club scene in Amsterdam.\n\nMalcolm Gladwell says the difference between average and world class is 10,000 hours of practice. In his book, \"Outliers\" he quotes a long time study of musicians. In the study they track the progress of a group of violinists. Some were more talented than others. Some had better opportunities. But the real difference between those who ended their \'career\' as a hobbyist or a world class musician - <strong><em>practice</em></strong>. 10,000 hours of practice.\n\nOpportunity may provide a door. Talent may get you in, but practice will keep you there and take you places you never imagined possible.\n\nThe Practice Principle applies to everything we do. Apart from breathing, there are very few things we get right the first time, every time, without thought or rehearsal. Having a good marriage takes practice. You can practice your faith. You can practice being a good leader. You can practice creativity. You can practice being a good dad. Doctor\'s practice medicine, which is unfortunate because I don\'t want my surgeon to \'practice\' on me. I want him to get it right.\n\nPractice is what separates artists from amateurs. How you practice and what you practice determines your level of success. We need to get practice right. With that in mind, here are 7 Best Practice Best Practices.\n\n<em><strong>7 Best Practice Best Practices</strong></em>\n<ul>\n	<li><em><strong>Steal - There\'s nothing new under the sun. Steal the very best.</strong></em> There are more politically correct ways to say this; don\'t reinvent the wheel, learn from the best, read a lot - but none of them truly captures the essence of this practice best practice quite like this. If the experts have already figured out the best way to get the job done it\'s wise to listen.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Fail - Practice is the monotonous story of systematically overcoming a series of small failures.</strong></em> Wrong, bad, wicked, evil, unproductive - these are easy to identify. Figuring out the subtle differences between good, better, and best is the playground for the world class. Failure isn\'t always about massive, insurmountable problems, but the qualitative difference between average and exceptional. Almost 20 years ago I had back surgery. I have a 6 inch scar to show for it. Today, the same surgery is performed with 3, half inch incisions. Same surgery, better practice.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Coach - Never underestimate the value of a skilled mentor.</strong></em> Accountability matters. We\'re not good at self-evaluation. We\'ll either be too hard or too easy on ourselves. We need the outside opinion. We benefit from the expert eye. We grow when we\'re challenged. We press on when we\'re encouraged. Luke had Obi Wan. Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson. Who\'s your coach and are you paying attention?</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Every Day - Practice is a daily discipline</strong></em>. 10,000 hours is a long time. You\'ll never get there with just a few late night cram sessions. Do something. Do anything every day and discover what a difference a day makes. What\'s that they say about Rome? It wasn\'t built...you know.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Apologize - Sometimes it\'s better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission</strong></em>.The status quo needs challenged. You\'ve gotten this far doing what you do. Sometimes you can\'t go, you won\'t go, any further until you try something unexpected. This is more interesting than failure. It\'s the pleasant rebellion of someone who thoughtfully and graciously believes, \"We can do better\" and has the guts to try.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Systematic - Practice is not a shot in the dark, but a step-by-step process of improvement</strong></em>. My piano teacher used to say, \"Practice makes perfect.\" My jazz band director added, \"<em>Perfect</em> practice makes perfect.\" It\'s not enough to haphazardly try something new. Learn from your failures. Slow things down enough to get it right. Break complex tasks into simple, understandable and memorable parts. Refine. Refresh. Replace.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Repeat - Repetition is a powerful tool</strong></em>. Repetition is a powerful tool. Once you get it right, once you understand, once your muscles master exactly the right strength &amp; timing, do it again. Once is never enough. Once could be luck. Once could be coincidence. Once doesn\'t make a billion big macs. Get it right, then get it right again. Genuine success isn\'t a one time event. Success is a long obedience in the same direction. Repetition is a powerful tool.</li>\n</ul>\nPractice is more than activity for activities sake. It is the difference between bad and good, good and great, average and world class. Practice well and find success.\n\n&nbsp;', '7 Best Practice Best Practices', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '7-best-practice-best-practices', '', '', '2012-03-07 06:01:04', '2012-03-07 12:01:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6327', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17918, 290, '2012-03-08 06:00:11', '2012-03-08 12:00:11', 'Change happens, and we need to hire new people to fill existing or new roles. We go through the typical search:\n<ul>\n	<li>Check our internally and our networks</li>\n	<li>Engage others to check their networks</li>\n	<li>Review and reduce the number of possibilities</li>\n	<li>Interview the candidates</li>\n	<li>Gather feedback</li>\n	<li>Hire</li>\n</ul>\nWhatever the process is, the thought running through the organizational mind is this:\n<ul>\n	<li>We have a role defined.</li>\n	<li>We need to find the person who can fulfill those responsibilities completely, thoroughly, and passionately.</li>\n	<li>We need to find someone with the right “attitude.”</li>\n</ul>\nWe think about how they can fit within our organization and how they can fit an outlined role. All of this is done in a self-serving way. We think:  <em>Who can best serve what we have defined? </em>In other words, it is about fitting someone into a clear mold.\n\nWhat if we turned this model and question upside down? What if we asked:\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><strong><em>How will the presence of this new person change our organization and this role?</em></strong></h4>\nWhat I mean by this is:  How will they enhance our organization, change this role to take it to the next level of performance and meaning for the work that needs to be done.\n\nIt is a different perspective. Rather than defining what we want them to do, it is thinking about what they will enable us to do differently, <em>do better</em>. It is about change that they can deliver rather than us changing them to fit our organization.\n\nMaybe it is a subtle shift, but I believe it is an important one. We all want to hire superstars and rising stars. Our perception of what constitutes each, though, is based on our distinct perspective and defined (and undefined) organizational boundaries. Opening ourselves to the new person’s perspective may (and likely, <em>if we let them</em>) raise us up out of our organizational ruts.\n\nNow, this is not to say that what we have hired them to do can go undone. It is not that at all. It is about adjusting our perspective and approach with new hires, opening the door for them up to contribute freely in ways that may, initially, be foreign to us. However, if we embrace their perspective and the changes being proposed, we are enabling our organization to improve and grow and, more importantly, empower an inspired workforce.\n\nIt is more than a workforce. It is the force of what people have within them to bring about a better, new way of doing things. We may just need to adjust our perspective to prevent boundaries being imposed as someone new walks in our door.\n\nWe may need to add a question to our interview set, too. The question could be:  <em>How will your presence change this role and our organization?</em> The answer to this question may highlight how the new talented person envisions opportunity, direction, and possibility. Now, we just need to be open to the ideas and change.', 'What If We Changed Our Perspective of New Hires?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-if-we-changed-our-perspective-of-new-hires', '', '', '2012-03-08 06:00:11', '2012-03-08 12:00:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6341', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17919, 268, '2012-03-09 06:02:26', '2012-03-09 12:02:26', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mpb-leadchange-leighphoto14A-0305122.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6367\" title=\"mpb-leadchange-leighphoto14A-0305122\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mpb-leadchange-leighphoto14A-0305122.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"281\" height=\"186\" /></a>Ever heard of Paul Potts or Susan Boyle?\n\nBoth competed in <em>Britain’s Got Talent</em>. As they walked on stage the first time, you could feel a collective cringe and see eyeballs rolling. The judges and audience seemed to be incredulous. They flinched, groaned, and stifled laughter.\n\nOnce Paul and Susan began to sing, however, the audience was riveted. Listeners fell in love with these two gifted performers.\n<h3><strong>Guilty until proven innocent</strong></h3>\nAs I watched their unpolished stage presence, I came to some sobering realizations about workforce diversity:\n<ol>\n	<li>We teach our kids, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But we rarely live by this principle. If a cover doesn’t catch our attention, we pass it by and assume the book lacks masterpiece potential.</li>\n	<li>We similarly judge people. We base our first impressions on external appearance. Grooming. Teeth. Attire. Accessories. Accent. We notice scuffs on shoes, extra pounds, and age. Then, we unconsciously jump to conclusions about the person’s potential and abilities. We decide in a split second whether individuals are competent, even before they’ve opened their mouths to speak.</li>\n	<li>Our internal judgments come through, plain as day, in our facial expressions and body language.</li>\n	<li>We let our judgments stand until an employee or candidate proves us wrong. This is akin to “guilty until proven innocent.” In legal circles, we’d cry foul and claim injustice. Shouldn’t we also cry foul in the workplace?</li>\n	<li>When we recruit people to do work, we don’t know their potential until they actually do the work. We might ask them to do a sample project as part of the interview process, but that step typically comes after initial screening interviews. Imagine interviewing Potts and Boyle for singing roles, but not letting them sing. By what criteria would you judge them?</li>\n</ol>\nLeaders and organizations say they prize diversity. But actions speak louder than words. In reality, I think we respect diversity only <strong><em>after</em></strong> a “different” person proves him/herself.\n<h3><strong>Who have you written off?</strong></h3>\nPotts and Boyle had such strong dreams that they were able to overcome the audience\'s initial reaction and win them over.\n\nI bet most employees don\'t have this conviction or courage. They lack the “dream-pull” and confidence to overcome the visual of being rejected. Unsupportive facial expressions can shut down some people and keep an employer from ever seeing their potential.\n\nOften, a manager or recruiter will “write off” candidates before they even have a chance to prove themselves. Some supervisors will never change their opinions, no matter how much prowess an employee demonstrates.\n\nAs recruiting and retention become harder in many industries, employers need to get in touch with their own prejudices. Your next great employee may be Cinderella—someone with inner beauty and smarts who outwardly appears not to “fit the mold.”\n\nIf you write off people based on first impressions, you risk missing out on some powerful voices that can take your business to the next level.\n<h3><strong>Test yourself</strong></h3>\nIf you haven’t seen Susan Boyle’s initial appearance on <em>Britain’s Got Talent</em>, <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRiJNS8Oz6E\">watch this video</a>.\n<ul>\n	<li>What are the first characteristics you notice about Boyle?</li>\n	<li>Imagine Boyle in your office for a job interview. What emotional reaction do you have to her? What’s your initial gut opinion of her?</li>\n	<li>List the audience reactions you notice. Would these reactions be O.K. in your workplace? Would they make an employee feel welcomed and valued?</li>\n</ul>\n<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&amp;feature=related\">And here’s a video of Paul Potts</a>.\n\nWhen we reflexively act from a prejudiced place, are we really prizing diversity?\n\n<strong><em>More resources</em></strong>\n\n<em>Does “book cover bias” affect the way you manage some employees? Find out by completing the free questionnaire at <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</a>. As you think about each question, is your response uniform for all the employees who report to you? If not, are the variations in your management approach justified? </em>\n\n<em>Additional reading on this topic: <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/10/18/straight-talk-on-workplace-prejudice/\">Straight talk on workplace prejudice</a> </em>', '5 Uncomfortable Observations About Workforce Diversity', 'We base our first impressions on external appearance. Grooming. Teeth. Attire. Accessories. Accent. We notice scuffs on shoes, extra pounds, and age. Then, we unconsciously jump to conclusions about the person’s potential and abilities. We decide in a split second whether individuals are competent, even before they’ve opened their mouths to speak. When we reflexively act from a prejudiced place, are we really prizing diversity?', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-uncomfortable-observations-about-workforce-diversity', '', '', '2012-03-09 06:02:26', '2012-03-09 12:02:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6363', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(17920, 283, '2012-03-14 06:02:41', '2012-03-14 11:02:41', 'Check out this post by Instigator <a href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2012/03/07/automatic-vs-manual-putting-it-in-gear/\">Jon Mertz</a> on how you can\'t just cruise through life on automatic.  Jon describes the \'gears\' you must successfully \'shift\' through to get the most out of life.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Automatic vs. Manual – Putting It in Gear', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'automatic-vs-manual-putting-it-in-gear', '', '', '2012-03-14 06:02:41', '2012-03-14 11:02:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6374', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17921, 258, '2012-03-15 06:04:36', '2012-03-15 11:04:36', '“The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife.  In the hands of a careful and skilled surgeon, a knife can work to do great good.  But in the hands of a careless or ignorant person a knife can cause great harm.”  ~author unknown\n\n<em>**Author’s note.   This post is about language and discusses the use of profanity which necessitates using some words that the reader may find offensive.</em>\n\nI have been a math teacher for more than 20 years.  In mathematics, profanity is the deliberate misuse of a beautifully elegant and logical numerical system.  It’s closer to lying than anything else, lying with numbers.  Mathematicians are offended because the behavior is either intentionally misleading or “ugly” in a mathematical sense.  The rest of the world probably doesn’t really care.\n\nFor the past six years I have branched out into other areas.  I have been forced to wrestle with non-numerical language, a task that is difficult for me.  I have been in a literal “cage match” with my native tongue, struggling to express my thoughts as elegantly and beautifully as I speak in numbers.  I have not always succeeded, but the effort has made me a better writer.  More importantly, it has made me a better thinker.   This weekend I was reminded that I still have a lot to learn.\n\nI was at an engagement party with friends, and we were sitting around a table talking about our children.  One parent shared a story about how his child had recently participated in a sports tournament.  His child had played four games and the team had won only once.  Yet every member of every team had received a medal and there was no discussion of winners or losers.  He was disgusted.  Someone in the group responded, “Yep, just another example of the ‘pussification’ of America.”\n\nI was surprised by this word and called him out, flatly stating that his use of the word was offensive.  In essence he was saying that the sports tournament was an example of how our culture is making our children weak, weak like women.  By using this word, he was offending all women, equating being a woman with weakness.\n\nWe all talked about it some more and then he asked me a question.  “Have you ever called anyone a ‘dick?’”  He set me back on my heels, and I had to admit that I had.  I had used that word to refer to someone as a jerk, but in essence I was offending men, equating being a man with being a jerk.  I was wrong to use the word.   I admitted it then and do so now.\n\nWe may think that we have carefully chosen our own educated, civilized community, but we all know people who are a little more profane.  In fact, our culture promotes and embraces the use of strong language.  Consider well-known radio host Rush Limbaugh’s recent remarks.  Limbaugh makes his living by being on the edge, pushing boundaries.  By using the words “slut” and “prostitute” in reference to Sandra Fluke, he equated being a woman who uses birth control with being sexually promiscuous.  But more importantly, his implication was that women who wish to be sexually active are morally reprehensible.\n\nSome may feel that I am being oversensitive, but this is not the profanity of using the f-word.  In each of these examples, language is used to denigrate a single person and an entire subset of the population.   Using language in this way is a far deeper profanity, as it does much more than simply express the speaker’s emotion.  It is a practice designed to humiliate and degrade not only the intended target but also a much larger swath of the population that the speaker deems unworthy of respect.  And because this language is embedded in our culture and widely used, it is significant but largely ignored problem.\n\nI find I am a long way from the profanity of the mathematical world, and I have a lot of questions.  I want to understand my role in creating this problem and in trying to solve it.  As a leader in my job and my larger community, what is my responsibility?  Certainly I must lead myself first, and I am often reminded that it is never too late to apologize and bite my own tongue.  But in this land of free speech, this nation of great debate, do I also have a responsibility to ask others to bite theirs?', 'Biting My Tongue', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'biting-my-tongue', '', '', '2012-03-15 06:04:36', '2012-03-15 11:04:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6377', 0, 'post', '', 15),
(17922, 265, '2012-03-19 06:00:06', '2012-03-19 11:00:06', 'We live in an Information Economy, but a revolution is taking place. As knowledge doubles exponentially, you\'re one Google search away from being an expert on just about anything. And so is everyone else. These days experts are easy to find. Turn on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. Open up the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times or USA Today. Our world is filled with experts.\n\nIf you think about it, \'<em>EXPERT</em>\', is a funny word. Let\'s break it down.\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>EX</strong> - meaning in the past, formerly or has been.</li>\n	<li><strong>PERT</strong> - meaning attractive, saucy, or lively.</li>\n</ul>\nDoes this mean an <em><strong>expert</strong></em> is a formerly attractive, has been filled with information that was lively and useful in the past? Maybe that\'s why it\'s so easy (and entertaining) to find experts to argue with one another on TV, Radio and the Internet. Like any commodity, when a market is flooded with similar products the value of that product dramatically decreases. For an Information Economy to work, experts have to be replaceable parts of the system. Like paper clips. Their word may hold the pages of your report together, but if something they do or say is contrary to your product, purpose or business plan you can always find another paperclip that will do the job, and maybe this time in neon green.\n\nSo, Experts, I\'ll say this as kindly yet directly as I can. You are a replaceable commodity. Best find ways to refocus your knowledge into something that produces real value. The world is shifting. We no longer live in an Information Economy. We\'re rapidly moving toward a different paradigm, the Wisdom Economy.\n<h4>There are three most valuable players in the Wisdom Economy.</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Research Guru</strong> - The Research Guru will replace the Expert. Unlike Experts who specialize in one field, the Research Guru is knowledgeable about a variety of topics: from pop culture, to ancient history, from science fiction to sports trivia. Their expertise isn\'t based on years of experience, but rather mastery of the tools that allow them to look up the established answer to almost any question at a moment\'s notice. Research Gurus are search engine masters. They speak fluent Wikipedia. They understand how to use social media to crowd source answers. They know the difference between a genuine expert and a well-read spin doctor regurgitating pop-science urban legend or SNOPES-quality \'facts\'. The Research Guru is a CONNECTOR. They connect ideas with people and people with ideas using a language their audience can understand. In the future every grade school teacher will be a Research Guru connecting students with the best information available on the topic the student is currently learning.</li>\n	<li><strong>Wise Influencer</strong> - <em>Wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know</em>. The Wise Influencer knows what to do with the information she\'s given.  She may know because of experience. She may know because she\'s learned lessons from others, that\'s education. The Wise Influencer knows what to do with what she knows and uses that knowledge to add value to her organization. There\'s a difference between wisdom and experience. Wisdom teaches the lesson before the decision. Experience teaches the lesson after. Either way, you learn the same lesson. For example, I can tell my son, \"Don\'t touch the pot. It\'s hot.\" He can listen to me, believe my word, avoid touching the pot and not get burned. If he does, that\'s wisdom. He learned the lesson beforehand. He could also choose to ignore the information he\'s been given, touch the pot and get burned.  Same lesson, only this time he learned after the experience. Next time he\'ll make a different choice. The Wise Influencer knows what to do with what they know because they\'ve already learned the lesson through experience or education.</li>\n	<li><strong>Discerning Decision Maker</strong> - The great theologian/philosopher/poet,<em> Kenny  Rogers,</em> once wrote, \"You gotta know when to hold \'em, know when to fold \'em, know when to walk away, know when to run...\" That\'s <em>discernment</em>. The Discerning Decision Maker knows the difference between right and wrong. They understand the subtle separation between good, better and best. This is Steve Jobs. How many companies make phones or mp3 players? The heart of the technology is the same basic widget, yet something about Apple causes the iPhone and iPod to stand out. What is it? The Discerning Decision Maker at the top understood that design and ease of use matters. He was able to combine the science with the art. Last quarter alone it was a $46 billion difference.</li>\n</ul>\nSomeone reading this blog, surfing the same internet as you will create the next great social movement, invent the company that will replace Apple or discover a new way to provide for the poor. They won\'t be an expert at anything. They\'ll know what to do with what they know and be one of the MVP\'s of the new Wisdom Economy.\n\n<em>It could be you.</em>', '3 MVP&#039;s of the Wisdom Economy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '3-mvps-of-the-wisdom-economy', '', '', '2012-03-19 06:00:06', '2012-03-19 11:00:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6387', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17923, 282, '2012-03-21 06:00:15', '2012-03-21 11:00:15', '<a href=\"http://synergizeme.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/when-you-hit-the-dip/\">\"Roller coasters.</a>.. a thrill ride to some and a terrifying ordeal to others! Our lives can be a lot like a roller coaster ride. One day we\'re on the top of the world, and in the next breath the bottom seems to fall out, and we\'re terrified about what might be coming around the next turn! So how will you handle life when you drop into one of those inevitable \"dips\"?\n\n&nbsp;', 'When You Hit The &#034;Dip&#034;!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'when-you-hit-the-dip', '', '', '2012-03-21 06:00:15', '2012-03-21 11:00:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6404', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17924, 276, '2012-03-22 06:02:04', '2012-03-22 11:02:04', 'Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP\n\nLeaders are known for their composure and energy that are unparalleled by anyone.  They usually have what it takes to help people navigate complex situations to achieve their common goal.  They motivate and inspire everyone around them and give them hope that enables them to achieve goals they otherwise cannot achieve themselves.  Leaders’ charisma is like a magnet that attracts people to them who want to emulate and follow the way they conduct themselves.\n\nFrom outside looking in, it looks like they have it all and are well put together.  They seem to deal with adversities and challenges without getting overwhelmed.   As an orchestrator of the organization, they manage the flow and facilitate growth and development of the people.   People around them seek their advice and guidance on all matters related to their field of influence.\n\nFrom an outreach standpoint, leaders are great givers of their time, personal, and financial support.   They are known for their unselfishness that puts others ahead of their personal goal.    They are the go-to person to make things happen.   Because of their influence and ability to lead in challenging times, they are able to make things happen more quickly than anyone else.\n\nOutreach is a two-way street; by that I mean giving and receiving.   A leader needs to recognize that they need help themselves and acknowledge the fact and seek help for themselves.  It is not easy for someone who is the leader to be comfortable with the situation of needing help.  But a true leader must learn to seek help for themselves.  Seeking help is not something to be ashamed of.  They need to remember that in order to help others they need to help themselves.   It is only then they will be able to help others.\n\nIn the end, everyone has their own gorilla they carry on their shoulders.   Some are heavier than others.  Learning to seek help and receive outreach can only make the leader a better leader and respected by others, because they know their limitations.', 'Outreach for Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'outreach-for-leaders', '', '', '2012-03-22 06:02:04', '2012-03-22 11:02:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6408', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(17925, 293, '2012-03-27 06:00:48', '2012-03-27 11:00:48', 'Do you have an issue or a problem that you’re wrestling with right now?\n\nIf you are like most business owners, you are actually juggling 136 issues. Dealing with issues is a big part of your day, maybe it’s even your whole day… I don’t know what you’re problem is, but I do know why you have one -\n\n<strong>The ONLY reason you have a problem is – you HAVEN’T made a decision.</strong>\n\nSo… WHY haven’t you made a decision. Napoleon Bonaparte, considered by many to be a great leader, figured it out long ago – <em>“Nothing is more difficult and therefore more precious than to be able to decide.”</em>\n\nNot only do you need to make one, you need to make a GOOD one. Jim Collins realized through the examination of multiple great companies – the number one common denominator with great leaders and leadership teams is… the ability to make good decisions.\n\n<em><strong>Learn the <a href=\"http://www.eoscarolinas.com/5-steps-to-consistently-make-good-decisions-step-1/\">5 Steps to Consistently Make Good Decisions</a></strong></em>', '5 Steps to Consistently Make Good Decisions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-steps-to-consistently-make-good-decisions', '', '', '2012-03-27 06:00:48', '2012-03-27 11:00:48', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6413', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17926, 243, '2012-05-07 06:08:25', '2012-05-07 11:08:25', 'Writing a lot of words on a subject gets easy.  Often you can simply write and write and (at least I) think that you\'ll eventually say something important.  I\'ve often said too much.  It might have been earlier in my career when I was selling or even more recently with my teenagers when their eyes glazed over and you could see they had shut down.  Talking, writing or saying too much is a common problem that causes us to lose focus and diminish our impact.\n\nToo many words cause confusion too.  Which is most important?  Like TV news, if everything\'s important, nothing is.\n\nMike Figliuolo (<a title=\"Mike Figliuolo on Twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/figliuolo\">@Figliuolo</a>, LinkedIn) brings that concept to life in his book titled <a title=\"One Piece of Paper by Mike Figliuolo\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\">One Piece Of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership</a>.  It\'s based on his Leadership Maxims training program.  I\'ve put off writing a review about this great book because I have to admit that I haven\'t completed the practices but this post and review is long overdue.\n<h2>Focus</h2>\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-5849 alignright\" title=\"20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e1307444567547\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e1307444567547.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"255\" /></a>One Piece of Paper is a penetrating, convicting book.  Mike provides a clear method to focus on the things that are most important in your personal and professional leadership.\n\nIf you\'re like me, a little bit all-over-the-place and a jack-of-several-trades, Mike\'s book is a challenge.  You see, to boil things down means elimination.  I don\'t want to scratch anything off the list.  Well, that\'s not true at all.  I\'ve eliminated several things over the years.  But I still have too many choices, too many things that dilute my impact and sap my energy.\n\nBut with the help of One Piece of Paper and the practices Mike lays out in the book, I am focusing more and bouncing arould less.  One Piece of Paper will help you get down to the core of your leadership in four areas:\n<ol>\n	<li>Leading Yourself - Your motivations and rules of personal conduct;</li>\n	<li>Leading the Thinking - Where are you taking the organization;</li>\n	<li>Leading Your People - How can you lead of team of people (not cogs or FTEs);</li>\n	<li>Leading a Balanced Life - Define and achieve balance.</li>\n</ol>\nThe other reason why this book has been so hard for me is, well, it\'s hard work.  It takes time to think through your personal history and your attitudes and boil down your leadership to the core maxims.  Time and objectivity.  Both are in short supply.  But nothing worthwhile is easy. Ever.  Value is what someone will give.  The price of this book is the time you spend.  The reward: clarity and purpose.  Think about it!\n\n<a title=\"One Piece of Paper on Amazon\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\">Get the book.</a>  Mike will help you create a one-page living document that will serve to direct and focus your leadership and your life.  As you eliminate the noise it will become easier to be consistent in your life and your message and you will have more peace and time to do the things that increase your power and your impact.', 'One Piece of Paper', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'one-piece-of-paper', '', '', '2012-05-07 06:08:25', '2012-05-07 11:08:25', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6333', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17927, 294, '2012-04-27 06:00:26', '2012-04-27 11:00:26', 'In a LinkedIn poll we conducted 80 percent of managers said that less than 10 percent of employees’ ideas ever get implemented. Sad\n\nI often ask managers this question: “Is the key thing a manager can do to engage employees is to listen to their ideas and increase the number that get implemented?”\n\nThe consensus of the room is always yes.\n\n\n\n&nbsp;', 'The Idea Pit: 5 Stupid Reasons Smart Ideas Die', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-idea-pit-5-stupid-reasons-smart-ideas-die', '', '', '2012-04-27 06:00:26', '2012-04-27 11:00:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6435', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(17928, 367, '2012-04-11 06:00:30', '2012-04-11 11:00:30', 'In recent years, eco-savvy consumers have driven up the demand for sustainably sourced products and services. Business leaders looking to secure the most reputable triple bottom line performance ratings need skilled sustainability leaders. These leaders need to provide the high profile results necessary to drive business growth in an increasingly eco-conscious global marketplace. While education and experience will vary among leaders, there are core skills and knowledge that are essential for excellence in this field. If going green is in your company’s future or if you are looking to expand the influence of your <a href=\"http://www.universityofvermontonline.com/online-courses/sustainable-operations.aspx\">sustainable business</a>, then consider the following key elements of the most effective sustainability leaders.\n\n<strong>Comprehensive Planning:</strong>\n\nWhen examining the leadership skills of the most effective sustainability leaders, it is important to realize that comprehensive planning is important in the implementation of any sustainable business plan. Including teams in the process of goal setting drives more inclusive company-wide participation. For sustainable business practices to take permanent hold, leaders need to know how to orchestrate top down and bottom up participation that is relevant, meaningful, and engaging. In order to create a comprehensive plan that actively involves all corporate layers, cutting-edge training may be necessary.\n\n<strong>Training and Development:</strong>\n\nIn recent years, a number of reputable and regionally accredited online business sustainability programs have offered corporate executives a more standardized way to develop sustainability initiatives. Professional organizations in the field have contributed to a more comprehensive business model that promotes social, environmental, and economic sustainability through setting industry wide goals and benchmarks. These organizations include: Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, <a href=\"http://www.bcse.org/\">The Business Council for Sustainable Industry</a>, <a href=\"http://www.iisd.org/\">The International Institute for Sustainable Development</a>, and <a href=\"http://www.wbcsd.org/home.aspx\">The World Business Council for Sustainable Development</a> among others. Leaders who have the skills and the connections can leverage increased influence.\n\n<strong>Leveraging Effective Results:</strong>\n\nBusiness leaders looking for a more assertive sustainability strategy can achieve positive results by aligning team leaders with the best online programs and most active professional organizations. To drive effective growth and networking, an effective sustainability plan is necessary. Leveraging increased brand recognition, increasing profitability through waste reduction, encouraging innovative problem-solving, and promoting employee morale are some of the key integrated goals practiced by the most accomplished sustainability leaders.\n\n<strong>High Profile Success</strong>\n\nWhile positioning your company as a leader in sustainability can result in improved brand recognition and corporate loyalty, it can also put you under increased customer and industry scrutiny. Securing leadership that can respond to the positive as well as the challenging aspects of this visibility will keep momentum moving forward. Perhaps topping the list of exemplary sustainability leaders is Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. His successful sustainability includes holding the desires of consumers paramount and seeking alignment with partners who desire long term relationships rooted in his sustainability goals. Being responsive, innovative, and committed to sustainable solutions that drive corporate growth inspires others to emulate his success. When your company achieves high profile success, you influence world-wide corporate growth and development which comes along with increased responsibility. For a list of other notably sustainable corporations, see this post at <a href=\"http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/40-corporate-sustainability-leaders-plus-3-lists-considered/19981\">SmartPlanet.com</a>.\n\nCompanies like Unilever have proven that sustainability is profitable. Businesses that take the time to review case studies and invest in quality training to promote sustainable business practices can experience increased brand recognition, enjoy greater customer confidence, and witness surging profits. Leadership like Paul Polman’s demonstrates that sustainability takes commitment. While it isn’t always easy to find sustainable supply chain products, consumer demand provides the directive that sustainability is vital for long term product support.\n\nCorporate sustainability leaders that can leverage a comprehensive plan including the effective use of teams, social media, and community visibility generally receive the best results. Consumers will continue to push corporate development as “going green” continues to evolve into a mainstream business practice. With this evolution comes the need for highly skilled, well-connected, and experienced sustainability leaders who can fill top jobs at cutting edge corporations looking to secure a competitive advantage in the decades ahead.\n\nAs celebrated leaders such as the renowned Paul Polman continue to build a legacy that stretches across industries, new leaders are needed to continue the important task of creating a global marketplace where community development, sustainable sourcing, and ethical environmental practices are just as important as bottom line profitability. Corporate leaders that gain best practice sustainability training, combined with strong personal drive and relevant practical experience will be well positioned for the next evolution of business sustainability that is currently unfolding. For additional resources for growing career paths with a green future see, <a href=\"http://www.bls.gov/green/greencareers.htm\">http://www.bls.gov/green/greencareers.htm</a>.\n\nWill you be positioned to take the helm for your industry?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Defining Leaders In Today&#039;s Sustainability Movement', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'defining-leaders-in-todays-sustainability-movement', '', '', '2012-04-11 06:00:30', '2012-04-11 11:00:30', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6456', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(17929, 251, '2012-04-10 06:01:12', '2012-04-10 11:01:12', 'Like love, power is one of those words rarely uttered in the workplace. And, when it is, those conversations happen in whispered tones, usually following a flagrant example of power gone wrong.  A  CEO believing what leadership ethicist Terry Price defines as “something that’s wrong for others but OK for me.”  A newly-promoted manager intoxicated with authority who bosses everyone about.  A quiet someone with a dissenting view who refrains from speaking up, believing they lack sufficient influence to affect outcomes.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Power gets a bad rap. It’s misunderstood or used improperly. Some say it corrupts. Others believe it to be evil and self-serving.  Truth is, in and of itself, power is none of these things. It’s simply the neutral capacity to deploy resources to generate change and achieve results. It’s only in how one chooses to use, or not use, power that it becomes good or bad.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Looking back, no one ever taught me about power:  what it was or how to use it effectively. No college class curriculum or leadership workshop addressed it. Bosses didn’t bring it up in performance reviews or staff meetings.  As with many things that exist in the shadows, incorrect assumptions loom large.</span>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">3 incorrect notions about power</span></strong></h4>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">1) <strong>Because I am the boss, I am all powerful.</strong> It’s not quite true that absolute power corrupts absolutely. That only happens if you let it happen. Research shows that people who believe they have power become less compassionate, less connected, and see others as a means to an end. They view themselves as above the law and adopt an all wise mentality. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Rather than embrace such a kingly position, it’s best to remember that all work gets done by and through people, so staying connected and open to the input of others should remain high on a leader’s priority list. Resist the siren song of believing you’re above the law and better than others simply because you have a high responsibility, high authority position. Stay self-aware.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">2) <strong>Because I’m <em>not</em> a boss, I don’t have any power.</strong> Au contraire! Just as one can be a leader even if one isn’t the leader, the same holds true for power. Power is readily available from a multitude of sources provided you have the courage and foresight to take it and use it. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">You don’t have to sit in the corner office job or even supervise others to have power. Power can flow from your expertise, connections, access to information and strong interpersonal communication skills. Personal power is a state of mind in which you confidently believe in your own strength and competence.  Character-based leaders walk the talk as defined by Rosabeth Moss Kanter  when she writes “powerful leaders rely more on personal power than job title, or credentials, to mobilize their resources, inspire creativity, and instill confidence among subordinates.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>3) I don’t want power because it will corrupt me.</strong>  Only if you let it. Formal and informal leaders influence others. Influence goes hand-in-hand with power (whether one wants to admit it or not). Shying away from any position or personal power leaves you powerless, without the ability to shape outcomes or make a positive difference.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">“Power is required if one wants to get anything done in any large organization,” says Stanford University professor  Jeffery Pfeffer.  “Unfortunately, power doesn’t just fall into one’s lap: one will have to go after it and learn how to use it.” Positive use of personal power helps a business effectively realize its mission and goals.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ready to get some positive power?!</span>\n\n&nbsp;', '3 incorrect notions about power', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '3-incorrect-notions-about-power', '', '', '2012-04-10 06:01:12', '2012-04-10 11:01:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6465', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17930, 243, '2012-04-23 06:12:23', '2012-04-23 11:12:23', '<h2>Fitting In</h2>\nOur world encourages us to fit in.  Sure there are many on the Internet and in popular media who seem to suggest that we should stand out.  Seth Godin is one of many that have embraced the individualistic appeal of the Internet age (or the Individual Age) and encouraged people to stand out and make a difference.  A number of great books and great writers have proposed that we buck the trends of the last 100 years and begin to organize, lead and inspire differently.\n\nBut the infrastructure still encourages us to fit in.  An example I can use has to do with my experience as I’ve connected with others thorough The Lead Change Group.  I’m often asked to either market to, or make decisions for, the people who read our blog or who participate in the group.  That’s what we do.  We get a bunch of followers and then we sell them something, right?  I should be marketing to you, selling ads on the website or promoting other programs for a share of the profit, etc.   Most every month someone asks me to promote something they’re doing.\n<h2>Standing out</h2>\nOver 3 years ago, I ventured into leadership development and business for myself to understand what it was that I really wanted to do.  I now know that if you’re motivated to make a difference, I’m motivated to help you, but I’m not motivated to be the labor for your effort.  The Lead Change Group is not the labor for your effort either.  You’re the labor for your effort.\n\nLead Change Group is a gathering place. Some come here to find ideas.  Others come with their idea in some stage of development.  Can you get help here? Certainly! Members do business with each other, collaborate on projects and purchase services from one another all the time.\n\nBut it starts by being about something.  Whether you\'re here with an idea or you\'re looking for one, you must act.  No one will do it for you.  Choose an idea and join.  Try something.  Doing nothing is failure if you do nothing long enough.  Choose to screw up in gear.  Make your mistakes by doing something.\n<h2>Heretics</h2>\nNo one needs a leader to lead <em>same</em>.  This is a community of heretics, leading <em>change; </em>and changing leadership.  We believe we each individually can inspire character-based leadership and make a positive difference in ourselves, in others, and in our communities. Character-based leadership is each of us leading from who we are and not our power or position.\n\nSo, if your “thing” is changing the leadership world, join us! If your competition is bad leadership, then by all means, share your ideas and invite people to join you as you make a difference in the world.  Please.  Like one of Seth Godin’s other books, Tribes says, we need you to lead us.  We need you to stand up and stand out and make a difference… because you can.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591842336\"><img class=\"alignright  wp-image-6502\" title=\"tribes_01-210x300\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/tribes_01-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"Tribes by Seth Godin on Amazon.com\" width=\"123\" height=\"176\" /></a>Share your ideas about the ways that you think the world needs to be changed in the context of character-based leadership.   You can write for Lead Change, or share your blog posts in our Activity Stream, or in our LinkedIn group or our Facebook page.\n\nYour difference, your impact, will be what you make it.  Let others compromise and settle.  Like another of Godin’s famous quotes, “In a battle between two ideas, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it.”  Will your idea win?  Are you a fearless heretic?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © Andrey Bandurenko - Fotolia.com</span>', 'Heretical Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'heretical-leadership', '', '', '2012-04-23 06:12:23', '2012-04-23 11:12:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6500', 0, 'post', '', 7);
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(17931, 293, '2012-04-18 06:00:10', '2012-04-18 11:00:10', 'Leaders struggle with two challenges when trying to make good decisions:<strong></a></strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Making bad decisions, and</li>\n	<li>Taking far too long to make them</li>\n</ul>\nFortunately, there are <strong>5 Simple Steps</strong>* to consistently making good decisions.\nFollow these 5 steps and you will learn what hundreds of leaders use to make good decisions in a quick and straight forward way.\n\n<strong>Today\'s post covers <a href=\"http://www.eoscarolinas.com/5-steps-to-consistently-make-good-decisions-step-2/\">Step 2: You must avoid the 10 Bad Decision Making Habits</a></strong>', 'Leaders struggle with two challenges when trying to make good decisions:', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-struggle-with-two-challenges-when-trying-to-make-good-decisions', '', '', '2012-04-18 06:00:10', '2012-04-18 11:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6506', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17932, 283, '2012-04-19 09:22:23', '2012-04-19 14:22:23', 'Today\'s Smartblog on Leadership post is by Leigh Steere, co-founder of Managing People Better. She discusses racism and <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/04/19/8-ways-to-help-end-workplace-prejudice/\">8 Ways to Help End Workplace Prejudice</a>: \"Each of us needs to do a frank self-assessment and come up with a personal action plan for becoming more sensitive. Your organizational success depends on embracing employee talent and suspending judgment of the “packaging.”', '8 Ways to Help End Workplace Prejudice', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '8-ways-to-help-end-workplace-prejudice', '', '', '2012-04-19 09:22:23', '2012-04-19 14:22:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6516', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17933, 270, '2012-04-26 06:00:25', '2012-04-26 11:00:25', 'I grew up in rural North Dakota and would occasionally see movies about events that are a part of our history but were not a part of my reality:  Movies about the civil rights movement or the Holocaust.   Watching those movies would instantly trigger my adrenalin, raise my heart-rate and make every cell in my 5’2 body feel as courageous as David taking on Goliath.   In those moments, I felt invincible and ready to kick some bully-butt!\n\n…At least until a few months ago, when I stumbled across three questions in one of Max Lucado’s books that punched me in the gut so hard it was difficult to breathe. Three questions were so convicting that I had to stop reading.  Three questions that over-time have caused me to think past my image of who I think I am and deeply challenged me to examine my courage and my commitment to others:\n<ol>\n	<li><em>Had you been in Germany in WWII, would you have taken a stand against Hitler?  </em><em> </em></li>\n	<li><em>Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism?  </em></li>\n	<li><em>When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day when 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?</em></li>\n</ol>\nIn the months that have followed:\n<ul>\n	<li>I\'ve remembered several situations where I have stood up for those that were being treated unfairly.</li>\n	<li>I’ve remembered other situations and wondered if I should have stood firm sooner and held-ground longer.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve thought through times my message was right but my delivery could have been much better.</li>\n	<li>And I’ve developed a new appreciation for people that had the courage and the character to stand up for others in circumstances that were far more extreme than anything I have ever experienced.</li>\n</ul>\nI’ve started to pay a lot more attention to people who are taking a stand and making a difference as they encounter needs in their daily lives:\n<ul>\n	<li>One dear friend has a son being bullied at school and is courageously using her blog to influence parents and teachers to intervene for others that are being victimized.</li>\n	<li>Another friend shared a nephew’s article about the Holocaust and urged us to remember that event and learn from it.</li>\n	<li>The church my husband and I are attending a recently formed group to help stop human trafficking.</li>\n</ul>\nUltimately those three questions have caused me to see issues with fresh eyes and realize how purposeful we must be if we are going to make a difference for others.\n<ul>\n	<li>Repeatedly the need for character-based leaders in the workplace is emphasized in articles, seminars, networking events and in conversations.</li>\n	<li>And after a recent shooting in our community re-opened some historical wounds, many of us were reminded that we need to openly discuss racism, to seek first to understand and to work together for healing.</li>\n</ul>\nWith all of that said, it is interesting to me that on May 4<sup>th</sup> over 85,000 people in over 17 countries will be connected via simulcast for a  global leadership event to discuss the importance of making <strong><a title=\"Chick-fil-A Leadercast Event\" href=\"http://www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com/\">C<em>HOICES THAT MATTER</em></a>.  I am IN AWE that although that theme was chosen months ago, it</strong> i<strong>s exactly what our families, our communities, our countries and our world desperately need us to be intentional about TODAY.</strong>  Are we engaged and courageously challenging our own comfort zones for the good of those around us or are we sitting comfortably and watching the world go by?\n<ul>\n	<li>If you have the opportunity to participate in that event please do.</li>\n	<li>If however, that is not an option,  then take a moment and think about those three questions.  Do they resonate with you?  Then please comment on this post and share them.</li>\n	<li>And lastly ask yourself:  Am I making choices that matter? And if not, what are you willing to do to change that?</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">_______________________________________________</p>\nThoughts in this post were inspired by:   Mary Beth VonDissen, Erin Schreyer, Jesse Lyn Stoner, Max Lucado and the Members and Staff at The Kirk of The Hills Tulsa.', 'Are you making choices that matter?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-you-making-choices-that-matter', '', '', '2012-04-26 06:00:25', '2012-04-26 11:00:25', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6527', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(17934, 367, '2012-05-08 06:01:12', '2012-05-08 11:01:12', 'You likely have heard the old adage in the business world, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” In generations past, networking typically involved shaking lots of hands and distributing a forest’s worth of business cards.\n\nHowever, in the rapidly changing global marketplace, some networking consultants promote an updated notion. They contend that<a title=\"Effective Leadership Lessons\" href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/effective-leadership-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\"> effective leadership</a> isn’t just about what you know or who you know, but rather it is who knows <em>you </em>that expands your sphere of influence and catapults your leadership career.\n\nGenerating powerful professional momentum involves solid leadership skills, and knowing how to leverage those skills effectively can be essential for continued career advancement. Consider the following 4 tips when striving to reach your leadership potential.\n<h2>Spread your Leadership Knowledge</h2>\nProfessionals who complete formal leadership development programs may sometimes revert to the same old patterns once the training is over. That can present a challenge when attempting to foster methods to secure long-term success.\n\nInstead, consider the potential of being approachable. Cultivate a mentoring style that engages junior team members in side-by-side learning and ongoing professional development. Imparting your knowledge in a more accessible way can prompt team members with natural leadership skills to become allies, inspiring the rest of the group.\n\nEffective leadership can motivate others to emulate success and may inspire teams by offering increased momentum. Being positive and excited about meeting new goals and addressing new challenges can rub off on your team.\n<h2><strong>Feed your own Growth and Engage with Others</strong></h2>\nAfter you complete a formal advanced certificate or degree program or <a title=\"Online Business Courses\" href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/online-business-courses/\" target=\"_blank\">online business course</a>, it is important to continue cultivating your leadership development. It is not uncommon for new knowledge to need a little time to percolate in order for you to reap the most benefits. Joining one or more professional associations, as well as being active in alumni associations, may support your own growth and identify mentoring relationships that can help you sustain career longevity.\n\nSpeaking to student groups, civic organizations or other community-related groups about a leadership topic you are passionate about is another way to use your knowledge to promote ideas and make worthwhile connections. Many business leaders involve their teams in volunteering with youth groups or supporting a civic organization. This can help build team rapport, secure community respect and build brand recognition and confidence through an investment of time and knowledge.\n<h2><strong>Cultivate your Contacts</strong></h2>\nIn a business environment where portable devices and social media are seemingly ubiquitous, it makes sense to learn how to utilize these various tools for maximum benefit. Part of your leadership mentoring can involve assisting your team in developing effective communication skills, including social media and portable devices.\n\nLeaders in companies such as Home Depot and IBM encourage employees to blog about products and services to which they feel connected and can help promote. This can create a workplace culture where employees want to stay up to date on products and services in order to remain experts in particular areas.\n\nIf the use of social media doesn’t fit well in your organization, you can still consider using it to build a wider network around yourself. Sharing your ideas with others through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs can help open doors as your career unfolds. It also offers another way for your team to connect with you and access your leadership knowledge. As we mentioned before, in today’s electronic world it’s all about who knows you.\n\nIdentifying the most popular blogs in your field, following them, responding to them and possibly even writing a guest post are ways effective leaders can spread their knowledge. Remember also to plan face-to-face time with peers. Many professional organizations offer social mixers, sponsor conferences and provide regional gatherings that can help you network and decompress.\n<h2><strong>Spring into Action</strong></h2>\nDeveloping your role as a mentor and leading with an engaging style can help you contribute to your current organization with new leadership knowledge and skills. It may also be a good idea to seek out mentors of your own in order to secure career longevity and keep your skills current. Other leaders have walked the same path and usually are more than willing to share tidbits of wisdom.\n\nBy utilizing your leadership abilities to influence your organization, network effectively and engage in your local community, you may be able to influence a wider segment of society in a positive and powerful way. Embraced fully, leadership can become a way of inspiring others to achieve more together than they can alone.  Are you inspiring your team to acheive more than they currently believe they can as individuals?', 'Networking: 4 Tips to Expand Your Leadership Influence', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'networking-4-tips-to-expand-your-leadership-influence', '', '', '2012-05-08 06:01:12', '2012-05-08 11:01:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6536', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17935, 277, '2012-05-02 06:11:57', '2012-05-02 11:11:57', 'Often, managers who are good at Relating (asking, listening, coaching, including, and encouraging) shy away from Requiring activities (insisting on excellence, confronting poor or marginal performers, or just telling an employee what is expected or needed). We see this pattern among the managers who have completed the free assessment at <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</a>.\n\nIf asking for what you want or talking with employees about a performance shortcoming conjures images of a root canal, the following five mindsets will make asserting and insisting easier:\n<h3><strong>Requiring isn’t mean; it’s nice and necessary.</strong></h3>\nOgres march around barking orders at employees. <em>Good </em>managers are firm but kind about what they expect from their staff. Employees look to you for guidance. They need to know details on the deliverables you want, deadlines, budgets, and any other important parameters. If they are off-track, they want feedback on their work so they can improve and grow in their careers.\n<h3><strong>Conflicts happen; look at them as opportunities to strengthen relationships.</strong></h3>\nBecause disagreements can feel icky, some managers actively avoid conflict. But dealing with conflict is part of your job. You cannot excel in managing without coaching, pushing, stretching, and insisting on excellence. And these activities sometimes lead to temporarily raw feelings. At times, team members will lock horns on an issue, and you must mediate the discussion, to draw out each person’s perspectives and help them work toward a solution. Effective mediation creates understanding between parties, and this paves the way for stronger relationships.\n<h3><strong>Good managers may not always know the right course of action.</strong></h3>\nSome managers have a hard time “insisting” on specific employee actions when they are uncertain about the “right course” for the ship. Good managers recognize that they can’t know everything or be right all the time. But they still need to make decisions and set a direction for employees. When you are unsure about the way to proceed, seek input and involve employees in the decision-making. When workers can help shape the course of action, they tend to be more motivated and engaged. Once you have their input, make your decision without apology. You can course-correct later if new information suggests a need to do so.\n<h3><strong>Providing constructive feedback helps employees grow.</strong></h3>\nFailure to confront a career-limiting behavior is like failure to provide first-aid to someone who is hurt. For each employee you manage, create a list of things that would help each individual grow as a contributor in your group and in your company. Your list might include behaviors that need modification or additional skills the worker needs. Pick one or two of the most important items on your list and start the process of helping your employees grow more. It\'s a win/win—they can grow and your group can contribute more. Though it might feel uncomfortable at first, think of it as EMT training. You are saving careers and enhancing quality of life.\n<h3><strong>Using the word “I” instead of “we” makes your instructions clearer.</strong></h3>\n“We” may seem like a good team word, but too often, it’s a cop-out for managers. When you want something from one of your employees, you need to use \"I\" and it is perfectly ok to do so. \"I need,\" \"I need you to…,\" and \"I expect you to …\" are all good things to say to give employees adequate direction.\n\nYour job as a manager is to help employees achieve business goals and do outstanding work. Sure, there can be some great camaraderie in the process. But at the end of the day, you will be measured on your team’s performance. To direct their efforts and help them deliver their best work, you need to be equally adept at Relating and Requiring skills. Are you? Find out for free at <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</a>.', '5 Challenges For Relationship-Oriented Managers', 'Often, managers who are good at Relating (asking, listening, coaching, including, and encouraging) shy away from Requiring activities (insisting on excellence, confronting poor or marginal performers, or just telling an employee what is expected or needed). Your job as a manager is to help employees achieve business goals and do outstanding work. To direct their efforts and help them deliver their best work, you need to be equally adept at Relating and Requiring skills. Are you?', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-challenges-for-relationship-oriented-managers', '', '', '2012-05-02 06:11:57', '2012-05-02 11:11:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6543', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(17936, 243, '2012-05-07 14:37:28', '2012-05-07 14:37:28', 'At the first of every month, Dan McCarthy, of <a title=\"Great Leadership by Dan\" href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/\">Great Leadership blog</a> hosts the Leadership Development Carnival.  The carnival is a roundup of recent posts on Leadership Development and Dan\'s been doing this kind of thing as long as I can remember.  Check out <a title=\"May 2012 Leadership Development Carnival\" href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/05/may-2012-leadership-development.html\">this month\'s carnival</a> for some great reading from over 25 great leadership bloggers.', 'May Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'may-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:27:04', '2017-10-15 22:27:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6549', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17937, 243, '2012-05-07 11:45:33', '2012-05-07 11:45:33', 'Do you help people reach for their dreams?  Have you ever considered that is a job for leaders?  Becky Robinson posted on S<a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/05/03/leaders-shouldnt-ignore-their-employees-dreams/\">martblog on Leadership</a> last week about the power of our team members\' dreams, not as a motivational \"tool\" but rather as the high calling of a leader.  The greatest work of a leader is to enable people to reach their own dreams by working to reach organizational goals and objectives.  Think about it.  And check out Becky\'s post: <a title=\"Leaders Shouldn\'t Ignore Their Employees Dreams\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/05/03/leaders-shouldnt-ignore-their-employees-dreams/\">Leaders Shouldn\'t Ignore Their Employees\' Dreams.</a>', 'Leaders Deal In Dreams', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-deal-in-dreams', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:30:29', '2017-10-15 22:30:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6551', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17938, 251, '2012-05-10 06:00:38', '2012-05-10 11:00:38', '<em>“The boss told me this morning my decision to implement the new social media strategy wasn’t a good one.”</em>\n\n<em>“Did he say why he thought that way?”</em>\n\n<em>“He said I didn’t do enough research or involve the right stakeholders.”</em>\n\n<em>“Did you do those things?”</em>\n\n<em>“Sure, I did little research and talked to a couple people. But what I really did was my job, what he hired me to do: see a problem and fix it.”</em>\n\nWow, talk about danger signs at the intersection of autonomy and collaboration!\n\nIn his thought-provoking book, <em>Motivation</em>, Daniel Pink says we’re motivated by a combination of <a href=\"http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html\"><strong>purpose, mastery and autonomy</strong></a>. Who doesn’t love autonomy?! However, if we’re going to be a successful leader, autonomy must be balanced with collaboration -- another one of those both/and scenarios critical for success.\n\nNo doubt, there are times and situations, like a crisis or one of those-the-buck-stops-here scenarios when a party of one is the best decision-maker. Yet most of the time it’s more beneficial and productive to invite more people to the decision-making party. Thoughtful collaboration brings diversity of thought, inclusion and engaged participation.\n<h3>6 steps to thoughtful and inclusive decision-making</h3>\nI don’t advocate reams of analysis and organizational paralysis, just a simple decision-making process that assures solid involvement and a rich, thoughtful outcome:\n\n<strong>Create a constructive environment. </strong>Have a focus group, take people out for a chat and coffee, mingle after the staff meeting — all good locales for sharing your preliminary thoughts and inviting alternate points of view.\n\n<strong>Generate and explore good alternatives.</strong> As a leader creating solutions is part of your job. Just be sure that you’ve read enough, talked enough, and turned over enough rocks to have a full picture of the problem as well as potential solutions. Sometimes you find out that the problem you’re trying to solve isn’t the problem at all. As you explore, challenge (in a positive, professional way, of course!) the thinking of those involved as healthy debate is integral to productive collaboration.\n\n<strong>Select the best outcome.</strong> Be thoughtful in analyzing the pros and cons of each solution. Ferret out unintended consequences before they happen. Balance the three-legged stool of people, principles and profits.\n\n<strong>Validate your decision.</strong> Bounce the problem and proposed solution off an impartial third-party, someone with no skin in the game. Get a truly unbiased view of whether your solution is on the mark or misses it. Park the ego, and be willing to return to square one based on what you learn.\n\n<strong>Communicate and communicate some more</strong>. Double-back with stakeholders (at all levels within the organization) to assure their buy-in. Talk to people who will be affected by the new system, process, etc. and weigh their feedback. Play angel’s advocate with yourself and with the decision-party team to test your assumptions and solutions to see if they hold water.\n\n<strong>Make it so.</strong> Put the plan into place, create success measures (both quantitative and qualitative as appropriate) and use a thoughtful plan to monitor progress and maintain ongoing communications.\n\nIf you’ve followed this process, then you can say <em>“I’ve done my job!”</em>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;\"> </span>', 'Me, Thee or We:  6 Steps to Making Good Leadership Decisions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'me-thee-or-we-6-steps-to-making-good-leadership-decisions', '', '', '2012-05-10 06:00:38', '2012-05-10 11:00:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6553', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(17939, 368, '2012-05-09 06:02:35', '2012-05-09 11:02:35', 'Harvard Business School is one of the oldest, most-acclaimed MBA-granting institutions in America. Its success relies heavily on case studies. Students read exhaustive write-ups of both monumental successes and abject failures, with the point being to learn what works—and<em> what doesn\'t</em>.\n\nIn the spirit of HBS\'s \"<em>what doesn\'t</em>\" case studies, here\'s a list of the most common saboteurs of business success:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Accepting what\'s available. </strong>Everyone loves convenience, so we often settle for what\'s available. But what\'s available usually isn\'t anywhere near what\'s best. In fact, it\'s safe to call availability the foe of innovation. Good leaders look beyond the obvious and convenient and create their own new options.</li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Distraction. </strong>We\'re living in one of the most distracting business environments of all time. Not only must we contend with personal interruptions—cell phones, YouTube, email, and more—but business itself is full of distractions: data overload, constant marketing, fickle consumer polling trends, political debates, and contingency plans. The best leaders learn to focus their attention on only what\'s most important and relevant. <strong> </strong></li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Decision-making by committee. </strong>There\'s nothing wrong with using committees (or other forms of teams) to gather information or develop proposals. But the best leaders understand that being the ultimate decision maker is part of their job description. It\'s tempting to shirk responsibility by hiding behind a committee, but it\'s not good leadership.</li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Comfort. </strong>Who needs a Nobel Prize when they have satellite TV, always-on Internet, 10,000 frequent flier miles, and Angry Birds? It\'s hard to criticize comfort, but it certainly doesn\'t drive us to greatness. The most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders push past their comfort zones and learn to embrace risk and uncertainty.</li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Riding momentum. </strong>Success is sweet, and it\'s tempting to ride out your accomplishments for all they\'re worth. Unfortunately, finding something that works and then only doing that is a great way to dig yourself into a rut. The most successful leaders take a moment to relish a victory and then move on to their next even bigger project.</li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Uncertainty. </strong>Most leaders like to think of themselves as decision-makers, but it\'s not uncommon for some to become paralyzed by discovery, research, analysis, and planning. There\'s nothing wrong with making educated decisions, but leaders who put too much emphasis on completely eliminating risk are likely to miss the biggest opportunities.</li>\n	<li><strong></strong><strong>Undervaluing technical skill. </strong>\"A good salesperson can sell anything,\" is a favorite quote of... salespeople. Likewise, some managers believe that management is all about emotional intelligence, and some say good teachers can teach anything. In reality, little gets done in the business world that doesn\'t require technical expertise. The best leaders have a solid grasp of how their company\'s products or services work.  <strong> </strong></li>\n</ol>\nGood leadership isn\'t always fun and easy. After all, who likes ignoring the convenient, embracing the uncomfortable, and staying up late to study? Still, that\'s what good leaders do—and it pays off in the end.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © fotomek - Fotolia.com</span>', '7 Saboteurs of Business Success', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '7-saboteurs-of-business-success', '', '', '2012-05-09 06:02:35', '2012-05-09 11:02:35', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6561', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17940, 294, '2012-05-24 06:00:37', '2012-05-24 11:00:37', 'It may be tempting to dismiss the millennial generation as a bunch of spoiled brats, however we have something important to learn from the millennial mindset. The millennial outlook on life is forcing previous generations to reconsider some serious workplace issues.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.massingenuity.com/2012/04/16/lessons-from-the-me-first-generation/\">Read More...</a>', 'Lessons from the &#034;Me First&#034; Generation', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lessons-from-the-me-first-generation', '', '', '2012-05-24 06:00:37', '2012-05-24 11:00:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6514', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17941, 281, '2012-05-10 09:53:10', '2012-05-10 14:53:10', 'If you don\'t know Jack ... you should meet him.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_6559\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"186\" caption=\"Are you a hero at work and a zero at home?\"][/caption]\n\nJack is a successful executive who is recently retired at the early age of 52 as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company that made a financial turn around from red to black on his watch.  He was very proud of the achievement ... and several thousand employees were grateful for Jack\'s abilities as an excellent CEO.\n\nJack, like most successful leaders looking toward retirement, wanted to be sure he would leave his company in good hands, and carefully chose and groomed his successor three years before he retired.\n\nJack was also financially smart and planned for  his retirement and family\'s finacial security going forward.\n\nAs most driven executives, he was a competitive typical Type A personality, a high achiever who was respected by many (and feared by some).  Before he retired, his wife described him as a \"workaholic.\"  Now she says he has too much time on his hands. He is driving her nuts.  The kids are wondering who the stranger is who now lives in the house.  In other words, he\'s a bit of a pain in the a**.  No matter how good it looks to play golf full time after working 60-80 hours a week for years, Jack has now discovered he can only play so many rounds of golf (or tennis).\n\nFast forward, several months into Jack\'s retirement.  Jack feels bored, restless, dissatisfied and somewhat useless.  His family doesn\'t \"snap to attention\" like his employees did when he walks into the room.  In fact, they often disappear. <em> \"Honey,\" asks Jack of his wife of 18 years, \"how many kids do we have, was it three or four?  If it was four, I never see her ... she\'s invisible.\"</em>  To make matters worse, Jack\'s wife has her own interests, without him.  She spends time with her friends, enjoys her part time job at the hospital and has recently taken up scuba diving.  Jack is also noticing they snap at each other more, often using sarcasm and sometimes even arguing loudly in front of the kids.\n\nJack sees his once sweet (and cooperative) daughter, now 16, defiant, angry and deliberately breaking rules and getting into trouble at school. On her last last report card, she failed several of her classes.  He shamefully confesses that he doesn\'t even know what\'s going on in his two boys\' lives any more.  He did when they were little ... what happened?  <em>If this is what retirement is like, I\'d rather be back to work!</em>\n\nThe problem?  While Jack prepared his company for his exit, Jack failed to prepare himself, and his family, for his entrance.  You see, Jack\'s wife was right.  Jack was a workaholic and for good reason.  Human nature.  Jack spend a lot of time at work because his work gave him identity, purpose and a sense of accomplishment.  Whether he spent less time at home because he didn\'t feel as accomplished and purposeful as a father or husband as he did a CEO, or the other way around.\n\nJack wasn\'t a bad father or neglectful husband.  He was human.  We spend more time doing what is familiar and what makes us feel good, than we do where we don\'t feel as satisfied.  As time passes, we spend more and more time at work and less and less time at home.  We inherently will avoid the discomfort, the conflict we are experiencing at home.  Unfortunately, Jack sees evidence which only supports his \"theory\" that \"they (i.e., Jack\'s family), don\'t like or respect me as much as the people work do.\n\nThe solution?  What if Jack was able to rewind the clock back to a year or two (or five) before his official retirement date and do his own \"personal\" and \"professional\" succession planning?\n<ul>\n	<li>How could he have re-entered the family atmosphere a little more smoothly?</li>\n	<li>What would have had to happen <em>before he was home full time</em> to prepare everyone, including Jack, for the transition home?</li>\n	<li>What hobbies, interests or \"someday goals\" could Jack have begun cultivating and taking action on several years before his retirement date that could have been in almost full swing by the time he officially retired?</li>\n</ul>\nHere\'s my advice to Jack:  If Jack had fully and completely planned for his retirement ahead of time, he would have made a few jaws drop when his response to<em> \"What do you do?\"</em> comes easily, confidently ... even though he is without a title or a job.\n\nWhat if Jack responded with a smile, by saying, <em>\"Instead of asking me \'What do you do?\' ask instead \'Who are you?\'  That\'s a question I can now answer... with confidence and satisfaction!\"</em>\n\nWhat would your advice to Jack have been?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Retiring executive?  You&#039;d better have your personal succession plan first ...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'retiring-executive-youd-better-have-your-personal-succession-plan-first', '', '', '2012-05-10 09:53:10', '2012-05-10 14:53:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6557', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(17942, 367, '2012-06-01 06:00:28', '2012-06-01 11:00:28', '<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><strong>Two employees, two different situations.</strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\">Imagine yourself walking by the desk of someone you know who has a large skill set.  You see them hunched over their desk, frowning, and you know that they are struggling to get their project to move forward because they are lacking support.  Then, you walk by another desk and you see someone else looking at their cell phone and watch them quickly turn away so you can\'t see that they are sending a text on work time.  Which is worse?</p>\nThe short answer?  Neither.  They are both just a symptom of a leader who needs to make changes to how they manage their team and become more involved.  If changes aren\'t made by the leadership, the talented, unsupported worker will either begin to look for a new job or burn out.  The untalented person with bad office behavior that everyone overlooks is setting a poor example for the entire office culture and may drag the entire team into a less effective mindset, stalling everyone\'s career.\n\n<strong>Both of these types of workers provides an opportunity for a leader to provide adequate support and clear expectations for workers. </strong> Rather than simply ordering changes, the <a title=\"Effective Leadership Lessons\" href=\"http://www.notredameonline.com/effective-leadership-lessons/\" target=\"_blank\">effective leader</a> will use this as an opportunity to mentor each worker.  The talented, unsupported worker may need assistance in figuring out not only how to run the project that they have been assigned, but access to resources and the helpful experience of a leader who has gone through the situation before them.\n\nWhen providing support, the most effective help for this person may be their team leader, but it also may be wise to find a mentor for them – someone who has been in the organization for a significant amount of time and who is several levels of responsibility above them.\n\nThe same general process will work for the untalented, enabled employee.  The first thing to do is to ask a series of “why”questions.  Why are they not working up to their ability?  Why are they not using their time wisely?  Why are they not engaging effectively?   Again, the direct team leader may not be the best person to coach this employee.  Building a relationship with someone outside their own department may allow them to become honest about their lack of job performance and what their true career goals are for the short and long-term.\n\nFor both the talented and untalented employees, devising concrete goals that will not only prevent burnout, but that will provide clear milestones will go a long way to assisting each of these workers to become their best.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo (© auremar - Fotolia.com)</span>', 'What is More Debilitating –  A Talented Person Who is Unsupported Or an Untalented Person Who is Enabled?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-is-more-debilitating-a-talented-person-who-is-unsupported-or-an-untalented-person-who-is-enabled', '', '', '2012-06-01 06:00:28', '2012-06-01 11:00:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6565', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17943, 243, '2012-05-14 06:06:13', '2012-05-14 11:06:13', 'In my new favorite book titled <a title=\"Steal Like an Artist on Amazon\" href=\"http://j.mp/Kk43Bf\">Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon</a>, one of the chapters is about complaining. The chapter \"Quit Picking Fights and Go Make Something.\" regards a quote his wife told him one night when he was up late on Twitter trying to correct the \"stupid stuff out there.\"\n<h2>Three things to remember about How Leaders Complain</h2>\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Remember anger can be a creative energy</strong>. Most of us do our best work right after what Bill Hybels referred to in <a title=\"Holy Discontent on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310272289/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0310272289\">Holy Discontent</a> as the \"Popeye moment;\" when we\'ve \"had all [we] can stands and [we] can\'t stands no more.\" We were made to solve problems. Which problems make you angry?</li>\n	<li><strong>Remember anger can be very destructive and counter-creative</strong>. We have more than enough selfish anger. Anger that\'s other-focused and directed at righting a wrong on others can be very socially beneficial. Anger can generate destructive instincts or creative ones. Which way will you direct your anger?</li>\n	<li><strong>Remember there is a \"best\" way to complain</strong>. When you\'re angry you have a choice.  You can criticize, lash out, or try to inflict pain. There are countless ways to destroy with your anger. Or you can choose to encourage others to change. Discipline and patience and perseverance are required to help the world choose to change.</li>\n</ol>\n<blockquote>\"But instead of wasting my anger on complaining or lashing out at people, I try to channel it into my writing and my drawing.\" Austin Kleon</blockquote>\n<h2>Be the Change</h2>\nI\'m tired of bad leadership. I\'m tired of trying to make a positive difference when it seems like the most people would rather I spend my energy benefitting them. Bosses vary expectations. Leaders create solutions that benefit themselves. Let\'s not even mention politics or government. Too many people fail to look objectively at the outcome they\'d like me to assist. Why do you want me to spend my money? If it\'s just so you can make yours, forget it.\n\nGreat leaders give the world something to compare. Great leadership is the only answer to self-focused, minority-oriented, me-first, hierarchical leadership. Don\'t let the world draw you into the fight. Complain by providing an alternative. Right now. Choose to invest in your people. Choose to share and make the world better. Give everyone on the fence something to compare to the problem.\n<blockquote>\"Complain about the way other people make software by making software. Andre Torrez from the book <a title=\"Steal Like an Artist on Amazon\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/me-thee-or-we-6-steps-to-making-good-leadership-decisions/\">Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon.</a></blockquote>\nWant to solve the leadership problem in this world? Make leaders better by being a better leader. Anything less cements the problem. The right way to complain is to be the solution... be the change you want to see in the world.\n\nHow will you complain about bad leadership in the next week? Will you share your ideas below? Will you come back and tell us how you did?\n\n&nbsp;', 'How Leaders Complain', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-leaders-complain', '', '', '2012-05-14 06:06:13', '2012-05-14 11:06:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6578', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(17944, 288, '2012-05-22 06:00:49', '2012-05-22 11:00:49', 'One critical habit to address in reducing workplace stress involves your productive and non-productive use of time. How you manage your time is directly correlated to your stress levels.\n\nSome stress is normal. In fact, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety states that stress is often what provides us with the energy and motivation to meet our daily challenges both at home and at the workplace. Stress in these situations is the kind that helps you rise to a challenge and meet your goals such as deadlines, sales or production targets, or finding new clients.\n\nHowever, it is easy to pass the normal level of stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, stress can have many negative effects your body, mood and even your behavior. These effects include headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, anxiety, lack of focus, weight gain, depression and social withdrawal.\n\nTake these simple steps from <a href=\"http://dalecarnegie.com/organizational-development-human-resources-training/\">Dale Carnegie</a> to better manage your time and ultimately reduce your stress in the process.\n<blockquote><strong>The early bird gets the worm…and the fresh coffee.</strong></blockquote>\n<h2><strong></strong><em>1.    Show Up Early</em></h2>\nAs far as pros and cons go, there really is no downside to showing up to work, or any appointment early. A big cause of stress is rushing, which leads to anxiety. How many times have you found yourself stressed out and ultimately doing a lackluster job on a project because you did not have enough time? Although this cannot always be prevented, when you come in early, you have extra time to gather your thoughts and get prepared. Even a mere extra half hour is enough to ensure that you make a better impression in every situation. All the way around, this work habit reduces stress.<strong> </strong>\n<blockquote><strong>“Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.” Francis Bacon</strong></blockquote>\n<h2><strong></strong><em>2.    </em><em>Keep Your Thoughts &amp; Plans in a Daily Planner</em></h2>\nWhether you use software or plain paper, you need a daily planner to make sure that you are on top of all the daily details of your workdays. This will help you keep track of tasks and events. When you spend time planning, you reduce time spent executing tasks.  Whether you are forgetful, or simply need to better manage your time, thorough daily planning is a key tool in successful time management.\n<blockquote><strong>“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” -Buddha</strong></blockquote>\n<h2><em> </em><em>3.    </em><em>Be Present: Focus On What’s Right in Front of You</em></h2>\nThink about the number of times you have sat in a meeting or even a conversation where you allowed your mind to wander from the subject under discussion? You are often physically present, but mentally in a totally different place. When you daydream during meetings or conversations, you end up uninformed about the topic. When you are not present your mind is not focused on the current situation, rather you make way to become overwhelmed with past thoughts that might even be negative. Being present also has several benefits such as improved social skills and creativity.\n\n<em>Tips to being present: </em>\n<ul>\n	<li>Sit up straight during meetings</li>\n	<li>Take notes on the topic (tip not intended for use during informal conversations)</li>\n	<li>Maintain eye contact with the speaker</li>\n</ul>\nTry to take these steps in your everyday life and see how quickly your stress level begins to decrease! Check back soon for Part II, and find more ways to improve your time management.', 'Time Management Tips to Reduce Stress: Part I', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'time-management-tips-to-reduce-stress-part-i', '', '', '2012-05-22 06:00:49', '2012-05-22 11:00:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6592', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(17945, 251, '2012-05-23 13:00:10', '2012-05-23 18:00:10', 'If your organization is mired in a command-and-control hierarchy, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Calls-Twelve-Stories-Decisions/dp/142215811X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0\" target=\"_blank\">Judgment Ca</a><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Calls-Twelve-Stories-Decisions/dp/142215811X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0\" target=\"_blank\">lls</a><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Calls-Twelve-Stories-Decisions/dp/142215811X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0\" target=\"_blank\">:  Twelve Stories of Big Decisions and the Teams that Got Them Right,</a> a new book by Thomas H. Davenport and Brook Manville isn\'t for you. However, if you and/or your organization are self-aware and want to tap into the power of effective organizational decision-making, there\'s much to learn in this book.\n\nThe backdrop of the ongoing global economic calamity and the BP oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico prompted the authors to ask why \"is it so hard for organizations to do the right thing?\" Their search for answers led them to \"organizational judgment—the collective capacity to make good calls and wise moves when the need for them exceeds the scope of any single leader\'s direct control.\"', '5 Reasons Leaders Should Read Judgment Calls', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-reasons-leaders-should-read-judgment-calls', '', '', '2012-05-23 13:00:10', '2012-05-23 18:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6597', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17946, 258, '2012-05-23 06:00:01', '2012-05-23 11:00:01', '\"Call it a clan, call it a tribe, call it a family...  Whatever you call it, you need one.\"  ~Jane Howard\n\nA few years ago a few women and I started doing triathlons as a hobby.  It was a means to focus on fitness, a new and exciting way to push our limits.  One race and I was hooked.\n\nLast weekend I did my tenth race with my “team,” a grass roots community of women that have become friends and training partners with only one thing in common: triathlons.  More than a hundred women have done races with me, and this year my 25 Tri Tribe teammates at the Danskin Triathlon in Clemont, Florida ranged in age from 14 to 73.  They are from all walks of life and are at every level of ability.  A few are elite athletes and will compete at nationals.  Others have just begun their journeys.\n\nOne of the things I love about this group is the fact that we all lead each other.   Our team’s goal is simple.  We each agree to promote, support, and encourage each other, but no one owns this team.  Each woman contributes what she can.  We do lake swims at one teammate’s house.  Others have conducted workshops for us on swimming, cycling, running, and core training.  Two of my teammates created our logo, a design that has united and branded us in ways that I never imagined.  I am the manager in that I organize group training and run our website.  And almost every returning member has reached out to a friend and brought her into the fold over the years.  Some women join us and stay forever.  Others come for a year and then move on.\n\nThis year was an especially amazing one for me, not because of my spectacular performance, but because of my spectacular team.  I have been struggling with injuries throughout the season and a recent bad knee meant that I wasn’t able to run at all by the end.  Despite this reality I decided to do the race so that I could be there body and soul in support of my team.  Half way through the cycling portion, I determined that simply finishing was going to be my only option.  As I limped through the run portion, shuffling along at turtle speed, I heard dozens of women encouraging me, teammates and strangers alike.\n\n<img class=\" wp-image-6609 alignleft\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/with-dawn-300x288.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"184\" />It was with a half mile to go that something amazing happened.  I looked up to see my friend Donna.  She had finished the race and returned to the course to bring me home.  Right behind her were Dawn and Michelle.  In my darkest moment, these three women walked with me and then ran those final yards, giving me the strength I needed to finish the race.  I share this picture of Dawn and I, not because I look fabulous, but because I don’t.  A year ago I helped Dawn learn to swim in open water.  On this day she was there to help me home.\n\nTriathlons have taught me so much over the years about the strength of the people in my life. This year’s race reminded me of some of the most important lessons of leadership.  We are all leaders AND followers.  There is opportunity in every day to make a difference in someone’s life.   And each of has a chance to help another learn to swim in treacherous waters, or more importantly, find her way home.\n\nIf you would like to read more about the Tri Tribe and our stories, you can find them <a href=\"http://swim-bike-run-repeat.blogspot.com/\">here</a> or watch a video of the Tribe in action <a href=\"http://animoto.com/play/uBPbLTUcy8hGdhorfloR8g\">here</a>.', 'Finding My Way Home', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'finding-my-way-home', '', '', '2012-05-23 06:00:01', '2012-05-23 11:00:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6606', 0, 'post', '', 6);
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(17947, 243, '2012-05-20 12:46:52', '2012-05-20 17:46:52', 'Lisa Petrilli (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/lisapetrilli\">@LisaPetrilli</a>) has written a great post titled <a title=\"7 Lessons The Tango Teaches at LisaPetrilli.com\" href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2012/05/03/7-lessons-the-tango-teaches-about-being-a-great-follower/#\">7 Lessons the Tango Teaches About Being a Great Follower</a>.  The post comes from her own lessons dancing and how she\'s learning to enjoy being a follower.  Her list contains some interesting insights and even one or two that you might challenge. You Have to Trust and Listening is Critical are some of the seven that you might have guessed.  But you really need to <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2012/05/03/7-lessons-the-tango-teaches-about-being-a-great-follower/#\">click here</a> and check out the full list and the great post.  Even the comments add to the discussion.', '7 Lessons for Followers From the Tango', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '7-lessons-for-followers-from-the-tango', '', '', '2012-05-20 12:46:52', '2012-05-20 17:46:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6611', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17948, 243, '2012-05-19 15:36:13', '2012-05-19 15:36:13', 'Twice a month, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Lead Change Group </a>authors write a blog post on the <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership\"><em>SmartBlog on Leadership</em></a> site. This past Thursday, Jennifer Miller (<a title=\"Jessica\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/jennifervmiller\">@JenniferVMiller</a>) took turn with a post called <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/05/17/how-to-get-your-team-to-speak-up/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Get Your Team to Speak Up</a><strong>. </strong>It’s based on her observation that many team leaders create a culture where saying “no” is unacceptable, thereby causing their team members to use the truth recklessly when they say “yes”. <a title=\"How to Get Your Team to Speak Up by Jennifer V. Miller\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/05/17/how-to-get-your-team-to-speak-up/\">Go on over, check it out and leave a comment</a>. Would love to hear from you!', 'Leadership and Speaking Up', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-speaking-up', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:26:59', '2017-10-15 22:26:59', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6613', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17949, 243, '2012-05-21 06:15:28', '2012-05-21 11:15:28', '<blockquote>\"Conscience is that faculty in me which attaches itself to the highest that I know and tells me what the highest I know demands that I do.\" Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, May 13.</blockquote>\n\n\nWe talk much here about character-based leadership. Our definition for character-based leadership is leading from who you are rather than your power or position. Often, people ask if we have some religious slant on character. We do not. People sometimes check to see if we\'re going to be \"character-cops\" - making lists and judging whether or not someone acts with character. Hang around a while and you\'ll see we don\'t want to \"police\" character in anyone but ourselves.\n\nBut often, the lower, softer side of who we are would prefer not to be challenged. Our lazy side would prefer to be left alone. We don\'t want to get out of bed early to exercise. We can find any excuse in the world to avoid challenges from either outsides ourselves or inside.\n\nOn our inside, in our character, there is this faculty, a feature, built into us that calls us to be our highest self. It calls us to be our best us. That\'s our conscience.\n\nI\'m sure there are some who would object even to the fact that our conscience exists, but often that is the voice of someone who\'s shouting to avoid hearing the opposing argument simply because deep down inside, they know they might be wrong. When it comes to our conscience, we may all object a bit too much. That fact may prove its existence.\n\nChambers\' definition of conscience is the best I\'ve ever read. My conscience attaches itself to the highest I know and then it tells me what the highest I know demands that I do. When I listen to the highest I know, I\'m the best person I can be. When I act on the highest I know, my best character makes a positive difference. When I am the highest I know, my character, my who-I-am, inspires others to act according to the highest they know. And I become a leader.\n\nWe will attract people like us. We will be drawn to people who demonstrate similar affinities and similar character-istics. Those people will encourage us to do what they do and we will encourage them to do what we do. We all influence. I would like to encourage people to act according to the highest they know. That\'s the only way I know to make the world better.\n\nWould you like to influence others? Would you like to be a better leader? Your \"highest you know\" is calling you to act accordingly. Will you? That simple act will make you a character-based leader.\n\nRelated posts: <a title=\"Good Leadership vs. Effective Leadership\" href=\"/good-leadership-vs-effective-leadership\">Good Leadership vs. Effective Leadership</a> and <a title=\"Character vs. Charisma in Leadership\" href=\"/character-vs-charisma-in-leadership\">Character vs. Charisma in Leadership</a>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a title=\"Arrow of shining leader balls in the dark\" href=\"http://us.fotolia.com/id/38467108\">© borzaya - Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Character and Conscience in Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'character-conscience-leadership', '', '', '2012-05-21 06:15:28', '2012-05-21 11:15:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6618', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(17950, 243, '2012-05-31 06:03:24', '2012-05-31 11:03:24', '<blockquote>Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” - Michael Jordan</blockquote>\nTeamwork presents itself in many flavors and forms. Teamwork is the art of joining others in pursuit of a common goal. But it\'s not just joining. We don\'t join a team. We become a team. Becoming a team requires sacrifice. Michael Jordan\'s whole quote shows the connection:\n<blockquote>“There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren\'t willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve. One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.\" Michael Jordan</blockquote>\nGreat players don\'t win titles. Individual accomplishment shrinks when delivered by itself but it grows when sacrificed to a team. When any player clings to accolades and achievements for personal benefit above team benefit, both suffer. No person is an island.\n\nThis also has a poignant application to our recent economic struggles. Beginning in 2009, you heard many a commentator and business leader use the term \"hunker-down.\" Conventional wisdom suggested organizations should save what they have and taking fewer risks out of fear and uncertainty. Today, people feel we\'re on the verge of the solution; the economic recovery may be just around the corner.  The answer was just getting consumers to wake up and spend more; increase consumption.  Consumerism is, after all, what makes our economy successful, correct?\n\nBut Michael Jordan\'s quote says nothing about consumption. A great player wins a title by sacrifice and contribution, not by either hoarding or consuming. Rather than hunkering-down, we should strategically invest in the future. That may mean more spending, but that spending should be on investing in people and organizations that have a chance of improving the community and the world. Purchase training, invest in your people. Or invest in your community by helping at a homeless shelter.\n\nAnd consumption isn\'t the answer either.  Rather than deciding that you can finally afford that big-screen TV or new tablet or vacation, invest in some furniture for the local homeless shelter or medical clinic. Or sponsor a local unemployed networking group, or invest in training for unemployed people to re-enter the workforce!\n\nWe must address our economy and our quality of life as a team. If one groups\' quality of life continues to grow while many others deteriorate, our culture will eventually fragment and die. Our teamwork needs to be focused on the goal of improving the quality of EVERY life in our communities. There is little teamwork in hoarding or consumption. There is great teamwork, reward and accomplishment in sacrifice and contribution. Our championships need to happen at the community level if we\'re going to make a positive difference.\n\nPhoto <a title=\"1982 UNC Mens Basketball NCAA Championship Team\" href=\"http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/morton/index.php/2008/03/start-the-madness/1982-unc-mens-basketball-ncaa-championship-team/\">(c) UNC.edu</a>', 'Sacrifice and Teamwork', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sacrifice-and-teamwork', '', '', '2012-05-31 06:03:24', '2012-05-31 11:03:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6623', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(17951, 304, '2012-05-30 06:00:12', '2012-05-30 11:00:12', 'When asked to identify the necessary traits for leaders, most would propose answers that fall within a wide range of topics. <em>Charisma, purpose, determination</em> - these are just a few of the traits that are typically used to define a leader. However, many leaders have a single quality in common. In short, what distinguishes the best leaders from the majority is their level of emotional intelligence.\n\n<strong>Emotional intelligence</strong> is defined by the ability to understand and manage our emotions and those around us. This quality gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every individual possesses different levels, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they’ll need a high level of emotional intelligence.  In today’s workplace, it has become a highly important factor for success, influencing productivity, efficiency and team collaboration. The following are important reasons why leaders should cultivate their emotional intelligence:\n<h3>1. Self-Awareness</h3>\nLeaders with emotional intelligence are self-aware and able to recognize emotions as they happen. This is a vital skill for leaders, as it helps them obtain a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses without any obstruction. In addition, great leaders are able to perceive emotions as they arise in response to an action or situation. As a result, they are able better able to address problems and handle any future complications.\n<h3>2. Emotional Management</h3>\nThe prior skill gives leaders the ability to stay aware of their feelings. The next step is learning how to manage those emotions. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to regulate themselves and stay in control. These individuals are unlikely to rush headlong into hasty decisions or let their anger take over their behavior.  It is vital that individuals in managerial positions keep their emotions in check, as it will help them stay in a respected position.\n<h3>3. Effective Communication</h3>\nWhat is the benefit of emotional awareness and management if you are unable to clearly express your thoughts? Luckily, individuals with emotional intelligence also have the skill of effective communication. They are able to clearly convey directions and know what to say in order to inspire and motivate others. An important skill for leaders, communication can be a deciding factor in whether the team listens or not.\n<h3>4. Social Awareness</h3>\nLeaders with emotional intelligence are well tuned to the emotions of others and are able to pick up on what is going on around them. They are able to sympathize with others by putting themselves in the employee’s shoes and giving helpful feedback. This is a critical skill for leaders, who work closely to inspire and motivate a team. If the leader is unable to empathize with their employees, he or she will surely find it difficult to obtain respect or loyalty.\n<h3>5. Conflict Resolution</h3>\nIn the workplace, there’s always the risk that emerging conflicts can threaten or disrupt efficiency and productivity. However, leaders with emotional intelligence are equipped to handle conflicts and provide resolution. With this skill, leaders can quickly placate any disagreements that arise between employees, customers, and other parties. In conjunction with the above skills, leaders can use their emotional intelligence to develop a more effective workplace.\n\n<em>Photo Credit: artsfwd.org</em>', '5 Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence is Critical for Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-reasons-why-emotional-intelligence-is-critical-for-leaders', '', '', '2012-05-30 06:00:12', '2012-05-30 11:00:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6662', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(17952, 288, '2012-06-06 06:00:41', '2012-06-06 11:00:41', '\n\nIn Part I, we discussed the first three steps to better manage your time. Remember, time management is the act of exercising conscious control over how you spend your time in an attempt to increase efficiency or productivity.\n\nThe key words here are <em>conscious control</em>. Time management is impossible without the person making an honest effort. Time alone will not manage itself in your favor. Check out the final three steps below to begin your journey to a more peaceful, well-managed life.\n\n<strong>“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.” - George Claude Lorimer </strong>\n<h2><strong> </strong><strong>4.  </strong><strong>Avoid Procrastination</strong></h2>\n<strong> </strong>Everyone is motivated in different ways. Find what inspires and energizes you to tackle work issues, instead of putting them off. Commit to a regular schedule of work output and project completion. Don’t<strong> </strong>make it easy to procrastinate. Make an effort to be conscious of your actions, and this will make removing, or at least recognizing, distractions a lot easier. Remember: time goes by slowly for those who wait.\n\n<em>Tips: Don’t overthink tasks. This often leads people to make tasks more difficult than they truly are. The task that once slightly frightened you from completion will soon grow into a terror-causing project that you will never finish. Stop over-complicating things and take action.</em>\n\n<strong>“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”- Dale Carnegie</strong>\n<h2><strong> 5.  Gather Your Priorities and Put Them In Line</strong></h2>\nNo one likes to leave work at the end of the day or week feeling like they didn’t accomplish the most critical tasks. When you set and adhere to priorities, you avoid stress and keep on pace with the demands of your workload.\n\n<em>Tips: Set aside 30 minutes to write down what you need to do and number them in their order of importance. Seeing your tasks in order of importance and all in one place will make it clear as to what tasks you might be able to cut out entirely. If you still need extra help, try signing up for <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/events/leadership_training_for_managers/\">time management training programs.</a> Many of these programs are offered online and give practical techniques to help you undo destructive habits and learn how to lock out mental distractions so that you can eliminate time wasters and concentrate on your priorities.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n<h2> <strong>6.  </strong><strong>Protect Your Private Time</strong></h2>\nSome anxiety-provoking work habits, such as bringing work home or staying at work late, are more exhausting than we may realize. Sometimes it can’t be avoided, but if it becomes a habit, you can start to feel like you don’t have a life outside of work. According to a study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, the weekend provides critical opportunities for bonding with others, exploring interests and relaxing-all basic psychological needs that people should be careful not to crowd out with overwork. Try to manage your time at work more efficiently so you can enjoy your time outside of the office. Being happy in general will have an overall positive effect on your work performance.\n\n<em>Tips: Start a weekly tradition of doing something you love once a week. Do some variation of an activity you enjoy on the same day every week. Traditions are easier to keep up with and maintaining your psychological health is more important than you may realize.</em>\n\nHopefully you utilize these tips in your everyday life. The positive effects these steps can have on your life definitely outweigh the cons and negative effects stress can have on your health and work life.', 'Time Management Tips to Reduce Stress: Part II', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'time-management-tips-to-reduce-stress-part-ii', '', '', '2012-06-06 06:00:41', '2012-06-06 11:00:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6673', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(17953, 274, '2012-06-05 14:00:00', '2012-06-05 19:00:00', '<strong>How easy is it to spot the airport from the air?</strong> Apparently, not as easy as we may think.\n\nIn this article, Bill Fox explains that his \"personal take on this is that we all fall into familiar patterns of looking at things and performing our work.We repeat the same familiar patterns and don’t shift our gaze even slightly to consider different viewpoints, alternative solutions or examine root causes.\" Read on...', 'Do You Have the Right Perspective on Your Current Situation?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-you-have-the-right-perspective-on-your-current-situation', '', '', '2012-06-05 14:00:00', '2012-06-05 19:00:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6681', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(17954, 274, '2012-06-14 14:00:41', '2012-06-14 19:00:41', 'Business schools are incorporating a number of new subjects into the curriculum since the financial crisis, including leadership training! Students need to \"have the confidence to take a stand when they encounter unethical business practices at their companies. At the very least, the effects of the mortgage crisis could have been softened had a few key people had the courage to buck the tide and call for an end to predatory lending and other harmful practices.\" Read more...', '8 Ways B-Schools Have Reformed Their Curriculum Post-Crisis', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '8-ways-b-schools-reformed-curriculum', '', '', '2012-06-14 14:00:41', '2012-06-14 19:00:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6741', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17955, 274, '2012-06-20 14:00:10', '2012-06-20 19:00:10', 'As a leader I am sure you will either consciously or unconsciously know what you require of your followers, over and above their job role. But do you articulate those wants, or do you get frustrated because your followers don’t actually follow very well? If you are a follower, do you know what your leader expects of you, and if not would you like to know? Read on...', 'Do Followers Know What Their Leaders Want?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-followers-know-what-their-leaders-want', '', '', '2012-06-20 14:00:10', '2012-06-20 19:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6750', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17956, 274, '2012-07-09 14:00:55', '2012-07-09 19:00:55', 'The following is a guest post by author Wendy Appel on Susan Mazza\'s blog, Random Acts of Leadership.\n\n\"Every moment of every day, we are making choices...They add up. Over time, these choices become our habits -  conscious or unconscious, wanted or unwanted. <strong>While they may seem somewhat benign at first, these little choices make up how we live daily.\" Click here to view the full post. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Small Choices Big Impact', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'small-choices-big-impact', '', '', '2012-07-09 14:00:55', '2012-07-09 19:00:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6841', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(17957, 303, '2012-07-11 06:00:35', '2012-07-11 11:00:35', 'After the retirement of a respected and long serving senior leader, his bright-eyed replacement newly selected for the position visited the team.</strong>  The arrival of the thirty-something female whose career had been fast paced and widely reported was met with eager anticipation.  Not only was she completely different from the outgoing leader; she had a liveliness about her, which together with her highly acclaimed reputation, gave off an air of professional brilliance.\n\nUpon her arrival, her new team was excited, hopeful, and welcoming.  But the buoyant mood didn’t last. Within an hour the atmosphere had changed considerably.  In her opening speech, the new leader announced what she hoped to achieve in her time with the team, and in the same breath told them her intention was to stay for two years, by which time she would be moving on.\n\n<strong>The team’s optimism was crushed.</strong>  In the new leader’s mind, she was being upfront and honest with them.  In their eyes she was planning her exit even before she had opened the entrance door, and she lacked commitment. The deciding factor for her followers was that the two years term suited the requirements of the wider organization and had nothing to do with the leadership task at hand.\n\n<strong>Whether you are committed or not may not be in question at all for you as a leader.</strong>  The question and the doubt raised by longevity in terms of your leadership might be more of an issue for your followers.\n\nIn this fast paced world, corporate and team leaders come and go. Founder leaders of established companies are more likely to stay and give their followers welcomed consistency.  There are many stories where founders have exited their leadership roles and their “dream” by selling out and moving on, only to find the business fails or falters within years, if not months, of their leaving.  Given the rate of change both in the business world and as our own goals and dreams change, what role does commitment play in our credibility as a leader?\n\nI believe that whether you are trusted as a committed leader depends on many factors. As a leader you must fully understand the depth, length and purpose of the commitment required of you.  Additionally, you need to be clear about the possibilities of your leadership term being terminated early for you, and the circumstances in which you might choose to leave before time.  Crucially, in the beginning, middle, and end of your term of leadership you plan, communicate, and position your intentions.\n\n<strong>As a leader, several principles are relevant in communicating and positioning your commitment in different circumstances.</strong>   Commitment, a crucial aspect of your leadership role, gives your followers the certainty they need to be able to develop a relationship with you and grow in trust.  You must position your particular leadership commitment so that you can manage expectations.\nThe principles are:\n<ul>\n	<li>When appointed for a specific leadership challenge, be clear about your outcomes and be prepared to see it through to the end.</li>\n	<li>When appointed for a specific task, determine the part or phase of the task you will lead on, how long that will take and exactly which outcomes you will be responsible for delivering.</li>\n	<li>If you aren’t sure you will be reappointed, commit to the dedicated vision, values, and mission of the company while you are there. Be clear about your leadership outcomes during your first term.</li>\n	<li>Where you are founder, cultivate a dedication to your own values and vision and a promise to do all within your power to put in place a sustainable plan after you leave.</li>\n	<li>Make a commitment to your followers that you will do the best you can for them while you are there.</li>\n	<li>Make a commitment to doing your absolute best no matter how long your term as a leader lasts.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>I had no doubt that the new leader described above was committed, albeit for a predetermined period.</strong>  In retrospect she could have positioned her commitment to two years with a clear vision about her legacy, and what she could do for her followers in that time.\n\nSo leaders, position your commitment, unless of course you are married to the job and it’s a lifetime commitment.  And if so good luck; my advice would be to keep the marriage alive, and keep a courting mentality!\n\n<em>Christina is the owner of People Discovery, an Inspirational Leadership, Management and Engagement consultancy based in the UK.  You can visit Christina’s website at <a href=\"http://www.peoplediscovery.co.uk/\">www.peoplediscovery.co.uk</a>.  Christina’s first published book “The 6 Secrets of Great Emotional intelligence – for Inspirational Leaders and Managers”   is available on her website as a free download.</em>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo (© olly - Fotolia.com)</span>', 'Married to the job? –   How Leaders show commitment in a fast changing world.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'married-to-the-job-how-leaders-show-commitment-in-a-fast-changing-world', '', '', '2012-07-11 06:00:35', '2012-07-11 11:00:35', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=6747', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(17958, 274, '2012-08-07 14:00:29', '2012-08-07 19:00:29', '<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7039\" title=\"leadershiplogo\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/leadershiplogo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"112\" />It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. Where did the time go?! For me, August is a month of finishing up summer projects and getting ready for a busy fall. I usually travel quite a bit in Q3 and Q4 – so I’m looking for some excellent books for my travels.\n\nThis month’s carnival has a great selection of leadership reading and I also asked contributors to share what’s on their summer reading list. So find a nice comfy chair…maybe grab a cup of tea and enjoy this month’s reading. Click <a href=\"http://www.hrbartender.com/2012/training/august-leadership-development-carnival-summer-reading-edition/\">here</a> to read on.', 'August Leadership Carnival!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'august-2012-leadership-carnival', '', '', '2012-08-07 14:00:29', '2012-08-07 19:00:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7038', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(17959, 314, '2012-09-19 13:00:41', '2012-09-19 18:00:41', '<p>Let’s review the leadership errors that hurt our credibility when we lead.\n\nLeadership errors get magnified.  Why? Because it’s easy for people to point fingers and blame.  When leaders make mistakes, they stand out.  They impact the entire organization.\n\nThere are some leadership errors that are not intentional, and even then some people will still assume you’re incompetent.\n\nSo, let’s take a look at four leadership errors that you never want to make.<img src=\"http://johnbossong.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif\" alt=\"\" />\n<h2>1. Delegate finding and developing leaders</h2>\nThis has deep ramifications for the future of the organization.  You are the leader.   Finding and developing future leaders is your responsibility.  Don’t <a href=\"http://johnbossong.com/2012/07/16/this-will-grow-your-business/\">delegate</a> it.\n<ul>\n	<li> This starts with the interview and assessment process.</li>\n	<li>You are not replacing the Human Resources department, but you should have a hands on approach.  This increases the chances of hiring great people.</li>\n	<li>Most interview processes are too short.  Spend a lot of time and have multiple interviews.   Don’t hire someone after one meeting.</li>\n	<li>You can’t spend too much time hiring and developing people.  It’s that important.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>2. Confuse management with leadership</h2>\nMost organizations are over managed and under led.  These are two distinctive and complimentary systems of action.\n<ul>\n	<li>Leaders press for change.  Managers promote stability.</li>\n	<li>Leaders provide inspiration, vision and set direction.</li>\n	<li>Leaders prepare organizations for change and help them cope with it.</li>\n	<li>Leaders align people (<em>remove bureaucracy</em>).  Managers focus on organizing and staffing (<em>utilizing</em> <em>systems and manuals</em>).</li>\n	<li>Leaders motivate people.  Managers control and problem solve.</li>\n	<li>Leaders recognize and reward success.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>3.  Fail to create or institutionalize a culture of leadership within the organization</h2>\nCreating the proper culture to develop leaders starts at the top.  It’s the leaders’ responsibility to create the culture to grow future leaders.  Here are 8 things that will prevent this from happening:\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7356\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/lead-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" />\n<ul>\n	<li>Not enabling employees to take risks.</li>\n	<li>Not challenging the status quo.</li>\n	<li>Failing to build unity and loyalty.</li>\n	<li>Not creating the vision early enough.</li>\n	<li>Following a manual rather than taking care of the customer.</li>\n	<li>Failing to create new products and ideas.</li>\n	<li>Failing to provide growth and development opportunities.</li>\n	<li>Not being <em>fanatical</em> about the culture - talk about it all the time.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>4. Fail to clearly communicate the vision of the organization</h2>\nThis needs to be done early and often.  Leaders need to clearly communicate the vision and direction of the organization.   Here are 3 things that happen when this is not done.\n<ul>\n	<li>Employees don’t know the organization’s <em><a href=\"http://www.startwithwhy.com/\">why</a>.  </em>For further information on this, please visit <a href=\"http://www.startwithwhy.com/\">Simon Sinek’s web site</a>.</li>\n	<li>The organization (collection of people) doesn’t take on the personality of its leader.  This happens in great organizations like <a href=\"http://www.apple.com/\">Apple</a> with Steve Jobs.</li>\n	<li>Leaders don’t create a strong sense of community, belief and belonging.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>What errors or mistakes would you add to this list?</strong>\n\nPhoto Credit © Deklofenak - Fotolia.com', 'Do You Make These 4 Mistakes When Leading?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-you-make-these-4-mistakes-when-leading', '', '', '2012-09-19 13:00:41', '2012-09-19 18:00:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7347', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(17960, 307, '2012-09-21 06:00:27', '2012-09-21 11:00:27', '<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7357\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dirty-microwave-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n\nIs there anything more nasty than a neglected break-room microwave oven?\n\nIf a comic-book super-villain ever attacks earth, it will likely emerge from the splatter of last night\'s warmed over spaghetti and be fueled by the petroleum fumes of artificially butter-flavored popcorn.\n<h2>Take a Peek</h2>\nWant a quick look at your organization\'s culture? Examine your break-room microwaves.\n\nIf you haven\'t seen yours in a while, go take a look.\n\nIf you don\'t have a microwave, check the refrigerator…or the bathrooms (preferably near the end of the work day).\n\nWhat did you find?\n<h2>Why Microwaves, Refrigerators, and Bathrooms Count</h2>\nWe share these spaces, everyone can use them, but...who is responsible for them?\n\nToo often, the answer is: no one.\n\nOver time, it shows. People rush between meetings or for a hurried lunch and something spatters or spills…\n\nAnd is left for the next person.\n\nEven if your organization hires someone to clean these shared spaces each night, take a look near the end of the day.\n\nWhat you find tells you a great deal about the culture of an organization.\n\nA clean microwave tells you people care.\n<h2>Tragedy</h2>\nIn 1968 Garret Hardin studied the phenomenon of the abused shared space. He wrote about farmers overgrazing a shared field and titled his work \"the tragedy of the commons\".\n\nWe\'re all familiar with it: each person maximizes their own benefit (they save time by leaving their mess in the microwave or increase revenue by grazing their sheep too often).\n\n<img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7358\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/grazingsheep-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />And we\'re also familiar with the consequences: the microwave becomes so disgusting that no one can use it, or the field\'s soil is depleted, it dies, and no one can graze sheep at all.\n\nWhat I love about the microwave or shared field is that these are solvable problems.\n\nThe tool used to solve that problem of the commons?\n\nLeadership.\n<h2>Waiting for a Hero</h2>\nShared spaces are a perfect leadership laboratory.\n\nThe only way to resolve the tragedy of the commons (or break-room microwave) is for someone to take responsibility and influence others to change their behavior.\n\nThis is no small task!\n\nThink about the leadership involved. Someone (not necessarily a positional leader) has to:\n<ul>\n	<li>Recognize the problem - people maximizing short-term benefit that leads to loss of the shared resource</li>\n	<li>Take personal responsibility for it</li>\n	<li>Make others aware of the problem</li>\n	<li>Generate solutions</li>\n	<li>Influence everyone to participate in those solutions - and this always means people change their behavior. They give up their short-term self-interest (sacrificing a few minutes to clean up after themselves or sacrificing money to graze sheep less often).</li>\n</ul>\nThis is much easier in an organizational culture where shared responsibility is the norm.\n<h2>What Did You Find?</h2>\nA build-up of thick crud no one will touch?\n\nOr is it reasonably clean?\n\nIn an organization with a culture of shared ownership, the microwaves, bathrooms, and refrigerators tend to be clean.\n\nEveryone understands they are responsible…that it all belongs to them.\n\nIn my work with leaders, I regularly hear a desire for their teams to \"own more\".\n\nThe words vary:\n<ul>\n	<li>\"more entrepreneurial spirit\"</li>\n	<li>\"I want them to own the mission\"</li>\n	<li>\"be more responsible\"</li>\n	<li>\"to pay attention to detail\"</li>\n</ul>\nAnyone who\'s been leading for any length of time recognizes the need for everyone to share commitment.\n\nBut too often, leaders say they want team ownership, but then don\'t act to encourage it.\n<h2>When Was the Last Time...?</h2>\nShared ownership begins with you.\n\nWhile CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner made a point of picking up trash when in the parks. Keeping the park spotless was everyone\'s responsibility - in action, not just in word.\n\nI\'ve worked with high school Principals who modeled the same behavior.\n\nI\'m not suggesting a CEO or Principal should spend all their time picking up trash - there are other vital tasks they should attend to.\n\nBut if you want shared ownership in your team, model it.\n\nWhen was the last time you picked up some trash, wiped out the microwave, or made a new pot of coffee?\n\nThese things take seconds, but they communicate volumes.\n\nOnce you\'ve set the example, sustain shared responsibility through trust, respect, some autonomy, and appreciation.<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7359\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/cleanup-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n<h2>Lead Where You Are</h2>\nIf you are not a titled leader, shared resources are one of your greatest opportunities.\n\nLook for areas or services in your organization that everyone needs, but are in disarray because no one owns them.\n\nTake responsibility. Clean it, organize it, create a system to share the service…whatever it is, get others involved.\n\nMake sure <a title=\"How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes\" href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2012/09/how-to-get-clarity-accountability-and-results-in-5-minutes/\" target=\"_blank\">responsibilities are clearly defined after a decision</a> - it will have a major impact on the team (and on your career!)\n\nYou don\'t need a title to lead…and shared resources give you a huge opportunity to demonstrate and practice your leadership.\n<h2>Your Turn</h2>\nHow do you influence others to take care of shared resources?\n\nWhy do you think some organization\'s seem to have an easier time keeping their microwaves and bathroom\'s clean?\n\nHow clean is your microwave?\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid M. Dye\n\nPhoto Credits: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/punkjr/520887206/\" target=\"_blank\">Microwave</a> by Jason Burrows, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekieram/260838938/\" target=\"_blank\">Sheep</a> by ekieraM, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanchamp/2443463188/\" target=\"_blank\">Cleanup</a> by Bryan Bowden.', 'Looking for Team Engagement? Check the Microwave', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'looking-for-team-engagement-check-the-microwave', '', '', '2012-09-21 06:00:27', '2012-09-21 11:00:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7353', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(17961, 318, '2012-09-19 06:00:29', '2012-09-19 11:00:29', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/?attachment_id=7371\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7371\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7371 alignright\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/iStock_000016017745XSmall10-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"leadership development\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" /></a><strong>Formal leadership development programs are invaluable when developing leadership talent.</strong>  Getting outside perspective is vital, and external facilitation can make all the difference.  It\'s also possible to supplement these programs with workshops leaders run themselves.  Such programs provide leaders an opportunity to share mindset, enhance transparency, and review lessons learned.\n\nI spent the first decade of my career in leadership development, organizational development and HR roles.  I then went out to the \"field\" in customer service and sales leadership positions leading larger teams.  As my role in organizations has grown, I have been implementing some of the leadership development programs I once facilitated for others with my own team.   <strong>The new spin... leader turned facilitator... brings out an exciting dynamic.</strong>\n\nI share some of the techniques that have worked best in the summaries and links below.  If you are a leader, I would love to hear about DIY leadership you are doing with your own team.  If you are a coach or other support function, it would be great to hear how you have supported such programs with your clients.\n<h2>Basic Conditions</h2>\n<em><strong>For this to work, leaders must...</strong></em>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n	<li>have a strong intention for development, not judgement</li>\n	<li>be comfortable with transparency</li>\n	<li>be vulnerable</li>\n	<li>have time to follow-through on scheduled meetings and commitments</li>\n	<li>engage completely without distractions</li>\n</ul>\n</ul>\n<h2>Techniques and Applications</h2>\n<h3> Storytelling (<a href=\"http://store.astd.org/Default.aspx?tabid=167&amp;ProductId=8028\">Strategic Storytelling Workshop </a>)</h3>\n<em><strong>What it Is: </strong></em>\n\nAn experiential workshop focused on strategic use of storytelling as a communication technique.\n\nEach leader reflects on his or her own values, priorities, and history and identifies a personal story that reflects his or her approach to leadership.  The stories are then shared with the team, and each leader receives  feedback on their story and delivery.  The themes from each story are discussed and leveraged to create norms for the team (or organization).  The participants work to identify opportunities to incorporate strategic storytelling into their communication plans.\n\n<em><strong>The Benefits</strong></em>\n<ul>\n	<li>learning more about one another</li>\n	<li>Increased trust and transparency</li>\n	<li>Skill-building, communication and public speaking</li>\n	<li>Opportunity for the leader to role-model risk-taking and humility (I find the stories that work best are the ones where I did something stupid,but survived)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Group Mentoring (<a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2012/06/29/mentoring-in-circles/\">Mentoring Circles</a>)</h3>\n<em><strong>What it Is </strong></em>\n\nI do this as a skip level experience, giving me an opportunity to get to know 8-10 high potential managers by working together.  I always start with teaching them about “elevator speeches”, and having them create one.  <a href=\"http://wp.me/p2v7wL-37\">Glass Elevators: Why Elevator Speeches Matter</a>.\n\nWe talk about the business…and we all share the challenges we are having and share best practices.  The fun begins when we take field trips to struggling areas of the business and offer support.  We also do a project together to give back to the business.  I have found that these circles (called various names, usually “academies” or “leagues”), are a great way for me and my team to share our vision, work on work, and really get to know the managers in a deeper way.  An added win is having a direct report involved with this as part of their leadership experience.   I have seen a good track record of successful promotions coming out of these scenes.\n\nOf course, some would argue it’s not “mentoring” if it is your own chain of command.  Perhaps.\n\n<em><strong>The Benefits</strong></em>\n<ul>\n	<li>Getting to know frontline leaders at a deeper level</li>\n	<li>Leadership skill building</li>\n	<li>Working on real work together (I always learn something new)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Virtual Book Groups<a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/?s=answers+from+olivia\"> (Book Groups and Exercises)</a></h3>\n<em><strong>What it is</strong></em>\n\n<em><strong></strong></em>My team is spread out around the country, so we do this virtually.  It would work even better face to face.  I just tell my larger team what leadership book I am reading and offer for them to join me.  We then pick specific leadership behaviors we will work on and begin to \"experiment.\"   We don\'t just discuss, we do... and then discuss.  You can read about one such adventure in the above link.  Next we are reading Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman, and working on our \"multiplying behaviors.\"  Participation in these groups has grown exponentially.\n\n<em><strong>The Benefits</strong></em>\n<ul>\n	<li>Common language</li>\n	<li>New ideas</li>\n	<li>Encourages risk taking and trying new behaviors</li>\n</ul>\nThe time I spend on these programs is an investment that develops the talent, and goes a long way in building trust and transparency in the organization.  Plus, it is fantastic fun.\n<h3>Are you a leader who has facilitated your own leadership gig?  Please share...</h3>\n<h3>Or are you a coach, supporting such endeavors?  I would love to hear your stories...</h3>', 'DIY Leadership Development:  Easy Leadership Programs You Can Run Yourself', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'diy-leadership-development-easy-leadership-programs-you-can-run-yourself', '', '', '2012-09-19 06:00:29', '2012-09-19 11:00:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7360', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(17962, 307, '2012-09-20 14:00:58', '2012-09-20 19:00:58', '<h2><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7380 alignleft\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/clear-water-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" /></h2>\n<h2>Frustration!</h2>\nThe team and I had just invested three hours wrestling with significant issues.\n\nWe defined the criteria that would make for a good decision…we had healthy debate among different opinions…we listened…we looked for alternatives…we considered consequences to the organization…we pushed hard looking for the best answers…\n\nAnd finally we made a decision.\n\nOr we thought we did.\n<h2>What Happened?</h2>\n[<a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2012/09/how-to-get-clarity-accountability-and-results-in-5-minutes/\">Read More...</a>]', 'How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results in 5 Minutes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-get-clarity-accountability-and-results-in-5-minutes', '', '', '2012-09-20 14:00:58', '2012-09-20 19:00:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7379', 0, 'post', '', 0);
