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(18063, 290, '2013-03-05 06:17:37', '2013-03-05 12:17:37', '<strong>Leadership isn’t a solo endeavor.</strong>\n<h3><b>If you go it alone:</b></h3>\nYou will not have anyone to support you in <a title=\"Leadership &amp; the Art of Struggle\" href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2013/02/28/leadership-art-of-struggle/\" target=\"_blank\">challenging times</a>.\n\nYou will not have anyone to challenge you in troubling times.\n\nYou will not have meaningful conversations.\n\nYou will become stale in your ways.\n\nYou will become moldy in your ideas.\n\nYou will become paranoid.\n\nYou will become a jerk.\n\nYou will become insular.\n<h3><b>If you embrace and interact with a community:</b></h3>\n\nYou will trust people.\n\nYou will be entrusted.\n\nYou will interact.\n\nYou will act.\n\nYou will listen.\n\nYou will be heard.\n\nYou will learn and grow.\n\nYou will serve.\n\nYou will be a better person.\n\nYou will be a better leader.\n<h3><b>It takes a community to grow leaders.</b></h3>\nCommunity is about interaction, accountability, listening, sharing, and doing. Community is about engaging people who have knowledge, experiences, insights, words to guide and offer, ears to listen and understand, and accept diversity as a way to strengthen.\n\nLeadership is not always independence. It is always <a title=\"Happy Leadership Interdependence!\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/happy-leadership-interdependence/\">interdependence</a>.\n\nIf you are not interdependent with a community, then you need to find one. If you are interdependent with a community, then you need to be open to invite others in. Leading is through example and there is no better example than how you lead in a community.\n\nIn Lead Change, we are expanding our community to another channel. In Google+, there are wonderful conversations and exchanges happening. This is an <a title=\"Lead Change Google+ Community\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101604474820777716727\" target=\"_blank\">invitation to join the Lead Change social community</a> and share, learn, and grow together. Each week, we will post a question of the week. Join in with your perspective.\n\nDon’t make the <a title=\"Lead Change Google+\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101604474820777716727\" target=\"_blank\">Lead Change Google+</a> your only community though.\n\nGet out into your neighborhoods and surrounding areas and start a monthly lunch, breakfast, or some small group. These conversations and relationships will make you a better leader as well as those who engage with you.\n\n<b><i>How are you building your community? How are you becoming a better leader through community?</i></b>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Image from Veer with some rights and restrictions.</em>', 'It Takes a Community to Be a Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'it-takes-a-community-to-be-a-leader', '', '', '2013-03-05 06:17:37', '2013-03-05 12:17:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9108', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(18064, 318, '2013-03-11 12:17:05', '2013-03-11 17:17:05', '<blockquote>\"Let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest.  The blessing is in the seed.\"\n\nMuriel Rukeyser</blockquote>\nHow you begin matters.\n\nPrepare the team.  Reinforce the vision. Energize the plans.  Refresh the excitement.\n\nDo you begin well?\n<h2>A Sweet Story of Beginning Well</h2>\nThis Sunday,  I watched our youth choir director warming up the kids by playing a game.\n\nWhen she said <strong>\"Ready\"</strong> the kids all perfected their posture and looked at her with attentive eyes and big grins.\n\nThen, <strong>\"Not Ready\"</strong> they got to be as silly as they wanted...(they loved that).\n\nUntil she again said, <strong>\"Ready\"</strong> and they immediately assumed their sweet singing stance.\n\nBrilliant.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;\">Read more at </span><a style=\"font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;\" href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2012/10/04/beginning_well-2/\">Let\'s Grow Leaders</a>', 'Beginning Better:  9 Tips For Successful Starts', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'beginning-better-9-tips-for-successful-starts', '', '', '2013-03-11 12:17:05', '2013-03-11 17:17:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9124', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18065, 307, '2013-03-06 09:56:22', '2013-03-06 15:56:22', '\n<h2>How Can I Get Them to Listen?</h2>\nI love this question – it is honest, sincere, and you can probably identify with the frustration behind it.\n\nIn fact, the question in its original form comes from a mother of three asking about her children, and she qualified her questions: “Oh wait, wrong type of leadership?”\n\nTo which I respond…not at all. Influence is influence and every leader of any kind I’ve ever known can identify at times with the frustration of not being heard.\n<h2>Ask Yourself…</h2>\nWhen I coach leaders, sometimes I challenge them to reverse the situation…to put yourself in the team member’s role and think about how you would respond in a similar circumstance.\n\nIt’s powerful – you transform your perspective and often learn you have the answers within you.\n\nSo let’s try that here:\n\nWhen you are a team member, what has to happen for you to listen to your leader the first time, every time?\n\nIf you’re a human being, your answer is likely... [<a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/02/how-can-i-get-my-team-to-listen-to-me-the-first-time-every-time/\">Read More</a>]\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid', 'How Can I Get My Team to Listen to Me the First Time, Every Time', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-can-i-get-my-team-to-listen-to-me-the-first-time-every-time', '', '', '2013-03-06 09:56:22', '2013-03-06 15:56:22', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9148', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18066, 243, '2013-03-17 08:53:43', '2013-03-17 13:53:43', 'Thank you for reading this post and any other post published on this blog.  Just over three years ago, 15 people from 3 countries got together in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to consider the idea of the Lead Change Group.\n\nSince that time, people associated with the group have done hundreds of things, many of which aren\'t known to me.  However I am aware of a number of members who have connected, become friends, referred each other, done business with each other, created opportunities with others, helped people get contracts, and even jobs.\n\nOver the last 3 years, mostly because of people like you who stepped up and took an active role, we:\n<ul>\n	<li>Launched the community blog in July of 2010;</li>\n	<li>Became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2011;</li>\n	<li>Hosted 2 <a title=\"Tulsa Leadercast\" href=\"http://tulsaleadercast.com\" target=\"_blank\">Chick-fil-A Leadercasts</a> in Tulsa;</li>\n	<li>Formed a l<a title=\"Lead Change Tulsa\" href=\"http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3894560\" target=\"_blank\">ocal group in Tulsa</a> that has hosted 6 breakfast dialog meetings;</li>\n	<li>Got 21 members together to write <a title=\"The Character Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time\" href=\"http://characterbasedleader.com\" target=\"_blank\">a book</a> and sold over 1000 copies;</li>\n	<li>Published 1000 posts on the Lead Change Blog and received over 4000 comments;</li>\n	<li>Raised our traffic to around 1200 visitors on an average business day without having any real celebrities.  About 13,000 visitors a month come from Google.</li>\n	<li>We have over 60 Instigators;</li>\n	<li>We\'ve had about 100 blog post authors;</li>\n	<li>We have over 1200 people registered on our website, 2200 on the <a title=\"Lead Change Group on LinkedIn\" href=\"http://bit.ly/LeadChange\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn Group</a>, 2000 on the <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Facebook\" href=\"http://facebook.com/leadchangegroup\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook Page</a> and we just created a <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Google+\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/109323808438077217024/about\" target=\"_blank\">Google+ page</a>.</li>\n</ul>\nThank you for being a part of this success.  Just your awareness and reading our posts helps.  Connecting with people from this community helps. Simply deciding that today, just one day, you\'re not going to do what you\'ve always done helps. Our world needs people to lead from who they are and stop going with the flow. Thank you for being part of our effort to just <em>do something</em>.\n\nIn addition to continuing to increase our reach and connecting more character-based leaders, my personal goals this year are to:\n<ol>\n	<li>Help 4 other local group meetings take place in cities other than Tulsa;</li>\n	<li>Encourage 2 other local groups to create websites associated with Lead Change.</li>\n</ol>\nYou can help. You can become an Instigator or make a donation. You can write a post or connect and collaborate with anyone associated with this group. You can <a title=\"The Character Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time\" href=\"http://characterbasedleader.com\" target=\"_blank\">purchase the book</a> to share with friends.  You can invite a friend or join one of our conference calls.\n\nWhat are your plans for 2013?  Care to share?  I\'m not sure what anyone thought Lead Change would become when we met in February of 2010. You never know what you can do until you try. What would you like to accomplish and how can we help.  Share your thoughts below.', 'Three Years of Lead Change Group', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'three-years-of-lead-change-group', '', '', '2013-03-17 08:53:43', '2013-03-17 13:53:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9329', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18067, 294, '2013-03-21 12:28:16', '2013-03-21 17:28:16', '<strong>No nation in the history of the world has paid greater respect for the value of the individual voice than the United States.</strong>\n\nMoving into the 2012 holiday season, following an incredibly interesting political season has me reflecting on the nature of our political and work worlds — and their many parallels.\n\nIt is true that an effective democracy demands citizen engagement. Only those who choose to participate have any power because power comes not only through the ballot box, but by expressing our individual voice in the campaigns and regarding the issues. <a href=\"http://www.massingenuity.com/2012/12/03/democracy-work-and-employee-engagement/\">Read more..</a><em id=\"__mceDel\">..</em>', 'Democracy, Work and Employee Engagement', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'democracy-work-and-employee-engagement', '', '', '2013-03-21 12:28:16', '2013-03-21 17:28:16', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9035', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18068, 318, '2013-03-20 12:12:41', '2013-03-20 17:12:41', 'Joe (not his real name) began the team meeting by covering the team\'s scorecard and <a href=\"http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/keyperfindic.htm\">Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).</a>\n<blockquote> \"Great work on your sales KPIs, we\'re in the top-tier across the board.  We are so close to beating Sharon\'s district.  If everyone just sold one more today, I think we can do it!\n\nAlso, we seem to be struggling in the customer service KPIs.  We have a downward trend and there are 4 districts ahead of us.  I need more focus there across the board.  Janet, you are doing the best... so whatever you\'re doing keep it up.  Everyone else, I need you to try a bit harder.  Awesome.  Thanks everyone... now let\'s go make it a great day.  Remember, fantastic customer service!\"</blockquote>\nIf that sounds like a team huddle you\'ve ever been in, you know why I have a love/hate relationship with KPIs.  Joe\'s team may understand the KPIs, but they don\'t have a clue what they are supposed to do when they leave that meeting.\n\nWhat should they DO to sell one more?\n\nHow DO they improve the customer experience?\n\nRead more at <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2012/12/12/the-problem-with-kpis/\">Let\'s Grow Leaders</a>', 'The Problem With KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-problem-with-kpis-key-performance-indicators', '', '', '2013-03-20 12:12:41', '2013-03-20 17:12:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9136', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18069, 270, '2013-03-27 12:37:00', '2013-03-27 17:37:00', '\n\nAs many of you know I am in the midst of preparing for the adventure of a lifetime!  (A move overseas to the ONLY place in the world my husband and I said we never wanted to live.)  A few months have passed since we were asked to do this, and we are actually getting excited about <a title=\"Our Expat Journey\" href=\"http://consultgiana.com/the-expat-journey/\">our adventure</a>!\n\nAs we’ve been preparing for this transition, I’ve reached out to several people that have experience living outside of their home country.  <b>Those conversations have been inspiring, thought provoking and filled with insights that apply to life, not just international moves.</b>\n\n<strong>This is just a sample of their wisdom:</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li><em>“Every culture/nation has something beautiful and something vile.”  </em>~<a title=\"William Powell on Twitter\" href=\"https://twitter.com/LeadrshpAdvisor\">William Powell</a></li>\n	<li><em>“Stop worrying about what’s on Google or in the news reports.  Go out and form your own opinions.” </em>~ <a title=\"Alli Polin on Twitter\" href=\"https://twitter.com/AlliPolin\">Alli Polin</a></li>\n	<li><em>“Take it for what it is and jump in with both feet!” </em>~ Janet George</li>\n</ul>\n<h5><a title=\"Expats:  On Life and Leadership... Lessons from Around the World\" href=\"http://consultgiana.com/expats-on-life-leadership-lessons-from-around-the-world/#more-864\">Click here to read more...</a></h5>\n', 'Expats: On Life &#038; Leadership… Lessons From Around The World', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'expats-on-life-leadership-lessons-from-around-the-world', '', '', '2013-03-27 12:37:00', '2013-03-27 17:37:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9200', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18070, 244, '2013-03-22 12:34:43', '2013-03-22 17:34:43', 'On a group trip to Lake Tahoe I hooked up with a few people I didn’t know to ski with for the day. It turned out they were great skiers. Many of them were even former ski instructors. Following them had me push my own limits in ways I would likely not have on my own.\n\nI had to work hard just to keep up. As we stopped in front of a few rock outcroppings to catch our breath, I watched with a growing pit in my stomach as one by one they chose the path of the chute between the rocks.\n\nI found myself in a situation requiring that I “feel the fear and do it anyway” or quit and ask someone to send help.\n\nThat day on the slope, I learned more than just a valuable ski lesson. I learned a life lesson too.\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/lean-into-your-fear/\">Read More</a>', 'Lean Into Your Fear', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lean-into-your-fear', '', '', '2013-03-22 12:34:43', '2013-03-22 17:34:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9236', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18071, 244, '2013-03-26 12:33:14', '2013-03-26 17:33:14', 'When was the last time you asked for something you really wanted or even needed to support your dreams?\n\nAmanda Palmer ran one of the most successful crowd funding campaigns ever to raise money to support her music. The record company was not satisfied with her results with only 25,000 units sold, so to keep pursuing her art she took matters into her own hands. She set out to raise $100,000. She raised $1.1 Million.\n\nWhen people asked her how she got them to give her money she replied, \"I didn’t make them. I asked them. Through the very act of asking people you connect with them. And when you connect with people they want to help you.”\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/why-we-dont-ask-why-we-should-anyway/\">Read More</a>', 'Why We Don&#039;t Ask and Why We Should Anyway', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-we-dont-ask-and-why-we-should-anyway', '', '', '2013-03-26 12:33:14', '2013-03-26 17:33:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9246', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18072, 265, '2013-03-21 06:08:11', '2013-03-21 11:08:11', '<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Last year at the State Fair I saw a vendor selling rocks. These weren’t just any rocks. You could heat them up, put them in a blanket and they would keep you warm. They glowed a gentle red when heated and retained their temperature for a long time. The banner above the rocks read:</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Experience the Life Changing Warmth</strong></em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">‘Life Changing’ has become a common phrase to describe so many things. That movie was life changing. Our trip changed my life. It seems we’ve taken a fairly extraordinary description and used it so frequently that it can now be used to describe something as mundane as hot rocks. Like ‘awesome’, ‘radical’ or ‘unbelievable,’ ‘Life changing’ has become just another exclamation of the marginally beneficial but unusual experience.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It’s unfortunate. We lose something when we use our most vibrant, descriptive, and extreme words to explain the average. We lose the ability to speak honestly about our experiences. A death in the family is life changing. A major career move from one state to another is life changing. Getting married, having children, landing just the right business deal, discovering you’re adopted, deciding to adopt – these are life changing experiences.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There are, however, four questions that lead to genuinely life changing results. These four questions don\'t simply influence how things change, they are the standard by which we evaluate succes. They prescribe our culture, define our choices, and explain the unique characteristics that set us apart from everyone else. The speed and reach of your success are directly rated to how you answer these four questions.</p>\n\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What do you talk about?</h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Words matter. Like a programming language, words determine the thoughts we think. For example, in English we have one word for \'love.\'  I love my wife. I also love ice cream. In Greek there are four different words for \'love.\' Because the language is more descriptive the meaning I intend can be more precisely expressed. Finding and using the right words, in the right way at the right time, changes everything. Do you want a better culture in your business? Find better words. Do you want a better outcome from your team? Inspire them with well chosen words. Do you want to know what people care about, engage better with clients and become the solution to their problem or the one who empowers their dreams? Listen to what they talk about, then use those words to connect and influence. Words explain our choices and influence our thoughts and actions. Listen well and choose the right words.</p>\n\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What do you do?</h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The choices we make demonstrate what we believe. Everything else is just talk. Words may explain our intent, but actions define what we really value. What habits and practices do you or your business repeat everyday without much thought or effort? How do you react in stressful situations? How do you respond to success? If you want the outcome to be different, make a different choice. If you want your world to change, do something you\'ve not done before. The subtle answers to this question explain success and failure. They influence attitude and set the course for the future. You are where you are today because of the choices you made yesterday. Tomorrow\'s destination is determined by the decisions you make today. This isn\'t a skills statement, it\'s a practical one - <em>Know what you\'re doing, and why</em>.</p>\n\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What do you correct?</h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Practice is the systematic process of overcoming a series of small failures and reinforcing right choices. <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/7-best-practice-best-practices/\" target=\"_blank\">How do you practice?</a> What words, attitudes and actions will you correct? Is there something that pushes your buttons to the point of breaking? Like Popeye the Sailor Man, what causes you to \"Have all you can stands and you can\'t stands no more!\" That discontent leads you and influences others. What you correct defines how you play the game. \"Offsides!\" isn\'t a call you\'ll hear from an umpire. No one will shout \"home run!\" during March Madness. The meaning and method of your correction sets the limits of what is acceptable. Correction can empower and strengthen or diminish and destroy. Use it wisely.</p>\n\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What do you celebrate?</h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The old cliche\' says, \"What gets measured is what gets done.\" But that\'s not the whole truth. <em>What we celebrate is what gets done.</em> Why do children dream of becoming star athletes instead of multi-billion dollar corporate leaders or not-for-profit cultural engineers? We celebrate world-class athletes. Today, Little League is a multimillion dollar industry. In your workplace, how do you define the win and how do you celebrate your victories? The way we celebrate tells the story of what we value most. If correction defines the limits of the game we play, celebration sets the standard for what it means to be a champion.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Take time to apply these four questions to yourself, your family, your coworkers, clients, colleagues, and career. Your answers will reveal where you are and set the course for your next <em>life changing</em> step.</p>\n\n\n<hr />\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I have an idea for something to sell at the State Fair – A Bacon Wrapped Tootsie Roll Deep Fried on a Stick. I have no doubt it would sell. It may not rise to the level of life changing hot rocks, but I’m certain many would find themselves <em>moved</em> by the experience.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>', 'Life Changing: 4 Questions to re:Shape Everything', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'life-changing-4-questions-to-reshape-everything', '', '', '2013-03-21 06:08:11', '2013-03-21 11:08:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9254', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18073, 302, '2013-03-18 12:02:56', '2013-03-18 17:02:56', '[caption id=\"attachment_9291\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"120\"] The Path to Leadership<br />Source: istockphoto[/caption]\n\nAnyone can be a leader at any level at any time and start to bring about change wherever they are. This has been my journey and one that I know that any person who wants to make a difference can do to impact their circumstances and bring about change.\n\nRecently,  I published a follow-up article to talk about the responses I\'m receiving to a journal article published by the Cutter Consortium last fall. I hope it will encourage others to speak from the heart and begin their own journey of self-leadership. The world needs you to show up.\n\nRead more here....', 'The Path to Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-path-to-leadership', '', '', '2013-03-18 12:02:56', '2013-03-18 17:02:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9284', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18074, 288, '2013-03-22 06:13:04', '2013-03-22 11:13:04', '<p align=\"left\"><i>“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion” </i>– Dale Carnegie</p>\n<p align=\"left\">Although we would like to think conflict is avoidable in the workforce, it undoubtedly arises from time to time. Our first reaction may be to see it as something negative, but we must recognize that conflict is a normal, healthy outcome resulting from differences in opinion. It is likely to happen when the same people interact regularly and is an indicator that employees are actively sharing their thoughts and their opinions.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">The ability to resolve conflict effectively is a sign of good leadership, and should even be addressed during <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/organizational-development-human-resources-training/\">corporate training</a>. When dealt with properly, conflict can and should lead to constructive outcomes. Conflict can in fact help call attention to problems rooted in the workplace that need to be addressed. It can inspire creative problem-solving, and disagreements can even lead to new and innovative ideas.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">That being said, <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/conflict_resolution/\">conflict resolution</a> must be done practically and efficiently to avoid complicating the issue at hand. The way you respond to conflict will have an impact on how quickly it is resolved. Some people approach the situation too directly and point fingers, while others do not speak up confidently because they are afraid of hurting others’ feelings. There is a middle ground to both approaches.</p>\n<p align=\"left\">In order to find a resolution, you must understand the issue completely and be able to see other points of view. Empathy is a part of this process, and it will help you resolve the conflict in a way that is fair and professional.</p>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>1.     </b><b>Think Positively</b></p>\n<p align=\"left\"><b></b>Approach the situation with the expectation that it will resolve on a positive note. If you are upset or frustrated, and you let these feelings guide the way you deal with the situation, there is little chance you will be able to resolve it. Expect the best possible outcome, and this attitude will likely influence the feelings of those involved as well.</p>\n<b>2.     </b><b>Talk In-Person</b>\n\nThe best way to resolve conflict is by discussing it in-person. Find a convenient time and place to meet where you both feel comfortable and at ease. Also, decide beforehand how much time you will to spend discussing – this will make it a requirement that you arrive at a compromise by the time is up. Meeting face-to-face allows for better communication and a better understanding of the other person’s perspective.\n\n<b>3.     </b><b>Agree on the Problem</b>\n\nWhile you may not agree on a proposed solution after one attempt, at least agree on the problem. If you can both agree on what lies at the heart of the issue and address this, you will be able to propose steps toward a solution.\n\n<b>4.     </b><b>Consider Other Views</b>\n\nIt is a difficult thing to do, but take the time to understand the perspective of the other person. This is where empathy really comes into play. Think not only about the current problem but about past issues that may be contributing factors to the other person’s view. Never assume that you’re right; chances are, there are truths on both sides of the equation.\n\n<b>5.     </b><b>Be Self-Aware</b>\n\nBefore you approach the other person to talk, think about what you know of your personality. Do you know that you occasionally come across as aggressive? Or maybe your emotions easily influence your decisions. Be extra conscious of aspects of your personality that might hinder your ability to think logically and arrive at a compromise.\n\n<b>6.     </b><b>Seek Out Commonalities</b>\n\nInstead of focusing on your differences, seek out areas of common ground. Look for mutual goals and objectives, which will remind you of the need to be on the same page. If you can focus on what you agree upon, rather than what you do not, you will find it much easier to come up with a resolution. You may even find ways to prevent the conflict from occurring again in the future.\n\nWhat other strategies do you find effective for resolving conflict in the workplace?', 'Resolving Conflict in the Workplace Part I', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'resolving-conflict-in-the-workplace-part-i', '', '', '2013-03-22 06:13:04', '2013-03-22 11:13:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9368', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18075, 302, '2013-03-25 06:04:05', '2013-03-25 11:04:05', '[caption id=\"attachment_9420\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"] Flying south at 3,000 ft. in Blue Ridge Mountains<br />Source: Bill Fox[/caption]\n\nI\'ve always had a fascination with looking at things from a higher perspective. When I was growing up, I used to hike to the top of nearby hills to take pictures of the town where I lived. When I started flying, I was completely captivated by the change in perspective. Everything looks completely different at 3,000 ft. when you can see the entire landscape from the cockpit of a plane. It’s a much broader and more strategic perspective than you see from the small window while seated in a commercial airline plane.\n\nThis perspective has now just become a part of my work.  It initially showed up when I started to share some of my pictures with co-workers during meetings. I noticed that it transported them to a different place and changed their mood and energy. Then I started adding the ideas and pictures to presentations. At first I was reluctant to do this because it seemed so familiar and common place to me, and I wasn\'t sure if it would add value or if my intentions might be misunderstood. Every step of the way I got positive feedback, so I have progressed to wrapping ideas of reflection and higher perspective into everything I do.\n\n<b>Time in reflection is not time wasted, but rather time invested in seeing how everything interrelates and making sure you are headed in the right direction. </b>\n\nHere’s an example that I hope will help. One of my favorite flights is to fly south from Leesburg Executive Airport in Northern Virginia to Charlottesville Airport in central Virginia. Most of the flight tracks right along the Blue Ridge Mountains, but when you fly general aviation using visual flight rules you have tremendous freedom to chart your own course. Once you reach cruising altitude when beginning the trip (frequently 3,000)<ins cite=\"mailto:Lauren%20Fox\" datetime=\"2013-03-24T11:44\">,</ins> you can see the destination as a distant point on the horizon even though it’s 70 miles away. You can also see a lot of what’s in between. You see the mountains, where they rise and fall, valleys, rivers, towns, and the foothills along the way. You can quickly make some decisions on how you might want to alter the flight plan to stay away from hazardous rising terrain, where you might want to point the plane to pass between or around hazards, or where you might want to detour to see something that looks interesting. It’s a wonderful scenic flight especially in the early morning with the bright sun gleaming off the mountains. The whole big picture is there right in front of you. You can take it all in and make some pretty important decisions based on a bigger picture view of what’s ahead as you travel to your final destination.\n\nNow when I drive to the same destination, it’s typically a bit of a tortuous drive on congested winding roads with barely a moment where you can see the surrounding mountains. In effect, you’re stuck in the day to day details of getting from point A to B. You don’t have the opportunity or ability to take a big picture view and make some important decisions that will impact your journey. I can’t see that there may be an accident just 10 miles ahead and now is the best time to detour. In fact on one trip I remember looking down and seeing that exact scenario. I could see the flashing red lights of emergency vehicles and the traffic was backed up and at a standstill for many miles. In this scenario, you are mired in the details and can’t see the big picture that you need to make strategic decisions.\n\n<strong>Many often state that the most common failure of leadership is a lack of reflection. </strong> Use the metaphor of 3,000 ft. to take you out of your present circumstances to help you reflect more often.\n\n<em>How do you reflect on your leadership? How do you achieve the perspective needed to reach your ideal destination?</em>', 'Go to 3,000 ft. to Get a More Reflective Big Picture Perspective', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'go-to-3000-ft-to-get-a-more-reflective-big-picture-perspective', '', '', '2013-03-25 06:04:05', '2013-03-25 11:04:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9415', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18076, 243, '2013-03-26 06:13:50', '2013-03-26 11:13:50', 'One of our key goals for 2013 is that character-based leaders connect. To that end, we added a <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Google+\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/communities/101604474820777716727\" target=\"_blank\">Google+ community</a> to connect further in another social sphere and we had an Instigator call about starting local groups.\n\nWhile we believe we connect globally, for most of us, we will make our biggest impact locally. Sure someone might become the next John Maxwell or Ken Blanchard, but we can sell many fewer books and still make a significant impact in our sphere of influence. So in 2013, a big part of Lead Change Group\'s focus is to connect people in local communities.\n\nIn Tulsa, we\'ve hosted a number of breakfasts like the one depicted <a title=\"Local Leadership Impact | Lead Change Group\" href=\"/local-leadership-impact/\" target=\"_blank\">in this video</a> and we\'ve hosted 2 Chick-fil-A Leadercasts. And we\'re doing that again <a title=\"Tulsa Leadercast\" href=\"http://tulsaleadercast.com\" target=\"_blank\">this year too</a>. If you\'re in the Tulsa area and you\'d like to make 2013 the year you do something extravagant with your own personal leadership development, check out the Tulsa Leadercast venues. But right after that, in June, join us for our breakfast dialogue too.\n\nWe talked about the history of the Tulsa group and some lessons we\'ve learned in Tulsa.\n<ol>\n	<li>You have to start small. While we held a couple of planning meetings, our first project, the 2011 Tulsa Leadercast was organized by about 6 people.</li>\n	<li>You need a long vision. It took us 6 months to get the Leadercast planned and another 2 months to have our first breakfast.</li>\n	<li>You\'ll need to spend some money. The first Leadercast we actually made a little money, but that was after an up-front investment. Our breakfasts generally just break even.</li>\n	<li>And it will be a lot of work.</li>\n</ol>\nNothing valuable comes through ease.  Hard work toward a good cause produces great rewards. In Tulsa, people have connected, collaborated, done business together, even created training content and got speaking engagements because of involvement in Lead Change. Involvement in something bigger than ourselves demonstrates who we are and the best leaders lead from their \"who-they-are.\"  People you meet in this context see more than a transactional relationship. They see the person they can be when they join us on a community-sized vision.\n\nInstigators on our first call were from:\n<ol>\n	<li>New Jersey / New York City area - connect with <a title=\"Will Lukang\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/will_lukang\" target=\"_blank\">@Will_Lukang</a>;</li>\n	<li>Minneapolis, MN area - connect with <a title=\"Ryan Setter\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/ryansetter\" target=\"_blank\">@ryansetter</a>;</li>\n	<li>Nashville / Murfreesboro, TN area - connect with <a title=\"John Bossong\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/johnbossong\" target=\"_blank\">@JohnBossong</a>;</li>\n	<li>Montreal, Quebec, Canada area - connect with <a title=\"Sonia Di Maulo\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/soniadima\" target=\"_blank\">@soniadima</a>;</li>\n	<li>Los Angeles, CA area;</li>\n	<li>Enid, Oklahoma area;</li>\n	<li>Tulsa, Oklahoma area - connect with me.</li>\n</ol>\nPeople who have an interest who couldn\'t be on the call also hail from, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO, Raleigh, NC and Central and Southern Florida, Northern California, and Dallas, Texas.  Also, there is <a title=\"Authentic Leadership Cincinnati\" href=\"http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2149541\" target=\"_blank\">a large group, Authentic Leadership Cincinnati (OH)</a> that is part of this heritage too.\n\nIf you\'re in one of these areas, please Contact Us and we\'ll connect you with any of our friends in your local vicinity via LinkedIn or email. Also, stay tuned. We\'re going to have more of these calls this year. Maybe this is the year that you and 2 other friends change the world.\n<blockquote><em>\"Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.\"</em> Margaret Mead</blockquote>\nIf you\'re interested in expanding your vision to your community, here\'s <a title=\"Link to the call on Box.net\" href=\"https://www.box.com/s/8qrkjsj6z51jnnoyqpqr\" target=\"_blank\">a link to the whole call</a>. It\'s about an hour long and most of it is a history of the Tulsa group. But if you\'re interested, please stay tuned or comment below. Thanks.', 'Local Leadership Impact Part 2', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'local-leadership-impact-part-2', '', '', '2013-03-26 06:13:50', '2013-03-26 11:13:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9439', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18077, 243, '2013-03-30 08:47:15', '2013-03-30 13:47:15', 'In Tribes, Godin talks subtly about the transition in leadership from autocrat to servant. The section is titled The Posture of a Leader. He lists a series of shifts that we need to be aware of. For example, \"If you are a student in my class and you don\'t learn what I\'m teaching, I\'ve let you down.\"\n\nHe goes on, \"It\'s really easy to insist that people read the manual. It\'s really easy to blame the user/student/prospect/customer for not trying hard, for being too stupid to get it, or for not caring enough to pay attention.\"\n\nDo you find yourself blaming others? Do we blame those we would like to engage when we have failed to create something that inspires? I\'ve often wondered that related to Lead Change. Many people get involved but fail to do much. Some get engaged in an attempt to maximize their benefit from the group. Their relationship with Lead Change is transactional. I spoke with one person a few weeks ago who chose not to become an Instigator in Lead Change \"because I can get all of that for free elsewhere.\" To which I responded, \"You certainly can.\"\n\nI often wonder if I fail to explain the ideas about Lead Change Group in a way that people will hear. But I also understand there are (a growing) few who understand that leadership isn\'t something you get. Leadership is something you give. Developing as a leader requires that we learn to serve a larger purpose, team, goal, organization, tribe or community. Leaders serve people who share a common goal, objective or mission.\n\nThink about your team, organization or community. Do we continue to behave a particular way and expect people to respond differently than they did before? If I continue to whine about my team\'s performance, at some point is their performance my fault or theirs? If I continue to complain about politicians, maybe we get politicians who represent us, look like us and behave like us. Maybe I\'m not as different as I\'d like to believe. Maybe we\'re not who we think we are. Maybe we only have ourselves to blame.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Fotolia_39554769_XS.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-9454\" alt=\"Portrait of man lifting weights\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Fotolia_39554769_XS-300x199.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></a>Have you decided to do everything you can? What would happen if you took responsibility to change everything you could in a particular relationship or situation. What types of reactions would you get? Where can you take responsibility today and stop complaining about \"them\" or \"those people\"? There is no \"they\".\n<blockquote>\"We have met the enemy and he is us.\" Pogo - Walt Kelly, 1971</blockquote>\nMy hope is that Lead Change will be a place where we can be our best and bring our best self to make a positive difference. Who\'s stopping you from taking the lead? What can you do differently today?\n\nIn the summer of July 2010, we launched the community blog.  Since that time, we\'ve had a number of posts, comments, authors and members.  We just launched a new <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Google+\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/communities/101604474820777716727\">Google+ community</a> too, thanks to Jon Mertz and Susan Mazza. You don\'t like Google+, we\'ve got <a title=\"Lead Change Group on LinkedIn\" href=\"http://bit.ly/LeadChange\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn</a> and <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Facebook\" href=\"http://facebook.com/leadchangegroup\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook </a>too.  We keep trying new things to help people engage and take the lead.  But we don\'t have all the answers.  Heck, we don\'t even have most of the questions.\n\nBut we do have one good question: What can I do to make this community more valuable to you? Don\'t be afraid to share your thoughts. My dream is that Lead Change plays an integral part in your decision to change the world.\n\n<em>This is part 8 of a series on the history of the Lead Change Group outlined by examining the book <a title=\"Tribes by Seth Godin on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591842336&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=elevate-20\">Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us by Seth Godin</a>. For links to all the posts click here.</em>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © bst2012 - Fotolia.com</span>', 'The Posture of a Leader - Origins of Lead Change Part 8', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-posture-of-a-leader-origins-of-lead-change-part-8', '', '', '2013-03-30 08:47:15', '2013-03-30 13:47:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9453', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(18078, 314, '2013-03-29 06:12:00', '2013-03-29 11:12:00', 'Do you get distracted? Everyone does. You do. I do. Distractions are everywhere. Social media has made distractions the norm.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_8420\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"424\"] Fotolia[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWork. Distraction. Work. Distraction. Work. Distraction. Distraction. Distraction. Work. Now go home and help yourself to some more distractions.\n\nDistractions are dangerous. Distractions are costly.\n\nLeaders are faced with multiple distractions everyday. Distracted from the vision. What’s important and what matters. People matter.\n\nYou are in the people business. When your people succeed you succeed. They are not a distraction but an opportunity. An investment.\n\n<b>Distractions Leaders Need To Resist</b>\n\n#1 – <b>Social Media</b>. The tweet can wait, crucial conversations can\'t.\n\n#2 – <b>Email</b>. It’s not going to disappear. It will be there all day and all night. Schedule time but don’t be consumed with it.\n\n#3  - <b>Doing what is easy instead of what is right</b>. Character counts. Right counts. Integrity counts. Leading change matters.\n\n#4 – <b>Delaying the inevitable</b>. Handle the tough situations early in the morning. Get them out of the way. Don’t let them be a distraction all day. Don’t procrastinate.\n\n#5 - <b>It’s not all about you</b>. Don’t let pride distract you. Your people make you a success, not the other way around. Pride is the core of leadership failures.\n\n#6 – <b>Trying to please everyone</b>. You can’t and won’t please everyone. When you try to please everyone, it becomes one big distraction.\n\nThere is always something more to do. Another task to complete. Another distraction is just a distraction away.\n\n<b>Distractions Leaders Need To Embrace</b>\n\nIf you want to get distracted get distracted in a good way.\n\n#1 - <b>Immerse yourself.  </b>In the purpose and values of the organization. Live them. Model them. Get distracted.\n\n#2 – <b>Connect</b>. Really connect. Spend time with your people. Get to know them. Build relationships with them. Know more than their Twitter profile. Do they have children? Are they married? What are their hobbies? Don’t send an email when you can walk in their office across the hall. Connect face to face. One-on-one. It’s old school but effective.\n\n#3 – <b>Communicate</b>. Communicate the vision and expectations. A lot. When your people are sick of you talking about it, they are just starting to get it. Make sure every one knows their roles and expectations. Each person has a role.  They need to know exactly what they do, why and what the expectations are. Get distracted in communication.\n\nWhat distractions are hindering you? What distractions do you need to embrace? Resist and embrace. You decide.\n\nLead change!', '6 Distractions Leaders Need To Resist', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '6-distractions-leaders-need-to-resist', '', '', '2013-03-29 06:12:00', '2013-03-29 11:12:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9478', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(18079, 294, '2013-04-03 12:17:06', '2013-04-03 17:17:06', 'Unles</em><em>s we make the process of managing our enterprise visible, we cannot hope to have any control over its results.</em>\n\nSo much of what we do in organizational life is invisible – or perhaps more appropriately said, unconscious. When we are surprised by a shortfall or failure we can be assured it <em>was because we could not fully see \"how\" the work gets done and the mechanisms that drive it. </em>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><em id=\"__mceDel\">The impact is we have little influence over our results. The concept of visible work applies to the routine operations (fundamentals) as well as the special projects (breakthrough initiatives) of any organization. </em></p>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><em id=\"__mceDel\"><em id=\"__mceDel\"><a href=\"http://www.massingenuity.com/2012/12/10/seeing-is-controlling/\">Read more...</a></em></em></p>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><em id=\"__mceDel\"><em id=\"__mceDel\"><a href=\"http://www.massingenuity.com/2012/12/10/seeing-is-controlling/\"> .</a></em></em></p>', 'See is Controlling', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'see-is-controlling', '', '', '2013-04-03 12:17:06', '2013-04-03 17:17:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9038', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(18080, 306, '2013-04-02 06:09:06', '2013-04-02 11:09:06', 'Have you noticed how frequently the word ‘coaching’ is used these days? You don’t read an article, attend a leadership workshop, or even speak with managers without ‘coaching’ being generously referenced.  It’s used to describe the act of:\n<ul>\n	<li>Helping someone do something</li>\n	<li>Chewing others out</li>\n	<li>Passing along information</li>\n	<li>Delegating a task</li>\n	<li>Recognizing what’s gone well</li>\n	<li>Giving feedback</li>\n	<li>Teaching a skill</li>\n</ul>\nIt seems that for many, ‘coaching’ has grown to generically refer to any interaction a leader might initiate... much like Kleenex’s relationship to all other tissue. But, not all conversations are coaching; and coaching certainly is not Kleenex!\n\nAs leaders, many of us have gotten sloppy with our language. Maybe it’s because we know that coaching is a desirable behavior within most organizations. Or maybe we want to couch tougher conversations in constructive packaging. In any case, the lack of precision around our language translates to a lack of precision around our behavior... and that’s compromising the power of coaching.\n<h2><strong>Defining Terms</strong></h2>\n&nbsp;\n\nConsider just a few coaching definitions:\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\">“Facilitating an individual’s search within themselves for the answers and resources they require to be limitless.\"<em>\n- Michael Duffy</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\">“Coaching in its truest sense is giving the responsibility to the learner to come up with their own answers.”\n<em>- Vince Lombardi</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\">“Coaching is a powerful relationship for people who are making important changes in their lives.”\n<em>- Laura Whitworth in Co-Active Coaching</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"right\">“Coaching is the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another.”<em>\n- Myles Downey</em></p>\nWhen we think about coaching from the perspective of these sample definitions, it becomes clear that coaching is an intentional and deliberate process designed to systematically help others understand themselves and take responsibility for making choices to support their own growth.\n<h2><strong>Deploying the Definition</strong></h2>\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is easier said than done for many of us. Yet, reflecting back on the best coaches I’ve ever had, I realize they share three key practices:\n\n<strong>They ask great questions</strong>.... and lots of them. Coaching is about unlocking what the other person knows, feels, wants. Skillful coaches have a seemingly unending array of questions at their disposal. Easy ones. Challenging ones. Interesting ones. Impossible ones. But all designed to help others reflect on and deepen their understanding of themselves and their options.\n\n<strong>They listen exquisitely.</strong> Since questions are the currency of coaching, the real payoff comes with listening. The best coaches are genuinely curious and interested. They listen beyond the words - to the emotions, hopes, possibilities, and concerns. They keep track of what they’ve heard, tuck it away, and use it to continually build a deeper understanding of the other person...and they reflect that understanding back to the other person.\n\n<strong>They hold the space for possibilities.</strong> In the presence of good coaches, more is possible.  The best coaches inspire and challenge others to grow by fundamentally knowing that it’s possible. They promote optimism and a sense of capability as they make change and help others find new ways forward.\n\nCoaching is a powerful act that drives learning, development, and performance. Let’s use the word more intentionally. It’s not feedback, corrective action, or delegation.  And it’s certainly not Kleenex.\n\n<em><strong>What’s your definition of coaching?</strong> What did your best coaches do for you?</em>\n\nImage: www.123rf.com and Liz Price', 'Coaching is Not Kleenex', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'coaching-is-not-kleenex', '', '', '2013-04-02 06:09:06', '2013-04-02 11:09:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9442', 0, 'post', '', 13),
(18081, 243, '2013-04-13 08:18:36', '2013-04-13 13:18:36', '<em>This is part 9 of a series on the history of the Lead Change Group outlined by examining the book <a title=\"Tribes by Seth Godin on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591842336&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=elevate-20\">Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us by Seth Godin</a>. For links to all the posts click here.</em>\n\nIf you\'ve been reading any of these Origins of Lead Change posts you know our group proves much of what Godin has written about in Tribes. Toward the end of the book there are 2  sections that resonate with me.  One is titled <em>Which Would You Prefer: Trial or Error? </em> and the section immediately following it is <em>Positive Deviants.</em>\n<h2>Trial Or Error</h2>\nIn Trial and Error, Godin adds emphasis to his own line, <em>\"If your organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either.\" </em>\n\nI\'ve always wanted to work at a company where it was OK to screw up.  The idea behind Lead Change is if we want a new generation of leaders to change the world, we\'re going to have to let them try. In fact, most of growing up and most of developing in leadership is the art of risking, creating, and managing error. You can\'t learn to walk or ride a bike if you are afraid of falling. You can\'t learn to lead unless you are willing to risk screwing up.\n<h2>Screw Up In Gear</h2>\nI want my default behavior every day to be action. If we\'re going to do anything, let\'s do it all the way. My bias for action reduces my chance of at least one type of mistake: the mistake of inaction. If I\'m going to screw up, I plan to screw up in gear.\n<h2>Positive Deviants</h2>\nSignificant change will only come from a group of people who commit before success is guaranteed. Godin goes on in the section <em>Positive Deviants</em> to make the most profound thought (for me) in the entire book. Where \"management\" attempts to stamp out deviants, leaders understand change is necessary and \"employees who are committed to change and making things happen are happier and more productive.\" Therefore, \"it\'s not hard to come to the conclusion that you desperately need more leaders,more deviants - more agents of change, not fewer.\"\n\nIf we\'re going to address the problem of leadership in our world, we\'re not going to do it by all reading the same books by the same authors. We\'re not going to do it by attending the same schools and doing things the same ways. We\'re going to mobilize the deviants - those people who are willing to embrace change and make things happen - those very people who are going to experience trial and error.\n\nIf we can\'t handle some error, we\'ll never improve.\n<h2>Embracing Error</h2>\nLead Change is that group that will embrace deviance. Character-based leadership <em>can never be</em> the same in multiple people. By our nature we are all different. We need a world with billions of leaders acting out of who they are, taking responsibility and risk in order to make a positive difference. My best energy shows up for the idea of having a place where people can develop their character-based leadership and make some errors along the way.\n\nWhere does your best energy show up? Don\'t settle for safe. Bring your best energy and your wildest imagination to make a positive difference in the world. Drop us a note below, or on <a title=\"Lead Change Group on LinkedIn\" href=\"http://bit.ly/LeadChange\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn</a>, <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Facebook\" href=\"http://facebook.com/leadchangegroup\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook</a> or <a title=\"Lead Change Group on Google+\" href=\"http://j.mp/10fYaJK\" target=\"_blank\">Google+</a> how we can help.  You can screw up here.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © Joanna Zielinska - Fotolia.com</span>', 'Errors and Deviants - Origins of Lead Change Group Part 9', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'errors-and-deviants-origins-of-lead-change-group-part-9', '', '', '2013-04-13 08:18:36', '2013-04-13 13:18:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9495', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18082, 290, '2013-04-04 06:10:29', '2013-04-04 11:10:29', 'Yes, it takes <a title=\"It Takes a Community to Be a Leader\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/it-takes-a-community-to-be-a-leader/\">a community to be a leader</a>. There is another side to the equation, too. It takes leaders to be a community, to empower a community.\n\nA community is a group of people. When leadership is mixed in, the community begins to bloom. It enlivens people to <a title=\"Empathy: Making the Connection\" href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2013/03/13/empathy-making-the-connection/\" target=\"_blank\">show empathy</a>, act for broader goodness, and build relationships that lift all up. Leadership is essential for communities to be the best they can be.\n\nTo be a <a title=\"Local Leadership Impact Part 2\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/local-leadership-impact-part-2/\">leader in a community</a> carries a certain responsibility. At a minimum, there are four areas of responsibilities that need to be exemplified by a leader.\n<h2><strong>Four Leadership Responsibilities</strong></h2>\n<b>#1: Encourage diversity.</b> Leaders need to embrace differences. Different perspectives, talents, and abilities make a community stronger. As a leader, we need to bring these differences together to refine and reinforce what can be done when all work toward a common purpose.\n\nThere is more than one way to solve problems or move initiatives forward. Through listening, finding points of commonality, and inspiring meaningful actions, leaders can enable the uniqueness into a stronger community foundation.\n\n<b>#2: Engage others.</b> There may be pockets of people sitting on the sidelines. We have a choice:  leave them alone or determine how to get them involved. Leaders engage others, no matter where they are or what their mindset may be. Some people may require a hand extended to pull them into action. Others may require a hand up to lift them to a platform of engagement. A leader needs to engage others and get all off the sidelines.\n\n<b>#3: Activate action.</b> Diverse, engaged individuals lead to the next step of acting for a common good. Someone needs to make the call to act. Someone needs to activate a community to act. Leaders need to dig deep within and inspire others so they also act from within. It is the spur to gain attention. It is the seeds planted to harvest abundance of action. It is the talk converted to tangible next steps. This is what leaders in a community do. This is spirited leadership.\n\n<b>#4: Enhance the foundation.</b> Leaders care for the foundation. A foundation needs to be deep and supportive. To build a community foundation, trust needs to be the piers and integrity in all interactions needs to be the beams. Leaders need to put the right foundation in place and then care for it. This foundation supports many, many others, so it needs to be strong, welcoming, and empowering.\n<h2><b>An Important Formula</b></h2>\nThere are two sides of an equation for strong leaders and strong communities. A community builds strong leaders. Leaders build strong communities. One cannot be done without the other.\n\nWhile our call may be simple, our efforts require much. Neither can be taken for granted, and both need to be undertaken by leaders and community members alike. We need to:\n<ul>\n	<li>Encourage diversity</li>\n	<li>Engage others</li>\n	<li>Activate action</li>\n	<li>Enhance the foundation</li>\n</ul>\nWe need to connect with our communities to advance society forward purposefully.\n<h3><b><i>What would you add to the responsibilities required to empower and lead a community?</i></b></h3>', 'It Takes Leaders to Be a Community', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'it-takes-leaders-to-be-a-community', '', '', '2013-04-04 06:10:29', '2013-04-04 11:10:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9543', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(18083, 325, '2013-04-11 06:17:24', '2013-04-11 11:17:24', 'At a time when companies are looking for ways to reduce costs and become more productive, <a href=\"http://www.octanner.com/what-we-do/employee-recognition\">employee recognition</a> can be a powerful force for engaging employees and unleashing their full potential. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for managers to underestimate the power of employee recognition. They treat it like a warm fuzzy concept instead of a tool for rewarding and reinforcing employee actions and behaviors that lead to more and better work. Since managers play an important role in implementing recognition programs in the workplace, here’s a look at some of the key essentials for making those programs successful.\n<h2>Clarity</h2>\nManagers must be crystal clear in laying out the terms and conditions of an employee recognition program. This means spelling out the objectives of the program clearly and concisely, including all requirements for qualifying for recognition along with any time frames that may apply. Any vagueness in explaining the program will only cause employee confusion, diluting the program’s overall effectiveness.\n<h2>Fairness</h2>\nBy definition, an employee recognition program must be fair. In other words, all employees should be eligible for recognition. Managers who “play favorites” with employees to any degree need to recognize that by so doing they are effectively killing their employee recognition program by undermining its credibility. Favoritism also exacts a toll on employee morale. Creating a level playing field where employees know they can be fairly recognized for setting and achieving worthwhile performance goals is a great motivator.\n<h2>Relevance</h2>\nAlong with being fair to all employees, a recognition program must be relevant to all employees. To put it in simple terms, the days of the gold watch are dead. Today’s managers must take into account the various values and expectations of a multigenerational workforce and then determine the proper reward accordingly. One approach managers can use to get a better feel for the types of rewards that will best motivate employees of various age demographics is to ask them in an anonymous survey. Not only will this result in a more relevant reward, it will also help to show employees that their managers genuinely care about them.\n<h2>Timeliness</h2>\nWhen an employee exhibits an action or behavior that deserves attention, recognition will be much more effective if given as soon as possible. After all, we live in a world where technology has made instant gratification more the rule than the exception. Managers who postpone recognition for a job well done clearly fail to recognize the power that a quick and appropriate show of appreciation has to motivate both the recipients of praise and their coworkers to continue in the pursuit of excellence. While every effort should be made for managers to give recognition personally and in real time, if that is not feasible a personal phone call or letter expressing the manager’s appreciation should occur as quickly as possible.\n<h2>Sincerity</h2>\nStudies have shown that showing genuine appreciation in small and personal ways can do more to increase employee morale, motivation, and productivity than public gestures involving money and gifts. After all, cash comes from corporate funds and gifts can easily be purchased online. But a personal gesture such as a handshake, a pat on the back, or a hand-written note expressing thanks for a job well done can have a powerful and lasting impact.', 'Unleashing the Power of Employee Recognition: A Leader’s Role', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'unleashing-the-power-of-employee-recognition-a-leaders-role', '', '', '2013-04-11 06:17:24', '2013-04-11 11:17:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9562', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18084, 251, '2013-04-10 06:03:32', '2013-04-10 11:03:32', 'I find Nike’s decision to use an uber dose of swagger and to fuel controversy with its <i>winning takes care of everything </i>ad campaign a mesmerizing exercise in social culture. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So are responses from some sportswriters:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Jay Busbee sharing the truth he believes many of us are missing, <em>“Nike is doing this to get under your skin. Come on. They knew the sanctimonious types would get upset about this. It’s just an ad.”</em></span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">David Gianatasio offering his soothing advice that<em> “this is a blip that quickly stirs passions but has no lasting effect. By next week it will be all but forgotten.”</em></span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Well, it’s now next week, and I haven’t forgotten. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Perhaps understanding unintended consequences is the domain of sanctimonious (goodness, never thought I’d embrace that word!) folks who take a broader view of how character is developed and the insidious impacts social culture – those “blip” things like ad slogans – can have on it.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In “The Distorted Mirror:  Reflections on the Unintended Consequences of Advertising,” Richard A. Pollay writes:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">“[Advertising] is designed to attract attention…to change attitudes, and to command our behavior.”</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">The goal of advertising is to persuade people to buy so it’s a “process of change for cognition, attitudes, behaviors and values.”</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">“Advertising provides us with vocabulary:  a set of words and the concepts they express with which we structure our perceptions and judgments, defining in large measure how ‘reality’ is conceived.”</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Attitudes, behaviors, values, perceptions, reality. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Some heavy hitting areas that impact our orientation toward winning, toward leading ourselves and others.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Many of us make a determined effort to ignore ads and blow off their messages. But, despite those good intentions, we may not be immune. Studies into advertising persuasiveness led by John T. Cacioppo and Richard E. Petty unfortunately reveal that the:</span></span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">“…circumstances under which people are the least sensitive to the quality of an argument are the same situations in which they are most likely to be swayed by very superficial cues such as the attractiveness of a speaker, his or her reputation, or even how many arguments are made – regardless of their content.” </span></span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Christian End, a psychologist at Xavier University, points a finer point on how people think about winning:</span></span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">“The tendency that we tend to find over and over again in the research is that people like to associate with winners, because if I associate with a winner others are going to perceive me as a winner, too.”</span></span></blockquote>\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Using Tiger and saying <i>winning takes care of everything</i> implies that the ends justify the means; that everything’s fine provided one wins; that winning is the ultimate success and cure-all; and that ethics and integrity are irrelevant provided one is on top of the winning heap. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Character has been defined as our “inward values that determine our outward actions.” We’re exposed to anywhere from 300 to 5,000 ad messages a day. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">That’s a lot of opportunity for unintended consequences. For children, for adults, for leaders.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So what’s a character-based leader to do? </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Stay aware that unintended consequences work both positively and negatively; aim always for the high road. Recognize the psychology of advertising; be vigilant in resisting its efforts to modify our values and attitudes. Take charge and take care in educating those around you who get sucked into the culture of consumerism at the expenses of principles. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Be content. Be enough. </span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Be skeptical; your mom was right when she told you if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.</span></span>\n<blockquote><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” ~Mark Twain</span></span></blockquote>', 'Character and winning', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'character-and-winning', '', '', '2013-04-10 06:03:32', '2013-04-10 11:03:32', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9611', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(18085, 308, '2013-04-08 06:14:04', '2013-04-08 11:14:04', 'For two weeks in March I had the good fortune to visit five senior secondary schools in Shanghai, China. It was wonderful to be immersed in a different culture and educational system. The expectation going into this excursion was that I would observe contrasts in our cultures and that indeed occurred. However, I was also surprised to observe many similarities. That observation came through the visits to the schools and classrooms. What I observed were teachers and students learning through discussion and inquiry. Positive relationships were being built, good rapport was established between teachers and students and learning was taking place. The most effective classrooms also had teachers utilizing available technology and resources to engage students in learning about their country and the world.  I did observe one limitation and that became apparent after talking to the students.\n\nThat limitation was that the students in almost all of the schools were not trusted to freely access the internet and use resources to enhance their learning opportunities. You may not be aware but social media sights such as Facebook and Twitter cannot be accessed in China. The students are clearly aware of social media and would love the opportunity to be able to use it freely. They question why they are not trusted not only to use social media but also to be able to access the internet without strict supervision.\n\nThere is always a chance that students will use and access the internet inappropriately. That chance exists here in our North American schools however, when we extend trust, trust is built. <a title=\"The Speed of Trust\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/SPEED-Trust-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/1416549005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1365146969&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+speed+of+trust\" target=\"_blank\">Stephen M.R. Covey</a> shares that, <strong>\" To extend trust is based on the principles of empowerment, reciprocity, and a fundamental belief that most people are capable of being trusted, want to be trusted, and will run with trust when it is extended to them. The opposite of extending trust is to withhold trust, which creates an enormous cost everywhere, especially in organizations.\"</strong>\n\nThe Chinese students I spoke to made a great point and would most likely agree with Covey\'s statement. Withholding trust to the students in the Chinese schools may not only be costing the students greater opportunities to learn, as Covey further shares, <strong>\"Distrust occurs and people tend to not trust people who don\'t trust them.\"</strong> I was not in the schools and classrooms long enough to observe this; however, I believe Covey\'s contention.\n\nContrast this lack of trust with this delightful and affirming story of leadership by a courageous student and a caring teacher. Sasha, a grade one student in a grade one/two multi-aged class, was so excited to participate in the much anticipated Primary Days of Music. This is an annual event where primary students from across the school district learn and perform songs at a district wide gathering of primary school choirs. Unfortunately, and much to Sasha’s  sadness, only the grade two students in her class were scheduled to attend the district event, thereby leaving Sasha and her grade one classmates out of luck. Unlike many of us who would grudgingly accept and/or complain, Sasha decided to let her feelings be known by writing a letter to her teacher, Mrs. I.\n\n<strong><em>*To Mrs. I,</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>I dont thik its fare thet the grad Ones lrned all the wrds and all the acshins and all the songs ant the grad Ones cant go to primary days of mousic. Why couldn’t the grad Ones go to primary days of mousic, and the grad twos and threes did? Last year the grad Ones got to go to primary days of mousic!</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>ples write a note back </em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>Love Sasha.</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>*exact copy of Sasha’s letter</em></strong>\n\nMuch to Sasha’s and her mother’s delight, Mrs. I responded and delivered a sealed and decorated envelope to Sasha thoughtfully explaining the reasons why the grade ones could not attend. Mrs. I, summarized her letter with, <strong>“Thanks again for expressing your voice. It is always important to speak your mind.”</strong> Apparently, Sasha felt a lot better about missing the Primary Music Days after her teacher took the time to listen and to respond. Sasha’s mother expressed this by stating:\n\n<strong>“She had been heard.  She had been listened to. Her voice mattered.”  </strong>\n\nSasha had the courage to let her feelings be known and felt compelled to do so. Clearly, Mrs.I, as her thoughtful and empathetic response demonstrates, has diligently created a safe, caring, and trusting classroom culture where students can express their concerns and questions openly without distrust or fear. I believe that the Chinese students would value and embrace such an environment, an environment that encourages and extends trust. In fact, all of us would appreciate this.\n\nWe can all learn a lesson from Sasha\'s courageous act and Mrs. I\'s heartfelt response and her successful efforts at creating a trusting classroom environment.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>There is nothing that motivates or inspires people like having trust extended to them. When it is, people don\'t need to be managed or supervised; they manage themselves.  <a title=\"Speed of Trust\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/SPEED-Trust-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/1416549005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1365146969&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+speed+of+trust\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Covey, 2006</em></a></strong></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><em>When have you been extended trust? Do you genuinely extend trust to others? Describe how you felt when you were immersed in a  situation where trust was not extended to you. </em></strong></p>', 'Trust and Distrust - Contrasting Outcomes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'trust-and-distrust-contrasting-outcomes', '', '', '2013-04-08 06:14:04', '2013-04-08 11:14:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9651', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18086, 252, '2013-04-16 06:36:14', '2013-04-16 11:36:14', '<h2><strong>5 Ways to Prevent Your Employees from Turning into the Walking Dead</strong></h2>\nZombies are in vogue right now.  I confess I’m a fan of TV show The Walking Dead.  I turn my head away at the zombie action, but I am attracted to the human stories, the drama, and the symbolism.\n<h3>Do you want zombies working for you?</h3>\nThe only aspect of zombie behavior that might be a useful in the workplace is their intense, singular focus. As with anything taken too far, the results can be disastrous. Let’s say that this potentially risky approach is not something we want to perpetuate or reinforce in your employees.\n<h4>What you want is the “anti-Walking Dead.”</h4>\nAs a leader, make sure your employees aren’t just on auto-pilot, but instead engaged, energized and thriving, using those creative and discerning brains in their heads.\n<h4>Appeal to their magnificently human brains.</h4>\n<h3>1.  <strong>Foster creativity.</strong></h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You are not doing your organization any favors by not making room for humans’ natural attraction to creativity.  Do you know who of your employees needs room for creativity?  Some need it more than others. In fact could it be that the reason some are not performing or thriving in their current jobs --there is just not enough opportunity to be creative. Or <i>they</i> think there isn’t. Explore this with your employees.</p>\n\n<h3>2.  <strong>Cultivate autonomy</strong>.</h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Do you have a tendency to micro-manage? Even with the best of intentions, you could be inhibiting your employees from realizing how much control they have over their own environment.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Are outdated processes or habits hindering your employees from making adjustments that would streamline processes or eliminate waste? Do they know they can question things, and what is within their power to change? Check in with employees to make sure they know where they have space to maneuver.</p>\n\n<h3><strong>3.  Encourage and reward initiative.</strong></h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">This one is on the heels of autonomy. Once your employees know what they have the freedom to impact, you can even help them orchestrate success by coaching them on where they have room to step out, and what that would look like. Avoid setting them up for failure and get more of the behavior and performance you are looking for – an important first step toward increased initiative.</p>\n\n<h3><strong>4.  Create a safety zone.  </strong></h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">We humans function better when we know what success looks like, but also what happens when we don’t deliver. Do your employees know what to expect from you when they don’t meet expectations or objectives? What’s your typical response when they need coaching, time, or resources?</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Check your own behavior.  Create an environment so they are willing and able to tell you bad news before it’s so bad.</p>\n\n<h3><strong>5.  Facilitate a sense of belonging</strong>.</h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">So, where does “belonging” fit at work?  Many people feel like a gear in the machine of their organization, and are not sure anyone really cares about them otherwise.  According to Maslow’s Hierarchy, “belonging” needs must be addressed before people can function well at problem solving, creativity or achievement — pretty handy traits to have in your employees.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Do your employees know how their role fits in the big picture of the organization?  Do they know how their unique skills or qualities contribute to the success of the organization?  Don’t assume they do. Give them a reason to care and to feel a part of something bigger than them.</p>\nEven if you don’t have an impending zombie apocalypse at your workplace, any organization can benefit by more engaged employees.\n\n<em>What do you do to ensure your employees are not just on auto-pilot and are using the fantastically unique and creative human brains in their heads?</em>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Image courtesy of flickr user theogeo.</span>', 'Defend Your Workplace Against the Zombie Apocalypse', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'defend-your-workplace-against-the-zombie-apocalypse', '', '', '2013-04-16 06:36:14', '2013-04-16 11:36:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9681', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18087, 276, '2013-04-12 06:12:04', '2013-04-12 11:12:04', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/dennis-bakke-small.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9711\" alt=\"dennis-bakke-small\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/dennis-bakke-small-168x300.jpg\" width=\"168\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nDennis W. Bakke is a CEO and an entrepreneur.  He is currently the manager of Imagine Schools, a commercial charter school.  He is also an author of <i>Creating Abundance,</i> published in 1984,  the best seller <i>Joy of Work: A Revolutionary approach to fun on the job, </i>published in 2005, <i>Purpose Matters, </i>published in 2008, and most recently, <i><a href=\"http://decisionmakerbook.com/\">The Decision Maker</a></i>.\n\nA month ago, Mike Henry asked if anyone was interested in writing a review of Dennis Bakke\'s book <i>The Decision Maker</i>. I did some research and decided to jump at the opportunity to review the book.\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-decision-maker.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-9712\" alt=\"The decision maker\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-decision-maker-208x300.png\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n<i>The Decision Maker</i> is a byproduct of the things that Mr. Bakke used while building up AES to a fortune 200 company.   Employee engagement is at the heart of the transformation at AES. He believed in creating a fun work environment that starts with employee engagement.\n\nFrom an employee engagement perspective, this is the best book I\'ve read in years. What amazes me is that the concepts and application are not rocket science, but for some reason most companies do not embrace the idea of letting people closest to the problem make decisions. The advice process described in the book is an effective way of getting everyone involved.\n\nWhen management comes up with a new program, employees are often skeptical about the purpose and value it brings.  Therefore it is important for management to make sure that any program must be well thought out and that the right people must be engaged. Many a time, I’ve seen that companies try to put lipstick on a pig. Nice furniture, library, or programs that do not last because they failed to connect and secure the buy-in of their employees.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em> “Treat people like people, not machines.”</em>  —Dennis Bakke</p>\n In conclusion, I\'m of the opinion that an employee does not only come to work for a paycheck. They want a sense of accomplishments and in return they want recognition for their contributions to the organization. The fact of the matter is that employees spend 1/3 of their life at work. Therefore it is important to not only provide a means of livelihood but a sense of belonging that includes personal and career development.\n\nFor those who are interested in connecting with their employees, this is the perfect book for you to engage your employee. Remember that happy employees can help improve the bottom line. It is worth noting that leaders do not necessarily have all the information needed in order to make the right decision. By putting the decision-making opportunity in the hands of people who are closest to the problem, you can unlock their potential. Feel send me an email <a href=\"mailto:will.lukang@gmail.com\">will.lukang@gmail.com</a> to let me know your thoughts about the book. The book won’t disappoint.', 'Book Review of The Decision Maker by Dennis Bakke', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'book-review-of-the-decision-maker-by-dennis-bakke', '', '', '2013-04-12 06:12:04', '2013-04-12 11:12:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9710', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18088, 316, '2013-04-15 12:35:30', '2013-04-15 17:35:30', '<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422144135/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-2&amp;pf_rd_r=1MJTE680961REDKFE49B&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=1389517282&amp;pf_rd_i=507846\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignleft\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.youtrend.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dorieclark.jpg\" width=\"128\" height=\"192\" /></a>In the midst of getting back from Bangkok, heading to Las Vegas and officially launching her new book,  <a href=\"http://amzn.to/VzNRkZ\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future</em></a>, <a href=\"http://dorieclark.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Dorie Clark</a> took the time to guest post!\n\n\"<em>As a leader, it’s painfully easy to be misinterpreted. If you want your message to get out intact – whether it’s about who you are as a leader, or the vision you have for your company – you need take a step too few executives bother to do: create your leadership narrative. You don’t </em>have<em> to have a leadership narrative; plenty of executives and companies get by without one. But what they’re missing is the sense of meaning a narrative can bring.</em>\"\n\nRead more<a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/4/7/whats-your-leadership-narrative.html\"> here.</a>', 'What’s Your Leadership Narrative?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'whats-your-leadership-narrative', '', '', '2013-04-15 12:35:30', '2013-04-15 17:35:30', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9757', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18089, 243, '2013-04-10 12:18:12', '2013-04-10 17:18:12', '<a href=\"http://surviveyourpromotion.com/2013/04/10/book-review-the-character-based-leader/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7505\"><img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-7505 alignright\" alt=\"The Character Based Leader Cover\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/The-Character-Based-Leader-Cover-125x125.png\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" /></a>Katy Tynan recently <a title=\"Katy Tynan\'s Book Review: The Character-Based Leader\" href=\"http://surviveyourpromotion.com/2013/04/10/book-review-the-character-based-leader/\">wrote a review</a> of our book, <a title=\"The Character Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time\" href=\"http://characterbasedleader.com\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time</em></a> over on her blog, <a title=\"Survive Your Promotion\" href=\"http://surviveyourpromotion.com\">Survive Your Promotion</a>.\n\nWe\'re grateful for the post.  Some of her comments include:\n<ul>\n	<li>\"not a leadership book in the traditional sense\"</li>\n	<li>\"collection of perspectives on leadership and the role of character in the definition of leadership\"</li>\n	<li>\"a strong core message that runs through all of the disparate voices in the book\"</li>\n	<li>\"a great book written by a number of the members of the <a title=\"Lead Change Group\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Lead Change Group</a>. <a title=\"The Character Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time\" href=\"http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershop/9781457512223.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Character-Based Leader...\"</a></li>\n</ul>\nPlease take a minute and check out this <a title=\"Katy Tynan\'s Book Review: The Character-Based Leader\" href=\"http://surviveyourpromotion.com/2013/04/10/book-review-the-character-based-leader/\" target=\"_blank\">great review</a>!  Thanks Katy!\n\n&nbsp;', 'Book Review: The Character-Based Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'book-review-the-character-based-leader', '', '', '2013-04-10 12:18:12', '2013-04-10 17:18:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9763', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18090, 243, '2013-04-11 12:53:40', '2013-04-11 17:53:40', 'One of my favorite topics is <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/tag/character-based-leadership\">character-based leadership</a>, or leading from who you are rather than your power or position.\n\nWhen we’re challenged to be something we’re not, it drains us. But when we get to be our best self, we bring our best energy and we can become superheroes, solving problems and saving careers even in ordinary situations.\n\nOften, our true identities are super. We hide them when we go to work. I have had team members who used to be professional sports people, excellent musicians, and many other wonderful attributes and strengths. Everyone is a superhero at something. Everyone can be, probably is, better than you at something or maybe several things.\n\nRead more <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/04/11/build-a-team-of-superheroes/\">here</a>....', 'Build a team of superheroes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'build-a-team-of-superheroes', '', '', '2013-04-11 12:53:40', '2013-04-11 17:53:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9785', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18091, 359, '2013-04-15 06:33:20', '2013-04-15 11:33:20', 'Spring is finally here and it’s time to refresh flowerbeds, plant gardens, and enjoy a green lawn again.  There’s just one annoying thing in the way – weeds!  Well, that’s easily solved with a bit of weed pulling.  With a small hand trowel and about 15 minutes of work, I can have a weed-free flowerbed (temporarily, at least).  That’s the easy aspect of lawn maintenance, but have you ever tried to transplant a tree? That requires getting some help to dig it up, move and replant.  Why are weeds so easy to remove but trees (even small ones) aren’t? Simple – trees may grow much slower than weeds, but they develop deeper roots.\n\nI’ve seen companies grow rather quickly as well and while growth is usually a good thing, rapid growth without planning (i.e., developing deep roots) can be disastrous. I’ve seen the effects of this issue with a company where management decided to pursue quick expansion. They went on a buying binge, picking up smaller companies to rapidly grow their empire. Things looked great for a while from the outside looking in – the company was growing, the stock price started to rise, and the CEO looked like a genius.\n\nWithin a couple of years, though, issues started to pile up:\n<ul>\n	<li>Profits fell</li>\n	<li>Earnings reports were consistently late</li>\n	<li>The stock price dropped</li>\n	<li>Clients left in droves</li>\n</ul>\nSo what happened? All that was visible <em>above ground</em> (acquisitions and rapid growth) masked the lack of deep roots <em>below ground</em> (processes and systems in the back office).\n<ul>\n	<li>They didn’t develop a plan to support the rapid growth.</li>\n	<li>They didn’t adjust what worked for a smaller company to processes and systems that would properly support the new, larger corporation.</li>\n	<li>Their systems were incapable of keeping up with the invoices that needed to be sent out, recording the receivables, paying bills, or properly reporting that information.</li>\n	<li>They didn’t hire enough staff to handle the additional workload, which led to excessive overtime and frustrated employees.</li>\n</ul>\nManagement tried to stop the bleeding and correct the issues, but it was too little too late. Another company eventually bought them out and several people lost their jobs.  As leaders, we have a responsibility to our employees, customers and investors to plan carefully and think through the potential impacts of rapid growth.\n\nGrowth is a good thing to pursue, but it needs to be balanced with proper planning and preparation. Don’t just work with the sales team or operations group on growth strategies. Pull in your leaders in Accounting, IT, HR, and other back-office functions to plan for new growth. Make sure you develop deep roots and have a solid support structure in-place to handle the additional business. Expand your company in a way that ensures it will still exist in 5-10 years by developing a strong, deep root system. Roots aren’t exciting or glamorous, but they are vital to your long-term success. Whether you’re seeking to grow a business, non-profit, or a department, consider who you should involve in the planning process to help you develop those deep roots.\n\n<em><strong>Have you seen this happen in other organizations?</strong> </em> <em><strong>How do you plan for growth and develop deep roots?</strong></em>\n\nPhoto Courtesy of (c)iStockPhoto.com/Orla', 'Leading through Rapid Growth', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-through-rapid-growth', '', '', '2013-04-15 06:33:20', '2013-04-15 11:33:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9792', 0, 'post', '', 3);
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(18092, 326, '2013-04-17 06:10:27', '2013-04-17 11:10:27', 'Over my career, I\'ve watched as the yearning for leadership has grown within the female ranks around the globe.  But being a woman in leadership hasn\'t been and still isn\'t available to all qualified women who work hard and would make excellent leaders. The glass ceilings are starting to break away, but some cultures still have a long way to go before we see equal numbers of men and women in positions of authority.\n\nI hope you will indulge me a true story to help get my point across.\n\nBack in the mid-1990s, our company was chosen by a local university to teach instructional design techniques to a Turkish Educational Department’s male executives and female educators. Yep, only the guys were the bosses – which is exactly how it was back at their jobs.  <i>Hmmm, you might say…</i>\n\n<b>What a great gig!</b>  (<i>We thought!!</i>) Here’s what happened:\n\n<b>Monday</b>:  We transformed our largest instructional design room, affectionately referred to as The PIT, into a training delivery room. Don’t laugh, our employees were and still are today into self-expression and fun, so they named their own departments. Thus, we had two ID departments: The PIT (Process Improvement Team) and The SPIT (Second Process Improvement Team).\n\n<b>Tuesday:</b> Set up and rehearsed for what each employee would share with our foreign visitors.\n\n<b>Wednesday Morning: </b>Introductions and a tour of our building to see how we created training.  Each area had a spokesperson who shared how we created training for our own company and customers. Our guests got a quick preview of how we Process Mapped, Documented, Developed Graphics and Created Online Reference Systems, Printed Materials, etc.\n\n<b>Wednesday Lunch Break:</b>  The women sat on one side of the lunchroom and the men the other. The women had so many personal questions for us that it was hard to get a word in about creating school curriculum. They wanted to know how a woman could possibly own property or own her own company. They wanted encouragement that if they worked hard, they too would be Educational Leaders one day.\n\nWhat an eye-opening experience for us American gals to see firsthand how living in America gave us privileges not known to all women! Some of us, men and women, made personal commitments to help women achieve their goals in any way we could.\n\n<b>Wednesday - Friday: </b>The goal for 2 ½ days was to provide these educators with the skills to go back to Turkey and revise their country’s curriculum to boost their students’ basic skills.  It was a big order, but we thought we were up to the task.  That is, until I couldn\'t get the men in the audience to look at me when I was teaching. Nor would they answer my questions publicly. They only commented to themselves – only <i>sometimes</i> in English… Luckily, the women in the audience were thoroughly engaged and were happy to offer insights. They couldn\'t get enough of the information and asked for additional references and books to take home with them.\n\nAs a trainer, I thought I was prepared for most any audience. This one had me on my toes – not to mention that I had to suck it up as a woman and not take it personally that men of some cultures simply don’t look women in the eye.  No matter how good my “song and dance,” I simply wasn\'t going to get the same response I normally receive when teaching American execs. The final blow to my instructional design ego: The men didn\'t even keep their personal copies of the materials we worked so hard to produce for them.\n\n<b>Not a fairy-tale goodbye, but a good ending:</b>\n\nWhile at first we thought the tour and training were beneficial, at least for the women, we were BLOWN AWAY by the positive evaluations we received about a week after the training. Would you believe it, the senior leader of the group told the university representative (a man) how much <b><i>EVERYONE</i></b> enjoyed their days with us and how much they learned. They couldn\'t wait to get more materials to take back to Turkey for the rest of their Educational Department.\n\nWhile I haven’t had the privilege of seeing these Turkish educators again, I feel certain that their time in the US was valuable. Based on what the women told me, they intended to go back to their country and do whatever it would take to be promoted to leadership positions. I bet some of them are leaders today!\n\nIf you have the opportunity to share your leadership knowledge with women living in second- and third-world countries, you’ll be blessed by the opportunity. You will definitely learn as much as your students.\n\nAs a proponent of Transparent Leadership, I’ll like to end with this thought: <a href=\"http://tbd-consulting.typepad.com/jonena_l_relth/2012/07/do-you-lead-with-transparency-or-power.html\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Transparent leadership</strong></a>  takes the <strong>courage</strong> to openly admit mistakes, the <strong>self-esteem</strong> to allow others more capable to lead, and the <strong>fortitude</strong> to pursue your goals while enhancing the goals of others.\n\n<i><em><a href=\"mailto:jonena.relth@tbdconsulting.com\">Jonena</a></em>, <a href=\"http://tbdconsulting.com/\" target=\"_blank\">TBD Consulting</a>\n</i>\n\n<a href=\"http://tbd-consulting.typepad.com/jonena_l_relth/\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership Trends and Today’s Realities Blog</a>\n\nHealthcare Talent Transformation Blog', 'Women in Leadership – It Takes Courage, Self-Esteem and Fortitude', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'women-in-leadership-it-takes-courage-self-esteem-and-fortitude', '', '', '2013-04-17 06:10:27', '2013-04-17 11:10:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9870', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18093, 244, '2013-04-22 12:20:21', '2013-04-22 17:20:21', 'There’s a lot of pressure, and even hype, out there about the need to be or become an expert. Of course, to be perceived as an expert you need to know something about your area of expertise.\n\n“Expert” also implies some depth of knowledge and understanding, as well as expertise in applying it.\n\nWhat if being an expert isn’t just about knowing? What if it’s not just about what you know or how much you know? What if being an expert has as much to do with your ability to think and apply what you learn and experience over time in service of an outcome or possibility?\n\nRecently I noticed I had unwittingly fallen into the “but I don’t know enough” trap.\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/experiment-like-an-expert/\">Read More</a>', 'Experiment Like An Expert', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'experiment-like-an-expert', '', '', '2013-04-22 12:20:21', '2013-04-22 17:20:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9240', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18094, 290, '2013-04-17 12:46:43', '2013-04-17 17:46:43', 'There may be a slight difference between the words react and respond. Yet, in practice, there seems to be a gulf of difference.\n\nWhen people react, it seems to be defensive. Responding, though, is more thoughtful. Responses contain reasoning.\n\nIf mindfulness is being more centered within and aware of others, then this is a practice we need to embrace to prevent reacting and focus on responding. Being mindful in our responses ensures integrity in our interactions.\n\nTo respond in a more mindful way, I\'ve discovered four steps that may help.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2013/03/07/a-mindful-difference-respond-vs-react/\">Read More</a>', '4 Mindful Steps to Respond Rather Than React', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '4-mindful-steps-to-respond-rather-than-react', '', '', '2013-04-17 12:46:43', '2013-04-17 17:46:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9276', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18095, 316, '2013-05-01 12:24:05', '2013-05-01 17:24:05', 'Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie are the founders of one of my favorite startups ever,<a href=\"http://runa.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Runa</a>. We drink the tea in our home all the time.  Runa is a wonderful example of a B-Corp, doing well and doing good.  Their business model is unique and there are so many lessons for our businesses and organizations from their story.  Tyler shares their story about talent, and says, \"Learning from the communities that we aim to support as mission-driven businesses can not only inspire us to do good work, but even influence our business models and talent management strategies.\" Read more <a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/4/15/lessons-from-amazonian-culture-and-ecology-for-talent-manage.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>...', 'Lessons from Amazonian Culture and Ecology for Talent Management', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lessons-from-amazonian-culture-and-ecology-for-talent-management', '', '', '2013-05-01 12:24:05', '2013-05-01 17:24:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9841', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18096, 307, '2013-04-18 06:18:38', '2013-04-18 11:18:38', '\n<h2>Good Intentions</h2>\nJanet sipped her coffee, gathered herself, then looked up.\n\n\"I wanted to be a good leader…you know - influenced based, focused on people, serving my team…\"\n\nShe took a breath and continued, \"But then, we didn\'t meet our sales goals and I…I turned into a monster.\"\n\nShe set down her mug, looked at her feet, and muttered, \"What happened?\"\n<h2>After All This Time</h2>\nDespite the huge amount of information available to aspiring leaders, we continue to see a regular <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/04/the-most-important-decision-you-make-to-motivate-your-employees/\">stream of statistics</a> that suggest we have a long way to go.\n\nWhy, with all the training and information available, do employee motivation, customer service, and other key metrics continue to indicate serious leadership deficits?\n\nIn your own leadership journey, you can find some of the answer in Janet\'s story…as well as keys to improve your leadership and your employees\' motivation and productivity.\n<h2>It\'s Not Your Fault (Really)</h2>\nI believe there are three main reasons people do not lead as effectively as they could…even when they know better.\n<h4>1. Biology</h4>\nYou cannot ignore the way your brain and body operate.\n\nYour brain first makes decisions from basic emotions, tries to protect you before doing anything else, and turns to fight or flight when threatened.\n\nTake all these hard-wired tendencies into a leadership situation and, if you do nothing else, your leadership will be very reactive and focused on managing by fear, power, and control.\n\nJanet\'s reaction is easy to understand - her brain saw \"THREAT\" in the sales figures and triggered defense mechanisms…anger, aggression, and speed.\n<h4>2. Sociology</h4>\nYour family, culture, and upbringing also had a huge impact on how you lead.\n\nYour parents may have relied on fear, power, or control…or they may have been absent and uncaring. Even the best parents don\'t always get it right and those patterns tend to linger.\n\nI\'ve coached many leaders who, decades later, are still fighting battles with their teams that started with their families.\n\nYour culture also informs your leadership. It may be direct and confrontational or it may be collaborative and prize the group over individual opinions. It may be loud or quiet.\n\nRegardless, you learned certain ways of conducting yourself and they probably served you well. These ways of interacting will impact your leadership and help you be successful with specific individuals…but not with others.\n<h4>3. Pharmacology</h4>\nWhat do drugs have to do with leadership?\n\nTo answer that, think about why addictive drugs can be so dangerous.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-9857\" alt=\"unhealthy leadership\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/unhealthy-leadership-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />It\'s because they work…at least a little.\n\nThey give the body concentrated doses of something that feels good - whether it gives you energy, bliss, escape, relaxation, or euphoria, you want more.\n\nSome of the most common, but least effective leadership tactics have a lot in common with addictive drugs.\n\nIf you bark orders, threaten, and use fear to motivate your team, it may work...at least a little.\n\nAnd all of the sudden, you feel good - your stress is gone, the goals were met, and your brain may even get a shot of blissful neurotransmitter.\n\nThe next time you\'re in a tough situation, you\'ll probably tend to fall back on the behavior that apparently worked and felt good last time.\n\nMany leaders carry on this way for years or even decades, never realizing that they could be ten times more effective, experience far less stress, and better health.\n<h2>It\'s Not Your Fault, But…</h2>\nYou didn\'t choose the way your brain works, how your were raised, or how your body reinforces those natural tendencies.\n\nSo they\'re not your fault.\n\nBut…<em>you do have a choice</em>.\n\nYou have a choice to learn how your brain works and use it to your advantage.\n\nYou have a choice to examine your own upbringing and see where it serves you well and where it is limiting your influence.\n\nAnd you have a choice whether or not to continue in unhealthy, addictive leadership patterns that give false highs.\n\nAs with most of the rewarding things in life, real leadership is real work.\n\nIt begins with learning all you can - and you\'ve started on that journey. Continue reading Lead Change, <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/blog\">subscribe to my blog</a>, or one of the many, many others available.\n\nBut don\'t stop with learning - take action on what you learn. <a title=\"Avoid This Seductive Leadership Trap\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/avoid-this-seductive-leadership-trap/\">Don\'t allow SASRNT to sabotage</a> your leadership.\n\nAt some point in your journey, you will likely want a mentor or a coach. Many of us, or someone in your own organization, stand ready to help and support you.<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/?attachment_id=9858\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9858\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-9858\" alt=\"leadership guide\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/leadership-guide-300x197.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" /></a>\n\nBe patient and take one step at a time.\n\nJanet made these choices. She was not content with how she was leading and took steps to improve her influence.\n<h2>Your Turn</h2>\nLeave a comment below: What advice would you give a growing leader who is frustrated with their own leadership?\n\nWhat next step will you take to learn more, do what you\'ve learned, or get help to be a more effective leader?\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid M. Dye\n\nCreative Commons photo credit: Sign by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/3843456676/\" target=\"_blank\">@Doug88888</a>, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/8119248181/\" target=\"_blank\">Addiction</a> by epSos.de, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/smb_flickr/2218546199/\" target=\"_blank\">Lighthouse</a> by SantiMB', 'Why Don&#039;t We Lead Better? (It&#039;s Not Your Fault!)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-dont-we-lead-better-its-not-your-fault', '', '', '2013-04-18 06:18:38', '2013-04-18 11:18:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9853', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(18097, 288, '2013-04-22 06:08:53', '2013-04-22 11:08:53', 'In our last post, we discussed the importance of effectively resolving conflict in the workplace. The ability to resolve conflict will not only mitigate the existing issue but help lead to increased collaboration and even innovation.\n\nWhile we cannot stop conflict from occurring altogether, we can improve our ability to deal with it properly. In successfully managing the conflict and disagreements that may arise between two people – whether ourselves and another person or two coworkers – we must recognize that we are in turn strengthening our own interpersonal and leadership skills. The next time you find yourself in a heated dispute, keep this in mind so that you can turn the argument into a positive outcome. These additional six steps are necessary for effective <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/conflict-resolution/\">conflict resolution</a>.\n\n<b>Step 7:  Think with logic, not emotions.</b>\n\nAddress the problem at hand by thinking through the issue logically. As much as you may feel frustrated or even angered, it is important to keep these feelings under control. Focus on separating your emotions from your rationale as much as possible. Moreover, as you talk through the conflict with the other person, avoid the urge to criticize or pass judgment. Your goal is not to turn the argument into a personal one.\n\n<b>Step 8:  Tell the truth.</b>\n\nBe frank about your opinion and thoughts on how to resolve the conflict. You won’t get very far by avoiding the real issue at hand or being overly cautious of hurting the other person’s feelings. At the same time, don’t lie about any aspect of the situation. Be truthful about your side of the story, or you risk complicating the issue further.\n\n<b>Step 9:  Offer alternative options.</b>\n\nHave a few different options in mind for how to solve the problem. This shows that you are willing to negotiate. Always consider a solution that has value for both parties, and do not immediately dismiss the ideas provided by the other person. Be aware that you will need to compromise and accept that the solution may not accomplish every one of your goals.\n\n<b>Step 10:  Know how to listen.</b>\n\nMake sure you are listening to the other person’s perspective and ideas. Try to ask questions and repeat things back to them in order to clarify and show that you are focused on what they have to say. This will show that you are genuinely interested in arriving at a resolution that is mutually beneficial.\n\n<b>Step 11:  Conclude on a positive note.</b>\n\nAlthough a perfect solution is not always attainable, and you may not be happy with every part of your compromise, make an effort to end things positively. Accept that the conflict has been resolved, and agree on what actions should be taken next to make sure the conflict doesn’t persist. Both people should leave the situation feeling good. If not every part of the disagreement can be resolved, you must agree to disagree without further disputing.\n\n<b>Step 12:  Learn from the process.</b>\n\nEvaluate the process of resolving the conflict, and determine what you have learned. Were you not seeing the other person’s perspective? Have you been making some error that caused the dispute in the first place? You can use this situation as a form of <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/\">leadership training</a>. Determine what worked, didn’t work, and how you ultimately arrived at a solution so that you can replicate the process for conflict in the future.', 'Resolving Conflict in the Workplace Part II', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'resolving-conflict-in-the-workplace-part-ii', '', '', '2013-04-22 06:08:53', '2013-04-22 11:08:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9861', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18098, 270, '2013-04-25 12:34:19', '2013-04-25 17:34:19', 'Einstein once said, \"Any fool can know, the point is to understand.\"\n\nHistorically, I knew we should care for special needs families ~ thankfully a series of events over the past four years has turned that seed of knowledge into a growingunderstanding of the challenges, the joys, and the deep lessons that come from engaging with special needs families.\n\nBelow is a quick peek into that journey. To read more just follow the link at the end of this post.\n\n<em>A few years ago my sister adopted a 3-year old little boy that was born addicted to meth.  He had been in and out of foster homes, diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome, had abandonment issues, and could not speak.</em>\n\n<em>That sister lives in another state and I don’t get to see her often.  When we spoke about her new son’s challenges, the challenges the family faced, (especially during the transition from being a family of 4 to becoming a family of 5) <strong>and in the midst of everything, how precious the sweet moments were and how extraordinary his progress was,</strong> I found myself wanting to I understand more.</em>\n\n<em>Shortly after the adoption, I moved to a new city and met a family with an adult daughter with cognitive challenges.</em>\n\n<em><strong>It was at that time that I realized that although I was always mentally supportive of families and children with special needs and nice to them, I was also uncomfortable simply because I did not know how to fully engage with them.</strong>  Was it okay to ask questions?  Or would that be offensive?  What behavior did you need to accept and love and what behavior should you coach and correct?</em>\n\n<em><a title=\"What special needs families taught me about comfort zones\" href=\"http://consultgiana.com/what-special-needs-families-taught-me-about-my-comfort-zone/\">Click here to read more...  </a></em>', 'What special needs families taught me about comfort zones', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-special-needs-families-taught-me-about-comfort-zones', '', '', '2013-04-25 12:34:19', '2013-04-25 17:34:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9904', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18099, 266, '2013-04-25 06:14:59', '2013-04-25 11:14:59', 'Thought: <em>Everyone makes mistakes or acts selfishly occasionally, yet by and large, you can trust someone you view as dependable – and that includes you.</em>\n\nThought: <em>Your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you. Impeccability of the word only creates beauty, love, and heaven on earth.</em>\n\nTwo pretty profound thoughts that have occurred randomly in my day today, April 18, 2013,  in a week filled with violence, disasters, and watching how much our country is struggling in its ability to care for those who are unable to care for themselves in a myriad of situations.\n\nI’ve been stuck on blog/article ideas lately. My deepest thoughts have been centered around peace, caring for each other, and joy over the last several months, not necessarily connected with leadership as we know it. On the other hand, how can they not be connected with leadership? I know that I am an idealist. And, I know that my reality is an illusion, as is everyone else’s. Our world is what we make of it – our thoughts, our perceptions, and what we pay attention to.\n\nKnowing that, how do we get to “truth” – not your truth, or my truth, or the truth held by members of Congress, or the President, or the leader of North Korea, or even the bombers in Boston? How do we look upon our world from that “truth”? When I ask myself that question, I go back to my spiritual beliefs – that we are all one. At the very core of things you are me, and I am you. Think of it as a holograph. I can step out of the holograph, but I am still reflective of the whole – I am not my own separate piece.\n\nTherefore, if I view my world in that light, how might I change my words? How might I build my trust in humanity? How might I be a better leader?\n\nAs I asked myself these questions today, I came to one conclusion. I need to stop second-guessing myself. I need to look at leadership as a key part of my purpose in life. From the perspective of the whole, not from my viewpoint or your viewpoint, or my government’s viewpoint. I need to do my part to show what is possible when you are impeccable with your word. I need to show that I am trustworthy by being dependable – doing what I say I will do, and not passing judgment on myself or others. I need to do my best in every situation with the knowledge I have – and know that I will make mistakes and I will be selfish. And so will everyone else.\n<div>\n\n<em>Trust your instincts. You are right on. Don\'t second guess yourself</em>. - Unknown\n\n</div>\nWhen I do all things from this perspective, anything is possible.  Even peace, non-violence, and the courage to live life without fear.  When I am living on purpose, and I allow source to work through me, as me, I know that I am connected to all that needs to be present in that day.\n<p align=\"center\"><b><i>What is your purpose? What happens when you stop second-guessing yourself?</i></b></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><b><i></i></b>Photo credit: Copyright (c) <a href=\"http://www.123rf.com\">123RF Stock Photos</a></p>', 'Stop Second-Guessing Yourself', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'stop-second-guessing-yourself', '', '', '2013-04-25 06:14:59', '2013-04-25 11:14:59', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9994', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18100, 309, '2013-04-30 06:16:40', '2013-04-30 11:16:40', 'Steven Covey once said, “Character is what we are; competence is what we can do. The reality is that character and competence drive everything else in the organization.”\n\nHow is your team in your business or organization aligned for success? Do you have two key components that drive success? I have known many companies who have some very competent people but are lacking in some key character traits. I have also known some high-character people who are not competent in their job – mostly because they are not the right fit. What happens when your highly competent salesperson continually misleads prospects just to get the sale (we call it over-promising and under-delivering)? What happens when the virtuous production manager – who loves making systems function perfectly – gets promoted to the Vice President of Operations position dealing with non-tangible leadership challenges?\n\nMore often than not, businesses and organizations that don’t foster both character development and competency find themselves falling behind their competition in market share, reputation, employee retention, and profit. Wait a minute. Character development? Isn’t that something an employee should do on their own time? Shouldn’t they know this already? Not necessarily.\n\nWe live in a different culture, a different time. Virtues like patience, hard work, and resourcefulness are not taught at home as they once were. Schools attempt to teach it, but without a child seeing these virtues lived out in the home, they are simply words they learn without any real attachment to application. Our pop culture (movies, TV shows, and music) certainly does not teach these character traits – in fact, just the opposite. What we end up with is a work force who may struggle with the concept of not stealing from the company. How many potentially productive hours are lost due to an employee dealing with personal emails, Facebooking, Tweeting, texting, and so on? Do they see these activities as “stealing” from the company? Unfortunately, companies are having to do more training regarding character because it’s just not there.\n\nCompetency is much easier to train and develop. There are many classes, books, and seminars to help your team get better at just about anything you need them to do. As the team gets better, the organization gets more effective as well. Up to a point.\n\nJust as character is what people are, the collective character of the employees of an organization make what that organization is. If an organization’s “character” is bad, even the best product won’t make up for it. Truly successful companies are great at developing their people in both character and competency. Are you one of them?\n\n<b>Where are you seeing a gap between character and competency? What are you finding to be effective in dealing with this issue?</b>\n<div><b> </b></div>\n<div>Original post at: <a title=\"Success Tips | Character and Competency Go Together\" href=\"//www.indemandleadership.com/blog/posts/success-tips-character-and-competency-go-together/\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.indemandleadership.com/blog/posts/success-tips-character-and-competency-go-together/</a></div>', 'Character and Competency Go Together', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'character-and-competency-go-together', '', '', '2013-04-30 06:16:40', '2013-04-30 11:16:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10014', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18101, 318, '2013-04-26 06:16:23', '2013-04-26 11:16:23', 'A recent Wall Street Journal article, </span><a style=\"font-size: 13px;\" href=\"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324010704578414901710175648.html\">McDonald\'s Tackles Service Woes</a><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\">, describes McDonald’s continued economic and customer service challenges.</span>\n<blockquote>“McDonalds Corp., battling back from recent earnings disappointments, is putting unusual emphasis on a long-time challenge: getting it’s far flung workforce to provide service with a smile.”</blockquote>\nExcerpts from a leadership webcast to franchise owners warned that “1:5 complaints are related to friendliness issues” and that “service is broken.”\n\nThe article was short on solutions. I’ve partnered with other Lead Changers to help.\n<h2>A Letter to McDonald\'s</h2>\nDear McDonald\'s,\n\nI know you’re frustrated that your internal presentation on fixing customer service was leaked to the press. That stinks. You can recover. At least we know you are trying to fix it. We’d all like a bit more happy with our meals.\n<h4>5 suggestions</h4>\n<strong>1. Envision great service.</strong>\nApparently one of your franchise owners said, “I think it’s an ongoing problem and always will be.” If your franchises can’t envision a great service future, you’ll never achieve it. Define what great service looks like. Ask your franchise owners, ask customers, ask employees. <a title=\"How To Build a Strong Team Vision\" href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2012/12/11/how-to-build-a-strong-team-vision/\">Build the vision </a>together.\n\n<strong>2. Invest in your frontline leaders</strong>\nNo doubt managing a McDonald\'s is a high-pressure tough leadership gig. Most of your managers have limited experience. Teach them the basics (i.e. <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/04/the-minimalist-guide-to-motivate-your-employees/\">motivation,</a> <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2012/10/09/a_matter_of_trust/\">developing trust, </a><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/why-doesnt-my-team-feel-recognized/\">recognition</a>, <a title=\"Getting to the Root Cause of Attendance Problems\" href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2013/02/12/attendance_problems/\">encouraging attendance,</a> running <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2013/03/27/meetings_waste_time/\">effective meetings</a>). Leaders must model great service by providing great support to their people.  A good read on this subject, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Three-Signs-Miserable-Job-Employees/dp/0787995312\">Three Signs of a Miserable Job </a>(anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurability).\n\n<strong>3. Establish non-negotiable standards</strong>\nRequire exceptional customer services from all franchises.  Create a renewable certification process. Be willing to close restaurants that don’t treat customers or employees well.\n\n<strong style=\"font-size: 13px;\">4. Learn from the best.</strong>\n\nSome of your franchises have figured this out. Some are paying more.  Some create motivating work environments.  Some apologize to customers with coupons.  Go learn from them. Correlate their experience metrics with sales. Prove to others that employee engagement is profitable.\n\n<strong>5. Create motivating compensation structures</strong>\nNo one’s going to get rich flipping burgers, but they must be able to live. A good variable pay structure can help. Pay for excellence. Determine what matters most and incent for that. Some of your competitors have great employee benefits for tenured employees— and great service.\n\nP.S. No burgers were consumed during the writing of this article.\n\n<strong>What advice do you have for McDonald\'s?</strong>\n\nThanks to the Lead Changers instigators who contributed their ideas for this post:\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/top-quotes-on-leadership-from-mike-henry/\">Mike Henry Sr </a>(Lead Change Founder), <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/\">David Dye</a>, <a href=\"http://theexperiencefactor.com/calling-all-credit-unions/\">Kelly Ketleboeter</a>, and <a href=\"http://dorothydalton.com/\">Dorothy Dalton</a>', 'Dear McDonald&#039;s, It’s Not About the Burgers (or even the Yogurt)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dear-mcdonalds-its-not-about-the-burgers-or-even-the-yogurt', '', '', '2013-04-26 06:16:23', '2013-04-26 11:16:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10017', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(18102, 306, '2013-05-02 06:20:41', '2013-05-02 11:20:41', 'It’s been a tough week. Our son - the most remarkable, capable, smart, fun, likable, insightful young man I know (a completely unbiased assessment) -  moved into his first apartment. While I’m bursting with pride that he’s so well-prepared for and excited about the next phase of his life, it’s a loss... and it changes everything.\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10046\" alt=\"letting go\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/letting-go-200x300.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" />So it’s likely no coincidence that I \"accidentally\" came across this quote:\n\n<i>\"We’re wired for attachment in a world of impermanence,\" according to Robert Neimeyer, a psychologist at University of Memphis. “How we negotiate that tension shapes who we become.”</i>\n\nPerhaps the key to life is gracefully accepting the impermanence. Perhaps it’s the key to business success as well.\n\nExcessive attachments in today’s warp-speed world shape not only who we become - but what our organizations become. Could ‘holding on’ be holding us back?\n\n<b>Holding on to ideas</b>... Becoming attached to one idea, approach, or solution can close the mind to others. Gracefully letting go allows for better approaches and greater collaboration with others.\n\n<b>Holding on to customers</b>... Customer bases are intended to change, yet too frequently we hold tightly to known entities - and known revenue streams. Relationships that linger beyond their natural expiration dates sour, leaving lasting bad impressions.\n\n<b>Holding on to business models</b>... What worked yesterday may not work today, and you’re nearly guaranteed that it won’t work tomorrow. Changing how we do business - adapting to evolving conditions - is essential for survival and success. Exploiting the impermanence proactively offers an unbeatable competitive advantage.\n\n<b>Holding on to employees</b>... A leader’s greatest achievement is developing others and preparing them to move on. Yet, it’s also many leaders’ greatest nightmare. A desire to maintain the status quo translates into a range of machinations (some benevolent - and some heavy-handed) to retain talent that should be released to greater opportunities.\n\nHolding on to what’s known and comfortable is natural, but it’s also limiting. The struggle to maintain what is can compromise today’s happiness and tomorrow’s success.\n\n‘Negotiating the tension’ of our son’s departure from the family home and letting go with grace is easier when I focus on the gifts associated with the change: his expanded capacity, growth, and happiness. Motherly attachment over the past 22 years has shaped who I am... perhaps gracefully letting go will help shape who I’ll become.\n\n<strong>What about you?</strong> <em>What do you need or want to let go of?  What gifts do you recognize in the changes happening around you?</em>\n\nImage: www.dreamstime.com\n\n&nbsp;', 'Letting Go with Grace', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'letting-go-with-grace', '', '', '2013-05-02 06:20:41', '2013-05-02 11:20:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10045', 0, 'post', '', 13),
(18103, 307, '2013-04-30 12:23:47', '2013-04-30 17:23:47', '\n<h2>Make It Stop!</h2>\nI could almost hear his anguish…\n\nA young supervisor had gone to Twitter in desperation: “How can I ever motivate my team? Please help!!!”\n\nHis fatigue and frustration were palpable, but they were also causing him immense problems and his credibility and influence with his team had suffered badly.\n<h2>The Consequence of Failing to Motivate Your Employees</h2>\nThis young man did understand one thing: his disengaged team would cost his company money and time and it would ultimately result in him working harder and harder to pick up the slack…\n\nOr else he would lose his job.\n\nIn contrast, when employees are satisfied and motivated, companies <a href=\"http://www.halogensoftware.com/blog/employee-satisfaction-surveys-the-roi-of-heeding-constructive-criticism/\" target=\"_blank\">can have a 233% higher financial return</a> than the overall market and shareholder return <a href=\"http://www.halogensoftware.com/blog/employee-satisfaction-surveys-the-roi-of-heeding-constructive-criticism/\" target=\"_blank\">can be up to 700% higher</a>. <a href=\"http://www.halogensoftware.com/blog/employee-satisfaction-surveys-the-roi-of-heeding-constructive-criticism/\">\n</a>\n\nWhen you motivate your employees, they stay with the team longer, they use less sick days, they are more likely to recommend the organization’s products or services, and provide better customer service.\n\nI\'m confident you understand how vital it is to motivate your employees.  But -\n\nRead more <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/04/the-minimalist-guide-to-motivate-your-employees/\">here</a>.\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\">Take care,</span></h2>\nDavid M. Dye', 'The Minimalist Guide to Motivating Your Employees', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-minimalist-guide-to-motivating-your-employees', '', '', '2013-04-30 12:23:47', '2013-04-30 17:23:47', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10059', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18104, 282, '2013-05-01 06:16:53', '2013-05-01 11:16:53', 'Simon Cowell... His name conjures up visions of other great villains in history.  He\'s the Darth Vader of music shows, the Hannibal Lecter of aspiring singers.  And I love it. \"Why, are you as twisted as he is?\" you may ask. Maybe, but the reason I love watching him is not the pain he inflicts, but what I\'ve seen him do as a leader in his field- and that\'s produce other leaders, winners, musical legends.\n\nYes, you only have to watch one of his highlight reels, with clips from both American Idol and The X Factor, to observe him at his evil best. With a few slices from his razor tongue, hopes and dreams are left wounded and lifeless on the tryout platform. But is that really all there is to Simon Cowell? Look deeper and see what you have to learn from him about bringing out the best in people.\n\n<b></b><b>Honesty Is Vital to Success </b>- If nothing else, Simon is brutally honest, and not just about the horrible no-talent acts that try out. When she was still in the competition and down to the final 4 contestants, Simon said to now country superstar Carrie Underwood, \"Not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner.\" And then she did, and she has. People truly rise to levels they never believed they could reach when someone believes in them, pushes them and tells them what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear.\n\nBut sometimes people need to hear the hard truth as well. A lifeguard auditioned for American Idol, aspiring to one day be a pop star. After a very poor audition, Simon responded, \"If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.\" As leaders, we tend to care about those we lead, and sometimes it causes us to be less than honest for fear of hurting their feelings. In truth, we\'ve not protected them from the truth, but rather delayed its impact on their life.  Leaders must be honest, whether it\'s promising or painful.\n\n<b></b><b>Criticism Comes With the Territory - </b>No matter what else people may know or remember about either Idol or X Factor, when asked about Simon Cowell, most respond with words like \"mean,\" \"rude,\" or \"critical\" to describe him. He truly has built a great reputation among reality shows as a villain.  But it\'s not a role he has pursued. \"The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner,\" says Cowell. \"The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.\"  As leaders, we\'re not always going to be understood. When changes have to be implemented, cuts made, or even budgets or staff cut, a leader can be criticized for their decisions or their perceived lack of leadership.\n\nLeaders also understand that not every person is a perfect fit for their organization or team, and sometimes that means tough decisions need to be made. One year on American Idol, following a day of horrible tryouts, Simon Cowell said, \"I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste.  And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it.\" A leader will understand that not only does the truth hurt, but he or she has to pick what\'s uniquely best for their organization or team, no matter what others might think, say or do. It\'s essentially leading based on the perfect blend of courage and vision. And some people will criticize and hate you for it.  In the words of Simon, \"so be it.\"\n\n<b></b><b>It Pays To Be The Best -</b>  In both 2004 &amp; 2010, Simon Cowell was voted as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Interestingly enough, TV Guide gave him their #10 spot in their 2013 list of the 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time! But more than that, he wrote the pop hit \"Footprints in the Sand,\" recorded by Leona Lewis and he\'s sold over 300 million records.  The shows he has been a part of have produced stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, and he\'s signed internationally popular groups One Direction and Westlife. Because of his own great talent and track record, he wields great influence in the music industry. Simon Cowell gets to be Simon Cowell on shows like American Idol and The X Factor for one simple reason... he really is that good.\n\nLeaders need to understand that the vast difference between positional leadership and influential leadership that has been earned. If you\'re wanting to have a greater impact in your company or industry, the formula is really quite simple. Get better at what you do. In the words of Seth Godin, become a \"linchpin.\" It would be nice if you could start at the top, be the best and not have to work to get there. But that\'s not the real world, and it\'s not going to happen. Leaders understand that learning and performance are lifelong challenges that rise up to meet them in every moment  of every day.\n\nSo now that you\'ve taken a second, maybe softer look at Simon Cowell, what other leadership traits do you see in his life and career?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto credit: <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/6229018/Simon-Cowell-new-X-Factor-audition-formatmakes-my-job-easier.html\">www.telegraph.co.uk</a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/6229018/Simon-Cowell-new-X-Factor-audition-formatmakes-my-job-easier.html\"> </a>', 'Simon Cowell - Leadership Guru', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'simon-cowell-leadership-guru', '', '', '2013-05-01 06:16:53', '2013-05-01 11:16:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10121', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18105, 244, '2013-05-07 12:21:57', '2013-05-07 17:21:57', 'If I were to put in you a completely dark room and you had no idea where the door was, how would you find the door?\n\nYou would have to take a step, and adjust for your next step given the “feedback,” wouldn’t you? You would probably bump into things. You may even get a few bruises. You might feel uncomfortable or scared and perhaps get frustrated, too.\n\nLearning to lead or elevating your leadership to the next level can feel a lot like being in that dark room.\n\n<strong>How do you, as a leader, react when you find yourself in inherently unfamiliar territory?</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/a-lesson-from-a-dark-room/\">Read More</a>', 'A Lesson from a Dark Room', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-lesson-from-a-dark-room', '', '', '2013-05-07 12:21:57', '2013-05-07 17:21:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=9940', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(18106, 265, '2013-05-03 06:15:09', '2013-05-03 11:15:09', '<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b></b>\"Am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, do, does, did, shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, could.\"</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Those are verbs of being. I learned the list in 5th grade from a teacher named Mrs. Hoggard. She was a teacher from the old school. I\'ll confess. There are times I inflict the same grammatical punishment on my kids she inflicted on her students.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\"Can I go to the bathroom?\" they ask.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\"I don\'t know. <em>Can</em> you? I think you mean <em>may</em> I go to the bathroom. \'Can\' is about ability. \'May\' is about permission.\"</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Every time I hear that question I receive a double benefit. I get to torture my children with a lesson on proper grammar <em>and</em> remember a teacher who influenced me. Other teachers in my life have had a similar effect.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mr. Arato was the teacher who led the Junior Police in my elementary school. There was a rumor he had an electric paddle to punish trouble makers. In 6th grade I was one of his Junior Police and in his home room. He was never as scary as the stories we told the younger kids. He was really a lot of fun and one of the student\'s favorite teachers. I sat at my desk the last week of school. He snuck up behind me and poured a cup of cold water over my head. I was soaking wet. It was good-natured retaliation for a practical joke I and several of my friends had played on him earlier in the year. (He\'s in the picture. Doesn\'t he look kind of like the Family Guy?)</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There was also Mrs. Tapscott. She was one of my teachers for two years because she moved from teaching one grade to another. One of her sons was an entrepreneur who owned a restaurant in town. Her other son was a member of the U.S. Secret Service. Before Mrs. Tapscott it never really crossed my mind that teachers have a life and family outside of school. I assumed they lived at the school somewhere inside that secret wonderland called \'The Teacher\'s Lounge.\'</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In high school there was Mr. Correll, my band director. He was one of the teachers that helped me become the musician I am today. Every time I play the piano I use the blues scale he taught me.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mr. Peak and Mr. Fleming were the cool teachers. They played together in a rock band. Mr. Peak taught biology; Mr. Fleming, psychology. Mr. Fleming had long hair and owned a t-shirt print shop. He hired me to make t-shirts. For our semester final in Mr. Fleming\'s psychology class we watched a movie, \"The Lost Boys.\" It\'s a vampire movie. We had to write a one page summary on the psychological effects of fear on one of the characters.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Some jobs have the benefit of keeping the curtain closed until the product is ready. Apple has mastered this art. We\'ll only hear rumors of the next iPhone until the day Apple decides to reveal the finished product. Another blockbuster movie is about to be released. After its success in theaters we might see a bloopers reel on DVD or YouTube. We might hear funny stories from the actors about crazy things that happened on set, but the public will only ever really know the finished product.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Teachers don\'t have this luxury. Their work isn\'t ever really a finished product. It\'s a process under construction and that process is on open public display. We see the work they do. It makes us think we understand what it takes to be a good teacher. It gives people the false impression that they could do better. Because the process is public, we feel the freedom to offer up our opinion of success or failure even before the process has reached its intended goal. Like walking in on a surgeon in the middle of open heart surgery, we enter a classroom and shout, \"Put that back in! That\'s not where that goes!\" It\'s tempting to criticize the manufacturer before they get the battery in the phone.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">An ancient proverbs says, \"...let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.\"</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">That saying tells me not everyone has what it takes to be a teacher. It also tells me that those who have become teachers deserve special respect. They rightfully receive a level of scrutiny most professions will never know. They are judged, not for their finished product, but for the work under construction.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">That judgment comes in a variety of forms. It comes in the form of public criticism. Teachers should expect it. That criticism may be useful. It may not. It may be informed or ignorant. Whatever the case, it\'s natural. As a teacher, find a way to leverage that public criticism to your advantage. You\'re an educator. Use those teachable moments to train up parents, students and the public about where you are in the process, where you\'re headed and how we should all measure success.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">That judgment comes in another way. It comes in the future choices of the students you teach. You are not fully responsible for their actions, but you are an accomplice in the process.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I\'m thankful for those who taught me. I hope today you will take time to reflect on those teachers who helped shape you into the person you are. I hope you\'ll take time to say thanks to the people who taught you and that you\'ll give extra honor to those who teach your children.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Teachers are the secret sauce. They are the difference between ignorant and informed, wise and foolish, skilled and unskilled. Their responsibility is great. The honor they deserve, greater.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For those of you who want to become teachers, well done. Remember this. There is a difference between prominent and significant. My nose is prominent. My heart is significant. Everyone I meet will see my nose. It will be in every picture taken of me. I hope no one ever sees my heart, not even my doctor. I may be funny looking, but I can live without my nose. I can\'t live without my heart. One is prominent. The other significant.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">As a teacher, you may never be prominent. But be you can be confident of this. You are significant. You are in my heart.</p>\n\n<ul>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Who were your favorite teachers and why?</li>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\">How can you honor a teacher today?</li>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\">On some level we all teach something to someone somewhere. What can you do to become a better teacher?</li>\n</ul>', 'You&#039;ve Gotta Teach Me Something', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'youve-gotta-teach-me-something', '', '', '2013-05-03 06:15:09', '2013-05-03 11:15:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10036', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18107, 290, '2013-05-02 12:49:37', '2013-05-02 17:49:37', 'To aspire is to rise up to a great plan, an abundant hope of fulfilling a worthwhile mission. To inspire is to convey a feeling of joining a higher cause, influencing soulful action. Simply defined, aspire is an individual effort while inspire brings others into the mix. How do they impact the way we lead?\n\nA disconnect happens when inspire and aspire standalone. When it happens, both lose their meaning.\n\nWe focus a lot on inspiration. We want to be inspired because we like the way it makes us feel. However, if we just inspire or feel inspired, is that enough?\n\nSimilarly, aspire in a solo mode can be limiting.\n\nSo, let’s pair “Aspire” and “Inspire” and see what transpires!\n<a href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2013/04/10/do-you-have-to-aspire-to-inspire/\"><strong>Read more</strong></a>', 'Do You Need to Aspire to Inspire?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-you-need-to-aspire-to-inspire', '', '', '2013-05-02 12:49:37', '2013-05-02 17:49:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10074', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18108, 316, '2013-05-15 12:16:17', '2013-05-15 17:16:17', 'Last week, my daughter Chana and I attended the <a href=\"http://seeed.org/\" target=\"_blank\">SEEED Conference</a> at <a href=\"http://brown.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Brown</a> University. It was an amazing gathering of those doing, funding, supporting, working in and for social businesses.  These are Chana\'s thoughts on the first day of the conference.  Chana is 13 years old and in 7th grade.  Yes, I am a proud mom and find her insights cut to the chase.\n\n<em id=\"__mceDel\">\"...by far I found the panel “Core Elements for Building a Social Enterprise Ecosystem” the most intriguing. The varying beliefs and experiences of the panelists were highly educational and made the experience all together enjoyable.\" </em>Read more <a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/4/28/planting-seeeds-of-innovation.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Planting SEEEDs of Innovation', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'planting-seeeds-of-innovation', '', '', '2013-05-15 12:16:17', '2013-05-15 17:16:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10103', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18109, 270, '2013-05-02 12:42:07', '2013-05-02 17:42:07', 'Have you ever been frustrated by name-calling, finger-pointing and the blame game? Or watched how harsh judgments can divide people, divide organizations and result in inefficiency and ineffectiveness?\n\nFor 20 years, I’ve observed the impact that judgment has on relationships, families, organizations, neighbors, communities and nations.\n\nWhen I was a youth director, I noticed that when teens with a strong vision for their own lives said “no” to what was popular to stay focused on personal goals, their peers frequently perceived that they were being judged — even when they weren’t. They in turn judged the teens with vision.\n\nThat perception of judgment frequently caused the teens without vision to band together and alienate or bully the teen with clear vision, leaving scars and closing opportunities for both groups to learn from each other.\n\nRead more <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/05/02/how-to-end-the-blame-game-a-dream-for-change/\">here</a>.', 'How to end the “blame game” — a dream for change', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-end-the-blame-game-a-dream-for-change', '', '', '2013-05-02 12:42:07', '2013-05-02 17:42:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10194', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18110, 243, '2013-05-05 14:12:21', '2013-05-05 19:12:21', 'Do you ever wonder if you\'ve done all you could? As I grow older, I question the impact I made with the resources at my disposal. I\'ve had 55 years. I\'ve had quite a bit of money and time, friends, opportunities.\n\nIn <a title=\"Tribes by Seth Godin on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;creative=390957&amp;amp;creativeASIN=1591842336&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;tag=elevate-20\" target=\"_blank\">Tribes</a>, Godin titled a section The Obligation:\n<blockquote>Not too far from us, a few blocks away, there are kids without enough to eat and without parents who care. A little farther away, hours by plane, are people unable to reach their goals because they live in a community that just doesn\'t have the infrastructure to support them. A bit farther away are people being brutally persecuted by their governments. And the world if filled with people who can\'t go to high school, never mind college, and wh certainly can\'t spend their time focused on whether or not they get a good parking space at work.\n\nAnd so the obligation: don\'t settle.\n\nTo have all these advantages, all this momentum, all these opportunities and then settle for mediocre and then defend the status quo and then worry about corporate politics - what a waste.\n\nFlynn Berry wrote that you should never use the word \"opportunity.\" It\'s not an opportunity, it\'s an obligation.\n\nI don\'t think we have any choice. I think we have an obligation to change the rules, to raise the bar, to play a different game and to play it better than anyone has any right to believe is possible.</blockquote>\nI was confronted with what I could do and I did something. Right or wrong, done well or not-so-well, when it came time to act, Lead Change was created. People connected, collaborated, made a positive difference and continue to do so. I\'ve met hundreds of great people from all over the world. Most were changing their world before and many would have regardless of our connection.\n\nBut because I chose to act, I became a small part of the change that was already taking place. Just being aware is an important role. In the last 4 years since I clicked the button to create the group on LinkedIn, I\'ve been overwhelmed by the goodness of people and their passion to make a difference. I\'ve been energized and mobilized, overwhelmed and amazed by the excitement of seeing people do what they can to change their world.  My awareness of the good going on in the world has multiplied.\n\nIf you\'re trying to change your world, thank you. I\'m grateful for everyone who acts. I\'m glad to be a co-revolutionary. Join the revolution, not the group. Connect with 2 other people and talk about how you can make your corner of the world better. Make a plan and then act. You don\'t need me or this group, but we\'d all be happy to help if we can.\n\nAnd if you\'re complaining about your world rather than changing it, now you have no excuse.\n\nWe must each resist, even hate, that spirit in and around us that Godin and <a title=\"Do The Work by Steven Pressfield on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936719010/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1936719010&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=elevate-20\" target=\"_blank\">Steven Pressfield</a> call the Resistance. Every action, no matter how small, spits in the face of mediocrity and the Resistance. It all counts. Every action matters.\n\nSometimes courage is simply being angry enough to choose any alternative but the default. Refuse to tolerate mediocrity. This isn\'t an opportunity. It\'s an obligation. How much mediocrity will you tolerate?\n\n<em>This is the final installment in The Origins of the Lead Change Group based on the book <a title=\"Tribes by Seth Godin on Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;camp=1789&amp;amp;creative=390957&amp;amp;creativeASIN=1591842336&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;tag=elevate-20\">Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us by Seth Godin</a>. To read the entire series or see the table of contents, check out this page.</em>', 'The Obligation - Origins of Lead Change Group Final Chapter', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-obligation-origins-lead-change-final-chapter', '', '', '2013-05-05 14:12:21', '2013-05-05 19:12:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10223', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18111, 274, '2013-05-08 12:37:12', '2013-05-08 17:37:12', 'We\'re looking for reviewers for four new books that are launching in the next month or two. We\'re very excited to be part of the launch of these books. Please read a brief synopsis of each\n\nFirst up is <em>Managers as Mentors</em> by Chip Bell and Marshall Goldsmith. Subtitled \"Building Partnerships for Learning,\" this book takes the concept of mentor beyond the basic definition of someone who simply hands down knowledge. Instead, Bell and Goldsmith imagine mentors as learning catalysts for the protege, especially crucial for younger workers who prize growth opportunities but distrust hierarchy.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/?attachment_id=10281\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-10281\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10281\" alt=\"ERICLOWITT_3Dbook-300x300\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ERICLOWITT_3Dbook-300x300.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://managersasmentors.com/managers-as-mentors-blogger-page/\">Sign up here</a> to review.\n\nIn<em> The Collaboration Economy</em> by Eric Lowitt, he outlines a need for a new economic paradigm that focuses on growth to strengthen the global systems we rely on for daily survival. <a href=\"https://www.deepakchopra.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Deepak Chopra</a>, author of <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Super-Brain-Unleashing-Explosive-Well-Being/dp/0307956822/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1366147117&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=super+brain\" target=\"_blank\">Super Brain</a>, </em>believes that “Leaders in all fields [...] need to implement the ideas in [...] <strong><em>The Collaboration Economy </em></strong>or we are all in trouble<em>.”</em>\n\nInterested in promoting this book? <a href=\"http://www.ericlowitt.com/landing/ce-blogger-page/\">Sign up here. </a>\n\nOur third book is <em>Stewardship</em> by Peter Block. A provocative, even revolutionary, book when it was first published 20 years ago, <em>Stewardship</em> is revised and updated for a Second Edition that includes a new introduction addressing changes over the last twenty years as well as a new chapter on applying stewardship for the common good of the larger community.\n\nWant to promote the re-launch of a classic? Sign up here.\n\n<em>Leaders Open Doors</em> by Bill Treasurer is our fourth offering. Bill is passionate about promoting the idea of open door leadership, the responsibility that leaders have for creating\n\n&nbsp;\n\nopportunities for the benefit of people, organizations, and society. 100% of the proceeds of the sale of this book is going to charities serving children with special needs.\n\nIf you\'d like to promote this book, please sign up here. \n\nThank you for your efforts! Please join us at Team Buzz Builder to find out about future promotions!', 'Call for leadership reviewers!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'call-for-leadership-reviewers', '', '', '2013-05-08 12:37:12', '2013-05-08 17:37:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10248', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18112, 323, '2013-05-15 06:17:39', '2013-05-15 11:17:39', 'A leader once said to me “Alan, I’m a leader in my company, but I don’t know what’s expected of me.”\n\nA closer look at that organization revealed a few things.  It had succession gaps in key leadership positions.  It had little support for new leaders and no model of leadership.  It had inconsistent training and development activities that weren’t tied to the mission, vision, or strategy of the business.  It turns out that leader was a member of an organization that had not shaped its leadership culture.\n\nA conversation with the executive leaders of that organization exposed that while they had strong individual beliefs about leadership, they were very different beliefs.  Simply put, they were out of alignment.\n\nLeadership is a moving target.  Try nailing it down and you may be looking for the nail remover in no time.  I heard someone say once that “leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth.”\n\nBut does it have to be? Can you take the mystery of out it? Try this.\n\n<b>Define leadership</b>\n\nLeave the dictionary on the shelf.  Instead, define leadership in a way that makes sense for your organization. Start by asking these questions: “What’s our mission?  What’s our vision?  What do our stakeholders expect of our leaders as we work to achieve these things? And what leadership skills are necessary for getting us there?”\n\nBut don’t do this alone. Short of locking your leaders in a room and throwing away the key, you should impress upon them that if it was not important before this is important now.  Turn the task of defining and communicating leadership expectations into a group project.  Make it a strategic imperative to which the senior-most members of your organization are held accountable.\n\n<b>Use leadership champions</b>\n\nOnce you’ve defined leadership, tell people about it. Get the word out, and one of the ways in which you can do this is through leadership champions.  These are the formal and informal influence leaders in your organization. Inform and educate them first, and then use them to spread the good word.\n\nAt one company with a leadership culture they have a <em>Leadership Faculty</em> of leaders teaching leaders.  These internal leadership champions dedicate their time in a formal classroom setting to explaining core expectations for leadership.  Outside the classroom they serve as role models, daily walking the talk.\n\nThat same company also looks for great internal leaders to spotlight in a public setting.  They say “here’s a leader doing something great that we should all try,” and then they listen as that leader tells their story.\n\nThese leadership champions will attract more champions, those already in the business, and those who wish to be let in.\n\nDon’t stop there. Create visible reminders of your definition of leadership. Create images and hang them on the wall. Make stickers to place on the back of badges. Give leaders hand-held reference guides reminding them of their expectations. Or come up with something more creative that links to your organization’s way of doing things. Eventually these visible elements of your leadership culture will translate into <i>in</i>visible elements, and leadership will become part of the everyday fabric of the organization.  It’ll just be there.\n\n<b>Teach leaders to self-develop</b>\n\nFinally, help leaders hit the target. Turn them around so they’re facing in the right direction. Move them closer until the target comes into focus. Then, give them the bow and arrow and teach them how to aim.\n\nPut another way, encourage your leaders to self-assess by asking themselves “if this is what’s now expected of me, how am I doing?” Cheer them on as they seek feedback from others until they fully understand and accept their current state.  Then give them ideas for how they can improve and hit the target.  And broker the opportunities that will enable their development, like projects, mentors, and formal study.\n\nBut don’t just teach them leadership skills. Teach them how to <i>learn</i> leadership skills.\n\nFor leadership to take hold, leaders must understand what’s required for development to happen. An April 2011 article published by CLO magazine, called <i><a title=\"blocked::http://clomedia.com/articles/view/focusing-on-individual-leadership-development-for-organizational-growth/1\" href=\"http://clomedia.com/articles/view/focusing-on-individual-leadership-development-for-organizational-growth/1\" target=\"_parent\">Focusing on Individual Leadership Development for Organizational Growth</a></i>, says this:<i></i>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><i>The missing link of the learning organization is the learning individual. Unless every individual in an organization has an understanding of the nature of the learning process and how to accelerate their own learning, the learning organization remains a theoretical construct instead of a practical reality….It’s not just a theoretical notion that employees should learn. Leadership development is about actually teaching people how to learn and how to accelerate the process of learning.</i><i></i></p>\nOrganizations don’t develop leaders; instead <em>leaders</em> develop leaders. Organizations, on the other hand, provide the direction, the tools, and the resources that empower their leaders to take development into their own hands.\n\n- -\n\nIn summary, an organization with a leadership culture is full of leaders who can answer the basic question “what kind of leadership is expected from me, and how do I do it?”  This is because that organization defined leadership, got the word out through leadership champions, and taught its leaders how to self-develop.\n\n<em>Can your leaders answer this question?</em>\n\nPhoto: <a href=\"http://www.hunterhomesnh.com/\">www.hunterhomesnh.com</a>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Want a Leadership Culture?  Try This.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'want-a-leadership-culture-try-this', '', '', '2013-05-15 06:17:39', '2013-05-15 11:17:39', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10372', 0, 'post', '', 15),
(18113, 252, '2013-05-17 06:34:09', '2013-05-17 11:34:09', '\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\"I see you ahead of me.</em></h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>You see me behind.</em></h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Where are we going today?\"</em></h2>\n&nbsp;\n\nWhether you subscribe to the notion of leaders having “followers” or not, let’s consider this: What do others trust your leadership, i.e. why do they literally follow your lead?\n\nSomeone has to be first.  Someone has to have a vision worth following.  You can certainly be sparked by others’ ideas, ask for their input, allow others to influence you, but at some point you find yourself in the position to be the leader, to be <i>in the lead. </i>\n<h3>What does it take?</h3>\nSomeone needs to articulate an idea, play with it, engage and rally others, whether that was your original intention or not.\n\nWhen you think about someone you have been willing to follow, what was going on?  Maybe something like this:\n<ul>\n	<li>Their vision spoke to you.  It touched you in some way.</li>\n	<li>They took the time to answer your questions.</li>\n	<li>You got the sense they understood your position and had your best intentions in mind.</li>\n	<li>You knew there were risks, but trusted the leader to take the risks with you, or have your back.</li>\n	<li>They showed trust in your own resourcefulness and competence.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>To go where?</h3>\nYou don\'t even have to be a leader in title, or have a task to accomplish, to lead others.  You can lead others simply by being yourself.  The heart of this is your commitment to your values and your consistency in demonstrating them.\n\nEven if you are not a leader in title, when others see you routinely acting in alignment with your values, perhaps a value they admire or aspire to, you are leading them.  They like hanging around you.  They want to make themselves better because of the model you set.\n\nDo you realize that?  Be open to the possibility that others are inspired by you, being yourself.  Also, know you don’t have to be perfect. Though you may want to appear like you have it all together, people who matter don’t mind a little vulnerability.  They are much more attracted to someone they relate to because of struggle or redemption than those for whom it appears things came easy.\n<h3>All for what?</h3>\nIt’s not so others can ultimately remain followers, but so they are invigorated and willing to demonstrate leadership of their own.\n\n<em>How will you inspire others today with your leadership?</em>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Note: Haiku are short poems that use sensory language to capture a feeling or image. They are often prompted by an element of nature, a moment of beauty or a poignant experience. Adapted today for a discussion of leadership.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Image: Member “Public Domain Pictures” at Pixabay.</span>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leadership Haiku: Why Do They Follow You?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-haiku-why-do-they-follow-you', '', '', '2013-05-17 06:34:09', '2013-05-17 11:34:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10314', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(18114, 328, '2013-05-20 06:15:26', '2013-05-20 11:15:26', '\n\nThe leaders of tomorrow will embark on a self-discovery journey. They will listen to and act on their callings to fulfill the lives of others.\n\nWe all share an innate drive for meaning, guidance and purpose. We want to lead significant lives that matter and worth remembering. Lives that can make a memorable difference, lives that can improve the world.\n\nIf you want to be leader, you must have a calling - a relentless passion and desire to find out why you are here on this earth. Why do you lead? Why are you doing what you doing every single day? Every person may come up with a different answer but when we find out why we are here and what is our purpose in life, we are creating a life of significance for others.\n\nHaving a clear sense of your calling and purpose has a powerful influence on others. The search for meaning is the calling every person has in their life time.  Mark Twain said it best, <b><i>“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.\"</i></b>\n\nThere is a true vigor that waits beneath all of us to tap into, if we can discover what we love. If you feel energy and excitement and a sense that life is happening for the first time, you are probably living your calling.  Joy in what we do is not an added value; it is a sign of deep meaningful discovery of purpose.\n\nDiscover the gift that you can give or receive to honor your life calling as a leader. It\'s why you were born. And this is how you become truly alive.  John C. Maxwell said, <b>“If you have a heart to make a difference, you have a calling.”</b>\n\nHere are a few questions that can help you jump start your discovery:\n\n<b><i>Reflect on the last time you did something that mattered, something that truly had significance and lasting impact on your life or the life of others. What did you feel?</i></b>\n\n<b><i>What can you do right now to make the most out of your life? What can you do to accomplish more, to celebrate more, and to make a difference in other people lives?</i></b>\n\nEach one of us can make a positive impact. We just have to get out there and do it.  We can live our lives by honoring our callings to create a deeper connection and, by extension, a more authentic world.\n\n&nbsp;', 'The gift of our leadership is the gift of our callings', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-gift-of-our-leadership-is-the-gift-of-our-callings', '', '', '2013-05-20 06:15:26', '2013-05-20 11:15:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10387', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18115, 290, '2013-05-16 14:06:55', '2013-05-16 19:06:55', 'About a year ago, we started a local lunch group to discuss character-based leadership topics. It takes time to gain momentum and patience helps. As we look to our meeting next week, the group is really starting to take shape.\n\nErin Schreyer (<a title=\"Erin\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/ErinSchreyer\">@ErinSchreyer</a>) and I met through Lead Change and started the group. We call it Authentic Leadership Dallas. Who are we?\n<blockquote>Authentic Leadership Dallas is a community to encourage sharing, discussion and the growth of character-based leaders. Authentic leaders understand WHAT you are is less important than having the clarity and ability to leverage the best of WHO you are. We strive to have a positive impact on business results and the people around us by serving with strengths, remaining true to values and character, communicating effectively and always leading with integrity. Authentic leaders seek to add value and make a difference with every interaction. Let’s start the conversation...</blockquote>\nIf you live in the Dallas, Texas, area, join us the third Tuesday of every month. To learn more about our meeting next week, keep track of us on <a title=\" Authentic Leadership Dallas\" href=\"http://www.meetup.com/Authentic-Leadership-Dallas/\" target=\"_blank\">Meetup – Authentic Leadership Dallas</a>.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Dallas Lead Change Meetup', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dallas-lead-change-meetup', '', '', '2013-05-16 14:06:55', '2013-05-16 19:06:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10439', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18116, 307, '2013-05-21 06:21:54', '2013-05-21 11:21:54', '\n<h2>Imagine Their Surprise</h2>\n\"The whole department has quietly agreed never to mark anything but good scores on the damn thing!\"\n\nI was talking with Joan, an employee of a large medical service provider and this…this was her ultimate response to the last round of employee surveys designed to improve morale and motivation.\n\nWhat\'s worse, her management and executive leaders were clueless that their attempts have done exactly the opposite of what they intended.\n\nI regularly write about <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/04/the-minimalist-guide-to-motivate-your-employees/\">how to motivate your employees</a>, but this was a disaster:\n\nThis team\'s morale was far worse and their effort far less, than if their supervisors had done nothing at all.\n<h2>What Happened?</h2>\nIf you\'ve spent any time in an organization of 30 or more people, you\'ve probably encountered an employee or member survey of some kind.\n\nWhen I\'m working with an organization, I can get a good sense of its health by how staff respond to a survey. In far too many places, the response is something cynical like, \"Oh great - another chance to be ignored!\"\n\nJoan described her organization\'s survey:\n\n\"They did ask some good questions and we shared how to make things better, but they ignored all those issues, and made us spend extra time on task forces to address cosmetics and desk arrangements.\"\n\n\"Our reward for taking time to give them good feedback that would improve efficiency and profitability - was to be ignored and given extra work on how we would decorate the department.\"\n\nShe sighed in frustration. \"This is so stupid! We were ignored and punished…and we really tried to help.\"\n<h2>Is Your Employee Survey a Waste of Time?</h2>\nImagine having coffee with a friend who asks you for feedback on their website.\n\nYou take a moment, look it over, complement the layout, color scheme, and suggest they make their contact information more prominent.\n\nNow imagine that in response to your thoughtful feedback, your friend stares past you, gets up, turns her back and leaves the coffee shop without another word.\n\nHow would you feel?\n\nInsulted? Hurt? Angry? Perhaps worried about your relationship?\n\nThat\'s exactly how your people feel if you ask for feedback and then ignore them.\n\nThe number one thing that will make your employee survey a waste of time is failing to respond.\n\nIf you ask people for their input, it is vital that you recognize their contribution.\n\nYou may not be able to accommodate all the suggestions you receive, but if you don\'t acknowledge the responses and be transparent about why you\'re doing what you\'re doing, you might as well kiss your leadership credibility goodbye.\n<h2>Don\'t Waste Their Time!</h2>\nHere are a few guidelines for an effective employee survey:\n<ul>\n	<li>Make it short (10-15 minutes to complete).</li>\n	<li>Make it concise: target a specific situation or project.</li>\n	<li>Only ask questions for which you legitimately want answers. (e.g.: Don\'t ask if they are content with their salary if you know salaries are frozen for two years. Yes…I\'ve seen this happen!)</li>\n	<li>As part of the survey, make it clear when people can expect a response.</li>\n	<li>Respond when you said you would. Genuinely thank people for their feedback.</li>\n	<li>Do not punish people for their feedback. If you\'re not sure if your reaction would be considered punishment, get a second or third opinion. (Hint: making people work longer days to solve a problem that\'s your responsibility is not cool.)</li>\n	<li>Take visible action quickly, where you can.</li>\n	<li>Where you cannot take action, explain why. When you share criteria people weren\'t aware of, you give them a chance to help you problem solve.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Your Turn</h2>\nWhen done well, employee surveys are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your concern for your people and to get vital information and ideas from people who are close enough to the issues to have good ideas.\n\n<strong>How do you ensure your employee survey is not a waste of time?</strong>\n\nI\'d love to hear your best idea in the comments below!\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid\n\nCreative Commons Photo Credit: <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericarhiannon/8406841997/sizes/m/in/photostream/\" target=\"_blank\">Erica Hampton</a>', 'Why Your Employee Survey Is a Waste of Time', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-your-employee-survey-is-a-waste-of-time', '', '', '2013-05-21 06:21:54', '2013-05-21 11:21:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10500', 0, 'post', '', 13),
(18117, 243, '2013-05-30 06:16:09', '2013-05-30 11:16:09', '<em>Each month in our newsletter, we feature an interview with one of our Instigators. The interview for May was with Bill Treasurer (<a title=\"Bill\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/btreasurer\" target=\"_blank\">@btreasurer</a>), Chief Encouragement Officer of <a title=\"Giant Leap Consulting Website\" href=\"http://giantleapconsulting.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Giant Leap Consulting</a> from the Asheville, NC area.</em>\n<h3>What is your background in leadership?</h3>\nI became inte<em></a></em>rested in leadership after I did a bad job of leading. I discover that when one of my employees confronted me on my bullying leadership style. He was inches away from quitting, and because of that, had nothing to lose by confronting me. At first I got defensive. But after a day of sulking, I knew he was right. I apologized. I also got interested in doing a better job as a leader. So I started reading books on leadership and management, and decided to enter graduate school to pursue a Master’s degree in organizational development. I did my thesis in leadership. That was over 20 years ago.\n\nIn the last two decades, I have worked with thousands of executives throughout the world. I started out as a leadership development consultant at High Performing Systems, a boutique consulting firm. Later I became the vice president of program services at Executive Adventure, a team-building company in Atlanta. Later I joined Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting companies. I was in the Human Performance practice and became Accenture’s first fulltime executive coach. I worked to strengthen and develop the leadership skills of Accenture partners and associate partners. Finally, over 10-years ago, I started Giant Leap Consulting. I am proud to be the company’s chief encouragement officer.\n\nRelative to leadership, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Along the way, I’ve written three books and an off-the-shelf facilitator training program. My newest book is <a title=\"Leaders Open Doors website\" href=\"http://leadersopendoors.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Leaders Open Doors</a>, and it aims to simplify leadership to bring it back to what’s most essential about leadership: creating opportunities for those you lead.\n<h3>What do you do to engage in leadership?</h3>\nEffective leadership requires deep self-awareness on the part of the leader. So a good starting place is self-evaluation. My company administers a self-rated leadership continuum tool whereby the leader evaluates him or herself on a number of key dimensions of leadership.\n\nNext we work with the leader to have him or her answer what we call The Holy Question: What do you want? It’s important that the leader get explicitly clear about where she wants to end up in her career, and what kind of difference or impact she hopes to make.\n\nLater in the process of working with a leader, we may administer a leader 360 degree feedback survey. Though they remain controversial, we still find them to be a useful means for providing unfiltered feedback to the leader. Often it’s this feedback, which can be startling to the leader in some cases, that provokes meaningful change.\n\nThose are the kinds of things we do to engage individual leaders. But a lot of our work, in fact most of it, involves working with whole groups of people to develop and strengthen their leadership skills. We design, develop, and deliver leadership succession programs for “next level” (Hi Po) leaders.\n\nOften this involves choreographing a series of workshops (or what we call Leadership Summits) that serve to illuminate a critical aspect of leadership. The budding leaders go through the program in cohorts of 25, and the program lasts 18-months long. The workshops are held every two months, and focus on topics such as culture change, courageous leadership, calculated risk-taking, motivating yourself and others, leading teams, strategic thinking and goal-setting, persuasive communication, etc\n<h3>Do you have a book or person that particularly influenced you?</h3>\nThe most important piece of American literature I ever read is <a title=\"Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\" href=\"http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson</a>. When I first read it–and I’ve now read it many times–I felt as if he had written my personal belief systems 150-years ago. Many consider it to be the start of the American self-help movement.\n\nFrom a leadership standpoint, Ken Blanchard’s <a title=\"The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688014291/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0688014291&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=elevate-20\" target=\"_blank\">The One Minute Manager</a> is the first leadership book I ever read, and it set me on my way. It has a few useful and memorable ideas that will stick with the reader for life.\n<h3>What would you like to get out of your membership with the Lead Change Group?</h3>\nTo continue learning about the evergreen topic of leadership! And maybe introduce folks to some of my ideas about the topic too!\n\n<em>Bill is an Instigator in the Lead Change Group. We\'re a non-profit global community dedicated to instigating a character-based leadership revolution... one person at a time. Find out more about becoming an instigator or membership in the group.  This article originally appeared in our May newsletter.  Subscribe to future newsletters here.</em>', 'Meet Instigator Bill Treasurer', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'meet-instigator-bill-treasurer', '', '', '2013-05-30 06:16:09', '2013-05-30 11:16:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10596', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18118, 310, '2013-05-28 06:25:36', '2013-05-28 11:25:36', '<p align=\"center\"><b><i>Duty, honor, country… Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.\n</i></b><b>General Douglas MacArthur</b></p>\nWhen we lead, what is our duty? How do we find honor in the legwork of leadership? What value does it provide to our organizations, families, communities, or the world we all share?\n\nThese questions illustrate the importance of what it means to have, live, and operate by a creed – a system of your fundamental beliefs, values, or guiding principles that keeps us on course. Particularly in our mission as leaders, employees, parents, and all the other roles we have in our lives. If we are true to it, can others see our creed in action?\n\nI tend to glean some of my leadership concepts from my service in the Army, a steadied model of what it means to be in charge, particularly on the battlefield. With clarity of the ultimate mission to support and defend this country for freedom, all who serve or have served commit to this effort.\n\nTo further cement the Army’s mission and values, creeds are integrated into training programs and trickled down to the subcultures based on mission expertise. So for example, Rangers have a creed that keeps them bonded and focused. They acknowledge the dangers and, with their elite mental and physical abilities, pledge to go into hazardous areas. They also agree to look out for each other and will give all in support of the mission, going before and beyond.\n\nSo how does this army model with all its traditions and procedures play out in the workplaces of today? Particularly in tough economic and organizational times, leaders have to stay on what may seem to be a battlefield. There are similar concepts of motivation, sacrifice, communication, training, and a purpose larger than oneself for all organizational leaders.\n\nAll leaders, then, should have a creed, an operating philosophy. How can these attributes be applied to today’s leadership challenges? They, too, should be prepared, cemented, visualized, committed, and acted upon. Individually, we should have a creed, borne out of our values, culture, family background, and experiences.\n\nI asked the question earlier if others should be able to see our creed in action. The other way in which I speak about leadership is through observations in the family. My late and favorite uncle Harris L. Parker  also served in the army, a Vietnam Veteran, Airborne Ranger and in the community as a Chief Magistrate and  Honorable Chair of the Sussex County Virginia Board of Supervisors. He had rules he lived by that were constant in each environment.  His voice and value commanded attention. The following is just part of the creed by which Harris lived his life:\n<ul>\n	<li>When times are tough, you still have to keep moving, putting them down and picking them back up.</li>\n	<li>Always be organized and have a plan.</li>\n	<li>Be firm in your character.</li>\n	<li>Check in with young people and see how they’re thinking.</li>\n	<li>Take the time to do things right.</li>\n</ul>\nA creed can provide clarity and consistency to ourselves and others. I’ve adapted some of my uncle’s operating guidelines to fit my life too. His creed also established boundaries as a way to draw the lines of operation in crisis or calm. In the family, we knew what to expect if we needed something from him, whether it was an opinion or support. There was no need to guess his reaction, his mission to family was unfailing and hardcore, the same for service and duty.\n\nBearing all this in mind, what is your creed?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<b>Excerpted from my book, Hardcore<i> Leadership: 11 Master Lessons from My Airborne Ranger Uncle’s “Final Jump” </i></b><b><i> </i></b> <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479324760\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479324760</a>', 'Are You On Mission? Have a Leadership Creed', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-you-on-mission-have-a-leadership-creed', '', '', '2013-05-28 06:25:36', '2013-05-28 11:25:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10610', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18119, 335, '2013-06-10 12:11:19', '2013-06-10 17:11:19', 'It\'s a question that, admittedly, may only speak to a small percentage of people. However, it is a question I get often… <strong>What advice do you have for an aspiring author?</strong>\n\nThis is a fun and strange question for a guy who sells chicken for a living. I’m no expert on writing books. However, with three published titles and a fourth in the pipeline, I do have a few ideas for you to consider.\n\nIn this post I share 3 ideas that will help you to write and publish the book you\'ve always wanted to publish. <a href=\"http://greatleadersserve.com/todays-challenge/todays-challenge-do-you-want-to-write-a-book/\" target=\"_blank\">Read More...</a>', 'Do You Want to Write a Book?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-you-want-to-write-a-book', '', '', '2013-06-10 12:11:19', '2013-06-10 17:11:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10537', 0, 'post', '', 1);
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(18120, 306, '2013-06-03 06:03:03', '2013-06-03 11:03:03', 'While obsessive-compulsive disorder may come in handy in some business settings, the ‘OCD’ that employees want most from their leaders is something very different. It’s an <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">o</span>bsession with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">c</span>areer <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">d</span>evelopment.\n\nAccording to a recent study by Lee Hecht Harrison, 91% of employees polled report that career development is among their top priorities. Being able to learn, grow, and expand their capacity is of vital importance to most individuals.  It’s also of vital importance to organizations interested in staying ahead of the customer demand curve, continuously improving products and services, and delivering shareholder value.\n\nYet only a small percentage of employees are actually satisfied with their organizations’ or their leaders’ commitment to their career development. Climate survey after survey in organization after organization brings this into clear focus. Employees consistently send the following assessment items to the bottom of the rankings:\n<ul>\n	<li>Investment in development</li>\n	<li>Opportunities to learn and grow</li>\n	<li>Career options within the organization</li>\n</ul>\nThere are, however, organizations committed to bucking these trends... and they’re doing it with leaders who are obsessed with career development. These OCD leaders think and behave a little differently than others.  They:\n\n<b>Focus on an opportunity-filled future.</b> These leaders know how to generate enthusiasm, energy, and a sense of hope by helping others envision the possibilities that lay ahead. To employees, the future feels bright in the presence of these leaders because they consistently anticipate ways to connect what employees need to learn or experience with ever-changing workplace conditions. Because they’ve coached their employees to always be pursuing multiple paths simultaneously, they have confidence that there will always be plenty of chances to advance at least some of those career agendas.\n\n<b>Cultivate peripheral vision.</b> These growth-obsessed leaders can enjoy such confidence in the future in part because they are constantly scanning the environment, keeping their eye on and refining their understanding of the big picture. They remain hyper-vigilant to the factors that impinge upon the business, the organizational culture, and future opportunities.  And they teach those around them to do the same. This focus forward and toward the future allows employees to make decisions today that will serve them well tomorrow.\n\n<b>Assume that everyone has the potential learn and grow. </b>These growth-obsessed leaders live by an abiding belief that every individual is valuable and capable of developing their skills and abilities further.  This belief plays out in countless ways - large and small - every day, telegraphing and inspiring greater confidence in others. Under these conditions, employees put themselves out there, take risks, entertain instructive failure, and make enormous development strides in the process.\n\n<b>Dwell on strengths, talents, and capabilities.</b> These growth-obsessed leaders don’t view development in terms of fixing problems, shoring up weaknesses, or unraveling vulnerabilities. Instead they know that the shortest way forward and toward one’s career goals is through their strengths and talents. Employees who are fortunate enough to report to these leaders quickly learn to focus on what they do well and find ways to magnify those strengths further. This approach to growth is energizing and quickly establishes a positive context for development that infuses itself into all dimensions of work life.\n\nLeaders with OCD (an obsession for career development) do things a little differently. And in the process, they create the conditions for their people - and their organizations - to thrive.\n\n<strong>What about you?</strong> <em>Could your organizations use a little more of this kind of OCD in its ranks? What else do leaders who are obsessed with career development do differently than others?</em>', 'OCD: The Unexpected Trait that Employees Want (and Organizations Need ) Most in a Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ocd-the-unexpected-trait-that-employees-want-and-organizations-need-most-in-a-leader', '', '', '2013-06-03 06:03:03', '2013-06-03 11:03:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10540', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(18121, 307, '2013-06-14 12:03:33', '2013-06-14 17:03:33', '\n<h2>What Now?</h2>\nJulia slammed her laptop shut and slumped over her desk.\n\n“Ugh! What are they thinking? My team’s gonna hate this!”\n\nWe had just sat down to discuss her goals when the email arrived from her regional manager.\n\nThe email listed sales goals she and her team were expected to meet…goals from headquarters that neither she nor her team had any input into.\n<h2>What Would You Do?</h2>\nJulia’s situation is not unique.\n\nWhether you’re a team leader, a mid-manager, or even the President, CEO, or Executive Director, there will be times in your career where you are asked to meet goals that you did not speak into or, in some cases, even disagree with.\n\nNaturally, this presents a leadership challenge.\n\nAs Julia noted, people often react negatively when they have goals ‘shoved down their throats’ – goals that may have been set by people who may not have all the facts and didn’t ask for input.\n\nThe good news is that you and your team can still thrive in these situations – there are ways to motivate employees when you don’t set the goals...9 of them, if fact! [<a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/05/ways-to-motivate-employees-when-you-dont-set-the-goals/\">Read More...</a>]\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid\n\n&nbsp;', '9 Ways to Motivate Employees When You Don&#039;t Set the Goals', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '9-ways-to-motivate-employees-when-you-dont-set-the-goals', '', '', '2013-06-14 12:03:33', '2013-06-14 17:03:33', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10624', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18122, 330, '2013-06-05 06:13:50', '2013-06-05 11:13:50', 'My first boss was a military man. He had grown up in a proud military family, some of whom had served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. When duty called, my boss shipped off to Southeast Asia where he served two tours of duty behind enemy lines in Vietnam. Later he served as the head of the ROTC program at a major southern university.\n\nI was scared of my boss. At least at first. He was tough, quiet, and intense. He walked with an iron-rod posture, talked in a concise and clipped manner, and could stare right through you when he was upset. He was also a strict Southern Baptist who held a black belt in karate. I worked for a boss who could literally kill me with his bare hands if he wanted to and believed that God would be on his side if he did.\n\nThe <i>role</i> of leader is an important one. A leader has to be conscious of the impression he or she is making. First and foremost a leader has to be a positive role model of integrity. But there is a balance that has to be struck; people don’t want to be led by a leader who is <i>performing</i> in a role all the time. We want a leader to uphold ideals and values, but we also want a leader to be <i>real</i>. I knew and respected my boss as a leader, but I had no idea who he was underneath the role.\n\nThen one day my boss and I set out on a two-hour drive up to the mountains of North Georgia. We were setting out to lead a three-day leadership-development program for a Fortune 500 company. For the first time, we would be facilitating together. Given my boss’s deep leadership experience, I was thrilled at the prospect of working closely with him. But it still bugged me that I didn’t have any sense of who he was behind his rigid exterior. As he turned the ignition key, he turned to me and said, “Would you mind if I put on a little music for the drive?” Thinking that I was about to get a two-hour dose of old-timey gospel music, I answered unenthusiastically, “Fine with me.”\n\nOut of the car speakers, to my pleasant surprise, came the screeching guitar notes of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s famous Vietnam War anthem “Run through the Jungle.” For the next two hours, with John Fogerty singing in the background, my boss talked about his days on the battlefield fighting the Viet Cong. He opened up to me, sharing stories about what it was like to be a member of the Special Forces. He talked about what leadership meant to him and how his Vietnam experience had influenced and shaped his ideas about leadership. He talked about what it felt like to be responsible for people’s lives, not in some abstract way, but literally. He talked about the strong bonds that would form when he and his teammates faced firefights together, and how the pain would linger for weeks after a teammate was killed. The more we talked, the more open he got, and the more <i>real</i> my boss became to me.\n\nLeadership requires strength. It also requires vulnerability. Sometimes the most important thing a leader can do to strengthen the relationship with the people he or she is leading is to momentarily step out of the <i>role</i> of leader. When people are given a glimpse of the man or women underneath leadership’s mask, they become more committed to the leader when the mask goes back on. In my case, all it took was a two-hour car ride, some personal stories, and some rock-n-roll music to deepen my loyalty to my boss.\n\nHere are a few actions that strong leaders can take to show who they <i>really </i>are:\n<ul>\n	<li>Get out of your office. Don’t cloister. Walk the halls. Dedicate at least one hour a day to not looking at a screen of any sort.</li>\n	<li>Smile more. People won’t approach you if you’re a perpetual grump.</li>\n	<li>Set up and post a LinkedIn profile so people can view your educational background and career history if they want to.</li>\n	<li>Display a few pictures from your outside-of-work life and/or your family.</li>\n	<li>If your company sponsors a softball league (etc.) or folks get together for trivia night (etc.), join in the fun. Participating in casual activities should help defrost you.</li>\n</ul>', 'Leadership Strength and Vulnerability', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-strength-and-vulnerability', '', '', '2013-06-05 06:13:50', '2013-06-05 11:13:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10731', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(18123, 252, '2013-06-17 06:12:13', '2013-06-17 11:12:13', '<h2><em>Managers of people can get a bad rap.  Sometimes it’s deserved.</em></h2>\n\n\nAs an employee, can you relate to any of these scenarios?\n<ul>\n	<li>You receive a series of emails from your boss on the XYZ Project.  If he would have read through his inbox, he might see that all his questions are eventually answered.  He wouldn’t have had to waste the time writing you, and flooding your inbox.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li>You tell your supervisor about this whitepaper you’re reading on the future of recruiting. She suggests this would be great for you to present at the upcoming global leaders meeting. You prepare. When the agenda comes out, your presentation is not on it. When you question your boss, she unconvincingly covers that she had been thinking out loud and didn\'t mean for you to act on her suggestion.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li>Your boss stops in, calls, texts or emails you several times a day, every day, wanting status updates, offering new ideas or asking questions that imply, “have you got my back?”</li>\n</ul>\nYou might say this behavior is a boss’s prerogative, and employees just need to adjust and go with the flow. Fair enough.\n<h3>As a manager, do you want to be “right” or do you want to be effective?</h3>\nA number of my clients have experienced situations like the ones described above. It makes you wonder what’s going on with the manager. It could be overwhelm, insecurity, lack of discipline or all three.\n\nThere are those of you who, as managers, are generally thoughtful. You recognize the need to respect another\'s time, to not interrupt their flow, to not waste their time asking little things several times a day, frittering away their productivity, and maybe even their goodwill toward you.\n\nIt\'s easy to fall into a habit and just call on people casually, while a particular item is on your mind. After all, you don\'t want to forget whatever it is. But then you lose track of how many times you’ve interrupted them today.\n<h3><b>Do you want to be a manager, or do you want to be a leader?</b></h3>\nLet’s think about how to break these habits and get a handle on how you are using your time, and impacting those around you. Choose a day to examine your habits. On the appointed day, before you jump with that email or that phone call, consider:\n<ul>\n	<li>Why am I making this contact?</li>\n	<li>Can I get my need met another way?</li>\n	<li>Is this the person I need to contact?</li>\n	<li>Will this contact resolve anything?</li>\n	<li>Should I save this for a more convenient time?</li>\n	<li>What mechanism can I setup to manage these needs this better?</li>\n</ul>\nYour employees will thank you.  You both will end up being more productive. And a really nice side benefit is that you are modeling to others how to be thoughtful and productive at work.\n\n<i>What do you do, to not be “that” manager?</i>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #808080;\">Image: Public Domain Pictures on Pixaba<b>y</b></span>', 'How to Not Be “That” Manager', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-not-be-that-manager', '', '', '2013-06-17 06:12:13', '2013-06-17 11:12:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10795', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18124, 323, '2013-06-14 06:09:43', '2013-06-14 11:09:43', '\n\n<em>Never let \'em see you sweat.  </em>This advice is commonly touted in a variety of high pressure situations: life, school, sports, business deals.  But does it have a place in leadership?\n\nWhen I facilitate workshops on <i>leadership</i> with students and experienced managers I invite them to share the best leadership advice they\'ve ever received.   This invitation prompts a rich discussion of sharing and learning from others. A range of advice is offered up, from standbys like \"Lead by example\" to delightfully unique ideas like \"You got to risk it to get the biscuit.\"\n\nEach time I do this exercise I am reminded of my own opportunities for improvement.  Fortunately, I am also reminded of the good things that I am already trying in my own leadership roles.  Because of both, I walk away from this activity mindful and refreshed.\n\nBut, recently one impassioned leader\'s advice gave me more pause to think than usual.  She shared this familiar bit of advice once passed on to her by a mentor:<em> Never let \'em see you sweat.</em>\n\nReally? Never? I don\'t know. I\'m not sure I agree with this one.\n\nWhen I think of the best leaders I\'ve had, I think of the ones who acted like human beings and showed me that they weren\'t perfect.  Who asked for my input and advice because they didn\'t know all the answers.  The ones who demonstrated vulnerability, fear and uncertainty in the face of pressure because they needed help and guidance from their teams, peers, and leaders.  These are the leaders who I wanted to follow.\n\nWhy am I drawn to this imperfect leader?  Because I believe deep down that perfection is an impossible state of being.  And because I believe this, I generally have difficulty trusting the person who comes across as always perfect.  I will follow someone who seems authentic and real, and that means they are inherently flawed. Like me.\n\nBut this often trumpeted advice to <em>never let \'em see you sweat</em> is actually compelling on the surface. It might suggest that we should stand strong, confident, and assured in the face of adversity.  That we show people we always know the way, can answer any question correctly, and can tackle any challenge without skipping a beat. That sounds wonderful. And seductive. If you can reach this state while appearing real and authentic at the same time, then more power to you.\n\nBut be careful. It is easy to be seduced by this unrealistic ideal. In fact, I speculate that for many it is born from the belief that people who see you struggling, or discover your weaknesses, will use that against you. That\'s a pessimistic view. I choose to be more optimistic. I choose to adopt the attitude that if people use my weaknesses against me, then these are people I will choose not to work with. And I\'d rather endure that short-term pain in order to uncover the truth, learn from that experience, and discontinue that association.\n\nNow, on the flip side I appreciate people want to follow those who exude confidence, can lay out a clear path, and win most of the time.  And I understand people don\'t want to follow leaders who fail most of the time. So, is there a happy medium?\n\nNext time you\'re faced with doubt in a leadership moment, try this.\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Be honest about your uncertainty</em></li>\n	<li><em>Seek ideas from others</em></li>\n	<li><em>Make uncertain choices, confidently</em></li>\n	<li><em>Be realistic about outcomes</em></li>\n</ul>\nThis could look like the following:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><i>Okay team, this issue is new territory for me and I\'m not 100% sure what to do. With that said, I know we need to do something about it.  So, let\'s generate some ideas together.  From all the ideas, I\'ll pick something to try and then we\'ll see what happens.  It could work, but if it doesn\'t then we\'ll take our lumps and try something else.</i></p>\nOn the 2013 season of <i>Celebrity Apprentice</i> Penn Jillette, of the magic team Penn and Teller, said this: \"In business, sometimes making a decision is more important than the decision you make.\" Well said, magic man. When we confidently make uncertain choices, we are doing what a character-based leader does. We are leading with integrity.\n\nIn closing, I prefer to follow the imperfect leader who admits she made a mistake or knows he lost his way. This signals to me they are self-aware and willing to improve. A leader who tries to be perfect all the time is too busy covering his tracks to focus on improving himself or his business, or to raise up the people around him.\n\nThis advice is due for a rewrite.  Let\'s replace \"<em>Never let \'em see you sweat</em>\" with \"N<em>ever let \'em see your sweat get the best of you</em>.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPhoto: www.solopracticeuniversity.com', 'Real Leaders Sweat', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'real-leaders-sweat', '', '', '2013-06-14 06:09:43', '2013-06-14 11:09:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10900', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(18125, 243, '2013-06-20 06:16:11', '2013-06-20 11:16:11', 'Think about what you did over the last couple of hours. If you ranked all of the most important things you have to do, did you spend your time on activities that advance the top items from your list?\n\nThere are times when I feel like I can\'t work on my highest and best purpose. Over the last few months, I\'ve felt like I\'m in a funk. I\'m stuck with commitments, promises, and others\' expectations of me. I often choose to waste time until I have to do something I don\'t want to do. When it comes to being productive toward my greatest goals, I\'m my own worst enemy.\n\nHave you ever felt that way?\n\nYou\'ve heard of, and maybe even read the pamphlet, <a title=\"Tyranny of the Urgent at Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/087784092X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=087784092X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=elevate-20\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Tyranny of the Urgent</em></a>, by Charles E. Hummel. He describes how urgent things crowd out important things. Important things are almost never urgent. Urgent issues scream for attention. Important ones whisper. Urgent issues are rude, interrupting us and making us do things we know aren\'t the most important. Important things are polite, but cost us greatly when ultimately incomplete. Important things like time with family, making a difference, and finding great ways to help others are never urgent. Urgent things are seldom important.\n\nThe most important step to focuson important issues instead of urgent ones is to know yourself. What is most important to you? Have you ever decided. Make a list of your activities and \"force rank\" them. Decide which one is first, second, etc. Don\'t settle for High, Middle and Low or Diamond, Emerald and Ruby. Decide that something is most important.\n\nOnce you get an idea of your highest, most important purpose, take some notes over the next couple of weeks to determine how much of your time you spend working toward your greatest purpose?\n\nAfter you\'ve ranked your activities in order of importance, I\'ve found 5 ideas to make sure our best energy goes toward our greatest purpose.  Care to add any?\n<ol>\n	<li>Do the most important thing first. My email interrupts me all day long. Why do I read it first thing in the morning. My best mornings are spent reading something great and then writing. I also have a number of friends to pray for. Do your most important work first.</li>\n	<li>Identify your big time wasters. I mentioned email above but my biggest time waster is the TV. My goal is to read more and exercise more. Weeknight TV is the big killer. Identify your big time sink and kill it. Budget time to it and stick to the budget.</li>\n	<li>Say no to something (preferably a big time waster) every day. Don\'t just say no, substitute an activity. Tonight I will read. Tonight I will write. Tonight I will lay on the floor and do abdominal exercises. Every day you stick your finger in the eye of your time wasters is a day you elevated your purpose.</li>\n	<li>Make sure you do something more important than whatever you say no to. Schedule your activity. Budget your wasted time. Don\'t say no to an 8 and then waste time on a 10 or a 12. If you say no to an 8, do a 6 or a 4 or a #1 activity. Move yourself to your greatest purpose.</li>\n	<li>Do something for someone else. You can elevate any purpose if you do it for someone else. Anything done for someone else is better than something done for purely selfish reasons. Going to the grocery store or to get lunch? Offer to pick up something for someone else. Everything you do counts. Any way you can elevate your most routine activities, the more you will elevate your purpose. Buy someone random\'s lunch. Tip big.</li>\n</ol>\nDo you have some ideas you would share? How do you maximize your energy working on your greatest purpose? Share that with us and help us spend our time on our greatest purpose.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © Olivier Le Moal - Fotolia.com</span>', '5 Ideas To Direct Your Best Energy Toward Your Greatest Purpose', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-ideas-to-direct-your-best-energy-toward-your-greatest-purpose', '', '', '2013-06-20 06:16:11', '2013-06-20 11:16:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10956', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18126, 316, '2013-07-10 12:50:54', '2013-07-10 17:50:54', '<img class=\"alignleft  wp-image-10510\" alt=\"huffpost-live\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/huffpost-live-300x282.jpg\" width=\"180\" height=\"169\" />I am so honored to share the screen on <a href=\"http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/tech-game-changers-choose2matter/519501802b8c2a258b000319\" target=\"_blank\">Huffington Post Live</a> with <a href=\"http://twitter.com/angelamaiers\" target=\"_blank\">Angela Maiers</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/skap5\" target=\"_blank\">Saul Kaplan</a>,<a href=\"http://twitter.com/rmchase\" target=\"_blank\">Robin Chase</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/johnsonwhitney\" target=\"_blank\">Whitney Johnson</a> and <a href=\"http://twitter.com/bcuban\" target=\"_blank\">Brian Cuban</a> as we discuss <a href=\"http://choose2matter.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Choose2Matter</a> - helping our kids realize how much they have to offer and give to the world. You know how excited I get over up and coming leaders!\n\nI hope you\'ll take a few minutes to watch the video and then do what you can to help the kids in your life see what positive affect they can have on their world. Watch the video <a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/5/17/innovation-entrepreneurship-for-the-next-generation-1.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'Innovation &#038; Entrepreneurship for the Next Generation', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'innovation-entrepreneurship-for-the-next-generation', '', '', '2013-07-10 12:50:54', '2013-07-10 17:50:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10509', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18127, 316, '2013-07-26 12:51:15', '2013-07-26 17:51:15', '<img class=\"alignleft\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://mills-scofield.com/storage/Victor%20Saad%202.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1369836355372\" width=\"118\" height=\"158\" /><a href=\"http://www.aronsolomon.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Aron Solomon</a> introduced me to <a href=\"http://www.victorsaad.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Victor Saad</a> and that was all it took.  Victor has <a href=\"http://www.leapyearproject.org/\" target=\"_blank\">hacked his MBA</a> and learned more than he would have in school. Victor’s <a href=\"http://www.leapyearproject.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Leap Year Project</a> “Masters Program” is the wave of the future. <em>\"My work with students and the building project made me curious about further education in business, design, and social impact. Over time, the idea of an MBA surfaced. But the more I studied for the GMAT and researched programs, the more I wondered if the options and price tags fit.<strong> </strong>I was curious: <a href=\"http://www.leapyearproject.org/\" target=\"_blank\">could I create my own education</a>? How would I do that?\'\"</em>\n\nRead <a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/5/29/education-innovation-do-learn-do-learn.html\" target=\"_blank\">more</a>.', 'Education? Innovation? Do - Learn - Do - Learn', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'education-innovation-do-learn-do-learn', '', '', '2013-07-26 12:51:15', '2013-07-26 17:51:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=10674', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18128, 265, '2013-07-17 06:30:27', '2013-07-17 11:30:27', 'I have a friend who often says, \"The things we <em>do</em> are what we really <em>believe</em>. Everything else is just talk.\"\n\nYou would think with all our talk about leadership there would be few ideas left to explore. But the truth is, no matter how many posts you write, books you read, or conferences you attend there will always be a separation between what you say you believe and those actions you take to support those beliefs. That\'s why we keep reading, keep writing, and keep searching. We need to be reminded. We look for inspiration.\n\nWith that in mind. Here are 5 things you say you believe about leadership but haven\'t yet found a way to put into practice.\n<h3>#5 - Everyone is a Leader</h3>\nNo they\'re not. Everyone has leadership potential. But not everyone will lead. Everyone has influence that will move others, but it won\'t always be used with intention or for positive effect. That\'s not leadership. That\'s cause and effect. Potential is not enough. Not everyone wants to lead. Some dread the responsibility. Some would rather surrender their freedom to the hands of others. Genuine leaders start by taking responsibility for themselves and won\'t stop until they\'ve inspired others to fulfill the potential inside of them.\n<h3>#4 - Character-Based Leadership is Leading from WHO You Are</h3>\nLeadership isn\'t about position. It\'s about leading from who you are. This is a noble idea, even the right idea. But most people don\'t really believe it. There\'s too much risk in letting someone lead from who they are. Evil people lead from who they are. Dictators and tyrants lead from who they are. That doesn\'t make them character-based leaders. More than this, there is a gravity to the positions we hold and the titles we have. People submit naturally to a uniform. In our culture, growing influence leads naturally to growing position and title. Leading from who you are is the starting place of character-based leadership. What comes next is the challenging and noble work of forging who you are into a leader worth following.\n<h3>#3 - Great Leaders Have Grand Vision</h3>\nHindsight makes for great stories of grand vision. But if we take an honest look at many leadership success stories what we discover isn\'t grand vision. We see wisdom meet opportunity driven by necessity. Walt Disney didn\'t start by dreaming about the Magic Kingdom. Almost bankrupt, he sketched Mortimer Mouse during a train ride home. His wife suggested the name be changed to Mickey. His brother found the money to make a cartoon. Ub Iwerks redesigned Walt\'s original sketch into the iconic mouse we know and love. The magic came later. Necessity drove the Disney\'s into an opportunity they had the wisdom to shape into the media powerhouse we know today. Vision is important. It is the clear mental picture of what could be fueled by the conviction that it should be. But don\'t let a grand vision become the apocryphal mountain that gets in the way of a good idea.\n<h3>#2 - Leaders Pick Themselves.</h3>\nOkay, leadership starts with picking yourself, but as the ancient proverb says, \"A leader without followers is only taking walk.\" You have to be picked by others. Online influence is measured by tweets and retweets, shares, clicks and visits. In the real world it\'s the bottom line, positive momentum, and popular opinion. However you measure it, for leaders to lead followers must choose the leader they follow. Don\'t wait to be picked, but don\'t expect picking yourself will be enough. It\'s a start. Everything else about leadership is the challenging and worthy goal of persuading others to support your movement, methods and mission. But don\'t stop there. Building supporters, finding followers is not enough. The best leaders create other leaders. In other words, become the person someone else can someday point to and say, \"They picked me.\"\n<h3>#1 - Leaders Can Change the World</h3>\nThe world is a big place. History is even bigger. The outliers whose stories we tell today will likely be forgotten in less than a generation. The company you build right now will soon be sold or under new management. That cutting edge app you\'re about to release on multiple platforms will one-day be as useful as my 8-track of K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Only a narrow few will start the kind of movement that survives cultures, countries and countless ages. As a leader, you will not change the world. But you can change something. You can change someone. You can change you. You can influence those around you. Successful leadership isn\'t about scale. It\'s about moving from where you are to where you should be and helping others do the same.\n\n&nbsp;', '5 Things You Don&#039;t Really Believe About Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-things-you-dont-really-believe-about-leadership', '', '', '2013-07-17 06:30:27', '2013-07-17 11:30:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11284', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(18129, 243, '2013-07-18 11:43:24', '2013-07-18 16:43:24', 'A friend suggested that some people don’t want to lead. He insisted some just weren’t cut out for leadership and others might “never” or seldom choose a leadership role.\n\n<strong>What makes a leader?</strong>\n\nIt got me thinking about what makes a leader. Is leadership a position, a set of behaviors or a decision? If a leader is the person in charge or a set of behaviors, I can agree with my friend.  But my idea of leadership changes my answer. Let me explain.\n\nRead more <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/\">here..</a>.', 'Are you a leader … yet?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-you-a-leader-yet', '', '', '2013-07-18 11:43:24', '2013-07-18 16:43:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11392', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18130, 288, '2013-07-30 06:12:04', '2013-07-30 11:12:04', 'When holding a leadership position in an organization, it is important to be a good public speaker.  Not only is this important to be able to get your points across clearly, but because it improves credibility as a leader.  Situations where public speaking is required can range from simply speaking up at a meeting, to pitching a brand new idea to a huge conference.  Here are <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/events/public-speaking-courses/\">public speaking tips</a> to help you become the best you can possibly be when addressing others, making you a better leader in turn.\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em id=\"__mceDel\">Preparation is a crucial step in order to give a warmly received presentation.  Knowing your audience is extremely important so that you are able to tailor the delivery to fit the needs and knowledge base of the specific group.  Come up with a unique way to present your material in the beginning to have your listeners intrigued and excited to hear about your topic.  Similarly, have a memorable closing that will leave listeners feeling like they have learned a great wealth of valuable information.</em></p>\nHaving a <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/events/getting_rid_of_the_fear_and_horror_of_public_speaking/\">fear of public speaking</a> can hinder many people’s ability to present effectively in public. The main way to cure this is to prepare in advance and practice. Having an individual you trust listen to your presentation will help to give confidence and tips on improving for the future. Making sure you know and understand the material you are trying to convey will help give you the confidence needed to succeed.\n\nSpeaking clearly and slowly are two very simple but extremely efficient ways to give an effective presentation.  Doing this will allow your audience to hear what you are saying and give them time to comprehend and remember the content.  Speaking slowly also will give you some time to think about what you are saying so you do not have to rely on fillers or awkward pauses while thinking.\n\nPreparing, practicing and speaking clearly are all great ways to ensure a successful presentation. It is important to do all of these no matter how large or small the audience is because you never know who may be watching and the influence they may have.  By being a great public speaker, you can define your role as a predominant leader, and give yourself that needed edge to succeed in the future.', 'Being a Better Leader through Public Speaking', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'being-a-better-leader-through-public-speaking', '', '', '2013-07-30 06:12:04', '2013-07-30 11:12:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11447', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18131, 306, '2013-08-02 06:12:36', '2013-08-02 11:12:36', 'Supervisors are the lynchpins in any organization. They are the link between management and the employees who build the products, deliver the services, and take care of the customers day-in and day-out. They are on the frontline, the leading (and sometimes bleeding) edge, closest to the action and the realities of business.\n\nSupervisors are also one of the top reasons employees give for leaving their jobs. Classic Gallup research (based upon more than one million employees) found that the number one reason for quitting a job comes down to the boss. Researchers summarized it with the much-quoted phrase: “People leave managers not companies.” And Leigh Branham further confirms this finding in <i>The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave</i>, based upon Saratoga Institute’s review of 19,000 exit interviews.\n\nBut what about the other side of this coin? What about the supervisors who retain employees? The supervisors for whom employees are consistently willing to go the extra mile? These supervisors send messages of trust, authenticity, candor, and support... and they speak phrases that many other leaders don’t. They’re not afraid or uncomfortable saying:\n\n<b>\"I was wrong.”</b> When supervisors share their vulnerability and admit mistakes, it has a powerful effect on their employees. Rather than undermining respect or esteem, it actually inspires confidence. It creates an environment in which failure isn’t fatal,  experimentation is encouraged, and problems are openly addressed, helping others learn and grow.\n\n<b>“I trust you.”</b> Supervisors express their trust in countless ways such as offering challenging assignments or stepping back to let others take the lead. But, given the pace of business today, it’s easy for employees to miss the message. Worse, they may just see it as a way to get more done with less. Overtly speaking these three words builds confidence, accountability, and results.\n\n<b>“I’ve got your back.” </b>For too many employees work feels stressful, overwhelming, and high-stakes. They know there’s a lot riding on them. They need to enhance productivity, grow their skills, and innovate just to stay even in this ‘if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind’ world. When employees know that they have their supervisor’s support, it goes a long way towards reducing the stress. Knowing that someone is in their corner and watching out for them is frequently just what’s needed to inspire the confidence required to perform and succeed. And while a supervisor’s actions speak loudly... so do his or her heartfelt words of support.\n\n<b>“I appreciate you.” </b>Appreciation is among the most under-rated emotions in the workplace. Employees who feel appreciated are more engaged, connected to the mission, connected to others, and productive. Elaborate schemes, pizza parties, plaques, and movie tickets pale (in terms of impact) when compared to a genuine expression of appreciation communicated authentically, human being to human being.\n\n<b>“I’m sorry.” </b>Apologies are powerful... for both those on the giving and the receiving end. Recognizing a problem, misstep, or misunderstanding and correcting it is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard for many... which makes it all the more impactful. Apologizing when appropriate communicates your humanity and a sincere commitment to your relationship with others.\n\nThese simple phrases - just a few words - can transform the tone of your department or team. They communicate a commitment to and respect for others. They create an environment that attracts and retains top talent. They cultivate relationships that are the basis for high levels of engagement and performance. And they make you the leader that employees will enthusiastically follow.\n\nJust turn a phrase or two... and turn your workplace around!\n\n<b>What about you?</b> <i>What’s in a word? What other powerful phrases have your spoken or heard?</i>\n\nImage: www.dreamstime.com', 'Supervision Means Having to Say...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'supervision-means-having-to-say', '', '', '2013-08-02 06:12:36', '2013-08-02 11:12:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11475', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18132, 323, '2013-07-31 06:10:01', '2013-07-31 11:10:01', '\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<i>ish</i>.\n\nThis is the word we use when something is stuck between <i>being</i> and <i>not being. </i>Between<i> is</i> and <i>is not.</i>\n\nFor example, we might say, \"that shirt is red-ish.\" Or, \"I\'m feeling sick-ish.\" And sometimes, \"the weather is a bit warm-ish.\"\n\nDescribing things as ish is handy, because it helps us avoid committing when we\'re not quite ready. And when it is used in the course of regular conversation, we tend to accept this half-way point as okay, and we carry on. We typically do not challenge convenient ish-isms.\n\nBut when is being ish not okay? What about in leadership? Is being leader-ish okay, not okay, or maybe okay-ish?\n\nBeing leader-ish means you\'re not committing all the way to being a leader...at least not fully. Leader-ish may characterize a person who holds a management title, but stops short of exhibiting character-based leadership traits. This person may have employees who take their direction and follow their lead because an organizational chart suggests they do, but not necessarily by choice.  A leader-ish person may have position power, but a leader wins hearts and minds.\n\nFive common signs you might be leader-ish:\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve ever said, \"I need to focus on doing my job; somebody else needs to deal with these people issues.\"</li>\n	<li>When raising a tough issue with an employee, you use passive and ambiguous language in your efforts to avoid hurting their feelings.</li>\n	<li>You believe employees should know when they\'ve made a mistake, and that you shouldn\'t have to bring it to their attention.</li>\n	<li>Your policy is to recognize your employees for herculean efforts only, because anything less is \"just doing their jobs.\"</li>\n	<li>You choose not to ask tough questions to avoid making your employees feel uncomfortable.</li>\n</ol>\nThese are leader-ish behaviors because they fall short of doing some of what a leader does best:  Guiding, mentoring, developing, and rewarding employees.\n\nFive more signs you might be leader-ish:\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve crafted a vision that is crystal clear in your mind, but haven\'t explained it to anyone; you expect others to understand it through your actions.</li>\n	<li>You feel you need to shield your team from what you describe as \"disruptive corporate change,\" and work hard to maintain the status quo.</li>\n	<li>You follow all policies literally because you believe that\'s better than making a judgment-call you\'ll have to answer for later.</li>\n	<li>You treat all employees equally, because you find that\'s easier than dealing with them on an individual basis.</li>\n	<li>Things always get done in your department because you do it yourself.</li>\n</ol>\nThese behaviors are representative of the difference between having a management position and being a true leader. A manager focuses on the day-to-day operations; he turns the crank. A leader sets the vision and inspires people to get things done; he makes change happen.\n\nThese ten behaviors can also be described as the convenient, comfortable place we find ourselves in when we\'re not quite a leader.  Being leader-ish is to be comfortable. Being a leader is to be uncomfortable.\n\nBeing leader-ish has consequences:\n<ul>\n	<li>Employees don\'t know where they stand or how to improve</li>\n	<li>The leader doesn\'t grow or develop, and ends up stagnant</li>\n	<li>Future leaders learn leader-ish habits</li>\n	<li>Innovation is halted</li>\n	<li>Good talent leaves; okay talent stays</li>\n</ul>\nThe list goes on.\n\nEvery leader, at one time or another, has probably done something leader-ish. Because leadership is not always easy, and sometimes we instinctively seek convenience.\n\nBut true character-based leadership emerges through discomfort. Ours, and others. It requires focusing our attention on how we can make others shine. Making mindful judgment calls. Getting things done through others, and winning their hearts and minds in the process. Handling people as unique individuals. Looking beyond our positions to the behaviors and choices that are best for our employees, for the team, for the organization, and its customer.\n\nAre you a leader, or leader-ish?\n\n<i>Photo: Knowyourgut.com</i>', 'Being Leader-ish: When You&#039;re Not Quite a Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'being-leader-ish-when-youre-not-quite-a-leader', '', '', '2013-07-31 06:10:01', '2013-07-31 11:10:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11487', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(18133, 316, '2013-08-01 18:55:56', '2013-08-01 23:55:56', 'Diversity is finally getting beyond discussions of race and gender to include experiences, talents, and ways of thinking. I’d like to add another type of diversity to the conversation — virtues. More than 2,500 years ago, Aristotle “created” the Virtues as a guide to leading a “happy life.” They still hold true; that’s why they’ve lasted this long!\n\nLook at your organization, your teams. You see people with a mix of traits; some are very courageous, others conservative; some live and breathe customer delight, others obsess with operational excellence. These are examples of the classic virtues — the Greek four of courage, justice, prudence and temperance, and the Christian three of faith, hope and love (or charity). Let’s define them and see how having a diversity of virtues can apply in your organization and your teams to help you grow.\n\nRead more <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/08/01/21st-century-leadership-learnings-from-2500-years-ago/\">here</a>....', '21st century leadership learnings from 2,500 years ago', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '21st-century-leadership-learnings-from-2500-years-ago', '', '', '2013-08-01 18:55:56', '2013-08-01 23:55:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11534', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(18134, 370, '2013-08-06 06:03:38', '2013-08-06 11:03:38', 'It is the desire of every leader to see their vision become reality. The challenge leaders face translating vision to reality is having the focus and clarity to bring their vision to life. Prior to any discussion of bringing a vision to life you need solid plan, a foundation.\n<h2><b>What Is Clarity Really About? </b></h2>\nClarity really means to be free of roadblocks, obstacles... to be clear in purpose. You need to have a simple understanding of what you want and to be clear, exact in how you will reach your vision. When you are clear about what you want, you can explain your vision to others so they can understand your vision as well.  Think of clarity as the fuel of vision and action. If you aren’t clear about the “why and how” you will never lift your vision off the ground.\n<h2><b>Clarity Gives Direction. </b></h2>\nYour team cannot follow you unless you give them a map.  Without directions you are on a road to nowhere. The clarity you bring to your vision lays down the map to follow. The team knows where you are going and you have the ability to set the course.  There will be many twists and turns in the road and you don’t want to lose your team in quest to bring your vision to life. Be sure to have this plan laid out before you set out on your journey.\n<h2><b>Clarity Breeds Passion. </b></h2>\nWhen you as a leader are clear in your vision you cannot contain the passion and excitement you have when speaking to others about your vision. When you are expressing your vision they feel it. Your team can smell and taste their world once your vision is implemented.  They “get it”. They will get on board your bus so to speak. They will want to join your cause and carry forward your mission with you.  The vision and passion come together and now they have a mission as well. When folks understand the mission, when they have clear marching orders, now you have a passionate team.\n<h2><b>Clarity Gives Meaning. </b></h2>\nThe mundane routine daily work can become stale. We tend look at daily tasks as being dull and void of any real value.  If a leader can provide clarity to the task by providing a “why” to the “what”, those daily tasks become less meaningless. The leader shows the purpose behind those tasks that seem so hollow. There is a bigger picture that tasks easily become routine—dull, hollow and void of significance. Clarity can lift the mind’s eye to a greater reality. There can be no cultivation of meaning without clarity.\n<h2><b>Clarity Provides Synergy. </b></h2>\nThere are many reasons why leaders lose their teams:  mistrust, ego and lack of strategic clarity. When a leader brings clarity to the table, roles and tasks fall into focus and the team becomes one unit. Each member works with precision. You bring out the talent within each person. Each person has his or her own unique skill set that can be utilized to bring the vision into reality.\n<h2><b>Clarity Defines Focus and Success.</b></h2>\nEveryone wants to be successful.  The problem is that without clarity, we have no idea how we are making a difference and being successful in our value.  As a leader, you need to put clarity into the bigger picture to unleash the drive within each team member to achieve their own personal success in the vision.  As humans, our greatest weakness can be that we have so many great ideas that we forget to focus on the proper steps to reach our goals. We get so focus on the vision that we forget how to build a sturdy foundation so that our vision has strength to sustain the test of time.  As stated earlier, clarity has to be free of obstacles and roadblocks. One of those roadblocks is that you cannot try to do everything at once. Take your time, focus on putting the right people in the right jobs and build your vision with clear purpose. Success will come when you are clear about how you value your people and your purpose.\n<h2><b>A Visionary Leader Sees Clearly. </b></h2>\nWhen a leader starts firing off disconnected ideas, they tend to lose their street cred with their followers. This can leave others feeling disillusioned. A leader should always be creative but with a bit of precision in how they communicate their ideas. Not every idea is going to be a grand slam. You need to find focus on which ideas you bring to the table and communicate the ones you feel the strongest about to your team.  Over time, a leader will discover that those ideas that have a clear purpose and precise foundation are the ones that stick. You can relate those ideas to others when you see clearly the path that can become a reality. You earn respect from others when you stop trying to throw everything at everyone.\n\nTo be a leader with clarity is powerful and there is no limit to how far you will travel when you clearly see the path in front of you.  Find your vision, chart your course, give your followers a plan for the bigger picture and set your sites of bringing your vision to reality.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © grufnar - Fotolia.com</span>', 'Clarity Brings A Leader&#039;s Vision to Life', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'clarity-brings-a-leaders-vision-to-life', '', '', '2013-08-06 06:03:38', '2013-08-06 11:03:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11555', 0, 'post', '', 17),
(18135, 274, '2013-08-16 14:52:38', '2013-08-16 19:52:38', 'Good leadership is a radical thing. Wisdom, responsibility, courage, and character are aspects of great leadership that are not easy to learn or to put into practice, but they are required if you want to truly understand <strong>The Heart of Leadership</strong>.\n\nComing in October 2013, <em><strong>The Heart of Leadership</strong></em> once again picks up the story of Debbie Brewster and Blake Brown. After being passed up for a promotion, Debbie helps Blake learn about five unique character traits exhibited by exceptional leaders and how to cultivate them.\n\nJoin Debbie and Blake as they discover that leadership is far more than the actions of the head or hands, it’s a <strong>HEART</strong> issue. <em>The Heart of Leadership</em> is a road map for those who desire to make a difference in the lives of others and become a leader people want to follow.\n\nTo receive a review copy and participate as part of the launch team for this book, read more <a href=\"http://greatleadersserve.org/hol-buzz-team/\">here</a>.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe want to invite people to receive a review copy of the book and participate as part of Mark\'s launch team.', 'Ready for the Heart of Leadership?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ready-for-the-heart-of-leadership', '', '', '2013-08-16 14:52:38', '2013-08-16 19:52:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11835', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18136, 244, '2013-08-20 12:15:39', '2013-08-20 17:15:39', ' Today’s world, for the most part, has been framed in a mechanistic model based on Newton’s laws of the physical universe. Of course this model continues to be both valid and useful. In fact, this model of thought gave rise to the tremendous breakthroughs in the industrial age.\n\nYet could it be this mechanistic model is now getting in the way of our ability to actually work together?\n\nWe are all connected. We seem to be hearing that more and more these days. But do we really act like we believe it?', 'Are We Really “All Connected”?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-we-really-all-connected', '', '', '2013-08-20 12:15:39', '2013-08-20 17:15:39', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=7824', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18137, 335, '2013-08-30 12:17:55', '2013-08-30 17:17:55', 'The subtitle of my <a href=\"http://j.mp/14gRmgA\" title=\"The Heart of Leadership by Mark Miller\">upcoming book</a> really captures the reason I’m so excited about its release… Becoming a Leader People Want to Follow. If you and I as leaders cannot create followship, we’re not leading at all. John Maxwell says, “If you look around and no one is following you, you’re just taking a walk.”\n\nIn The Heart of Leadership, I outline five critical leadership character traits you and I need to cultivate to be the leader people want to follow. Although all the traits are essential, the demonstrated ability to Expect the Best may be the one that correlates most directly with our ability to enlist followers.\n\nHow does this “Expect the Best” character trait show up? It can be seen clearly in at least three arenas. <a href=\"http://greatleadersserve.com/leadership/the-heart-of-leadership-how-full-is-your-glass/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more...</a>', 'How Full is the Glass?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-full-is-the-glass', '', '', '2013-08-30 12:17:55', '2013-08-30 17:17:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11816', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18138, 307, '2013-08-21 06:12:11', '2013-08-21 11:12:11', '<h2></h2>\n<h2>Trial</h2>\nIn a state correctional facility, Christine had a problem.\n\nWith no prior supervisory experience, as one of a small handful of female staff in a mostly male prison, and with a highly diverse and contentious inmate population, she had been placed in charge of creating a clothing factory.\n\nAs if those weren’t enough barriers, prior attempts to open a similar factory in other state facilities had failed.\n<h2>Triumph</h2>\nOne year later, Christine’s factory was out-producing the prototype operation, had an impeccable safety record, and could run itself without supervision.\n<h2>Turning Point</h2>\nWhen I asked Christine what made such a rapid transition possible, she said:\n\nIt began with my belief in the people.\n\nWhen they came to me, they wanted to tell me about what they had done on the outside – why they were in prison. I cut them off, told them I didn’t really care about who they were last year.\n<blockquote>This is who we are going to be in this factory and this is what we’re going to do.</blockquote>\nMost of them didn’t believe it at first, but pretty quickly they responded to someone believing in them.\n\nShe described how male inmates would initially object to sewing because they thought it wasn’t something men did. Christine would walk over to the industrial sewing machines, quietly operate it, produce a garment, return to the men and say, “You’re telling me women can run this industrial machine better than you men? I don’t believe that.”\n\nWhen you tell your team, “You can!” your belief becomes their belief.\n\nThis is the distilled essence of leadership: transferring to your team the belief that together we can have a better tomorrow. You are the CBO - the Chief Belief Officer.\n<blockquote>Your team needs to hear you say, “You can.”</blockquote>\n<h2>Your Turn</h2>\nLeave us a comment and tell us:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>How a leader in your life was a C.B.O. for you?</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>How do you communicate your belief in your team?</strong></li>\n</ul>\nTake care,\n\nDavid\n\nCreative Commons Photo by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/26116471@N03/6417186763/sizes/m/in/photolist-aM4L46-aiLoxU-a2yfLx-7Z3mdg-fohnLH-ecS4A9-aRjq2X-f5eKRa-bqLVHz-d8qoG5-b5e8jP-bdJMqa-8F2LTV-8oWoHP-cdWKCQ-aDu2DW-aix2p3-9vaTMf-9hBaJN-8xnj5k-bh4H8t-85tB8s-dnaQ4L-cCVcXU-aJtv64-asPhYe-armXUP-9txenq-86UsG5-7ZuDHt-7Lbk8u-fhs4ao-eiEKHF-a1rAED-95DE37-7UtowC-dX4ssH-dM3o9g-dB7FZH-bqX79V-da1kFL/\" target=\"_blank\">Wajahat Mahmood</a>', 'Does Your Team Have a Chief Belief Officer?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'does-your-team-have-a-chief-belief-officer', '', '', '2013-08-21 06:12:11', '2013-08-21 11:12:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11821', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(18139, 333, '2013-08-28 06:23:04', '2013-08-28 11:23:04', 'Considering we live in an age that has been increasingly defined by a heightened sense of competition and specialisation, it is no wonder that acquiring an executive position has become so coveted in the employment market. An executive role allows further room for upward mobility, a greater control over internal decisions and even the possibility to shape a company\'s direction and vision. However, taking the leap into this field is not as simple as submitting a resume and waiting for a reply. Rather, a certain approach needs to be taken and a unique mindset is absolutely necessary. So, it proves wise to briefly examine some sure-fire methods for you to secure a rewarding executive position.\n\n<strong><i>A Solid Foundation is Tantamount to Success</i></strong>\n\nLet us first assume that you’ve never applied for an executive position before but offer all of the relevant technical skills needed. What, then, separates you from the perhaps three or four others applying for the same role? The key here is to be fully prepared for the engagement process during the interview. It has been shown that when all other things are equal, the candidate that has the psychological preparation will most likely be the one chosen for the position.\n\nThis \"softer\" side of the process involves presenting the appropriate attire, allowing the process to be a \"two way street\" as opposed to dominating a conversation by recounting various achievements and having discreet facts at-hand. For example, instead of simply stating that you helped increase the sales pipeline at your last position, be ready with specific facts and figures. These will lend credibility to your position and demonstrate a working knowledge of operational duties. Bland and spurious statements will lead to a lukewarm response.\n\n<strong><i>Focus on a Specific Position</i></strong>\n\nIt is common in the executive search industry for an individual to lack a clear vision of what position he or she desires. Thus, a more generalised approach may be taken and by doing so, a lack of focus may result. As an executive role is generally defined as possessing a number of valuable skill sets, it is easy to fall into the trap of applying to dozens of companies at once in hopes of landing one interview. A great deal of energy can be wasted in doing so. Rather, focusing on only two or three positions can help you target the most personally satisfying positions while not wasting time with potential \"filler\" roles where a change of venue may be desired further down the line.\n\n<strong><i>Utilise All Resources Available</i></strong>\n\nWhereas a flashy resume and a power tie may have been some of the only tools available in the past, the internet age can allow us to connect with employers across the globe. Therefore, it is essential to take advantage of such a robust platform. Avoid social networking sites as they lend little credibility as references. Instead, headhunting sites such as LinkedIn are excellent in providing a \"virtual resume\" and it has been shown that many employers will proactively seek new executives through such sites. Also, a standalone webpage is another viable means to promote oneself and will help give a company an idea if a certain skill set is what they desire. These platforms take little time to set up but can go a long way in communicating expertise to the right companies.\n\n<strong><i>Combine Physical and Digital Means</i></strong>\n\nWhile the importance of the internet cannot be overstated, it must be remembered that the \"old guard\" is still in place within many organisations. Therefore, always have a handful of personalised business cards at hand. Upon arriving to an interview, bring an extra copy of a resume, as the interviewer may have simply taken notes from what he or she saw online. Offering these physical links will impress industry executives and moreover, display that tradition and integrity are important aspects. Also, it must be remembered that during \"power lunches\" and other such meetings, it is quite awkward to reach across a table and hand a prospective employer a bundle of paper. A business card is an excellent way to break the ice and end the meeting on a memorable note.\n\nThese are but a handful of methods to prepare for what may very well be an entry into a very lucrative and rewarding position. By creating a knowledgeable and professional impression, that perfect role may only be an interview away.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"https://plus.google.com/118005938148971444301?rel=author\"> </a>', 'Are You Ready to Apply For an Executive Role?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-you-ready-to-apply-for-an-executive-role', '', '', '2013-08-28 06:23:04', '2013-08-28 11:23:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11848', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18140, 331, '2013-08-26 06:12:56', '2013-08-26 11:12:56', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/turn-on-the-lights-showing-your-team-what-winning-looks-like/turn-on-the-lights/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11862\">I am constantly amazed by the number of companies who feel it’s to their advantage to NOT have <strong>WRITTEN</strong> job descriptions or key initiatives for employees. These type companies usually, and with little hesitation, make some proclamation about how they don’t “DO” job descriptions because “<em>everyone pitches in</em>” or because they don’t want their employees to view their role as a checklist or risk hearing “<em>that’s not my job.</em>” Quite honestly, when speaking to an executive with this sort of mentality, no matter how profound the thing they said right before or right after is, it doesn’t matter; I’m let down. I can literally feel the air in my balloon begin to seep out and deflate right then and there.\n\nIn employee roles, I have been on the receiving end of no job description. In management roles, I have before been advised against giving direct reports key initiatives. As I have grown in experience and confidence, I too can say with little hesitation, I would not accept a job from a company who didn’t clearly define job roles and expectations and I certainly would not lead a team without offering them. Why? Because I need to know what winning looks like to my company and my team needs to know what winning looks like to me. I want to know where I stand, what to feel proud of, what to improve on and I want to offer that same transparency to my staff. Otherwise, it’s like the company has taken us all out bowling and shut off the lights. <strong>And no, I’m not referring to the fun cosmic style; we’re talking lights out, pitch dark, someone forgot to pay the electric bill.</strong>\n\nWithout clarity and without painting the picture of what winning looks like, you can never truly measure performance. It’s a total disservice to your employees and an overall health risk to your company. Why? Because celebrating victories and dealing with defeat end up looking the same. Things either got done or didn’t but determining the <strong>WHO WHAT WHY WHEN HOW </strong>gets lost in the fog.<strong> </strong>When victories get lost in the fog and the “job well done” goes unrecognized, expect morale to drop. When defeats gets lost in the fog and failure points can’t be identified, expect them to continue.\n\n<b>Job Descriptions, Job Responsibilities, Key Performance Initiatives, Key Result Areas. </b>There are many different names. Their context and amount of detail may vary but their importance never will. Not so long as companies want to be healthy and they rely on their people to keep them there.\n\nDoes your company define roles &amp; responsibilities? If so, at what point? At the time of hire or developed as you go? If not, what time today are you starting?', 'Turn on the Lights &#124; Showing your team what winning looks like.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'turn-on-the-lights-showing-your-team-what-winning-looks-like', '', '', '2013-08-26 06:12:56', '2013-08-26 11:12:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11861', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(18141, 288, '2013-08-27 06:14:49', '2013-08-27 11:14:49', 'Whether you are in a business meeting, speaking with a customer, or interacting with a new acquaintance, first impressions are crucial. The first moments when you speak with someone are vital and truly set the tone for the entire interaction and all future interactions as well. According to research done at New York University, we make 11 major decisions about one another in the first seven seconds of meeting. Make those seven seconds count with the following tips.\n\n<b>1.       </b><b>Appearance Actually Matters</b>\n\nAlways check your appearance before meeting with someone. You want to ensure that you look professional and put together. People can tell if you put effort into your look. Make sure that you are dressed to suit the environment and occasion.\n\n<b>2.       </b><b>Be Energetic</b>\n\nFirst impressions are all about making sure the other person knows that you are pleased and honored to meet them. Giving a bored, trite greeting does the exact opposite.<b><i> </i></b>Put some energy into your greeting to show the other person that their time is important to you.\n\n<b>3.       </b><b>Use Your Manners</b>\n\nBelieve it or not, the common courtesies that your mom taught you as a kid truly go a long way when communicating with others. Expressing common courtesy by saying “please” and “thank you” are truly universally appreciated. Avoid distractions such as cell phones, listen attentively, and utilize your <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/events/how_to_communicate_with_diplomacy_and_tact/\">communications skills</a> to further exemplify your interest in the conversation.\n\n<b>4.       </b><b>Watch Your Body Language</b>\n\nBody language plays a huge role in making a positive first impression. The book titled “Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue” states that first impressions are more heavily influenced by nonverbal cues than verbal cues. As taught in many <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">leadership training</span></a> courses, research shows that nonverbal cues have more impact than what a person says. With that in mind, be relaxed and confident when meeting someone.  Maintain eye contact to show that you are paying attention. Straight posture is also a sign of confidence and power. Straighten your posture to truly convey that you are self-assured and competent. <b></b>\n\nAlong those same lines, be sure to keep your body position open and inviting. Do not put your hands on your hips or cross your arms or legs. By avoiding this type of body posture you will appear friendly and approachable.\n\nAs nerve-wracking as a first encounter can be, if you relax, are mindful of your body language, and most important of all, remember to be yourself, you will make a lasting, positive impression. You won’t get a second chance to make a first impression, so make the first time count! <b></b>\n\n<em>Image courtesy of David Castillo Domi</em>nici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net <em>\n</em>', '4 Tips to Help You Make an Effective First Impression', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '4-tips-to-help-you-make-an-effective-first-impression', '', '', '2013-08-27 06:14:49', '2013-08-27 11:14:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11874', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18142, 282, '2013-09-03 06:16:15', '2013-09-03 11:16:15', '\"It\'s unbelievable.  I\'ve explained this to her twice in the last year.  He has to be reminded about the same report... again.  Why am I dealing with the same challenges and issues this year with my team that I was last year?  AAAAAAGH!\"  Have you ever been here?  It can seem like a bad workplace version of the movie Groundhog Day.  With the same problems &amp; conflicts flying up in your face and eating away precious time, it can be incredibly frustrating and overload us with stress.  So what can you do?  What should you do?\n\n<b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Stop Complaining About Being the Leader.  </span></b>\n\nThat\'s right, stop whining.  You\'re the leader.  Leaders lead.  Having a pity party because things aren\'t running smoothly with a \"Stepford Wives\" staff is a waste of time.  Yes, you\'ve told them, showed them, explained to them, modeled for them.  You\'ve written procedures, left instructions and offered counsel.  Yet sometimes it just doesn\'t seem that all your efforts have even broken through their epidermis, let alone found root in their mind.  You\'re irritated and disappointed.  We get that.  But now is the time where you are needed most to lead.  Publius Syrus said, \"Anyone can steer a ship while the sea is calm.\"   So stop being a crybaby about it.\n\n<b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Decide If You Really Do Want To Be The Leader</span></b>\n\nStop and consider this for a moment.  Are your problems mounting because your team doesn\'t want to follow, or are they because you don\'t want to lead?  The Peter Principle states that the members of an organization where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability.  Is that what has happened with you?  I\'ve crossed paths with people who were in leadership roles that were excellent in their craft or field, but were terrible in leadership roles in that arena.  They had been so good at what they were doing that someone thought it intelligent to put them in charge.  Many times this works out great, but for others it\'s a disaster.\n\nYou need to decide for yourself whether or not this describes you. Trust me, if you don\'t decide and it DOES describe you, someone else will ultimately decide you aren\'t the right person for that leadership role!  It might be a supervisor, the consumer or even your spouse, but someone will ultimately let you know.  Do the self-assessment now and avoid the pain later.\n\n<b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Step Up or Step Out</span></b>\n\nSo you\'ve thought it through and come to a conclusion.  Maybe you hate being the leader.  You don\'t like the stress, the conflict, the constant teaching of some of the same lessons over and over.  Let me be the first to give you permission to leave.  Get out.  Find a new job, a new role or a new life.  You\'ll be doing yourself and your team a favor.  Don\'t let your pride or your salary stand in your way.  I\'m not suggesting you walk out the door today, but start purposefully building an exit strategy.\n\nBut wait, maybe you\'ve decided that you truly do want to lead.  Great!  So do the things smart leaders do when faced with the kinds of challenges we\'ve mentioned.  Look for the root cause of the repetitive problems.  Seek counsel  from wiser and more experienced leaders.  Make sure that you\'re communicating instructions, expectations and accountability matters clearly.  Focus on being proactive rather than reactive.  These are all probably things you already know. So do them.  Suck it up.  My guess is that when you do, you\'ll find you aren\'t the leader you thought you were - you\'re so much better!\n\nDo you have any advice or words of wisdom for a whiner?', 'Would You Like Some Cheese With Your Whine?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'would-you-like-some-cheese-with-your-whine', '', '', '2013-09-03 06:16:15', '2013-09-03 11:16:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11879', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18143, 268, '2013-08-29 06:12:28', '2013-08-29 11:12:28', '<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-11893\" alt=\"Managers: How well are you connecting?\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mpb-leadchange-connectionphoto-082413-300x199.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" />Earlier this year, I received two wake-up calls.\n\nFirst, I learned that a long-time colleague is a very accomplished saxophonist. I had no idea of his interest in music, despite numerous interactions over several years. I was completely clueless about something really important to this individual.\n\nThen, I discovered a neighbor had given birth to twins prematurely. I hadn’t even known this gal was pregnant and was mortified to learn she and her husband had been spending every spare moment in the NICU for eight weeks, without any support from neighbors to help with dog-walking, errands, and cooking. In the winter, people often pull into their garages at the end of the business day and don’t emerge except to shovel snow from sidewalks or get the mail. Unless you make an effort, it’s possible to go from October to April without a neighborly conversation (as in this case).\n\nThese two incidents got me thinking. I consider myself a connected person, who is interested in the “whole individual,” not just the work a person produces. I care about people’s well-being. I want to hear about the aging parent dilemmas. Children’s activities. The upcoming triathlon. The oil painting hobby.\n\nSome employees openly volunteer personal information like this. Others hold it tightly, so you’d never know unless you asked the right questions on a day they feel like sharing.\n\nI think we get lulled into a false sense of community, because we have email, 351 Facebook friends, 2,542 Twitter followers, and 363 LinkedIn connections. And Pinterest and Google+.\n\nFace it. At best, this is pseudo-community. People often edit what they share electronically and in the office. For example, my Facebook posts err on the comic side, when my demeanor tends to be more serious. In a work setting, I share good news and fun anecdotes and try to skip “downer” topics.\n\nPseudo-connecting takes time away from the type of sharing that happens when you go for a walk with a neighbor, take an employee out to lunch, or pick up the phone for a catch-up conversation with an aging relative. On a regular basis.\n\nWho can you reach out to today? What conversation starters do you use to learn more about the people around you?', 'Managers: How well are you connecting?', 'What does it mean to be connected? Some employees openly volunteer personal information like aging parent concerns and children\'s activities. Others hold their cards close and share very little unless you take the time to get to know them. Are you asking questions on a regular basis to express interest, expand trust, and deepen relationships? Or have you been too busy?', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'managers-how-well-are-you-connecting', '', '', '2013-08-29 06:12:28', '2013-08-29 11:12:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11892', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18144, 306, '2013-09-02 06:12:32', '2013-09-02 11:12:32', 'The rhythm that we established as school children lives on in many of us.  Admit it:\n<ul>\n	<li>You get antsy in the spring, realizing that summer is just around the corner.</li>\n	<li>Feeling like September is a fresh start, you clear out a few old files and bring in a few new office supplies.</li>\n</ul>\n‘Back to school’ is a groove that many of us fall back into long after we’ve graduated and moved on. We think of this time of year as an opportunity to focus and work diligently to achieve what was set out as objectives for the year... all in the final four months.\n\nSo, this is the ideal time of year to revisit, revise, and reignite a commitment to our goals. It’s also the ideal time to challenge how we approach this important task.\n\nThe traditional SMART approach to goal-setting has been drilled into the brains of employees and leaders alike; yet lack of goal clarity and achievement continue to haunt organizations. The challenges of this popular method make focusing on it alone no longer so smart.  Here\'s why...\n\n<strong>Specific</strong> - Given today’s dynamic workplace, it’s dangerous to narrow our thinking too much, to become too fixed in one direction. Developing a focus that’s more diffused and broader in scope might help you remain flexible and able to pivot when necessary.\n\n<strong>Measurable</strong> - How do you measure enthusiasm, inspiration, and excitement? These are the currency of sustainable business and sustainable satisfaction with one’s work... but they may not neatly fall into a spreadsheet that tracks metrics and milestones.\n\n<strong>Attainable</strong> - Would you have accomplished all that you have if you had always been realistic? Would you be where you are if you’d set only do-able goals? This is a low bar that can inspire complacency rather than motivation and excellence.\n\n<strong>Relevant</strong> - Let me be honest. Despite all the management courses I’ve taken and taught, I don’t really even know what we mean by this one. It’s always felt like an add-on because \"SMAT\" doesn’t work.\n\n<strong>Time-bound</strong> - Einstein anticipated the current workplace when he announced that time is relative. The speed and volume of business means that the ink isn’t even dry on one deadline before the landscape shifts creating a cascade of downstream implications.\n\nPerhaps it would be smarter to reconceive goal-setting in a way that goes beyond a traditional, cognitive understanding of what needs to be done and activates an affective reaction to the goals we set out. What if we instead set goals the ensured:\n\n<strong>Alignment</strong> - For goals to have power and drive a sustained focus, there must be a clear line of sight to what’s important to us. Lining individual goals up against department or organizational objectives can help paint us into the bigger picture and give our work greater meaning. But goals must also be aligned on a personal level. Do your goals reflect your values? Do they support you in achieving other important outcomes?  Alignment on a personal and professional level will enhance goal achievement.\n\n<strong>Challenge</strong> - Study after study confirms that challenging goals lead to enhanced performance. Finding the right level of challenge is key. Ridiculous, unattainable stretch goals are quickly shed and forgotten. But goals that push us to the edge can enhance attention, effort, persistence, and motivation.\n\n<strong>Emotional connection</strong> - Attainable is boring. Relevant is ho-hum. Measurable doesn’t matter if the goal doesn’t ignite a powerful, emotional reaction. Goals that are inspiring, exciting, even thrilling will ensure the sustained focus and effort required to see them through.\n\nYou have four months to achieve this year’s goals. If you really want to <strong>ACE</strong> them, it’s time to pull out some of those fresh office supplies and spend a few minutes making sure that you have the alignment, challenge, and emotional connection required to achieve extraordinary success.\n\nImage: Liz Price', 'Let’s Get Smarter About Goal-Setting', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'lets-get-smarter-about-goal-setting', '', '', '2013-09-02 06:12:32', '2013-09-02 11:12:32', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11904', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(18145, 308, '2013-08-30 06:34:45', '2013-08-30 11:34:45', '<strong><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/calling-blog-banner1.png\"></a>How do you view the work that you are currently doing? Do you see your work as a job or do you see it as a calling? Does your work provide you with satisfaction?</strong>\n\nThere is a significant amount of research available indicating that many find their work unfulfilling and lacking a sense of purpose. <a title=\"Gallup Employee Engagement\" href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/saia5053/gallup-q12s-employee-engagement-findings\" target=\"_blank\">The Gallup Organization in their Q12</a> research findings found that 70% of employees are not engaged at work and the longer an employee stays with an organization the less engaged they become.\n\n<strong>Why is this occurring? Why do many people stay in a job that causes disinterest and lack of engagement? Why do people continue in such situations especially when we spend such a significant amount of time at work?</strong>\n\nDr. Tim Keller in his book <a title=\"Every Good Endeavor\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Every-Good-Endeavor-Connecting-Your/dp/0525952705/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377603815&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=every+good+endeavor\" target=\"_blank\">Every Good Endeavor</a> suggests that our work should be an integral and contributing factor in a fulfilled and content life. Keller contends that, <strong>\"all human work should not be viewed as simply just a job.</strong>\" <strong>However, he suggests your work should be viewed as a calling where it:</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Contributes to the good of all not just to your own advancement.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Is a mission of service to something beyond your own interests.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Makes no difference how small or large, all endeavours at work matter.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Should bring us joy, contentment and fulfillment.</em></li>\n</ul>\nI have spent a considerable amount of time self-examining to learn about what my calling is. I have realized that throughout my career as I transitioned into new positions with new organizations, I attempted to place myself in positions where I would feel valued and affirmed. <strong>I looked for organizations that maximized my potential as a leader, allowed me to utilize my strengths and ultimately gave me permission to pursue what I felt called to do</strong>. I looked for organizations that:\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Facilitated my growth and development as a leader and challenged me to learn and grow as I worked in the organization.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Took an active interest and got to know what <a title=\"The Element\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Element-Finding-Passion-Changes-Everything/dp/0143116738/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377606339&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=The+Element\" target=\"_blank\">Sir Ken Robinson calls your Element</a>- the intersection of the things you love to do and things you are good at.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Had leaders who demonstrated caring, support, authenticity and vulnerability.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Had leaders who believed and modelled that their position or title did not place them beyond correction or questioning.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Developed and emulated a culture of trust, respect and transparency. </em></li>\n</ul>\nI have been fortunate in my leadership journey to have worked in organizations that demonstrated the majority of these attributes. <strong>I have learned from each organization and have attempted to model these character-based leadership attributes in the organizations that I had the privilege of leading.</strong>\n\nHere are six suggestions you may find useful should you choose to make your workplaces more engaging.\n<ol>\n	<li><em>Find out what your employees do best by considering - What they do best? How do they use their talents and strengths to do their best work? How can you as their leader place them in situations where they can do their best work?</em></li>\n	<li><em>Demonstrate that you care about your employees and provide support even during good times and especially during the difficult times.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Seek the opinions of your employees by asking yourself a critical question - Are you open to listening to others opinions or are you seen as a person who is unwilling to listen to others?</em></li>\n	<li><em>Devise and implement regular systems of input and feedback to hear employee opinions and make sure to report back.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Ensure that your employees know the enabling purpose of their work and the organization\'s mission.</em></li>\n	<li><em>Implement systems to enhance the growth and development of your employees and then monitor their development and growth both informally and formally through scheduled growth and development conversations. </em></li>\n</ol>\nWe all spend a considerable amount of time at work and at our workplaces. I would encourage you to look for organizations where you can find your true calling. If you lead an organization I would urge you to review and reflect on the causes for employee disengagement as Gallup has outlined and begin a process to facilitate increased engagement. <strong>Gallup\'s research and Dr. Keller\'s views on work have significant implications for leaders of organizations; leaders who wish to create a workplace culture where people are encouraged and motivated to step up and when they are called they do it selflessly. </strong>\n\n<em>What is your calling? Does your work and workplace provide you with an opportunity to pursue your calling? I would love to hear your comments.</em>', 'A Job Or A Calling? You Decide.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-job-or-a-calling-you-decide', '', '', '2013-08-30 06:34:45', '2013-08-30 11:34:45', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11912', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(18146, 243, '2013-08-31 14:12:16', '2013-08-31 19:12:16', '<a href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com\"></a>My new friend and Lead Change member Richard Rierson (<a title=\"Richard\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/doseofleader\" target=\"_blank\">@DoseOfLeader</a>) has a great website where he interviews a bunch of really great leaders, authors and personalities. The website is called <a title=\"Dose of Leadership\" href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Dose of Leadership</a>. Richard recently <a title=\"Dose of Leadership Interview with Mike Henry Sr.\" href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com/mike-henry/\" target=\"_blank\">interviewed me</a> for his show and I had a wonderful time. He is an engaging interviewer and we share a number of common ideas about leadership, taking responsibility and making a positive difference.\n\nIn a true Lead Change style, Richard simply started a website and asked great leadership folks like <a title=\"Jim Kouzes interview on Dose of Leadership\" href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com/jim-kouzes/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Kouzes</a> and David Allan to interview. His vulnerability and his effort resulted in 88 different interviews as of this date with great leaders like Dan Rockwell, Mike Myatt, Bob Burg, Dr. Steven Snyder, Richie Norton, Bob Lutz, Steve Forbes, Mark Sanborn, Marshall Goldsmith, and a host of others. Even if you don\'t check out my interview <a title=\"Dose of Leadership Podcasts\" href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com/podcast\" target=\"_blank\">listen to some of the others</a>. Every one I\'ve listened to so far has been energizing and insightful!\n\nIf you get a chance, click <a title=\"Dose of Leadership Interview with Mike Henry Sr.\" href=\"http://www.doseofleadership.com/mike-henry/\" target=\"_blank\">here to listen to his interview with me</a>. Please also take a minute and connect with Richard too!  Thanks. Mike...', 'Dose of Leadership Interview', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dose-of-leadership-interview', '', '', '2013-08-31 14:12:16', '2013-08-31 19:12:16', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11952', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(18147, 323, '2013-09-04 06:33:39', '2013-09-04 11:33:39', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dna-yellow-nb4659.jpg\"></a>\n\n<b>Are Leaders Born Or Made?</b>\n\nThis is not an original question.  It has been debated for years in books, on line, and in both corporate and academic classrooms.\n\nBut I would like to offer a fresh perspective.\n\nI had the pleasure of hearing Barry Posner, bestselling co-author of <em>The Leadership Challenge</em>, speak some years back.  In his talk he tackled this question head on.  With a serious look on his face, he gave us this answer.\n<blockquote>\"All leaders are born.\"</blockquote>\nAfter pausing for dramatic effect, he finished with something like this:\n<blockquote>\"Well, where else would they come from?\"</blockquote>\nOf course he was having a little fun with this question, alluding to the fact that all humans, leaders included, are in fact born.  Good point, Mr. Posner.  But it hardly ends the debate.\n\nAs many have, I\'ve given this question some thought over the years and I\'ve come to a conclusion.\n\n<strong>Leaders Are Born and Made</strong>\n\nI believe that all people are born with natural abilities.  Some abilities are exposed early, and others remain dormant, sadly never serving their purpose.  Then there are those skills that must be unearthed and refined before they can be fully utilized.\n\nWhen it comes to leadership I\'ve seen \"naturals.\"  Those who instinctively understand what it takes to set a vision, rally the troops, and motivate others to achieve success.\n\nAnd I\'ve run across the \"unnatural born leaders.\"  Those who are thrust into leadership roles, unprepared and ill-equipped, who falter, but through trial and error learn what is required, and eventually come out on top.\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/picasso.jpg\"></p>\nIt is the existence of these \"unnaturals\" that makes me believe leaders can be made.  Specifically, I assert that skills required for effective leadership can be learned.  Skills that may come naturally to some, but unnaturally to others, like motivating, delegating, managing projects, setting goals, giving presentations, creating budgets, providing feedback. And the list goes on.\n\nThe recipe for learning leadership skills requires three ingredients.\n<ol>\n	<li>Desire</li>\n	<li>Belief</li>\n	<li>Support</li>\n</ol>\nTo illustrate, allow me to share a personal story.\n\n<b>Learning A New Skill</b>\n\nA few weeks ago something unexpected happened.  I won a softball championship.\n\nIf you knew me growing up you would have thought this unthinkable.  I was not much of an athlete.  I played a little soccer and basketball, but nothing to write home about.  The first time I ever attempted softball was maybe once in college with my fraternity, and maybe twice after college with a company league.  Neither softball experience was memorable, unless you count how poorly I played.\n\nSo then how did I end up on a championship softball team?\n\nIt all started when my brother-in-law, who has played softball for years, invited me to join him for a season. Excited for the chance to hang out with him, and also get a little exercise, I said yes.  But only after setting his expectations very low.\n<blockquote>\"I\'m not a good softball player,\" I told him.</blockquote>\nWithout a team of our own we asked to be assigned to one by the league.  Because this was recreational softball our new teammates were friendly, forgiving, and very patient as they figured out what to do with me.  After a few unsuccessful tries at infield positions, like short stop and third base, I was sent to the outfield.\n\nAs it turns out, I\'m naturally fast, and I can catch.  I found a home at left field.\n\n\n\nCut to a few seasons later.  My brother-in-law and I decided to form our own team with friends and family.  But there was something wrong.  My right knee was sending serious pain signals to my brain, making it hard to run.  After a few visits with a doctor I was allowed to continue playing, but advised to take it easy.  That meant no more outfield.\n\nWhere was I to play? By this point most infield spots were already accounted for. Except one.\n\nPitcher.\n\nThe team wasn\'t picky, especially since no one else was stepping up to the plate.  Or mound, in this case.  Their only requirement was that I be able to lob the ball the full distance from the pitcher\'s mound to home plate.  Turns out I could do that.  With that I was elected the new pitcher.\n\nThat season we celebrated a first.  We lost every single game.  Looking back, it was mostly because of me. I wasn\'t naturally a good pitcher. I walked far too many players.  And in softball that\'s an easy way to lose a game.  The other team simply stops hitting.\n\nSo I had a new requirement.  Stop walking people.\n\n<b>Perfect Practice Makes Perfect</b>\n\nAs I set out to accomplish my new goal one of my best friends and teammates, a long-time athlete, shared this quote from the great football coach Vince Lombardi:\n<blockquote>\"Practice doesn\'t make perfect.  Only perfect practice makes perfect.\"</blockquote>\nWith that advice to propel me, I got to work.  During the off-season, on any Saturday morning that I could steal him from his family, my brother-in-law and I practiced pitching on the local high school softball field.  When he wasn\'t available, I created a homemade catcher out of a giant orange Home Depot bucket.\n\nThis post isn\'t about how to pitch a softball, so I\'ll spare you the details, but in essence what I did was pay attention to how I was standing and moving and what my legs, arms, hand, wrist, and fingers were doing.\n\nI tried different pitches until I found something that worked.  And then I practiced that.  Throw after throw after throw.  After a while it was basically a drop in the bucket.  Pun intended.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_11979\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"322\"]<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/perfect-practice-makes-perfect1.jpg\"></a> Perfect Practice Makes Perfect[/caption]\n\nAs I was doing this I was reminded of what Malcolm Gladwell says in his book, <em>Outliers</em>, about the 10,000-hour rule.  He claims that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.\n\nI never reached 10,000 pitching hours, but I certainly pitched a lot of balls.\n\nWhen the new season came around we actually won a few games.  My self-confidence grew, as did my team\'s confidence in me.  We didn\'t win the championship that next season, but we made it to the playoffs.  And that was something to cheer about.\n\nMy backyard practice sessions continued weekly and we successfully qualified for the playoffs two more seasons in a row.\n\nEventually everything clicked and we celebrated our first championship.\n\n<b>The Three Ingredients</b>\n\nI have always credited effective leadership skill development to a combination of activities, with experience being the most important.  Other activities include self-study and learning from others.  I see that concept being applied in my softball story.\n\nBut I also see something else.  Something deeper.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">1. <i>Desire</i></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">First you must have a true desire to learn something new. In my case that desire manifested itself in prioritizing my skill development. I was hungry to be a better pitcher, so I made the time, week after week.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><i>2. Belief</i></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Second you must believe that you can improve.  If I doubted my ability to be better my development would have stopped before it began. I had this unwavering belief that, if I put forth the effort and the time, I would get better.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><i>3. Support</i></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">The third ingredient required to learn a new skill is an amazing support group.  In my case, my team.  They did two things for me. First, they believed in me and rooted me on.  For example, during games they shouted positive affirmations and offered feedback on my progress.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Second, and most important, they did their part. Time and again, they played hard and they played well. Doing so gave me the space and the time I needed to improve my individual game.</p>\nThere was a pivotal point in the playoffs when all three ingredients mixed in a very important way. That point was in our second and most challenging game.\n\nAfter the first few innings we had a sizable lead.  But then something familiar happened.  I got tired and started walking people.  Once again the other team just stopped hitting.  Those walks, combined with a few well-placed hits by the other team, resulted in a tied game just as the game-time expired.\n\nBut the game wasn\'t over, because in the playoffs someone has to win.  A tie meant extra innings.  The rules changed and we were only allowed one pitch per batter. That meant I couldn\'t throw any more balls.  That also meant the game rested on my shoulders like never before.\n<blockquote>\"Stop walking people.\"</blockquote>\nI remembered my requirement.  What I had worked toward.  I knew how to avoid a walk.  I just needed to do it.\n\nIt was during those extra innings when I was most hungry for a win, like never before.  And so was my team.  We all wanted it (desire). We all believed we could do it (belief).  And every player dug deep and played their individual roles like champions (support).\n\nAfter two extra innings with no runs by either team, we entered a third.  We finally scored four runs and the other team scored none.  So we won.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_11972\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"270\"]<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/softball.jpg\"></a> Summer League Champions 2013[/caption]\n\n<b>Leadership Skills Can Be Learned</b>\n\nLet\'s be clear.  This post isn\'t about how great a pitcher I am.  I will publicly say that I\'m still not a skilled pitcher.  I have a long way to go.\n\nAnd I didn\'t win the championship alone. Remember, my requirement was to not walk people. At the very least I get credit for not single-handedly losing our games by not repeatedly walking the members of the other teams.\n\nBy doing my part, making the other teams hit, I allowed my teammates to do what they do best.  And we won as a team.\n\nThis post is, however, about how I overcame not being naturally talented at a particular skill. Pitching. And how this experience reinforces for me that a skill can be learned. And, therefore, leaders can be made. Even those who aren\'t naturally talented at leadership.\n\nThere are many leadership skills to be learned and it requires digging deep to discover strengths and lead from an <a title=\"Playing the Part of Leader\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/playing-the-part-of-leader/\">authentic</a> and character-based place.\n\nI have not likely ended the \"made or born\" debate in this post.  But I hope I\'ve at the very least offered a fresh perspective that, in addition to the right experiences, learning to be a leader requires a desire to do it, a belief that you can, and a great support system.\n\n<b><i>Are your leaders naturally or unnaturally born?  What additional ingredients do you think are required for learning an important leadership skill?</i></b>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>[images: wakpaper.com, mahnkinen.wordpress.com, quotespictures.com, bizournals.com]</em>', 'When Leaders Aren&#039;t Born', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'when-leaders-arent-born', '', '', '2013-09-04 06:33:39', '2013-09-04 11:33:39', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11966', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18148, 316, '2013-09-10 12:38:13', '2013-09-10 17:38:13', '<em>Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” </em>With the rise of China, India and other Asian countries, what languages do we teach in school? Bengali?Punjabi? Nope. Think this is a bit of an issue for our economic and political future? Ayup!\n\nSo does Amelia Friedman.  That\'s why she founded and runs the <a href=\"http://www.studentlanguageexchange.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Student Language Exchange</a>. As she starts her senior year at <a href=\"http://brown.edu/\" target=\"_blank\">Brown</a>, her sense of urgency is increasing....as should ours! This has profound implications for our innovation and economic success and national security. Read <a href=\"http://mills-scofield.com/blog/2013/8/27/the-economic-and-social-impact-of-language.html\" target=\"_blank\">more</a>.', 'The Economic and Social Impact of Language', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-economic-and-social-impact-of-language', '', '', '2013-09-10 12:38:13', '2013-09-10 17:38:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11929', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18149, 252, '2013-09-16 07:45:10', '2013-09-16 12:45:10', '<em><b>\"</b>No man is an island,</em>\n<em> Entire of itself,</em>\n<em> Every man is a piece of the continent,</em>\n<em> A part of the main.</em>\n<em> If a clod be washed away by the sea,</em>\n<em> Europe is the less.</em>\n<em> As well as if a promontory were.</em>\n<em> As well as if a manor of thy friend\'s</em>\n<em> Or of thine own were:</em>\n<em> Any man\'s death diminishes me,</em>\n<em> Because I am involved in mankind,</em>\n<em> And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; </em>\n<em> It tolls for thee.\"</em> - John Donne\n\nI never really read this poem in its entirety until today.  Why today?  I received a motivational email suggesting I write my own “acknowledgements.”  You know, like when an author writes a book and thanks everyone who made it possible.  It brought to mind, \"No Man is an Island.\"\n\nIf I am truly grateful for my lot, the challenges and the blessings, (one <i>could</i> say they are the same thing…), who would I acknowledge?  In particular, who would I acknowledge that helped me along my leadership journey, because “No Leader is an Island.”\n<h2>“I’d like to thank the Academy…”</h2>\nFor me, my acknowledgements for my leadership journey would include:\n<ul>\n	<li>A colleague who early in my career went out of his way encourage me to get into management because he thought I had a way with people.</li>\n	<li>The women who had the courage to ask me, “Who do you think you are?” when they thought I was acting like I was better than them.</li>\n	<li>The mentor who taught me to create my opportunities for “do-overs,” and how to rescue or strengthen a working relationship.</li>\n	<li>The employee who taught me to be aware of how my harsh words can feel like a threat simply because of my title and perceived authority.</li>\n	<li>The supervisor who supported me when I wanted to go against the grain and challenge standard ways HR and management treat people.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>No clod left behind.</h2>\nOne more thing.  As I acquainted myself with this poem, this line struck me, “If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less.”  It took me a minute to grasp the meaning, but this too is integral to the thought, “No Leader is an Island.”\n\nI might be missing out because I’m judging someone as too \"different.\"  There may be someone in my community who has a lot to offer, but may be holding back for any number of reasons.   And just as important, where am I holding back, because the world needs this clod too.\n<h2>Indeed, no leader is an island.</h2>\nToday, Leader, where are you going to make your move?\n<ul>\n	<li>Who do you need to acknowledge or encourage?</li>\n	<li>Who can you reach out to, to expand your horizons?</li>\n	<li>Where do you need to challenge yourself so the world benefits even more by your potential?</li>\n</ul>\nImage: Pixabay member geralt', 'No Leader is an Island', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'no-leader-is-an-island', '', '', '2013-09-16 07:45:10', '2013-09-16 12:45:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12052', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(18150, 328, '2013-09-09 06:12:50', '2013-09-09 11:12:50', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Services_Leadership.jpg\"></a>\n\nIn today’s world, we are connected through various forms of communication channels.  Emails, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ continue to drive what leadership instigator Seth Godin termed, “The connection economy.” The world is truly smaller. You can literally connect with someone in another continent in less than a minute without spending a dime.\n\nGreat leaders notice the connection revolution is happening at the speed of light, but creating social circles is not enough to make a positive difference in the world. As a leader you can’t afford to sit in the back of the bus. The connection bus is moving fast and is hungry for leaders that can bring fun and engagement to a new journey.\n\nGreat leaders are authentic and are all about engaging with the people around them. They share a common values and purpose. Their leadership is focused on building communities that offer a sense of belonging - a human endeavor. They create a place where people come to connect and get to know each other better. These communities are about infectious deep meaningful connections and personal growth.\n\nLeadership by engagement tries to strike a balance between experiences and innovation. Engaged leaders believe in the potential of their surroundings. They are open to new ways and listen to the passion and ideas of the people they lead. Leadership by engagement is about building relationship that motivates creativity. People feel more empowered to act up on their ideas when leaders become supportive and willing to fail.\n\nLeaders that build communities of engagement have a strong desire to enrich the lives of others. Are you ready to be an engaged leader?\n\n<b>Engaged leaders add value</b>\n\nPeople are engaged and drawn into conversations where interesting insights are shared, value is added, creativity is nurtured and empowerment occurs. There is a sense of a positive vibe within the community. People are engaged through meaningful conversations about their leadership experiences whether it’s a new book they just finished reading or meeting interesting people that can add value to the group. When you have a remarkable diversity with enriching experiences of people from different backgrounds, you truly have an opportunity to create a masterpiece together.\n\n<b>Engaged leaders build communities with people</b>\n\nGreat leaders have a clear vision and a sense of mission to build something meaningful with other people. The never get caught about their own self-serving agenda. They understand that people are willing to pool their talents and energy together for one common goal. The engaged leader is willing and able to develop more leaders to create a sense of a shared platform. Everyone can contribute. Everyone can make a difference.\n\n<b>Engaged leaders build a shared platform</b>\n\nGreat leaders provide the vehicle and resources for people to perform together on “stage.” Leadership is about the collective capacity and the fullness of each member. The essence of any engaged community is to connect people to each other and put that collective energy toward a meaningful task or experience. When you widen the circle of involvement, you make room for everyone, their talents and areas they can develop even more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leadership by Engagement', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-by-engagement', '', '', '2013-09-09 06:12:50', '2013-09-09 11:12:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12074', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(18151, 243, '2013-09-12 07:36:23', '2013-09-12 12:36:23', 'What does it take to instigate leadership? Merriam-Webster defines <a title=\"Merriam Webster online definition of instigate\" href=\"http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instigate\"><em>instigate</em></a> as to goad or urge forward: provoke. The <a title=\"Free Online Dictionary\" href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/instigate\">Free Dictionary</a> ads to stir up; foment. Synonyms include incite, stimulate, inspire, induce, start, encourage, influence. (These include selections from Collins Thesaurus of the English Language, and WordNet 3.0.)\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-12084\" alt=\"cb_9halfPrinciples\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/cb_9halfPrinciples.png\" width=\"116\" height=\"174\" /> <img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12085\" alt=\"Cherished-3d\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Cherished-3d-260x300.png\" width=\"158\" height=\"183\" />Here in the Lead Change Group, we talk about <a title=\"About the Lead Change Group\" href=\"/about/\">instigating a character-based leadership revolution</a>. We didn\'t start the revolution. We believe it\'s been underway and it is global. We simply want to urge it forward, provoke others to join and, as our mission statement claims, encourage, energize and equip one another to lead change, first in ourselves, then others and our communities.\n\nSo we have a group of people here we call Instigators. These are people who have made a commitment to encourage, energize and equip each other to lead change. We want to see the world change. We know change must begin with us. So we\'ve set out to make that difference.\n\nToday, I\'d like to tell you about 2 instigators. Sometimes we interview these folks in our newsletter. If you\'re not getting the newsletter, you can sign up here. Meet Chip Bell and Bethany Connor.  Each actively instigates the leadership revolution.\n\n<a title=\"Chip Bell\'s Website\" href=\"http://chipbell.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://gravatar.com/avatar/6d33f083157b104b8ec8a2629a5a7076\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" />Chip Bell</a> (member profile, <a title=\"Chip\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/chiprbell\" target=\"_blank\">@ChipRBell</a> LinkedIn) has authored 19 books. His latest book just came out titled <a title=\"The 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service\" href=\"http://www.chipbell.com/books/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service.</em></a> Chip\'s writing is challenging and inspiring. He encourages you with practical ways to serve others differently. The book slants toward customer service, but in reality, it applies to a number of ways. Consider the Purple Principle. Purple is the color of royalty. Chip explains principle 5 Elevate The Class, \"\"Purpling\' is a deliberate rebellion against plain vanilla service.\" Instigators like Chip rebel against \"plain vanilla\" every day. Check out <a title=\"Books by Chip Bell\" href=\"http://www.chipbell.com/books/\">all of his books here</a>.\n\n<img class=\"alignright\" alt=\"\" src=\"http://gravatar.com/avatar/c89a2e78122d3373b2d679131675ce9a\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" />The other featured Instigator for September is Bethany Connor (LinkedIn profile). She just published her first book, <a title=\"Cherished website\" href=\"http://www.acherishedwoman.com\">Cherished: One Woman\'s Journey to Love and Be Loved</a>. This book is an open, transparent sharing of Bethany\'s life journey and how she has transformed her desire to be \"in control\" of her life in to a desire to be a genuine and authentic leader. Her launch week is next week, September 16 - 21, 2013 and you can <a title=\"Cherished Launch Team Signup\" href=\"http://acherishedwoman.com/launch-team-invitation/\" target=\"_blank\">sign up to be a part of it here</a>, or you can pick up a copy of the book on <a title=\"Cherished website\" href=\"http://acherishedwoman.com/\" target=\"_blank\">her website</a>.\n\nDo you want your leadership to make a dent? Surround yourself with people like Chip and Bethany. Deliberately place yourself around people who, simply by the way they live, challenge you to lead differently, serve differently and live differently. What can you do this week to serve as a living challenge and put yourself in a position to be challenged by someone who will instigate your leadership revolution?', 'Instigating Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'instigating-leadership', '', '', '2013-09-12 07:36:23', '2013-09-12 12:36:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12082', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18152, 325, '2013-09-11 06:22:42', '2013-09-11 11:22:42', 'In the world of business, there\'s no short supply of leadership. Almost everyone strives to become manager, team lead, or project leader. What really separates the great leaders and the common ones? What quality does the leader who attracts have that the leader who repels talent doesn\'t? The answer is the ability to recognize and appreciate talent in others.\n\nThere are a lot of different things that go into making a business successful. But when you are in charge of a company, it can sometimes be tempting to forget everything else and focus on the bottom line or how much money you are making. But profit is directly affected by everything else that works together to make a company successful, including (and perhaps most importantly by) a good set of employees.\n\nBut just how important is employee satisfaction? Some companies place a lot of value and resources on reward programs to make sure that employees are kept happy, but does it really convert into real profit for the company?\n<h2>A Happy Employee is a Good Employee</h2>\nIt goes without saying that, as a company, you want to hire only the best people who will do the best possible job. However, everyone has different levels at which they work, and you do not want to be getting someone\'s B or C level work, when you are really aiming for their A standard. And it has been proven time and again that one of the best ways to get someone\'s best work is to make them comfortable and happy. A happy employee is a good employee.\n<h2>Employee Retention</h2>\nFurthermore, when you hire those high class employees for your company, you want to make sure that they are there for the long term. Some companies do not place much value on employee retention; if you are a big enough company, there are always people who will want to work for you. However, the best companies realize that it is incredibly important, as it creates a much better work environment, good publicity for the company, healthy competition for places, and less wasted time and resources on hiring. Employee Appreciation is one of the best ways to increase employee retention.\n<h2>Increased Productivity</h2>\nNot only does good employee satisfaction create a happier set of employees, but it also increases productivity in general, as people know that they will be rewarded for the hard work that they do. This increased productivity does not come the cost of a high stress, unhappy work environment; rather it comes as a direct result of a satisfied collection of employees, who are relaxed and willing to give their best work to the company. This alone makes it worthwhile to spend some extra money and resources on some form of reward program for your employees.\n<h2>Creating a Community</h2>\nAnd when you have a workplace that is happy, you will soon find that it creates a sense of community, a group of individuals who will give their all for the each other and the company as a whole. This is the sort of thing that turns a good company into a great one. People want to work for you, employees want to stay in the company, and the publicity spreads to create the sort of company that thrives in this modern business world. How important is employee satisfaction? More important than you know.', 'How Important is Employee Satisfaction?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-important-is-employee-satisfaction', '', '', '2013-09-11 06:22:42', '2013-09-11 11:22:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12090', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(18153, 371, '2013-09-17 06:23:13', '2013-09-17 11:23:13', '[caption id=\"attachment_12100\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/shutterstock_102132355.jpg\"></a> Bridging the technology gap[/caption]\n\nStudents, recent graduates and those new to the workplace have grown up in the digital age, and as a result think nothing of spending around two hours on their smartphones, using an average of six apps a day.\n\nThis ‘Generation Y’ doesn’t have to adapt to new ways of working or learning, they do it instinctively.\n\nBut just because this generation are way ahead in their appreciation of technology, they still very much need leading in the traditional sense.\n\nThis could be an issue when you consider that at present, not all leaders are going to be able to communicate on the same level, if the void in their appreciation for technology remains.\n\nBusiness leaders of today need to take note – especially before this generational gap gets too big to close.\n\nOtherwise, when this generation advances through the workforce in the next few years, they will have to adjust to a very different, less instinctive way of working.\n\n<b>Mutual appreciation</b>\n\nTechnology doesn’t substitute for experienced leadership, but a leader’s ability to influence might well be limited if they continue to ignore the new ways of working that the majority of young people now embrace.\n\nTherefore, the new challenge for business leaders is how to drive change forward by using technology, and in doing so attract the best new talent.\n\nIt is more about <b>facilitating</b> change, by listening to what the younger generation of employees can tell you about how they are already using technology.\n\nBy paying attention now to how this generation approach their work/life balance, businesses will be able to harness these technological solutions, and thereby increase productivity and efficiency.\n\n<b>Mobile working</b>\n\nThe right mobile technology can really improve and enhance ways of working - as well as the quality of life for employees – if you let it.\n\nSimilar to the idea behind bite size learning, managing work in chunks of time is the key. The good news is that in almost all cases, technology has been developed to perform in a way that is simple, efficient and easy to use.\n\nDevices for smartphones and tablets are already enabling employees to collaborate, share knowledge and tap into valuable resources like mentoring.\n\nYou can’t halt progress, and you certainly wouldn’t want to restrict it – but as a leader there are things you still need to do to ensure that technology is accessible, used in an appropriate manner, meets its potential and keeps data safe and secure.\n\nThere will continue to be challenges – but by facing them head on rather than ignoring them and hoping they go away, employers and leaders can continue to influence change for the better.\n\nBy setting up new regulations and becoming expert facilitators, leaders will continue to do what they are good at - enabling their business and employees to grow and flourish.\n\nTechnological advances will only continue to find ways to enhance a businesses’ potential, something the ‘mobile generation’ undoubtedly already knows.\n\nSo go straight to the horse’s mouth, ask Generation Ys what you need to know and find out for yourselves – as well as for your company.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Why leaders need to learn to love technology', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-leaders-need-to-learn-to-love-technology', '', '', '2013-09-17 06:23:13', '2013-09-17 11:23:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12099', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(18154, 282, '2013-09-13 06:01:29', '2013-09-13 11:01:29', 'I was able to take my wife and another couple to the Blue Man Group as it traveled through Oklahoma this week.  I expected to see 3 slimy blue people playing strange instruments, but beyond that I wasn\'t sure what I would experience.  To call the show amazing is an understatement.  We laughed, we danced, we watched in awe as these \"blue men\" moved our hearts and minds all over the gamut of human experience.  What did I learn, and what can you learn from these guys?\n<ol>\n<ol>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Blue Is A State of Mind -  Not one word was spoken by these characters all night.  But in spite of  their numb facial expressions and silence, they were able to communicate perfectly with an audience that ranged from young children through senior adults.  The primary message of the evening was simple.  Although they were \"different,\" they were sharing the same experience of \"discovering life\" that we all do.\nTheir reactions varied between what we might imagine an alien race having to our experiences, to those of a young child learning something new, or a person from a different country experiencing our social mores and cultural experiences for the first time.  Curiosity &amp; surprise, or confusion and fear at times.  But at the center of those wild experiences, we saw that passion to embrace the moment.  Drink in each ounce of experience, and absorb every ounce of life from that instant and event.  That\'s what Blue Men Group do.  It\'s what we should do.</li>\n</ol>\n</ol>\n&nbsp;\n<ol>\n<ol>\n	<li>Creative Simplicity Is Stunning -  The Blue Men Group used a variety of props, but nearly everything they used across the evening was simple in nature.  Cap\'n Crunch Cereal and Twinkies.  PVC pipe and drumsticks.  Weather balloons and body parts.  All beautifully relatable in their simplicity.  But what they chose to do with these items was beyond creative.  It was genius.\nEaten Twinkies seemed to come gushing forth from the chest of the Blue Men, only to be gathered up and placed in a Chinese take-out box.  Weather balloons were first used as drums, then as lights, and finally as a \"crowd animator\" as ten balloons were released into a theater full of dancing and laughing people. PVC became a instrument that morphed between 2 separate pieces into one, from a simple drum piece into a trombone of sorts.  Amazing.  Creative.  Simple.   Why do we have to make things so hard sometimes?  Worse yet, why do we settle for bland or boring from ourselves, or from others.  We deserve better.  We ought to be better.</li>\n</ol>\n</ol>\n&nbsp;\n<ol>\n	<li>Performance is Nice, But Participation is Best -  Blue Men are incredible percussionists and performers, and I was in awe as I watched them perform percussion on various instruments and objects.  It was hilarious to watch them interact with each other with dazed, dry facial expressions while the entire house was roaring in laughter.  But the high points of the night were when they involved the audience, either as a group, or pulling a representative from among us onto the stage.  At one point it seemed we got a closer look (via Blue Man camera) of a front row attender... then the camera, as we watched on the big screen, traveled right up to his face, down his throat and into his digestive tract!Another audience member joined them onstage then quickly backstage where he was clothed in a one piece outfit, painted blue, hung upside down and slapped against a blank canvas, creating \"Blue Man Man Art\"!  Another young lady found herself onstage eating Twinkies with the group, when suddenly a stream of seemingly digested Twinkie began spewing unexpectedly from her own chest covering they had placed on her earlier!  Each time they encountered a different audience member, we knew something was up, and we were excited to see what!\n\nSo how do we make that happen in our own life engagements?  How do we make that the norm when it comes to engaging our community, leading our staff or communicating with our customers?  How do we draw them into the experiences we lead and create, and engage them with fun, with wonder and with creativity?</li>\n</ol>\nBlue Men... I salute you.  It\'s a night I won\'t soon forget.  It did more than entertain me, it changed me.  I\'m gonna work to be more \"Blue.   Maybe you\'ve seen Blue Men Group perform.  If so, what lessons were you able to learn?', 'How Blue Are You?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-blue-are-you', '', '', '2013-09-13 06:01:29', '2013-09-13 11:01:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12115', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18155, 288, '2013-09-27 06:03:48', '2013-09-27 11:03:48', '<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/9-24-2013-4-25-10-PM.png\"></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\">Sales meetings are an important process to organizing and motivating staff in order to increase sales and maintain business relationships. Ideally these meetings should be productive and inspirational.  However, they can also easily veer off-course, lose focus and in turn, discourage employees.  Following a few of these tips will help to improve the productivity of your future <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/sales-effectiveness/\">sales training</a></span> events and meetings.</p>\n A small but important part of leading a sales meeting is starting it on the right foot.  Beginning on time and having a positive outlook for the meeting are key drivers in helping to ensure you set the right tone.  Make sure that employees know what topics to expect in the meeting so they can come adequately prepared and in the right frame of mind.  Also, set a strict amount of time for the meeting and stick to that.  Your sales people are busy and have many clients waiting to hear from them on a daily basis, so a meeting that goes over time can be quite frustrating and leave employees annoyed.\n\nYou would never leave for a road trip without a map or GPS, and you should never walk into a meeting without a plan or set direction.  Have a good idea of what you want to cover, and stay on track with these landmarks.  It is easy to get distracted or stuck on one topic, so it is important to continue on and complete every subject.  Let everyone in the meeting know what you plan on covering before starting and stick to that.  Here is an example of a good sales meeting agenda:\n<ul>\n	<li>Report on goal achievement</li>\n	<li>Inspiration and motivation</li>\n	<li>Information updates</li>\n	<li>Impart knowledge and skills</li>\n	<li>Goal setting</li>\n</ul>\nHold your team’s attention, and make sure to keep their respect.  If you feel as if your meeting is going too long, you will quickly lose the focus of your audience and your meeting will not be productive. It is important to listen to the ideas and questions of employees while maintaining control of the meeting.  This can be a tricky balancing act, but an important skill to possess.  By exuding confidence and clearly communicating your talking points, you will help to remain in control of this meeting.\n\nSuccessfully leading a sales meeting can be a tricky task that can take years or even decades to perfect.  If you feel as though you need extra help, make sure to take advantage of <a title=\"leadership training\" href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/\">leadership training</a> opportunities provided by your given employer.  Most importantly, having a plan and confidence are the best tricks for facilitating a good sales meeting.\n\n<em>Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net <a href=\"http://www.freedigitalphotos.net\" target=\"_blank\">\n</a></em>', 'How to Lead a Successful Sales Meeting', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-lead-a-successful-sales-meeting', '', '', '2013-09-27 06:03:48', '2013-09-27 11:03:48', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12191', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18156, 243, '2013-09-25 09:25:38', '2013-09-25 14:25:38', '<i>Each month in our newsletter, we feature an interview with one of our Instigators. Recently we featured an interview  with Rev. Linda Freeman,  who </i><em>began her career as an engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy in 1986 after completing her M.S. in Environmental Engineering at Stanford University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.   Since 1999, Linda has been the Executive Director of the Peacemaker Family Center at Trinity Church in Miami, Florida.</em>\n\n<em>Linda and her husband of 28 years, David, reside in Florida and enjoy life with their son, Zachary, and his wife, Daniella, their daughter, Vanessa, and their niece, Nina.</em>\n\n<strong>What is your background in leadership?</strong>\n\nMy first experience in a leadership role was in the Girl Scouts.  I was a Girl Scout from first grade through 8<sup>th</sup>grade and held many leadership positions in the troops during that period.  I continued from that learning experience to hold many leadership positions throughout my high school and college days.  I have to give credit to the Girl Scouts for giving me the opportunity at a young age to live out leadership character qualities and team building principles in a loving, affirming environment.\n\n<strong>What do you do to engage in leadership?</strong>\nAs a leader, my goal is to rally my team members around a common goal that is both inspiring and purposeful.  I engage in leadership by not only leading but by participating as a servant leader with my team.\n\n<strong>Do you have a book or person that particularly influenced you?</strong>\nThe books that have influenced me the most about leadership are “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey and “Lead Like Jesus” by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges.  The people that have influenced me the most on being a leader are my parents. My parents instilled leadership character qualities in me from the time I was little girl.\n\n<strong>What would you like to get out of your membership with the Lead Change Group?</strong>\nI am interested in the exchange of ideas and networking with other leaders who want to make a positive difference in their communities.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you’re registered on this site and you don’t get this newsletter each month, please click here to subscribe to the newsletter.”\n\n<em> </em>', 'Meet Instigator Linda Freeman', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'meet-instigator-linda-freeman', '', '', '2013-09-25 09:25:38', '2013-09-25 14:25:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12198', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(18157, 244, '2013-10-14 13:40:46', '2013-10-14 18:40:46', '<h3> Your company needs you to become a leader.</h3>\nThe problem most corporations have right now is that employees don’t stay at the same job for life. The average professional has eleven jobs between the ages of 18 and 34. Companies are having to constantly hire from the outside in order to fill their management positions. One of the greatest opportunity in the current economy is to become an invaluably employee and position yourself for leadership positions instead of leaving. Smart companies will be constantly looking for and evaluating potential leaders in hopes that they can fill senior level positions.\n\n<strong>You can become a future leader by focusing on improving these aspects of yourself and how you work. <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/how-to-become-a-future-leader/\">Read more...</a></strong>', 'How to Become a Future Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-become-a-future-leader', '', '', '2013-10-14 13:40:46', '2013-10-14 18:40:46', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=11993', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18158, 307, '2013-10-11 13:27:58', '2013-10-11 18:27:58', '<h2><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12089\" alt=\"Do they hear what you think you said\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/team-hears-what-you-say-300x199.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" /></h2>\n<h2>Third Time Is the Charm?</h2>\nRecently, I dropped off a friend at the airport.\n\nAs I pulled away, a man wearing a yellow traffic-control vest stood in between lanes of traffic, waving his hand.\n\nHis index and middle finger were extended as he made eye-contact with me, waved his hand repeatedly up toward my car and then down, pointing at the adjacent lane. I nodded my agreement, slowed down, and eased into the next lane over. Then I waved back at the traffic-controler and continued on my way -\n\nWhereupon he slammed his hand down on my hood and yelled, “STOP!” I slammed on my brakes and he waved some pedestrians across the traffic lanes.\n\nLooking at him, he was clearly upset that I had ignored his traffic signal.\n\nI wasn’t sure what had happened as he’d never told me to stop, but I shook it off and got on with my life…\n\nUntil nine days later when I was in the middle of a construction zone – and it happened again.\n\nA man wearing an orange vest stood at the beginning of a blocked off lane and this time waved both hands, two fingers extended waving the cars in the center lane to merge into the lane on either side of him.\n\nOnce again, I made eye contact, slowed down, slid over into the lane he indicated, and – he yelled at me to “Stop!”\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\">[</span><a style=\"font-size: 13px;\" href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/2013/08/5-steps-to-be-sure-your-team-hears-what-you-say/\">Read More...</a><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\">]</span></h2>\n&nbsp;', '5 Steps to Be Sure Your Team Hears What You Say', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-steps-to-be-sure-your-team-hears-what-you-say', '', '', '2013-10-11 13:27:58', '2013-10-11 18:27:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12087', 0, 'post', '', 2);
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(18159, 318, '2013-10-01 08:19:17', '2013-10-01 13:19:17', '<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12238\" alt=\"vision\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/soaring-300x221.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" />Executives spend vital time communicating their vision to the frontline.  Kickoff meetings, employee broadcasts, town halls... all serve well to share important vision, values and goals.\n\nWhat\'s often lost in translation is how this plays out at the frontline.  The vision feels bigger than  day-to-day.  So the frontline teams enjoy the message, and then get back to doing the work the same as they did yesterday.\n\n<strong>To achieve breakthrough results, teams need vision too.</strong>\n\nI see this every day in my own organization.  Everyone gets the same message, some teams head off to make magic.  Other just get by.  The difference comes when teams make the vision their own.  Teams are more energized with a vision they\'ve had a hand in creating.  Tangible vision creates purpose beyond day to goals.  A strong team vision unites and inspires teamwork.\n\nIt\'s easier than you think.\n<h2>How to Create a Strong Team Vision</h2>\n<strong>1.  Start One on One</strong>\n\nTalk to each team member offline about the possibilities for the team at it\'s very best.\n<ul>\n	<li> What would they be known for?</li>\n	<li> What would they accomplish?</li>\n	<li> How would the team be working together?</li>\n</ul>\nDefine the future.  Imagine possibilities.\n\n<strong>2.  Set the Stage</strong>\n\nSchedule time where the team can work uniterrupted.  1/2 day works well.  Bring some easel paper, markers and sticky notes.\n\n<strong>3. Begin with the company vision and values.</strong>\n\nEnsure everyone understands the bigger context.   The team vision must directly support the overall vision and strategy.\n\n<strong>4.  Pick a technique or two and start brainstorming</strong>\n\n<em><strong>Questions:</strong></em> Imagine it is 5 years from now.  The team is being recognized for making a game changing contribution.\n<ul>\n	<li>What is the most important work we are doing?</li>\n	<li>What are our customers saying about us?</li>\n	<li>What does it feel like to work on this team?</li>\n	<li>What is senior management saying about us?</li>\n</ul>\n<em><strong>Pictures:</strong></em> Ask each team to draw a picture (or articulate a metaphor) of the team at it\'s very best. Invite everyone to  share their vision with the team.  The common themes provide glimpses to your ideal vision.\n\n<strong>5.  Turn the ideas into a bold statement of the desired future</strong>\n\n\"We will be known for the best customer service in the Nation.\"\n\n<strong>6.  Determine how you measure success</strong>\n\n\"... as measured by NPS, repeat calls, and customer churn\"\n\n<strong>7.  Identify specific behaviors</strong>\n\n<strong></strong>Identify behaviors that are needed from you (the leader), and each member of the team to make the vision a reality.   Write them down.  Create a matrix of what each key role must be doing to accomplish the vision\n\n<strong>8. Stakeholder </strong>\n\nShare your vision and key behaviors with your boss and other key players.  Refine as needed to ensure your breakthrough vision is aligned with evolving strategy.\n\n<strong>9.  Get to work</strong>\n\nLink everything you do and say back to the vision. Recognize early success.  Be impatient <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2013/08/22/impatience_as_a_virtue/\">(See Impatience as a Leadership Virtue)</a> Support your stragglers.   Teach your team to share their good work (See <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/2013/03/18/powerful_presentations/\">Powerful Presentations:  Teaching Your Team to Talk Strategy</a>.)\n<h3>Call For Submissions</h3>\n<img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-12236\" alt=\"frontlinefestival-300x300\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/frontlinefestival-300x300-125x125.png\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" />This month, the Let\'s Grow Leaders Frontline Festival will focus on Values and Vision.   Contact me through my blog <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/\">Let\'s Grow Leaders</a> to learn more on how to submit your post.', 'Teams Need Vision Too', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'teams-need-vision-too', '', '', '2013-10-01 08:19:17', '2013-10-01 13:19:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12231', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(18160, 268, '2013-10-03 06:12:54', '2013-10-03 11:12:54', '<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12255\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IMG_13th-Violet-small-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_13th &amp; Violet - small\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />Our family stayed dry during the recent Boulder flood. But some of our friends fought a losing battle with the water. Flooded basements, flooded cars, rivers running through homes, and washed out roads transformed our calm, laid back town into a frenzied disaster zone. Even those of us without property damage found it hard to concentrate on “regular life.”\n\nEmergency officials asked everyone to stay home. They wanted to keep the roads clear for first responders and inspectors. Crews examined bridges and streets to identify unsafe routes, marking road closures with orange barrels and National Guard troops.\n\nI followed orders. For two days. But I’m not good at sitting around and waiting if someone needs help. And I think many employees are like that, too.\n\nFrustrated by the wait, an all-volunteer group quickly sprung up to identify and respond to flood needs: <a href=\"http://boulderfloodrelief.org/\">BoulderFloodRelief.org</a>. I don’t think they waited for permission from anyone to set up shop. I think they just acted. They created a straightforward way for flood victims to request assistance. Volunteers can call a number for an assignment, a place to help out.\n\nA family friend phoned Boulder Flood Relief and received instructions to report to 13th and Violet for a water diversion project. My kids and I went along, armed with shovels and not sure what to expect. Quite unexpectedly, I walked away with some important business insights.\n\nThe landscape at 13th and Violet was alarming. A large expanse of water, the size of a football field, and two to twelve inches deep, was flowing directly into a group of homes. This was Tuesday, six days after the worst of the storm had passed. I realize there were worse problems elsewhere in Boulder County, and that emergency officials had to prioritize their resources, but for the people in this neighborhood, this problem was desperate.\n\nIn the storm, a small, meandering creek had become a raging giant, jumped its banks, and created a new, unwanted path into a neighborhood. Our assignment? To divert this water away from the houses.\n\nLessons for business:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong><em>If a goal is crystal clear, available employees can help, even outside their areas of expertise.</em></strong> When we first arrived at 13th and Violet, there were no water experts. People just jumped in and started building berms. No one was giving orders. None were needed, because the goal was measurable. You could see whether your efforts were doing the job or not. You could see where water was leaking through and where it was successfully diverted.</li>\n	<li><strong><em>Leadership can (and sometimes should) shift mid-project. </em></strong>The original project lead at 13th and Violet said, “I’m just a homeowner trying to get this water away from the houses. Here’s what we’re working on.” An hour later, National Guardsmen arrived, and one of them was a water expert. He did not criticize the work done so far. Instead he stepped alongside the volunteers and demonstrated a next step in the project.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>True leadership does not bark.</strong></em> The National Guardsmen did not order the laypeople to step aside. Instead, they joined the volunteers and worked fluidly alongside. They led by example and encouragement. We watched what the uniformed men were doing and followed suit.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Even the most unlikely helper can make a difference.</strong></em> Don’t count anyone out. Every individual can think through, “What can I personally do to work toward this goal?” A seven-year-old can hold open a burlap bag while an adult shovels sand into it. Both jobs are important, and the National Guardsmen made a point of praising the bag holders, not just the heavy lifters.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>A good manager sets the goal, not the how. </strong></em>In some spots, people were diverting water with sandbags. In other places, they were using broken doors and rocks.</li>\n	<li><strong><em>Effective leaders flex with changing resources and conditions. </em></strong>We quickly ran out of burlap sacks for making sandbags, well before the job was complete. Rather than stop work and wait for more to arrive, we asked, “How else can we get this job done? What flood debris could be used to accomplish the same end?”</li>\n	<li><em><strong>If something isn’t working the way you planned, modify on the fly. </strong></em>We had successfully built a berm to redirect the water. But it was clear that the force of the water against the berm might cause it to break. A National Guardsman looked upstream and chose another place to divert water to take some pressure off the berm. It wasn’t in the original plan, but it made sense to add—and it got the job done more thoroughly.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Employees who are not involved in a mission-critical activity need the latitude to help elsewhere without waiting for orders. </strong></em>Senior executives face a tough task of prioritizing goals and allocating limited resources. In the Boulder flood, getting food and water to stranded people, and evacuating them, needed to be the top focus initially. But there were other grave needs. If someone is available, let them tackle those needs.</li>\n	<li><em><strong>Every organization can benefit from having its own internal version of BoulderFloodRelief.org.</strong></em> Do you have a clearinghouse where folks can report a business need? And any employee with a bit of spare time can volunteer to help? All you really need is a Google Drive spreadsheet and a triage person to match resources with the most pressing needs.</li>\n</ol>', '9 management lessons from 13th and Violet', 'During and after the recent Boulder flooding, emergency officials asked people to stay home. I followed these orders. For two days. But I’m not good at sitting around and waiting if someone needs help. I think many employees feel the same way.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '9-management-lessons-from-13th-and-violet', '', '', '2013-10-03 06:12:54', '2013-10-03 11:12:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12253', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(18161, 244, '2013-10-29 12:34:21', '2013-10-29 17:34:21', '\n\nIntroducing Natalie Runyon, a leadership strategist for aspiring female executives who want to change the world.\n\nNatalie serves leaders with a wonderful blend of heart. intellect and pragmatism. I am honored to be one of the featured speakers in her upcoming Free Telesummit <a href=\"http://betheceoofyourcareer.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Be the CEO of Your Career</a>. Here Natalie shares a story from her own journey. While her message is focused on women, her story and the lessons learned apply to any aspiring leader!\n\n<strong>Here\'s Natalie\'s Story.</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/how-to-gracefully-deal-with-failure/\">Continue reading...</a>', 'How to Gracefully Deal with Failure', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-gracefully-deal-with-failure', '', '', '2013-10-29 12:34:21', '2013-10-29 17:34:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12168', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(18162, 244, '2013-11-04 12:13:15', '2013-11-04 18:13:15', '<img class=\"alignleft\" style=\"margin-right: 10px;\" alt=\"SymbolicPeopleinCircle\" src=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SymbolicPeopleinCircle.jpg\" width=\"252\" height=\"252\" />With all the talk about Employee Engagement it seems as leaders we are primarily asking the question “Are THEY engaged?”\n\nYou may well be fully engaged, but if you are a leader and expecting something (like engagement!) from others it is critical that you take a look in the mirror and honestly assess whether you are truly creating the environment for engagement to flourish.\n\n<strong>As a leader you must ask yourself: “am I effectively engaging my team?”</strong>\n\nHere are 3 things to look for that might indicate the answer is no, and what you can do about it.\n\n<a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/are-you-effectively-engaging-your-team/\" target=\"_blank\">Read More...</a>', 'Are You Effectively Engaging Your Team?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'are-you-effectively-engaging-your-team', '', '', '2013-11-04 12:13:15', '2013-11-04 18:13:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=12228', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(19565, 274, '2014-10-01 11:15:26', '2014-10-01 15:15:26', 'If you are reading this post, you have landed on the new Lead Change Group site. We are glad you are here.\n\nYou will notice that we have streamlined and simplified the site and added some new features: pages for <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/instigators\">Instigators</a> and <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices\">Leading Voices</a>, new ways to participate, and events (more will be coming soon.)\n\nAs we re-ignite the movement here at Lead Change, we hope you will choose to make a positive difference with us. We welcome your content and will be sharing new editorial guidelines soon.\n\nA few cool features: once you <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/login\">login</a> to the site, you\'ll see we\'ve created a dashboard to make it easy for you to update your user profile. If you need help, please contact <a href=\"mailto:joanna@weavinginfluence.com\">Joanna Jones</a>, who is our community manager. When you submit content, we\'ll review it and schedule it for posting.\n\nOur team is committed to amplifying the content from this community with increased social sharing and momentum. We need each of you to join us in sharing the life-changing content posted here. We can make a positive difference, together.\n\nWhat do you know about leading from who you are that you can share in this community to make a positive difference for leaders around the world?\n\n<h3>How Will You Join The Lead Change Movement?</h3>\n\nI am here because I believe that each of us can make a huge difference in the world by sharing what we know and who we are both online and offline. When we show up with positive intention, and give generously to others, we change the world in ways that we may never see.\n\nThis community is one place where we can show up with our best. We can help each other, encourage each other, and promote each other\'s work. We can take relationships offline to make a bigger difference, as Mike and the early members of this group did when they gathered in Ft. Lauderdale for LeaderPalooza.\n\nThere is no limit to what we can do together. Would you help us by sharing this tweet?', 'Weaving A New Future For Lead Change', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weaving-a-new-future-for-lead-change', '', '', '2014-10-01 11:15:26', '2014-10-01 15:15:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=19565', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(19628, 276, '2014-10-10 07:00:40', '2014-10-10 11:00:40', 'Humility is defined as the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble.\n\nI’d like to focus on the words quality and humble because those two words are the essence of what true leadership is all about.\n\nI’m amazed to read stories of how people who rose to a leadership position start behaving differently and end up mistreating their constituents. Here are some of the examples in recent times:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Dominique Strauss-Kahn</strong>, former head of the International Monetary Fund and a leading French politician, was arraigned on charges of sexual assault.</li>\n	<li>Hewlett-Packard CEO <strong>Mark Hurd</strong> resigned for submitting false expense reports concerning his relationship with a contractor.</li>\n	<li>US Senator <strong>John Ensign</strong> resigned after covering up an extramarital affair with monetary payoffs.</li>\n	<li><strong>Tiger Woods</strong> extra-marital affairs that caused his decline.</li>\n	<li>Just last week, <strong>Bubba Watson</strong> was in the news for his behavior on how he treated his caddy and his boorish attitude at the PGA.</li>\n</ol>\nOne can argue that the degree of severity is different, but the root cause of their behavior is the same. They all starting feeling they are entitled and are above everyone else.\n\nI understand that there are a lot of demands on a leader day in and day out, but it is not an excuse to lose their humility. Here are some methods I believe would help you stay grounded:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Practice Self-Reflection</strong> – This will enable you to step back and reflect on your activities for the week and see where you did not do well and identify room for improvement.</li>\n	<li><strong>Ensure You Have An Inner Circle</strong> – Your inner circle will be your confidant. They will be the people that guide you through the process.</li>\n	<li><strong>Prune Your Inner Circle</strong> – Make sure none of your inner circle are pushing you in the wrong direction and giving you the wrong information. If they do, let them go. Make sure you’re not surrounded by a “yes man”.</li>\n	<li><strong>Make Tough Decisions</strong> – Leaders always make tough decisions. Sometimes it means letting someone go because you don’t share the same vision.</li>\n</ul>\nAs C.S. Lewis said: “<em>Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.</em>”\n\nIt means focusing on others and practicing the servant leadership. True leaders always aim to serve rather than be served. Sometimes what causes us to stray from our path is our thinking that we need to act tough.\n\nAs Simon Sinek said: “<em>Great leaders don’t need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.</em>”\n\nIt is important to be yourself and not lose yourself. Writing is a labor of love.', 'Humility In Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'humility-in-leadership', '', '', '2014-10-10 07:00:40', '2014-10-10 11:00:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=19628', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(19651, 372, '2014-10-03 13:43:48', '2014-10-03 17:43:48', 'Leaders face change - or the need to change - frequently in their work environments. When leaders look at needed change from a Western-thinking viewpoint - \"this is broken, we need to fix it\" - they miss a critical factor in effective change leadership.\n\nLeaders miss the opportunity to describe where and why. They need to be specific about where the change will take their team - and why it is time to make that change.\n\nThis approach can help leaders shift from frequent tactical changes to a more thoughtful, overall change - to a high performing, values aligned culture.\n\nThere are three phases involved in this more intentional, strategic change. First, leaders need to <strong>describe their desired culture</strong> in tangible, concrete terms. Second, leaders need to <strong>explain why</strong> the change is needed - how employees and customers will benefit. Finally, leaders must <strong>model the change, coach the change, and celebrate the change.</strong>\n\nLet\'s look at the practices that serve leaders best in each of these phases.\n\n<strong>Describe the desired culture</strong> - Leaders must look beyond managing just performance to proactively managing a work environment based on trust, respect, and dignity. The team (or department or division or company) needs a solid foundation of both performance and values. The team needs an organizational constitution.\n\nAn organizational constitution is a formal document that describes the team\'s purpose (its \"reason for being\" today), values and behaviors (citizenship standards), strategies, and goals. Most teams today have some form of performance expectations, which should make the creation of a formal strategy and goals a bit easier. Few teams have a relevant purpose or valued behaviors to guide interactions each day.\n\nThe team\'s purpose outlines what it does, for whom, and \"to what end\" - the meaningful contribution that compels and inspires employees to align to the team\'s \"reason for being.\" The team\'s purpose needs to be formalized and reinforced, frequently.\n\nValues defined in behavioral terms allow desired team citizenship to be observed and measured - just like performance goals are observed and measured. If, for example, a leader is running a retail store, he or she may need to define exactly what is meant by great customer service. Behaviors might include \"pleasantly acknowledging everyone who comes within ten feet\" of a team member or \"providing solutions for customer\'s problems.\"\n\nTeams will likely have three or four values, each with three or four specific behaviors that describe how team leaders and team members will demonstrate each value.\n\n<strong>Explain why the culture change is necessary</strong> - Humans crave context! They need to understand the reasons why the change is being made. Leaders must be able to effectively communicate the business case and the engagement case for the change. The business case is commonly founded on efficiencies, quality improvements, reduction in errors, and innovative solutions customers demand. The engagement case is usually founded upon reducing drama and conflict, boosting workplace trust and psychological safety, and even boosting fun as a workplace norm.\n\n<strong>Model, coach, and celebrate the change</strong> - This is the \"accountability\" phase, where leaders must help everyone on the team \"live\" the purpose, values, behaviors, strategies, and goals, every day. Leaders must be role models for the desired culture. Only when leaders are credible models of the desired culture will the change be seen as legitimate - and real. Team members won\'t embrace desired values and behaviors unless their leaders model them consistently.\n\nOnce leaders build credibility for the change with their own behavior, they earn the right to ask employees to embrace the behaviors. Leaders must be observant and present to reinforce aligned behaviors and to redirect misaligned behaviors. Leaders must celebrate traction on the desired culture - and not wait to celebrate when the change is \"done.\" It\'ll never be done! It\'s an ongoing evolution. It\'s a lot of work, but the benefits are worth it.\n\nClients who have embraced managing to an organizational constitution enjoy significant benefits, including 40 percent gains in employee engagement, 40 percent gains in customer service, and 35 percent gains in profits, all within 18-24 months of embarking on the change.\n\nThose are impressive numbers. My latest book, <a href=\"http://thecultureengine.com\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Culture Engine</em></a>, presents a step-by-step process that guides leaders in the creating of their organizational constitution - then managing to it.\n\nWhat do you have to lose?', 'Drive Change Towards Your Desired Culture', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'drive-change-towards-your-desired-culture', '', '', '2014-10-03 13:43:48', '2014-10-03 17:43:48', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=19651', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(19671, 282, '2014-10-03 06:37:41', '2014-10-03 10:37:41', 'An aerial shot of the sidewalks of any major city bear an amazing resemblance to the view we get as we look down at a large ant den. \n\nLots and lots of tiny little bodies scurrying as fast as they can, doing what they can for as long as they can. Both are building, gathering food, and protecting their colony. \n\nEach strikes out when attacked, at other times seems completely oblivious to the world around it. But there’s something a little depressing about thinking we’re nothing more than a bunch of insects with an insignificant or meaningless existence. Cheer up. We can be so much more! But how? Living <strong>on purpose</strong> happens when we ask the right questions, and we live larger than ourselves.\n\nOne to the most important things you and I can do to bring greater meaning to our lives, our families and our life work is this: ask the right questions.\n\nRemember those conversations with a young child we’ve all had? Questions like \"why is the sky blue?\", \"do dogs dream?\", and of course, \"where do babies come from?\" capture the wonder and the curiosity of young minds. I wonder, where does that curiosity go and why does the wonder of this life seem to fade to a mediocre grayness as we age?\n\nIf you want to live your life <strong>on purpose</strong>, you must begin to ask the right questions. Ask questions about love, about values and character, questions about how you can make a meaningful impact on your world. Don’t be satisfied with glibly accepting the sands of time thrown in your direction. Hold those moments in your hands thoughtfully, and consider what you’re doing with the brief moments you have.\n\nAsk how you can better your company or your profession. Ask how you can reach out to a co-worker who is struggling, and together help them succeed. Ask yourself about what experiences you want to have, places you want to see, or people you’d like to me. Ask yourself questions like:\n\n<ul>\n<li>What is the single accomplishment I’m most proud of, or want to ultimately be proud of?</li>\n<li>Where do I want to visit before I die?</li>\n<li>What is my next big project? What’s my next adventure?</li>\n<li>If I could only be remembered for 3 things, what would they be? What am I doing to make that a reality?</li>\n<li>What is MY big question in life?</li>\n</ul>\n\nIf you want to live life <strong>on purpose</strong>, it’s so critical to ask the right questions. But it’s just as important that we make this conscious decision. Today in this day, I will choose to live bigger than myself.\n\nLife <strong>on purpose</strong> has to include more than living in a bigger house, driving a nicer car and having more prestige or power in the workplace. It’s making choices and living lives that affect our culture to make it a better place. If I’m going to live bigger than myself, I will choose sacrifice over self, and giving over getting. My life will be marked by the lives whose lives are marked by my kindness and character. \n\nWhere we once saw warning signs on the big problems in our companies, our culture and our world, now we only see a bulls eye target waiting on us to take our best shot. Unlike Don Quixote, we don’t see windmills as giants to be conquered — we see giants as old windmills that aren’t nearly as big a fight as we thought they were.\n\nIf you are brave enough to live a big life, start with more questions. Look at yourself, your family, your workplace and your community. Find places, projects or causes that could benefit from your passion and creativity. Put a face on this challenge by asking questions like:\n\n<ul>\n<li>Who is the next person I want to bless?</li>\n<li>What cause in the world tugs at my heart, and what are three things I could do to help?</li>\n<li>Where is their conflict, need or issue at my workplace that I could make a positive difference in if I tried?</li>\n<li>How much money could I set aside each month to donate or help someone in need? What could I sell or give away that could change someone’s life?</li>\n</ul>\n\nSo make the day you stop carrying dirt clods from one side of the ant hill to the other. Make it the day others point to and say, “What has gotten in to him/her? It’s amazing.”\n\nCheck out <a href=\"http://wp.me/p129CW-hn\">Zoo Life</a>, and see if you recognize yourself.', 'How do you live life on purpose?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-do-you-live-life-on-purpose', '', '', '2014-10-03 06:37:41', '2014-10-03 10:37:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=19671', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(19685, 251, '2014-10-06 08:57:20', '2014-10-06 12:57:20', 'His written words were cutting, cold, and cruel: \"It\'s obvious she\'s trying to pull a fast one. Does she think I\'m stupid? A wimp? Tell her she\'s done writing for us. We don’t work with devious people.\"\n\nMy crime? Sending the wrong file. I\'d been in a hurry and carelessly attached an article that had been published elsewhere. Negligent? Absolutely. Conniving? No way.\n\nGoing through life with such a jaded attitude makes the world a dark place. Always ascribing malicious intent, being suspicious, expecting the worst, and trusting no one. Because we find and see what we look for, badness lurks in every corner.\n\nThat dismal mindset permeated a company where I once worked. The company had been in financial difficulties and was acquired by another firm with deep pockets and a dim view of any organization that didn\'t scrupulously and profitably manage its money.\n\nDisdain and suspicion ran up and down the hierarchy between the two organizations. I dreaded going to work. We all did.\n\nThen one day in a particularly gloomy and discouraging meeting in which we had thoroughly bashed and trashed the new leadership, a vice president observed, \"You know, we\'re no better than they are. They think we\'re a bunch of country bumpkins. We think they\'re money-hungry jerks. It’s time to stop believing the worst and start understanding.\"\n\nAfter that call to action, we practiced a workplace version of unconditional positive regard - listening and accepting what HQ did and said without ascribing ill will or evil intent. Carl Rogers, a psychologist, was the first to advance unconditional positive regard as a practice for therapists. We put his concept to work.\n\nWe gave HQ the benefit of the doubt. We quit opening meetings by sharing I-just-dealt-with-a-jerk stories. We quit jumping to negative conclusions and started thinking critically. The outcome of our new mindset and approach was extraordinary. Going to work wasn\'t dreadful anymore.\n\nSo, back to the negative-thinking editor. Imagine how less stressed both of us would have been had he practiced unconditional positive regard and asked, \"Can you find out if she made a mistake in sending this? She knows we only accept original material.\"\n\nAutomatically relying on judgments or bias is an easy default. Rogers believed we all needed to be in touch with our subjective experiences and feelings. He urged people to continually learn and grow without judging. This is hard stuff to do.\n\nBut, oh, so worthwhile.', 'Judging Others Favorably - Stop, Think &amp; Consider', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'judging-others-favorably-stop-think-consider', '', '', '2014-10-06 08:57:20', '2014-10-06 12:57:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=19685', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(20727, 318, '2014-10-07 06:49:08', '2014-10-07 10:49:08', 'Dealing with tough times and difficult situations can help us find the best in ourselves and others. But sometimes, that\'s much easier said than done.\n\nWe hear devastating news. Job loss. A diagnosis. A new baby with life-changing special needs.\n\nOur brains and hearts rush through thoughts, prayers, next steps.\n\nIt’s hard to gain perspective. This was not in the plan. What now?\n\nI met with Bill Treasurer to talk about his new book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Open-Doors-Leadership-Performance/dp/1562869647/\" target=\"_blank\">Leaders Open Doors.</a> I was intrigued as to why he would be giving all the proceeds of his book to <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6ax_D27RME\" target=\"_blank\">help children with special needs</a>.\n\nHis perspective is powerful. A daughter born deaf with cerebral palsy on top of life’s other complications:\n<blockquote>“At first it was hard to adjust my expectations for what life with my daughter would be like. Now I realize that there are flowers in every situation.”</blockquote>\nBill believes in the perspective of the <strong>arch of time</strong>. The arch of time allows the good to unfold. Over time, he’s experienced:\n<ul>\n	<li>What courage looks like</li>\n	<li>Patience</li>\n	<li>Gratitude</li>\n	<li>New relationships</li>\n	<li>The desire to help</li>\n	<li>Opportunities</li>\n</ul>\nWhen the news is bad. It’s hard to envision anything good. How do you gain the strength to allow the arch to emerge?\n\nBill suggests envisioning 10 reasons you are grateful for the situation. If that’s too hard, imagine 10 positive outcomes that could come from it. And then be patient.\n\nEnjoy the mystery as each day unfolds. Celebrate the unexpected flowers.\n<h3>Perspective &amp; The Leadership Journey</h3>\nHow does such perspective apply to leadership? Don’t focus on the difficulty– focus on the opportunity. Don’t judge a situation too soon. Look for possible.\n\nBill and I share a common disdain for the phrase, “what keeps you up at night.” First, it’s over used. Second, it elicits the wrong conversation.\n<blockquote>\"It’s as if some leaders believe that the only way they’ll get any rest is as if the entire workforce shares their fears. Unless people are as afraid as they are, they think that no one will be motivated enough to address whatever is causing the leader to lose sleep.\"</blockquote>\nKeeping perspective is a powerful leadership competency. Inspire and motivate by providing opportunity, even in the darkest situations. Opportunity is motivating. Scaffold your team as they climb the arch of possibilities. The results may surprise you.', 'Time Allows Good to Unfold', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'time-allows-good-to-unfold', '', '', '2014-10-07 06:49:08', '2014-10-07 10:49:08', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20727', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(20752, 252, '2014-10-08 06:56:06', '2014-10-08 10:56:06', 'Thinking for your employees is not your job. Facilitating their empowerment is. Creating a culture of personal leadership is.\n\nSometimes I hear this from manager clients. It bugs them when their staff agrees to put a new procedure in place and then discover later that everyone has fallen back to old habits.\n\nI’ve been there myself. You go into redesigning a process with good intentions. Then you come to find out the new process is abandoned or worse - your staff is doing both the old process and the new one at the same time. All the efficiency you hoped for go right out the window.\n\n<h3>Why Powering Through Doesn’t Work</h3>\n\nIt\'s easy to think, <em>\"I guess I need to put it in my tickle file to check in and remind them more often.\"</em> Uh, no.\n\nMaybe you should just tell them they have to do it - no ifs, ands or buts. That would probably get some compliance for some period of time. But not for the long haul.\n\nWhen I coach my clients the last thing I want is to add more to their to-do list, like <em>checking and reminding</em>. What if we look at what <strong>would</strong> make a change stick?\n\n<h3>Boss, This Is Your Job</h3>\n\nSo many times we think we’ve communicated, but we really haven’t. We assume because we all speak the same language or because people nod their heads they get it.\n\nManagers show up in my office complaining about an underperforming employee. They assure me they’ve had discussions. When we go over the conversations, they invariably involved a lot of talking on the boss’s part. They often concluded with a question like, <em>“Do you understand?”</em>\n\nA more helpful question is: <em>“What do you understand about what we talked about today?”</em> or <em>“What will you do differently based on what we talked about today?”</em>\n\n<h3>When Changes Don’t Stick, Be A Detective</h3>\n\n<strong>For Example:</strong>\n\n<blockquote>\"Let’s talk about the recent changes to our __________ process. Let me be clear. No one is in trouble. I\'ve noticed the __________ is going this way (__________). What is preventing us from __________ like we talked about a few months ago?\"</em></blockquote>\n\nI’ve actually done this. Be clear and sincere. Ask questions. You don’t have to solve it for them. Only take action on obstacles that <strong>only</strong> you can remove. Ask questions that get people to think about what <strong>would</strong> make whatever work.\n\nYou’ll be amazed at what you learn. You’ll be amazed at how people step up when you don’t step in on what\'s really theirs. Guide, but don’t overdo. This is empowering leadership, and subsequently leads to empowerment.', 'Boss, It&#039;s Just Not Your Job', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'boss-its-just-not-your-job', '', '', '2014-10-08 06:56:06', '2014-10-08 10:56:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20752', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(20775, 373, '2014-10-09 07:10:04', '2014-10-09 11:10:04', 'These days, the business world is filled with trite clichés that have been accepted as fundamental truths about how the world functions.\n\nOne of the most egregious of these clichés is the common assertion: <em>It’s not personal, it is just business</em>.\n\nThis belief has become increasingly pervasive and has served as justification for many questionable and ineffective business practices. But when it comes down to it, we’re not robots, and we shouldn’t try to be.\n\n<h3>Are You Kidding?</h3>\n\nAs a manager, you deliver information, feedback, or news to an individual that affects his or her work, livelihood, opportunities, status, income, mood, health, and/or well-being. How is this not personal?\n\nOn average, employees spend 75% of their waking hours connected to work - getting ready for work, getting to work, working, returning home from work, and decompressing. Oftentimes, employees spend more time interacting with coworkers than family members.\n\nYet managers believe their actions are not personal and just business? Are you kidding?\n\n<h3>Getting At The Root Of The Belief</h3>\n\nTrust me, what you say and do <em>feels</em> personal to the people you lead. Therein lies the issue. The new <em>F-word</em> in business, it seems, is <em>feelings</em>. Is this because we hold a belief that expressing feelings does not belong in the workplace? If so, where did this belief come from?\n\nI welcome your opinion. Here is mine:\n\n<blockquote>Feelings are discouraged in business because managers do not have the skill to effectively deal with them. True, some employees do not self-regulate well and may let their emotions get the best of them from time-to-time. But the fear of unruly emotions is disproportionate to the occurrence and severity of emotional outbreaks.</blockquote>\n\nResearch shows that even though people judge their work environment both emotionally and cognitively, emotions are the primary determinant of their sense of well-being. As a manager, your actions strongly influence the outcome of an individual’s appraisal process that results in a sense of well-being - or not.\n\nIf you do not notice, acknowledge, and deal with a person’s emotions, you may unwittingly be undermining that sense of well-being that is the vital link to a person’s intentions and behavior.\n\n<h3>Try This For The Next Month</h3>\n\nInstead of holding on to a traditional belief that potentially undermines people’s motivation, listen to your heart and acknowledge the crucial role that feelings play in work and life.\n\nTry changing that traditional belief to an <strong>optimal motivation</strong> belief: <em>If it is business, it must be personal.</em>\n\nWatch how your leadership changes as your belief changes. Then notice the positive affect your changed belief has on those you lead.', 'This Time It’s Personal - Why You Can’t Separate Business From Emotions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'this-time-its-personal-why-you-cant-separate-business-from-emotions', '', '', '2014-10-09 07:10:04', '2014-10-09 11:10:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20775', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(20813, 348, '2014-10-13 06:32:24', '2014-10-13 10:32:24', 'Halloween is right around the corner. Soon, we will have little Frankensteins and Ninja Turtles and Cinderellas knocking on our door looking to have their buckets and bags filled with candy.\n\nI like Halloween. Greeting these little demons, super heroes and princesses is fun.\n\nKnow what would be really great? If Halloween was the only day energy vampires came around too.\n\nEnergy vampires are deadly to an organization; especially when they are in leadership positions. They will suck the life right out of their employees. These leaders don’t get engagement. They get compliance.\n\nWhat I find remarkable are how many energy vampires we have in the workforce. We find them from the top echelons all the way down to the front lines. We not only find ourselves working with them, we often have to work for them. Even worse, if we fail to keep our guard up, we may become like them.\n\nI originally wanted this post to be about managing the energy vampire, but I could not find a good reference starting point. Google has ample hits when it comes to working side-by-side with energy vamps. They also have great suggestions working for energy sucking bosses. But for reasons unknown, there is not much information available for managing these individuals.\n\nI was unable to find a single source about staking an employee, or the use of excessive garlic in the workplace. I started to wonder why this was, and I soon realized something. If Gallup is correct with their numbers and approximately 70% of our workforce is disengaged, would it not follow we have close to the same proportion of energy vampires in charge? Are we the ones turning our employees into energy-sucking demons?\n\nWe all need to take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror. Can you see your behavioral reflection? The behavior others are seeing from you. Keep in mind Dracula had no reflection, so this may be difficult to see.\n\n<strong>If so, ask yourself the following questions:</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Are you a little bit too much of a control freak?</li>\n	<li>Do you offer an opinion about most everything that comes your way?</li>\n	<li>Do you find yourself dominating most conversations?</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>If so, you may be an energy vampire.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Are you hungry for attention?</li>\n	<li>Do you find yourself interrupting others – especially when they are talking about themselves?</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>If so, you may be an energy vampire.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Are you insistent on double-checking the work of others?</li>\n	<li>Do you have trouble trusting the work of your team and find yourself overly managing?</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>If so, you may be an energy vampire.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Do you wake up in the morning feeling the whole world is against you?</li>\n	<li>That your staff, your boss, your colleagues are all out to get you?</li>\n	<li>Are you a chronic complainer?</li>\n	<li>No one ever makes coffee but you.</li>\n	<li>No one ever cleans the sink but you.</li>\n	<li>No one ever does their job, but you.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>If so, you may be an energy vampire.</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Do the little things in life tick you off?</li>\n	<li>Do you have difficulty controlling your anger?</li>\n	<li>Do you find yourself on an emotional roller coaster at times?</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Guess what? You are an energy vampire.</strong>\n\nThere is good news in all this, however. For the remaining 30% percent of the engaged workforce, Google has some great tips and strategies on how others can learn to work with you.\n\nDid that last sentence sting a little? If so, that means there is still hope. You have not fully crossed over to the dark side. Not only can you turn, in doing so you will turn others as well. Because behaviors are contagious.', 'Energy Vampires', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'energy-vampires', '', '', '2014-10-13 06:32:24', '2014-10-13 10:32:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20813', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(20828, 322, '2014-10-14 06:03:57', '2014-10-14 10:03:57', 'Leaders with any size team in any size of an organization have to ensure they are using the right tools in order to achieve elite performance.\n\nIf you are trying to build a house with the wrong tools you won’t ever be able to build it.\n\nIf you are trying to lead a team to deliver world class results with the wrong tools you won’t even be able to lay the foundation.\n\nUsing the right tools are essential and necessary for laying the foundation, building a team that excels beyond their perceived limits and maximizes performance.\n\nThe <strong>V.I.C.E.</strong> tool (Vision, Inspiration, Culture, and Execution) will make a significant impact on your people and help them reach their highest level of performance.\n<h3>Vision</h3>\nSetting a clear vision for where the team and everyone on it is headed is the most important part of laying the foundation for the team. If no one knows where they are going, they definitely won’t know how to get there.\n\nPosting the vision in a very visible location and making it a part of the daily routine is essential for ingraining the vision into every team member and help them live that vision daily.\n\nI have multiple examples in my career and even in my personal life. One that sticks out was when there was a leadership change made on a very talented team that was under-performing.\n\nThe new leader came in set a clear vision of where the team was going and what they could accomplish. Within 60 days, they were one of the top performing teams.\n<h3>Inspiration</h3>\nThere aren\'t many people that look forward to go to work every day. In fact, 1/3 of people are so unhappy they are actively looking for another job.\n\nThe leaders set the tone every day and create the environment for their people. In order to inspire, you have to be passionate. It has to show in your tone and actions every day. Start every day off ensuring your people feel valued and like they have a purpose. I will give you a clue, free breakfast and coffee isn\'t the way to do it.\n\nMake your people feel valued through recognizing their strengths and thanking them for their specific accomplishments. 44% of people become disengaged if you don’t speak to them throughout the day. 21% of people become disengaged if you criticize them daily. 1% of people become disengaged if you recognize 1-2 strengths daily.\n\nEnsure your people know their purpose every day. In order to remind them of their purpose, you have to know what intrinsically motivates them. Is it providing for their family, career progression, paying off debt, buying a house or making a difference in the world? Whatever it is you need to remind them how their daily accomplishments give them that purpose.\n<h3>Culture</h3>\nThe first two tools are essential for getting the team to progress. Culture is what sustains that progression. Every culture is different, but it should be built around the employee experience. Herb Kelleher\'s response when asked about the importance of increasing shareholder value, “When we focus on employee experience, the employees will focus on the customer experience, when the customers are happy they come back, which makes the shareholder happy and ultimately increases shareholder value.” That couldn\'t be more true.\n\nZappos is known for their culture and integrating life into work. Creating an environment where people feel like family, enjoy their time at work, allowing them to integrate the most important things from their personal life into their work life and just having fun are the key essentials to having a culture that is conducive to more engaged and motivated employees.\n\nI suggest having culture workshops where you bring people in too just have fun and give feedback on what they would like to see change to have a better environment. Once you get their feedback, give them everything you can. I have seen this take a team from average customer experience and sales results to top 10% in the company.\n<h3>Execution</h3>\nClearly defined strategies and simplified processes are the final pieces to the tool. Ensuring these strategies and processes align with the vision, tie into the value and purpose of the employee and are conducive to the culture you have a winning formula. Your people will execute flawlessly and all parties involved with enjoy the outcome.', 'Are You Using The Right V.I.C.E. Grip?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'are-you-using-the-right-vice-grip', '', '', '2014-10-14 06:03:57', '2014-10-14 10:03:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20828', 0, 'post', '', 4);
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(20843, 329, '2014-10-15 06:47:01', '2014-10-15 10:47:01', 'When I sit at my office desk in my brown Aeron desk chair, I often think of Max DePree, one of my favorite leaders. Max was for many years the CEO of Herman Miller, the company that manufactured my desk chair.\n\nHe also authored several books on servant leadership. My favorite book is <strong>Leadership Jazz</strong>. He used the leader of a jazz band as a metaphor for creating a work environment in which improvisations were valued yet the collection of performers created a pleasurable outcome.\n\nMax opened the book with a powerful story that zeroed in on the essence of leadership. His granddaughter Zoe (the Greek word for life) was born prematurely and weighed one pound and seven ounces, so tiny his wedding ring could fit over her arm or leg. Additionally, Zoe’s biological father abandoned Max’s daughter the month before Zoe was born.\n\nThe first time Max suited up in protective gear to visit Zoe in her isolate in the neonatal unit of the hospital she had two IV’s in her arms, one in her navel, and a feeding tube plus a breathing tube in her mouth. A wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave Max his instructions.\n\n“For the next several months, you will be the surrogate father,” she told him. “I want you to come see her everyday. While you are here I would like you to rub her arms and her legs with the tip of your finger. While you are caressing her you should tell her over and over how much you love her because she needs to connect your voice with your touch.”\n\nMax closes the poignant story by making this powerful point:\n\n“Ruth was doing exactly the right thing for Zoe and without realizing it, she was giving me the perfect description of the work of a leader. At the core of being a leader is the ability to always connect one’s voice with one’s touch.”\n<h3>A Leader\'s Touch</h3>\nIf you need to speak to an operator at Zappos, don\'t be shocked if you find yourself speaking with Zappos\' CEO Tony Hsieh taking calls from customers…especially during the holidays when operators can be super busy covering inbound calls.\n\nTony is connecting his voice and his message of over-the-top service with his touch. Instead of talking about delivering happiness to customers, he role models delivering happiness.\n\nIf you are at Dallas Love Field near the headquarters of Southwest Airlines during a busy holiday, don’t be surprised if you see CEO Gary Kelly loading bags on the tarmac. It is a tradition started by founder and former CEO Herb Kelleher who was a master voice-touch connector. His actions not only signal the priority of the organization, but it convinces employees the leader’s message is real and credible.\n\nA number of years ago I checked into the Biscayne Bay Marriott in Miami. One of the desk clerks looked striking familiar. As the bellman escorted me to the elevator with my luggage, I just had to know.\n\n“Is that Bill Marriott behind the desk?” I asked. I had seen his picture with his dad numerous times in the lobbies of Marriotts around the world.\n\n“It is,” the bellman said with a smile, “He has been at this hotel a couple of days.” Bill Marriott is a voice-touch connector.\n\nHumorist Will Rogers is credited with saying, “People learn from observation, not conversation.” And, while he was referring to politicians, the sentiment applies to all leaders. Employees do not watch your mouth; they watch your moves.', 'Max&#039;s Leadership Touch', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'maxs-leadership-touch', '', '', '2014-10-15 06:47:01', '2014-10-15 10:47:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20843', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(20861, 374, '2014-10-16 06:22:22', '2014-10-16 10:22:22', '<p>Here at Lead Change Group, we know that most problems are most effectively solved when individuals come together to meld ideas, energies, and approaches. To use a golf analogy, not every shot is a long drive.</p>\n<p>Many times, leaders have to take a <strong>chip shot</strong> to move the ball along for a short distance, with incisive accuracy.</p>\n<p>In our <strong>Leading Voices Chip Shots</strong> we\'ll be sharing one question to which several of our Leading Voices have contributed a brief thought or reaction. We hope you find them thought-provoking. And without further ado: Fore!</p>\n<h3>Today\'s Question</h3>\n<p>Crises in organizations sometimes result in the unexpected resignation or termination of the person in charge. For example, the Director of the US Secret Service <a href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/01/politics/secret-service-director-resigns/\">resigned recently</a> after several adverse incidents. When a leader departs in this manner, he or she leaves behind an organization in crisis that also now finds itself leaderless.</p>\n<p><strong>What one piece of advice would you give a management team in the first week after a leader has left under these types of circumstances?</strong></p>\n<h3>Identify The New Face Of The Organization</h3>\n<p><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/mary-schaefer/\">Mary Schaefer</a> writes: Identify the new face of the organization immediately and develop relevant, timely messages for them to deliver. One should be relevant to public concerns and one should apply to employee concerns.</p>\n<h2>Develop a Clear Plan</h2>\n<p><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/mike-henry/\">Mike Henry Sr.</a> counsels: Develop a clear plan and then communicate every step of that plan at every opportunity. By having a clear plan, executing that plan and providing timely, transparent communication, every stakeholder begins to understand that you have the situation under control. This activity communicates urgency and openness and will help restore order more quickly than anything.</p>\n<h3>Presence, Performance, and Purpose</h3>\n<p><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/jon-mertz/\">Jon Mertz</a> explains: Presence, performance, and purpose - these are the necessary focus areas for the remaining management team in times when a leader leaves in crisis. Presenting a calmness is essential as well as being available to answer questions and keep team members focused on the work required.</p>\n<p>The management team needs to be fully, proactively present. Their presence requires humility in bringing people together and strength of character in continuing to do what is right for all stakeholders. What stakeholders expect is continued performance. Interruption in service or delivering on commitments will escalate concerns and lead to greater loss than just one individual leaving the organization.</p>\n<p>Continued focus on performance is a must. After all, the organization has a purpose greater than just one individual. Purpose takes on an enhanced role in these crisis moments. Keeping all focused on the organization\'s purpose will lessen focus on politics and increase focus on what matters most.</p>\n<h3>Exude Confidence</h3>\n<p><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/david-dye/\">David Dye</a> shares: In times of crisis, the management team can provide safety and ease the turmoil through calm clarity. Be very clear about what everyone can be doing right now to contribute to the success of the organization. In most cases, this will be to continue doing their daily work in an effective, consistent way. Be clear about what is happening, what is being done to address the situation, and how much you value their contributions.</p>\n<h3>Overcommunicate</h3>\n<p><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/karin-hurt/\">Karin Hurt</a> urges: Over communicate. In the absence of clear information, people will interpret the situation and seek meaning in their own way. Establish a clear vision for recovery and create a compelling picture for the future.</p>\n', 'Chip Shots - From Our Leading Voices', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'chip-shots-from-our-leading-voices', '', '', '2014-10-16 06:22:22', '2014-10-16 10:22:22', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20861', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(20895, 274, '2014-10-17 08:06:18', '2014-10-17 12:06:18', 'One of the best parts of my job is getting to read the newest leadership titles, long before they release. Sometimes it\'s after I have signed a new client and sometimes it\'s in the process of deciding whether it is a fit to work together.\n\nLast night, I spent some time with PopeyesⓇ CEO Cheryl Bachelder\'s manuscript of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Dare-Serve-Superior-Results-Serving/dp/1626562350/\" target=\"_blank\">Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others</a>. Look for it in March 2015. It is also available now for pre-order.\n\nI instantly began to feel myself energized and inspired by her words and story. And while I may or may not have the honor of helping to bring her book to the world, I am grateful for the way her words connected so powerfully with me as a leader.\n\nHaving just finished a busy book launch season, I realized, again, the importance of taking time to find time to fuel my own journey with wisdom from others. When life and business present challenges (this week for me: a lost wallet and a possibly-ruined laptop), it\'s easy to lose sight of the bigger purpose I have as a leader, including the privilege and opportunity to serve those I am leading.\n\nFueled by reading and reflecting on others\' insights and experiences, I find strength to lead well. Books, blogs, tweets: what inspires and fuels you?\n\nAre you setting aside regular time to remind yourself of what\'s important to you and those you lead? If not, what is preventing you from prioritizing your own growth and learning? What could you shift, today, to make room in your schedule for re-fueling? How can this Lead Change Group community support your growth and learning?\n\nHere is a very small sneak preview of the inspiration I received from Bachelder\'s book:\n<blockquote>\"The Dare-to-Serve Leader must have the courage to focus on and solve the hard things facing the organization. That means the leader must choose to act on the vital few things that will deliver superior results.\"</blockquote>\nWill you dare to serve today?', 'What Is Fueling You?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'what-is-fueling-you', '', '', '2014-10-17 08:06:18', '2014-10-17 12:06:18', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20895', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(20912, 322, '2014-10-21 06:26:51', '2014-10-21 10:26:51', 'Millennials seem to be misunderstood and a feared generation for most businesses yet they will become 75% of the workforce in the next 10 years.\n\nPinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, Box, Airbnb, Groupon, and Tumblr - any of these sound familiar? All were founded by millennials.\n\nEven with these companies as proof of what the Millennial Generation can achieve, only 7% of millennials work for Fortune 500 companies according to Millennial Branding, and 37% are unemployed (Pew Research Group).\n\nIf millennials have this much to offer, why aren\'t they working for some of the biggest companies? Why aren\'t more millennials leading companies?\n<h3>Lack of Understanding Or Ability To Lead Them</h3>\nMillennials are nothing like the generations before them. In order to hire and lead them, leaders have to understand them. They are the first “connected” generation, meaning they feel like their cell phone is an extra limb on their body. Eighty percent of them sleep with their cell phone glowing beside their bed.\n\nThey feel parenthood and marriage are more important than career and financial success. They love social media, selfies, posting videos of themselves, tattoos, and piercings. This may seem like privacy doesn\'t matter, however 70% of them have privacy boundaries on their social media and have their tattoos hidden.\n<h3>They Are Influenced By Innovation</h3>\nThey say that the biggest barriers to innovation are manager’s attitude, operational structure and procedures, and lack of diversity. Seventy-five percent believe that organizations can do more to develop future leaders.\n\nSixty percent believe organizations can become good at innovation by following established processes and that innovation can be learned. They believe innovation is repeatable rather than spontaneous and random.\n\nSixty-seven percent believe that there is a reluctance to take risks, a reliance on existing products, services, and ways of doing business from managers.\n\nSixty-seven percent cite that there are a variety of organizational barriers that impede new thinking include poor channels of communication across the organization, lack of a formal process to encourage innovation, and a poor organizational structure.\n<h3>They Are Influenced By Social Impact</h3>\nThey state that the success of a business should be measured in more than just terms of financial performance. An organization should focus on improving society, be involved in charities and community organizations.\n\nThey feel as though many large corporate businesses only promote the wealthy and give nothing back to the middle or lower classes. They care more about their bottom line and their shareholders than they do about contributing to charities.\n<h3>Ways To Attract &amp; Allow Millennials To Thrive</h3>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Allow Them to Be Part Of Innovation</strong> - Give them the time to discover out-of-the-box solutions and allow it to be a part of the business process.</li>\n	<li><strong>Think Tank Sessions</strong> - Schedule them often and allow all levels of employees to attend</li>\n	<li><strong>Idea Generation Tool</strong> - Create a way for employees to have the ability to submit ideas</li>\n	<li><strong>Social Media</strong> - Ensure that your company is continuously on social media and has an impactful strategy</li>\n	<li><strong>Give, Give, Give</strong> - TOMS gives a pair of shoes and Bombas gives a pair of socks; they publicize it and make it part of their business strategy</li>\n	<li><strong>Communication</strong> - Keep them in the know about all of the organizations decisions, strategies, and changes</li>\n</ul>\n<em>Pew Research Group is a contributor to some of the content in this article.</em>', 'Why Are Businesses Ignoring Their Future - The Millennials?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'why-are-businesses-ignoring-their-future-the-millenials', '', '', '2014-10-21 06:26:51', '2014-10-21 10:26:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20912', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(20915, 375, '2014-10-20 06:01:53', '2014-10-20 10:01:53', 'Some people measure success by the wealth they’ve accumulated, the power they’ve attained, or the status they’ve achieved.\n\nYet, even though they’ve reached success beyond their wildest dreams, they still have an empty feeling - something is missing from their life.\n\nIn order to fill that void and be completely fulfilled in life, their soul may be searching for something more.\n\nAlthough everyone is different, there are common threads that bind a life with purpose.\n\n<strong>Live By Your Beliefs & Values</strong> - People who live a life of purpose have core beliefs and values that influence their decisions, shape their day-to-day actions, and determine their short- and long-term priorities. They place significant value on being a person of high integrity and in earning the trust and respect of others. The result is that they live with a clear conscience and spend more time listening to their inner voice than being influenced by others.\n\n<strong>Set Priorities</strong> - People who live a life of purpose identify those activities that matter most to them and spend the majority of their time and effort in those areas. Otherwise, it’s too easy to drift away in the currents of life. As Annie Dillard, the author, once said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”\n\n<strong>Follow Your Passion</strong> - People who live a life of purpose wake up each morning eager to face the new day. They pursue their dreams with fervor, put their heart into everything they do, and feel that they’re personally making a difference. As James Dean, the actor, once said, “Dream as if you\'ll live forever. Live as if you\'ll die today.”\n\n<strong>Achieve Balance</strong> - People who live a life of purpose put their heart into their career and into building relationships with friends and family. They also reserve adequate time to satisfy their personal needs. Achieving balance means living up to one’s potential in all facets of life.\n\n<strong>Feel Content</strong> - People who live a life of purpose have an inner peace. They’re satisfied with what they have and who they are. To them, the grass is greener on their own side of the fence. As the saying goes, “The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.”\n\n<strong>Make A Difference</strong> - People who live a life of purpose make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life. They do things for others without expectation of personal gain, serve as exemplary role models, and gain as much satisfaction witnessing the success of others as witnessing their own. As the old proverb says, \"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.\"\n\n<strong>Live In The Moment</strong> - People who live a life of purpose cherish every moment and seek to live life without regret. They take joy in the experiences that life gives and don’t worry about keeping score. Dr. Seuss may have said it best, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”', '7 Ways To Live Life With Purpose', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-ways-to-live-life-with-purpose', '', '', '2014-10-20 06:01:53', '2014-10-20 10:01:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20915', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(20942, 290, '2014-10-23 06:46:04', '2014-10-23 10:46:04', 'Change is a necessity. Our markets and competitive situations never hold still. Team members don’t sit still.\n\nAdapting keeps us growing in what we do and how we do it. While <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/if-change-was-easy-we-would-all-do-it/\">change is required</a> to meet new requirements, change is not free.\n\nLeadership change <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/change-is-good-hows-your-leadership-midst/\">carries a cost</a>. Just as change is a necessity, certain costs of change are a necessity. Let’s explore some areas where the cost of leadership change is evident and essential.\n<h3>Cost Of Education</h3>\nTo change, going back to school may be a requirement. School can be conferences, conversations, concentrated reading, or virtual classes. The learning costs are time as well as registration fees and travel. In many ways, these are the easier costs of education.\n\nAnother cost of education is our experiences. Often we experience change firsthand. Our experiences can result in failure, frustration, and loss of employment of leaders themselves and others present, whether directly involved or not. Through the chaos of change, the hope would be leaders will learn. However, experiential change can carry a very high cost.\n<h3>Cost Of New Team Members</h3>\nAnother cost of leadership change can be hiring or firing of certain leaders. New people with the necessary skills and abilities may be needed to navigate or recover from the changes. New additions take time to ramp up as well as to implement the new directions required. Firing of leaders also carry the cost of disruption and compensation packages.\n<h3>Cost Of Cultural Changes</h3>\nWith new or existing leaders, the organizational culture may need to shift and renew itself. To do this successfully, training, frequent communication, compensation incentives, and more elements may be required. There is a cost to the system changes along with the personnel adjustments.\n<h3>Cost Of New Habits</h3>\nFor individual leaders, new behaviors are required. Gaining new behaviors translate into new habits. New habits will drive the shift to the new, necessary behaviors. Making new habits stick will take time, and there is always the cost of time. A personal cost may also arise. Some people can change faster than others. For the quick, the cost may be lower. For the slow, the cost will be great.\n<h3>Cost Of Not Changing</h3>\nThe most staggering cost of change is not changing at all. With no change:\n<ul>\n	<li>Turnover will rise.</li>\n	<li>Frustration will increase.</li>\n	<li>The costs doing business will grow.</li>\n	<li>The risk of your organization withering away escalates.</li>\n</ul>\nIf a leader cannot adapt, then the organization will suffer, dancing on a slim edge of failure. The worst case is complete failure.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2014/03/08/seven-elements-leadership-style-jim-collins/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Collins</a>, author of <em>Built to Last</em>, notes only 71 companies on the original 1955 Fortune 500 list were still there when the book was written.\n\nAlthough the fluctuation of the Fortune 500 list is inconsistent, there is always change in the list. This may be an indicator of the cost of not changing or just the cost of change itself.\n\nThe point is leaders cannot afford to remain fixed in their mindsets and abilities. Changes are always required to address new economic, business, and organizational demands. <a href=\"http://www.thindifference.com/2013/07/15/what-essence-of-leadership-should-be-shared/\" target=\"_blank\">Change in generations</a> is another shift requiring attention and flexibility.\n\nStereotyping generations is not an act of leadership; it is an act of stubbornness in understanding shifts and making prudent changes.\n\nThere is a renewed call to raise the standard of leadership and embrace change in thoughtful, proactive, and real ways. Changing presents real costs. Without change, however, the costs will be dramatic, and the status quo will close chapters to the next stage of growth rather than igniting new ones.', 'Leadership Change Is Not Free', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'leadership-change-is-not-free', '', '', '2014-10-23 06:46:04', '2014-10-23 10:46:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20942', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(20945, 274, '2014-10-22 06:43:27', '2014-10-22 10:43:27', 'In presenting to the women at <a href=\"http://www.indianagovernorsconference.com/\">The Indiana Governor\'s Conference for Women</a> yesterday in Indianapolis, Melissa Greenwell, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Finish Line shared the challenges women face in the workplace.\n\nWorking harder does not help women close the gaps that exist for us. By leveraging our skills we can tilt the scales to be more balanced in our favor.\n\nThe session was standing room only, with women seated on the floor, lining the back of the room, every seat filled. It is obvious that this message is one that these women are hungry to hear.\n<h3 style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Greenwell Shared These Ten Ideas:</h3>\n<h6 style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Build Courage (1-6), Be Selfish (6-8), &amp; Pay It Forward (8-10)</h6>\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Speak First</strong> - Don\'t wait to share your ideas. When you share a thought, stop using up talk, a tone that ends statements to sound like questions. Use humor; lighten up.</li>\n	<li><strong>Stop Apologizing</strong> - Don\'t qualify your statements. Accept disagreement; thank people for their comments and move on. Boost your enthusiasm. When you think you are demonstrating enthusiasm, turn it up a few notches.</li>\n	<li><strong>Pick A Role Model</strong> - Choose a powerful woman you can emulate in your career.</li>\n	<li><strong>Communicate Face-To-Face</strong> - Communicating electronically can be a relationship killer. If you don\'t show up in person, it is difficult to communicate powerfully. Show up in person and watch your pose.</li>\n	<li><strong>Stay In Control</strong> - Control your emotions to maintain professionalism. When you know you are going to have a tough conversation, prepare yourself.</li>\n	<li><strong>Give Up The Guilt</strong> - Stop obsessing and caring too much. Feeling guilty takes away energy from all the things you need and want to do. Prioritize so you can spend your energy on your most important priorities.</li>\n	<li><strong>Ask For What You Want</strong> - Ask for what you want, more than once. Be your own agent, advocating for your value and worth. Own resentment and realize that we cannot get what we don\'t ask for. Don\'t wait until you are ready for the next opportunity for increased responsibility. If you procrastinate, someone else will beat you to the punch.</li>\n	<li><strong>Play To Win</strong> - Get comfortable with taking risk and with taking rejection. If you work in a male dominated environment, don\'t retreat; invite yourself.</li>\n	<li><strong>Make Emotional Bank Deposits</strong> - Everyone appreciates being told when they\'ve done good work, even your boss. Expect good work and reward good work.</li>\n	<li><strong>Help Other Women</strong> - We don\'t need to wait for the next title or promotion to be able to help other women. If you are in a position of power, you have the power to make changes in your organization\'s policies and practices that will help other women. Work harder to keep female talent in the workplace.</li>\n</ol>', '10 Rules For Women Who Want To Lead: Melissa Greenwell, The Finish Line', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '10-rules-for-women-who-want-to-lead-melissa-greenwell-the-finish-line', '', '', '2014-10-22 06:43:27', '2014-10-22 10:43:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20945', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(20991, 374, '2014-10-24 06:31:25', '2014-10-24 10:31:25', 'When my son and I arrived on a North Georgia mountaintop several years ago for our first zip-lining outing, I did not know quite what to expect.\n\nI had read many people\'s accounts of the zip-lining experience; I had speculated about how I would feel about the heights and the speed. I had wondered if my son (or I) would love it or freak out.\n\nNowhere in the information I read or the expectations I had developed did I run across Mexican food. You heard me: tortillas, tacos, burritos.\n\nAs it turns out, the zip-lining guides utilize the names of these foods to represent zip-lining stopping techniques. Since I\'m usually thinking about how my life experiences translate to the business world, I couldn\'t help drawing some parallels\n\nPrior to zipping, each participant has to take ground school in order to acclimate to the procedures. Ground school is taught on a mini zip-line that is only a few feet off the ground. In zip-lining, the brakes are your <em>gloved hands</em>.\n\nAre you wondering when we are going to get to the food analogies? Break out the salsa - here they come...\n\n<h3>The Tortilla Brake</h3>\n\nThe best brake is the tortilla. In the <em>tortilla brake</em> the rider watches for the guide, who is standing at the arrival platform. When the guide begins making braking motions, the rider is supposed to take their gloved hand, keep it completely flat, and apply it to the steel cable to slow down the rider.\n\n<em>Parallel:</em> It is important to pay attention to the signs ahead of us in order to avoid reacting too soon or too late. In addition, utilizing a slow, steady, methodical approach to an upcoming change can make the process easier on everyone.\n\n<h3>The Taco Brake</h3>\n\nWe were warned to avoid a taco brake. In a <em>taco brake</em> the hand is no longer flat on the cable, but rather folded over the cable like a taco shell. This is bad because it may make you stop too fast and may make you more susceptible to injury.\n\n<em>Parallel:</em> When you are hurtling toward a desired destination, it is sometimes hard to trust the lessons that others who have been down the same road tried to teach you. Until you have personally lived the experience, sometimes the voice of experience just isn\'t quite enough.\n\n<h3>The Burrito Brake</h3>\n\nThe guides advised us most strongly against the burrito brake. A <em>burrito brake</em> is where you grab onto the cable and surround it with your hand, like a burrito. Why is this bad? One reason is that you could pull your shoulder out of joint. A zip line rider reaches rapid speeds, and you don\'t want your hand to be affixed to the steel cable while your body tries to continue on its trajectory.\n\n<em>Parallel:</em> Practice is good. When you watch people zip line but you haven\'t experienced it yourself, it\'s easy to say, \"Oh, I\'d never do a burrito brake.\" Reflexes and adrenaline can do funny things to your judgment. Businesses have Continuity and Contingency Plans (BCCP\'s) in case disaster strikes, and they are supposed to test their systems periodically. We would be wise to do the same as individuals.\n\n<h3>When Braking Fails</h3>\n\nIf all the Mexican-food themed strategies in the world fail and you find yourself short of the platform, you get to self-rescue. Another technique practiced at ground school, you turn so that your head is facing the platform and your feet are facing the origination point and pull yourself back up the cable, arm over arm.\n\n<em>Parallel:</em> You may find that you end up looking back where you started, having to work a lot harder than you anticipated to get to your destination. And you\'re going to need help in the form of a teammate to finish.\n\n<em>A version of this post appeared previously on <a href=\"http://biggreenpen.com/2011/04/11/when-a-taco-is-better-than-a-burrito-but-worse-than-a-tortilla/\">Perspicacity</a>.</em>\n', 'Life Lessons From The Ziplining Tortilla', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'life-lessons-from-the-ziplining-tortilla', '', '', '2014-10-24 06:31:25', '2014-10-24 10:31:25', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=20991', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(21026, 376, '2014-10-27 06:29:31', '2014-10-27 10:29:31', 'Leaders who care about their professional development read books.\n\nOh sure, they also spend time with people who challenge them, learn new and exciting insights and ideas, seek growth experiences, and so on.\n\nBut leaders read. The question is “What do we read?”\n\nThe bookstores and online sites are chock-full of leadership-related titles and new ones appear every month, and each claims to be the one that will change your life as a leader and often, as a person.\n\nWith that, I recently revisited an older and classic leadership growth work. <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-out-Box-ebook/dp/B00GUPYRUS/\"><em>Leadership &amp; Self-Deception</em></a>, published originally in 2000 and reissued in 2010, continues to be much discussed and recommended as a primary work for leaders and leadership today.\n\nIf you care about your ability to effectively lead others, this book is for you; a deceptively easy and short read, but with a potential impact that could literally change your world.\n<blockquote>\"Self-deception actually determines one’s experience in every aspect of life.\"</blockquote>\n<h3>Thumbnail Of The Concept</h3>\nThe book tells a narrative story of a leader who learns some very important lessons about how to interact with others in a more personal and effective way.\n\nWe engage in self-deception, also known as <em>self-betrayal</em>, when we fail to act on our positive impulses toward others, and then use various thinking processes to both justify our own inactions and to make other seem less deserving of our help.\n\nThis process works for most of us most of the time in our professional and personal lives. We are in the box, as the title says.\n\nSelf-betrayal is therefore \"an act contrary to what I feel I should do for another\" and which therefore leads me to \"see the world in a way that justifies my self-betrayal\", a vicious cycle that becomes easier to travel with each episode. The biggest problem was that I couldn’t see that I had a problem.\n\nI would share how to get out of the box, but if you have read <strong><em>Leadership &amp; Self-Deception</em></strong>, you already know how to do so and if you have not yet read the book, well, you need to. This book will move you from being a self-deceiving person to one who is self-aware.\n<h3>Three specific things About Self-Aware Leaders</h3>\n<strong>Leaders Know Your Name</strong> - The Self-Aware (SA) person who knows your name holds a great deal of relational power. This small, but important act indicates that they recognize you as a person and have taken the time to learn about you. Learning about someone on a personal level is one of the most effective weapons against stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination available to us. Simply put, when you know another’s name, you start to see them in a different way.\n\n<strong>Leaders Are Authentic &amp; Care</strong> - They not only have impulses to help others, but they follow through on those impulses. A self-aware leader acts on their positive impulses, rather than falling into the box and making excuses or hollow rationalizations. Self-aware leaders provide the energy and inspiration to help others do good in our world.\n\n<strong>Leaders Share What They Know</strong> - The premise of the book is that our hero leader learns to identify and derail his tendency to go into the box through a series of interactions with two other leaders, who have traveled the same road and are distinctly aware that they continue to be prone to the fallacy of self-deception. Once a leader figures how to identify self-deception and take steps to “get out of the box”, they now have the obligation to share that knowledge with others.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-out-Box-ebook/dp/B00GUPYRUS/\"><em>Leadership &amp; Self-Deception</em></a> is still going strong as an influential and thoughtful leadership development work well worth a few dollars and a few hours.', 'Sometimes We Wear Masks While Leading Others', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'sometimes-we-wear-masks-while-leading-others', '', '', '2014-10-27 06:29:31', '2014-10-27 10:29:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=21026', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(21049, 318, '2014-10-28 06:26:26', '2014-10-28 10:26:26', 'Parents are well positioned to be the first leadership developers of their children. And yet, many parents do not take a deliberate approach to growing leadership in their kids.\n\nParents work to give them an <em>early start</em> in music, sports, and reading, but for some reason wait until they are older to talk about leading.\n\nIt is never too early to help your kids understand that leadership involves service, communication, teamwork, and helping others to grow.\n<h3>Conversation Starters</h3>\nIt can feel awkward to speak to your kids about leadership if you feel like the pressure’s on to always be in active teaching mode. A good place to start is just weaving some leadership discussion into your every day conversation. Over the dinner table or as a part of your bedtime routine is the perfect place to start.\n\nDon’t worry if you have the perfect question to ask to reinforce a particular skill. Instead get really curious about what’s going on with your child, ask open-ended questions, and see where the conversation goes. Without a doubt, you’ll not only learn about the way your child sees the world but also open yourself up to some very meaningful conversations.\n\nIn case you’d like some ideas on how to start a conversation about leadership skills with your child, here are some ideas.\n<h4>Kindness</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>How were you kind today?</li>\n	<li>If your child tells you a friend was not kind ask: What happened? What could have been different?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Honesty</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>Why do you think we need to be honest?</li>\n	<li>How do you feel when you’ve been caught lying?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Learning</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>What one thing did you learn today?</li>\n	<li>What else do you want to learn about this (topic)?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Resilience</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>Why do you want to give up?</li>\n	<li>Why do you think it matters that you try again?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Respect</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>Why do you think it’s important to respect your teacher?</li>\n	<li>Do you think that people that look different from you really are different inside?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Creativity</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>Who is the most creative person you know?</li>\n	<li>What makes them really, really creative?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Problem Solving</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>What do you do when you feel really stuck?</li>\n	<li>What’s a problem you\'ve solved recently that makes you really proud? How did you make things better?</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>Self-Knowledge</h4>\n<ul>\n	<li>What makes you a great leader?</li>\n	<li>What areas of your leadership are you looking to improve?</li>\n</ul>\nThis post is co-authored with <a href=\"http://breaktheframe.com/\">Alli Polin</a> and includes excerpts from our free e-book <em>A Parent\'s Guide to Leadership</em>. You can download a <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/publications/parents-guide-to-leadership/\">free copy here</a>.\n\nYou can hear about developing leadership in children in my interview on Mukesh Gupta\'s podcast <a href=\"http://rmukeshgupta.sharedby.co/hJrhvg\">Pushing Beyond The Obvious</a>.\n\nAlternatively, you can learn more in this curation of thought leaders, including some insights from children: <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/frontline-festival/parents-as-leaders-a-frontline-festival/\">Parents As Leaders: Frontline Festival</a>.', 'Parents as Leadership Developers', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'parents-as-leadership-developers', '', '', '2014-10-28 06:26:26', '2014-10-28 10:26:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=21049', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(21066, 374, '2014-10-30 08:00:37', '2014-10-30 12:00:37', 'Here at Lead Change Group, we know that problems are most effectively solved when individuals come together to meld ideas, energies, and approaches.\n\nTo use a golf analogy, not every shot is a long drive. Many times, golfers have to take a <strong>chip shot</strong> to move the ball along for a short distance, with incisive accuracy.\n\nIf you are new to the Chip Shots green, welcome. In our Chip Shots feature, our Leading Voices are invited to provide brief insights into a leadership dilemma. Our first Chip Shots post can be viewed <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/chip-shots-from-our-leading-voices/\">here</a>.\n<h4>Today\'s Question: What steps do you take when internal dissatisfaction goes external behind your back?</h4>\nLeading Voices <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/david-dye/\">David Dye</a> and <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/jon-mertz/\">Jon Mertz</a> took shots at this dilemma. Each of them pointed out that when a disclosure of this type occurs, the first order of business is to address the information.\n<h3>When Internal Matters Are Aired Externally First</h3>\n<strong>David Dye</strong> recommends separating the dissatisfaction issue from the external communications issue. This is a hard situation. It is easy to become defensive, feel betrayed, and lash out. Unfortunately, this only deepens the divide between you and your people. There are two issues to address here. One is the source of dissatisfaction itself.\n\nThe second is that people took it outside the company. The key here is to be clear about which issue you are addressing. Do not mix them up or it gets muddy and no one will grow.\n\n<strong>John Mertz</strong> emphasizes the need to explore the validity of the concerns. Whoever received the notes of dissatisfaction should sit down and discuss the concerns with the individuals identified in the rumblings. There is a responsibility of the person receiving or hearing the dissatisfaction to be forthright in conversation with the involved team members while assessing the validity of the issues expressed.\n<h3>After The Initial Shock, What Should A Leader Do?</h3>\n<h4>John Mertz Says: Discuss, Collaborate  and Create</h4>\nLeading in a collaborative, problem-solving manner is key and sets the right example. What carries a higher responsibility is doing what is right for the higher purpose of the organization and stakeholders. Leaders need to step up to this responsibility and avoid any pettiness in rumors. To stop them, the leaders need to act with empathy and full collaboration. The best way to lead is by open example, not through closed-door rumblings or behind-the-back of others.\n<ul>\n	<li>Take the step to <em>discuss</em> the concern.</li>\n	<li><em>Collaborate</em> to determine steps forward.</li>\n	<li>Work together to <em>create</em> an open, engaging culture.</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>David Dye Offers: Heal, Train, or Correct</h4>\nWhen you address the source of dissatisfaction, remain calm. Seriously…deep breathing first. Then call together key opinion leaders, acknowledge the dissatisfaction, express disappointment that they didn\'t address the issue with you first, then ask for their input. Don’t defend yourself or your decisions. Thoroughly hear them out, take good notes, and reflect the content and emotion.\n\nOnce you can put their issue into words as well or better than they can, you\'ve got a decision to make. There may be truth in their position that you need to hear and respond to…or it may be that they are missing a key perspective or data. Your response will depend on the facts. Either way, be looking for ways to bring them in as partners in addressing the situation.\n\nWhen you address the fact that they went outside the organization, you can start with neutral, exploratory language.\n\nFor example: <em>\"I noticed a number of people talking with competitors and the press about this issue. Can you tell me what happened there?\"</em>\n\nYou may discover deep mistrust that needs to be healed or you might find a complete lack of training regarding protocol or even how to have difficult conversations. How you respond next - healing, training, or correcting - depends on what you find out when you ask.', 'Chip Shots - When Internal Dissatisfaction Goes External', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'when-internal-dissatisfaction-goes-external', '', '', '2014-10-30 08:00:37', '2014-10-30 12:00:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=21066', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(21068, 372, '2014-10-29 06:40:38', '2014-10-29 10:40:38', 'How is contribution and teamwork measured in your organization? In many small businesses, tasks and deadlines are all encompassing.\n\nLeaders find themselves focusing primarily on results and paying less attention to the quality of their work environment.\n\nThe reality is that your team’s culture - how team leaders and team members treat each other and how they treat customers - drives everything that happens in your organization, good or bad.\n\nObviously, keeping performance commitments is a vital part of business success. It’s good to focus on performance results. What’s not good is to assume that your work environment breeds trust, dignity, and respect - because most work environments don’t do that very well.\n\nHow can leaders ensure their work environment is safe and inspiring, moment to moment? By building an organizational constitution, then managing to it every day.\n\nAn organizational constitution specifies a team’s (or department or division or company’s) purpose, values and behaviors, strategies, and goals. Once these critical elements are defined, leaders can model, coach to, and align all players to these agreements.\n\nI recently invited Becky Robinson’s <a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com\" target=\"_blank\">Weaving Influence</a> team to complete my online <a href=\"http://drtc.me/cea3\">Culture Effectiveness Assessment</a> (CEA).\n\nThe CEA is based on the concepts and research in my latest book, <a href=\"http://thecultureengine.com/\">The Culture Engine</a>. The CEA allows team leaders and members to rate the degree to which their team has clear agreements about performance and values, and how well their team exceeds both sets of expectations in daily interactions.\n\nThe CEA has 50 questions worth a maximum of six points each. Total scores by team leader and team members are converted to one of five “culture health” levels - dysfunction, tension, civility, acknowledgment, and validation.\n\nBecky’s team\'s CEA score summary is below. Becky’s scores, as team leader, are graphed in red. Team member scores are in blue. Becky scored the team at 208 points, at the acknowledgment health level.\n\nHer team members scored the company slightly higher, at 227 points (also in the acknowledgment health level). The graph also shows the lowest team member score (188, in the civility health level) and the highest team member score (298 - nearly a perfect score in the validation health level).\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CEA-WI-summary.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CEA-WI-summary-300x263.png\" alt=\"CEA-WI-summary\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>\n\nThis is a very good initial score. Weaving Influence, in business for just over two years, has a lot of great practices in place. It shows in Becky’s and her team members’ positive ratings of these questions.\n\nBecky’s team has a great foundation. Not only are team members highly skilled but Becky has grounded her business on six core values. Her team shares these values in recent blog posts, which can be found here:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-partnership\" target=\"_blank\">Partnership</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-generosity\" target=\"_blank\">Generosity</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-responsiveness\" target=\"_blank\">Responsiveness</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-integrity\" target=\"_blank\">Integrity</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-growth\" target=\"_blank\">Growth</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://weavinginfluence.com/weaving-influence/living-our-core-values-flexibility\" target=\"_blank\">Flexibility</a></li>\n</ul>\nI think their values are defined pretty well. What the CEA can tell Becky and her team is whether their values are <em>measurable</em> - how well these values are defined in observable and tangible terms.\n\nBelow is the detailed scoring for the team\'s responses to the CEA question: <em>“Our values are measurable?”</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CEA-WI-values-measurable.png\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CEA-WI-values-measurable-300x146.png\" alt=\"CEA-WI-values-measurable\" width=\"300\" height=\"146\" /></a>\n\nBecky scored this item 3 out of six; team members’ average score is 4. Desirable scores are at the 5-6 range, so Becky’s team has an opportunity here. Defining values in measurable behaviors shifts both the understanding of what’s expected and the coaching to these valued behaviors. It makes team citizenship as measurable as a performance deadline.\n\nThe <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/positive-proof-that-culture-works/\" target=\"_blank\">benefits</a> of aligning to an organizational constitution are astounding. Clients who align to their organizational constitution see gains in employee engagement of 40 percent, in customer service of 40 percent, and in profits of 35 percent, all within 18-24 months of starting their culture refinement process.\n\nBecky and team, thanks for engaging in my <a href=\"http://drtc.me/cea3\" target=\"_blank\">Culture Effectiveness Assessment</a>. You all are in a great place. With some focused attention, you can ensure your workplace exceeds these best practices - and is inspiring for everyone, including your customers.\n\nWhat can the <a href=\"http://drtc.me/cea3\" target=\"_blank\">Culture Effectiveness Assessment</a> do for you and your team? It provides rational insights into the quality of your team or company\'s culture - and points the way for making yours a safe, inspiring work environment.', 'How Healthy is Your Team&#039;s Culture?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-healthy-is-your-teams-culture', '', '', '2014-10-29 06:40:38', '2014-10-29 10:40:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=21068', 0, 'post', '', 0);
