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(5206, 271, '2011-06-24 06:05:34', '2011-06-24 11:05:34', '“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">– Mother Teresa of Calcutta</p>\n“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.”\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">– Unknown</p>\n“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)</p>\n__________________________________________\n\nLeader, coach, parent, or spouse: we all interact with others on a daily basis. In the course of these daily interactions, we often offer our suggestions to help others succeed. Given properly, helpful suggestions will actually help. Given improperly, they may do more harm than good.\n\nA while ago, I had an experience that highlights one key principle to consider any time you offer corrective or instructive comments.\n\n<strong>The situation:</strong>\n\nI created a marketing brochure. To make sure I had considered every detail on the piece, I asked my wife (Sandra) to look it over and to give me her input. She looked at it for about 5 seconds and immediately suggested a layout improvement. As she made her comment, I felt irritated. Since I had asked for her comments, I chose not to voice my frustration.\n\nAs I returned to my office, my frustration turned to curiosity. I began to wonder what had happened in that moment. Why would someone (me) get upset with corrective comments when the comments were initially requested and then offered with the best of intentions?\n<h3>The lesson:</h3>\nReflecting on that question, I came to the following conclusion: <em>even when we ask for correction, we still want to be affirmed</em>.\n\nIn Sandra\'s defense, let me fill in a few more details.\n\nI completely trust her intentions. We were both pressed for time. I asked for her input while she was working on another time constrained project. The problem in this situation began with the timing of my request. I did not give her the appropriate time to carefully evaluate and consider her response. Given the time constraints of this situation, she offered her input with the sole intent to help me create a better product. She had no intent or desire to criticize or ridicule me personally.\n\nAnd still, my initial internal reaction was negative. I did not react to her attitude, her tone, or her words. Instead, my desire for affirmation created my reaction. Fortunately, I recognized that my internal, emotional reaction was not appropriate, and I controlled my outward response. This is not always the case.\n\nMuch of the time, you will communicate with people who will not control their responses. They may be hurt or upset by someone else or some other event. Maybe they do not have complete trust in your intentions. Maybe your relationship is not strong enough for them to take your comments the way that you intend them. Whatever the cause, if you offer \"constructive criticism\" without first affirming them, they will likely respond negatively — even when your intentions are pure and honorable.\n\nOnce offended or upset, people often have difficulty shifting their mental focus to recognize the positive intentions of others. So, once upset, most people will not receive your corrective comments. They will likely focus on their initial negative feeling and either ignore or resist your suggestions.\n\nAs leaders, I encourage you to work with, rather than against, this aspect of human nature. In order to improve the odds that people hear your suggestions and corrective comments with the perspective that you offer them, learn to...\n<blockquote><strong>Affirm Before Correcting</strong></blockquote>\nIn practice, this means that you should offer an honest, genuine positive comment before you offer any suggestions for improvement.\n\nAs you practice applying this principle, remember these three key points about affirmation:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>1. Specific</strong> — Make the affirmation as specific as the correction.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\">Generalities and non-specific comments may come across as condescending. Pick specific points or observations for your praise and affirmation. Using my brochure layout as an example, \"I like the way you used these pictures to highlight your main point\" is better than \"This looks good.\"</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>2. Brief</strong> — Make your comments brief and to the point.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\">When you speak too long, people get lost in the talking and miss the point.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>3. Message</strong> — Watch your tone and body language.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\">If your tone sounds condescending or your body language is stiff, you will likely communicate bad things to your listener. Make sure your tone and body language convey the feeling that you want to help and not the feeling that you want to condemn.</p>\nSo for now, I encourage you to remember to. . .\n\nFollow the ABC’s of correction — <strong>Affirm Before Correcting</strong>.\n<p style=\"font-size: 9px;\">This post originally appeared <a href=\"http://recoveringengineer.com/leadership-skills/follow-the-abcs-of-correction-affirm-before-correcting/\">here</a>.</p>', 'Follow the ABC&#039;s of Correction - Affirm Before Correcting', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'follow-the-abcs-of-correction-affirm-before-correcting', '', '', '2011-06-24 06:05:34', '2011-06-24 11:05:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5206', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5217, 243, '2011-06-21 06:08:42', '2011-06-21 11:08:42', 'A while back, I wrote a post titled <a title=\"Good Leadership vs. Effective Leadership\" href=\"/good-leadership-vs-effective-leadership\">Good Leadership vs. Effective Leadership</a> about the difference between a good leader and an effective leader.  The premise of that post was that an effective leader was one who got others to do what that leader wanted.  A good leader was one who got others to achieve a positive goal.  Good leadership goes beyond effective leadership by achieving a result where the benefit exceeds the cost.\n\nIn our modern culture, the Internet provides more options and more ability to influence.  Therefore, it\'s difficult to have a commonly shared definition of words like \"good\" and \"positive.\"  Each person has always been free to define those words for themselves, but recently it seems opinions and definitions vary more and more.  As someone who\'s mission is to apply character-based leadership to make a positive difference, I often get asked to define \"positive.\"\n<h3>Sustainable</h3>\nIf everyone is free to operate in their own best interest, then sustainable relationships, sustainable leadership, sustainable benefits (or differences) may be the new goal.  People choose to remain engaged in a relationship for their own perceived benefit.  In a sustainable relationship, all of the members freely choose to remain engaged because the relationship serves their best interests. The individual return to each member is perceived by them to exceed the effort to maintain the relationship.  (As an aside, the benefit doesn\'t need to fall directly to the contributor.  More on that soon regarding the importance of purpose.)\n\nThe best sustainable relationships are \"in the best interests\" of each party.  The more individuals who perceive benefit from the relationship, the greater the likelihood the relationship and the effort will continue.\n<h3>Imbalance</h3>\nWhen one party no longer feels the relationship benefits them, they begin to withdraw their energy, money and time invested in the relationship.  This may be a member of the team or it may be supporting cast.  Regardless, eventually the party failing to be rewarded will pull out.\n\nSustainable leaders balance benefit and return to each member of a team and the team\'s constituents.  Great leaders balance benefit for large numbers of stakeholders.  For example, we often forget that the community where we live has a stake in our relationships.  So does our family.  Your physical health is also involved.  Anything that is out of balance will eventually break.  The degree of balance provides greater chance that your objectives will be reached and your leadership is sustainable.\n\nBalance relationships and your influence will stand the test of time.  That\'s why empathy and compassion are so important.  Ignore them at your own peril.\n\nWill you lead for sustainability?  Will you consider the benefit and reward of all the constituents?\n\nWhen people belive that you\'re not just \"in it for yourself,\" then you\'ll start to earn the trust necessary for long-term sustainable relationships.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/3967992\">© Kushnirov Avraham</a> - Fotolia.com</span>', 'Sustainable Leadership vs. Effective Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sustainable-leadership-effective-leadership', '', '', '2011-06-21 06:08:42', '2011-06-21 11:08:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5217', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5222, 243, '2011-06-20 05:04:00', '2011-06-20 10:04:00', '', 'Key to Potential', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'key-to-potential', '', '', '2011-06-20 05:04:00', '2011-06-20 10:04:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/key-to-potential/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5226, 243, '2011-06-20 22:21:00', '2011-06-21 03:21:00', 'Here\'s an interesting post and story by Mark Sturgell (<a target=\"_blank\" title=\"Mark\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/pdncoach\">@pdncoach</a>) related to the post I wrote a couple of weeks ago entitled <a target=\"\" title=\"Change Leaders or Change Leaders?\" href=\"/change-leaders-or-change-leaders/\">Change Leaders or Change Leaders</a>?&nbsp; Check out Mark\'s post and leave him a comment if you appreciate his story.<br />', 'Change Leaders Revisited', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'change-leaders-revisited', '', '', '2011-06-20 22:21:00', '2011-06-21 03:21:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/change-leaders-revisited/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5231, 252, '2011-06-27 06:30:10', '2011-06-27 11:30:10', 'I want to admit right up front, when I was a corporate employee, I was, let\'s say, \"challenging.\"\n\nSeveral years ago I was meeting with my boss about me potentially becoming a supervisor. He started telling me what he liked <em>least </em>about being a supervisor.\n\nHe said, \"giving people bad news.\"  It\'s just so painful, just so hard to tell people something that is going to hurt them. He went on for awhile about this.\n\nSometimes I wonder if I channel messages from another realm (or I was just embarrassingly arrogant) because this is what came out of my naive, inexperienced little self.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\"<em>Not that I would like to give people bad news, but I would rather be the person to do it because I\'m going to be more focused on what they need rather than what I\'m going through</em>.\"</p>\nNow to give my supervisor credit, I suspect he was testing my reaction. Since then I have coached many supervisors in this position, and been in this position plenty of times myself. It\'s way too easy to get caught up in our own response.\n<h3>What keeps us there?</h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\"The problem of distinguishing what we are and what we are not responsible for in this life is one of the greatest problems of human existence.\" - M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled\n</em></p>\nI find this in so many issues that managers bring to our coaching. It is perfectly understandable to feel responsible for \"making them feel bad,\" when you are delivering a message that may upset someone. Yes, you are delivering the message, but in most cases the facts of the situation exist despite the fact that you are the one delivering the message.\n<h3>What <em>are</em> you responsible for?</h3>\nIf we are going to \"feel responsible,\" let\'s feel responsible for the right stuff!\n\nAs a leader in this situation, what I feel responsible for is:\n\n- preparing for the discussion\n\n- making sure they understand what the message means, and what it doesn\'t mean\n\n- ensuring they know who can support them and how\n\n- helping them identify what they can do when they leave the room\n\nIf we can get past our own discomfort, we can actually do our organization members a great service. When we get a handle on our own \"stuff,\" we can help employees see a way through their situation to get to the point where they can… productively do work. And perhaps you\'ve built more \"trust capital\" in the relationship at the same time.\n\nWhat\'s it going to take for you to get over yourself?\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Originally posted on Mary\'s blog: </span><a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com\"><span style=\"color: #888888;\">www.reimaginework.com</span></a>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leaders: Stop Being So Responsible', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-stop-being-so-responsible', '', '', '2011-06-27 06:30:10', '2011-06-27 11:30:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5231', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5232, 245, '2011-06-28 06:30:06', '2011-06-28 11:30:06', '“Jeff, when you’re a leader, there’s going to be at least one person at any given time who thinks he was put on this earth to be your greatest critic.”\n\nThis nugget of wisdom came from Jeff’s mentor many years ago as Jeff assumed the first of many influential leadership positions of his career. It’s now many years later and Jeff is the CEO for a successful, mid-sized company. He relayed this story to me as we sat in his office discussing the ups and downs of leading a growing enterprise.\n\n“That’s some of the best advice I got early in my career,” Jeff continued. “As a leader you need know what you stand for, because no matter what, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">somebody’s</span> not going to like your position on an issue.” According to Jeff, it’s this clarity of principle that helps him stand firm when the going gets tough, and allows him to deal with critics.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.kenblanchard.com/About_Ken_Blanchard_Companies/blanchard_bios/Ken_Blanchard/\">Ken Blanchard</a> voiced a similar thought recently during a webinar hosted by <a href=\"http://www.charleneli.com/\">Charlene Li</a>. Titled <a href=\"http://www.altimetergroup.com/2011/06/leadership-lessons-webinar-with-charlene-li-and-ken-blanchard.html\">Leadership Lessons: The Power of Relationships in the Facebook Era</a>, Ken talked about the concept of leaders needing to be very clear about what they stand for. He calls this “<a href=\"http://leaderchat.org/tag/leadership-point-of-view/\">developing one’s leadership point of view</a>” and has written about it extensively over the past several years.\n\nThere are innumerable leadership “points of view”; in fact, you’ll see many of them voiced here at the Lead Change blog. While we can certainly identify leadership points of view that are self-serving, this blog chooses to focus instead on vantage points that are selfless—those that seek to better an interaction, a life, a vision.\n\nRegardless of whether or not we hold an official leadership title, we all have a leadership point of view. When your point of view is called into question, are you confident you can stand up to your greatest critic?', 'Standing Up to Your Greatest Critic', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'standing-up-to-your-greatest-critic', '', '', '2011-06-28 06:30:06', '2011-06-28 11:30:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5232', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5236, 270, '2011-07-13 06:04:44', '2011-07-13 11:04:44', '<strong>Have you ever been in a situation wh</strong><strong>ere a titled leader appeared to be genuinely sinc</strong><strong>ere and compassionate?  And later</strong><strong> you realized that throughout the organization people were asking if that leader really walked their talk?</strong>\n\nLast summer my husband and I had the opportunity to vacation in France, and at the recommendation of friends we visited the <a title=\"The Palace of Versailles Gardens\" href=\"http://www.google.com/images?q=gardens+of+versailles&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;source=univ&amp;ei=GDIJTbr-GZSssAOQy_2dDg&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=image_result_group&amp;ct=title&amp;resnum=1&amp;ved=0CCkQsAQwAA&amp;biw=873&amp;bih=614\">Palace of Versailles</a>, never expecting to find some of the answers to those questions…\n\nBecause I took no time to research the palace or the gardens prior to making the trip, I was completely unprepared for what I saw and every time I think of it I am still in awe.\n<ul>\n	<li>The gardens are on 800 hectares which is the equivalent of 1,976 acres of land in the United States.</li>\n	<li>The gardens have over 200,000 trees and over 210,000 flowers.</li>\n	<li>To see the gardens you wander down paths between maze-like hedges, which are lined with marble statues.</li>\n	<li>Each path leads to one of 50 gorgeous water fountains.</li>\n	<li>In the middle of the gardens lies a cross shaped Grand Canal for boating and fishing.</li>\n	<li>And situated on these spectacular grounds are the Palace, the Grand Trianon &amp; Marie-Antoinette’s Estate.</li>\n</ul>\nAt first I walked the grounds in complete awe of the beauty there. It was so easy to imagine the Kings and Queens of old, hosting majestic balls, summer events, and hunting parties.  Then my thoughts began to turn from the majesty of the place to wondering what it was like to live there.\n\nUltimately my thoughts turned to the people outside of the palace grounds that were starving, as royalty and their court lived so divinely.  The differences were so extreme, and seemed so visually-obvious that my first reaction was to judge the intentions of the royal family, that thought-process was quickly followed by an deeper desire to understand:\n<ul>\n	<li>Did all of the ancient royals lack character?</li>\n	<li>Did any of them recognize their Achilles Heel?</li>\n	<li>Was it possible to be born in an environment that encouraged egos to grow in magnitude through the constant acquisition of more possessions, and more power <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>and</strong></span> yet have the vision to contribute to a greater good?  If so, how hard would it be to change the paradigm and lead by serving?</li>\n</ul>\nAs I began to imagine that some of the royal family could  learn that there was more to life, and be committed to making a difference; <strong>their role was so visually staggering that it was obvious that they would need several wise advisers that were brave enough to hold the king or queen accountable to that vision.</strong> Those thoughts then lead me to focus on the advisers themselves, knowing that no matter how wise those those advisers were, they too would face would face temptations of  pride, power, and possessions.\n<ul>\n	<li>If those advisers were accountable to the vision of the greater good, and to leading with integrity, if they listened, served and advised based on those things, everyone would be more successful.</li>\n	<li>If however, those advisers were in it for themselves and withheld or skewed information to achieve their own desires the king or queen would make uninformed decisions that did not address the real issues  impacting their people, their country.  Which would ultimately expose their second Achilles Heel and  negatively impact their results and their reputation.</li>\n</ul>\nSince my return home I continue to think that Versailles gave me a visual that emphasizes a basic truth in leadership.  <strong>We are all human and all have Achilles Heels.  If we choose to lead with character we must be proactive about preserving that character in ourselves and in those closest to us.</strong>\n\nSeveral months ago I received a message over Twitter from someone confessing that he has often overlooked poor character because of someone’s great skills.  I don’t know the circumstances of that specific story.<strong> I do know that over-looking someone’s character because of their skills has brought down entire organizations and caused grief and pain for thousands.  And I know that when those closest to a leader encourage the leader to limit their contact with employees and customers, the leader is being cut off for a reason.  And that where there is smoke, t</strong><strong>here is usually fire.</strong>\n\nI believe Abraham Lincoln actively practiced a solution for this issue.  In the book<em><a title=\"Lincoln on Leadership\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Leadership-Executive-Strategies-Tough/dp/0446394599\">Lincoln on Leadership</a> </em>by Donald T Phillips, Phillips emphasizes that with the exception of times Lincoln was very sick and when his son died, he was out of his office a minimum of 5 days a month and sometimes more than 10 days a month engaging with people, asking questions, and learning…  During that time, Lincoln spent time with congress, military leaders &amp; troops, touring battlefields, inspecting weapons and shipyards, and visiting with the sick and the wounded.  When he had to make a decision he was better prepared to make it based in facts and with an understanding of the entire picture.  Years later Tom Peters and Robert Waterman named this principle MBWA – Managing By Walking Around.\n\n<strong>M</strong><strong>y take away from all of this is that the founda</strong><strong>tion of great leadership and organizational strength are the same.  I</strong><strong>n order to give either one a strength that will endure, I mus</strong><strong>t </strong><strong>have a pro-active plan in place to seek out and preserve truth.  My plan includes:</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li>A list of values to stand on and never compromise.</li>\n	<li>The open invitation to employees, peers, and customers to hold <em>me</em> accountable to those values.</li>\n	<li>The commitment to hire people with the same values as the organization.</li>\n	<li>The discipline to hold staff at every level accountable to keeping those values.</li>\n	<li>To <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>M</strong></span>anage <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>B</strong></span>y <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>W</strong></span>alking <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>A</strong></span>round - Being present and engaged with employees and customers.</li>\n</ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Which path will you choose?</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>The one that  fuels pride, and strokes your ego?</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>Or the path that goes against traditions and hierarchy to serve a greater good?</strong></li>\n</ul>', '5 Ways to Prevent Leadership Achilles Heels', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-ways-to-prevent-leadership-achilles-heels', '', '', '2011-07-13 06:04:44', '2011-07-13 11:04:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5236', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5237, 276, '2011-06-29 06:30:19', '2011-06-29 11:30:19', 'Over the last month and a half, two things caught my attention, namely the scandal with former  IMF chief Dominique Strauss and the precipitous fall of former Congressman Anthony Weiner.    Each of them has a long history of service in their respective fields and was well respected by their constituents.\n\nWhat happened?  What caused them to have a lapse in judgment?   Before their respective incidents, I viewed them as leaders because they have a lot of followers.   A person is a leader only if people are willing to follow him/her.  People are willing to follow because they respect the person and know that he/she has what it takes to lead them to where they need to be.   In essence you can effect change and make a difference.\n\nIn analyzing the situation, from my vantage point, some leaders who made it all the way up sometimes feel that they can do anything.  It seems that their power or authority gets in their head, instead of staying humble and reminding them that what they are doing is a blessing.   I believe that the problem is failure to focus on being self-aware.   By not being self-aware, they failed to audit their actions. There is a tendency to fall in the trap of thinking you can do whatever you want without repercussion for your actions and behavior.\n\nThis is similar to Tiger Woods’ situation.  He’s popular and everybody adored him.  He did admit that he thought because of his power, wealth and influence, he could do anything he wanted and lost sight of what he is all about in the first place.\n\nHow can a leader prevent mental lapses from happening?\n<ul>\n	<li>Be honest – always remember your roots.  Title, designation and authority are all temporary.  They can easily be taken away from you if you don’t show that you are responsible.   Always remember that you cannot get away with a lie.   Truth will eventually come out and you have to answer to all your constituents.</li>\n	<li>Be self-aware at all times – it is important that you audit and think through things before you do something.   Remember that you’re a role model.</li>\n	<li>Remember that as a leader you’re serving your constituents – great leaders never put their agenda ahead of anyone else.  They always keep in mind that they are there to serve their constituents.</li>\n	<li>Remember your core values – It all goes back to your upbringing.   When it does not feel right, it is not right.  You can do something wrong and justify that it is right.  Let your core values drive your actions.</li>\n	<li>Do not compromise - sometimes people can fall into the trap of doing favors.   It starts with small favors and then eventually it becomes a big favor that ends up compromising their position</li>\n	<li>A position of authority is not a free ticket to do anything you want – you’re given the authority because you’re responsible. If you don’t know how to take care of your responsibility, then you’ll lose it.</li>\n</ul>\n&nbsp;\n\nBe grounded and humble. Don’t forget the reason why you’re a leader and what the purpose of your leadership is.   With all the attention and accolades that you’ll get, you need to stay close to those people who are close to you because they will keep you grounded and provide you with good feedback.     In the end, you need to be self-aware at all times.    Don’t let your success get into your head.    Each day take the time to remember your purpose and remember your roots.  By doing so, it will keep your actions in check.', 'Leaders – Lapses in Judgment', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-lapses-in-judgment', '', '', '2011-06-29 06:30:19', '2011-06-29 11:30:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5237', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5241, 271, '2011-07-01 07:02:52', '2011-07-01 07:02:52', 'Recently, I was working through an issue with another person. They were distressed over the results of a process that affects both of us. I helped to create the process. I have authority to change the process if necessary. And I have knowledge of the system to troubleshoot and fix a fair number of problems.\n\nAs we were discussing the issue, they kept talking about their concern without giving me the details I needed to fix it for them. Since I was trying to fix the problem, I started to get a bit frustrated.\n\nThey talked.\n\nI grew frustrated.\n\nThey talked some more.\n\nI grew more frustrated.\n\nThe cycle continued until I said: “I get that you are concerned. I totally understand that you have a concern. Is it okay if we discuss how to solve the problem so that your concern can get resolved?”\n\nThey immediately said, “Yes, that would be great.” Their emotional level decreased. They focused on giving me the information I needed to fix the problem for them. And we had the situation resolved in less than 5 minutes from that point forward.\n\nThe other person is not a bad, difficult person. They are committed to their work. They want to do a good job, and they had a genuine concern. Because they had a concern, they became emotionally invested in the situation, and their emotional investment became a barrier to our communication. They <em>needed</em> me to understand that they had a concern.\n\nUntil I acknowledged their concern, they <em>could not see past it</em> to help me solve the problem. Their need to be heard and understood outweighed their ability to focus on the details of the problem.\n\nThe learning lesson in this is pretty simple:\n<blockquote>When you engage in a tense or emotionally charged conversation with another person, hearing, understanding, and acknowledging their emotion about the situation often creates the right environment for moving on to joint problem solving.</blockquote>\nThe converse is also often true. Failure to hear, understand, and acknowledge their emotion can create an insurmountable barrier to effective communication and joint problem solving.\n\n<em>This post was originally presented on <a href=\"http://recoveringengineer.com/resolving-conflict/effective-communication-skills-acknowledge-emotions-before-solving-problems/\">Guy\'s blog</a>.  You can read more of his work on his blog, <a href=\"http://recoveringengineer.com/\">Recovering Engineer</a> or his author page.</em>\n<p style=\"font-size: 9px;\">Photo by <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/3342877736/\"><em><span style=\"color: #1220e3;\">Joe Shlabotnik</span></em></a>.</p>\n<!--more--><!-- BlogGlue Cache: Yes -->', 'Effective Communication Skills: Acknowledge Emotions Before Solving Problems', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'effective-communication-skills-acknowledge-emotions-before-solving-problems', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:30:51', '2017-10-15 22:30:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5241', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5243, 273, '2011-07-11 06:02:52', '2011-07-11 11:02:52', 'We are all on a walk.\n\nIt is the journey we take each day as a leader.\n\nWe move through our day, going from one task to the next, one meeting to the next, one problem to the next. We have conversations and interactions; some small, seemingly inconsequential others lengthy and potentially memorable. Each of these is part of your leadership walk.\n\nYou may not think of your leadership journey as a walk. Most would call it work. So to be clear, the walk is “the stuff” of our day; it’s the items on your to-do list seen in a slightly different way.\n\nYou may have never thought of it as a walk, but that is how others see it.\n\nWhat do I mean?\n\nYou’ve heard the phrase: people want to see leaders who will walk their talk. The most effective leaders have the best “talk”; a great vision, values, wonderful approaches and plans, and people see talk as more than just words – they see the walk. In fact your talk matters little, in comparison to your walk. The reality is, they watch and pay much more attention to your feet, than your lips.\n\nIt is your walk that matters.\n\nAs leaders whether you realize it or not, you are on a walk that others are observing in small and large ways every step and every day.\n\nYou might think of the walk as role modeling behavior, but those are just fancy words. It is the walk that people are watching. Every day too – not just on our best days, or the days we feel good, or the days we had a good breakfast, or right after we went to a great training workshop.\n\nRemember, you are always walking and others are always watching.\n\nHere are just some examples for you to consider:\n\nDo you say you care about your people, your organization and your Customers? How does your walk prove it?\n\nDo you say mistakes are important and necessary? How does your walk prove it?\n\nDo you say you believe that your people can develop, grow and have tremendous potential? How does your walk prove it?\n\nDo you say that listening is important? How does your walk prove it?\n\nDo you say you are a learner? How does your walk prove it?\n\nIn the end, we are leaders only if others choose to follow. Make sure your walk is heading to a great place; a place worthy of being followed to. And know that if you tend daily to your walk, the chance of others joining you on your leadership walk is much higher.\n\nUltimately it is your walk that matters.\n\nMake sure you are watching your steps.\n\n<em>The best leaders recognize that they are on a journey and must continually learn to improve their leadership skills. Many leaders around the world are choosing to grow their leadership skills with the Remarkable Leadership Learning System. This one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader is a flexible way and effective way to build these skills – and not conventional (it just works!). This system allows people to learn without travel and allows them to learn in multiple ways whenever works best for their schedule – and encourages them to learn by teaching others too! Get $916.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system as part my Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today at <a href=\"http://MostRemarkableFreeLeadershipGiftEver.com\">http://MostRemarkableFreeLeadershipGiftEver.com</a>. </em>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Your Leadership Walk', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'your-leadership-walk', '', '', '2011-07-11 06:02:52', '2011-07-11 11:02:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5243', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(5250, 243, '2011-06-27 18:05:00', '2011-06-27 23:05:00', 'Don\'t let your circumstances, experiences and history intrude on the future.&nbsp; Take note of the people in this video and how they overcame failure.<br />', 'Famous Failures Video', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'famous-failures-video', '', '', '2011-06-27 18:05:00', '2011-06-27 23:05:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/famous-failures-video/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5253, 281, '2011-06-30 06:03:07', '2011-06-30 11:03:07', 'I got my first opportunity to consciously stand up for what I believed in in 1994.\n\nIn the last year of my Master\'s program, my thesis involved research on the process of creating a successful business partnership.  Using Appreciative Inquiry, our process resulted in a model of a synergistic triangle consisting of three equally key ingredients:\n<ol>\n	<li>An Understanding and appreciation of self, as in intrapersonal intelligence;</li>\n	<li>An Understanding and appreciation of other, as in interpersonal or social intelligence;</li>\n	<li>The resulting relationship system then gets created and continually loops around, offering each person the opportunity to develop as individuals and therefore re-contribute, thus co-create, a dynamic, complex system that is the unique, dynamic business partnership</li>\n</ol>\nIn the early 1990\'s the unspoken, unwritten rule in the business world was \"Don\'t Talk About Relationship\" or any of the soft, fluffy stuff humans were made of.  We were all expected to leave that stuff at the door and get to work!\n\nRegardless, after 12 years in business, our design resulted in not only building our own successful business and partnership, but also served as a model for our clients to build sustainable partnerships.  Through the process we first laid out in that thesis up until now, I continued to learn and grow both intra-personally and inter-personally as a result.  We learn and grow in relationship, not in isolation.  Following the old rule and disregarding the complex and dynamic relationship systems we create through all of our relationships, however brief, is ridiculous.\n\nHere\'s the point:  My thesis was nominated for publication in the college journal ... an honor, for sure.  However, the committee stated it would only be considered if I changed the title.  They objected to the phrase I used to symbolize our design for a successful business partnership: <em>Professional Intimacy</em>.  Sexual harassment in the workplace was such a touchy (pun intended) topic in the early 90\'s, the committee frowned upon that description in the title.\n\nI stood my ground on principle because even though the rule was \"<em>Don\'t talk about RELATIONSHIPS and WORK,</em>\" I couldn\'t in good conscience back down.  Besides, I’ve got a strong oppositional reflex, too.\n\nI ran across the dusty, bound thesis a few weeks ago and wondered ... did I do the right thing?  How would my career path have changed had I decided to belly up?  Would I have gotten \"here\" sooner?  I suppose I\'ll never know...\n\nWhat would you have done?\n\n&nbsp;', 'Professional Intimacy:  The Secret of Sustainable Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'professional-intimacy-secret-sustainable-leaders', '', '', '2011-06-30 06:03:07', '2011-06-30 11:03:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5253', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5258, 243, '2011-07-04 06:37:00', '2011-07-04 11:37:00', 'Dan McCarthy presents another Leadership Development Carnival over at his blog, <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"Great Leadership by Dan\" href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/\">Great Leadership</a>.&nbsp; This is a great service that Dan hosts to show off the best leadership content from around the blogosphere each month.&nbsp; There are over 40 great posts listed here, including several from Lead Change members.&nbsp; So <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"July 3 Leadership Development Carnival\" href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2011/07/july-3rd-leadership-development.html\">check it out</a>!<br />', 'July 2011 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'july-2011-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2011-07-04 06:37:00', '2011-07-04 11:37:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/july-2011-leadership-development-carnival/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5259, 243, '2011-07-05 06:31:52', '2011-07-05 11:31:52', 'We\'ve had a couple of great discussions on this site and on LinkedIn over the saying, \"Respect must be earned.\"  You can see some of the discussion on the comments to <a title=\"Respect Must Be Earned\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/respect-must-be-earned-leaders-are-you-comfortable-being-held-to-a-higher-standard/\">Mary Schaefer\'s post, Respect Must Be Earned</a>.  Also, check out the <a title=\"Archives: Respect\" href=\"/tag/respect\">tag on respect</a> and see a number of great posts about respect on this blog.\n\nHowever, that saying came from a different time.  People used to think in terms of earning something or having it given.  A more modern way of saying \"respect must be earned\" today might be something to the effect that \"we pull respect.\"  We\'re expected to attract respect without pursuing it outright.\n<blockquote>Respect is a push, not a pull.</blockquote>\nNevertheless, that still misses a key point about respect that we often overlook.  You see, respect, like humility is not about us.  Respect is about what we do for others.  Respect is a push, not a pull.\n\nIf you try to pull respect, you risk several errors.  One is the error of demanding respect. When someone demands respect, I am tempted to withhold it instantly.  (I\'m rather contrary.)\n\nSeveral years ago I managed a warehouse.  While walking around one day I noticed a new temporary worker doing a sloppy job.  I asked him about how he had been shown what to do and why he wasn\'t doing his job the proper way.  He told me he was doing his job the way he wanted to.  Not wanting to invest a lot of time and energy in this person (my own mistake), I suggested that he needed to call it a day and ask his temporary service to put him somewhere else tomorrow.  We wouldn’t need his services any longer today or in the future.\n\n“What?” he asked.\n\n“You can leave.” I answered.\n\n“You can’t talk to me like that.  You need to talk to me with respect.  I don’t have to take that from you!” he responded.\n\n“Alright, you can leave, sir.” I replied.\n\nThe rest of the exchange probably shouldn’t be reprinted.\n\nNo one wants to have their respect demanded, manipulated, coerced or cajoled.  It’s just not proper.  Respect is one of those things I consider as a \"push\" attribute.  I can always give respect and I can always give more than I usually do (exemplified, sadly, above).  There is always room for more respect to be given, but not taken.  When I focus on myself, I won\'t get any and I won\'t give any.  We all lose.\n\nLet\'s stop trying to pull respect and give respect all we can.  What if our respect was measured by what we gave rather than what we got?  What if your respect was the total of what you gave?  How would you be doing?  How can you push more respect this week?\n\n<span style=\"font-size:xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://us.fotolia.com/id/11853180\" target=\"_blank\">© Jason Stitt - Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Push Respect', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'push-respect', '', '', '2011-07-05 06:31:52', '2011-07-05 11:31:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5259', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(5262, 259, '2011-07-08 12:01:31', '2011-07-08 17:01:31', '<em>This post is reprinted from \"<a href=\"http://alewebsocial.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversations Around Us</a>\" with the permission of  its author, Tara Alemany.</em>\n\nI first “discovered” Andy Andrews when he started following <a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/eandtsmom\">me</a> on Twitter. (He’s <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/andyandrews\">@AndyAndrews</a>.) Exploring his <a href=\"http://www.andyandrews.com/\">website</a> led me to <a href=\"http://www.thenoticerproject.com/\">The Noticer Project</a>, a nationwide movement to “notice” the five most influential people in your life. From that point onward, I was hooked on everything he did. I’ve since read all of his books, heard him speak in person, watched many of his <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/user/AndyAndrewsdotcom\">videos</a>, and always look forward to his next project. So, I was thrilled when his publisher, <a href=\"http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/\">Thomas Nelson</a>, gave me the opportunity to review his latest book.\n\nSo, let me ask you this… If you were able to travel through time meeting some of the greatest leaders throughout history, what would you hope to learn from them? In Andy’s book “<a href=\"http://www.andyandrews.com/ms/the-travelers-gift/\">The Traveler’s Gift</a>,” the main character, David Ponder, gets just such an opportunity at the absolute lowest point in his life. Through the course of this <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, he meets King Solomon, Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, Columbus, Anne Frank, Joshua Chamberlain and the archangel Gabriel to learn <strong><a href=\"http://www.andyandrews.com/downloads/pdf/AA_SevenDecisions.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">The Seven Decisions for Success</a></strong> that shaped their lives.\n\nDavid then spends the next 28 years applying The Seven Decisions to his life and business, benefiting himself, his family, and countless other people around him. His success hit a snag at one point, only to rise to even greater heights as he embraces Truman’s lesson that “Adversity is preparation for greatness.”\n\nIn the sequel, “<a href=\"http://www.andyandrews.com/ms/the-final-summit/\">The Final Summit</a>,” David Ponder’s world has once again been shaken. His beloved wife, Ellen, suddenly and unexpectedly dies in her sleep, and he’s at a complete and total loss without her.\n\nIt’s at this point that David learns that all of history’s Travelers are being gathered together for one last summit meeting that he is to lead, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Centuries of greed, pride and hate have sent mankind hurtling towards disaster, and far from its original purpose. The question is simple, “<em>What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?</em>” The answer? Only two words… But can the greatest minds in all of history find the right ones?\n\nHal Sutton, the PGA champion, describes the book this way: “Is it possible to mix C.S. Lewis, Alfred Hitchcock and Tony Robbins? The Final Summit is a unique and powerful blend of mystery and suspense, and principles and emotional fire. Wow! Bring your highlighter to this party. You’ll want to remember every word!”\n\nI couldn\'t agree more! As with the first book, I learned fascinating bits of history and the roles that specific individuals played in affecting the outcomes. But I also was led to explore my own thoughts and feelings about the very same topics that the book’s characters were wrestling with. Are leaders perfect? When they fail, are they still a great leader? How can one seemingly minor choice influence the course of history? Can the wisdom of the past unlock the secrets of success today? Are my day-to-day actions really all that significant? Do I agree with the Summit’s final answer?\n\nThe book is an easy and enjoyable read. (I received it on a Friday and was finished on Sunday, and I did do other things over the weekend besides read.) But it’s the kind of book that you’ll want to refer to over and over again, and it can only serve to guide you in your efforts to become a better leader and individual. So, I highly recommend reading “The Traveler’s Gift,” “The Final Summit” and, for a little extra practice, “Mastering the Seven Decisions.” You won’t be disappointed!\n\nWant to learn more about Andy and his life-changing books? Follow him on <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/AndyAndrews\">Facebook</a> or visit his <a href=\"http://www.andyandrews.com/\">website</a>.\n\n<strong>“In reading about the lives of great people, I found that the first great victory most of them won was over themselves.” ~ David Ponder</strong>', 'Book Review: &#034;The Final Summit&#034; by Andy Andrews', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'book-review-the-final-summit-by-andy-andrews', '', '', '2011-07-08 12:01:31', '2011-07-08 17:01:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5262', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(5263, 258, '2011-07-07 08:44:55', '2011-07-07 13:44:55', 'I have spent the last month traveling all over the country and will do the same this month as well. In the hours I have spent in crowded airports, stark hotel rooms, and local eateries, it is only my interactions with others that have mattered. Frankly, only a few of the hundreds of conversations with strangers have mattered in the past month. Let me tell you about some of them.\n\nIn Minneapolis my flight to Kansas City was delayed, ensuring I would miss my connection home. I really wanted to be home to celebrate Father’s Day with my husband and children. In fact I had specifically scheduled 18 hours in Orlando to do this, but engine trouble stood in my way. As I stood trying to explain my troubles to the gate agent, she shook her head and told me there was little she could do. Another agent was standing nearby and overheard our conversation. I could almost see a light come on in her head as she realized what she could do. By booking me on a later direct flight she managed to get me home in time. As if that kindness was not enough, she waived the change fees, and taking one look at my six foot height, booked me into an exit row at no charge, ensuring a little extra leg room as well. Five minutes of conversation changed my entire trip and turned my frustration into calm. She did it not because I asked, but because she could.\n\nIn Alabama I was settling into my seat to take a short hop to Atlanta on my way home. To my right was a uniformed member of our military. Before she could even buckle her seat belt, the flight attendant came back and informed her that a passenger in first class had offered her his seat. As he settled in next to me, I took note. His designer shirt was sharply pressed, and he wore cuff links. I smiled when the flight attendant gave him his tiny bag of peanuts while I could see far more elaborate snacks being served in first class. I couldn’t help myself when I asked him what had prompted him to make this choice. His explanation could be summed in a few words. He made a hard life a little better, even if it was only for an hour or two. He had nothing to gain and did it because he could.\n\nIf you have even been on the campus of the University of Central Florida you know it to be a sprawling city of grass, parking lots, and sidewalks that serve 30,000 students. The buildings are all of the same brick and the paths are not well marked. As I walked along in the blistering Florida heat, I had nothing but my poor sense of direction and a Xerox of a map to guide me. I stepped off the sidewalk to try and orient myself and was not there but ten seconds before a student stopped to ask if I needed help. Of the dozens of people that passed me, he took that moment to direct me, gaining nothing in the exchange but my thanks. He turned my hot, frustrated moment into one of understanding and confidence. And he clearly did this only because he could.\n\nAs I reflect on these moments, I offer some questions. Do you notice kind moments around you? Please tell me about them! They are not as common as we’d like, but they do happen. Take note when someone is kind to you, is generous with time or resources!\n\nDo you do anything just because you can? We all have the opportunity to pause for a few minutes and make someone’s life better. Our simple kindness can change someone’s moment, hour, day, week, or perhaps even more. We talk so often about how we can be more effective as leaders in our businesses. I would suggest that our simple kindness is also leadership, for we show others that there is another way.\n\nOur lives need not be filled with disconnected rudeness and anonymity. There is a way to make a difference every day, in a thousand small moments. What will you do today, not for gain, but just because you can?', 'Because You Can', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'because-you-can', '', '', '2011-07-07 08:44:55', '2011-07-07 13:44:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5263', 0, 'post', '', 44),
(5268, 243, '2011-07-05 18:45:00', '2011-07-05 23:45:00', 'Today on Smartblog on Leadership, Lisa Petrilli shared a post about three key challenges to overcome if you\'re an introvert in a new CEO Role.&nbsp; The first is to is a subtle shift in how and who you motivate.&nbsp; Check out the great <a target=\"\" title=\"The Introverted CEO\'s Guide to Leadership Success\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/07/05/the-introverted-ceos-guide-to-leadership-success/\">post here</a>.&nbsp; Also, you can see all the Smartblog original posts contributed by Lead Change members on the <a target=\"\" title=\"Lead Change posts on Smartblog on Leadership\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/author/leadchange/\">Lead Change Author Page</a>!&nbsp; <br />', 'Introverts, CEOs, and Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'introverts-ceos-and-leadership', '', '', '2011-07-05 18:45:00', '2011-07-05 23:45:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/introverts-ceos-and-leadership/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5269, 243, '2011-07-06 05:39:00', '2011-07-06 10:39:00', 'Have you ever done this?  I certainly have.\n\nIt\'s one thing when we take action without the input from others.  It\'s even demotivating and deflating when we asked someone for input and then acted before hearing their feedback.\n\nHave you ever done this?  Any suggestions on how to make sure to avoid making this mistake in the future?\n\nHere\'s a link to the comic on the <a href=\"http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-07-05/\">Official Dilbert Website</a> too.', 'Receiving Input from Dilbert', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'receiving-input-from-dilbert', '', '', '2011-07-06 05:39:00', '2011-07-06 10:39:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/receiving-input-from-dilbert/', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5272, 243, '2011-07-07 07:30:00', '2011-07-07 12:30:00', 'Here\'s a great brief post by Seth Godin on the principles behind the Lead Change Group and other communities.&nbsp; It\'s great to consider what\'s happening if you\'re \"not getting much\" from your association with a tribe.&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" href=\"http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/07/give-and-get.html\"> Check it out</a>.<br />', 'Seth Godin: Give and Get', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'seth-godin-give-and-get', '', '', '2011-07-07 07:30:00', '2011-07-07 12:30:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/seth-godin-give-and-get/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5282, 277, '2011-07-18 06:23:16', '2011-07-18 11:23:16', 'Looking for a fast way to improve how you manage people?\n\nEvaluate yourself on two sets of skills: the ability to Require of your employees (this includes setting expectations, focusing on goals, establishing appropriate controls, insisting on excellence, confronting performance issues, asserting your views) and the ability to Relate to your employees (which involves asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging). For every manager, one of these skill sets feels more natural, but both are needed.\n\nThe Requirer is a goal-oriented manager, who focuses on delivering quality work and believes relationships will gel as people cooperate to create winning results. The Relater is a people person, who believes good work will flow from good relationships. Both types of managers can be equally effective if they have ready access to both skills sets.\n\nIn working with hundreds of Requiring managers, however, I\'ve observed that most of them have one specific weakness, a blind spot—something they don\'t see, but their employees know. They think they are better at \"listening\" than they really are. Here are a few symptoms: They may interrupt and finish their employees’ sentences. They tend to start problem-solving too early, before ensuring they understand employees’ views and suggestions. They multitask while the employee is talking, instead of giving undivided attention to the conversation. They\'re more interested in their own agenda.\n<h3><strong>True listening improves business results</strong></h3>\nTo become more effective, Requiring managers need to add “Listening” as a specific task on their to-do lists, instead of viewing it as a time-waster. Most people don’t say what they mean with the first utterance they make. A good manager asks clarifying questions to draw out employees’ opinions and ideas. This takes time and undivided attention but can add significantly to the quality and efficiency of your department’s work.\n\nAsking clarifying questions and listening for the responses is an iterative process. One set of answers will likely inspire more questions and more listening. Once you have “unpacked” an employee’s issues, challenge yourself to work <em>with</em> the employee to brainstorm possible solutions, instead of unilaterally deciding a course of action.\n\nSometimes, a manager will agree with the problem an employee identifies, but not with the employee’s suggested solution. Sometimes, a manager won\'t agree with anything said. But at least he or she will have heard the employee before reacting. She\'ll improve her relationship through the act of listening well, because it shows respect and helps the employee feel heard. Requiring managers often have no idea how much this means to their employees.\n\nTypically, managers with this weakness do not know they are perceived as poor listeners. To find out if this applies to you, ask your employees if they consider you a good listener. Unless you seriously intimidate them (and that\'s possible), they probably will tell you. If they lightly say you could improve, dig deeper with clarifying questions to understand their specific concerns and frustrations. You’ll see a visible payoff from this time investment. Listening will improve your business results.\n<h3><strong>Insisting on excellence improves relationships</strong></h3>\nIn my work with Relating managers, I\'ve observed a very different weakness: many have a hard time making demands of employees. They have a tough time saying phrases like, \"I need you to…,\" \"I\'d like you to…,\" or \"This needs to be done more thoroughly.\"\n\nIt\'s hard for them to use \"I\" statements and insist on excellence, without apologizing for their self-perceived harshness. This generally isn\'t a blind spot for them. They know they are uncomfortable asking for what they want. But being an effective manager requires the ability to assert.\n\nRelating managers need to view \"insisting on excellence\" as a tool for \"developing a better long-term relationship.\" Can you think of a teacher, mentor, or parent who helped you develop the most, but who didn\'t insist on excellence? How can you help an employee learn unless you provide information on how to improve? Doing this is essential for building the good relationships you desire.\n\nThe best managers have easy access to both Relating and Requiring skills and know when to use them. By developing “fluency” in both skill sets, you’ll help employees grow professionally and deliver great results for your organization.\n\n<em>Challenge yourself to look at your current fluency with the free tool at <a href=\"http://www.managingpeoplebetter.com/\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</a>. You’ll get a report outlining your strengths and needs-attention areas, along with specific recommendations for improvement.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Prescriptions for Two Common Management Weaknesses', 'Looking for a fast way to improve how you manage people? Evaluate yourself on two sets of skills: the ability to Require of your employees (this includes setting expectations, focusing on goals, insisting on excellence, establishing appropriate controls, confronting performance issues, asserting your views) and the ability to Relate to your employees (which involves asking, listening, including, coaching and encouraging). It’s likely that one of these skill sets feels more natural to you. Are you, by chance, avoiding the skills that feel less natural? ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'prescriptions-for-two-common-management-weaknesses', '', '', '2011-07-18 06:23:16', '2011-07-18 11:23:16', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5282', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5293, 243, '2011-07-19 09:35:24', '2011-07-19 14:35:24', 'Check out <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/07/19/lead-change-post/\">this post</a> over on <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/\">Smartblogs on Leadership</a> today.  It\'s a quick list of 11 ideas I had for building trust.  Trust lubricates relationships and gives us the freedom of movement and interaction to accomplish things.  Check out the list, feel free to add comments, and share with your friends.  There are other ways to build trust too, so be sure to add your own.  Also, check out all of the posts by the <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/author/leadchange/\">Lead Change Group on Smartblogs Leadership</a>.  Contributing members of Lead Change post twice a month.  Care to join us?', '11 Ways To Build Trust Within Your Team', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '11-ways-to-build-trust-within-your-team', '', '', '2011-07-19 09:35:24', '2011-07-19 14:35:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5293', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5297, 243, '2011-07-19 11:12:46', '2011-07-19 16:12:46', '', 'Associations Matter - Booker T Washington', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'associations-matter-booker-t-washington', '', '', '2011-07-19 11:12:46', '2011-07-19 16:12:46', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5297', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5300, 269, '2011-07-21 06:03:03', '2011-07-21 11:03:03', 'Have you ever watched a football game on TV?  Of course you have. Ever seen a really bad play that clearly did not go the way the Head Coach or the team had planned?  All the time.\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nIn the span of, I don\'t know, maybe 30 seconds the entire competitive landscape is re-assessed by the Head Coach and a new course of action is set in place.\n\nPlayers gather at the line of scrimmage in their designated roles and you can see from those amazing TV close-ups the power in their eyes and the fact that they are<em> totally present</em> with the knowledge that a very powerful force is about to be unleashed upon them and <em>they need to be ready.</em>\n\nWhat would happen if the Head Coach spent those 30 seconds all ticked off about that last play and focused on his frustration?  What would happen if he spent those 30 seconds thinking about how <em>cool</em> it will be in the 3rd quarter when they run that new \"hocus pocus\" play they\'d invented that week? Um, yeah, exactly.\n\nNow think about your business.  Then think about your life in general.\n\nHow much time do you spend like the players on the field <em>completely immersed</em> in the present moment, fully aware of who is in front of you, what they are communicating to you and what is coming at you (whether it be your competition, your clients, your teams or your loved ones)?\n\n<strong>Why should you think about this?</strong>  <strong>Because your leadership power is in the present moment.</strong>\n\nYou have absolutely no power over the past and the only power you have over the future is to affect it in the present.  You probably never thought of it this way, but <strong>you <em>hold</em> all of your power in the present moment.</strong>  Just like the football players all lined up and ready for that next play with power in their eyes.\n\n<strong>What can you do in the present moment with the enormity of that power?</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Make a bold decision</li>\n	<li>Hear the tone in your client\'s voice that signals how confident they really\nare in their strategies</li>\n	<li>Accept the reality of your competitive landscape</li>\n	<li>Choose to believe someone - or not</li>\n	<li>Admit to yourself you love someone</li>\n	<li>Start</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>All pretty powerful, I\'d say.</strong>\n\nAs leaders we are bombarded each day by information, messages, questions, and requests.\n\nHow often do we absorb the reality of the present moment, of the competitive landscape, of what is coming at us and choose to address these things full force? How often are we actually distracted or unfocused instead?\n\nDo we <em>delegate</em> our power away...and if so, <em>why?</em>\n\nDo we fail to be fully present with our teams, our boards, our children, our friends?\n\nHow would our business - and our life - be different if we harnessed the power in every moment?\n\n<strong>How would </strong><em><strong>your</strong></em><strong> business and </strong><em><strong>your</strong></em><strong> life be different if you harnessed the power in <em>your present moment</em>?</strong>\n\n<em><strong>Please</strong></em><strong> let me know in the comments - I\'d be </strong><strong>honored if you would share your thoughts!</strong>\n\n<em>This post originally ran on Lisa\'s <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2010/05/26/how-we-as-leaders-give-our-power-away/\">C-Level Strategies blog</a>.</em>\n\n&nbsp;', 'How We As Leaders Give Our Leadership Power Away', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-we-as-leaders-give-our-leadership-power-away', '', '', '2011-07-21 06:03:03', '2011-07-21 11:03:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5300', 0, 'post', '', 30),
(5302, 243, '2011-07-20 06:09:22', '2011-07-20 11:09:22', 'It\'s so difficult to build trust and so easy to tear it down.  Do you think about the various things others do that cause you to doubt?\n\nI wrote a post yesterday that ran on <a title=\"Smartblog on Leadership\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/\">Smartblog on Leadership</a> entitled <a title=\"11 Ways To Build Trust Within Your Team\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/07/19/lead-change-post/\">11 Ways to Build Trust Within Your Team</a>.  If you get a chance, check it out for a positive spin on building trust.\n\nHowever, if you\'re the type that likes to consider the negative side of an issue, here are some of the initial ideas I had for easy ways to kill trust.  See what you think.\n<h2>Top 10 Trust Killers:</h2>\n<ol>\n	<li value=\"10\">Practice creative paranoia.  Remember, you’re not paranoid if they really are out to get you.</li>\n	<li value=\"9\">Make commitments to get others to do something.  Choose what you do based on how you feel at any given moment.</li>\n	<li value=\"8\">When someone suggests an idea, show them everything that’s wrong with it.  They’ll love you for speaking the truth.</li>\n	<li value=\"7\">Point out the mistakes of others.  “Hey, they can’t get better if they don’t know where to improve!”</li>\n	<li value=\"6\">Take credit for every good thing that happens on your team.</li>\n	<li value=\"5\">Keep score on who drops the ball and remind frequently.</li>\n	<li value=\"4\">When your leaders ask about a mistake that was made, make sure and let them know which team member made the mistake.</li>\n	<li value=\"3\">Change your mind frequently with little reason or input.</li>\n	<li value=\"2\">Speak in vague terms.  If they go off and make a mistake based on their misunderstanding, that’s they’re fault.</li>\n	<li value=\"1\">Look out for Number 1. Let’s face it, no one is more important than you. You’re at the center of the universe. If you don’t look out for yourself, who will. So make sure you get yours. After that, you’re free to try to be fair to others.</li>\n</ol>\nOK, so now it\'s your turn.  What would you add?  Take a shot below and come up with any that you think I\'ve missed.\n\n<span style = \"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo from <a href=\"http://www.dilbert.com/2011-07-16/\" title=\"Dilbert July 16, 2011\">Dilbert by Scott Adams (c) 2011</a></span>', 'Top 10 Trust Killers', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'top-10-trust-killers', '', '', '2011-07-20 06:09:22', '2011-07-20 11:09:22', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5302', 0, 'post', '', 40),
(5308, 243, '2011-07-20 15:09:00', '2011-07-20 20:09:00', 'Max De Pree is the former CEO and Chairman of Herman Miller Furniture<br />', 'What We Need To Be', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-we-need-to-be', '', '', '2011-07-20 15:09:00', '2011-07-20 20:09:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/what-we-need-to-be/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5310, 276, '2011-07-25 06:15:07', '2011-07-25 11:15:07', 'The success of a company lies in the ability of its leader.    A great leader like Lee Iacocca can help a company on a verge of going out of business to recover its position in the market.   A leader inspires people to achieve things they otherwise cannot do themselves.    Great leaders create a vision and provide the overarching framework so constituents know what they need to do to achieve that vision.\n\nWhile leaders like Iacocca can turn things around or help people do things they otherwise cannot achieve, they don’t have the crystal ball that can predict the future.  For the future, a leader must learn to spot trends and analyze what needs to be done move the organization forward.\n\nDetermining when to innovate is a necessary ability and a crucial role so that the company can adpat to trends or even reinvent itself.  A leader either must develop that skill or be self-aware enought to hire or tap another to develop it.\n\nSpotting and recognizing when to innovate can help the company be agile and compete in the marketplace.   Innovation enables the company to create new offerings differentiating from their competitors.  In essence, innovation is a leader’s business and must be his/her top priority. Without innovation, the company can fall behind and become obsolete.\n\nTo foster an environment that promotes innovation, the leader must provide the tools and resources that enable people in the organization to collaborate and exchange ideas.    Innovation can be in the following forms:  generation of new ideas through research and development, combining existing capabilities to create a new offering, or borrowing features from current product offering to create a new product or services.   The key to successful innovation is the willingness to share and engage everyone to participate.\n\nIn my opinion what separates a good leader from great leader is the ability to recognize change and embracing it by creating an environment that can help generate the change that can help the company cope with the change and get ahead of the curve, instead of reacting to the change.    As Aristotle said, “You are what you repeatedly do.  Excellence is not an event – it is a habit.”    Innovation must be repeated until it becomes a habit in order to keep the company head of the pack.\n\nLeaders that innovate can lead their company to the next level or lead their market.  While the ones that keep the status quo will eventually miss out on the opportunity and become irrelevant.', 'Why do leaders need to innovate?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-do-leaders-need-to-innovate', '', '', '2011-07-25 06:15:07', '2011-07-25 11:15:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5310', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5314, 243, '2011-07-22 09:01:00', '2011-07-22 14:01:00', '', 'Mistakes and Progress - Coach Wooden', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'mistakes-and-progress-coach-wooden', '', '', '2011-07-22 09:01:00', '2011-07-22 14:01:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/mistakes-and-progress-coach-wooden/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5328, 243, '2011-07-25 13:33:15', '2011-07-25 18:33:15', '', 'Always Do Right - Mark Twain', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'always-do-right-mark-twain', '', '', '2011-07-25 13:33:15', '2011-07-25 18:33:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5328', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5329, 243, '2011-07-27 13:38:04', '2011-07-27 18:38:04', '', 'Bet on People - Larry Bossidy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bet-on-people-larry-bossidy', '', '', '2011-07-27 13:38:04', '2011-07-27 18:38:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5329', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5330, 243, '2011-07-26 06:05:22', '2011-07-26 06:05:22', 'Susan Mazza (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/susanmazza\">@SusanMazza</a>) shared a post titled Every Job is a Leadership Position over on <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com\">Random Acts of Leadership</a> a few days ago.  She expounds on some terms we use here quite a bit related to the difference between positional leadership and character-based leadership.  Positional leadership is influence or authority having a title.  But you can be a person of influence regardless of your position.  The latter is called a character-based leader.  Susan makes a compelling argument for the need for more leaders by playing a bit with the parallel between a job and a position.\n<blockquote>If you want to cause change where you work and where you live try taking on the perspective that leading and leading change for the sake of the future you say you want is up to you.</blockquote>\nDon\'t just take my word for it.  Go check it out.  And leave Susan a comment and let her know what you think!', 'Every Job is a Leadership Position', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'every-job-is-a-leadership-position', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:30:44', '2017-10-15 22:30:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5330', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5333, 243, '2011-07-25 14:32:41', '2011-07-25 19:32:41', 'Lisa Petrilli (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/lisapetrilli\">@LisaPetrilli</a>), CEO of <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com\">C-Level Strategies</a> shared a <a title=\"Leadership Lessons from the Heroes - The Bravest of Men\" href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2011/07/25/leadership-lessons-from-heroes-the-bravest-of-men/\">blog post this morning</a> about her experience listening to speeches by two <a href=\"http://www.cmohs.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Congressional Medal of Honor</a> recipients, retired U.S. Navy Petty Officer <a href=\"http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3432/thornton-michael-edwin.php\">Michael Thornton</a> and retired U.S. Army Corporal <a href=\"http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3127/hernandez-rodolfo-p.php\">Rodolfo Hernandez</a>.  Take a minute and make note of the quotes in the post.  Take another minute and click through to the stories of the men who were awarded the medal.  Take another minute and appreciate how leaders serve.  Service and sacrifice exemplify the greatest leaders our world has ever known.  No leader is measured by what they receive.  Leadership is measured by service.', 'Heroes and Leadership - Lisa Petrilli', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'heroes-and-leadership-lisa-petrilli', '', '', '2011-07-25 14:32:41', '2011-07-25 19:32:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5333', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5336, 270, '2011-08-02 06:10:31', '2011-08-02 11:10:31', 'Earlier this week I was visiting with another Lead Change Contributing Author and Entrepreneur, <a href=\"http://achievedstrategies.com/blog/\">Shawn Murphy</a> (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/shawmu\">@shawmu</a> &amp; LeadChange profile).  Our conversation quickly reminded each of us that we are not alone as we experience some natural tension between our vision and our reality:\n<ul>\n	<li>How do you balance faith and ownership?  When do you seek answers and wait?  And when do you need to take action and step forward?</li>\n	<li>How do you stay focused on your mission &amp; serving others when our egos are so easily triggered and can take us off course in a flash?</li>\n	<li>How do you curiously and courageously explore new opportunities when it feels so much safer to stay in our comfort zones?</li>\n</ul>\nOur brief conversation reminded me of something Jesse Lyn Stoner and Ken Blanchard shared in their book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576752445/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=1576752445&quot;\">Full Steam Ahead</a><strong><em>, “At times, the tension of holding an honest view of both my present and my vision is frightening.   It feels like jumping off a cliff with no assurance of a safe landing.”</em></strong>  The authors go on to emphasize how important it is to learn to accept the natural tension we will experience between our vision and our current reality and recommend that we intentionally move towards the things we fear.\n\n<strong>So how do you accept that natural tension and move into the fear?</strong>\n\n<strong>Focus on all of the things that happen when people move towards their vision instead of letting their past and present realities limit their future contributions:</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>Columbus…   New worlds are discovered.</li>\n	<li>Harriet Tubman…  An uneducated former slave leads hundreds to freedom.</li>\n	<li>The Wright Brothers…   People fly.</li>\n	<li>Nelson Mandela…  A prisoner becomes a President.</li>\n	<li>Nick Vujicic…  A child born with no arms and no legs gives hope to millions.</li>\n</ul>\n<div><strong>Focus on the people that will benefit when your vision becomes reality:</strong></div>\n<ul>\n	<li>Recommit to your vision several times a day if that is what it takes to stay focused.</li>\n	<li>Be willing to fail in public, knowing that many of the greatest leaders in history used failure as a tool to increase their knowledge.</li>\n	<li>Be willing to apologize and to change your behavior when you blow it.</li>\n	<li>Be willing to ask for advice and encouragement when you need it.</li>\n	<li>Pray.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>And remember:</strong>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<ul>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\"> <em>“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” </em> Nelson Mandela</li>\n	<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>“Faith is the assurance of what you hope for, and the conviction of what you cannot see.”</em> Hebrews</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>What tension are you feeling today that will make a difference tomorrow? </strong></p>\n\n</div>\n<strong>Related posts:</strong>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2011/07/14/when-leadership-means-leaning-on-letting-go/\"><em>When Leadership Means Letting Go</em> by Lisa Petrilli</a>\n\n<em><a href=\"http://www.gianaconsulting.com/blog/the-heart-of-a-leader\">The Heart of a Leader</a></em>', 'Accepting the Tension Between Vision and Reality', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'accepting-tension-between-vision-reality', '', '', '2011-08-02 06:10:31', '2011-08-02 11:10:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5336', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(5343, 252, '2011-08-05 18:20:42', '2011-08-05 23:20:42', '<h3></h3>\nI grew up on a farm. Yep, that\'s me on the right, at 5-years old, working with my father. Notice the stripe-on-stripe outfit. I dressed myself that day. And that\'s not the only thing I did that day...\n<h3>Farm kids learn responsibility early.</h3>\nI would say I \"added value\" as early as age 5. I knew this because it was obvious to me what happened when I lolly-gagged. It slowed my father down.\n\nHe was not able to pack the cantaloupes as fast if I did not have them ready for him to pick up. Today I know that moving faster got our product to market faster, and the employees on their ways home (and off the clock) faster.\n\nI worked in some capacity all summer on my family farm until I was a rising senior in college. I really didn\'t appreciate what I got from it until after I worked at my corporate job for two to three years after college. It then dawned on me that I learned:\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Consider: are you \"too good\" for <em>any </em>job? </strong> - If I saw something that needed to be done, like my trash can needing to be emptied in the middle of the day, I wasn\'t going to ask someone else to do that. After years of digging in the dirt I didn\'t give what some consider \"dirty work\" a second thought.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Do your work until it\'s done</strong> - When it makes sense, work until the task is done. No reason to create a manufactured break or even leave precisely at 5pm. when 15 more minutes would get something finished.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>If you\'re done and someone else isn\'t, help them</strong> - Just because I wasn\'t specifically assigned something, doesn\'t mean I can\'t help you sort through those training manuals as you look overwhelmed and the job needs to be finished before the end of the day.<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<h3>What does this have to do with leadership?</h3>\n<h3></h3>\nIt could be said that there is good reason to not do the things I\'m describing above. I remember getting chastised once by a senior colleague for helping an administrative assistant with some tedious work. From his perspective, it was beneath me.\n\nMy colleague actually said to me, in front of the assistant, \"You\'re getting paid too much to do that.\" Yes, I get that. My thought was, I\'ll make up my other work on my own time, and by the way, you just made a big withdrawal with this woman sitting beside me. And I just made a big deposit by remaining here to help her.\n\nYou\'ve got to pick your moments certainly, and hand off tasks depending on the circumstances. But I was consciously choosing to help her.\n\nWhat he didn\'t bother to find out was that she was working on a project I was leading, and I wasn\'t about to dump all this work on her. In this case, to me, passing off this task without my willingness to help would define it as \"dirty work\" to her.\n\nI wanted to make an impression on her. I elevated the task we were doing by my own willingness to do it. I wanted her to see it as important and her part as important because it appeared, by my example, that no level of work was <em>not</em> important to me.\n\n<strong>Isn\'t that what leadership is, creating an environment where people want to give their all and their best?</strong> Ask any farm kid.\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Originally posted on Mary’s blog: <a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com/category/blog\" target=\"_blank\">www.reimaginework.com</a></span>', 'Do You Know What Farm Kids Know about Leadership?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'do-you-know-what-farm-kids-know-about-leadership', '', '', '2011-08-05 18:20:42', '2011-08-05 23:20:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5343', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5345, 281, '2011-08-03 06:08:13', '2011-08-03 11:08:13', 'Some of the most powerful leadership lessons I\'ve experienced have not come from my high school swim coach, my first inspirational boss or any leadership guru at all.  One of the first teachers of my most powerful lessons in what makes great leaders great weighed in at just over a thousand pounds, had four legs, a tail and really big teeth, which he never brushed.\n\nHis name was Banjo and he was a horse ... of course, of course.\n\nEarly on, I struggled, often for hours, trying to get Banjo into the horse trailer so we could go somewhere, a trail ride, the vet or moving from California to Colorado.  I would start out calmly, then as he got more stubborn, putting two front feet in then flying out backwards as fast as he could run, I would get frustrated, then angry and then ... well, let\'s just say I tried all the tricks in the book; coercion, threats, intimidation, pressure and yes, pain.  Do these old-style management tactics sound familiar?\n\nAn old, scruffy, wise cowboy helped me see the writing in the dirt.  After working with Banjo for just a few minutes, then loading him easily several times, he politely tipped his hat to me and said, \"Excuse me ma\'am. If I can say ... what you have here is not a loading problem, it\'s a leading problem.\"\n<blockquote>What you have here is not a loading problem, it\'s a leading problem.</blockquote>\nA brutal a blow to my \"know it all\" ego, but he was right.  Horses are prey animals and herd animals, who follow trustworthy leaders instinctively.  I was not a trustworthy leader in Banjo\'s eyes.  Being a predator, we were already at odds.  Trailers are caves.  What lives in caves?  Bears, cougars and other predators who eat horses.  I was an angry predator to Banjo, with unpredictable emotions and not an ounce of empathy to try to see the world through his eyes.\n\nFrom that moment on, the lesson <strong><em>\"You can judge the quality of your communication by the response you get\"</em></strong> became crystal clear.  It was my responsibility to take 100% ownership in the quality of my communication ... and ask for a \"do -over.\"\n\nLucky for me horses are very forgiving creatures ... and in my eyes, the most powerful teachers I could ever ask for.\n\nWho have been your most unlikely, yet powerful teachers?\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leadership Lessons from the Horse&#039;s Mouth', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-lessons-from-the-horses-mouth', '', '', '2011-08-03 06:08:13', '2011-08-03 11:08:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5345', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5348, 251, '2011-08-01 06:04:45', '2011-08-01 11:04:45', '<span style=\"font-size: small;\">I didn’t get the memo. Did you? You know, the one that says compromise is negative and should be avoided?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Somewhere along the line, compromise (defined by Merriam-Webster as a settlement of differences by consent reached through mutual concessions, one of those “playing well in the sandbox” skills my mom taught me) got confused with capitulation or collusion in which you’re viewed as a sell-out or a weakling.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Another thing my mom taught me was to know what’s illegal, immoral and unethical. Not compromising one’s values and beliefs there makes perfect sense, yet many of the situations we face every day don’t reach that status. Expecting to get one’s way all the time, on everything especially on things that aren’t illegal, immoral and/or illegal, is a recipe for gridlock and an unhappy life. Aren’t most things about give-and-take? Isn’t life richer that way?</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">So the next time you’re faced with a situation in which it’s obvious you aren’t the sole decision-maker and you feel your spine getting stiff, and you start to dig your feet in, stop and reflect on what real compromise is. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Sharing in both the process and the result</strong>. Compromise isn’t about domination and/or submission. It’s about an informed and intentional process in which two parties put everything on the table, have a frank dialogue, and jointly discover and/or create a solution that serves the best interests of both.  <em>He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious. ~</em>Sun Tzu</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Being flexible on what’s a “must have” versus what’s nice to have</strong>. I once had an employee who went to the mat on using Times New Roman font in a training manual when the rest of the project team preferred Arial!  Being willing to collaborate with others, to play in their sandbox and they in yours, usually results in a richer outcome than one could have produced on their own. Plus there’s an added benefit of broadening your horizons based on learning from others. <em>Every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter</em>. ~Edmund Burke</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Willingness to think in broader terms of “we” and “others” rather than  just “me” or “I.”</strong> Most of us bring distinct ideas of how we want things to be. Yet it’s important to be able to distinguish between “mission critical” components where’s little to no wiggle room and those items on which there’s space to flex.  As CIO Magazine writes, <em>A project manager who is willing step back from the team and allow others to add their ideas, as well as their labor, to make the project come along may sacrifice her own pet ideas for the good of the whole. That is compromise of the highest order. And it is also known by another name – leadership</em>.<em> </em></span>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Compromise: Informed, Intentional and Productive', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'compromise-informed-intentional-productive', '', '', '2011-08-01 06:04:45', '2011-08-01 11:04:45', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5348', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5362, 244, '2011-08-04 06:03:28', '2011-08-04 11:03:28', 'One of the most honoring gifts we can give someone is choosing to grant them our trust.\n\nThe choice to grant trust is not the same thing as having a default position of trusting people until they prove they can’t be trusted.  Choosing to trust someone requires that you mindfully choose to build trust with them, not that you give them a chance to prove they are trustworthy.\n\nOur natural inclination is to trust people we feel affinity towards.  We may initially choose the level at which we are willing to trust someone based on a gut feeling, but experience is the real test.  Our experiences over time with another will either serve to build a stronger level of trust or weaken it.\n\nWe also tend to make a blanket assessment about trust – we either trust someone or we don’t.  Yet trust is far more complex than this simple assessment reveals.  Trust has many dimensions including reliability, competence, and sincerity.  If I hire a contractor I may find that they have great skills and believe they want to do a great job, but I may discover that they are not reliable when it comes to showing up when they say they will.  We may also choose to trust someone completely in one domain, but not in another.  For example, just because I trust someone to clean my house does not mean I should also automatically trust them to care for my child.\n\n<strong>Regardless of whether we approach trust from the point of view that people have to earn our trust or that we trust first, real trust can only be established in a relationship based on experience.</strong>\n\nAt its most basic level we choose to trust someone when we make a specific request of them with the expectation that if they accept our request they will deliver as promised.  What happens from there will either strengthen trust or weaken it.\n\nHowever, it is important to note that when someone has not been trustworthy, you can still choose to trust them.  The key is to be prudent with what you entrust to them and how you proceed so you set an appropriate level of expectation given your relationship.\n\nFor example, if you have a conversation with someone you request they keep confidential and they do not, it does not mean they can never be reliable.  It is an indication that prudence is in order.  If you choose to trust someone it is your responsibility to hold them accountable.  When you step over a failure to keep a commitment you fuel the degradation of trust in your relationship.   So first let them know they broke your trust and ensure they understand and own the implications.  If you choose to trust them again with confidential information, share something less sensitive.  Also, make the request for confidentiality, emphasize why it is important and the offense that will occur if they fail to keep the trust.\n\nHow do you choose to trust someone in practice?  <strong>Negotiate clear agreements.</strong>  Here are three ingredients to ensure your agreements support you as you build trust:\n\n<strong>1.      </strong><strong>Be specific about what, why and when.</strong>\n\nThis is one of those things we all know, but don’t always do.  When you make a request be rigorously specific about all three (what, why and when) or the result is likely to be less than satisfactory.    When you are on the receiving end make sure you are clear about all three.  Leaving any one of these things out puts trust at risk unnecessarily\n\n<strong>2.      </strong><strong>Be specific about the conditions for success as well as your personal satisfaction with the outcome and the process.  </strong>\n\nThis requires that you be personally responsible for being satisfied as well as your current level of trust.  Establish terms in your agreements that ensure you are personally responsible for your level of trust in terms of competence, reliability and sincerity. For example if someone has failed to meet deadlines consistently, ask to meet at interim points in the project to help ensure things stay on track.  In the process the person who has been previously unreliable might actually learn how to improve in that area.\n\n<strong>3.      </strong><strong> Declare your expectations.</strong>\n\nNothing is more damaging to trust in relationships than expectations that are not made clear or that seem to be a moving target.  We often talk about the need to manage expectations.  Expectations are a lot easier to manage when we make them clear and specific as opposed to allowing them to lurk in the background undistinguished and unspoken.  Also, be mindful of your assumptions because, left unexamined, assumptions are often the source of frustration and unmet expectations.\n\nWhen one person isn’t satisfied chances are expectations were either not mutually clear and/or have not been met.  Blame, judgment and justification can easily ensue when this happens.  Be willing to be personally responsible for your contribution to the misinterpretation and/or lack of clarity in your agreements and you will find it is much easier to restore trust.\n\n<strong>When you mindfully choose to trust others you are taking personal responsibility for surrounding yourself with people you can count on and who know they can count on you.  Without trust in others and from others you can neither transcend your current circumstances nor achieve something remarkable. </strong>\n\n<strong><strong>You can consciously and actively build trust or you can hope trust will happen. </strong>Are you willing to choose?\n</strong>', 'Choosing to Trust', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'choosing-to-trust', '', '', '2011-08-04 06:03:28', '2011-08-04 11:03:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5362', 0, 'post', '', 22),
(5365, 245, '2011-08-01 13:02:29', '2011-08-01 18:02:29', '<h3>Leadership Lessons from an Outspoken First Lady</h3>\nThe passing of former First Lady Betty Ford on July 8<sup>th</sup> of this year has received extensive coverage in my local media market because I live in Mrs. Ford’s home town of <a href=\"http://www.grandrapids.org/home\">Grand Rapids</a>, Michigan. Over the past several weeks, there have been many TV and newspaper tributes to this remarkable woman who made her home from 1920 – 1948 in what many call The Furniture City.\n\nAs I read the news articles and listened to <a href=\"http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/cokie-roberts-eulogy-for-betty-ford-the-hard-work-of-a-house-wife.html\">Cokie Roberts eulogize Mrs. Ford</a>, I heard these traits mentioned over and over again:\n<ul>\n	<li>Candor</li>\n	<li>Courage</li>\n	<li>Sense of duty</li>\n	<li>Bringing the “unmentionable” into the open</li>\n	<li>Playfulness (see photo of her dancing on the table in the White House Cabinet Room)</li>\n</ul>\nThese characterizations illuminate the fact that even though Mrs. Ford may not have been a “leader” in the traditional sense during her husband’s time in office, she nonetheless was viewed as someone who was very influential.\n\nThe one red thread that has run through all of the retrospectives is this: Betty Ford was herself no matter what the consequences. Outspoken and sometimes controversial, she was “authentic” long before it was a leadership buzzword.\n\nJust the other night I discovered a book of essays called <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Right-Words-Time/dp/0743446496\">The Right Words at the Right Time</a>. In this book, there is a first-person account by Mrs. Ford on her two guiding ideas for dealing with life’s challenges.\n\nShe called these two ideas the “bookends of how I approach things.” The first idea was “if there is something over which you have control and to which you have committed, you must do it to the best of your abilities.” The second idea was “Whenever something unexpected happens over which you have no control, you must have the faith to trust that something greater than yourself will guide you.” After reading this passage, I believe that these bookends must have provided the bedrock for Mrs. Ford’s ability to be herself.\n\nPeering for a moment into the mindset of a former First Lady is fascinating. The Fords were reluctant inhabitants of the White House because they were there due to a very tumultuous time in our country. Nevertheless, Betty Ford faced the challenge with aplomb. No doubt, she called upon these guiding bookends on a daily basis during those White House years.\n\nTireless advocate. Honest. Trailblazing. These are some of the words that people have been attributing to former First Lady Betty Ford.  .  . a woman who mostly definitely <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">was</span> a leader.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'The Courage to Be Yourself', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-courage-to-be-yourself', '', '', '2011-08-01 13:02:29', '2011-08-01 18:02:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5365', 0, 'post', '', 2);
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(5371, 243, '2011-08-03 11:47:00', '2011-08-03 16:47:00', 'Check out this post by Teri Aulph over on the Examiner.&nbsp; She\'s one of the organizers of the next Lead Change Tulsa breakfast, sponsored by TCC\'s Department of Continuing Education.&nbsp; The topic of the discussion will be Defining Moments.&nbsp; What can you do to prepare for the defining moments in your journey as a leader?&nbsp; What can you do to be more aware of the seemingly small decisions that may become major defining moments?<br /><br />Join us to share with other members of the community.&nbsp; You will help and be helped in the conversation.<br />', 'Tulsa Event - Defining Moments Breakfast', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'tulsa-event-defining-moments-breakfast', '', '', '2011-08-03 11:47:00', '2011-08-03 16:47:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/tulsa-event-defining-moments-breakfast/', 0, 'post', '', 22),
(5372, 243, '2011-08-02 17:08:06', '2011-08-02 17:08:06', 'Kevin Eikenberry (<a title=\"\" href=\"http://twitter.com/kevineikenberry\" target=\"_blank\">@KevinEikenberry</a>, <a title=\"\" href=\"http://kevineikenberry.com\" target=\"_blank\">Web</a>) posted a creative, objective and thoughtful post over on Smartblog on Leadership today entitled <a title=\"\" href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/08/02/7-ways-leaders-affect-trainings-return-on-investment/\" target=\"_blank\">7 Ways Leaders Affect Training\'s Return on Investment</a>.  Kevin introduces the idea that there are four groups of people responsible for the success of any training and he refers to these as the legs of a chair.  Spoiler alert, one of the legs is you.  He then goes on to list the 7 ways leaders can improve the effectiveness of of the training.  Go over to Smartblog on Leadership and check it out!', 'Leaders Affect Training ROI', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-affect-training-roi', '', '', '2017-10-15 22:30:37', '2017-10-15 22:30:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5372', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5375, 243, '2011-08-12 06:27:00', '2011-08-12 11:27:00', 'There has been a bit of a spat on the Internet the past few days. &nbsp;It seems if you follow a company on LinkedIn, your name and photo may be used in social advertising related to that company. &nbsp;LinkedIn decided that, at least for this new \"feature,\" that you wouldn\'t mind. &nbsp;However, if you do, <a href=\"http://website-roi-guy.com/482/linkedin-privacy-issue-a-button-you-may-want-to-uncheck/\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\">here\'s a link</a> to a post to tell you how to disable the \"feature.\" &nbsp;', 'LinkedIn Privacy Issues', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'linkedin-privacy-issues', '', '', '2011-08-12 06:27:00', '2011-08-12 11:27:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/linkedin-privacy-issues/', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5379, 282, '2011-08-22 06:16:58', '2011-08-22 11:16:58', 'What does Leadership have to do with Reality TV?  A LOT... From \"Survivor\" to \"The Apprentice\", these shows are impacting our leadership culture.  This genre of television leads the networks as having one of the most loyal of all fan bases, and I must admit I have my own favorites. I\'ve always been a fan of big fan of COPS.  Add to my list American Idol, Intervention (I cry more times than I would like to admit) &amp; Gene Simmons Family Jewels. These shows barely scratch the surface of the overwhelming glut of Reality TV. What\'s disturbing is that many of these shows tend to make influencers &amp; leaders out of cast members, many with no talent &amp; less class.\n\nJersey Shore is a perfect example. These kids personify many in their MTV culture, spending most of their days fixated on the next party experience. Cast members are totally self absorbed and narcissistic. What these brainless adolescents don\'t realize is the impact that their choices and actions have on the teenagers obsessed with watching their show. I\'m not sure they would care if they did know.\n\nRetailers and corporations DO understand the influence that those in the media have on the bottom line of products. So isn\'t it interesting that Abercrombie &amp; Fitch offered to pay Michael \"The Situation\" Sorrentino of \"Jersey Shore\" fame NOT to wear their branded clothing? A &amp; F released a statement August 16 titled \"<a title=\"Abercrombie &amp; Fitch statement\" href=\"http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=61701&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1597274&amp;highlight=\">A Win-Win Situation</a>,\" in which it stated a \"deep concern\" over the association between Mr. Sorrentino and the brand. A&amp;F offered up a \"substantial payment\" to Mr. Sorrentino \"to wear an alternate brand.\"   They want to pay him to disassociate himself with their brand!  \"We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.\"\n\nWhat seems to be happening is obvious... his reputation and actions have caused him to become an \"unleader\" for Abercrombie &amp; Fitch. Evidently you can be so worthless as a human being that regardless of fame or celebrity you\'re more of a liability than an asset. Your influence as a leader not only drops to O, it goes into negative territory.\n\nSo how do we lead effectively if qualities of a person in our organization are so unacceptable, so negative, that we would rather a person possessing them not even be associated with us?  Differences are the spice of life, to be sure. I don\'t advocate that we all become a bunch of lemmings or drones, but shouldn\'t we draw the line somewhere? Maybe several \"somewheres\"? Some behaviors and attitudes can be so detrimental to the cause that their individual benefit is totally negated, and even more damage than good is the result. So how do leaders face these challenges?\n\n<strong>Clarify</strong>- Leaders set the tone for the culture within which they lead. They articulate, even define the values, acceptable behaviors of their team. Leaders typically have a bigger picture of where the organization is headed, and they make their decisions according to that big picture.  Think of the leader as the captain of the ship.  A captain not only steers the ship, but he also keeps his eye on the horizon.  Don\'t miss the incredible importance of keeping an eye on the horizon.  By definition, \"A horizon is the place where the earth meets heaven.\"  Yes, captains steer the ship from this point and this place in time. But Captains also know that there is more to life than just this moment. Simply put, leaders know there is a bigger picture, and that some things are grander in the scheme of life than others. Leaders clarify what these \"bigger picture values\" are to be.\n\n<strong>Confront-</strong> Great leaders must be brave enough to say \"enough is enough\" and draw a line in the sand. They confront stupidity, selfishness,  or disregard for others head on. When necessary they do what Abercrombie &amp; Fitch did; they part ways with the offensive freaks. They separate themselves from association with those who place their own whims and selfish choices above the cause or the greater good. A &amp; F showed that they were willing to separate themselves from a negative influencer, and to pay a price to maintain something of greater value- their reputation. This is pretty significant, considering Abercrombie &amp; Fitch has been under fire for several racy marketing campaigns featuring nearly naked models.  It seems even they have their limits.\n\n<strong>Fill the </strong><strong>Void</strong>- Simply removing negative influences from the scene is not enough. The old saying goes, \"if you don\'t stand for something, you\'ll fall for anything\" still holds true today. Leaders must be out in front, charting new courses of influence for the advancement of the group, and positively influencing the world they affect. The universe abhors a vacuum, and unless leaders take charge and navigate an intentional course for their organization to be character driven, something or someone else will be glad to step in and chart a conflicting or damaging course for them.\n\nThere\'s no doubt that Reality TV shows like \"Jersey Shore\" are here to stay, complete with flaky characters and outlandish behaviors. The challenge leaders in this generation face are whether or not they will face the \"reality\" of clarifying what our values need to be, confronting and removing those people that undermine our values, and then filling the void with things that build up our organizations and our people. If we do, we win. If we don\'t we could find ourselves in our own \"Fitchuation\" where negative influencers take the lead. So get busy, and lead out loud!', 'I&#039;ll Pay You To Go Away- Leadership Lessons From Jersey Shore', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ill-pay-you-to-go-away-leadership-lessons-from-jersey-shore', '', '', '2011-08-22 06:16:58', '2011-08-22 11:16:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5379', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5386, 252, '2011-08-27 07:02:43', '2011-08-27 12:02:43', '<h3></h3>\nOne of my clients had recently started experimenting with how he responded to customer requests. His customers were co-workers —people internal to the company. He had been finding himself increasingly annoyed and impatient at their requests, and he wanted to change that.\n\nTo his credit, he knew most of the annoyance he felt was simply because his customers didn\'t understand what they were asking, and it was going to take more effort than he wanted to exert to explain the situation, deny the request, or whatever. It didn\'t help that he got the same types of questions repetitively, even if they were from different people.\n<h3>Taking a Step Back</h3>\nWhen he realized people were not getting up in the morning plotting ways to annoy him, he took the situation into his own hands to reduce his annoyance. And he got an unexpected benefit in the process.\n\nWhenever he received an email that made him sigh or roll his eyes, he chose instead to pick up the phone or even go visit the person if possible.\n\nIn our coach/client relationship he was learning about taking a coaching approach and how to ask good questions to draw people out, get at what was really on their minds, and to have more productive discussions. He soon found that this approach stood him in good stead with his customers.\n<h3>A Different Approach Pays Off</h3>\nWith the more personal touch, he learned more about their situations, which enabled him to read their needs better. Instead of just shooting off an email, he took a little extra effort to get to know them better. They in turn got to know <em>him</em> better and what his group was capable of. They started asking better questions, and making more reasonable and productive requests.\n\nHe modeled this approach to his team and they all started taking a more personal approach. His group was soon able to get at their customers\' true needs, and sooner.\n\nSo much so, when the time came for customers to decide between his group and other options to meet their service needs, they requested my client\'s group. The demand for his group grew so much over time, he was able to justify four more positions.\n\nNow, from a big picture business perspective, you might say creating overhead is not the goal, but at the same time, it depends on the cost and quality of service.\n<h3>There is No Substitute for a Human Touch</h3>\nFrom my perspective my client learned an invaluable lesson as a leader. Whenever possible, take the opportunity to make a deposit into that repository of trust with people who count on you, with people you \"lead,\" in whatever capacity. You could say he led his customers to a more productive use of everyone\'s time in this situation.\n\nWhen, as a leader, have you taken an extra step to create a human connection, and what was the result?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #888888;\">Originally posted at Mary\'s blog: <a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com/category/blog/\">www.reimaginework.com</a></span>\n\n&nbsp;', 'In Leading, There is No Substitute For Human Connection', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'in-leading-there-is-no-substitute-for-human-connection', '', '', '2011-08-27 07:02:43', '2011-08-27 12:02:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5386', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5388, 283, '2011-08-22 07:03:12', '2011-08-22 12:03:12', '<table width=\"903\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><colgroup> <col width=\"903\" /></colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"903\" height=\"19\"></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>', 'Leaders Enlarge Purpose', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-enlarge-purpose', '', '', '2011-08-22 07:03:12', '2011-08-22 12:03:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5388', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5391, 243, '2011-08-25 06:54:16', '2011-08-25 11:54:16', '', 'Mistakes and Learning by Harold J. Smith', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'mistakes-and-learning-by-harold-j-smith', '', '', '2011-08-25 06:54:16', '2011-08-25 11:54:16', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5391', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5392, 283, '2011-08-23 07:01:33', '2011-08-23 12:01:33', '', 'Leadership Partners', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-partners', '', '', '2011-08-23 07:01:33', '2011-08-23 12:01:33', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5392', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5394, 283, '2011-08-24 07:02:29', '2011-08-24 12:02:29', '', 'Living your vision', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'living-your-vision', '', '', '2011-08-24 07:02:29', '2011-08-24 12:02:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5394', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5396, 283, '2011-08-26 07:01:40', '2011-08-26 12:01:40', '', 'Serving Beyond Self', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'serving-beyond-self', '', '', '2011-08-26 07:01:40', '2011-08-26 12:01:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5396', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5397, 258, '2011-08-30 07:00:13', '2011-08-30 12:00:13', 'Facebook is my guilty pleasure. I admit it. I probably spend too much time on Facebook. I probably spend too much time using social media period, but Facebook is my favorite. I love talking to people, cracking jokes, wryly observing the world, learning, laughing, and crying with friends.\n\nAn old friend commented on my excessive Facebook use and so I did an experiment. I stepped off Facebook for a few days and said nothing. That didn’t mean I didn’t read anything. It just meant that for a few days I made no comments, no observations, no jokes. I did not “like” anything, commiserate, or offer advice. And man that was hard. I like talking to people, but for that little window, I just listened. It was interesting. I learned that I talk too much. I learned that if I think about what people are saying, I understand them better. I learned that sometimes it’s best to mind my own business. And I learned that I love my Facebook friends very much.\n\nThis week I attended a twitter chat on Tuesday night hosted by the amazing founder of #leadfromwithin @LollyDaskal. Her guest was one of my favorite leaders from twitter, @MarkOOakes. The topic was the relationship between passion and mastery. I eagerly set up my Tweetdeck to catch all the #leadfromwithin hashtags and was set to learn, listen and discuss. @LollyDaskal asked ten questions in an hour. The feed began running and soon it was running at about 100 comments a minute. There was no way I could keep up, no way I could read them all. By the time I had thought through the question, read a few comments, and formulated my own response, it was time for a new question. This was not really what I had expected. There was so much talking. But was I actually listening?\n\nMy field, education, offers the opportunity to begin anew every year. Unlike many businesses, we have a clear beginning, middle, and end. We are able to effectively formulate goals and evaluate progress in a way that happens, not because it is January 1, but because we are actually starting something new and finishing it. Our headmaster sets goals for us, our division head sets goals for us, and as a department chair, I set goals for my department and for myself. As I think about the goals I set for this year I realize that they are good goals, clear and achievable, tasks that my team and I will complete and check off. But maybe I can do more.\n\nIt is important that I complete my tasks and check off my goals, but as the department chair, it is also my responsibility to help my team achieve their goals. As their leader, I have been so focused on completing the school goals and my own personal goals, that I forgot that it’s also my job to help my department. My department members have their own goals, not only for the school, but for themselves. It’s time I found out what they are. It’s time I started leading by following their lead. It’s time I stopped talking and started listening.\n\nI have it easy. This process happens naturally in education every year. As leaders in your communities, do you regularly listen to your team and help them with their goals? It may not be time for that annual review, but maybe it’s time to check in and see how things are going. Are you willing to lead today by following?', 'I&#039;m Listening as Loud as I Can', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'im-listening-as-loud-as-i-can', '', '', '2011-08-30 07:00:13', '2011-08-30 12:00:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5397', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(5401, 283, '2011-08-29 14:03:31', '2011-08-29 19:03:31', '', 'You&#039;re in the driver&#039;s seat', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'youre-in-the-drivers-seat', '', '', '2011-08-29 14:03:31', '2011-08-29 19:03:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5401', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5402, 268, '2011-08-29 06:04:44', '2011-08-29 11:04:44', 'To conclude this summer’s Harry Potter mania, it seems fitting to study the HR implications of J.K. Rowling’s seven volumes.\n\nHer novels explore human nature, communication dynamics, moral dilemmas, and social issues, so why not use them as a source of business inspiration?\n\nConsider this scene from <em>Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince</em>: Headmaster Albus Dumbledore gives Harry Potter an urgent assignment. Harry makes one feeble attempt at completing it, but fails. He ponders other possible approaches to the task but postpones taking further action. (Sound like any employees you’ve encountered?)\n\nDays later, Dumbledore asks Harry about his progress. After Harry describes his one measly attempt, Dumbledore sits in calm silence. He doesn’t yell or get mad. After a few moments, he simply responds, “I see. And you feel you have exerted your very best efforts in this matter? That you have exercised all of your considerable ingenuity? That you have left no depth of cunning unplumbed in your quest” to complete the assignment?\n\nHere’s the beauty of Dumbledore’s performance management technique: by staying calm, Dumbledore keeps Harry focused on the performance issue. <em>Managers who lose their cool miss a teaching opportunity.</em> Why? The employee’s focus shifts away from the business at hand to managing a volatile communication.\n\nHere are nine other business take-aways from the series:\n<ol id=\"xtra-space\">\n	<li><strong>Recognize your prejudices. </strong>In the Potter books, we meet “Squibs” (offspring who lack magical skill), “Mudbloods” (witches and wizards with non-magical parents), giants, and werewolves. Various people shun them just because of their “status.” <em>Managers: Who makes you uncomfortable? Discomfort often signals a lurking prejudice.</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Treat people as equals, and they will give their all for you. </strong>Dobby, the house elf, blows his nose into his clothes, instead of using a tissue. Luna wears odd jewelry and rattles on about far-fetched topics that cause fellow students to label her “Loony Lovegood.” Harry steadfastly treats them as equals. He listens to them and genuinely considers their input. <em>Do you treat everyone as equals, regardless of their job or salary? When you do, they’ll go to the mat for you.</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Choose competence over pedigree. </strong>Some think Hagrid’s lack of credentials should disqualify him from teaching Care of Magical Creatures, despite his clear gifting with critters. <em>Are you passing over great candidates, because they have diplomas from community college instead of Harvard?</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Pause before judging an employee’s potential. </strong>Neville Longbottom can’t seem to get anything right in the early books. In one class, he ends up suspended from a chandelier. Physically clumsy and lacking confidence, Neville becomes fodder for pranks and bullying. Yet he emerges as a key hero later on. <em>Have you written off any employees as “lacking potential?” Take a second look.</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Speak up if you see what’s holding an employee back. </strong>Neville is extremely gifted in Herbology. But his grandmother thinks working with plants is a “soft” occupation and actively steers him toward another career. He begins succeeding when Professor McGonagall encourages him to play to his strengths instead of his grandmother’s whims. Millennials with helicopter parents may be marching to mom’s and dad’s rotors. <em>Help young workers break the tether and find their own flight path.</em><strong>\n</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>Avoid saying “shut up and follow the rules.” That’s oppression, not leadership. </strong>Dolores Umbridge shows what happens when you saddle people with layers of regulations. Some lose their motivation, psychologically “check out,” and continue plodding along with their heads hung low. Others rebel in disruptive ways. The Weasley twins’ exit in Book 5 is breathtaking. <em>Are your employees plotting dramatic departures?</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Be humble enough to change your mind publicly. </strong>Harry Potter has many reasons to hate Severus Snape, who constantly makes disparaging remarks about the young wizard. But in the end, Potter gets new information that reshapes his thinking. Harry names his second child Albus Severus Potter in the ultimate public reversal of sentiment. <em>Managers: willingness to admit mistakes builds workplace trust and respect.</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Foster collaboration. Discourage “lone cowboy” mentality. </strong>Harry and Ron would not have survived without Hermione’s textbook knowledge. None of them would have made it without help from Aberforth, Order of the Phoenix, and Dumbledore’s Army. <em>Does your organization reward prima donnas or great team players?</em></li>\n	<li><strong>Break the elder wand. </strong>Power corrupts. Succeeding in business isn’t about collecting power. It’s about serving others and improving the world in some way. <em>How are you personally making a difference in the workplace?</em></li>\n</ol>\nIf you have additions, I hope you’ll write them below.', '10 Management Lessons from Harry Potter', 'To conclude this summer’s Harry Potter mania, it seems fitting to study the HR implications of J.K. Rowling’s seven volumes. Her novels explore human nature, communication dynamics, moral dilemmas, and social issues, so why not use them as a source of business inspiration? ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '10-management-lessons-from-harry-potter', '', '', '2011-08-29 06:04:44', '2011-08-29 11:04:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5402', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(5406, 283, '2011-08-31 11:04:39', '2011-08-31 16:04:39', '', 'Leadership Qualities', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-qualities', '', '', '2011-08-31 11:04:39', '2011-08-31 16:04:39', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5406', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5407, 284, '2011-08-31 06:02:57', '2011-08-31 11:02:57', '<em>Tell us about your defining moment or moments as a leader.  That was the question asked at a panel breakfast sponsored by Lead Change Tulsa last week.  So we asked the question on LinkedIn and got this response from Contributing Member Katie Stroud.</em>\n\n\"A\" defining moment for me was the day my mom met up with me at the University to see me graduate. I was all dressed up in my cap and gown and she saw me from the end of the hall when she arrived. From that distance I could see the tears of happiness start to roll.\n\nI\'m the first person in the family (that I know of) who has successfully earned a 4-yr degree for generations back as far as anyone knows. And family reaches far. I have upwards of 40-50 cousins, most of who are in their 20\'s or 30\'s. Of my 12 aunts and uncles, only the two youngest graduated from high school.\n\nI had setbacks that kept me away from college at first, but when I finally snapped out of my intellectual slumber, going to school was second nature and just something that had to be done. It feels good to put that accomplishment on my resume, but for me, graduating was like crossing something off my list. I didn\'t even try that hard because, compared to life trials in past years, it was easy.\n\nNot to my mom. To her, it was a dream--the impossible made real. It was like being granted a wish to stop world hunger. All her struggles to make ends meet for my 3 siblings and me over the years melted away in that moment. All those hardship\'s she fought for her kid\'s sake were made worth it. She didn\'t attend the classes, do the homework or work to pass tests. But my success was an accomplishment for her.\n\nWhat that moment defined for me was that with leadership comes responsibility. Leaders, at any level, hold a piece of other peoples\' hopes and dreams. That responsibility should not be taken lightly.\n\nAs far as I know, I\'m still the only one in my extended family over generations to have earned a Bachelor\'s agree. I don\'t take that lightly.\n\n<em>Tell us about your defining moment or moments.  What made those moments special and what did you learn as a leader?</em>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Bachelor&#039;s Degree as a Defining Moment', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bachelors-degree-defining-moment', '', '', '2011-08-31 06:02:57', '2011-08-31 11:02:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5407', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5410, 243, '2011-09-01 05:56:17', '2011-09-01 10:56:17', '<h2>Leaders Produce</h2>\nLeadership influences others to do things they might not otherwise do. Good leaders influence others for mutual benefit.  Effective leaders simply influence. <em>(See <a title=\"Good Leadership vs. Effective Leadership\" href=\"/good-leadership-vs-effective-leadership/\">this post</a> for further definition.)</em>\n\nAll leadership development aims to a point in the future when the student becomes a producer.  The training, coaching, content or instruction points to a moment when the consumer becomes the producer.  Value is created by a leader\'s investment in the lives of others; leadership production.\n<h2>Production Requires Consumption</h2>\nHowever, we never stop consuming.  When we do we begin to rust.  Reading leadership content, interacting with other leaders, dialogue, coaching, interaction force us to think about what we know and expand our arsenal of ways we can positively influence others.\n<blockquote>Leaders are measured by their output.</blockquote>\nWe\'re more like a warehouse or an assembly line than we\'d like to admit.  When a warehouse stops receiving, the beginning of the end is marked.  Eventually there will be nothing left to ship.  More like an assembly line, we must continue to receive components and assemble them into new ideas that we use to serve those we influence.  When we stop receiving eventually we cease shipping.\n<h2>Production Measures Leadership</h2>\nAs leaders, we\'re measured by what we ship, not what we receive.  The word consumer won\'t serve as a synonym for \"leader.\"  Produce great ideas and deliver them to your sphere of influence.  That\'s leadership!\n\nSo as a leadership producer, how\'s your output?  What new ideas have you assembled and distributed lately?  Where are you in the launch of your distribution system?  Don\'t just listen, create something!', 'Leadership: Production vs. Consumption', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-production-vs-consumption', '', '', '2011-09-01 05:56:17', '2011-09-01 10:56:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5410', 0, 'post', '', 18),
(5413, 243, '2011-09-01 14:40:53', '2011-09-01 19:40:53', 'Stephan De Villiers (LCG, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/Stedevilian\">Twitter</a>) wrote an interesting post at Increment Success blog about character-based leadership.  He quotes Jim Collins:\n<blockquote>A Level 5 leader is an individual who blends extremen personal humility and intense professional will.</blockquote>\nStephan uses a slightly different definition of <a href=\"/tag/character-based-leadership\">character-based leadership</a> that we do here at Lead Change.  However, he goes on to talk about the need to question yourself and your motives as a leader.  His areas of questioning include <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/tag/authentic-leadership\">authenticity</a>, <a href=\"/tag/integrity\">integrity</a>, conscientiousness, truthfulness, compassion and accountability; all topics the various authors discuss frequently here.\n\nSo check out Stephan\'s post for some great questions to ask yourself to grow and remain sharp as a character-based leader.', 'Personal Humility and Professional Will', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'personal-humility-and-professional-will', '', '', '2011-09-01 14:40:53', '2011-09-01 19:40:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5413', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5416, 243, '2011-09-02 14:25:14', '2011-09-02 19:25:14', 'Frank Wantland posted a creative piece over on his blog, Compete For People, about the importance of being truly involved and interested in the lives of the people employed by your organization.  His perspective is more on the executive\'s engagement than on the employee\'s but he has an interesting story.  It\'s hard to fake genuine interest in others.  Check out his post here.', 'Thoughts on Engagement at Compete For People', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'thoughts-on-engagement-at-compete-for-people', '', '', '2011-09-02 14:25:14', '2011-09-02 19:25:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5416', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5419, 279, '2011-09-06 06:03:09', '2011-09-06 11:03:09', '\"Can you drive down for a budget meeting?\" my boss asked. Even though it meant a two-and-a-half-hour drive, I wasn\'t surprised by the request. I compiled my budget materials accordingly.\n\nWalking into my boss\'s office, the President/CEO was there. \"He\'ll be right in,\" he said. The air in the room felt heavy, and we sat in an awkward silence. Once my boss came in and sat down, I immediately knew the \"budget meeting\" pretense was a ruse.\n\nTypical start to this type of conversation...\"We really appreciate the many years of service you\'ve contributed to building leaders...\" I knew there would be a \"but.\"\n\n\"But, we are at a place where crunching the numbers has resulted in the fact that we can no longer afford your services.\"\n\nDazed and confused, I asked a bottom-line question. \"Are you eliminating my position?\" Even though I already knew the answer, I needed to hear the President/CEO say it out loud. \"Yes.\"\n\nFollowed by \"We ask that you do not share this information with anyone until an official announcement is released tomorrow.\" I was incredulous and offended by the request. \"I cannot comply with what you ask,\" I said in a shaky voice. \"I will be contacting my closest colleagues on my way home so they hear the news directly from me.\"\n\nA few more clarifying questions, a few more tears, and I was sent on my way. Another two-and-a-half-hours on the road home, alone, in tears with absolutely no idea what I\'d do next.\n\nFast-forward a few months. Depression had taken hold, and I found myself in a deep, dark place where I stayed for many months. I was lost, literally losing sight of my true north. As my self-reflection began to become more clear, it seemed that people were handing me a ladder to climb out, one rung at a time. A glimpse of light and a glimmer of hope.\n\nJob interviews were few and far between, and none felt right. In the midst of my frustration, I had an \"ah-ha moment\": go back to the beginning when my leadership journey began, <a href=\"http://www.leadershipchallenge.com\">The Leadership Challenge</a>. Using a deck of Values Cards, I conducted a self-audit -- and realized that I had allowed my identity -- who I was -- to be completely enveloped by my job -- what I did. When \"what I did\" was taken away, I didn\'t know who I was.  Identifying and defining my values -- family, service, communication, growth, and love/affection -- helped put me back on track.\n\nFast-forward a few more months. Debating whether to move forward in the hiring process for a nonprofit executive director position, I realized that I didn\'t want to return to that type of position in that type of organization. In March 2011, <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/LeadershipPartners\">Angie Chaplin Leadership Partners LLC</a> re-emerged. And so did I.\n\nEvery strength comes through struggle. While in the thick of it, it\'s hard to see through the darkness -- let your values guide the way.\n\n<span style=\"font-size:xx-small;\">Photo iStockPhoto <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-11139479-rainbow-over-country-road.php?st=cdc91c7\">© BeyondImages</a></span>', 'The Unemployed Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-unemployed-leader', '', '', '2011-09-06 06:03:09', '2011-09-06 11:03:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5419', 0, 'post', '', 40),
(5424, 243, '2011-09-04 12:45:00', '2011-09-04 17:45:00', 'Check out the list of great posts and resources over at Dan McCarthy\'s <a href=\"http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2011/09/september-2011-leadership-development.html\">Great Leadership blog</a>.  Thirty authors make up the Leadership Back To School Sale that Dan shares.  So head over and check out the great leadership content.', 'September 2011 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'september-2011-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2011-09-04 12:45:00', '2011-09-04 17:45:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/september-2011-leadership-development-carnival/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5436, 283, '2011-09-06 12:54:17', '2011-09-06 17:54:17', '<em>This post is by Jane Perdue, founder of Braithwaite Innovation Group and a leadership and women’s issues consultant. </em>Are you trapped in the paradox of perfection? Do you want to crank out perfect outcomes yet fear failure so much that you quit trying or give up or never get anything finished? Aim for excellence rather than perfection.....', '3 reasons to kiss being perfect goodbye', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '3-reasons-to-kiss-being-perfect-goodbye', '', '', '2011-09-06 12:54:17', '2011-09-06 17:54:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5436', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5442, 263, '2011-09-13 07:00:44', '2011-09-13 12:00:44', 'If you are a character-based leader you will strive to be the best you can be. You will be leading with integrity, and courage and regard to others. You will be after a noble cause or at the very least a noble way to reach your objectives. You will feel committed and responsible for the outcomes.  All this is fine, but how is your energy lately?\n\nTo me, it\'s a great indicator that I am on the right track when I get physically tired but never bored or burnt out. Many people find that working in line with their life mission, or feeling a higher calling will change the way their energy works. You can go on much longer, work harder, feel energized rather than depleted most of the time. And so will the people you are working with when they are following your lead.\n\nSo take a deep breath and notice what  your energy levels can tell you about the leadership path you are on.  Make it a meditation about energy and alignment to purpose. Might there be ways in which you have strayed from your path? Are you able to correct course? Make a few minor changes and repeat from step one. Your energy levels are a great indicator that sometimes will go ignored if you are more focused on the outside than the inside.\n\nDoes your energy dwindle during the day? Check out what you were working on and how. Were others collaborating or standing by? Did the work entice others to help out? Keeping an energy diary for a few days and assessing yourself at regular intervals will give you an idea of what\'s going on. The idea is simple: you set an alarm for every couple of hours and when it goes off, you write a number in your diary (0 is very low energy, 10 is high energy and enthusiasm) and describe what you are doing, how and with whom. You will be amazed what one week of observations will reveal to you!\n\nThese two simple techniques or any others you find to become aware of your energy levels can be useful ways to use your own reaction as a tool to stay on track. Your best ideas will energize you. Fulfilling, healthy relationships will give you a boost. Productive conversations will have you totally connected. It\'s not by chance that those leaders you admire seem to be so cool and poised, so tireless and effective. Their energy is replenished by their work. And yours can be, too!\n\nOf course, you should also notice your habits and how they affect your energy. Eating heavy foods, not having enough exercise or sleep, abusing coffee or sugar will also lower your energy. But usually, not taking care of yourself in these ways is also a sign of not being in synch with what you are doing.  Make it a point to take very good care of yourself. Then, notice when you fall short. What is going on?\n\nRemember: it is your birthright and that of all involved to feel energized, satisfied and uplifted by your work. If that is not the case, healthy leadership means making a stop and shifting gears so as to create the possibility for a high-energy workflow.  Plus, productivity will naturally soar.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Where do you get your energy?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'where-do-you-get-your-energy', '', '', '2011-09-13 07:00:44', '2011-09-13 12:00:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5442', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(5446, 243, '2011-09-11 09:59:00', '2011-09-11 14:59:00', '', 'Never Forget', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'never-forget', '', '', '2011-09-11 09:59:00', '2011-09-11 14:59:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/never-forget/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5452, 265, '2011-09-21 07:02:09', '2011-09-21 12:02:09', '<strong>Leadership is an illusion. There\'s no such thing.</strong>\n\nI can see you\'re reluctant to believe me. I\'m sure you\'ll be quick to tell me stories of kings and generals, princes and paupers. You\'ll point to any number of politicians, preachers, and performers past and present, people in \'positions\' of leadership or persons with potential for influence. \"I know leadership is real,\" you\'ll say, \"I have 251 <em>followers</em> on Twitter to prove it. If they\'re <em>following</em> me I must be their leader, right!?\"\n\nWrong.\n\nAnd in your heart of hearts you know it\'s true. Leadership is an illusion.\n\nAnd an important illusion it is. One person speaks. Another listens. One acts. Another follows. Is this genuine leadership or something else? A few years ago <a href=\"http://www.thefarpoint.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Penn &amp; Teller</a> performed an illusion in celebration of our country. In the illusion they burn an American flag - <em>or do they</em>? They speak with great respect of the principles this flag represents then apparently burn that flag in honor of those principles, only for the audience to discover the flag has \'magically\' moved out of the flame and onto the flag pole just beyond twilight\'s last gleaming.\n\nLike the magical mischief of <a href=\"http://www.thefarpoint.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Penn &amp; Teller</a> leadership is an elaborate illusion that shapes both the influenced and the influencer. With clever words the influencer seeks to capture your attention while you watch with wide-eyed wonder anticipating the reveal, ready to be wowed!\n\nAnd that\'s the trick, isn\'t it? Because one speaks and another reacts there is an assumption of leadership. But is that what\'s really going on? Certainly it is a <em>kind</em> of leadership. We\'ve all seen a form of leadership that\'s coerced. It was Al Capone who said, \"You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.\" It\'s amazing how far \'please\' goes at the tip of the spear. But that\'s not really leadership either. That\'s another thing entirely.\n\nThe great leadership illusion is wrapped up in something I once heard my college professor say, \"There is no such thing as a group decision. Only a bunch of individuals choosing to go the same place at the same time.\" Seth Godin would call people involved in this kind of group a tribe. I would call this the, <strong>\"Go With\" Principle </strong>of leadership.\n\nUltimately leadership happens, not because of clever lines and phrases, slick marketing, creative packaging or remarkable skill. Leadership happens because I\'m interested in going somewhere <em>with you</em>. There\'s really only four reasons why I would travel with you.\n<ul>\n	<li>I need what you have.</li>\n	<li>I want what you want.</li>\n	<li>I like where you\'re headed.</li>\n	<li>I like who you are.</li>\n</ul>\nIt\'s the \'Go With\' Principle that gives character-based leadership it\'s strength. Ultimately followers of character-based leaders aren\'t the mind-numbed masses going through the motion of building another widget. Followers of character-based leaders are leaders in their own right. They lead themselves and others. They don\'t follow out of coercion or obligation.\n<ul>\n	<li>They follow because they need what you have - your strengths compliment their weaknesses and your weakness compliment their strengths.</li>\n	<li>They want what you want. It\'s not simply your vision for the world. It\'s <em>our</em> vision for the world and together we can achieve it.</li>\n	<li>They like where you\'re headed. This is more than mission. This is method. How we get there is important. We\'re not simply running toward the same destination we\'re taking the same vehicle to get there.</li>\n	<li>They like who you are. Your character aligns with theirs. The essence of who you are is somehow bonded to who they are. We see in each other the best of who we <em>can</em> be.</li>\n</ul>\nSo today, with the illusion dispelled, whatever your goal, stop trying to <em>lead</em> and give someone a reason to <em>go with you.</em>\n\nGod Bless,\nChad\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>', 'The Leadership Illusion', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-leadership-illusion', '', '', '2011-09-21 07:02:09', '2011-09-21 12:02:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5452', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5454, 281, '2011-09-27 06:00:43', '2011-09-27 11:00:43', 'A client opened his coaching session today with \"I had the most incredible thought in the shower this morning ...\"  I waited, remembering to breathe and keep my eyebrows up.</p><p>As he proceeded to describe his idea about what he could do to understand his staff at a human level, which will in all likelihood catapult his leadership potential to greater heights, I exhaled with relief.</p><p>How many great ideas come to us in the shower?  Or while we are engaged in a seemingly mindless activity?</p><p>Compare it to how many great ideas come when we are focused on finding THE PERFECT SOLUTION, staring at a blank screen or whiteboard, frozen in time.  I got nuthin\' ... is what everyone sitting around the silent conference table is thinking.</p><p>Because the HR Manager would need CPR if anyone suggested community showers be made available so the team could get inspired, what else can we do at work to stop looking so hard for the solution and take a PFC (Pre-frontal Cortex) break?</p><p>Our brain only needs a few minutes of non-focused attention to create a space for the creative solution, the Aha! thought to present itself.</p><p>What might be some small signs to you that it\'s time to take a mental shower?  What does your mental shower look like while you are at work?</p><p><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/8813847\">© yellowj - Fotolia.com</a></span></p>', 'Never Underestimate the Power of a Shower', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-shower', '', '', '2011-09-27 06:00:43', '2011-09-27 11:00:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5454', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5458, 270, '2011-09-22 07:03:36', '2011-09-22 12:03:36', '<div><strong>5 Reasons Curious Leadership Will Strengthen Your Organization:</strong></div>\n<div><strong></strong></div>\n<ol>\n	<li>Exploring fills you with a sense of adventure, learning how things work and why they work that way makes your every cell in your body dance!</li>\n	<li>In your explorations, you turn things over and look underneath them.  You dig in the dirt and examine everything you find.</li>\n	<li>Squiggly things don’t scare you, they just make the adventure that much more exciting.   You don’t judge what you see as good or bad.  By instinct you simply seek first to understand, what it is, what it does, how it works, and why it works that way.</li>\n	<li>Unknown to you, your sense of adventure is making it easier for you to learn quickly.</li>\n	<li>And your enthusiasm is engaging others, causing them to want to explore with you.</li>\n</ol>\nIn the book <a title=\"Good To Great\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=good+to+great%27&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;index=stripbooks&amp;hvadid=5661251069&amp;ref=pd_sl_126fvdbpve_e\">Good To Great,</a> by Jim Collins -  Fred Purdue gives us this vision of leadership, <em>“My job is to turn over rocks and look at the squiggly things, even if what you see can scare the h_ll out of you.”   </em>However, as humans we tend to reflect this quote by Dave Ramsey, <em>\"We are all defensive of our mess.\"  </em>\n\nInstead of ignoring rocks, fearing the squiggly things that are beneath them, or defending your opportunities to improve, create a culture that encourages everyone to be explorers and to intentionally turn over rocks and examine those squiggly things.\n\nEncouraging your people to be curious and to explore will unleash talents that are currently untapped and under-utilized.  Your organization will learn faster, become more customer service focused more employee centered and more prosperous.\n\n<strong>Your Adventure Begins By Looking Under A Few Rocks:  </strong>\n<ol>\n	<li> When was the last time you spoke directly with your customers about your organization and listened for opportunities to improve their experience?</li>\n	<li>When was the last time you spoke directly with your front line employees about your organization and listened for ways to better support them?  ...Or for opportunities to remove barriers that are limiting their ability to provide efficient and effective service both internally and externally?</li>\n	<li>Have you ever measured how long it takes for organizational development opportunities to reach decision makers and to be implemented in your organization?</li>\n	<li>How long is too long?  …1 year?  …4 years?  …20 years?</li>\n	<li>What do you loose during that time?  ...Customers?  ...Employees?  ...Revenue?</li>\n</ol>\n<div>Don\'t be afraid of what you will find.  Focus instead on how much stronger your leadership and your organization will be.  <strong>Go on, turn those rocks...  Squiggly things can be fun!</strong></div>\n<div><strong>\n</strong></div>\n<strong><strong>Photo by:  </strong></strong>Grace Whitney Harrington\n\n<strong>Resources:</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>STARQUEST - Nikki Nemerouf</li>\n	<li><a title=\"7 Habits of Highly Effective People\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People/dp/0671708635\">Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</a> – Stephen Covey</li>\n	<li><a title=\"Good To Great\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=good+to+great%27&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;index=stripbooks&amp;hvadid=5661251069&amp;ref=pd_sl_126fvdbpve_e\">Good To Great</a> – Jim Collins</li>\n	<li><a title=\"Dave Ramsey\" href=\"http://www.daveramsey.com/home/\">Dave Ramsey</a></li>\n</ul>', '5 Reasons Curious Leadership Will Strengthen Your Organization', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-reasons-curious-leadership-will-strengthen-your-organization', '', '', '2011-09-22 07:03:36', '2011-09-22 12:03:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5458', 0, 'post', '', 10);
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(5464, 285, '2011-09-19 10:36:15', '2011-09-19 15:36:15', 'As the twentieth century came to a close, the industrial age ended as well.  Where most employees once worked in large manufacturing firms that relied on rote tasks performed on large assembly lines – from autoworkers to assemblers in all fields, today’s workers are more likely to work in service related jobs that require diverse tasks and interaction with many people.  Most of us now work with a computer and the internet.  Rather than assembling the same product over and over, we now process data and solve complex problems.  Some have dubbed this “The Information Age” or “New Economy”.  However, those terms fail to capture the essence of what work means in today’s economy.  If the old economy was based upon assembly of a manufacturing unit – hence the Industrial Age, then a far more descriptive term of today’s modern economy is The Individual Age.  Today, the skills, competences and talents the individual worker is what matters most.  In this Individual Age economy, and for the last thirty years, small businesses have driven job creation.  The <a href=\"http://www.kauffman.org/\">Kauffman Foundation</a> has reported that from 1980 to 2005, firms less than five years old accounted for all net job growth in the country.  In fact, Entrepreneurs may very well be the largest growth sector of the labor market in the Individual Age economy.  According to Ying Lowrey, Author of a paper entitled <a title=\"Estimating Entrepreneurial Jobs\" href=\"http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1759548\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Estimating Entrepreneurial Jobs</span></a>, a total of <strong>48 million new jobs</strong> <strong>had been created by start-up firms between 1997 and 2008.</strong>\n\nAs a workforce development professional for over 20 years, I have worked to place employees with a multitude of small firms.  These small firms are, by and large, great at the product or service they deliver; they are nimble and very innovative.  However, their small size does not provide them with the economies of scale afforded to larger business firms.  Consequently, small firms often lack the human resource tools and knowledge to get the most productivity from their staff.   It has been my experience that very few small firms understand how best to structure wage and benefit packages; performance evaluations, position descriptions and work rules to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their employees.  Small firms often make simple errors that cost them thousands of dollars in lost human capital.\n<blockquote>Helping small firms best utilize human capital is critical to business growth.</blockquote>\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/From-Bud-toBoss-cover-rot-185x240-glow.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4600\" title=\"From-Bud-toBoss-cover-rot-185x240-glow\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/From-Bud-toBoss-cover-rot-185x240-glow.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"185\" height=\"240\" /></a>In this Individual Age economy, where human capital (the skills, competences and talents of individual workers) matters most, helping small firms and entrepreneurs understand how to best utilize human capital is a critical to individual business growth.  Furthermore, because small firms and entrepreneurs are the engine of job growth, understanding how to best utilize human capital is critical to the Tulsa region’s economic prosperity.  Comprehensive, short-term training such as <a title=\"Bud To Boss Website\" href=\"http://budtoboss.com/\">Bud to Boss</a>, are designed with busy small firms entrepreneurs in mind.  This is a much needed training opportunity to the business community, featuring a best-selling author and at a low cost.  The training is well designed and absolutely critical for small firms.  When Bud to Boss comes to Tulsa or to your city, take advantage of the opportunity to develop your organization by investing in your future leaders.\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Lead Change Tulsa, <a title=\"Workforce Tulsa Website\" href=\"http://www.workforcetulsa.com/\">Workforce Tulsa</a>, <a title=\"Choose Tulsa Jobs Website\" href=\"http://www.choosetulsajobs.com/\">Choose Tulsa Jobs</a>, <a title=\"Visiting Angels Website\" href=\"http://www.visitingangels.com/\">Visiting Angels</a>, <a title=\"Teri Aulph Consulting\" href=\"http://www.teriaulph.com/\">Teri Aulph Consulting,</a> C<a title=\"Crossroads Communications, Mandy Vavrinak\" href=\"http://mandyvavrinak.com/\">rossroads Communication</a>s and <a title=\"Giana Consulting Website\" href=\"http://www.gianaconsulting.com/\">Giana Consulting</a> have partnered to bring best-selling author <a title=\"The Kevin Eikenberry Group Website\" href=\"http://kevineikenberry.com/\">Kevin Eikenberry</a> to Tulsa on October 24 &amp; 25 to present a 2-day Bud To Boss Workshop.</em></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>For information and registration click here.  </em></p>\n<p style=\"font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/gblakeley/5582487769/\">by Gary Blakely on flickr.com</a></p>', 'Importance of Leadership Development in &#034;The Individual Age&#034;', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'importance-leadership-development-individual-age', '', '', '2011-09-19 10:36:15', '2011-09-19 15:36:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5464', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(5466, 270, '2011-09-25 07:08:03', '2011-09-25 12:08:03', 'Written by:  Becky Robinson, Mike Henry &amp; Chery Gegelman\n\nThis is the story of how a few people with a big vision are making a difference for the city of Tulsa.\n\nIt’s a story about partnerships, sharing resources, and making a difference for workers and leaders.\n\nIt started with <a title=\"Mike Henry Sr. on Twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/mikehenrysr\">Mike Henry</a>, whose vision of bringing leaders together locally led him to form Lead Change Tulsa.\n\nAbout Lead Change Tulsa, Mike writes,\n\n“We\'re a community of small employers and individuals interested in growing ourselves and others through a leadership dialogue.  We started through social media as just a group of people who were using social media to talk about leadership.”\n\nToday the Lead Change Group is a non-profit organization that provides opportunities to connect people across the globe and in specific communities like Tulsa, to dialog, to collaborate, and to learn from each other.  Each time leaders connect, people benefit:\n<ul>\n	<li>Someone realizes the need to take more responsibility.  <strong></strong></li>\n	<li>Others understand that they\'re not alone.  <strong></strong></li>\n	<li>Still others appreciate the effort of growing as a leader and they appreciate the need to simply need to press on.  <strong></strong></li>\n</ul>\nSome of those connections led to a conversation between Mike and Kevin Eikenberry, the author of <strong><em><a title=\"From Bud To Boss Website\" href=\"http://budtoboss.com/\">From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership</a></em></strong>, about bringing the Bud to Boss Workshop to Tulsa as a premiere leadership training event.\n\nOnce Mike and Kevin scheduled the event, Mike recruited a team of people from Lead Change Tulsa to promote and publicize the event.\n\nAnd that’s when the magic started. The team began to dream.\n<ul>\n	<li>What if… the event could be about more than valuable training?</li>\n	<li>What if…the event could raise awareness about the need for quality training to build a stronger workforce?</li>\n	<li>What if… the event could be an opportunity to channel funds to organizations that can use the money to make a bigger difference for workers in Tulsa?</li>\n</ul>\nTo that end, Lead Change Tulsa  connected <a href=\"http://www.workforcetulsa.com/\">Workforce Tulsa</a>, <a title=\"Choose Tulsa Jobs Website\" href=\"http://www.choosetulsajobs.com/\">Choose Tulsa Jobs</a>, and  four local businesses (<a title=\"Crossroads Communications\" href=\"http://mandyvavrinak.com/\">Crossroads Communications</a>, <a title=\"Teri Aulph Consulting\" href=\"http://www.teriaulph.com/\">Teri Aulph Consulting,</a> <a title=\"Visiting Angels Website\" href=\"http://www.visitingangels.com/\">Visiting Angels of Green Country</a> and <a title=\"Giana Consulting Website\" href=\"http://www.gianaconsulting.com/\">Giana Consulting</a>) to promote the Bud to Boss event, coming to Tulsa October 24-25. Through a special affiliate arrangement with The Kevin Eikenberry Group, 10 % of every event registration will be donated to Lead Change Tulsa and 20% will be donated to Workforce Tulsa to benefit GreaterTulsa.\n\nTogether this group is:\n<ul>\n	<li>Providing a much needed training opportunity to the business community, featuring a best-selling author, at a low cost.</li>\n	<li>Raising funds that will benefit local employers and businesses through Workforce Tulsa and the Lead Change Group.</li>\n	<li>Evidencing how partnerships can stretch resources and maximize results for everyone involved.<strong> </strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><em>“Isolating leaders weakens our entire region.</em></strong><em>  <strong>Connecting and collaborating as leaders, for the purpose of creating a better community, strengthens everyone.”  </strong></em><strong>Mike Henry</strong></p>\n&nbsp;\n\nWould you like to be a part of this story? Find out about the Tulsa Bud to Boss event and how you can attend or get involved <a href=\"/contact-2/\">here</a>. To find out how to bring the Bud to Boss event to your city to benefit local business or workforce organizations, <a href=\"mailto:becky@kevineikenberry.com\">email Becky</a>.\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo <a href=\"http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-14377944-four-business-people-with-puzzle.php\">© gehringj via iStockPhoto</a></span>', 'Partnerships Create Community Impact', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'partnerships-create-community-impact', '', '', '2011-09-25 07:08:03', '2011-09-25 12:08:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5466', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5469, 276, '2011-09-20 07:00:50', '2011-09-20 12:00:50', '<strong>\n</strong>\n\nIn a crowded room, a leader can scan the room and spot people who have the potential.   They have a different way of seeing things that enables them to spot opportunity when other people just see chaos.   In essence, they have the eye for spotting talented people.\n\nPatience is the leader’s greatest virtue.  They are willing to invest time and nurture people whom they believe have what it takes to develop to be leaders of tomorrow.  I call the willingness to invest planting the seeds for leaders of tomorrow.   True leaders will take the time and commit to raising people.   No matter how busy they are, they always find the time to help others.   Leaders don’t develop people around them because they want to prove something.  They do it because it is the right thing to do.\n\n<strong><em>How</em></strong><strong><em> do leaders plant the seeds for leaders of tomorrow?\n</em></strong>\n<strong>Spotting</strong> – Leaders have an eye for identifying talented people.  Because of the breadth and depth of their experience, they are able to see what other people don’t see.   When they interact with people, they can assess their capabilities.   Spotting is where it all started.  There won’t be developing talent without identifying a possible leader.\n\n<strong>Planting</strong> – Occurs when a leader approaches the potential leader for mentoring or coaching or engages them in development discussion.  However, the key to planting is the commitment.  Both parties must commit to the time investment and the effort to make it work.\n\n<strong>Nurturing</strong> – Is watering and fertilizing. This comes in the form of monthly meetings, feedback review, providing challenging opportunities and encouraging the mentees to stretch their wings and try other things they would otherwise not attempt to do.   The coaching and mentoring are the fertilizer that can help develop leaders.   This is the longest stage of the development process.\n\n<strong>Pruning</strong> – Leaders teach the potential leaders to embrace the challenges.    The leaders are there for the mentee when they fail to achieve their goals.   The leaders guide and provide corrective actions that can help the mentee grow and bounce back.\n\n<strong>Transplanting</strong> – At this stage, the mentee has learned and demonstrated what it is to be a leader.  The mentee is ready to face the world alone.   The leader is willing to let go and let the eagle fly and spread its wings.   It is time to develop the next leader.\n\nWhen I use the phrase planting the seed, I can see and feel the picture of transformation across all five stages.   All throughout the process, the leaders never waver and make excuses.    The leaders see to it that the need of the mentee is addressed and time investment is provided.   Like a plant, if you plant the seed, fertilize, water and nurture it, the plant will grow.   I urge you to try the planting the seed for leaders of tomorrow and let me know the result.', 'Planting the Seeds for Leaders of Tomorrow', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'planting-the-seeds-for-leaders-of-tomorrow', '', '', '2011-09-20 07:00:50', '2011-09-20 12:00:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5469', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5474, 258, '2011-09-26 07:01:47', '2011-09-26 12:01:47', '“Aw man…  don’t call a time out.  Coach, are you a moron?”   This one sentence, shouted from the stands at my son’s football game last weekend froze me.  I was suddenly ill at my core.  We were down 22-0, but I couldn’t believe it.  Were the fans actually attacking our coach during the game?  Who said that, I wondered and looked back into the crowd.  I couldn’t tell.  Then I heard a woman’s voice.  “Hey Mike?  Zip it.” Some titters from the crowd, but Mike remained silent.  Perhaps it was his wife, perhaps a friend.  I’ll never know who it was, but I know I was grateful that someone stood up and stopped the man in his tracks.\n\nI work at a Christian school, but we have students from every faith, from Muslim to Buddhist, Jewish to Christian, atheists, agnostics, and plenty that are unsure.  Every week we have chapel, and it is an exercise in respect.  No one is required to participate, but everyone is required to be respectful.  We sit and stand together, no cell phones, no talking, no reading, no sleeping.  We hope the lessons will strike a chord with all in our community, regardless of faith.  Our core values include helping all move forward on a spiritual journey.\n\nOur middle school students generally attend chapel at a different time than our high schoolers and the rare joint chapel is usually a formal event for Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, or other important days in our calendar.  I have been attending high school chapel for years and it is a very quiet service.  I can hear students reciting the prayers, but they rarely sing.  It is an interesting phenomenon for me, as the music in church is always my favorite part.  Having students shun it so completely has always made me sad.\n\nLast week, due to some schedule changes, we celebrated a regular chapel with the whole community for the first time in a long time.  Imagine my surprise when as the first hymn began, our middle school students began clapping.  The music is generally contemporary in these less formal chapels and the middle schoolers sang enthusiastically. There were hand motions that went with the song!  They were enjoying the music and having fun.  The high schoolers looked on.  Some were smirking.  A few joined in.  Most remained silent and over time our young ones lost some enthusiasm.  The big kids, their role models, didn’t sing in chapel.  I could almost hear the wheels turning.\n\nSo what do I take away from these two very different events?  I think there are a lot of good lessons here, and I would love to discuss them in the comments.  But let me pick one to kick off this discussion.  What if everything we do matters?  What if a rude shout from the crowd could demoralize a team?  What if four words from a bystander could stop a heckler?  What if the determined solidarity of a middle school choir could bond a community?  What if the whispered mockery of a few could crumble a child’s fragile faith?  I work with our youth, our future, every single day.  Does everything we do matter?  And if so, how do we deal with the enormity of this responsibility?', 'Faith, Football, and the Future', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'faith-football-and-the-future-2', '', '', '2011-09-26 07:01:47', '2011-09-26 12:01:47', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5474', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(5480, 243, '2011-09-19 16:02:00', '2011-09-19 21:02:00', 'Mike Myatt (posts, <a href=\"http://n2growth.com\">web</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/mikemyatt\">Twitter</a>) presents a thought-provoking and comment-provoking discussion over on <a href=\"http://n2growth.com/blog\">N2Growth Blog</a> titled <a href=\"http://www.n2growth.com/blog/training-isnt-dead-but-it-should-be/\"><em>Training Isn\'t Dead, But It Should Be</em></a>. Mike points out 15 reasons why development is more advantageous that training for creating leaders. Take a minute and check out this great post and the great discussion it spurred.', 'Training Isn&#039;t Dead - Mike Myatt', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'training-isnt-dead-mike-myatt', '', '', '2011-09-19 16:02:00', '2011-09-19 21:02:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/training-isnt-dead-mike-myatt/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5483, 243, '2011-09-20 12:15:06', '2011-09-20 17:15:06', 'Jennifer Miller (posts, <a href=\"http://www.skillsourcewmi.com/\">web</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/jennifervmiller\">Twitter</a>) gives us an interesting article on the value of experience titled <em><a href=\"http://people-equation.com/old-men-dont-ride-kick-scooters/\">Old Men Don\'t Ride Kick Scooters</a></em>.  She talks about 9 things she\'s learned from experience including many of my favorites, like #3 - The deal must be good for everyone or eventually it will sour.  Check out the list of 9 and add yours below here or on her blog!', 'Old Men and Kick Scooters', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'old-men-and-kick-scooters', '', '', '2011-09-20 12:15:06', '2011-09-20 17:15:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5483', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5486, 243, '2011-09-17 15:35:59', '2011-09-17 20:35:59', 'Mary Schaefer (posts, <a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com\">web</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/MarySchaefer\">Twitter</a>) shared a post a couple of weeks ago titled <a href=\"http://www.reimaginework.com/create-your-own-support/\"><em>How are you Creating your Own Environment of Support?</em></a>  It is a story of how her site and her writing received the benefit of some traffic and some encouragement from another Lead Change member, Don Shapiro.  Not only is it a great reminder that we can help each other, but help may come where you least expect it.  Take a minute and check out her post as well as Don\'s <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/lifeisaforkintheroad\">Life is a Fork in the Road Facebook page</a> too.', 'Support Environment - ReImagine Work', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'support-environment-reimagine-work', '', '', '2011-09-17 15:35:59', '2011-09-17 20:35:59', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5486', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5493, 283, '2011-09-20 10:21:58', '2011-09-20 15:21:58', 'Today\'s post on the SmartBlog for Leadership is by Mike Myatt, writer, speaker and author, offering advice on the topics of leadership, strategy and innovation. \"Leaders and their ability to change their mind demonstrates humility, confidence and maturity. It makes them approachable, and it makes them human. Smart leaders don’t tell people what they should think........\" Read more and please share your comments by clicking on the above title.', 'The impact of unlearning on leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-impact-of-unlearning-on-leadership', '', '', '2011-09-20 10:21:58', '2011-09-20 15:21:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5493', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5496, 286, '2011-09-22 06:23:43', '2011-09-22 11:23:43', '<blockquote>As of 2008, the war for good jobs has trumped all other leadership activities […] The lack of good jobs will become the root cause of almost all world problems that America and other countries will face. - Jim Clifton</blockquote>\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5497 alignright\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/photo-e1316559058418-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"294\" height=\"300\" /><strong>Jobs and economic security</strong>. These are the most important <a href=\"http://www.gallup.com/poll/147542/americans-economic-concerns-reach-two-year-high.aspx\">issues</a> on the minds of Americans across generations, geography, and political parties.\n\nMost communities face some combination of the following:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.nelp.org/goodjobsdeficit\">Too few jobs</a> (especially those offering health insurance and family-sustaining wages)</li>\n	<li>Skills gaps among applicants competing for good jobs that do exist and those in emerging industries</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.epi.org/publication/bp258/\">Young workers</a> having difficulty making the leap from job to career (or from school to job)</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr617&amp;sd=1%2f26%2f2011&amp;ed=1%2f26%2f2011&amp;siteid=cbpr&amp;sc_cmp1=cb_pr617_\">Older experienced workers</a> who cannot afford to retire or simply want to remain engaged but in different roles than they play today</li>\n	<li>Labor markets that lack transparency (e.g., applicants submit hundreds of resumes into \"<a href=\"http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2009/07/27/job-seekers-want-to-know/\">black holes</a>\")</li>\n	<li>Persistent <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/the-5-most-astounding-facts-from-the-census-poverty-report/245023/\">poverty</a>, especially among communities of color, which limits access to job opportunities and to the social networks that help people advance</li>\n	<li>Overcrowded and underfunded <a href=\"http://www.ncef.org/pubs/educationaltrends.pdf\">public schools</a> and <a href=\"http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct1209/front.shtml\">institutions of higher education</a> struggle to cultivate the talents of <em>all</em> of their students</li>\n	<li>Ongoing economic shocks—not just unanticipated layoffs, but also natural and weather-related disasters of which there have been <a href=\"http://www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema\">83 in 2011</a> (a record high in any calendar year)</li>\n</ul>\nThese challenges are not for the faint of heart, and cannot be solved by a single leader, organization, or sector. But they are among the defining challenges of our day. And courageous leaders in public, private, non-profit, and civic sectors all over the country are quietly stepping forward to tackle them—increasingly, in partnership with one another.\n\n<h3>WEadership: The Future of Workforce Leadership</h3>\n<iframe src=\"http://player.vimeo.com/video/28119470?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe>\n\n<h3>Non-traditional Leadership</h3>\nDuring a <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">one-year study</a> of the field of public policy known as workforce, we found many examples of leaders—including non-traditional leaders—creating new solutions in unexpected ways.\n\nAdopting more collaborative, open-minded, and entrepreneurial approaches than in years past, these leaders prioritize the goal—community well being and prosperity—above the means, be it program, funding, agency precedent, political jurisdiction, or traditional role. We call this new approach <a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/kwolff/weadership-the-guide\" target=\"_blank\"><em>WE</em>adership</a> in a nod to its collaborative nature. It is characterized by six practices:\n<ol>\n	<li>Adopting a Wide-Angle Point of View</li>\n	<li>Building Diverse Networks</li>\n	<li>Embracing Openness</li>\n	<li>Encouraging Experimentation</li>\n	<li>Adding Unique Value</li>\n	<li>Cultivating Next Generation Leaders</li>\n</ol>\nThese practices do not comprise a recipe or a checklist. Rather, they reflect our effort to synthesize finding from our literature review and discussions with over 500 workforce leaders in person, via phone and using social media.  Moreover, these are not independent practices: the six complement one another and point toward a future in which leadership is a collaborative endeavor.<strong>\n</strong>\n\nWe will cover these practices in a series of posts over the coming weeks.  Meanwhile, we\'d welcome your thoughts.  What do you think about the future of the workfore?  Do these ideas align with your thoughts?\n\n________________________________________\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #1: Adopt a Wide-Angle Point of View</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>.</em>', 'WEadership: Workforce Leaders Remaking Policy and Redefining What it Means to Lead', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead', '', '', '2011-09-22 06:23:43', '2011-09-22 11:23:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5496', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5530, 286, '2011-09-30 06:02:01', '2011-09-30 11:02:01', '<em>This post is the second in a series <a href=\"/weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">that began here</a>.</em>\n\nWe are summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership and through that process, we have identified six practices next-generation leaders are using to be effective; a new model of leadership we call WEadership, in a nod to its collaborative nature.\n<h3>Practice #1: Adopt a Wide-Angle Point of View</h3>\nWhere do effective leaders look for new ideas? For better ways of doing things?\n\nIn short, everywhere.\n\nWe found that effective workforce leaders look for new ideas in unlikely places—in completely unrelated fields of practice and peers and neighbors alike—and find creative ways to apply their resources and expertise. They focus on community problems, not just workforce problems.\n\nIt sounds simple but this kind of \'opening of the aperture\' has fundamentally changed what many workforce leaders do. In fact, we\'ve identified <strong>3 practices WEaders employ to broaden their vision.</strong>\n<h3>Embrace Long-Term</h3>\nFirst, today\'s workforce leaders embrace bigger, longer-term agendas. We talked to workforce leaders about industry clusters, broadband penetration, literacy, school reform, social innovation, poverty, entrepreneurship, and dozens of other challenges that comprise their to-do lists. Traditional issues like jobs, skills, and wages still anchor their work, but today\'s workforce priorities can take many forms and require action on different time horizons.\n<h3>Embrace Diverse Thought</h3>\nSecond, and following from the first, leaders are working with more diverse partners than ever before—not just economic development and education partners, but industry and professional associations, libraries and cultural institutions, universities, incubators, even grassroots and neighborhood groups. Leaders work with these partners in different ways—not just as Board members or political constituents (or competitors), but in a myriad of roles that reflect the multiple dimensions every person and organization brings.\n<h3>Embrace Diverse Methods</h3>\nThird, leaders are actively seeking ideas from other professional fields—even those completely unrelated to workforce or public policy—that have the potential to impact their own performance or field of practice. Whether through organizational or community book clubs, attending conferences or events in other professional fields or disciplines, or adopting new ideation, experimentation, or learning methods within their organizations and networks, these leaders know they do not have all of the answers and are employing methods that will both introduce them to new ideas, and engage their staff, partners, and communities in solving important community problems.\n\nOne leader convenes monthly discussion around <a href=\"http://www.ted.com/\">TED talks</a>; another asks staff to convenes <a href=\"http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-Openspace.html\">openspace</a> conversations to encourage sharing among staff and partners; several take (unpaid) sabbaticals and offer them to staff; and some regularly return to the classroom (in-person or virtually).\n\nThese leaders share shift strategies as new information changes how they see the problems they are working on. They share a commitment to doing what they can over doing what they’ve always done and a willingness to let others be in charge.\n\nThey know leadership is a shared role, and not just a title.\n\nIs your own view wide enough? Are you gaining insight from innovators in other professional fields? Your own employees?\n<p style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo credit: achichi on Flickr</p>\n________________________________________\n\n<em>Last Week: <a href=\"/weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">An Introduction to WEadership: Workforce Leaders Remaking Policy and Redefining What it Means to Lead</a></em>\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #2: Build Diverse Networks</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>.</em>', 'WEadership Practice #1: Adopt a Wide-Angle Point of View', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-practice-1-adopt-a-wide-angle-point-of-view', '', '', '2011-09-30 06:02:01', '2011-09-30 11:02:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5530', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5553, 243, '2011-09-29 13:57:00', '2011-09-29 18:57:00', '<a href=\"http://twitter.com/jasonlauritsen\">Jason Lauritsen</a> of <a href=\"http://www.jasonlauritsen.com\">Transforming Business Through Talent</a> website published an interesting post titled \"<a target=\"_blank\" title=\"When a Hired Gun is the Right Answer\" href=\"http://www.jasonlauritsen.com/2011/09/when-hired-gun-is-right-answer.html\">When a Hired Gun is the Right Answer.</a>\"&nbsp; Do you avoid outside experts to your disadvantage?&nbsp; Sometimes we try to do everything ourselves because we think of our inability as weakness.&nbsp; Jason talks about how many times, at least in HR recruiting, outside help can shorten the hiring process and help find ideal candidates.&nbsp; Just because your team needs to pull in outside talent doesn\'t necessarily mean you\'re incapable of providing the service required.&nbsp; In fact, as our society continues to fragment, leaders of the future may be those who can identify and partner.&nbsp; Check out Jason\'s post.<br />', 'Sometimes you need outside help', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sometimes-you-need-outside-help', '', '', '2011-09-29 13:57:00', '2011-09-29 18:57:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/sometimes-you-need-outside-help/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5555, 243, '2011-09-28 13:44:00', '2011-09-28 18:44:00', 'Dan Rockwell wrote a post yesterday on his <a target=\"\" title=\"Dan\'s blog\" href=\"http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/\">Leadership Freak blog</a> titled <a href=\"http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/one-bad-apple-does-spoil-the-whole-barrel/\">One Bad Apple Does Spoil the Whole Barrel</a>.&nbsp; Consider the effect of one bad apple when it comes to teams and teamwork.&nbsp; One bad apple can spoil the performance contrary to some popular sayings.&nbsp; We are influenced by more than we think, especially when it comes to attitudes.&nbsp; Dan\'s most powerful quote in the post: Negatives don’t produce positive outcomes; they frustrate and constrain.&nbsp; <br />', 'Bad Apples Produce Negative Outcomes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bad-apples-produce-negative-outcomes', '', '', '2011-09-28 13:44:00', '2011-09-28 18:44:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/bad-apples-produce-negative-outcomes/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5557, 282, '2011-09-28 06:05:19', '2011-09-28 11:05:19', 'It\'s out there... the headlines are printed, the paper is printed and the world is reading the news over morning coffee.  Information once hidden is now fairly public.  Someone has messed up and the consequences are splashed across the information landscape.  The conversation might be as broad as the news media, or as narrow as the office gossip around the snack machine.  So how do you react as a leader when this happens?  OMG... how do you react as a leader when this happens and it\'s YOU that messed up?\n\nI\'ve been there and done that.  Before you start scanning this article for juicy details, this isn\'t a \"true confessions\" post.  I\'m just a normal guy who has messed up before, sharing with some fellow travelers about his journey back from the Land of Stupid Choices.   Whether you\'re traveling the same road, or helping someone else navigate this trip, hopefully these suggestions can help.\n\n<h3>Own It- Accept Responsibility</h3>\nNo one, I repeat NO ONE likes to hear blame and excuses.  First and foremost, it\'s critical for you to own your mistakes.  No whining, no justification, no excuses, no rationalizing is beneficial, so don\'t do it.  You messed up.  You chose and acted poorly.  Jim Rohn says \"You must take personal responsibility.  You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.\"  Admit it... it\'s a cleansing that takes place when you are brave enough to be totally honest about the wrongness of your choices.  It\'s the best place to start changing yourself.\n\n<h3>Fix It- Make Amends</h3>\nIt\'s been said that you \"can\'t un-ring a bell\", and it\'s true.  What\'s said is said and what\'s done is done.  But just feeling badly for the consequences of your failures isn\'t the end of the process, it\'s the beginning.  The next step needs to be working towards reconciling your bad debt, and trying to fix what you broke.  In AA, principle #9 acknowledges this crucial part of the process of making amends. It states, \"Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.\"  If there is a way to make amends, and it\'s not going to cause greater damage, then the challenge is simple.  Do it.  Swallow your pride and do it.\n\n<h3>Take It- The High Road is the Best Road</h3>\nThe \"Road to Restoration\" isn\'t a paved road.  It\'s full of potential potholes. It\'s lonely, isolated at times, and you may even wonder if you\'re on the right road.  One road sign to keep you on course is to ask yourself this key question- \"Am I taking the high road, doing the honorable thing?\" The \"high road\" was a term used to describe the road that was specifically built for and used by nobility.  Built \"higher\" than the other roads, it gave the leaders a better perspective on the landscape.  We need to step \"above\" the circumstances to see what is truly critical for restoration to take place.  Pettiness, playing the blame game and attacking others is not healthy. It\'s certainly not taking the high road.  Be better than that... take the high road.\n\n<h3>Expect It- Make a Plan for Next Time</h3>\nRegardless of what your challenge or failure may have been, it\'s likely that the opportunity for a similar situation will present itself again in your life.  Set some controls in your life to protect yourself from making the same choices over and over.  Find someone you trust to ask you hard questions from time to time.  Learn the value of transparency.  Ask yourself, \"What\'s my plan for next time this comes up?\"  If you don\'t have a plan, then you\'re vulnerable.\n\n<h3>Know It- You\'re Human</h3>\nMany people fail to move past their mistakes and move forward with hope. It\'s not because their boss won\'t forgive, or their coworkers won\'t forget.  It\'s because they refuse to move beyond their own failure.  Call it a self-inflicted punishment or out of control regret.  It\'s futile and you\'ll never move past it until you accept the fact that you are human. People make mistakes.  So move on already! Thoreau said, \"One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense.\"  Own your mistakes.  Fix them where you can.  Take the high road every time you can.  Expect the same challenge again, so make a plan and be ready.  And dude... give yourself a break.  A comeback is possible in this \"go away\" world.\n\nIf you\'ve been on this road before, what would you say to encourage someone else who is on it today?', '5 Actions To Take After a Huge Failure', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '5-actions-to-take-after-huge-failure', '', '', '2011-09-28 06:05:19', '2011-09-28 11:05:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5557', 0, 'post', '', 40),
(5560, 243, '2011-09-27 14:42:00', '2011-09-27 19:42:00', 'Lead Change Group member Leigh Steere of Manage People Better was quoted in an interesting article published in the Poughkeepsie Journal September 24 titled Tips to help you ask for a raise.&nbsp; There\'s some great advice available to you in this post.&nbsp; Leigh\'s comments are on page 2 about making comparisons between your actual work and the job description as well as comparing your experience to published salary information.&nbsp; Check it out!<br />', 'Asking for a Raise', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'asking-for-a-raise', '', '', '2011-09-27 14:42:00', '2011-09-27 19:42:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/asking-for-a-raise/', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5564, 243, '2011-09-29 06:16:14', '2011-09-29 11:16:14', '<h3>Another Day</h3><p>You\'ve been in meetings all day.  Your interruptions have been interrupted.  In fact, you\'re not even sure which interruption started everything today.  The morning, (Did you even eat lunch?) seems like light-years ago.  Is it Wednesday already?</p><p>For just a minute, you wish for the good-old-days - you know, six months ago, before the staff reduction when you just thought you were busy.  \"Will this <em>really</em> get better any time soon?  Will we settle down in the next month, two months?  Six months?  Will I even get home before the kids are asleep?\"</p><h3>What if?</h3><p>This wouldn\'t be so hard if your team would step it up, or absorb some slack.  It seems like \"every man for himself\" since the staff reduction.  You\'re not certain but you suspect some people have moved vacation time up because they\'re looking for work.  It\'s just so frustrating because, especially since the staff reduction, nothing good happens by accident.  No one\'s work is perfect. No one just takes the initiative to solve a problem and then tell you about it.  They all want to tell you about it first.  Everyone feels like they have to ask permission for the stuff they should know and the things they don\'t ask about get screwed up!</p><p>For a moment you daydream about a team where members absorb chaos, take initiative, improvise, adapt, overcome.  (Sounds like Heartbreak Ridge.)  Back on track, you start to consider how you can get everyone rowing in the same direction.  What can you do to we get the team helping one another, taking initiative, and reaching goals.  You\'ve got to make the change from task orientation to goal orientation.  You\'ve got to take the lead, but this time, your goal is to create a leadership machine; a culture that builds leaders.  You know this is going to take time, but you have to do it.  Otherwise soon they\'ll find you hunched over your desk mumbling.</p><p>So you ignore your email and IM.  Check your watch and realize you\'ve got about 45 minutes before you need to leave if you\'re going to see the kids this evening for any quality time.  <strong>What can you do in 45 minutes to begin to turn the tide?</strong></p><h3>So, what would you recommend to this business person?</h3><p>In 45 minutes can they develop a plan of action that begins tomorrow and eventually creates a leadership culture.  <strong>Can you help them begin tomorrow to create a shared, repeatable process for identifying, developing, testing, and launching leaders?</strong>  What\'s their first step?</p><p>Take a moment and leave a comment or suggestion below.  Let us share your thoughts on how to help this leader turn things around.</p><p><em>This was an intro I wrote a few months back for our Lead Change Tulsa breakfast discussion series.  If you\'d like to know more about starting a leadership group in your community, <a href=\"/contact-2\">Contact Us</a>.</em></p>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo: © pressmaster - <a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/19113886\">Fotolia.com</a></span>', 'Question: Creating Lasting Culture Change', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'question-creating-lasting-culture-change', '', '', '2011-09-29 06:16:14', '2011-09-29 11:16:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5564', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(5568, 243, '2011-09-29 17:00:00', '2011-09-29 22:00:00', 'There\'s a very important post over on Seth Godin\'s blog titled <span style=\"font-style: italic;\"><a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" href=\"http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html\">The forever recession (and the coming revolution</a>)</span> that you simply must read.&nbsp; Our world is changing faster than we realize.&nbsp; Partly because it doesn\'t change for each of us at the same time, we often fail to think about the news we hear in light of the changing of times.&nbsp; Imagine a world, not unlike the one 200 years ago, when everyone didn\'t work for a company!&nbsp; It will make you think.<br />', 'The forever recession (and the coming revolution)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-forever-recession-coming-revolution', '', '', '2011-09-29 17:00:00', '2011-09-29 22:00:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/the-forever-recession-and-the-coming-revolution/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5570, 243, '2011-09-30 14:10:00', '2011-09-30 19:10:00', 'What would you say is the deepest need of humans?&nbsp; Kevin Eikenberry (<a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" href=\"http://www.kevineikenberry.com\">web</a>, <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" href=\"http://Twitter.com/kevineikenberry\">Twitter</a>) posted a very action-oriented entry on his blog this week.&nbsp; It\'s titled <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" href=\"http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/building-relationships/gratitude/our-deepest-craving/\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Our Deepest Craving</span>.</a>&nbsp; If you agree that appreciation is our deepest craving, what are you doing about it?&nbsp; His post informs, and challenges us to act on what we know and have a positive impact on people around us.&nbsp; Check it out!<br />', 'Appreciation - Our Deepest Craving', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'appreciation-our-deepest-craving', '', '', '2011-09-30 14:10:00', '2011-09-30 19:10:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/appreciation-our-deepest-craving/', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(5572, 287, '2011-10-04 06:13:37', '2011-10-04 11:13:37', 'What we love in childhood often comes back to us with an “ah-ha!” weaving a tighter pattern when we look back over the tapestry of our life and finally see where that pretty colorful thread we once played with has lead us in maturity. Reflective leaders usually have many such stories at play in their lives.\n\nOne of these playful threads started for me when I first heard the story, <em>The Emperor’s New Clothes</em> by Hans Christian Anderson. I remember being very small and enthralled at the idea that big people could be so blind to the reality around them that a mere child could see their truth better than they could. It was no accident that I connected with that story because speaking truth to power came to define my personal career path as I zigged and zagged from more and more responsible positions – and more and more <em>interesting</em> positions. – throughout my career. Ladder? What ladder?\n\nThe first time I became aware of the career-accelerating affect of speaking my truth to power was in my late twenties when I was representing a major U.S. corporation to U.S. and foreign governments on the most cutting edge technology issues of the day. To make a short story short, I took my global perspective on a new market and wrapped it in a market analysis that I shipped to the CEO and top execs. I knew my boss wouldn’t like me taking a stand on something outside our office’s scope of responsibility, so I bypassed him. I was young and stupid.\n\nI’ll never forget the day when he called me into his office – red in the face – to tell me that he’d found out about my little report and was angry that I hadn’t gotten his approval to send it up the chain of command. Before I could even respond he told me that the <em>way</em> he’d found out was that the SVP for Global Markets – two levels up and one over my boss’ head - had detailed me to a strategic task force evaluating the company’s European operations - and I was to leave for Paris for the first executive meeting in eight days.\n\nThat was one of the most exhilarating and scariest days of my professional career and I learned that day that my truth – my unique perspective which I took a stand for – mattered to the people most likely to help me get ahead in the world. I realized that speaking my truth – and the risk I took in putting it out there – gave me power that I would never have been granted any other way. I was also aware that it had cost me some of my boss’ trust.\n\nSince then I’ve noticed how speaking our truth can get us in trouble or deliver rewards in unexpected ways – to us and to our companies. I’ve validated that my experiences are not unique and that when people feel free to take risks based on their truths, <a href=\"http://www.executiveboard.com/corporate-integrity/pdf/Open-Door-Policy.pdf\">companies perform better on average</a>.\n\nBut speaking our truth effectively – without pissing off the boss and poking them in the ego – is an art. In my client work I help grow character-based leaders who know where they stand and why, and they know how to practice the subtle art of personal truth-telling. Character-based leadership – and the personal power that flows from it - is founded on an authentic and deep understanding of who we are and where we stand in <em>each</em> situation. I believe that leaders at all levels who can dig into their personal truth to this degree live in constant integrity, change the world and give others choices that make <em>everyone</em> powerful. This is the world I wish to live in, so it is the one I am creating.\n\nWhat about you?  When has stating your truth effectively given you power? When has it gotten you into trouble? What is happening in a corporate culture when more people are speaking their truth? How can we help everyone learn this subtle, powerful, art?\n\n<em>Seeking to help her clients understand the subtleties of the art of Speaking Truth to Power, she has developed a new eCourse – Speaking Truth to Power which begins October 24, 2011.  Or you can check out <a href=\"http://reclaimingleadership.com/what-does-it-mean-to-speak-your-truth-to-power/\">this video</a> where she explores Speaking Your Truth to Power in greater depth. </em>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Speak Your Truth To Power', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'speak-your-truth-to-power', '', '', '2011-10-04 06:13:37', '2011-10-04 11:13:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5572', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5577, 283, '2011-10-03 09:15:28', '2011-10-03 14:15:28', 'The next Leadership Development Carnival will be held at Great Leadership hosted by Lynn Dessert and the Master Host, Dan McCarthy.', 'Leadership Development Carnival: October 2011 Edition', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-development-carnival-october-2011-edition', '', '', '2011-10-03 09:15:28', '2011-10-03 14:15:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5577', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5581, 265, '2011-10-06 06:00:24', '2011-10-06 11:00:24', 'Leadership, at it\'s core, is about successfully managing the gap between our expectations and our experience.\n\nLeaders look into the world with a conflicting sense of idealistic passion and frustrated discontent. There\'s a problem to solve, a need to meet, a hill to climb, a job to be done, a world to change  - and we\'re the ones to do it. We cast our vision, build our teams, make our plans and launch our dreams, but what happens next?\n\nWhat happens when our expectations don\'t match our experience? What happens when our vision runs head first into the brick wall we call the school of hard knocks? Budgets run short or one of our team members doesn\'t follow through. The client changes the timeline or the software doesn\'t cooperate. How we manage the gap between our expectations and our experiences is the truest test of our leadership. It\'s also a function of patience.\n\nConsider these thoughts on patience\n<ul>\n	<li>Patience provides the margin a leader needs to adjust to the unavoidable. People will be sick, make mistakes, go on vacation or need rest. Equipment will fail. Holidays will happen. Plans that ignore the unavoidable aren\'t really plans as much as fantastic exploits in failure.</li>\n	<li>Patience creates space; space to learn, space to understand, space to change your mind, space to correct, space to grow. Patience creates space for instruction to sink in and maturity to take control.</li>\n	<li>Patience is the calm assurance that comes from understanding that leadership is a process. Rome wasn\'t built in a day.</li>\n</ul>\nPatience is the virtue that separates good leaders from great.\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5582\" style=\"margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/patience.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" />But there\'s more to see here. Between our expectations and experience is what we\'re willing to tolerate and that\'s the real leadership challenge. Imagine a continuum. On one end is what we expect - the vision we cast, the dream we have. On the extreme opposite end is our experience. In between is what we\'re willing to tolerate. For some parts of the plan the distance between the three is very small. With other parts we can be more liberal. Because life is dynamic our scale may shift occasionally or be weighted more heavily toward one end or another. Regardless of how the scale is drawn our reaction to each section of the continuum is the same.\n\nAs we lead our team or influence our client it works like this:\n<ul>\n	<li>Between <strong>experience</strong> and <strong>tolerance</strong> is <strong>correction</strong>.</li>\n	<li>Between <strong>tolerance</strong> and <strong>expectation</strong> is <strong>development</strong>.</li>\n	<li>And the quality that fuels the process? <strong>Patience</strong>.</li>\n</ul>\nOnce we identify the pattern the application becomes relatively easy to see - but rather than spell it out I\'m interested in your thoughts.\n<ul>\n	<li>How do you plan for the unavoidable?</li>\n	<li>How do you balance your expectations with what you\'re willing to tolerate?</li>\n	<li>How \'patient\' are you with a team member who seems to live in a world of correction?</li>\n	<li>How do you challenge a team that performs \'within tolerance\' to grow beyond where they are in order to meet or exceed expectations?</li>\n	<li>At what point does \'patience\' become something ignoble? What happens when we use \'patience\' as an excuse to avoid confrontation or lower expectations?</li>\n	<li>Is impatience ever an appropriate tool in a leaders arsenal?</li>\n</ul>\nFor every leader there is a balance that must be maintained. It\'s the balance of patient intolerance. It\'s knowing when to push, when to pause, when to move up and when to move on. The world needs your vision. Don\'t let impatience derail the dream.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"></p>', 'Patient Intolerance', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'patient-intolerance', '', '', '2011-10-06 06:00:24', '2011-10-06 11:00:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5581', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5586, 283, '2011-10-04 07:31:51', '2011-10-04 12:31:51', 'Mary C. Schaefer, speaker, coach, trainer and consultant is this week\'s contributing author on <em>SmartBlog for Leadership</em>.  Click on the title above to read her insightful post about leading with your ears not your lips.', 'Why true leadership involves less talking and more listening', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-true-leadership-involves-less-talking-and-more-listening', '', '', '2011-10-04 07:31:51', '2011-10-04 12:31:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5586', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5591, 248, '2011-10-11 06:02:38', '2011-10-11 11:02:38', '<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">“<em>We’re</em><em> always behind this metal and glass. Nobody touches you.</em>” If you saw the move <a href=\"http://www.crashfilm.com/\">Crash</a> you may recognize this line. The symbolism is piercing: We’re either tough like metal or ready to break with any pressure like glass.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is the fragility in life. People collide. The kicker, though, is in the second sentence in the opening phrase to this post – Nobody touches you.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In business we ignore our fragility. Too often we act like we are metal. The moment someone touches you that piercing armor bounces hard up against that touch. Nobody touches you! In business, we have goals to achieve. There is no time for emotion. You brake and you’re no good to the business. You need to be tough as steel.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obviously the metal and glass is a carefully crafted self-created shield. It’s an aid to create short cuts through our work. Fight for our agendas; our ideas; our vision. It helps us to reduce distractions. Get down to work. If we get close to the people at work, then we can compromise our plans for achievement.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Really?</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truth is we can’t exist or do good work without each other. We’re hard-wired for community. When people collide overlooking this simple truth there is conflict.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And at the heart of conflict is misunderstanding.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Misunderstanding, meet your brothers in battle: metal and glass. Or so the old way goes.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our leaders in government. Our leaders in corporations. Our leaders in small businesses. You. Me. We are not untouchable. We need each other.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We need each other to reimagine how we work with one another.\nWe need each other to change how we measure value creation.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We need each other to stop this divisive battle of metal and glass colliding, pretending that we’re untouchable. Fighting believing my idea is better than your idea.  Amidst the fighting we stopped hearing each other.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We must let down our shields, assess the broken glass and twisted metal, and take in the damage we’ve caused. Stop.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Take one side-step away from the distraction. Look.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We are alive to make this world one that works for everyone. In business we’ve lost sight of this – on the whole. Business is a great enabler of fulfilling this outcome.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When people collide it can’t be a reminder that we need each other. When people collide it’s an acknowledgement that good people and good ideas are working together to create value, to cause meaningful, purposeful, people-centered changes in our institutions and businesses.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Will we lose the metal and glass? No. It’s in our nature to collide.</p>', 'When People Collide', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'when-people-collide', '', '', '2011-10-11 06:02:38', '2011-10-11 11:02:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5591', 0, 'post', '', 30),
(5595, 251, '2011-10-10 06:01:48', '2011-10-10 11:01:48', '<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"Those dark nights of introspection are so wrenching, yet so filled with growth. Whether the amount of time involved is prophetic or not, I can’t say.  What I do know is that I’ve spent the last 40 days or so in a reflective place, spurred by someone who brought the lights down and released by another who flicked them back on.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Imagine being charged of committing acts so dreadful you can’t comprehend being capable of performing them. Acts that are selfish and mean-spirited.  I took copious notes throughout the conversation that occurred during a raging thunder and lightning storm. Turmoil inside, turmoil outside.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">I coach others feedback is a gift. Accept it gracefully even if it hurts. Analyze it from multiple perspectives. Seek to understand. Work through the emotions. Look for what resonates. Explore what doesn’t. Grow, be better. Keep moving forward.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Hence began the long dark night. I returned to the list of offenses (which had grown in a subsequent email), seeking to understand. Nothing in the list rang true for who and what I perceived myself to be. Was I refusing to look candidly in my own mirror?</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">I poked and prodded the allegations, coming up empty-handed. When the solitary journey isn’t going anywhere, I coach vulnerability: confide in a trusted advisor, someone who lovingly tells you the good, the bad and the ugly about yourself. They are your mirror.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">While my sounding board had never seen the behaviors ascribed to me, she accurately pointed out that I obviously had done something to prompt the other’s beliefs. Together we reviewed the context of each incident, looking for clues. Sure enough, buried in an early conversation was an ill-phrased suggestion. To me, the comment was simply a blue-sky idea, a way to divvy up a project between two busy people. There was no hidden agenda.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Yet the other party heard something very different – that I was seeking to marginalize her role and maximize mine. Rather than asking a clarifying question or two at the time the suggestion was made, she concluded I was self-serving. And that became the lens through which she viewed our subsequent encounters.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Once my advisor pointed this out, it was easy to see how my comments were taken out of context and filtered by her point of view. And, if you’re not paying close attention (especially when all interaction happens via technology), you miss clues coming your way – and I missed a ton of them before the thunderstorm conversation.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Now that everything is out in the open between us, we both can see where each of us went wrong. Will the partnership survive? It’s too early to say but we’ve both committed to rebuilding the trust that was seriously eroded.</span></span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Two insights stand out for me from my dark night:</span></span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">If you’re harboring ill feelings toward a friend, colleague, loved one, business associate, etc. and haven’t openly addressed it with them, make it so – the sooner the better. Stop the rot. End the awkwardness. Get things back on track or close the track.</span></span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">If you’re wondering why someone is acting strangely, make the time to ask why. Ask both from your head and heart. Listen deeply to what’s said. Be open to introspection. Without knowledge of the wound you’ve caused, you may inadvertently be making it worse.</span></span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri;\">Make that call right now and get things back on track, OK?</span></span>', 'Light from dark nights of introspection', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'light-from-dark-nights-of-introspection', '', '', '2011-10-10 06:01:48', '2011-10-10 11:01:48', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5595', 0, 'post', '', 20),
(5602, 286, '2011-10-07 06:04:28', '2011-10-07 11:04:28', '<em>This post is the second in a series <a href=\"../weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">that began here</a> summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership. Through that process, we have identified six practices next-generation leaders use to be effective; a new model of leadership we call <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\"><strong>WE</strong>adership</a>, in a nod to its collaborative nature.</em>\n<blockquote>\"We can now keep what used to be weak links [...] within our grasp, and build on them. This is a sea change affecting all industries and it won\'t go away. [Leaders] need to learn to leverage this powerful asset.\" - Kim, Program Director (IA)</blockquote>\nNetworks. They are everywhere. They link our devices. They link us to one another. That leaders need to build diverse networks almost goes without saying. But we\'ll say it anyway because it\'s that important, it\'s never complete, and because actually doing it is not always so easy.\n\nLet\'s unpack the meaning of the practice, word by word.\n<h3>Build.</h3>\nFirst, \"build.\" Not just network, <em>build networks</em>. Our research demonstrated that effective leaders seek out people from whom they can learn, personally and professionally. They invest time and do at least as much giving as getting, building relationships within and outside of their professional fields or disciplines, and connecting others in the process (this practice is also called Network Weaving). Effective leaders don\'t stop at meeting new people, they follow-up with action—by sharing information, collaborating on small projects, or engaging people in more formal ways.\n<h3>Diverse.</h3>\nEffective leaders take diversity seriously. They seek out diverse talent, perspectives, and opinions. They engage racial, cultural, and sexual minorities in meaningful ways, inviting them into decision-making processes not just consulting with them.\n\nOne area of diversity with which the leaders we consulted struggled was experiential diversity—or what many called \"rank.\" There is constant pressure on senior leaders to interact with similarly ranking people, especially in formal settings, even as these leaders know they also need the insight and engagement of junior colleagues in their organizations and communities. Importantly, leader-to-leader engagements often compromise others kinds of diversity, since there are still fewer women and people of color in the top tiers of many industries and organizations.\n\nEffective leaders find ways to engage people of different rank and tenure meaningfully in shared activities. Here are two simple practices <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/node/472\">our leaders</a> reported using:\n<ul>\n	<li><em>Inviting junior staff or community members to Board meetings, not as note-takers or errand-runners, but as contributors.</em> And not in that strained, obligatory sort of way that asks one person to speak for his or her generation, but in a way that normalizes such contributions and creates an expectation of learning from them. Engaging across generations with purpose, sincerity, and respect invites other senior leaders to engage with their junior colleagues in similar ways.</li>\n	<li><em>Creating new mechanisms for engagement (or redesigning old ones)—social media platforms or cross-generational workgroups, for example.</em> This strategy not only opens communication channels across groups, but helps make visible the formal and informal knowledge and skill sets within whole organizations or networks so that everyone can tap into them more effectively.</li>\n</ul>\nCreating new ways for people of different ages to work together—and experience a shared sense of accomplishment—is one of the best ways to overcome biases that inhibit collaboration among colleagues from different generations.\n<h3>Networks.</h3>\nNetworks are not just \"groups\" or \"teams,\" they are people connected to one another in a wide variety of ways. They have specific structures which lend themselves to particular outcomes. Technology—including social media—has helped us <a href=\"http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/\">visualize networks</a> and spawned accessible applied <a href=\"http://www.thenetworkthinkers.com/\">methodologies</a> for growing and improving them. Effective leaders—especially those in public interest or policy fields where relationships drive change—are learning how to shift from strategies rooted in organizations to more <a href=\"http://www.slideshare.net/kwolff/why-networks-matter\">flexible network-based change models</a>: a competitor in one line of business might be a collaborator in another; the most junior staff might be the lead on an important project because he or she maintains a relationship with a client or partner.\n\nNetwork approaches can <a href=\"http://www.aaronsilvers.com/2010/10/the-org-chart-is-not-the-org/\">disrupt traditional hierarchies</a>, creating tensions between colleagues of different rank or straining relations between traditional and new partners, but they can also extend the reach of leaders and their organizations, and improve leaders\' ability to tap into needed resources.\n\nDiverse networks can help leaders improve what they already do, and link to new ideas and fields of practices so they can better adapt to change.\n\n<a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/post/our-favorite-leadership-books\">Bibliography</a> (containing many resources on leadership and networks)\n\n___________________________________\n\n<em>Last Week: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/weadership-practice-1-adopt-a-wide-angle-point-of-view/\">WEadership Practice #1: Adopt a Wide-Angle Point of View\n</a></em>\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #3: Embrace Openness\n</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>.</em>', 'WEadership Practice #2: Build Diverse Networks', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-practice-2-build-diverse-networks', '', '', '2011-10-07 06:04:28', '2011-10-07 11:04:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5602', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5626, 246, '2011-10-12 06:04:41', '2011-10-12 11:04:41', '<h3>Incubation Helps Self-Reflection</h3>\nIn September 2011 I finally identified the root cause. The incubation period was long but finally I understand the real reason why I had such a hard time completing a project in 2010. It was an extraordinary project that provided a great learning opportunity.\n\nThis self-reflection has helped increase my level of self-awareness. I love it when that happens.\n<h3>Focus on People</h3>\nI realized something I always really knew: The secret to an efficient process is a deep genuine focus on people.\n\n• When the process breaks down, do the people on your team feel empowered and justified to speak up?\n• As leaders do we provide our team with the responsibility and reward to bring up team issues that eventually bog down the process?\n• Are we ready to hear and tackle these people issues with passion and are we committed to finding solutions that focus on people *and* improve the process?\n\nIn the project I was involved in, I didn’t speak up when I should have. I was focused on the process and I believed that the person issue was my responsibility to deal with on my own. I believed the leader would look upon my person issue as an insignificant block in a critical project. I believed that a focus on the process was more important. I was wrong.\n\nAs leaders, we may believe that if people have issues, they will tell us. But with so much at stake (reputation, jobs, relationships), sometimes they don\'t. They try to deal on their own for the good of the project. This creates unnecessary stress, a dive in motivation, blocked team energy that is certainly felt by all, and a broken process.\n\nHere are two potential solutions leaders can try to integrate into their routines: (1) setting expectations collaboratively and (2) schedule one-on-ones.\n<h3>Setting Expectations Collaboratively</h3>\nProject launch is a great time to set expectations and to create a common understanding of the difference between process challenges and challenges between the people that enable the process. Collaborative discussions help create awareness, responsibility and commitment.\n\nAs a project team, develop a set of guiding principles that will help set the tone for team interactions and beliefs. These principles help each person on the team make decisions during critical times. Here are some examples of team guiding principles:\n\n1. We focus on the person to enable process and results.\n2. We work hard, are dedicated, and take pride in our lives and work.\n3. We act with good intention.\n4. We make decisions carefully without intention to hurt. If something is said/done that is perceived as hurtful, seek to understand, validate and clarify first.\n5. We appreciate positive reinforcement and feedback that will make our work better.\n\nIf these don’t exist for your team, try scheduling a team meeting to get them in place.\n<h3>Schedule One-on-Ones</h3>\nAnother solution to help you focus on people to enable process is to schedule frequent one-on-ones with each member of your team. Quick 15-minute conversations on a weekly basis will help you connect, understand and demonstrate presence. If this process is new for you, begin by setting these up three weeks from today (generally your calendar will be less full in three weeks). Keep the appointment and keep to the time.\n\nDevelop a strategy that works for you and your team or connect with me to try my 3+1 feedback strategy which is based on the Four Common Performance Management Routines of Great Managers (<a title=\"First Break All The Rules on Amazon\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684852861/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0684852861\">Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, </a><em><a title=\"First Break All The Rules on Amazon\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684852861/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0684852861\">First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently</a>)</em>:\n\n• The routine is simple\n• The routine forces frequent interaction\n• The routine is future-focused\n• The routine allows for self-assessment &amp; documentation\n\nDeveloping an engaged and empowered team is a difficult and rewarding task. It is also a critical leadership responsibility. As one member of the team, I lost sight of my focus on people to enable process and all I saw was process – I believed that was our team focus.\n\nI would like to thank Michelle Holliday (@michellehollida ) and Geneviève Emond for facilitating this insight during Michelle’s Thrivibility Montreal (<a href=\"http://thrivabilitymontreal.blogspot.com/\">thrivabilitymontreal.blogspot.com/</a>) monthly conversation series to explore new ways of leading and working in organizations.', 'The Secret to an Efficient Process', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-secret-to-an-efficient-process', '', '', '2011-10-12 06:04:41', '2011-10-12 11:04:41', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5626', 0, 'post', '', 16),
(5635, 243, '2011-10-11 15:45:00', '2011-10-11 20:45:00', 'Kevin Eikenberry, co-author (with Guy Harris) of the book, <a href=\"http://j.mp/rqHEhR\" title=\"From Bud to Boss - Amazon\">From Bud to Boss</a> will be coming to Tulsa to present the Bud to Boss Workshop October 24 and 25.&nbsp; I got to spend a few minutes with Kevin to talk about the workshop and the collaborative effort we have going on here in Tulsa between his organization, the Lead Change Group and <a href=\"http://www.workforcetulsa.com/\" title=\"Workforce Tulsa Website\">Workforce Tulsa</a>.&nbsp; <br /><br />Kevin talks about the event, the partnerships that brought it about and who should be attending.&nbsp; This isn\'t just for first-time leaders.&nbsp; The workshop, like the book, cover a broad set of leadership topics designed to inspire and equip leaders to make a positive difference!<br /><br />Join us for the workshop October 24 &amp; 25 at the Holiday Inn Tulsa - City Center, 17 W 7th Street, Tulsa, OK.&nbsp; <br />Find out more now!', 'Bud to Boss Workshop Tulsa', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bud-to-boss-workshop-tulsa', '', '', '2011-10-11 15:45:00', '2011-10-11 20:45:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/bud-to-boss-workshop-tulsa/', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5638, 270, '2011-10-17 06:02:31', '2011-10-17 11:02:31', '\nLast week, I received this message from <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/ErinSchreyer\">Erin Schreyer</a>:\n\n<strong><em>~Steve Jobs~ </em></strong><strong><em>Born out of wedlock ~ </em><em>Given up for adoption at birth~ ~ </em></strong><strong><em>Dropped out of college ~ </em><em>Then changed the world~ </em></strong><strong><em>What\'s your excuse? ~</em></strong>\n\nInstantly inspired I shared it with friends. <strong> Their responses made me think about how often we put limits on ourselves</strong> based on our history, the title we have, the mistakes we’ve made, or our present circumstances.\n\nThey also highlighted the need that each of us has to be reminded that we don’t have be a public figure to make a difference.   <strong>Seemingly ordinary people in ordinary positions are impacting our world right now</strong>.\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>And YOU can be one of them!</strong></p>\n\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<strong>Meet Madeline: </strong> A tiny great-grandmother with a love for people and a gift for encouragement.  For years, she was a stay-at home mom and a full-time care-giver for her own mother.   During all of that time her deepest desire was to <strong><em>do</em></strong> more for her Heavenly Father and for the people in her community.  Shortly after her mother passed away, her husband lost his short-term memory and needed much more of her time and focus.  Once again limiting her ability to do something for others outside of her home.\n\n<strong>Madeline had options:</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li>She could have acted like a victim and been bitter or angry.</li>\n	<li>And she could have given up on her dream.</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>Instead she willingly and patiently chose to be there for the love of her life <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">and</span> found a way to <em>do</em> something for others from home.  </strong>During the months that followed, she made it her personal mission to call every family in our church, to tell them she loved them, that she was praying for them and to ask if there was anything specific she could pray for.\n\nMany months later her beloved husband passed away and as she began the grieving process she quickly realized that there were many women were walking a similar path.  <strong>Within two weeks</strong> she began inviting those women and their friends to a monthly event that is intentionally filled with fun, fellowship and inspiration.\n\n<strong>Several years have passed since her <em>Care &amp; Share Group</em> began and as each year passes the group grows.  Today Madeline is 87</strong> and although she has had some of her own health struggles she continues to connect with women that are sometimes forgotten and often alone; offering friendship, encouragement and hope.\n\n<strong>She would tell you that her contributions have been small and insignificant. </strong> Those of us that know her would tell you that she consistently finds a way to meet needs that are not being met and that she has breathed love and grace into the lives of everyone that knows her.\n\n<strong>She reminds me of  a quote from <a href=\"http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/frankl/frankl.html\">Viktor Frankl</a></strong><em><strong>,</strong> \"<em>Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be </em></em><em><em> repeated, thus, everyone\'s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.\" </em></em>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>YOUR Leadership does <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">not</span> hinge on:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n	<li>What your history is.</li>\n	<li>What your title is.</li>\n	<li>Where you are.</li>\n	<li>Or how old you are.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Leadership is simply sharing who you are, where you are, in spite of what life hands you.  ...</strong>What are you doing to lead from who YOU are?\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>~</strong></p>\nSpecial thanks to <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/KnowledgeBishop\">Tristan Bishop</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/mikehenrysr\">Mike Henry</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/ErinSchreyer\">Erin Schreyer</a> for thoughts that inspired this post and to Madeline Waiser for giving us a vision of what we hope to become.\n\nThe Lead Change Group a non-profit leadership development community promoting character-based leadership. Do you want to be a better leader?  Don\'t just sit there, <em><strong>leaders act!  </strong></em><a title=\"Lead Change Group on Linked In\" href=\"http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1875191&amp;trk=myg_ugrp_ovr\">LinkedIn Group</a>, <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/leadchangegroup\">Facebook</a>, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23LeadChange\">Twitter</a>, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/\">Website</a>.\n\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>', 'Leading from who YOU are', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-from-who-you-are', '', '', '2011-10-17 06:02:31', '2011-10-17 11:02:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5638', 0, 'post', '', 32),
(5639, 243, '2011-10-13 06:07:42', '2011-10-13 11:07:42', 'Once every few years I am driving a car that runs over a nail or sharp object and develops a flat tire.  Sometimes I have time to wait for AAA to come out and change it.  Other times, I’m in a hurry and tackle the task myself.  It never is pretty.  I’m slow and the process is grimy; but in the end, the job gets done.  I have no intention of working on that skill because I don’t intend to do it often, and it simply isn’t important in the bigger scheme of things.\n\nThat stands in huge contrast to how I view the responsibility of being a leader.  If I or anyone else does that job poorly, just getting by; it impacts lots of other things and people.  The organization suffers.  Customers are not well served.  Employee morale goes down. The financial performance of the firm declines.  Good people are more inclined to leave. There is a great deal riding on every leader’s performance. Performing at the “just get by” level is totally unacceptable.\n\nFor much of my career over the past 50 years in the leadership development arena, I have focused on helping new supervisors get up to speed and helping them function adequately in their new role.  This development was also geared to helping those who were having real problems see how their current practices could be improved.  Frankly, it was often perceived as remedial.\n\nIn recent years my focus has shifted.  Now my emphasis is on helping leaders to excel, to perform like the very best.  It has been an exciting and rewarding change in perspective.  By helping people raise their sights, there is an even bigger contribution to the success of the organization.\n\nWhile most organizations have a handful of new managers and those who are not doing really well; every organization has a large number of leaders who are performing at an acceptable, but not <em>great</em> level.  Every organization gains when they move beyond fixing <em>just </em>the bottom 10%.  Remarkable improvements take place when they inspire that large group that sits comfortably in the middle to do what it takes to behave like the top 10%.  The most rewarding improvements occur when the people in the middle reach for excellence.\n\nThe pursuit of excellence calls for different tactics.   Teaching the basics or providing remedial help involves some fundamental teaching methods.  Helping people to jump to a higher plane and truly excel requires them getting accurate information about what they are doing well and what could be fine-tuned.  Our research confirms that the leaders in the top 10% on at least 3 key strengths areas are considered extraordinary.  When they operate at the 90<sup>th</sup> percentile in at least 3 key areas, they truly stand out.  Anything less than 90% is “just getting by.”  Helping every leader to identify their core strengths in embryo stage and supercharge them to that 90<sup>th</sup> percentile the key challenge facing leadership development professionals today.\n\nWhat can you do to help someone else identify their areas of strength?  Have you been able to offload some areas of weakness and focus on your strengths?  How has that affected your career?  Share a comment below or share this post with a friend.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/jack.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-5641\" title=\"Jack Zenger\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/jack.jpg\" alt=\"Jack Zenger\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" /></a><em>This is a guest post by Jack Zenger, the co-founder and CEO of </em><a href=\"http://www.zengerfolkman.com/\"><em>Zenger Folkman</em></a><em>, a leadership development firm focused on building strengths of individuals, teams, and organizations. Jack is a co-author of the recent Harvard Business Review article “</em><a href=\"http://hbr.org/2011/10/making-yourself-indispensable/ar/1\"><em>Making Yourself Indispensable</em></a><em>.” To learn more leadership tips from Jack, subscribe to his </em><a href=\"http://zengerfolkman.wordpress.com/\"><em>leadership blog</em></a><em> or follow him on Twitter: </em><a href=\"http://www.twitter.com/zengerfolkman\"><em>@zengerfolkman</em></a><em>.</em>\n\n&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo: good \'nuff road - sign © monamakela.com <a href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/2718938\">Fotolia.com</a></span>\n\n&nbsp;', 'The Importance of Excelling vs. &#034;Getting By&#034;', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-importance-of-excelling-vs-getting-by', '', '', '2011-10-13 06:07:42', '2011-10-13 11:07:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5639', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(5644, 286, '2011-10-14 06:06:54', '2011-10-14 11:06:54', '<em>This post is the fourth in a series <a href=\"../weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">that began here</a> summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership. Through that process, we identified six practices next-generation leaders use to be effective; a new model of leadership we call <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\"><strong>WE</strong>adership</a>, in a nod to its collaborative nature.</em>\n<h2>WEadership and the Crowd</h2>\nThe idea that leaders \"control\" the people, information, and resources within their organizations is no longer plausible <strong>–</strong> if it ever was. Today people use social technologies to connect, share, and collaborate with peers and colleagues who can help them get things done, regardless of position or organizational affiliation.\n\nThis shift has created new demands for \"transparency\" on the part of organizations in public, private, and non-profit sectors alike. Employees, customers, shareholders, citizens, doners, etc. <strong>–</strong> increasingly, all of them want to make the businesses of doing business more transparent, more visible, and ultimately, more accountable.\n\nLeaders can adapt to these changes by opening up the way they listen, share, and engage with employees, customers, and communities to solve important problems.\n<h2>Openness in the Organization</h2>\nMany of the 519 leaders in <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">our study</a> reported that the most important thing leaders can do to open up their organizations is <em>listen</em>. It seems simple, but in a media-saturated environment in which customers tweet, employees blog, and people of all kinds have conversations that can be shared with millions in minutes, listening has become complicated. But listening is critical because conversations about your issues are talking place, with or without you. The insights freely available to good listeners can make a business, while ignoring them can make a business irrelevant.\n\nSharing, too, has taken new forms. Open leaders are discovering the difference between broadcasting and sharing, and finding the latter a more effective approach to building brands, delivering services, and delighting customers. These leaders are:\n<ul>\n	<li>Using social media to host conversations</li>\n	<li>Making complex data accessible, <a href=\"http://flowingdata.com/\">beautiful, and easy to understand</a></li>\n	<li>Sharing \"drafts\" of planned changes to products, services, policies, and business models so they can be improved (rather than rolling out a finished product that meets yesterday\'s need).</li>\n</ul>\nAll of these practices speak to a more iterative approach to problem solving and one that involves more than the experts.\n<h2>Collaborative Networks Within and Across Organizations</h2>\nThe \"org chart\" may reflect where people in an organization sit, but rarely how they get their work done or the relative value of their contributions to the enterprise. This is more true today, as employees maintain extensive social networks outside of their organizations. <a href=\"http://www.charleneli.com/open-leadership/\">Open leaders</a> understand this. They find ways to invite broad participation in problem-solving within and outside of their organizations. For example, leaders in our study reported experimenting with:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/03/knowledge-management-social-media.html\">Social networks</a> that made the knowledge and expertise of individual employees known to everyone;</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.crowdsourcing.org/\">Crowdsourcing</a> platforms that invite people to share ideas, knowledge, and opinions at significant scale; and</li>\n	<li>Convening partners (who might also be competitors) to develop collaborative solutions to common problems;</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Sharing Leadership</h2>\nOpen leaders invite others to share leadership responsibility. They understand that leadership is a role, not a title, and that leadership can come from any corner of any organization or community, not just the management tier. For traditional leaders, this is a significant change. But it also represents a tremendous opportunity to engage more people in more meaningful work toward more significant ends.\n\nLeaders, their organizations, their boards, and their communities will all have to find the particular combination of open leadership practices that is right for them.\n\nOpenness is a matter of degree, but it is also inevitable.\n\n__________________________________________________\n\n<em>Last Week: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/weadership-practice-2-build-diverse-networks/\">WEadership Practice #2: Build Diverse Networks\n</a></em>\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #4: Encourage Experimentation\n</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>.</em>', 'WEadership Practice #3: Embrace Openness', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-practice-3-embrace-openness', '', '', '2011-10-14 06:06:54', '2011-10-14 11:06:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5644', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(5645, 243, '2011-10-13 11:50:23', '2011-10-13 16:50:23', 'I’ve spent the last 3 years in and around leadership development online.  I have also spent the last 30 years learning about leadership development (and learning in general).  After numerous mistakes, and before several more, some things have become obvious to me because of my time online.\n\nLeadership development is changing quickly.  I’m not speaking as much about leadership itself, but the act of developing oneself or others as leaders.  I also know 3 years isn\'t a lot of experience, but it <em>is</em> a long time on the Internet, especially if you haven\'t been here as long.  The online community of leadership developers is still quite small.  As a result, it may still be \"some time\" before the world actually experiences some of the trends below.  But I also think that “some time” will be measured in single-digit years rather than decades.\n<h2>Three Changing Trends</h2>\nThere are 3 changing trends in leadership development that I can deduce from watching the evolution of social media, the Internet and the leadership development community.\n\n<strong>Leadership development will become more personal. </strong> As organizations become flatter and as they cut back on people expenses, organizations will purchase less and less leadership development.  As a result, more individuals make the selections of what training is purchased; more purchases will be made one-person-at-a-time.  Also, more will demand the ability to set their own pace.\n\n<strong>Leadership development becomes more internal.</strong>  It becomes more about who you are, than how you behave once you have a position.  Besides, there simply aren’t enough positions, and too many of us have been victimized by someone we didn’t respect who just happened to be in a leadership position.  More and more of leadership development will continue to be about how to gain the respect and trust of others or how to inspire others.  Respect and trust become the fuel for the new leader.\n\n<strong>Trial and error feedback loops will accelerate. </strong> (See the first Continuing Trend below.) Several factors in our world point to everything happing quicker.  We won’t listen to a week-long training class and then try to apply that in our jobs for the next 6 months.  We need our leadership development in blog-post sized chunks so we can try them out this afternoon.  And if they don’t work in a day or two, we’ll try something else.\n<h2>Three Continuing Trends</h2>\nThree other trends in leadership development will continue.  Of note those include:\n\n<strong>Leadership development is learned, not taught.</strong>  Trial and error remains an integral part of leadership development.\n\n<strong>We still grant credibility the way we always have.</strong>  Credibility is created over time, through results.  And we tend to extend more credibility to those we experience first hand in their trade.  It takes time and positive results to become a credible leadership developer.\n\n<strong>We still grant respect the way we always have.</strong>  As John Maxwell and others have said, \"People don\'t care how much you know until they know how much you care.\"  We withhold respect from those we don\'t trust.\n\nIn my next post, we\'ll talk about behaviors we need to reinforce or change related to these trends.  But before we do that...\n\nWhat about you?  I know many great leaders read this blog from time to time.  What do you think about the future of  leadership development?  What trends do you see or how might you expound on these?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © crystal kirk - <a title=\"Purchase this photo on Fotolia.com\" href=\"http://www.fotolia.com/id/481081\">Fotolia.com</a></span>', '6 Future Trends of Leadership Development', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '6-future-trends-of-leadership-development', '', '', '2011-10-13 11:50:23', '2011-10-13 16:50:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5645', 0, 'post', '', 58),
(5655, 243, '2011-10-13 13:15:15', '2011-10-13 18:15:15', 'Congratulations to our own Meghan M. Biro of <a title=\"TalentCulture.com Website\" href=\"http://talentculture.com\">TalentCulture</a>.  She was <a title=\"Forbes Interview of Meghan M. Biro\" href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2011/10/11/talentculture-meghan-biro-company-culture-and-leading-from-the-heart/\">interviewed</a> by Drew Hansen (<a title=\"Drew Hansen\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/drewhansen26\">@drewhansen26</a>) about the need for leaders to lead from the heart and how that affects company culture.  But don\'t just take my word for it.  Jump over to Forbes and <a title=\"Forbes Interview of Meghan M. Biro\" href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2011/10/11/talentculture-meghan-biro-company-culture-and-leading-from-the-heart/\">check out the post!</a>  And tweet to <a title=\"Meghan M. Biro\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/meghanmbiro\">@MeghanMBiro</a> and <a title=\"TalentCulture on Twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/talentculture\">@TalentCulture</a> that you saw the post!', 'Meghan M. Biro and TalentCulture on Forbes', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'meghan-m-biro-and-talentculture-on-forbes', '', '', '2011-10-13 13:15:15', '2011-10-13 18:15:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5655', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5659, 243, '2011-10-14 14:23:23', '2011-10-14 19:23:23', '<a href=\"http://j.mp/r1WINM\"><img class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5660\" title=\"20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e1307444567547\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e1307444567547-125x125.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" /></a>I read an interesting post by Mike Figliuolo a few days ago about trust and teams.   Mike is the Founder and Managing Director of <a title=\"Thought Leaders LLC\" href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>thought</em><strong>LEADERS</strong>, LLC</a>. He is also the author of <a title=\"One Piece of Paper at Amazon.com\" href=\"http://j.mp/r1WINM\" target=\"_blank\">One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership</a>.  This post, titled \"<a title=\"The Real Reason Your Team Doesn\'t Trust You at Thoughtleadersllc.com\" href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/2011/09/the-real-reason-your-team-doesnt-trust-you/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Real Reason Your Team Doesn\'t Trust You</em></a>\" is jam packed with actionable ideas and Mike\'s trademark style of intermixing personal experience and quality leadership content.  There\'s even a quick 5 minute assessment to see how you stack up.  And all of this lines up with the great ideas he set out in <a title=\"One Piece of Paper at Amazon.com\" href=\"http://j.mp/r1WINM\" target=\"_blank\">One Piece of Paper</a>.  So get over to <a title=\"The Real Reason Your Team Doesn\'t Trust You at Thoughtleadersllc.com\" href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/2011/09/the-real-reason-your-team-doesnt-trust-you/\">ThoughtLeadersllc.com</a> and check it out!', 'Why Your Team Doesn&#039;t Trust You', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-your-team-doesnt-trust-you', '', '', '2011-10-14 14:23:23', '2011-10-14 19:23:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5659', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5663, 262, '2011-10-18 06:00:05', '2011-10-18 11:00:05', 'A key employee on your team asks to speak with you about a sensitive issue in which you have a role. You have an \"Open Door Policy\" so the two of you meet. When she explains the issues from her point of view, your impatient response is: \"I\'m sorry you feel that way.\"\n\nYour spouse has been struggling to communicate with you for several days, and finally asks to have a conversation. Visibly upset, he tells you what is bothering him and how it\'s affecting him - and your marriage. After listening for a few minutes, your angry response is: \"I\'m sorry you feel that way.\"\n\nA customer complains about a product - on your company Facebook page. Your public response? \"We\'re sorry you feel that way.\"\n\nOn her <a title=\"Kate Nasser\" href=\"http://katenasser.com/how-to-handle-irate-angry-customers-would-you-want-this/\" target=\"_blank\">blog</a>, customer service and leadership expert <a title=\"Kate Nasser\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/KateNasser\" target=\"_blank\">@KateNasser</a> advises:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: center;\"><strong>Bury the phrase “I am sorry you feel that way.” </strong></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px; text-align: center;\"><strong>It is a masquerade of an apology that scars team relationships. </strong></p>\nIt seems to scar <em>many</em> important relationships. I recently posted a Facebook poll, requesting feedback on how people feel when a boss, spouse, co-worker, parent or friend responds with the phrase \"I\'m sorry you feel that way.\"\n\nThe majority of the responses fell into these categories:\n<ul>\n	<li>Marginalized</li>\n	<li>Annoyed</li>\n	<li>Brushed Off</li>\n	<li>Disrespected</li>\n	<li>Negated</li>\n	<li>\"Handled\"</li>\n	<li>Invalidated</li>\n</ul>\n<div>Comments included strong statements such as:</div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\"Let\'s finish the discussion. Simply being sorry doesn\'t finish the conversation.\" <a title=\"Mike Henry\" href=\"http://twitter.com/mikehenrysr\">@mikehenrysr</a></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\"This is pretty much the classic disarming response. But it doesn\'t really work because it oozes insincerity. It really means: Your opinion is making me uncomfortable. I want to move on because there is no real way for me to address your concerns.\" - @kmclogan</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\"If not done properly, it almost always comes off as \'I really don\'t care how you feel, because you\'re wrong and I\'m right. Now please just drop it.\'\" <a title=\"Mitch Kusmider\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/Mitchcon4\" target=\"_blank\">@Mitchcon4</a></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\"This response is a way for that person to avoid any personal responsiblity...its a cop out, invalidating response.\" - <a title=\"Clarissa Gayer\" href=\"http://www.twitter.com/ClarissaGayer\" target=\"_blank\">@ClarisaGayer</a></p>\nThe original intent of this statement was to validate the thoughts and feelings of the person with whom we are speaking. <em>Whether or not we agree with their perspective</em>, the idea was that we acknowledge we have heard and understand what they have said. Unfortunately, this expression has evolved into something else - an excuse that denies any responsibility on our part. This phrase invalidates the other person and deflects the importance of their words. It also serves as an excuse for us not to look at ourselves and any part we may have played in the situation. When used improperly, this expression is a serious form of disrespect - one that also stunts our own professional integrity, emotional growth and the relationship itself.\n\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5699 alignleft\" style=\"margin: 10px;\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Love-Means-More-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"143\" />\n\nResponding to a serious concern with sarcasm, fear-based anger and denial of responsibility breeds mistrust. The  impact of distrust will destroy a company culture, a relationship, the loyalty of your customers. A tough customer, an irate employee, an angry spouse or partner - all of these people are expressing themselves for a reason: <strong>They want to be heard. </strong>Do we have the courage to listen?\n\nAs leaders in our professions and in our family life, it is extremely important that we realize respect is earned through <em>our actions</em> as well as our words. When responding in difficult situations, our facial expressions, body language and voice inflection are key to positive communication.\n\n<strong>People who bring tough issues to us are doing so because they value the relationship.</strong> They want to address the situation so that the relationship will continue to grow and move forward. When we truly listen and respond with empathy, mutual trust is reinforced and the relationship deepens. And after all, isn\'t this exactly what we want with our team, our relationship, our customers?\n\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-5700 alignleft\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Apologizing-Does-Not-Always-Mean-You-Are-Wrong-And-The-Other-Person-Is-Right-It-Just-Means-You-Value-Your-Relationship-More-Than-Your-Ego-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'I&#039;m Sorry You Feel That Way', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'im-sorry-you-feel-that-way', '', '', '2011-10-18 06:00:05', '2011-10-18 11:00:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5663', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5665, 276, '2011-10-20 06:00:52', '2011-10-20 11:00:52', 'In life, we sometimes learn more from the leaders and managers that were not effective, because we learn what not to do. The experience we gained will aid in our overall development as leader. So below, I\'ve listed 4 practices to avoid as a new leader.\n\n\n\n<strong>Being a bull in a china shop</strong>—By this I mean, the leader fails to try to understand what is going on and, based on personal perception, proceeds to change things all around.  By doing this, you will alienate everyone, because people will feel like you did not take the time to get to know and understand the situation.  In the long run, this could cause more harm than good and the people would stop listening or, worst case, leave the company.  Just imagine a bull entering a china shop.  You can picture the distraction and damage that the bull can cause.\n\n<strong>Bringing your band</strong>—When there is a leadership change, it is understandable that the leader would also bring a few of their people to help them effect a change.  The keyword is a <em>few</em>.  But if the few brings a couple more people, the people in the company will realize that there are no opportunities for growth, because all management positions are being held by the band.   In this case, what is the incentive for the existing people to work hard?  This is particularly true for young employees who are seeking opportunity to move up.  With the change, it would make them feel like it is a dead-end job.\n\n<strong>Blowing off (not listening) to your stakeholders</strong>—As a new leader it is important that appropriate time be spent in understanding what worked and what did not work.  It is safe to assume that the reason you were hired was because the management wanted to affect change.  Without spending the time to listen, the leader would not be working toward meeting the management’s expectations.  Failure to achieve any progress over time will cause the management to question your ability to deliver results.\n\n<strong>Boiling the ocean</strong>—The leader wants to affect change only after a thorough analysis of the situation.  A thorough analysis would require a lot of time.  Sometimes the leader needs to take advantage of the knowledge of the subject-matter experts in conducting the assessment.  There is an old adage that says “You don’t need everything to do something.\"  By this we mean there are times we need to make a decision based on the information available.\n\nOf course, these aren\'t the only practices to avoid. Can you think of any others? (They don\'t all have to begin with a \"B\" either!). What practices would you add to this list?', '4 Practices to Avoid as a New Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '4-practices-to-avoid-as-a-new-leader', '', '', '2011-10-20 06:00:52', '2011-10-20 11:00:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5665', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5671, 243, '2011-10-14 11:54:00', '2011-10-14 16:54:00', 'Here\'s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They\'re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can\'t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.\n\nSpecial thanks to <a title=\"Steve Jobs - Gaping Void Blog\" href=\"http://gapingvoid.com/2011/10/06/steve-jobs/\">Hugh MacLeod of gapingvoid.com</a> for the reminder.', 'Think Different', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'think-different', '', '', '2011-10-14 11:54:00', '2011-10-14 16:54:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/think-different/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5674, 265, '2011-10-31 06:00:07', '2011-10-31 11:00:07', 'Have you stocked up on garlic and holy water? Is there plenty of candy prepared by your door? Got the tune of Michael Jackson\'s, \'<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&amp;ob=av3n\" target=\"_blank\">Thriller</a>\' stuck in your head? It\'s All-Hallow\'s Eve and the ghosts and goblins will be out in force tonight!\n\nI love Halloween. It\'s an evening of contradictions. Tricksters are encouraged to pull out all the stops. The most innocent among us dress in terrifying costumes to celebrate things that go bump in the night. Parents encourage children to go door-to-door and take candy from strangers. There\'s nothing quite so ironic as the beauty of a fall evening infused with the spine tingling chill of a good scary story and a well carved pumpkin Ichabod Crane would be honored to wear!\n\nOn this night of contradictions and terrifying tales what if we examined leadership through a more macabre lens? In the spirit of the evening let\'s make a game out of it. I\'ve named <strong>13 Frightening Faces of Leadership</strong>. You\'ll see the <em>Trick</em> - the problem with this kind of leader, and the <em>Treat</em> - the silver bullet that will drive a stake into the heart of the vile creature within. Take a look at the list, pick your monster and tell us your trick &amp; treat!\n\n<strong>The Jack-o\'-Lantern Leader</strong> -\n<em><strong>TRICK</strong></em>: The Jack-\'o-Lantern Leader looks good on the outside, but there\'s nothing of substance on the inside. That toothy, smiling face shines in the darkness and entices some to follow for a little while, but give it a month, and the rotten ideas are exposed for what they really are. <em><strong>TREAT</strong></em>: This is the heart of Character-based Leadership. When you lead, what\'s <em>in</em> you is what will come out. Don\'t just put on a good face and a good show. Be someone worth following.\n\n<strong>The Bats in the Belfry</strong> <strong>Leader</strong> -\n<em><strong>TRICK</strong></em>: This leader is so erratic in their decision making that followers are literally driven insane trying to keep up. What\'s the mission? How will we accomplish it? What\'s passing for truth today? What the leader calls a new adventure every day is really a lack of vision prompted by a lack of focus. <em><strong>TREAT</strong></em>: Pick a mission, choose a method, cast a vision and stick to it. No matter how shiny that new toy is, if it doesn\'t accomplish the mission it\'s not worth playing with.\n\n<strong>The Graveyard Leader</strong> -\n<em><strong>TRICK</strong></em>: You remember the creepy night-watchman? He works alone for a reason. He uses that shovel to bury everyone else\'s ideas because he believes they\'re dead on arrival. He\'s done this job for 40 years and no young whippersnapper is going to tell him there\'s another way. <em><strong>TREAT</strong></em>: This kind of leadership needs to be laid to rest. If you haven\'t noticed, everyone is one Google search away from being an expert on almost anything. No one holds the corner market on brilliance. Listen to the people around you. They know things you don\'t.\n\n<strong>The Frankenstein Leader</strong> -\n<em><strong>TRICK</strong></em>: Related to the Graveyard Leader, the Frankenstein Leader knows the power of a team. They go to the graveyard to dig up buried ideas and try to spark new life into them. They \'borrow\' from everyone else and try to stitch together something they can call their own. The result? A monstrous and grotesque facsimile of the original. <em><strong>TREAT</strong></em>: Your organization doesn\'t need partially digested, wholly regurgitated ideas. They don\'t need you to mimic the bits and pieces of every other similar organization around you. They need your dream, your passion, the fire in your belly for how the world can be a better place. There\'s only one Apple. There\'s only one Disney. There\'s only one Chic-fil-A. Learn what you can from them, but be yourself.\n\n<strong>The Zombie Leader -\n<em>TRICK</em></strong><em>:</em> Angry, relentless, unreasonable, cannibalistic - the Zombie Leader doesn\'t have any real direction, they simply have a bone to pick - literally. Everyone in their path is a target. In the end this kind of leader isn\'t really moving his organization forward as much as he is satisfying his own appetites. What\'s worse is that this self-serving appetite spreads like a virus destroying other healthy leaders in the organization or turning them into the same kind of selfish monster as the original zombie. <em><strong>TREAT</strong></em>: There\'s really only two effective treatments for this kind of leader - RUN or FIGHT. Either get out of the organization or get this kind of leader out. It\'s a virus that will kill or be killed. The freemium business model is proving that some selfish people and selfish organizations are leaving money on the table every time they charge upfront for their product. Give something away - give yourself away and discover the remarkable value you gain from irrational generosity. (For rules to help survive a real Zombie apocalypse, <a href=\"http://www.zombielandrules.com/\" target=\"_blank\">check here</a>.)\n\nNow that you\'ve gotten the hang of it, it\'s your turn. Pick one of the <strong>13 Frightening Faces of Leadership</strong> and tell us how you would rid the world of this menace.\n<ol>\n	<li>The Jack-0\'-Lantern Leader</li>\n	<li>The Bats in the Belfry Leader</li>\n	<li>The Graveyard Leader</li>\n	<li>The Frankenstein Leader</li>\n	<li>The Zombie Leader</li>\n	<li><strong>The Vampire Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Wolfman Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Witch Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Clown Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Ghost Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Blob Leader</strong></li>\n	<li><strong>The Freddy Krueger Leader</strong></li>\n	<li>and perhaps the scariest of them all - <strong>The Justin Bieber Leader</strong></li>\n</ol>\nBe careful, you know how scary movies end. Just when you think you\'ve dispatched the evil and as you ride off into the sunset with your true love the camera pans down to show the monster\'s body has disappeared or twitching back to life - Halloween comes around every year. If we\'re not careful these 13 Frightening Faces of Leadership will show their ugly fangs once again.', '13 Frightening Faces of Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '13-frightening-faces-leadership', '', '', '2011-10-31 06:00:07', '2011-10-31 11:00:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5674', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5679, 243, '2011-10-16 12:30:00', '2011-10-16 17:30:00', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tristan-Bishop.png\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5680\" title=\"Tristan Bishop\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Tristan-Bishop.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>Our own Tristan Bishop (<a title=\"Knowledgebishop on Twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/knowledgebishop\" target=\"_blank\">@Knowledgebisho</a>p) wrote a great post over at <a title=\"12 Most Obvious Signs of a Wise Leader\" href=\"http://12most.com/2011/10/12/12-obvious-signs-wise-leader/\" target=\"_blank\">12 Most</a> titled the <a title=\"12 Most Obvious Signs of a Wise Leader\" href=\"http://12most.com/2011/10/12/12-obvious-signs-wise-leader/\" target=\"_blank\">12 Most Obvious Signs of a Wise Leader</a>.  Tristan makes some interesting observations including being a model (#4), being principled (#7) and listening (#10).  Many have a hint of balance too.  Drop over there and take a look at the list and see you think he missed anything.', 'Obvious Signs of Wise Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'obvious-signs-of-wise-leadership', '', '', '2011-10-16 12:30:00', '2011-10-16 17:30:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/obvious-signs-of-wise-leadership/', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5682, 243, '2011-10-19 06:05:29', '2011-10-19 11:05:29', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/joel-121-6x9_resize.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5683\" title=\"joel-121-6x9_resize\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/joel-121-6x9_resize-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"Joel Garfinkle\" width=\"158\" height=\"239\" /></a>I recently had the opportunity to speak with Joel Garfinkle (<a title=\"Joel\'s Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/workcoach4you\">@workcoach4you</a>), Founder of <a href=\"http://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com\">Garfinkle Executive Coaching</a>, and the author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Ahead-Three-Steps-Career/dp/0470915870\">Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level</a>.  Joel is recognized as one of the top 50 coaches in America and he’s worked with organizations and individuals in many of the top corporations in the world.\n\n<em>Mike: </em>Joel, tell me a bit about your coaching practice.  What is it you do?\n\n<em>Joel: </em> My main focus is to work with individuals who are moving to the next level of an organization or who have moved to the next level but they don’t understand exactly “what’s needed” at this new position.  Many times it’s a matter of them coming to me after they been promoted or they come to me because they thought they should be promoted and haven’t been.\n\n<em>Mike:</em> You’ve been in business since 1997, but before that you worked with larger consulting firms.  How did you make the transition to individual coaching?\n\n<em>Joel:</em> For me, even when I was doing the large organization change management initiatives, I’ve always found that I enjoyed, even thrived on one-on-one work.  I can really get down to the essence of what’s happening for a client very quickly and my clients like that.  I’m able to help them make change very quickly.  My talents and inner strengths completely align to a one-on-one format.  I can size up an individual within the first few minutes and then get to the root of the issues holding them back.   I can quickly understand what’s stopping or limiting them.\n\n<em>Mike:</em> Why the book Getting Ahead and why now?\n\n<em><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gettingahead.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5684\" title=\"gettingahead\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/gettingahead.jpg\" alt=\"Getting Ahead by Joel Garfinkle | Lead Change Group\" width=\"181\" height=\"181\" /></a>Joel:</em> I notice too many people in the workforce who put a tremendous amount of effort into their work and they don’t know how to get ahead, stand out and get noticed.  As a result, they lose a competitive advantage that’s needed.  I notice this is as a theme across most demographics, but especially with women and people from cultures where “putting yourself ‘out there’” is not taught.\n\nI wondered what would happen if I could help people\n<ol>\n	<li>Promote themselves in an organic, authentic way,</li>\n	<li>Change the perception that others have of them, and</li>\n	<li>Become more visible so they can have influential impact in the company.</li>\n</ol>\nThat’s when I created the <strong>PVI Model</strong>.  The PVI Model stands for Perception, Visibility and Influence. We are in such a global competitive environment, that if people want to keep up and continue to be successful in their career and advance than they need to apply this model.  Otherwise, people will get to a certain point in their career and get stuck.\n\nJust working hard isn’t enough to enable you to advance any more.   You can’t just do your work and <em>hope</em> that things will work out.  Hope is dangerous thing that I notice too many people rely on.  You can’t rely on hope, luck or chance.  You can’t assume that decision makers are aware of your accomplishments or they understand the value of your contribution to the organization.  You have to be the one who increases your visibility.   You have to be the one to do more than let your work speak for itself.  Otherwise, you’ll find others getting promotions you believed you were qualified for.\n\n<em>Mike:</em> So would you say this is a narrowly focused book.  Don’t just do a good job, but do these things too?\n\n<em>Joel:</em> Yes, I talk about in the beginning that doing a good a good job is assumed.  You must perform well.  The book focuses on what to do beyond that.\n\nMany people rely simply on their performance because early in our careers, our performance is what moves us along.  But at some point, they will be limited by simply relying on their performance.  I would love to have had this foundation earlier in my career.  What do you do to get ahead when you’re no longer the stand out performer?\n\nThis entire book is about more than just doing your work.  More than a third of our life is spent at work. And I don’t think people are gaining as much from the endeavor as they are giving.  It’s difficult to add a focus on Perception, Visibility and Influence on-top of all the work you have to get done. Many people think, “I have to do that over and above my job?”  But at some point in their career they’ll question why someone else got promoted.  What did they do?  You have to manage your perception, visibility and influence to move up.\n\nBe sure and pick up a copy of the book, of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Ahead-Three-Steps-Career/dp/0470915870\">Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level</a> and take the steps to get ahead in your career.  You can also find out more and download a free chapter of getting ahead. <a href=\"http://www.garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/getting-ahead-book.html\">http://www.garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/getting-ahead-book.html</a>. View his books and FREE articles at <a href=\"http://www.garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/\">Garfinkle Executive Coaching</a>. Subscribe to his <a href=\"http://www.garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/fulfillment-at-work-newsletter.html\"><em>Executive Coaching Newsletter</em></a> and receive the FREE e-book, <em>40 Proven Strategies to Get Promoted Now!</em>', 'Interview with Joel Garfinkle', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'interview-with-joel-garfinkle', '', '', '2011-10-19 06:05:29', '2011-10-19 11:05:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5682', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5703, 243, '2011-10-17 13:35:29', '2011-10-17 18:35:29', 'Tomorrow night, I\'m the guest of <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Petrilli</a> (LCG, LinkedIn, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/lisapetrilli\" target=\"_blank\">@LisaPetrilli</a>) and <a href=\"http://connectionagent.com\" target=\"_blank\">Steve Woodruff</a> (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/swoodruff\" target=\"_blank\">@swoodruff</a>) for LeadershipChat.  Check out <a title=\"Leadership Lesons: 5 Critical Requirements When Leading Change\" href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2011/10/17/leadership-lessons-5-critical-requirements-when-leading-change/\" target=\"_blank\">this great post</a> as an intro to the discussion.  Then, join us Tuesday, October 18 at 8 PM ET by going to Twitter and <a title=\"Twitter search for #LeadershipChat\" href=\"http://twitter.com/#%21/search/leadershipchat\" target=\"_blank\">following the hashtag #LeadershipChat on Twitter</a> or on <a title=\"Tweetchat #LeadershipChat\" href=\"http://tweetchat.com/room/leadershipchat\" target=\"_blank\">Tweetchat</a>.  We\'ll be \"discussing\" Leading Change.  What does it take to lead change?  Do you need permission to lead change?  If you\'re not leading change, what are you doing?\n\nWill you join us?  8-9 PM Eastern Time, Tuesday October 18, 2011.', 'Leading Change - LeadershipChat October 18, 2011', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leading-change-leadershipchat-october-18-2011', '', '', '2011-10-17 13:35:29', '2011-10-17 18:35:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5703', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5708, 283, '2011-10-18 09:26:07', '2011-10-18 14:26:07', 'Today’s post on the SmartBlog for Leadership is by Leigh Steere, co-founder of Managing People Better. She unabashedly challenges the status quo. In this article, Leigh observes “the most dangerous stereotypes are the ones we act on without realizing our prejudice. Who are you writing off, consciously or unconsciously?” Please click on the title above to read and share your comments.', 'Straight talk on workplace prejudice', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'straight-talk-on-workplace-prejudice', '', '', '2011-10-18 09:26:07', '2011-10-18 14:26:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5708', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5714, 281, '2011-10-25 06:02:49', '2011-10-25 11:02:49', '\n\nFor just a moment, remember your favorite boss. You know the one you said you would follow anywhere if he or she ever left the company.  The boss for whom you came in early and stayed late for to meet a promised project deadline.  How would you describe his or her overall mood?  How did you feel when you were working for him or her?\n\nNow, remember the boss you would never work for again in a million years.  The boss you worked really hard to avoid being in the same room with for longer than necessary.   The boss you had when hiding under your desk or in your closet was not beneath you.  How would you describe his or her overall mood?  How did you feel when you were around him or her?\n\nSurprised?  Probably not.  Now, here\'s the tough question:\n\nIf I walked in the front door of your office or showed up at your next team meeting, how would I describe the mood of the people who work for you?\n\n<strong>Neural Wi-Fi:  Peas &amp; the Interpersonal Neurobiology of Leadership</strong>\n\nPretend for a moment you are spoon feeding peas to a baby sitting in a high chair.  What do you do?  As you are putting the spoon to her lips, what do you subconsciously do with your mouth (whether you like smooshed peas or not) ... You got it, you  OPEN your mouth and make an aaahhhh sound, in a sometimes desperate attempt to get her to do the same.  Why?  It works most of the time.  Instinct. Mirror neurons.\n\nThe truth is, recent research in brain science proves that for humans (and I\'ll add chimps and horses), emotions are actually contagious because of mirror neurons.  The short explanation is mirror neurons in our brains are responsible for our \"catching\" the mood of other people without realizing it. Add to that fascinating fact that our brains are prediction machines and constantly are making connections to predict the future based on our past experiences.  Your grumpy boss could be in a good mood on Friday, however your brain won\'t realize it and will automatically predict (or believe), he\'s his usually grumpy self.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>E-motion = Energy in Motion</strong></p>\nWhy does this matter for leaders, bosses or other people of influence?  If you can believe that your mood is reflected in the mood of your team, you may or may not like what you see in the \"mirror.\"\n\n<strong>What? ... So What?... NOW WHAT?</strong>\n\nWhile you may read this and understand or you are reading it for the first time and think Wow!  that makes sense, what\'s the \"So What?\"  Understanding is overrated.  It does not automatically lead to action or doing anything differently tomorrow.  Unless you make a commitment to take action and the more accountable you are publicly the greater the odds you harness the action potential of your Aha! moment and transfer it into action.  Feel free to consider using the <em><strong>ACE</strong></em> approach to change:\n\n<strong><em>1.  Awareness:</em></strong>  Notice your mood.  Notice the mood of others.  Label the feeling (without judgement is the key).\n\n<strong><em>2.  Choice:</em></strong>  How do you like what you see in the mirror?  If it\'s what you want, keep going.  If it\'s not what you want, what choices do you have in the moment?\n\n<em><strong>3. Execution:</strong></em>  What is one small action you are willing to take in that moment?  You don\'t have to effect change on anything, just take action to make it different.\n\n<em><strong>4.  Repeat #1</strong></em> What information did you gather?  What choice do you want to make now?  What action will you take next?  Just like directions on shampoo, rinse, lather and repeat.\n\n<strong>Accountability:</strong> What are you willing to do in the next 24 hours to recognize and change the effect you have on the people in your company?  If you have the courage, feel free to post your commitment in the Comment box below.  (If you are not quite that brave, feel free to email me directly.  All responses are strictly confidential!).\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'Leaders: Your emotions are contagious', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-your-emotions-are-contagious', '', '', '2011-10-25 06:02:49', '2011-10-25 11:02:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5714', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5718, 286, '2011-10-21 15:10:54', '2011-10-21 20:10:54', '<em>This post is the fourth in a series <a href=\"../weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">that began here</a> summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership. Through that process, we identified six practices next-generation leaders use to be effective; a new model of leadership we call <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\"><strong>WE</strong>adership</a>, in a nod to its collaborative nature.</em>\n\n______________________________<em></em>\n\n\n<strong>The Speed of Life</strong>\n\nFor today\'s leaders, the speed and intensity of change in the workplace is among the most significant challenges they face.\n\nYesterday\'s successful approaches may not meet the needs of tomorrow\'s customers, employees, or communities. As change occurs, experimentation plays an important role in helping leaders identify new strategies and approaches better suited to emerging demands.\n\n<strong>New Ideas Needed</strong>\n\nMany leaders know they need new ideas and new ideas need testing.\n\nWe found that despite the widespread desire to experiment among leaders and organizations participating in our study, many factors work against trying anything new: risk-averse cultures, resource constraints, incentive systems that favor the status quo or motivate internal competition over collaboration, even just plain inertia.\n\nBut these constraints can be managed and appropriate incentives--from public recognition to financial rewards--can support experimentation and create a desirable balance between tried and true methods and innovation approaches.\n\n<strong>5 Ways Leaders Can Create Space (and Support) for Experimentation</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li><a href=\"http://lifehacker.com/5497057/set-up-your-own-google+style-20+percent-time-to-try-new-projects\">Dedicate staff time and resources</a> to exploring, integrating, and testing new ideas. There are an infinite number of ways this can be structured, but dedicating resources is important because it signals a commitment to innovation.</li>\n	<li>Subject a few existing programs, initiatives, processes, services, or products to close scrutiny to identify needed changes that promise to improve outcomes or increase impact. Make one change. Measure the impact. Repeat.</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.managementexchange.com/video/charlene-li-what-degree-open-are-you\">Manage risk openly</a>. This means talking about failure--and owning it collectively. It also means addressing the risk of <em>not</em> trying new things.</li>\n	<li>Document. Document. Document. With every experiment (or near experiment), there is intelligence gathered beyond the narrow set of data associated with a particular change. Why was a given experiment conceived? What was the theory of change in pursuing it? By making a habit out of asking (and answering) these critical questions, leaders can create opportunities to learn at all levels - this helps make everyone smarter.</li>\n	<li>Opt for boldness (at least sometimes). It\'s easy to get stuck in a series of new small ideas. These are important, but they also tend to be incremental. Leaders can also choose <a href=\"http://nilofermerchant.com/2011/10/07/lesson-of-cezanne-the-upcoming-disruption/\">big bold disruptive ideas</a>. They are higher risk, but extremely motivating. (Who doesn\'t want to change the world?)</li>\n</ol>\nWhat are you waiting for?\n\n_________________________________\n\n<em>Last Week: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/weadership-practice-3-embrace-openness/\">WEadership Practice #3: Embrace Openness\n</a></em>\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #5: Add Unique Value\n</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it (and them) at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>, @kristinwolff, @kollerv.</em>', 'WEadership Practice #4: Encourage Experimentation (and, of course, experiment yourself)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-practice-4-encourage-experimentation-and-of-course-experiment-yourself', '', '', '2011-10-21 15:10:54', '2011-10-21 20:10:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5718', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5725, 273, '2011-10-24 09:45:42', '2011-10-24 14:45:42', 'Guy Harris and I co-authored <a href=\"http://www.frombudtoboss.com/\">From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership</a>, which was released earlier this year. We also host a companion online community —the Bud to Boss Community — designed to help new leaders and supervisors continue their growth as leaders. You might also know that we co-created a 2 day workshop — the Bud to Boss Workshop — that is delivered around the country, both in public settings and inside organizations, in conjunction with our marketing partners, Briefings Media Group.\n\nI want make sure you know about to the newest addition to this growing brand— the first ever national awards program recognizing new leaders, leaders who successfully transition from being a peer to being an effective leader. They are the first Annual Bud to Boss Awards!\n\nGuy Harris and I are the Co-chairs of the Advisory Panel and will lead the selection process (along with our esteemed panel) that will crown winners in 19 industry categories, and ultimately a singular winner next March in Chicago.\n\nWe are excited to announce this, and to encourage you to nominate a new leader who is making a difference and deserves to be recognized (yes, you can self nominate as well).\n\nEvery nominee will receive a number of powerful products (including a copy of <em><strong>From Bud to Boss</strong></em>), valued at $268.95, plus a certificate of recognition for their efforts, learning and success. (There is a fee for the nomination process – but it is far less than the value of these products themselves).\n\nAs nominees progress to win at the industry and overall levels there are significant additional prizes. (All of the details, as well as the nomination form can be found at the <a href=\"http://budtobossawards.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Awards website</a>.)\n\nThe transition to leadership is a challenging and rewarding one. We want to support leaders making that transition, and are already providing resources to new leaders in a variety of ways. The best support though, includes encouragement and recognition, and we believe these new awards provide a wonderful way to make that happen.\n\nI strongly encourage you to nominate those you see as worthy —both in terms of their progress and their effort. They are making an difference, and your recognition will spur them to even greater heights!\n\nLearn more and nominate someone <a href=\"http://budtobossawards.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'A Way to Recognize and Reward Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-way-to-recognize-and-reward-leaders', '', '', '2011-10-24 09:45:42', '2011-10-24 14:45:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5725', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5728, 246, '2011-10-26 06:02:44', '2011-10-26 11:02:44', '<strong>The Emergency Row Announcement</strong>\n\n<strong></strong>I found my seat in row 16. I was right in front of the emergency row. I could hear the flight attendant introducing herself to the six passengers seated in row 17. She explained that they must have chosen the emergency seats on purpose and were prepared to hear her emergency exit announcement.\n\nThen I returned to my reading until I heard her say, \"Sir it seems as if you are more interested in your phone than in what I have to say.\" In his defense, he said that he had heard the announcement hundreds of time before.\n\nThe attendant walked away and minutes later another attendant appeared and tells the man, \"We are asking you to be respectful and to listen when we speak,\" and she walked away.\n\n<strong>The Analysis</strong>\n\nAs I sat there, I reflected on the events that had just transpired. This man has now been shunned in front of at least 30 passengers. I may have at one time or another been guilty of not listening to a general announcement myself... Would I like to be shunned in front of passengers and the cabin crew? Definitely not. Was the man acting maliciously? Probably not.\n\n<strong>The Redo: How to Get it Right</strong>\n\nI like the redo technique. It allows me to revisit events to see how they might have turned out if people behaved differently. Here goes...\n<blockquote>I found my seat in row 16. I was right in front of the emergency row. I could hear the flight attendant introducing herself enthusiastically to all the passengers seated in row 17. Her voice and eye contact gained their attention immediately. She politely and respectfully asked all six passengers for their full attention for the next 1 minute to hear her important life and death instructions, even though they may have heard them hundreds of times before. She guaranteed them that her delivery would indeed be unique! The six passengers, as well as the neighboring passengers were drawn in with her energy and enthusiasm. They could not help but listen and watch. After her short announcement, she thanked them for their attention and made eye contact with each passenger as she wished them an enjoyable flight.</blockquote>\n<strong>Why was he disengaged?</strong>\n\nThat passenger was disengaged, but so was the flight attendant. She assumed the worst. Instead she could have:\n1. Engaged him from the start by gaining his attention with her passion, energy, and human contact\n2. Set her expectations immediately by sharing what she needed from him and in what time delay\n3. Shown genuine respect for him, so that he could reciprocate that respect\n4. Avoided the public ridicule by doing 1 through 3.\n\nAre you conveying passion, energy, and enthusiasm for your work and your people? Are you setting the right expectations and giving respect first?\n<blockquote><em>\"When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.\"</em> Arapaho Proverb</blockquote>', 'How to Reengage the Disengaged', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-reengage-the-disengaged', '', '', '2011-10-26 06:02:44', '2011-10-26 11:02:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5728', 0, 'post', '', 10);
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(5732, 258, '2011-10-27 06:00:57', '2011-10-27 11:00:57', '\n\nA long time ago, say 500 BCish, there was a mathematical society known as the Pythagoreans, with Pythagorus (of Pythagorean Theorem fame) as the front man.  The society was a combination of intellectual study and religious belief and most people of the time really didn’t understand much about their ideas.  The impact of this work however is pretty significant.  It is a rare soul that has not at least heard of \'a\' squared plus \'b\' squared equals \'c\' squared.\n\nFast forward to the 1980s and you find a little known mathematician, Benoit Mandelbrot publishing work regarding something called fractals.  At the time most people didn’t really understand much about his ideas, but today the mathematics is used in such diverse fields as geology, medicine, cosmology and engineering.<em>  </em>The impact of this work is pretty significant, as it is a rare soul that hasn’t at least heard of the Butterfly Effect.\n\nA few weeks ago a friend, Erin Schreyer, mentioned the Butterfly Effect, and I have been thinking on how I might write about this important and beautiful mathematical phenomena.  The Butterfly Effect is a mathematically grounded theory that small changes in a system can make really significant differences. The flap of a butterfly’s wings in China can result in a hurricane in Florida.  A simple kind word can change someone’s life.\n\nI didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go with this idea.  The math teacher in me was longing to talk about the math, but it’s been done.  If you are interested, try James Gleick’s <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Making-Science-James-Gleick/dp/0143113453\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Chaos:  Making a New Science</em>. </a> It’s terrific, even for those not particularly excited by mathematics.   Then I stumbled on a little book that discusses the idea in life, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Effect-Your-Life-Matters/dp/1404187804\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Butterfly Effect:  How your Life Matters</em></a> by Andy Andrews.  He talks about how little decisions can have significant effects, the crux of the Butterfly Effect that Erin mentioned.\n\nSo I was stymied and thought, really I don’t have anything new to say about this.  And then I had a conversation with a friend.  He is a leader in my community, and he is thinking about taking a new job.  He is worried of course.  Is it the right thing for him?  Is it the right thing for his family, in particular, his 8<sup>th</sup> grade son who would be forced to attend a new school next year?   He mentioned that he is excited by the challenges of a new job, but he is worried about the impact it would have as well.   This is a pretty big change, and it is likely to make a significant impact.\n\nAs I was talking to my friend, I realized that leaders in our communities are all faced with similar choices, the idea that small changes in their operations can have significant impacts on worker productivity, the bottom line, or any number of other variables.  Hence their efforts to make such decisions carefully.  Given the seemingly broad possible impacts, it’s a wonder they make change at all.  But they must and they do, and sometimes those small changes rock the boat pretty hard.\n\nSo since change is inevitable and in fact desirable, the only remaining question seems not <strong>if</strong>, but rather <strong>how</strong> do we make the decisions about change?  I think there are lots of possible answers and we could discuss this, but I’m really interested in proposing a question based on the premise of the Lead Change group.  The Lead Change group’s premise is simple: Make a positive difference (or lead change) through character-based leadership.\n\nWhat if that’s the little change you made and nothing else?  What if you viewed every leadership decision through the lens of character.  When I suggest this, I am not even really sure what that might mean to you.  From the outside, in our diverse and fast-paced society, most people might not really understand much about your idea of leading with character.  But down the road, your little wing flap could make a really significant difference.  In a few years, it might be a rare soul that has not heard the phrase Character-Based Leadership.\n\nPythagorus’ little theorem became a really big deal through the power of Mandelbrot’s Butterfly Effect.  I am not sure either of these men really knew what a big deal they had developed, but years later they have changed how we view the world and our lives.  Now the Lead Change group is trying to make a little change in the big idea of leadership.  I am not sure what the impact will be, as it’s just a little step.\n\nWhat does leading with character mean to you?\n\nLittle step.  Flap, flap.', 'Causing a Flap', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'causing-a-flap', '', '', '2011-10-27 06:00:57', '2011-10-27 11:00:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5732', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5741, 286, '2011-10-28 06:14:55', '2011-10-28 11:14:55', '<em>This post is the fifth in a series <a href=\"../weadership-workforce-leaders-remaking-policy-redefining-what-it-means-to-lead/\">that began here</a> summarizing the findings of a one-year study of workforce leadership. Through that process, we identified six practices next-generation leaders use to be effective; a new model of leadership we call <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\"><strong>WE</strong>adership</a>, in a nod to its collaborative nature.</em>\n\n_________________\n<h2>What business are you in?</h2>\nIt\'s rarely as simple a question as it seems. Remember the vendors who thought they were in the ice business but were eclipsed by <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator\">Frigidaire</a>?\n\nWorkforce leaders in government agencies, nonprofit organizations or private-sector firms struggle with this question every day as they seek to grow jobs and build prosperity in their communities.\n<h2>What does it mean to work on \"jobs?\"</h2>\nPart of the reason the jobs agenda is so difficult to solve is that <a href=\"http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/0902/Unemployment-Inc.-Six-reasons-why-America-can-t-create-jobs\" target=\"_blank\">it’s not one problem</a>. Most communities face some combination of the following:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.nelp.org/goodjobsdeficit\">Too few jobs</a> (especially those offering health insurance and family-sustaining wages)</li>\n	<li>Skills gaps among applicants competing for good jobs that do exist and those in emerging industries</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.epi.org/publication/bp258/\">Young workers</a> having difficulty making the leap from job to career (or from school to job)</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr617&amp;sd=1%2f26%2f2011&amp;ed=1%2f26%2f2011&amp;siteid=cbpr&amp;sc_cmp1=cb_pr617_\">Older experienced workers</a> who cannot afford to retire or simply want to remain engaged but in different roles than they play today</li>\n	<li>Labor markets that lack transparency (e.g., applicants submit hundreds of resumes into \"<a href=\"http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2009/07/27/job-seekers-want-to-know/\">black holes</a>\")</li>\n	<li>Persistent <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/the-5-most-astounding-facts-from-the-census-poverty-report/245023/\">poverty</a>, especially among communities of color, which limits access to job opportunities and to the social networks that help people advance</li>\n	<li>Overcrowded and underfunded <a href=\"http://www.ncef.org/pubs/educationaltrends.pdf\">public schools</a> and <a href=\"http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct1209/front.shtml\">institutions of higher education</a> struggle to cultivate the talents of <em>all</em> of their students</li>\n	<li>Ongoing economic shocks—not just unanticipated layoffs, but also natural and weather-related disasters of which there have been <a href=\"http://www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema\">83 in 2011</a> (a record high in any calendar year)</li>\n</ul>\n<strong></strong>These challenges are not for the faint of heart, and cannot be solved by a single leader, organization or sector. But they are among the defining challenges of our day. And courageous leaders in public, private, non-profit, and civic sectors all over the country are quietly stepping forward to tackle them—increasingly, in partnership with one another.\n<h2>How do effective leaders insure they are making a difference?</h2>\nThe <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/about-us\">519 leaders</a> who participated in our study—ranging from mayors and state legislators to nonprofit and corporate executives—offered the following lessons:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Do work that matters.</strong> There are a plethora of strategies and approaches for cultivating prosperous families, firms, and communities. And yet, many struggle. If the status quo is not working, effective workforce leaders champion change. They actively seek to understand which problems matter most in their communities and focus on solutions that hold the greatest promise.</li>\n	<li><strong>Do work you do well or could learn to do well.</strong> There is much work to do, but effective workforce leaders are choosy. They resist the temptation to \"do it all\" and find ways to apply their individual and organizational strengths while leveraging the contributions of others.</li>\n	<li><strong>Measure what matters most</strong> (and share credit for success). Measuring the impact of community change efforts in complex and difficult, but effective leaders invest measurement systems that tell them something about impact, even if imperfectly and even if funders don\'t require it.</li>\n</ol>\nThese leaders we engaged assess their assets relative to community needs not once, but over and over again. The specific value they bring changes with time and circumstances but their contributions remain special and significant.\n\nAre you doing work that really matters? How do you know?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © jjayo - Fotolia.com</span>\n\n________________\n\n<em>Last Week: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/weadership-practice-4-encourage-experimentation-and-of-course-experiment-yourself/\">WEadership Practice #4: Encourage Experimentation\n</a></em>\n\n<em>Next Week: WEadership Practice #6: Cultivate Next Generation Leaders\n</em>\n\n<em>Kristin Wolff and Vinz Koller, of <a href=\"http://spra.com/\">Social Policy Research Associates</a>, authored the <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/WeadershipGuide\">WEadership Guide</a> (August 2011), the result of a one-year <a href=\"https://enhancingworkforceleadership.workforce3one.org/\">US Department of Labor study of leadership</a> in the field of public policy concerned with work and learning. They were thrilled at the opportunity to link their professional pursuits (public policy) with their personal commitments to positive social change and innovation, and look to increase, accelerate, and intensify these connections within the field of workforce in the coming months. The entire project is documented at <a href=\"http://enhancingworkforceleadership.org/\">EnhacingWorkforceLeadership.org</a>. Follow it (and them) at @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/#%21/WFLeadership\">WFLeadership</a>, @kristinwolff, @kollerv.</em>', 'WEadership Practice #5: Add Unique Value', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'weadership-practice-5-add-unique-value', '', '', '2011-10-28 06:14:55', '2011-10-28 11:14:55', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5741', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5745, 270, '2011-11-01 06:00:10', '2011-11-01 11:00:10', '\n\nEarlier this month I read two articles in the same week that emphasized <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the same</span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ingredient</span> in highly effective organizations.   <strong>Both articles reminded me of something Winston Churchill said, “<em>We occasionally stumble over the TRUTH but most of us pick ourselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”</em></strong>   By connecting-the-dots between these two articles I hope you will pause long enough to let the simplicity of that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">one</span> ingredient sink in.\n\nThe first article was a New York Times interview with Joseph Jimenez the chief executive of Novartis, titled <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/business/joseph-jimenez-of-novartis-on-finding-the-core-of-a-problem.html?pagewanted=all\"><strong>Fix the Problem, and Not Just the Symptoms</strong></a><strong> </strong>by <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/adam_bryant/index.html\">Adam Bryant</a>. <strong>Joseph’s opening comments are about the most valuable leadership lesson he’s learned: </strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>It started when he was brought in to turn an organization around and after several months of missing their forecast he hired a behavioral psychologist.</li>\n	<li><strong>Her diagnosis, “</strong><em><strong>This isn\'t about skills or about process.  You have a fundamental behavioral issue in the organization.  People aren’t telling the TRUTH.</strong> </em><em>So at all levels of the organization, they’ll come together, and they’ll say, ‘Here’s our forecast for the month.’  And they won’t believe it.  They know they’re not going to hit it when they’re saying it.”</em><em>  </em></li>\n	<li><strong>His lesson? </strong> “B<em>ehavior is a function of consequence.  <strong>We had to change the behavior in the organization so that people felt safe to bring bad news.</strong> And I looked in the mirror, and I realized I was part of the problem.  I didn’t want to hear the bad news, either. So I had to change how I behaved, and start to thank people for bringing me bad news.”</em></li>\n</ul>\nThe second was a SmartBlog Leadership article by <a href=\"http://reclaimingleadership.com/dana-theus/\">Dana Theus</a>, titled <strong><a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/10/10/is-your-ego-in-the-way-of-your-success-your-people-might-think-so/\">Is your ego in the way of your success?  (Your people might think so)</a>.  </strong><strong>Dana’s article contains some powerful data about the effectiveness of organizations where employees were afraid to speak up: </strong>\n<ul>\n	<li><em><strong>Companies whose employees were afraid to speak up suffered 5.8% lower total shareholder return</strong> than those with cultures that encouraged open communications.</em></li>\n	<li><strong><em>Where fear was more prevalent, fraud and misconduct were higher.</em></strong></li>\n	<li><em>59% of companies surveyed said that $1 million worth of harm would have to be at stake for employees to share honest negative feedback (29% said $10 million).</em></li>\n	<li><em><strong>Many people report that being penalized for speaking their TRUTH made them quit or seek employment elsewhere.</strong> Speaking TRUTH isn’t just another career skill — like negotiating a salary package — it really hits people at their core and is related to feeling like they’re being true to themselves as human beings.</em></li>\n</ul>\n<strong>So how is your organization?  …Do you have the ingredient to organizational effectiveness?  </strong>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">“It <em>takes</em> two to <em>speak truth</em>, <em>one to speak</em> and <em>another</em> to <em>hear</em>.”</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Henry David Thoreau</p>', 'Connecting-The-Dots:  TRUTH Matters', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'connecting-the-dots-truth-matters', '', '', '2011-11-01 06:00:10', '2011-11-01 11:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5745', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(5750, 279, '2011-11-09 06:02:30', '2011-11-09 12:02:30', '\n\n<strong><em>\"An experience I will have for the rest of my life.  The workshop took me to places mentally and physically that I never thought I could reach, but they never broke me…just made be stronger.\"</em></strong>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<strong><em>\"You will do things you never did before with people you never met.  But it’s an experience you will never forget.\"</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>\"It was the best training that I have ever been to.  It will challenge you and you will grow.\"</em></strong>\n\n<strong>\"<em>I have been trying to get to this training for the past two years.  I wish that I would have made it here earlier.  This training will make you look deep into your past, present, and future.  It will challenge you.  It will give you the wings to soar with the eagles.  Come and bring everyone you know.  Be prepared to grow.\"</em></strong>\n\n<strong><em>\"This seminar helped me to focus on the most important part of my leadership equation – me.  To realize my values and to begin establishing a way to create my own leadership style based on my passions, and communicate them to those I am surrounded by.\"</em></strong>\n\nCertified facilitators of <a title=\"Leadership Challenge\" href=\"http://www.leadershipchallenge.com\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Leadership Challenge</em></a> and other leadership development workshops have likely received comments such as these from participants. What makes these comments different is that these participants literally climbed, swung, stepped, and leaped beyond their comfort zone. And so did I.\n\nAs part of my certified master facilitator development plan for <em>The Leadership Challenge</em>, I chose to challenge myself in the same way we ask participants to challenge themselves – mentally, emotionally, and physically. A co-facilitator with my Certified Master Mentor Steve Houchin of <a title=\"ILA\" href=\"http://www.i-lead.com/\" target=\"_blank\">International Leadership Associates</a>, I spent four days at <a title=\"Camp Joy\" href=\"http://www.camp-joy.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Camp Joy</a> Outdoor Education Center in Ohio co-facilitating <em>The Leadership Challenge Workshop</em> for leaders from Kroger Manufacturing – four days I will never forget.\n\nI was going to push myself to the “edge of my comfort zone,” as Steve put it. I had finished six marathons so how big of a deal could the physical challenges be… a mistaken assumption on my part.\n\nMy first “incident report” came from an unexpected body slam during the “Nitro Crossing” while I was photographing the experience -- no harm done. I wasn’t deterred from my ultimate goals – the high ropes course and the pamper pole. I had something to prove to myself, and nothing was going to keep me from those experiences. We’ve all seen our share of obstacles, and these activities were tangible proof that we are stronger than the limitations in our minds.\n\nOn to the high ropes course. Steve helped me determine which ones would be appropriate, given the fact that I was having a lower back procedure in two weeks. I completed three elements on the course, among my greatest achievements. My second “incident report”:  I experienced “cable burn” with an abrasion and bone bruise ... battle scars I\'m proud to say stay with me today. I hold the dubious honor of being the only facilitator to “earn” two incident reports during the same stay – my claim to fame at Camp Joy.\n\nThe culmination of our four days together is the Pamper Pole. A telephone pole that one can climb to the height of their choosing, and decide how to make the leap of faith. Prior to the Pamper Pole, participants make a commitment statement that answers the questions: What fear or doubt will they leave behind? What strength will replace that fear or doubt? How can the rest of the group support us in our climb to the top of the Pamper Pole?\n\nThis activity reminded me of one of my favorite quotes: <em><strong>“Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew.”</strong></em> - Guillaume Apollinaire\n\nEach of us shared what held us back, what will move us forward, and what support we needed. As leaders, many of us (myself included) are reluctant to tap into our personal support systems, for various reasons. I made my commitment statement, climbed to the top of the pole, sat on the edge, and “flew.” I held back my tears, at least until no one was around to see them.\n\nThe comments from the participants sum up the experience better than I can. No matter what the environment of <em>The Leadership Challenge Workshop</em> – inside or outside – the outcomes speak for themselves. <em>The Leadership Challenge</em> -- or any leadership development program -- is not just a “flavor of the month” training that one takes and puts on the shelf, never to be reviewed again. The experience changes lives for the better -- for facilitators and participants.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>This post originally appeared on The Leadership Challenge\'s <a title=\"Leadertalk Blog\" href=\"http://leadershipchallenge.typepad.com/leadership_challenge/2011/10/take-it-outside-an-outdoor-leadership-challenge-experience.html\"><em>LeaderTalk blog</em></a>.</em>\n\n</div>\n</div>', 'Take It Outside: An Outdoor Leadership Challenge Experience', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'take-it-outside-an-outdoor-leadership-challenge-experience', '', '', '2011-11-09 06:02:30', '2011-11-09 12:02:30', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5750', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5753, 246, '2011-11-03 06:03:18', '2011-11-03 11:03:18', 'Every passenger wants to be treated like a first class passenger and that is exactly what Porter does - their moto... Flying Refined.\n\n<strong>Porter\'s Success</strong>\n\nI was deep into my work as I noticed the snack and beverage cart from the corner of my eye.  I was aware of it but not ready to disengage from my work. Then the Porter flight attendant slowly bent down to my level, turned her face directly in line with mine, made intense eye contact, smiled, and asked me if I would like a snack.  Her approach was intense but consistent with every passenger as if she was memorizing their faces.\n\nThat night as I was driving in the cab towards my hotel, I thought of her approach and how <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/how-to-reengage-the-disengaged/\" target=\"_blank\">different it was from the experience I had last week with a different airline</a>. Shockingly different.  She treated every passenger with the respect and attention they deserved... And her approach was memorable.\n\nAs I flew home the next day, I was again deeply entranced in my reading when the same flight attendant greeted my gaze. We both stopped and she said, \"Hi you were on the late flight last night!\" I knew it, she *did* memorize faces.\n\nI felt special. Of course I did! The experience confirmed my preferred airline selection... Because of their on time performance, ease of travel, comfortable and refined flying, but most importantly the respect that I feel from each of the staff I have encountered since I started flying with Porter.\n\nPeople will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou\n\nYes, engaged employees DO created engaged (and loyal) clients!\n\nAs leaders, what are you doing to engage your staff. How will you ensure that they are engaged when you are not there?\n\n<strong>Happy 5th Birthday, Porter! And congratulations on serving your five millionth passenger.</strong>\n\n(The airline turned five on October 23, the day before my birthday, which makes flying porter that much more special.)\n\n<strong>Note:</strong> I wrote this post on the flight.  When I got home I found a perfect little package waiting for me from Porter.\n\nDear Sonia,\n\nAs we celebrate our fifth year of service on October 23rd, I\'d like to express my sincere appreciation for your continued patronage of Porter. As one of our most frequent customers, it is my hope that you will continue to fly with us for years to come... (they gave me a coupon code for 50% off and a beautiful handcrafted luggage tag).\n\nWe are an airline driven to provide exceptional service, and recognizing our frequent travelers is very important to us. Please accept these gifts as a token of our thanks for every mile you\'ve flown with us.\n\nSincerely,\n\nRobert Deluce\nPresident and Chief Executive Officer\n\n----------------\n\nOne word. WOW.', 'Sequel: How Engaged Employees Create Engaged Clients', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sequel-how-engaged-employees-create-engaged-clients', '', '', '2011-11-03 06:03:18', '2011-11-03 11:03:18', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5753', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5757, 243, '2011-11-02 06:01:34', '2011-11-02 11:01:34', '<em>Today’s guest post is by Mike Figliuolo, (@thoughtLEADERS) the author of One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (<a href=\"http://bit.ly/mrWEAn\">you can get your copy by clicking here</a>).  You can learn more about Mike and his book at the end of the post.  Here’s Mike:</em>\n\nI hate the use of the word “just” in front of anyone’s title.\n\n“He’s <em>just</em> an analyst.”\n\n“She’s <em>just</em> a cafeteria worker.”\n\n“I’m <em>just</em> an administrative assistant.”\n\nNo one is <em>just</em> anything. The phrase is demeaning and pejorative. We’re <em>all </em>people – we happen to have different responsibilities.\n\nThe connotation of <em>just</em> is that someone is worth less than someone else. As if that <em>just </em>someone has a defect. One of the most powerful leadership skills I’ve seen and used is valuing everyone’s contributions equally.\n\nHow do you do that? Simple – treat everyone like a person and an equal first and foremost. The work sorts itself out in the end.  As I discuss in my leadership book <a href=\"http://bit.ly/mrWEAn\">One Piece of Paper</a>, knowing and treating your people as individuals is one of the most critical leadership skills out there. When you treat them like individuals, they tend to trust you more.  While you might think your people trust you, if you don’t have that close relationship with them, they probably don’t (and if you’d like to do a quick gut check, take the Trusted Leader Assessment).\n\nYou must know and treat those around you as individuals.\n\nFor example, I walked by a Senior Vice President’s office one day. I knew his assistant – she was a wonderful lady. We got to talking and she mentioned a problem she saw regarding how assistants were paid. I told her “You see it, you own it. Raise the issue and see if you can get it fixed.”\n\n“But I’m <em>just</em> an admin.”I promptly and pointedly corrected her. “No. You’re an admin for a senior vice president. The word <em>‘just’ </em>is not in your job description. You know what’s wrong. You know who can fix it and what the right answer is. The thing is, if you act like you don’t deserve a seat at the table, you’ll never get one.”\n\nLater that day, she raised the issue with the SVP. He was completely unaware the problem existed. Needless to say, said admin led the team that eventually put the fix in place.\n\nJust is a simple yet incredibly damaging word. If you find yourself using it in the context of your own title, make a conscious effort to stop. All you’re doing is devaluing yourself.\n\nMore important, take off the lens of <em>just</em> when you look at others. Example: he’s not <em>just </em>a cafeteria worker… His name is Angel and he’s a great guy who always has a smile on. He reliably fills the coffee machine every day and takes great pride in his work. He is polite and customer focused. He makes a great grilled provolone on white sandwich (my comfort food). Maybe you should take a moment to get to know him.\n\nIt’s funny – once you remove the <em>just </em>blinders, you learn things. I don’t see <em>just</em> a cafeteria worker. I see Angel – the model of customer service. I wish I had 300 of him working in my customer service call centers. If I did, I’d never have a customer service issue that wasn’t solved quickly, politely and correctly.\n\nThere’s a side benefit to this approach – people will see how you treat others and decide whether they want to work for you or not. If they see you act high and mighty because everyone is <em>just</em> beneath you, you’re going to have a hard time building a following. Conversely, if people see you treat everyone around you with dignity and respect, they’ll at least consider following you and give you the benefit of the doubt in your interactions with them.\n\n<em>Just</em> is a poisonous word in the context of people. Make it go away.\n\n<em>-   Mike Figliuolo is the author of <a href=\"http://www.onepieceofpaper.com/\">One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership</a> (<a href=\"http://j.mp/uuMfUv\">you can get your copy by clicking here</a>).  He’s the managing director of <a href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/\">thoughtLEADERS, LLC</a> – a leadership development firm.  An Honor Graduate from West Point, he served in the U.S. Army as a combat arms officer. Before founding his own company, he was an assistant professor at Duke University, a consultant at McKinsey &amp; Co., and an executive at Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro.  He regularly writes about leadership on <a href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/blog\">the thoughtLEADERS Blog</a>.</em>\n\n<span style=\"font-size:xx-small;\">Photo © RookCreations - Fotolia.com</span>', 'One Word Leaders Should Never Use', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'one-word-leaders-should-never-use', '', '', '2011-11-02 06:01:34', '2011-11-02 11:01:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5757', 0, 'post', '', 10),
(5759, 243, '2011-11-02 13:16:53', '2011-11-02 18:16:53', '<em>Today, I have the opportunity to interview Mike Figliuolo (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/thoughtleaders\">@thoughtLEADERS</a>) Managing Director of <a href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/\">thoughtLEADERS LLC</a>.  Mike was recently named the Columbus, Ohio Small Business Leader of the Year for 2010 and just released <a title=\"One Piece of Paper at Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\">One Piece of Paper, The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership</a>. </em>\n\n<em>Henry – Mike, thanks for doing this interview.  Could you share a bit about your business, focus and practice?</em>\n\n<em><a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mike-Figliuolo-Headshot-300dpi-2x3-RGB.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5761\" title=\"Mike Figliuolo Headshot 300dpi 2x3 RGB\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Mike-Figliuolo-Headshot-300dpi-2x3-RGB-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Figliuolo | Lead Change Group\" width=\"159\" height=\"239\" /></a>Figliuolo</em> - thoughtLEADERS is a leadership development training firm.  We’re different because all our instructors are practitioners of what we teach.  No one is a career trainer – we work in companies large and small and apply the methods we teach every day.  We work primarily with Fortune 500 companies and teach courses on leadership, communication, decision making, problem solving, innovation, strategy, and other critical business skills.  We work at all levels of the organization from individual contributors (analysts, project managers, etc.) up to the C-suite.  Our clients cut across industries and functions – healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing, etc.\n\n<em>Henry – What made you decide to take thoughtLEADERS in the direction you did?</em>\n\n<em>Figliuolo</em> - We build our business based on our client needs.  We create new courses when we identify a problem that several of our clients have.  Over time, that approach has dictated which courses we should deliver and what kind of instructor to add to our team.  It’s a constantly evolving process for us and we’ve found that taking the approach of “client first” with a dash of pragmatism has driven great partnerships with our clients and classroom participants.\n\n<em>Henry – Where did the idea for <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\">One Piece of Paper</a> come from?\n</em>\n\n<em>Figliuolo - </em>The book is based on our Leadership Maxims training course that I’ve taught for several years.  The course is designed to help leaders articulate and clarify their personal leadership philosophy.  The leaders clarity removes uncertainty about how a<em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-5760 alignleft\" title=\"20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e1307444567547\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/20110528-One-Piece-of-Paper-Cover-Small-e13074445675471.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"159\" height=\"238\" /></a></em> leader will act and it gives the team clarity.  Team clarity forms the foundation of trust between the leader and the led.  The book was born from that method.  Essentially One Piece of Paper takes the classroom method, expands upon it, and makes it accessible to any reader such that the reader can articulate their own leadership philosophy by following the method outlined in the book.\n\nIf you follow the method outlined in One Piece of Paper, you’ll have a better sense of who you are and who you want to be as a leader.  You’ll set your own personal rules of conduct and behavior and do so through a set of easy-to-remember maxims (rules).  When you do this, you’ll achieve the authenticity so many leaders seek because the method in One Piece of Paper is inherently about sharing your personal story and how it impacts the way you want to lead.  You’ll find that after articulating your leadership philosophy and sharing it with your team the bonds of trust and clear expectations will improve both your performance and the performance of members of your team.\n\n<em>Henry – What’s the purpose or importance of the maxims?  Why not just write out your story and remember that?</em>\n\n<em>Figliuolo</em> - Think of a maxim as a trigger.  When you hear that phrase, image, lyric or quote, it should evoke the story in your mind and in your gut.  It’s not practical to walk around with a sixteen-page document that lists out and explains all your stories.  People won’t read it (nor will you).  If instead you have a single page you can tack up on your wall and those short quotes/sayings/images on that page can remind you of your stories, you’re much more likely to use your leadership philosophy more regularly.  It is that regularity that will ultimately lead to behavior change.\n\n<em>Henry – We also have several would-be authors who check in here from time to time.  Any advice on writing a book you’d care to share?</em>\n\n<em>Figliuolo</em> - If you’re thinking about writing a book, first realize you need to do it because you love it – not because you want to make a lot of money.  Writing is a labor of love.  You must also be open to very critical feedback and guidance.  Sometimes it’s hard to let go of something you believe to be right but in doing so, you’ll find you end up with a much better product.  If you’re wondering whether to self-publish or work with a publisher, I’d advise seeking out the latter.  The feedback and assistance I received in crystallizing my ideas and presenting them in a compelling way was the most powerful part of the process (and that’s something you won’t necessarily get with self-publishing).\n\n<em>Thanks Mike for sharing your time and this information with us.  Please take a minute and connect with Mike Figliuolo at <a href=\"http://thoughtleadersllc.com/\">The thoughtLEADERS LLC website</a> or <a href=\"http://twitter.com/thoughtleaders\">@thoughtLEADERS</a> on Twitter and also check out <a title=\"One Piece of Paper at Amazon.com\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118049594/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=1118049594\">One Piece of Paper, The simple approach to powerful, personal leadership</a>.</em>', 'Interview with Mike Figliuolo of thoughtLEADERS LLC', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'interview-with-mike-figliuolo-of-thoughtleaders-llc', '', '', '2011-11-02 13:16:53', '2011-11-02 18:16:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5759', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5764, 288, '2011-11-08 06:02:02', '2011-11-08 12:02:02', 'Good leadership is dependent on good communication. While someone might feel perfectly at ease speaking to a room full of people, his or her presentation skills are what really distinguish a good leader.  We all know the feeling of sitting through a long and dull presentation: our attention and interest for the subject matter get lost, and sometimes we forget everything we learned shortly after. The key here is to tailor presentations for <em>audience engagement</em>.\n\nWhether your goal is <a href=\"http://www.dalecarnegie.com/events/individuals/\">professional development</a>, corporate training, or leadership improvement, here are some ways to create engaging presentations:\n<ol>\n	<li>Your voice, face and body language should tell your participants that this is a conversation: you want questions and responses.</li>\n	<li>Make eye contact so people feel you are communicating with them.</li>\n	<li>Prepare questions in advance to stimulate thinking, create interest and add value.</li>\n	<li>Try to put your information into questions so that participants are required to think about or respond to the material. Note, we don’t always have to know the answer. Sometimes, it is appropriate to offer to find the answer and get back to them or to turn the question back to the group for ideas.</li>\n	<li>Give people time to think. After asking a question, don’t rush to fill the silence.</li>\n	<li>Acknowledge questions in your response, instead of grading them by saying, “That’s a good question.” A better reply would be, “So if I understand your question, you’re asking…”</li>\n	<li>Ask open-ended questions. Unless you are testing participant knowledge, don’t ask questions that have only one correct answer.</li>\n	<li>Be prepared to drop your agenda to focus on hot buttons for the group.</li>\n	<li>Always listen carefully to ensure you understand the full picture. Often presenters listen selectively for expected responses and miss key points.</li>\n	<li>Leave the group with a memorable idea, like a question or a call to action. Giving them something to further consider will extend the meaning and memorability of the presentation.</li>\n</ol>\nLet’s be realistic here: Not all presentations are exciting. But trying these suggestions will help create a moment that won’t be forgotten before the next visit to the water cooler. There are many more techniques than we have listed here. What techniques do you use for engaging presentations? Join the conversation and let us know with a comment.', '10 Tips to Create Engaging Presentations', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'tips-create-engaging-presentations', '', '', '2011-11-08 06:02:02', '2011-11-08 12:02:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5764', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(5772, 243, '2011-10-31 14:31:02', '2011-10-31 19:31:02', 'Susan Mazza (<a href=\"http://twitter.com/susanmazza\" title=\"Susan Mazza on Twitter\">@SusanMazza</a>, <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com\">web</a>) posted some great meeting tips over at Random Acts of Leadership Sunday.  In her post titled Meetings Don\'t Have to Suck, she offered 3 keys to help you get the most out of any meeting. Of interest: #3 is a reminder to only speak if what you\'re going to say will make a difference?  I wonder how many meetings would end sooner if people only spoke to make a positive difference?  Take a minute and sharpen your own meeting skills!', 'Meetings Don&#039;t Have to Suck by Susan Mazza', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'meetings-dont-have-to-suck-susan-mazza', '', '', '2011-10-31 14:31:02', '2011-10-31 19:31:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5772', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5776, 243, '2011-10-30 16:51:14', '2011-10-30 21:51:14', 'We recently wrote about 3 changing trends and 3 continuing trends in leadership development in a post titled <a title=\"6 Future Trends of Leadership Development\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/6-future-trends-of-leadership-development/\">6 Future Trends of Leadership Development</a>.  In light of those trends, I’d now like to suggest several actions we should take (or stop taking) in light of these trends.\n<h2>Personal and Individual</h2>\nTrends 1 and 2 were that leadership development will become more personal and internal. Individuals will control the topics, pace and budget of leadership development.  How should we as developers respond?\n<h2>7 Responses</h2>\n<ol>\n	<li>Credibility and trust are keys.  We must do things to build credibility and make it easy for individuals to trust us.</li>\n	<li>Old-style “push” self-promotion won’t work.  Neither will interruption marketing.  Our reputation and our certifications may have given us credibility with organizations.  They won’t impress nearly as much with individuals.  We must engage and connect.</li>\n	<li>Our credibility must be open and personal.  We may engage and connect easier than ever online.  But once we begin to do that, we must “be there” regularly and be interested in something larger than just our own content and our own “stuff.”</li>\n	<li>We must share ideas to build credibility.  Sharing is the new advertising.</li>\n	<li>Your ideas must be good.  Check out <a href=\"http://gapingvoid.com/2009/04/07/mediocrity-now-howls-in-protest-2/\">this cartoon</a> by Hugh MacLeod.</li>\n	<li>Practical is the new “white.”  If nothing else, make your ideas practical. Like a white shirt, practical ideas “go” with anything.</li>\n	<li>Do, Evaluate, Adjust, Repeat.   Iterative learning increases the speed of growth.  The faster you Do, Evaluate, Adjust, Repeat, the faster you grow.</li>\n</ol>\nIn our next post, we’ll discuss how to make your credibility more practical and applicable in your local community.  It’s rare to develop leaders you have never met.  Because of the ways we spend our time, local credibility is key to maximizing impact.  There are several new responses to this individual, personal, practical approach to leadership development that apply in your local calling area that we can discuss in our next post.\n<h2>Open Discussion</h2>\nFor today, how else can you respond as a leadership developer in this age of individual, personal, practical leadership development?  Do you have other ideas you can share with the community?  Let’s see if we can share 50 other ideas of how to build credibility and trust in the comments below?  Care to share with us?\n\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">Photo © milphoto - Fotolia.com</span>', '7 Responses to the Future of Leadership Development', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '7-responses-to-the-future-of-leadership-development', '', '', '2011-10-30 16:51:14', '2011-10-30 21:51:14', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5776', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(5782, 283, '2011-11-01 11:30:57', '2011-11-01 16:30:57', 'Today\'s SmartBlog for Leadership post is by Christina Haxton, who combines psychology with humor and brain science to enable newly promoted executives to harness the power of their potential to become authentic and sustainable leaders. <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/11/01/effective-leadership-begins-with-professional-intimacy/\">\"Effective Leadership Begins with Professional Intimacy\"</a> discusses three-step process in which you can become a more sustainable, resilient leader while building trust.', 'Effective leadership begins with professional intimacy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'effective-leadership-begins-with-professional-intimacy', '', '', '2011-11-01 11:30:57', '2011-11-01 16:30:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5782', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5784, 248, '2011-11-07 06:00:16', '2011-11-07 12:00:16', 'I recently attended a <a href=\"http://rypple.com/webinars\">Rypple webinar</a> led by John Baldoni. In it he said, \"Leadership is a choice.\" It’s a seemingly obvious conclusion. However, there are layers of meaning to John’s statement that proved to me to be quite compelling.\n\nToo often we work with leaders who never made the choice. They merely act a part but forget to choose the work of leadership. For if they had chosen, they\'d realize that leadership isn\'t about:\n<ul>\n<ul>\n	<li>needing to be first, or placing themselves at the center of the team;</li>\n	<li>needing to be right to look good or appear in control;</li>\n	<li>needing to be seen; or</li>\n	<li>being overlooked for their hard work.</li>\n</ul>\n</ul>\nTo choose leadership is to accept the <a href=\"http://achievedstrategies.com/blog/5-beliefs-that-undermine-a-leader’s-influence-and-success/\">hard work and responsibility</a> of helping others achieve great things while supporting them, guiding them, coaching them to be great.\n\nChoosing <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/defending-leadership/\">leadership is a self-less act</a> predicated on the belief that:\n<ul>\n<ul>\n	<li>people do want to do good work;</li>\n	<li>people want to contribute their talents;</li>\n	<li>people can be trusted to do the right things;</li>\n	<li>people want to believe in a purpose at work bigger than themselves,and</li>\n	<li>people want to have a meaningful life.</li>\n</ul>\n</ul>\nLeaders can help make all the above happen only when they chose to lead for others and not for their self-advancing needs.\n\nThe irony in all this is that leaders who truly make the choice grow and learn as much as those who are led.', 'Leadership Is a Choice', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-is-a-choice', '', '', '2011-11-07 06:00:16', '2011-11-07 12:00:16', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5784', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5790, 283, '2011-11-02 09:15:45', '2011-11-02 14:15:45', '<a href=\"http://twitter.com/#%21/mikemyatt\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Myatt</a> is the author of <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Matters-CEO-Survival-Manual/dp/1432717731/\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership Matters…The CEO Survival Manual</a> </em>and Managing Director of N2growth, a professional services firm focused on CEO coaching and leadership development. While working with executives at many Fortune 1000 companies, he’s witnessed <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/leadership/\" target=\"_blank\">leadership</a> at its best and worst.\n\nIn the following interview, <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2011/11/01/leadership-is-not-an-entitlement-program/\"><em>Leadership Is Not An Entitlement Program</em></a> Mike explains what sets great leaders apart from those who merely occupy a position or hold a title.', 'Leadership Is Not An Entitlement Program', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-is-not-an-entitlement-program', '', '', '2011-11-02 09:15:45', '2011-11-02 14:15:45', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5790', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(5797, 263, '2011-11-04 06:01:28', '2011-11-04 11:01:28', 'Sharing is a kindergarten concept, isn’t it? We just don’t talk about it that much in the serious corporate world or we might sound new-agey. So I hope this post will bring it back big time, beginning with you! What if you wrote it in your schedule: “Share something?\" It can mean a number of things, but just so you don’t forget each day, have it penned in and notice how it brings up ideas you hadn’t thought about. Get creative on how to share.\n\nHere’s a few that several leaders I am working with did the first week of consciously sharing.\n\n<strong>Share what you know. </strong>\n\nEspecially relevant for entrepreneurs running growing companies single-handedly, but really useful for anyone who would like to stay upwardly or outwardly mobile with regard to their current position. The point is, the only reason you get swamped with work is because you are not delegating and it will be hard to do that, even when you really would like to, if nobody knows how to do what you do. So choose a core competency of your position and purposefully share the experience of doing it with a worthy apprentice. You might be surprised by the results and both will grow in the process.\n\n<strong>Share what you have.</strong>\n\nGet rid of the clutter at home of course, but also in the office. Is there any object that no longer serves you or your team? Could someone else really use it? The powerful message and overall well being created by generosity is never as clear as when we let go of a physical object. That file cabinet we no longer put anything into. That plant that looks beautiful but is now in the way each time we walk in. Thinking of sharing will make it about more than just getting rid of the thing, it will make clear that you think of others and their needs, inviting your team to do the same.\n\n<strong>Share your collective time.</strong>\n\nSuch a precious resource time is, especially nowadays, but let’s talk about our collective time. As a leader you and your team may together use time in creative ways. It can be overwhelming to take care of some time-consuming business if it’s one person that needs to get it done, but what about all of you? If each pitches in for half an hour a day the chore becomes easy, collectively simple. And the message of collaboration spreads quickly. You might find time-sharing to be a bit addictive once the team gets the hang of it. The same principle can apply to community work you might want to get involved in as a team.\n\n<strong>Share your point of view.</strong>\n\nA client I had was always thinking things about his colleague’s work. But the culture of the organization was slanted towards respect for the lines between areas. So he listened politely and kept his mouth shut. One day, as he was doing precisely that, it dawned on him that he hadn’t shared yet. He turned to his colleague and said: “I would like to share my point of view with you, if that’s alright.” It was not only alright, but made way for a great conversation both about the issue at hand and about the unspoken rule of not expressing differing views in the workplace.\n\n<strong>Share the sharing.</strong>\n\nOne leader took it a step further. She shared the practice of sharing with her team and asked each of them to share once a day. Then they shared once a week - with each other - the things they’d been sharing. It became momentous. This particular leader felt she needed to bring on a new project to re-energize her stressed out collaborators, but it seemed like a logistical impossibility because they were already understaffed and overworked. The Sharing Experiment, as she called it, created a space for reflection that didn’t create more work, just different ways of interpreting it.\n<blockquote>Anything else you can think of? Come on, don’t be shy, share a little. You comments are welcome here, but beware: they might be shared, too!</blockquote>', 'Leaders: Don&#039;t just stand there, share something!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-dont-just-stand-there-share-something', '', '', '2011-11-04 06:01:28', '2011-11-04 11:01:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5797', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(5802, 251, '2011-11-10 06:03:22', '2011-11-10 12:03:22', '<span style=\"font-size: small;\">I was on my way to a meeting, driving on the freeway in blinding rain and happily singing along with the radio. Suddenly, there’s a semi-trailer on either side of my car, both churning up road mist and throwing off their own back-splash of rain. I couldn’t see a thing. No more singing as I’m fiercely clutching the steering wheel, intent on maneuvering my car past the trucks. I’m focused on reaching clear road where my line of sight would be better. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Those trucks were like leaders who use their power and position to blind others, in essence saying <em>we’re doing it my way, so look where I point and march smartly in that direction</em>. Margaret Wheatley observes that “ever since uncertainty became our insistent 21</span><sup><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">st</span></sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> century companion, leadership has taken <em>a great leap backwards</em> to the familiar territory of command and control.</span> <span style=\"font-size: small;\">Some of this was to be expected, because humans usually default to the known when confronted with the unknown. Some of it was a surprise, because so many organizations had focused on innovation, quality, learning organizations, and human motivation. How did they fail to learn that whenever you impose control on people and situations, you only succeed in turning people into non-creative, shut-down and cynical workers?”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">I think it’s easier to wear the leadership command and control blinders than to be a leadership beacon. The former is simply an enforcer of what has gone before while the latter is <em>real</em> work. You\'ve got to want it real bad.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Blinders or beacon – which one are you?</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">When there’s a problem in the office, do you create a new policy to handle it? Or, do you work with others to figure out the root cause and fix that?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Can you quote yesterday’s sales figures, production numbers and the cost per sale like nobody’s business? Do you monitor morale, trust and consider employee metrics like satisfaction part of your key performance indicators?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does your firm want employees to provide feedback yet shoot the messenger?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is the messiness of innovation embraced, recognizing that failures do happen? Or, is innovation part of your mission statement yet failures are counted and are part of performance reviews as a negative?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is there a singular focus on efficiency and the bottom line? Or, is there focus on the former but combined with assessing effectiveness and sustainability?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does humility or being a super-hero get you on the boss’s radar screen?</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does your boss ever say “thank you” or is the rate of exchange a fair day’s work for a paycheck?</span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\"><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5804\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/beacon-125x125.jpg\" alt=\"leaders who are a beacon of light\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" />The gift is knowing when it’s appropriate to use the blinders or be the beacon. Skillful leaders know too much of anything, whether positive or negative*, throws things out of whack and lead to less than optimal results. As Warren Bennis writes, “<em>Good leaders make people feel that they\'re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.”</em></span>\n\n*I’m still trying to decide if this applies to chocolate or not.', 'Leadership Style: Blinders, Beacon or Both?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-style-blinders-beacon-or-both', '', '', '2011-11-10 06:03:22', '2011-11-10 12:03:22', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5802', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5815, 270, '2011-11-17 06:00:31', '2011-11-17 12:00:31', '<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\"></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\">My husband and I recently attended the most beautiful and unique dinner party of our lives.  Every family in attendance was from a different part of the world:   Russia, Canada, Mexico, Africa, Asia, India, Pakistan, South America, and the United States.</p>\nWe were a variety of colors and ages.  We spoke different native languages and celebrated different traditions.  We had different educational and life experiences.  Some of us were new to the city we now share.  Some were experiencing life outside of what they know for the first time.  Many have lived all over the world.\n\n<strong>Like a bunch of flowers, we were each unique and beautiful on our own, but together we made the most stunning human bouquet.</strong>\n\n<strong>Reflecting back on the evening three simple truths emerged:</strong>\n<ol>\n	<li><strong><em> We were made for a community.</em></strong></li>\n	<li><strong><em>No matter how successful we are as individuals, our strengths and knowledge are incredibly small by themselves.</em></strong></li>\n	<li><strong><em>We are stronger, wiser and more beautiful together.</em></strong></li>\n</ol>\nThe evening reminded me of  Bestselling Author <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRAkko6WZbs\">Frans Johansson</a>.  His mother is Black and Cherokee.  His father is Swedish.  They met in Germany.  Frans was raised in Sweden.  His passion is sharing stories about people combining ideas from wildly different backgrounds and the incredibly innovative solutions that result.  <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Breakthrough-Insights-Intersection/dp/1591391865\">(If you’ve never read his book I highly recommend it!)</a>\n\n<strong>When you weave the knowledge and strengths of individuals together you will create a more engaged, more creative, more effective whole <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">and</span> amplify the potential your organization.</strong>\n\nBelow are a few questions to get you started:\n<ul>\n	<li>Have you discovered the strengths of the individuals throughout your organization?</li>\n	<li>Have you taken the time to learn more about their backgrounds, experiences and observations?</li>\n	<li>Have you taught them to celebrate differences and value each other?</li>\n	<li>Have you empowered and unleashed them to provide uncommon value to your organization?</li>\n	<li>Have you considered what your janitor, your new employees, your long-term employees, your customers and your suppliers know about your organization that your executives don’t?</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"> <strong>“The best ideas emerge when very different perspectives meet.”  </strong>Frans Johansson</p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>We are stronger, wiser and more beautiful together.  </strong></p>', 'We are stronger, wiser &#038; more beautiful together.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'we-are-stronger-wiser-more-beautiful-together', '', '', '2011-11-17 06:00:31', '2011-11-17 12:00:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5815', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5826, 276, '2011-11-16 06:00:24', '2011-11-16 12:00:24', 'By Will Lukang, PMP, CSM, CLDC\n\nOn November 6<sup>th</sup>, the news of sex abuse scandal at Penn State caught my attention.   My initial thought was that this could not possibly happen.  As I watched the news and read the news on the Internet, I was surprised to learn that it involved a former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky.\n\nI did not know quite what to think of what I read and watched. I have known Joe Paterno, who is an icon and a legendary leader at Penn State, and things like these shouldn’t happen.  Mr. Paterno is the most revered coach even outside of NCAA football.\n\nThe magnitude of the issue is significant as Jerry Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.   Sexual abuse is one of those things that can send shivers down someone’s spine.  As I read on, I was left thinking how can this be possible?   How could Mr. Paterno let this happen under his watch?   From my personal perspective, when there is a slight doubt of sexual abuse, it needs to be reported.  Such issues cannot be taken lightly.\n\nThis whole incident left me to question Mr. Paterno’s leadership ability.  As a leader, the buck stopped with you.  While it is up to you to protect your team, you have a social responsibility to ensure things like sexual abuse is not taken lightly.    A leader will address this head on and will not waste any time.   What makes matters worse is that two of his assistants who witnessed it did not report the incident and that is totally unacceptable.   If Jerry is proven guilty, Mr. Paterno’s lack of action is worse than betting on his game, giving money to his player or any other violation you can possibly think of.\n\nI wonder where are the leaders when you need them.  Please step up!   According to news, Mr. Paterno is not a target of the investigation, but that’s not the point.  As the leader, you cannot let issues like this get by without any action.   Leaders are known for their honesty, integrity and ability to act on issues and make decision.   In my perspective, I question what happen and why did was not addressed.\n\nUnfortunately, the victims paid the price for his inaction.   They suffered years of abuse and continue to live the nightmare.   With this incident, I doubt I’ll look at Mr. Paterno the same way.  His legacy as a leader will never be the same.  The next time you see a leader, be it in the workplace or recreational activities, ask yourself the question, would this person do the right thing?  Or, would he/she willing to settle?   Because I believe that the “REAL” leader will step up and address the issue head on.', 'Leader, please step up!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leader-please-step-up', '', '', '2011-11-16 06:00:24', '2011-11-16 12:00:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5826', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5832, 282, '2011-11-18 06:03:54', '2011-11-18 12:03:54', 'I hate being around \"downers.\" You know the kind I\'m talking about. Not only is the glass \"half empty\" to them, but they would be quick to add, \"My glass is chipped, it has a greasy film on it, the water is lukewarm and hey, I wanted tea, not water!\" I want to have a positive attitude with these people, I really do, but it\'s hard to do when I\'m imagining myself wrapping duct tape around their mouth. Seriously, more than just being positive myself, as a leader I want to help them figure out a way to stop being so miserable themselves.\n\nThis isn\'t intended to be a pep talk about positive thinking, or a guilt trip to shame you into having a better attitude. When it comes to improving our attitudes, many times what we need is a little perspective outside of ourselves. But seeing the perspective, and then doing something about it are sometimes two different things. Sometimes what they need, or what we need is a swift \"reality check\" kick in the butt!\n\n<strong>First Swift Kick- Your Attitude Is Not Just About You!</strong>\nI\'ve heard it said on teams I was a part of, \"So I have a bad attitude, so what?! It\'s my life, my attitude!\" And it is their life and attitude. But what they are ignoring or failing to recognize is that all of us influence &amp; affect others with our attitude, so it\'s NOT just about us. Let me put it this way. You have the freedom to swing your fist wildly through the air as much as you like... unless it makes contact with my nose. Your rights to swing stopped where my nose started! A bad attitude by you or a member of your team has more negative impact than any punch in the nose might ever have. It can undermine the success of your entire team, alienate clients, and spread out beyond your organization, even affecting the personal lives of others. So the next time you or someone else defends their bad attitude by stating that it\'s not hurting anyone else, correct that misconception... with a swift kick, if you need to.\n\n<strong>Second Swift Kick- Your Attitude Can Totally Screw Up the Trip!</strong>\nAttitude is more than just a feeling or a reaction to the moment. It is a force that is as influential as the rudder on a ship. Attitude charts a course for your day or for company, and this course can be affected by everyone, from the lowest man on the totem pole to the CEO. Attitude affects quality, it affects performance, it affects the bottom line! Attitude is kind of like the windshield on the car... It affects how you see things, and if it\'s messed up, you have a distorted view of reality. We\'ve all heard it said, \"It\'s hard to soar with eagles when you work with a bunch of turkeys!\" But leaving attitudes like anger, resentment or frustration splattered all over your \"attitude windshield\" by the turkeys in your life is just nasty. Clean the windshield and move on!\n\n<strong>Third Swift Kick- Your Attitude Can Give You a \"Rap\" Sheet That Will Follow You Forever!</strong>\nAnyone who has crossed the line and gotten in trouble with the law understands that a criminal record can cause long term issues with employment and even in personal relationships. Whether you\'ve recognized it or not, attitude in an organization is as valuable a resource as your money, your time or your manpower. People in the workplace can \"embezzle bitterness\" and \"vandalize happiness\", robbing productivity and damaging the work environment for everyone. I don\'t know of any company that approves of its employees abusing their expense accounts or being flippant in the use and management of their staff. Individual and corporate attitude can and must be managed with just as much accountability and passion as the money that has been set aside for staff bonuses!\n\nMary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics once said, \"The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang!\" What pace are you setting when it comes to attitude? Then get Kickin\'!', 'What Your Attitude Needs Is A Swift Kick in the Butt...', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'what-your-attitude-needs-is-a-swift-kick-in-the-butt', '', '', '2011-11-18 06:03:54', '2011-11-18 12:03:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5832', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5841, 243, '2011-11-14 06:02:27', '2011-11-14 12:02:27', '<blockquote>\"One drop of water helps to swell the ocean; a spark of fire helps to give light to the world. None are too small, too feeble, too poor to be of service. Think of this and act.\" - Hannah More</blockquote>\nSo often, we evaluate the results before taking the action. We project an expected result and chose our effort.  Does your effort determine the result or does the expected result determine your effort?  How many times have you chosen not to act because you didn\'t perceive a benefit?\n\nIt\'s alright to judge the benefit received from an action.  We all do.  It\'s part of the value principle. Each person chooses whether or not something is valuable by comparing the cost (effort, resources, time, etc.) to the return.  But when that judgment causes us to fail to provide benefit to others, we immediately reduce our own legacy.  You see, you will be measured by what you contribute over what you consumed.  Your contribution will always be judged by others.  Did you produce more than you consumed?  Did you take up space on earth during your time here or did you create space for others during that time?  Did you <a title=\"Leadership: Production vs. Consumption\" href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leadership-production-vs-consumption/\">create more than you consumed</a>?\n\nLast week I met and heard Jeremie Kubicek, Founder and CEO of Giant Impact and author of <a title=\"Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It by Jeremie Kubicek\" href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451612141/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elevate-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=1451612141\">Leadership Is Dead</a>.  He talked about how leadership changes when the leader changes their motive.  As a leader, are you trying to get something <em>from</em> your people or your customers, or are you trying to do something <em>for them?  </em>Don\'t let \"What\'s in it for me?\" cap your contribution or determine your legacy.\n\nLive today remembering this quote. One drop of water swells the ocean.  Your extra effort creates value for the people in your sphere of influence.  You make your community a better place to live.  You make your workplace more profitable, enjoyable and gracious when you go above and beyond the call.  Your spark helps light your world.  Everyone can be \"of service.  Think of this and act\" today!', 'Leadership, Effort and Motives - One Drop of Water', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-effort-motives-one-drop-of-water', '', '', '2011-11-14 06:02:27', '2011-11-14 12:02:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5841', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5844, 271, '2011-11-21 06:02:29', '2011-11-21 12:02:29', 'In a workshop one time, I was speaking with participants about communication strategies to resolve conflicts between team members.  I shared with them that a genuine sense of curiosity about the other person’s perspective often goes a long way towards resolution, and that this sense of curiosity often reveals itself by the questions we ask of the other person during the conflict conversation.\n\nAs we discussed the value of good question asking technique, it became clear to me that most of us do not naturally ask good questions. Rather than ask questions for the real purpose of gathering more information and better understanding of the other person, we make statements disguised as questions. For example:\n<ul>\n	<li>“Can’t you see that I’m working here?”</li>\n	<li>“Were you going to pick those papers up from the floor, or were you going to leave them there?”</li>\n	<li>“You did realize that you were supposed to clean this equipment after using it, didn’t you?”</li>\n	<li>“Were you late for a reason?”</li>\n</ul>\nWhile these questions might come from a curious mind, they are more often said with a bit of a sarcastic edge so that they indirectly communicate our displeasure with another person. Rather than make statements disguised as questions, make a statement when you have a statement, and ask a question when you really want to understand. The above questions could be re-phrased like this:\n<ul>\n	<li>“I’m busy at the moment. Could we discuss this later?”</li>\n	<li>“When you leave papers on the floor, I feel overwhelmed by the clutter. Could you pick them up, please?”</li>\n	<li>“John, our expectation here is that everyone cleans the equipment that they use. Could you take care of that for the job you just completed?”</li>\n	<li>“Bill, I noticed that you were late again this morning. That behavior is beginning to become a challenge. Can we schedule a time to discuss how to improve in this area?”</li>\n</ul>\nWhen you find yourself in a conflict, watch your intent when you ask questions. Make sure you stay  focused on understanding the other person and not on communicating your displeasure with a poison question.\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px;\">Originally posted <a href=\"http://recoveringengineer.com/resolving-conflict/be-careful-how-you-ask-questions/\">here</a>.</div>', 'Be Careful How You Ask Questions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'be-careful-how-you-ask-questions', '', '', '2011-11-21 06:02:29', '2011-11-21 12:02:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5844', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(5848, 283, '2011-11-15 09:47:06', '2011-11-15 15:47:06', 'Author, Lisa Petrilli is Chief Executive Officer of C-Level Strategies, Inc. discusses how leaders lead without truly understanding their own philosophy on the art of leadership.Joining her in the discussion is Steve Woodruff and  <a href=\"http://www.onepieceofpaper.com/author/\">Mike Figliuolo</a>, Founder and Managing Director of <a href=\"http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/\">thoughtLeaders LLC</a> and author of the new book, “<a href=\"http://www.onepieceofpaper.com/\">One Piece of Paper</a>.”', 'How to Discover and Live Your Leadership Philosophy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-discover-and-live-your-leadership-philosophy', '', '', '2011-11-15 09:47:06', '2011-11-15 15:47:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5848', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5852, 245, '2011-11-22 06:02:23', '2011-11-22 12:02:23', 'One of my most memorable lessons in leadership and its attendant responsibility came via the improbable pairing of a wise high school teacher and a spiky-haired toy. . .\n\nThe guy who sat behind me in Mrs. Crawford’s English Lit class liked me. A lot. This was a total mystery to me because I did not give him the time of day. Nevertheless, he persisted: could he help me pass out papers when it was my turn? Need a study partner? —he was up for the job. He probably thought I was playing hard to get, but truly, I just wasn’t that into him.\n\nI sat in the front row, close enough to the teacher’s desk that Mrs. Crawford could easily see the goings-on of the shy seventeen year old boy vying for the snooty teen girl’s attention. One day, after leaving my desk to sharpen a pencil, I returned to find an orange-haired <a href=\"http://collectdolls.about.com/library/weekly/aa120100a.htm\">troll doll</a> sitting on top of my textbook. I picked it up and glanced at my would-be friend who was watching me earnestly. Clearly, it was he who had proffered the gift. My disdainful look said it all: <em>A troll doll? How lame!</em>\n\nI cut my eyes over to Mrs. Crawford, who had seen the whole thing. Her normally cheerful demeanor was stern as she mouthed “Be. Nice.”  I turned back around said a grudging “Uh, thanks, Bobby.”\n\nNot surprisingly, my presence was needed at the front of the room when the class dismissed. While everyone else filed out of the room, I sullenly trudged up to Mrs. Crawford’s desk.   When we were alone Mrs. Crawford asked in her kindly manner, “Jenni, would it hurt you so much to be nice to Bobby?”\n\n“But, Mrs. Crawford!” I protested. “He’s SO annoying.” (Said with the dramatic emphasis for which teen girls are well-known.)\n\n“Why do you think Bobby pays so much attention to you?”\n\n“I dunno.”\n\n“Because he <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">admires</span> you.”\n\nMrs. Crawford told me that when someone looks up to you, it’s important to understand that it is a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">gift</span>, not a burden. She explained that sometimes people who excelled in school (me) were seated next to shy kids (Bobby) to be a help to them. The point was not whether or not I liked the troll doll, the point was that Bobby made an offer and I rejected it. While she didn’t come right out and say it, the message was clear: I was not fulfilling my potential as a role model.\n\nIt was on that day many years ago that I began to understand this valuable leadership lesson: <strong>when people admire you they are placing their trust in you</strong>. <strong>They are acknowledging that they value who you are</strong>. To refuse that trust because they are “not interesting” to you is to is as rude as refusing a gift that’s given. Not only is it a breach of basic common courtesy, it’s a lack of leadership manners.\n\nOver the years, I’ve had many leadership opportunities. Some have come with titles (Mom, Project Manager, Supervisor, Committee Chairperson) and others haven’t (co-worker, friend, school volunteer). Whether or not the role has a capitalized title or not, life has taught me to remain vigilant: never refuse the leadership gift that is a person’s trust.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nphoto courtesy of <a href=\"http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/\">http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/</a>\n\n&nbsp;', 'A Lesson in Leadership Manners', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-lesson-in-leadership-manners', '', '', '2011-11-22 06:02:23', '2011-11-22 12:02:23', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5852', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(5856, 289, '2011-11-25 06:00:05', '2011-11-25 12:00:05', 'Nobody wants to suck. At the same time, the world of work is changing in ways that make it harder and harder to stand out. As a leader in this strange climate, we must constantly be finding new ways to differentiate ourselves in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace.\n\nIn order to thrive, we must create our own “Personal Leadership Brand.”\n\nA Personal Leadership Brand is to an individual person what a typical “brand” is for a larger product: it provides clarity around how that “thing” will make my life better/easier/more fulfilled. Over time the brand also engenders an <em>emotional connection</em> that gets wrapped up in the perception of the brand itself, which is incredibly powerful.\n\n<strong>In the new economy, the best way to not suck is to </strong><strong>be our own brand</strong><strong>.</strong>\n\nThere are three steps to building a Personal Leadership Brand, and coincidentally (or not), they all start with “S”!\n\n<strong>1. Strengths (Know ‘Em)</strong>\n\nIn order to define a brand, we have to know <em>exactly</em> what makes it so great. Studies have shown that the greatest leaders in the world don’t share the same talents and strengths—<a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Strengths-Based-Leadership-Tom-Rath/dp/1595620257\" target=\"_blank\">quite the opposite</a>, in fact. But what these leaders <em>do</em> share is an intimate knowledge of how to leverage the things they are good at and how to manage around the things they are not.\n\nThis ability to highlight the strengths of something is at the core of every great brand. Apple is a great example of this—where most technology manufacturers preach about the specs and features of their product, Apple talks almost <em>exclusively</em> about the benefits: those things about their products that will make life better.\n\n<em>This is the first step towards creating a great Personal Leadership Brand: know your strengths, and how how to tell other people about them.</em>\n\n<strong>2. Space (Carve It Out)</strong>\n\nDiscovering our strengths, how to talk about them properly, and how to integrate them into our careers isn’t an easy (or fast) thing to do, which is why we need <strong><em>space</em></strong>. I don’t need to tell you that it’s increasingly difficult to “find” free time in today’s ever-faster world—this is why we must carve it out.\n\nThe harsh reality is that the world doesn’t care about you being a good leader, about you enjoying a thriving life, or about you getting to work in your strengths.\n\nThink of a successful individual like Oprah. Nobody walked up to Oprah and gave her a job description that read “<strong>Oprah’s Job</strong>” at the top. The reason Oprah gets to do what she does everyday (which is live and work in her strengths, by the way) is because slowly, with much effort over a period of decades, she <em>carved out time</em> to learn about what she was good at and to deliberately steer her career in that direction. You can do the same (if you want it badly enough).\n\n<em>This is the second step in creating a great Personal Leadership Brand: carve out the space to figure out how to use your strengths in your career.</em>\n\n<strong>3. Sensei (Get One)</strong>\n\nThss word “sensei” is made from two Japanese characters put together: the first means “born before,” and the second means “one who teaches based on wisdom from age and experience.” Like Socrates, the best leaders in the world know that they don’t know everything. They also realize that one of the best sources for learning resides in the people around them.\n\nIn one of their massive research studies, The Gallup Organization found <a href=\"http://gmj.gallup.com/content/11614/seven-demands-leadership.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">seven qualities that the best leaders in the world share</a>, and one of these behaviors is that these amazing leaders were both <em>being mentored</em> and <em>were mentoring someone else</em>. They had a sensei and were one, as well. Because most of the way we work is caught not taught, senseis, mentors, coaches and role models are crucial for our continued development.\n\nFurthermore, it’s almost impossible to achieve numbers 1 and 2 <em>without</em> a sensei. We human beings have an incredibly difficult time getting an accurate and objective view of ourselves <em>by</em> ourselves. We are simply too close to the subject! Look at the best athletes on the planet; do they achieve greatness on their own? Or is there always a great coach somewhere nearby? (The latter.)\n\n<em>This is the third step in creating a great Personal Leadership Brand, and in all likelihood, may need to happen first: find a sensei of good character who can help you know yourself and guide you in the right direction.</em>\n\nBy combining these three steps—discovering our <strong>strengths</strong>, carving out <strong>space</strong>, and finding a <strong>sensei</strong>—we can start to create a personal leadership brand that will not only keep us from sucking, but will put us on the path to thrive in the new economy.', 'How To Stop Sucking (By Building A Personal Leadership Brand)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-stop-sucking-by-building-a-personal-leadership-brand', '', '', '2011-11-25 06:00:05', '2011-11-25 12:00:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5856', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5857, 258, '2011-11-17 13:00:26', '2011-11-17 19:00:26', 'I was having dinner with my family last weekend, and we got to talking about the tragic events at Penn State. My 14-year-old son firmly expressed his opinion. He essentially explained that Joe Paterno should have been allowed to coach through the rest of the season. During the conversation he mentioned things like, “greatest coach ever,” and “He’s done so much for Penn State” and “He made one mistake. It shouldn’t destroy everything.” I was surprised.\n\nI shouldn’t have been. There are lots of people that feel as he does. Students at the college demonstrating in support of Coach Paterno, blog posts from Penn State alums, and football fans across the country have all vocalized their support for him and their outrage at his firing.\n\nThere are a lot of folks that feel that Joe Paterno has been mistreated or the consequences have not been meted out fairly. Their comments, include things like, “Shouldn’t we focus on Jerry Sandusky?” and “What about all the others? Why are you picking on Joe Paterno?” It got me thinking. Can someone be important enough or good enough or busy enough to be forgiven without consequences for failing to do the right thing?\n\nMy response is, maybe Coach Paterno has been mistreated and maybe the consequences haven’t been meted out fairly. You know what? Tough. Life is not fair.\n\nLeaders enjoy a lot of benefits. Some have suggested that Joe Paterno was the most powerful man at Penn State or even in the entire state of Pennsylvania. He was certainly respected, loved, admired, and followed. He earned his reputation through hard work, passion, love of the game and his players, and a solid ethical foundation. And he received many benefits, tangible and intangible, from his efforts. His assistant coaches did not receive comparable benefits, despite the fact that they likely worked very hard. Tough. Life is not fair. Joe Paterno was the leader so he earned the greatest benefits.\n\nLeaders also have a lot of responsibility. They carry many loads, make many decisions, and face the consequences of these decisions. This is why we feel it is acceptable to compensate them far beyond others. We choose these people as leaders because we believe they have the ability to be successful. And like all of us, their decisions have consequences. Sometimes their consequences are greater because their role as leader makes their decisions more important. Sometimes it’s because their role makes them a target. Either way, they face outcomes just like we do, and sometimes they carry the lion’s share of the consequences. Tough. Life is not fair. Joe Paterno is the leader so he received the greatest consequences.\n\nIn the end, leader or not, all of our actions have consequences, have outcomes, and these are not always in our control. Sometimes we get lucky and a mistake causes no harm or there are no consequences. We accept this outcome happily or perhaps with relief. We do not ask to be punished. Other times the same mistake has a big impact and the consequences are unexpected and severe. It’s not always fair, but we have to face these outcomes just the same, whether our mistakes are intentional or not. We say we want justice, but do we really? Do we really want everything… EVERYTHING … to be fair?\n\nDespite all this tragedy, I still think that all is not lost here. Coach Paterno himself has said he has regrets. This gives me hope. He has an opportunity to continue to lead and accept the painful consequences of his actions. The source of his leadership is not solely in the title he held, but lies in his actions. His decisions from this moment onward will teach my son and all who love Penn State how we should remember him.\n\nJohn F. Kennedy tells us, “Our privileges can be no greater than our obligations.” In the end, even the best of us are flawed, but when we err, we can still gracefully accept the consequences of our mistakes, even if they’re not always fair. We can make whatever amends are possible and work to ensure that our mistakes can never happen again. That’s not justice, but it’s what great leaders do. It’s what great people do.', 'On Penn State and Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'on-penn-state-and-leadership', '', '', '2011-11-17 13:00:26', '2011-11-17 19:00:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5857', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(5867, 259, '2011-11-23 06:02:33', '2011-11-23 12:02:33', 'Popular views of leaders focus primarily on positional leadership. Those of us in the Lead Change community prefer to focus on character-based leadership, which enables <em>anyone</em> to become a leader, regardless of their station in life, simply by the actions they take and the effect they have on the people around them.\n\nMany of my dear friends in the Lead Change community know that I lost my beloved boyfriend recently. They have rallied around me, supporting me, praying for me, and encouraging me, and I’ll be forever thankful for that…\n\nFrank Taylor died in mid-October at the age of 60. We were just beginning our journey together, but planned on it being a long and fruitful one. Within a very short time, we’d each discovered the person we’d been waiting for, our soul mate, “The One.” So to lose him so suddenly and unexpectedly has been hard for me to bear. Yet it’s been an eye-opening experience in leadership to me as well, as I’ve come to see this man that I love through other people’s eyes.\n\nI knew the things that attracted me to Frank. He was smart, had a quirky sense of humor that I enjoyed, loved our God deeply and unreservedly, and had a tender heart filled with lots of pain and even more love. He was a man of integrity and moral values, and that was reflected in the way he lived his life.\n\nShortly after leaving college, he began two volunteer pursuits that reflected this character. He became an auxiliary state police officer in the state of Connecticut, and he became a certified instructor in both First Aid and CPR for the American Red Cross.\n\nLater in life, Frank became moderator to a Yahoo Group that’s part of the ReUseIt Network. This group enables people who have stuff they no longer need to connect with people who need the things they have, thereby keeping perfectly usable things out of the landfills. The benefits ultimately are three-fold; financial (people are saving money), environmental (usable things aren’t thrown away), and humanitarian (people who can’t afford everyday items get a hand up). <em>[If you aren’t a part of a <a href=\"http://www.reuseitnetwork.org/\">ReUsetIt Network</a> or <a href=\"http://www.freecycle.org/\">Freecycle</a> community, I’d highly recommend checking to see if there’s one in your area.]</em>\n\nBesides these activities, Frank was involved in a number of other clubs and organizations. After his death, I started receiving e-mails and calls from people whose lives he’d effected.\n\nI’d already witnessed his altruism myself. There was the time he followed someone into their driveway at night just so that he could let them know their tail-light was out. And the time he returned to a store a couple of days after receiving exceptional customer service, just to inform the store manager about it. He’d also provided someone with a cell phone that he carried on his plan because she was going through a tough time and needed someone to talk to.\n\nBut now I started hearing other stories. There was someone who needed help with a home remodeling project due to a recent handicap of a family member. Help was there when it was needed. There were people who couldn’t keep their beloved pets because they couldn’t feed them anymore. Suddenly pet food was at their door. Someone else’s WeedWacker died. Frank volunteered to fix it. There was the person who was facing foreclosure because they were so far behind on their mortgage. The bill was paid to bring them current. There was the colleague who met her first true love when Frank brought his best friend home from college.\n\nThere were people in need who found whatever it was that they needed, whether it was help paying a utility bill or buying school clothes for their kids. And there were people going through tough times who found a willing ear in Frank or someone to pass the time with.\n\nEach person I heard from told me of the impact Frank had had on their lives, and how much he would be missed. Through his years of servant leadership, Frank had amassed a following of friends who each mourn his passing. While he had his faults, and I’m well aware of them, just think of the legacy he built with his giving heart and quiet generosity!\n\nHe didn’t set out to build a following or become a leader. He believed that the greatest servant leader of them all, Jesus Christ, called upon each one of us to be our brother’s keeper, and that’s what he set out to do, one person at a time.\n\nLeadership isn’t a noisy thing. That’s stardom. Leadership is about connecting with people who ultimately share a vision or a goal, and working together to reach it… And giving isn’t a seasonal thing best reserved for the holidays. Giving of your time, efforts, talent and money is pure servant leadership that creates the legacy of a lifetime.', 'How Noisy Is Your Leadership?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-noisy-is-your-leadership', '', '', '2011-11-23 06:02:33', '2011-11-23 12:02:33', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5867', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(5870, 283, '2011-11-17 09:05:08', '2011-11-17 15:05:08', 'Today\'s SmartBlog on Leadership,<a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/11/17/beyond-basic-brainstorming-a-process-for-better-ideas/\"> Beyond basic brainstorming: A process for better ideas</a>, is by Kevin Eikenberry, who is an expert on leadership development, author, speaker, trainer, consultant and coach.  In Kevin\'s article, he discusses the flaws of the standard brainstorming model and offers a new approach to ensure greater success with your team\'s efforts.', 'Beyond basic brainstorming: A process for better ideas', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'beyond-basic-brainstorming-a-process-for-better-ideas', '', '', '2011-11-17 09:05:08', '2011-11-17 15:05:08', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5870', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(5877, 261, '2011-11-24 06:01:03', '2011-11-24 12:01:03', 'Leadership starts with a choice…a choice to lead. Where does a leader want to lead people and what will they expect those people to do along the way? One\'s values, principles, character, skills and more will all come into play in going through the process of making that decision and how it is carried out. But finally a choice must be made for action to occur.\n\nThat was the start of what I thought was going to be a blog about the importance of choices in leadership. Then I got caught up in a very confusing debate between the use of the word choice and decision. Leadership starts with a decision? After studying decision making and choices for over three decades, I thought I had it figured out. And now I’m writing a book “Life Is A Fork In The Road” about how we make choices that affect our life’s journey. Or I thought I was until a few hours ago.\n\n\n\nSome of you may think that choice and decision are synonyms. The thesaurus does reference both under each word, but clearly there are differences. Are those differences important? There appears to be two different schools of thought where experts like the use of one word over the other. I never thought these two words could create such a commotion.\n\nOne school comes down clearly in favor of decisions. To them, the word choice is like choosing a flavor of ice cream or other lighter considerations. Decision on the other hand cuts off all other alternatives. It is final and irreversible so it implies a commitment. Those who follow this school of thought refer to the root of the word decide which includes “cide” or to cut off or die.\n\nThen there is the other school of thought. Choice is about free will… the choices that we can make about things big or small. It is an action one takes. In this school of thought, the choice is the action. The decision is the process ones goes through to arrive at the choice. One is the action, the other is the thought process that led to the action.\n\nLet’s bring this way down to earth. Imagine that you and your family are going out to the movies tonight and they’re all leaving it up to you to pick the movie. We all know how this turns out. So you pick a movie out of the 12 available at the multiplex. After the movie, your entire family turns to you and asks why did we see this movie. It was terrible.\n\n\n\nWith your heart sinking, you are now faced with having to give them an answer. How you frame that answer says a lot about you and a lot about the difference between the word choice and decision. You could do what most people do and say that all the reviews were good or your best friend thought the movie was great.\n\nWhen you do that, you are explaining how you arrived at your pick. You are describing your decision process. A decision is a conclusion that is arrived at after some deliberation. Basically, you are blaming the reviews and your friend for picking this movie.\n\nOr, you could do what so few actually do and say: “this is the movie I wanted to see or this is the movie I wanted you to see.\"  Now you are taking personal responsibility for your movie pick and not blaming anyone else. You have made a choice out of free will. You have taken an action and are willing to accept responsibility for that choice.\n\nIn truth, making a choice can cut off all alternatives, the same as those who prefer the word decision. And the word choice can refer to issues as difficult as any involving the word decision. Consider the use of the term Pro-Choice. That is clearly a very serious, irreversible decision. Without getting into either side of this controversial topic, why didn’t they call it Pro-Decision?\n\nTo me, everything we do is a choice, whether it is about the order of our morning routine or whether we commit our company to a major expansion into a new market. A choice can be about what movie we go to, what faith we worship, or what behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in our children.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_5880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"100\" caption=\"A Decision Is A Process\"]<img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5880\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/process-circle-125x125.jpg\" alt=\"Decision Process \" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" />[/caption]\n\nDecisions are about process. They are about the methods we use that could involve any combination of logic, reasoning, research as well as feelings, emotions or faith. But here is the key difference to me. A decision is the conclusion of a thought process. It is about which choice we have selected from those available and what might have led us to that choice. Choices are the available options that have been considered during the decision process and, more importantly, a choice is the action itself.\n\nYou can make a decision and not act on it. So your mind has come to a conclusion but nothing happens. Until action is taken, the decision is simply the process you went through. When you choose to act, the decision is brought to life. Choice is about taking action and taking responsibility for our actions. Decisions are the process we use to pick a choice we can act on.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_5881\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"98\" caption=\"Action Is A Choice\"]<img class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5881\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/lights_camera_action-125x125.jpg\" alt=\"Action Is A Choice\" width=\"98\" height=\"98\" />[/caption]\n\nSo the word choice means a lot to a leader. Regardless of what attributes a person has, what values they possess, how good their character, or what skills they have mastered, all of that is simply a possibility bursting with potential until that person makes a choice and action follows. First, a leader must make a choice…a choice to act. They may know that there are all kinds of negative consequences that could happen to them as a result of making this choice. But they move forward and accept responsibility for their actions.\n\nLeadership starts with a choice.', 'Leadership Starts With A Choice...Or Is That A Decision?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leadership-starts-with-a-choice-or-is-that-a-decision', '', '', '2011-11-24 06:01:03', '2011-11-24 12:01:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5877', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(5885, 269, '2011-11-29 06:03:56', '2011-11-29 12:03:56', 'You\'re an introvert who\'s just been named CEO.  You know what got you to this point successfully, but you also know that <a href=\"http://www.tlnt.com/2010/07/28/so-long-and-farewell-lon-youre-simply-part-of-the-ceo-trend/\">40% of CEOs last no more than two years in office</a>.\n\nYou\'re wondering if the approach you brilliantly used to <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/2011/03/17/introverts-guide-leadership/\"><em>reach</em> the top as an introvert </a>will be the most effective one now that you\'re <em>at</em> the top.\n<h2>A CEO\'s Introversion-Extroversion Balance</h2>\nTo advance to this point you were likely required to tap into your extroversion increasingly during your career.  You had to get outside your comfort zone in order to gain visibility in the organization, get your ideas heard, and motivate others to action.\n\nThe brilliant truth is that now, as CEO, your greatest strength comes from within you.  Your introverted world of vision and ideas will empower you to move your company forward.  Now, more than ever, it will be imperative for you to tap into your quiet strengths to motivate your teams, communicate inspiringly, make critical decisions, and to develop and nurture strong relationships.\n<h2>3 Keys to Leadership Success</h2>\n<h3><strong>1.  Motivate others to pursue your vision</strong></h3>\nIn order to reach the top spot you had to motivate your teams along the way.  Now, you\'re not only motivating them to implement strategies, you\'re motivating them to bring your vision for the organization to life.\n\nThis is a dramatic difference.\n\n<strong><em>Motivate and communicate by leading from within\n</em></strong>\n\nAs an introvert, this is where your ability to<em> lead from within you</em> becomes your Herculean strength.  You are naturally energized by your vision and by your illuminating ideas for bringing it to life.  Additionally, because introverts are so comfortable with the world of ideas and images, they make great storytellers.\n\nWhen you tap into your extroversion to communicate your vision and ideas, you will be fueled by your inner energy for them.  And stories will help you take your employees on an emotional journey with you to understand and embrace your vision.\n\n<strong>Bottom line: </strong>It\'s imperative to get out of your comfort zone to be fully present with your team in order to successfully communicate.  However, your power to inspire and motivate comes from tapping <em>into</em> the place where you are most comfortable - the world within.\n<h3><strong>2. Decision making is more crucial than ever\n</strong></h3>\nTo succeed as CEO you must be decisive. For introverts, reflection is a critical part of the decision making process.\n\nNow that you\'re in the top spot you have the power to mold the decision-making process to better meet your needs, thus enabling you to meet the needs of the company.\n\nMeet in small groups with your leadership team and business unit heads whenever possible.  During company-wide processes like budgeting and strategic planning work personal reflection into the process so as to keep the initiatives on track but allow time to respond to the many requests you\'ll receive.\n\n<strong>Bottom line:</strong> recognize that as an introvert you are more effective when you have time to \"think things through.\" By shaping the decision-making process to meet your needs wherever possible you\'ll empower yourself to be a more decisive and successful leader.\n<h3><strong>3. Embrace, and connect with, the \"world outside\"\n</strong></h3>\nIt’s imperative to enter the world outside your comfort zone not only to thoroughly understand your customers, competitors and industry trends, but to create and nurture vital relationships that enable you to manage your board, gain new customers, develop external partnerships, and lead your teams.\n\n<strong>Bottom line: </strong>Whereas networking was a critical strategy for advancing in your career, cultivating genuine and deep relationships -something introverts excel at -becomes the lifeblood of your focus as CEO.\n\n<strong>Overall bottom line:</strong> <em>Own your power!</em> Introverts make wildly successful CEOs, and even Presidents...with Bill Gates and Abraham Lincoln as proof!\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">~</p>\n<em>“<a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/\">The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership</a>” eBook, written by LeadChange author Lisa Petrilli, is now available for download for just $7.99! LeadChange readers can use code “LeadChange” to get 30% off when you download it at <a href=\"http://www.TheIntrovertsGuide.net\">www.TheIntrovertsGuide.net</a>! You can also <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Introverts-Success-Business-Leadership-ebook/dp/B006BDRADK/ref=sr_1_64?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321931620&amp;sr=8-64\">buy it on Amazon for Kindle</a> and at Barnes &amp; Noble for Nook.  <a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/\">This eBook </a>is for introverts who want to use their introversion to their advantage in business and leadership, and for extroverts who lead introverts and wish to be more effective leaders.</em>\n\nThis post was originally published on <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/07/05/the-introverted-ceos-guide-to-leadership-success/\">Smartblog for Leadership</a> and has been edited for Lead Change.\n\nPhoto is \"A Moment to Ponder\" by <a title=\"mattlong1970 on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattlong1970/\">mattlong1970</a>', 'Introvert CEO: 3 Keys to Leadership Success', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'introvert-ceo-3-keys-to-leadership-success', '', '', '2011-11-29 06:03:56', '2011-11-29 12:03:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5885', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(5886, 262, '2011-11-28 06:05:21', '2011-11-28 12:05:21', '<blockquote><strong>\"Despite the economic recession, more employees are looking for opportunities outside of their organization than in 2008, suggesting that 2011 will be a challenging year for retention (and a hot market for firms to attract top talent).\"  </strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.blessingwhite.com/eee__report.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Blessing White, 2011 Employee Engagement Report</a></span></blockquote>\nWhat is happening? While salaries are an important component to work and life satisfaction, more often employees are disengaged from their companies because they feel disrespected and unappreciated. They are part of the \'disengaged workforce\' - and it\'s costing companies billions of dollars. As talented as the team may be, discontent has an enormous effect on retention, profit, customer satisfaction, client relations, departmental success and the company as a whole.\n<blockquote><strong>\"49% of employees said they would leave their current job for a company that clearly recognized employees for their </strong><strong>efforts and contributions.\" </strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Workforce Mood Tracker Survey</span></blockquote>\nIt is unrealistic to expect continuous enthusiasm, innovation, and the above-and-beyond attitude when people feel taken for granted, overworked and unappreciated. As in any relationship, consistently giving without positive feedback takes it toll. In the age of social media, employees have more options than ever before to be found by other companies who are willing to give what is lacking - and at the top of the list is appreciation.\n\nLeaders are very busy people. Meetings, audits, interviewing, staffing, projects, events, budgets...the list goes on and on. As rewarding as it may be, leadership can be very exhausting. Great leaders recognize the fact that they could not do it alone. They acknowledge that their success is the direct result of the expertise of their teams; they know they are only as good as the team who supports their efforts. The question is, are they <em>saying</em> it? <em>Are employees getting the message?</em>\n<blockquote><em><strong>\"Silent gratitude isn\'t much use to anyone.\"  ~G.B. Stern</strong></em></blockquote>\nToday, I challenge you to put into words your appreciation for those who make a difference in your organization. Your mission, should you accept it? Take a few seconds to simply say \"thank you.\" Recognize their efforts by writing it on a Post-It, sending an email, stopping by their office to tell them in person how much they are appreciated. Do not delegate this responsibility - invest in your workforce by making it personal. Take the time to send a clear message to your team members - tell them how important their work is to you and to the organization.\n<h2>Have an impact. Create the change. Say \"Thank you.\"</h2>\n&nbsp;', 'A Challenge for Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-challenge-for-leaders', '', '', '2011-11-28 06:05:21', '2011-11-28 12:05:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5886', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(5904, 246, '2011-12-01 06:00:03', '2011-12-01 12:00:03', 'If you wear glasses, you know that owning two pairs is good practice. If your focus is on increasing collaboration and cohesiveness within your team, get ready to try on a new look! The goal? Cultivate collaboration and boost creativity, work performance and passion.\n\n<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5906\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MP9004429391-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" /><span style=\"color: brown;\"><strong>Perfecting our Critical Eye</strong></span>\nWhen we observe performance (our own and that of others) we tend to focus on what was missed or not done right. In management, the sharper our critical eye, the faster we climb the ladder. This means we have our critical pair of glasses on, and we\'ve been trained to keep these on both at work, home and play. And where does this leave the team? How is this perceived?\n\nIf you are not sure, here are some good indicators. Behind the scenes, do team members:\n<ul>\n	<li>Guard their work from others (avoid sharing)</li>\n	<li>\"Tear apart\" the work of their peers</li>\n	<li>Take longer to deliver</li>\n	<li>Work long hours as a result</li>\n	<li>Expend more energy than required (which often translates into stress)</li>\n</ul>\nIn this less than perfect work environment, creativity and human flourishing (which fosters creativity) is stifled and individual and team performance suffers. All because of the fear of not meeting the expectations of the \"critical eye.\"\n\n<span style=\"color: brown;\"><strong>Strategies for Using Your Positive Pair</strong></span>\nHaving a second pair is critical! Every member of the team needs to use the right pair in the right situation. They need to learn to put on the pair of glasses that sees and recognizes critical details of effort, hard work, and exceptional performance (which is usually found in the details).\n<ol>\n	<li>Set clear, attainable and realistic expectations.</li>\n	<li>Put your positive pair of glasses on.</li>\n	<li>Train your \"positive eye\" and share findings!</li>\n	<li>Communicate the importance of sharing ideas and work in progress without criticism (ideas for improvements are welcome).</li>\n	<li>Buy a positive set for each person on your team.</li>\n	<li>Schedule meetings where team members can share their \"positive eye\" findings.</li>\n</ol>\n<strong>Tip:</strong> At the start, lead the team to only share positive ideas or feedback on their own work in progress and that of their peers. This will help increase the level of trust in the team.\n\n<strong>Reminder: </strong>The goal is to boost creativity, work performance and passion, and to cultivate collaboration.\n\nIntroduce the concept of having two pairs of glasses to your team. Cultivating team collaboration can only be accomplished if we learn to share ideas, respect each other, celebrate the good, and work on improving together. <strong>It\'s the only way.</strong>\n\n<span style=\"color: brown;\"><strong>How Well Do You Deliver Negative Feedback?</strong></span>\nOn Dec 7, 12, and 20, join me for chat\'n chew conversations to discuss strategies and answer questions on <strong>How to Deliver Negative Feedback that Empowers</strong>. <a href=\"http://app.fluidsurveys.com/s/DeliverNegativeFeedback/\" target=\"_blank\">Register your interest and submit your questions</a>!', 'How to Drive Team Collaboration: Use Two Pairs of Glasses', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'how-to-drive-team-collaboration-use-two-pairs-of-glasses', '', '', '2011-12-01 06:00:03', '2011-12-01 12:00:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5904', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(5908, 243, '2011-11-30 06:05:10', '2011-11-30 12:05:10', '<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LisaPetrilli_square.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5912\" title=\"LisaPetrilli_square\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LisaPetrilli_square.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" /></a>I had a chance to conduct a brief interview with our own <a title=\"Lisa\'s Website\" href=\"http://lisapetrilli.com\">Lisa Petrilli</a> (LCG Author Profile, <a title=\"Lisa Petrilli Twitter Profile\" href=\"http://twitter.com/lisapetrilli\">Twitter</a>, Linkedin, Google+) CEO of C Level Strategies.  In case you haven\'t heard, her new e-book launched this week. It\'s titled <a title=\"The Introvert\'s Guide website\" href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/\">The Introvert\'s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership</a>.  At the end of the post, you can find out how to take advantage of a <strong>30% discount</strong> on the e-book!\n\n<em>Mike: So what prompted you to write this book about this topic?</em>\n\n<em>Lisa: </em>I was prompted to write the book by my own experiences as an introvert in the world of business and leadership. I learned very early on in my career that I needed to adapt my approach to networking, communicating, and leading teams to meet the needs of the “outer world,” while my introverted preferences were most energized by my inner world of ideas and images. I was successful at doing this and was promoted quite rapidly within my $10 billion company, to the point where I was responsible for a $750 million business just ten years out of school.  When I first wrote about being an introvert in a blog post entitled, “The Introvert’s Guide to Attending a Conference,” the response was so overwhelming that I knew, eventually, this eBook would come to life.\n\n<em>Mike: Don\'t just repeat the title, but what is the main idea you want to convey through this book?</em>\n\n<em>Lisa: </em>The main idea is that being an introvert can be a tremendous advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you are true to yourself. What this means is you adapt your introverted preferences to the “outer world” of business and leadership, but in a way that is still comfortable for introverts who are energized and comfortable in the “inner world” of ideas and images. It also means recognizing the brilliant inner strengths that we introverts have, and using them to <strong><em>be more of who we are meant to be</em></strong>. <strong><em>The absolute most important point of this eBook…Introverts can be exceptional leaders!</em></strong>\n\n<em>Mike: Besides buying the book, and the idea that introverts can be exceptional leaders, what are some other ideas you\'d share with prospective readers?</em>\n\n<em><a href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5910\" title=\"IG-3D-500px\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IG-3D-500px-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>Lisa:</em> I want extroverts to know that this is not just a book for introverts… If you lead introverts or work with them, this eBook will give you a much better understanding of their strengths so that you can be a more effective leader and team member, a win-win for the entire organization!\n\n<em>Mike: Since there are so many in this group who are leadership coaches, why did you choose to become a professional leadership coach?</em>\n\n<em>Lisa: </em>I just couldn’t help it.  The truth is, I have been very blessed to have a variety of rich leadership experiences in my life, and to have the opportunity to work with a large number of C-Level executives across a variety of industries. These experiences have given me a unique perspective on leadership that I enjoy sharing with my clients.\n\nLisa not only shares that perspective with clients, but with friends and online folks too.  She\'s co-host of #LeadershipChat on Tuesday evenings at 8 PM on Twitter and she\'s an active member of this group and author on the Lead Change Blog too.  Be sure and connect with Lisa.\n\nLisa has also offered a<strong> 30% discount</strong> on the book to folks who enter \"<strong>LeadChange</strong>\" as the discount code when purchasing on the book\'s website.  Check it out at <a title=\"The Introvert\'s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership\" href=\"http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/\"><strong>http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide</strong></a>.\n\n&nbsp;', 'Introverts Lead Change', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'introverts-lead-change', '', '', '2011-11-30 06:05:10', '2011-11-30 12:05:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5908', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5914, 252, '2011-12-08 06:03:00', '2011-12-08 12:03:00', 'By this time you’ve heard story after story of Black Friday gone wrong.  Shoppers with a laser focus on “making the season bright” allowed themselves to be willing to hurt another to achieve their prized purchase.  What a way to start off the holiday season wrong on so many levels…\n<h2>\"Leaders\" at work face this all the time too.</h2>\nRecently a colleague told me that his boss asked him to run a team-building session for co-workers.  The group needed more awareness of how they behave with each other, and also how they depend on each other.  He accepted the assignment thinking his boss had a genuine concern and he could assist.\n\nThe boss didn\'t look at my colleague\'s design until the morning of the session.  She told him she would lead one part of the agenda. It played out as her reading from his notes with little eye contact in front of the group at the end of the session. My colleague said it actually went better than he expected.\n\nThen the next day the boss fired two people.  Yes, they had been in the team-building session.\n\nThe firings were not spontaneous.  Knowing this company culture well, I suspect she had this planned before the team-building session was delivered.  If her goal was to terminate two under-performing employees <em>and</em> completely obliterate any positive impact of the team session the previous day, then check that one off the list.\n<h2>Goal 1, Mission 0</h2>\nOf course I am sure that was not her intent.  I suspect that she was suffering from what coach Marshal Goldsmith calls “goal obsession.”  In his August 2004 article in FastCompany magazine titled, Goal 1, Mission 0, Goldsmith says,\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>“[Goal obsession is] the force at play when we get so wrapped up in achieving our goal that… we do it at the expense of a larger mission.</em></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>It\'s one of those paradoxical traits that are usually the sources of our success, but taken too far can become blatant causes of failure. You see this when people become fixated on the wrong goals. Given their history of success, they end up achieving a result that does more damage than good to their organizations, their families, and themselves.”</em></p>\nGood leadership of people includes applying logic and good sense.  Having observed and coached a number of managers who have put the goal before the mission, I am inclined to believe the boss in my story had compartmentalized these as “tasks” she needed to accomplish.  Team building for group?  Check.  Terminate underperformers?  Check.\n\nI know it is not as simple as that, but some kind of flawed thinking is going on or everyone I know would not relate to this story.  It happens.\n\nCheck out your to-do list for this week.  Is there any area where you might be sacrificing the mission for the satisfaction of checking off one more item?\n\n<em><span style=\"color: #888888;\">Image from Microsoft Clipart Gallery</span></em>', 'Don’t Let Your To-Do List Override Your Good Sense', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'dont-let-your-to-do-list-override-your-good-sense', '', '', '2011-12-08 06:03:00', '2011-12-08 12:03:00', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5914', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(5921, 283, '2011-12-01 14:49:06', '2011-12-01 20:49:06', 'This week\'s SmartBlog for Leadership post is by leadership development consultant, Jennifer V. Miller, Managing Partner at <a href=\"http://www.skillsourcewmi.com/about/\">SkillSource</a>.  Her post, <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/12/01/is-stress-ruining-your-leadership-development-efforts/\">\"Is stress ruining your leadership-development efforts\"</a> discusses the\"pressure cooker\" method of leadership; \"Toss a bunch of smart, driven people into a time-pressured scenario, ask them to perform a task and see how they handle it.\" What are your thoughts?', 'Is stress ruining your leadership-development efforts?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'is-stress-ruining-your-leadership-development-efforts', '', '', '2011-12-01 14:49:06', '2011-12-01 20:49:06', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5921', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(5924, 276, '2011-12-05 06:02:26', '2011-12-05 12:02:26', 'Will Lukang, PMP, CSM, CLDC\n\nAs I was following the Presidents Cup over the weekend, it occurred to me that golfers are like leaders.   In some respects it is not fair that I compare golfers to leaders, because leaders have more responsibilities and have more on their shoulders.   However, from a conceptual standpoint there is congruence between the two.\n\n<strong>Comparative analysis</strong>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Sharpening the saw</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Leaders are perpetual learners</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Continuously practice his/her swing</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Integrity</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Would do the right thing no matter the circumstances</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Would uphold the rules of the game, even assessing penalties on themselves</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Role model</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Role model to everyone they serve</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Role model to people who admire and follow them</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>High standard</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Set high standards and aim to exceed them</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Aim to do their best and compete each time they go out and play</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Has followers</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Inspires people to act and do things they otherwise cannot do themselves</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Encourage people to try and be patient in learning the sport</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Are human</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>Like everyone else they can make mistake </strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>Are susceptible to make mistakes because the status gets in their heads</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong>Hard worker</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong>They are the first to come and last to leave.  They lead by example</strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong>They often spend long hours honing their skills in order to be better </strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"127\"><strong> </strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"240\"><strong> </strong></td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"271\"><strong> </strong></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n&nbsp;\n\nGolf is called a gentlemen’s game, because honesty is a requisite in order to play this game.  I’m not saying that all people who play golf are honest, but professional golfers often assess penalties on themselves in spite of no one pointing it out to them.   Such penalties could be the difference between winning, being second, or worse yet, missing a cut.   For that they are similar to leaders, wherein no matter whether anyone is looking or not, they will always do the right thing.\n\nWhile a golfer can be a good role model, nothing compares to a leader.  Because a leader is there to serve his/her constituents and the golfer is there for personal gain – which is to win a tournament.   Leaders do not have tournaments to win and prize money to look forward to, but that does not change the fact that they get up in the morning with the same enthusiasm that perhaps the golfer would not have if they got up on the wrong side of the bed.\n\nIn the end, while golf is a great game and most of the people who play this sport uphold a certain standard, a leader is still a true leader because of their selfless act of doing what is best for their people versus themselves.    However, a leader can always be a golfer, but not vice-versa.  What are your thoughts on the comparative analysis?', 'Leaders are like Golfers', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'leaders-are-like-golfers', '', '', '2011-12-05 06:02:26', '2011-12-05 12:02:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5924', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(5927, 243, '2011-12-06 06:23:53', '2011-12-06 12:23:53', 'I recently interacted with someone on Google+ related to a post showing \"average CEO pay in the US\" compared to other nations.  It stated flatly that the pay was <a title=\"Google+ thread on CEO Compensation\" href=\"https://plus.google.com/u/0/102806170614421480143/posts/ideoqezHKcV\">475 times the pay of the average worker</a>.  So I questioned the source.\n\nThe source is a blog called <a title=\"Payscale.com blog\" href=\"http://blogs.payscale.com/content/2008/07/ceo-salaries--1.html\">Payscale.com</a> and another he cited was the <a title=\"AFL-CIO Corporate Paywatch\" href=\"http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/\">AFL-CIO</a>*.\n<blockquote>There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. - Mark Twain (among others)</blockquote>\nThe most recent of these articles were based on the 2011 release by the AFL-CIO.  A number of websites simply repeated and linked to the AFL-CIO page without challenging a single assumption.  For example, two important points need to be considered:\n<ul>\n	<li>The compensation considered was only that of the CEO\'s of 299 of the largest US corporations;</li>\n	<li>The median worker compensation was not adjusted in any way by education, experience or any other factor;</li>\n</ul>\nI\'m curious why no other questions were asked.  For example:\n<ul>\n	<li>What is the average pay of all CEO\'s?  If we\'re going to compare the average pay of all workers, we should compare it to the average pay of all CEO\'s.</li>\n	<li>Is \"CEO\" the only chief executive title in use in the US?  For example, I\'m self-employed and my title isn\'t CEO.  Would my seemingly meager compensation be included in the all-CEO numbers? (No.)</li>\n	<li>What is the average pay of the employees of those 299 companies?  If we\'re only going to compare the top 299 CEO\'s maybe their employees are in the top 299 also.  I\'m curious how their pay compares to the median income for all US workers regardless of region or education.</li>\n</ul>\nThe AFL-CIO and most of the people linking to their article didn\'t bother to take 5 minutes to perform any relevant comparisons.  I went to Salary.com and searched for the average total compensation for CEO\'s.  It came back at over $1.2 million in my zip code which still seemed surprising.  So then I searched for \"President\" and found <a title=\"Salary.com Compensation Graph\" href=\"http://www1.salary.com/President-Salary.html\">this chart</a> which shows the average annual base salary for the top administrative executive to be just over $300,000.  Well, $300,000 is less than 10 times the median employee salary! Had the number been 10x1 instead of 475x1, I\'m sure the AFL-CIO, Payscale.com, ABC News, USA Today and others would have had to write about something else.\n<h2>Two key observations</h2>\nFirst of all, there are more self-employed people than ever before.  And that number will continue to increase.  All of those people will continue to be excluded from any salary study used by the AFL-CIO because in a society dominated by the self-employed, unions are useless.  In their own self-interest, unions rapidly becoming extinct just like traditional media, record companies, and snail-mail.\n\nSecond and more importantly, this demonstrates that many in our society continue to think that someone other than themselves is treating them unfairly or holding them down.  CEO\'s, like politicians, are easy targets.\n\nIf we fall in the trap of thinking someone or something has disadvantaged us we become victims.  As victims, we are entitled to restitution for the unfair treatment.  We start to think that others should regulate the behavior of \"those people\" who are holding us down.\n\nThere is no defense for those CEO\'s who make hundreds of times what their average employees make.  Greed is pervasive.  (More on this in a future post.)\n\nBut self-employment will continue to increase.  Many have reported that our economic recovery will be jobless, meaning that self-employment will produce the income of more and more people in our culture for quite some time.  Self-employment teaches you quickly that the victim-mindset is <a title=\"There\'s a fee for those bags | Lead Change Group\" href=\"/theres-a-fee-for-those-bags/\">baggage</a>.  It slows you down and makes you less effective.  Self-employed people understand better than anyone the power of determination, persistence, belief and hope.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Fotolia_11739890_XS.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-5929\" title=\"Prison set two\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Fotolia_11739890_XS-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"149\" /></a>No one is holding you back.  You can find exceptions to every class bias and every limiting circumstance.  The only factor keeping you from <a title=\"Leaders Act | Lead Change Group\" href=\"/leaders-act/\">overcoming limitations</a> is you.  Spend all your time blaming someone else for your situation and it will NEVER improve.  In fact, it will deteriorate further.  A victim mindset is prison with no hope of parole.  The first step to freedom is to choose your future.  What do you have to lose?\n\n* Note: The <a title=\"AFL-CIO Corporate Paywatch\" href=\"http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/\">AFL-CIO article</a> only shows the compensation to be 342 times the average worker pay.  They compare that to a study done in 1980 but I couldn\'t find any note on how many CEO\'s were included in the 1980 study.\n\n<span style=\"font-size:xx-small;\">Photos Limo © roza and Jail © rook76 - Fotolia.com</span>', 'Compensation and Class Warfare', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'compensation-and-class-warfare', '', '', '2011-12-06 06:23:53', '2011-12-06 12:23:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5927', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(5933, 251, '2011-12-16 06:00:10', '2011-12-16 12:00:10', 'Barry wasn’t happy that his boss put him through the 360 evaluation process. He was even unhappier after receiving the feedback. In fact, he was shocked, angry and disbelieving. There was <em>no</em> way he was unethical, thoughtless or lacking in credibility and integrity.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">In following the trail of bread crumbs to the root cause of his issues, Barry was amazed to discover it was his propensity for changing meeting schedules that had opened the door to the lack of trust, low satisfaction and poor performance that dogged his department.</span>\n\n<em><span style=\"font-size: small;\">“Don’t they know I’m busy and that other things come up? What’s cancelling or moving a meeting or two got to do with integrity?”</span></em>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Barry wasn’t aware that his actual behavior about meetings was that he consistently cancelled and/or rescheduled them, for reasons both valid and trivial. Because he was out of touch with what he did, he missed the impact those behaviors had on how his team viewed him and how they interpreted what he did. In his team’s eyes:</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Barry didn’t honor his commitments, so his word meant nothing</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Because his word meant nothing, he had no integrity and couldn’t be trusted</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">And, because Barry held a high level position, acting that way must be the recipe for success</span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">This slippery slope of illogical assumptions had eroded Barry’s reputation with his employees.  Barry’s prowess as a performer who always delivered the hard results had been trumped by his inability to be a leader who set an example for moral integrity by honoring his commitments. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">Barry was fortunate that his organization viewed him as salvageable, valued him enough to provide coaching, and supported his long climb to being a leader who could balance task and relationship. To get things back on track, Barry agreed to:</span>\n<ul>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Improve his organizational skills</strong>. Many of those rescheduled meetings were the result of poor planning and his failure to write down meeting times.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Think and act systemically</strong>. Barry’s style was “me-focused.” If a golfing opportunity arose, he grabbed it, thinking it was no big deal for his team to meet another day. Working to move beyond just his self-interest and consider the impacts of his actions on others was a big first step.<em> “Successful managers all excel in the making, honoring, and remaking of commitments,”</em> according to Donald N. Sull, HBR professor and author.</span></li>\n	<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong>Connect and communicate more with his team and others</strong>. Barry slowly embraced the fact that having integrity and being trusted were intangible assets crucial to his success. Something as simple as showing up on-time for a meeting he had called was a building block for credibility, one of the foundations of trust. <em>“Without integrity, nothing works,”</em> writes Michael Jensen, \"The Three Foundations of a Great Personal Life, Great Leadership and a Great Company: Integrity, Authenticity, and Committed to Something Bigger than Oneself.”</span></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: small;\">What else do you think Barry should do?</span>', 'The Power of Your Word', '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-power-of-your-word', '', '', '2011-12-16 06:00:10', '2011-12-16 12:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5933', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(5938, 268, '2011-12-12 06:03:50', '2011-12-12 12:03:50', 'Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen several articles outlining ways to boost worker motivation. Many of the ideas are worthwhile—such as asking employees for their input, and truly considering it. But experts have been sharing this counsel for years, and surveys show that employee engagement continues to decline.\n\nI’d like to take a slightly different approach in this post and focus on nine specific things that damage engagement. Most of these fall in the category of “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”\n\nBe honest. What’s at play in your organization? Do you…<img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5939\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mpb-leadchange10-leighphoto-120511-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" />\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Edit and “spin” company information, rather than sharing transparently?</strong> In an effort to avoid workforce panic, some organizations limit the details they provide to employees. Instead: If jobs are at stake, spell out the unvarnished truth. Describe as best you can what it means for employees. They need the truth so they can plan (and help you).</li>\n	<li><strong>Blame leadership mistakes on someone or something else?</strong> Instead: When you make an error, stand up and confess it. Outline the consequences, and say what you’re going to do to make things right. Your honesty and humility will build employee trust. They’ll respect you more.</li>\n	<li><strong>Communicate pie-in-the-sky visions that lack specifics?</strong> The danger: Each employee will walk away with varied images of the finished rocket ship. Since they are working from different pictures, their components won’t fit together in the end, and the rocket won’t fly.</li>\n	<li><strong>Punish failure?</strong> If you condemn people for making errors, your remaining employees will stop taking the kinds of risk necessary for creating breakthrough products and solving tough problems.</li>\n	<li><strong>Nickel-and-dime employees in the name of cost containment?</strong> True story: In response to a star salesperson’s expense report, a manager said, “We will reimburse you for 31 miles, not 37. Even though the freeway is faster, it’s longer, and we pay for the shortest route.” Here’s another common example: reducing medical benefits for hourly workers while still issuing bonuses to execs. Tales like these spread quickly, damaging morale and your ability to recruit top talent.</li>\n	<li><strong>Create shareholder returns on the backs of employees?</strong> Question: Are you asking each person to work more hours, accept pay freezes and reduced benefits, and handle responsibilities previously covered by two or three workers in order to boost shareholder value? You’ll experience a short-term gain but a long-term employee productivity loss.</li>\n	<li><strong>Look the other way when a high-performing employee breaks the rules?</strong> Instead: Confront ethical violations and bad behavior immediately, no matter how “good” the employee may seem otherwise. If you turn a blind eye, you become complicit in the wrongdoing, and employees will stop trusting you.</li>\n	<li><strong>Reward ineffective managers?</strong> Question: Are you giving bonuses to managers because of their individual contributor work—or because they are building strong teams and getting great work done through others? Do you have managers who yell? Who are reluctant to confront poor performers? Who seem to prefer tasks more than people? Here’s a free tool your managers can use to get some immediate straight talk on what they are doing well, and what needs improvement: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">www.ManagingPeopleBetter.com</span>.</li>\n	<li><strong>Assume your best answers will come from senior leadership or outside consultants?</strong> Your employees have deep knowledge of your industry, organization, customers, and processes. They know where the gaps are. They see opportunities for improvement. They want to make a difference. If you use consultants at all, engage them as facilitators to draw out what your employees already know. If you invite your employees to help solve your greatest business challenges, you will create engagement.</li>\n</ol>\nI have a challenge for you. Send this post to your employees. Ask them what resonates. Invite them to submit specific examples. Give them a way to share their stories and concerns anonymously, to allay their fears of job loss if they tell an uncomfortable truth.\n\nHere are some first steps for renewing employee engagement: Publicly acknowledge the items on this list that have been issues in your organization. Articulate the damage caused by these nine items, and apologize for your role. Tell employees what you plan to do differently, and follow through on those changes.\n\nYou may not be able to repair your corporate climate in a week or even a year. But taking a bold step in the right direction will signal to employees that you are serious about restoring engagement.\n\n<em>Special thanks to Gary Mitchiner, Walter Wong, and contributors who wish to remain anonymous. Your input helped me shape this post. </em>\n\n<em> </em>', '9 ways to sink employee engagement', 'In recent weeks, several articles have offered worthwhile ideas on how to boost worker motivation. But experts have been sharing this counsel for years, and employee engagement continues to decline. This post focuses on nine specific things that damage engagement. What’s at play in your organization? ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '9-ways-to-sink-employee-engagement', '', '', '2011-12-12 06:03:50', '2011-12-12 12:03:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=5938', 0, 'post', '', 8);
