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(29010, 343, '2016-02-11 06:00:18', '2016-02-11 11:00:18', 'Back in my formidable days of being a twenty-something manager, Jack, one of the senior leaders of our theme park department, would spend time throughout his days discussing various leadership and operational strategies with us. Whether you agreed with him or not, his insight was usually based on foundational truths and we had the utmost respect for him challenging our leadership mindsets.\n\nOne of the lessons I learned from Jack was how to seek team members who complemented each other. As a young manager emerging to be a more effective leader, my tendency, as was most of ours, was to hire or promote people who had a certain style, demonstrated a particular personality, or fit a specific mode. Jack worked with us to show how shortsighted that approach really was.\n\nBuilding a team, he said, is like putting together an engine or a puzzle. Not every piece is cut the same, nor does every part have the same function. In applying his teaching over the years, I\'ve come to learn how valuable this pearl of wisdom has become. Here are the values of why we should focus on a complementary team-building approach.\n<h3><strong>Within a team, not every role is the same</strong>.</h3>\nIn our food and beverage department in the theme park, we had many roles. Cooks, cashiers, stockers, supervisors, and prep cooks. Each required a different skill and a different focus. We needed to understand these roles intimately in order to realize the traits needed to perform the job properly. Just putting any person into the role could mean forcing a round peg into a square hole.\n<h3><strong>Within a role, not every person has the same talent.</strong></h3>\nI would staff 15 cashiers at one of my restaurants on a given shift. As much as I would like them all to be great at suggestive selling, some of them were more focused on the customer experience, and others on speed. One of the strategies I used in helping build their skills was to schedule a strong salesperson next to a customer focused one, in helping them learn from each other in the course of their work. Not everyone can fire on all cylinders, but if I had enough salespeople, expediters, and smile makers, I could cover all my bases of what I hoped to deliver on any given day.\n<h3><strong>Leaders need to complement their staff.</strong></h3>\nIn the many years since, my focus has been on developing leadership teams that matched the needs of their people. One of my foodservice operations had a pretty well rounded team that focused on quality, efficiency, customer service, and regulatory compliance. But when the opportunity came for us to promote a supervisor, we chose a bright young woman for the position who was a stickler for rules and ethics. Many bristled at her promotion, but her growth and alignment within our team showed she could make a positive impact. At first, it was rough. But over time, the team took to her so well that they responded to her high standards and raised their game willingly. They admitted that Caroline was just what they needed to help them get to the next level of standards. Not only did the staff need her insight, the rest of the management team did as well as they stepped up their performance to stay on par with Caroline\'s.\n<h3><strong>Complementary fits extend to behaviors as well.</strong></h3>\nIf you have a basketball team of all great shooters, but none who want to pass to their teammates or help play defense, what percentage of games do you truly expect to win? A team of people whose behaviors fits together works more effectively than those who try to stand on their own. Finding behaviors such as teamwork, a willingness to share their skills, and abandoning the <a href=\"http://upwardsleader.com/2014/06/10/how-to-kill-its-not-my-job/\">\"it\'s not my job\"</a> mentality will create a far better winning strategy than those who have an \"eight-and-the-gate\" mindset.\n<h3><strong>Don\'t neglect complementary values to round out your organization.</strong></h3>\nHiring the right people, who embody your core values, is vital to organizational development. What if your values were Respect, Customer Service, Creativity, and Serve Others but not everyone is strong on each one? If your candidates have the basics of your values in place, you might have an organization where your people who are great at Customer Service fill certain roles, and those who excel at Creativity work in a differing capacity. Or, as mentioned before, you might align complementary strengths within a team to round out the strengths of each value and ensure each team has people who champion all of your values within those spheres.\n\n<strong>Set your organization and each team up to cover every base through complementary team-building. Fill in the holes and make the pieces come together. The best organization may not have the best people, but people in the right roles working together in a greater capacity for success.</strong>', 'The Value Of A Complementary Team', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-value-of-a-complementary-team', '', '', '2016-02-11 06:00:18', '2016-02-11 11:00:18', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29010', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29018, 413, '2016-02-18 06:00:09', '2016-02-18 11:00:09', 'Real leaders know that <i>how</i> they speak is important but ultimately <i>what </i>they actually say is what may be repeated digitally or on paper. They continuously monitor their words not only at business negotiations with partners, investors or the “big customers,\" but also carefully pick words for casual talks with subordinates or team mates. They know that respect and trust of all team members let the company achieve the goals they’ve set. In this post, seven things you will never hear them say:\n<h3>Because I said so, that is why!</h3>\nA leader builds the culture of communication on the principle of cooperation and respect. <em>Authority and authoritarianism have nothing in common; true leaders know the difference. </em>Knowing the reasons why the issue should be solved in a particular manner helps to understand the essence of the matter and allows to suggest alternatives. In other words, leaders should explain the necessity of the required actions, because blind obedience of employees slows down the optimization of the workflow and affects the outcome.\n<h3><b>Who do you think you are?</b></h3>\nThere is no place for taunting or derogation of a person in a productive team. <em>The core value of a harmonious collective is a principle of equality.</em> Each member has a right to express their own position regarding the question simply because each person is experienced and knowledgeable in the respective area. Once you put yourself above any of your teammates - you will lose respect as a leader and instead of cooperation, you will have a risk of split in the team.\n<h3><b>It is not my fault.</b></h3>\nThen whose fault is it? Leaders always bear the responsibility for any failures, mistakes and erroneous decisions made in a team. Yes, the leader is only a part of a team; however, the leader is the one who forms the team and delegates tasks. If any of the team members reacts in a wrong way or makes a mistake, which leads to undesirable results, first of all, it is the leader’s fault, because the leading role means attention to details and tracking each process. <em>Personal responsibility for people in the company is the distinctive component of leadership.</em>\n<h3>I\'ll handle it myself.</h3>\nThe base of any successful business is teamwork, cooperation, inspiration and coherence of taken actions. <em>Do not underestimate your team - they are experts and have great potential. </em>The best way to use your time effectively is mentorship and delegation of responsibilities. Do not take on all the obligations - let your coworkers learn and perform themselves. Thus, your team will evolve and develop skills for independent working.\n<h3><b>I do not care.</b></h3>\nGreat leaders always care about those they lead. No matter what the issue is - the broken computer, the troublesome customer, or the employee’s health. Once you express indifference or neglect the problem, others will follow your example. They won’t care what your boss will tell you when you, for instance, fail the project.\n<h3><b>I am too busy.</b></h3>\nEveryone has his own duties at work and they are of more priority for us than the duties of our coworkers. However, <em>the leader should always make time to help others. </em>The good leaders are always there to talk to their people. They provide regular feedback on the performance of their direct reports, give advice, and stay in touch on a personal level. Put the priorities in order and postpone other activities when the matter is really important. Or at least politely suggest the person to wait until you make time to help him or her in their question.\n<h3><b>Failure is unacceptable.</b></h3>\nWe all strive to reach success in our activities and this is the main reason of our efforts and investment. However, it is impossible to prosper in each and every project we take. Failure in one does not mean the collapse of the whole business. Instead of blaming your teammates and wasting money on the unpromising projects, you should take time to analyze the situation and draw up a strategy. A leader can learn from past mistakes and discuss the fact that failure happens with the team, but it is not the reason to give up. Leaders should find the most profit from the lesson taken and lead their teams only forward, to new achievements.\n\n<em><strong>Editor\'s Note:</strong></em>\n\n<em><strong></strong></em>After this post had been published, the author advised us that this material had been published elsewhere, so it does not meet our editorial guidelines requiring original content. Because it had already been extensively promoted via our social channels, we are leaving it on our site, but do want to disclose the location where it was originally published. It can be found at Susan Solovic, Small Business Expert, at <a href=\"http://www.susansolovic.com/2016/02/7-things-real-leaders-wont-ever-say/\" target=\"_blank\">this link</a>.\n\n&nbsp;', '7 Things Real Leaders Won’t Ever Say', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-things-real-leaders-wont-ever-say', '', '', '2016-02-18 06:00:09', '2016-02-18 11:00:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29018', 0, 'post', '', 9),
(29039, 385, '2016-03-23 06:00:57', '2016-03-23 10:00:57', 'People often ask me for tips on how to give “negative feedback”—which is something that apparently no one enjoys either giving or receiving. Constructive feedback, on the other hand, which helps people grow and improve, is on everyone’s most wanted list. So what’s the difference between negative feedback and constructive feedback? The challenge you face when you give someone this helpful feedback is to speak in a way that allows people to hear and understand your message without causing them to become defensive, resistant, or emotional.\n\nSome people advocate a \"rip off the Band-Aid\" approach to providing feedback. This approach can be traumatic—it hurts the receiver and causes more avoidance and denial every time it happens.\n\nOther people promote the “feedback sandwich\" approach in which you sandwich the negative message between a positive message up front and another positive message at the end of the conversation. This approach feels like manipulation, and recipients learn to discount the positive feedback that begins and ends the exchange—even if it is authentic. The initial positive statement acts as a setup for the negativity of the real message that is to follow.\n\nHere are a number of tips that will help you improve the quality of your constructive feedback conversations—and increase the likelihood that your feedback will produce the desired results;\n\n<strong>1. Clarify your \"come from.\" </strong>When you provide constructive feedback, your attitude and thought process must come from a space of help and support. Most people are painfully aware when they have performed poorly, and approaching a person with an attitude of frustration or anger will do more harm than good, both to the person and to the relationship. People instinctively shut down when they are approached with negativity and strong emotion. Approach the conversation clearly from the perspective of helping the individual grow and develop. Your positive approach will set a positive tone for the entire conversation.\n\n<strong>2.</strong> <strong>Identify the facts</strong>. To provide clear and helpful feedback about an individual\'s performance, you have to know exactly what happened and the consequences that followed from their behavior. If you do not have concrete examples of what a person did, it will be difficult for him or her to know what to improve upon or change. When your feedback is vague, you run the risk of speaking in broad generalities or personal interpretations. No one knows what to do without specifics.\n\n<strong>3. Move the person forward</strong>. When we provide feedback, we have a tendency to ask questions that force people to defend themselves, such as “Why did you do that?\" A far more effective approach is to ask questions that stimulate thinking and help the person move forward into the future: \"What would you do differently next time to improve your results?\" This question allows the person to look at what they did, learn from the outcome, and think about what they need to change to improve their results.\n\n<strong>4.</strong> <strong>Build accountability</strong>. The objective in a feedback conversation is to establish a clear and specific plan to improve performance or change behavior. Having a clear-cut plan in mind before holding the conversation is a good start, but don\'t be surprised if you learn something that will change your original plan during the course of the conversation. If the individual finds it difficult to create a plan that will improve their results, you may have to step in and help them build the plan. If you step in, be sure that you explain why you are asking them to follow a particular course of action.\n\n<strong>5. Don’t assume anything. </strong>We generally assume that we have been understood, or that we understand why someone behaved in a certain way. We also assume that once we have given clear directions, the problem will not occur again. Identify your own assumptions and challenge them by asking yourself or the other person a series of questions. Listen carefully to the answers to those questions, for they will let you know whether or not you have been clearly understood.\n\n<strong>6. Assess the quality of your relationship</strong>. If the other person knows that you care about them, they will interpret what you say as a reflection of the importance your relationship. Everyone finds it gratifying to know that the people they work for appreciate the contributions they make. If the only time you ever speak to a person is when they have done something wrong, you are missing a huge opportunity. Make time to mention the good things that people do and celebrate their successes. This will improve the quality of your relationship, and also increase their commitment to achieve results.\n\n<strong>7.</strong> <strong>Express your support. </strong>People want to know that you have their back. They want to know that they can come to you when they have questions, concerns, or challenges. If you are approachable and continue to reinforce your desire to help them succeed, you will increase the degree of openness and collaboration that is invested in achieving results.\n\nThe purpose of feedback is to improve performance and achieve desired results. People want to be successful in what they do, and very few people, if any, intentionally go out of their way to perform poorly. As a leader, manager, parent, or spouse you should recognize that you have a huge impact on how people perform and the satisfaction of that journey. Improving your ability to provide constructive feedback will pay huge dividends.', '7 Tips for Improving the Quality of Your Feedback', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-tips-for-improving-the-quality-of-your-feedback', '', '', '2016-03-23 06:00:57', '2016-03-23 10:00:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29039', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29047, 408, '2016-01-26 06:00:18', '2016-01-26 11:00:18', 'Recently, I\'ve been reminded of a lesson that I already thought I had learned but which I find still bears repeating and it\'s a tough pill to swallow.\n\nSome time ago it was brought to my attention that I\'m an innovator - the type of person whose ideas are generally pretty far ahead of the curve, before the market is ready for my innovation.\n\nThis observation was made to me in a benign and rather admiring, protective way, and the person was absolutely right.\n\nMy ideas tend to take too long of an initial education curve or people get excited by my ideas, but they\'re not necessarily ready yet to buy. Or, not enough people are ready to buy at a rate that has enough of an economic impact for me. None of this makes a sustainable business proposition.\n\nIt was 2013, at the start of my latest career shift, when my colleague made his observation. We were reflecting back on my last business, a digital marketing firm I had founded back in 1998.  That firm provided services like email marketing, online public relations, and search engine optimization to drive traffic to websites, but we didn\'t design or build any websites ourselves. In those days, few people even understood what a website was, so the notion of marketing one was very far over their heads.\n\nBut in 2013 as I spoke with my colleague about the new directions I was considering, he made a point of reminding me of my experiences of the past.\n\n\"You know, Hollis,\" he commented, \"you really thrive at the front edge of thinking.\"\n\n\"I know!\" I responded enthusiastically. \"I really don\'t like doing what\'s already been done and I see gaps on what still needs to get done, so I guess that\'s where my ideas come from.\"\n\n\"Yes, but that\'s always been an Achilles heel of sorts for you,\" he said, \"because you find yourself with a great idea that no one\'s ready to hear, understand, or buy yet.\"\n\n\"You\'re right,\" I deflatedly acknowledged, \"so I\'m going to make a point of shying away from \'those kinds\' of ideas going forward.\"\n\n<h3>Early Adopter vs. Early Innovator</h3>\n\nWell, apparently I can\'t help myself, truly, because I have once again found myself drawn to and executing a business idea that requires a long education curve to sell into the market. People might describe me having an early adopter problem, but I disagree, unless they are trying to describe my audience and not me. Being an early innovator is not the same thing as being an early adopter.\n\nIn fact, though I would say that I\'m earlier to adopt some things than the mainstream, I would say I\'m just an average adopter – some things I try early, while some things I sit back and wait and watch for a while. Part of that comes from a practical time management perspective – generally I\'m so focused that I don\'t want to be distracted all the time by the latest, greatest bright shiny object – and some of it comes from the healthy dose of skepticism I have and hold dear. Generally speaking, though, I just don\'t feel the need to hop on the trendy bus.\n\nOn the other hand, when it comes to creating ideas and big picture thinking, I am blue sky and 50,000 foot all the way. I don\'t wait for other people to build or create something to adapt – I\'m already there, which then puts me in the position of trying to get people to adapt, hopefully early, to what it is that I\'m creating. In other words, I\'m about as far from <em>demand thinking</em> as can be.\n\n<h3>The Innovator\'s Impediments</h3>\n\nIs it reckless or sheer folly to spend time coming up with ideas for which there is yet little or no market demand? I don\'t know. People will say, \"Well, someone had to be first,\" but these people seldom know what it takes to even bring a viable innovative idea to market, especially if it\'s brought on too early. The list of reasons not to even try is long, including:\n\n<ul>\n<li>Bringing the idea to reality – the actual building or creation part</li>\n<li>Lack of tools, machinery, or mechanisms to otherwise enable or facilitate this materialization</li>\n<li>Lack of resources and talent to assist in the materialization</li>\n<li>Educating the market</li>\n<li>Lack of a common adopted vernacular to describe the product or service to the market</li>\n<li>If the market doesn\'t understand the product or service, so might not the funding sources for it</li>\n<li>Scaling to meet growing market demand when it\'s finally ready might not be possible without some of the above</li>\n</ul>\n\nYet, every day people around the world come up with and pursue innovative ideas. Why is this? Are we all mad? Do we all seek glory? Why undertake such risks?\n\nPerhaps it\'s man\'s sense of adventure and need to perpetually move forward into the unknown to see what\'s on the other side that propels pioneers. Perhaps people like these feel compelled to innovate so we can all reinvent our realities?\n\nI suppose, at peril to myself, this is also where I live. Despite this, I would still rather lead by example.', 'The Perils Of Being An Early Innovator', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-perils-of-being-an-early-innovator', '', '', '2016-01-26 06:00:18', '2016-01-26 11:00:18', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29047', 0, 'post', '', 14),
(29077, 414, '2016-02-24 06:00:53', '2016-02-24 11:00:53', 'Have you ever heard the assertion that introverts do not make good leaders? While this may be a common observation, it is unfortunately one that is based on fundamental misunderstandings and the inaccurate perception of introverts as being shy, unfeeling and <a href=\"http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-things-you-might-have-misunderstood-about-introverts.html\">indecisive to the point of paralysis</a>.\n\nIn fact, Forbes has reported that <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/30/introverts-good-leaders-leadership-managing-personality.html\">a staggering 40% of executives</a> actively describe themselves as being introverted, including über-investors Warren Buffet and Charles Schwab, publishing legend Katharine Graham and the renowned founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates.\n<h3><strong>3 Steps to thrive as an introverted self-leader and Entrepreneur</strong></h3>\nWhile these individuals should serve as inspiration to introverted self-leaders and solo entrepreneurs, the key point is that this demographic understands the steps required to thrive in a business world well-populated with extroverts. I have listed three important considerations below, highlighting the advantages that introverts have and how they can use them to achieve their leadership goals.\n<h3><strong>Use your self-reflective traits and analytical skills to capitalise on Gaps in the Market</strong></h3>\nAs a general rule, introverts are self-reflective individuals who are extremely self-aware. They also have keen analytical minds, and these attributes combine to create a thoughtful leader who listens to feedback in bids to make informed decisions.\n\nWhile this thoughtfulness and willingness to process information enables introverted leaders to consider decisions from multiple angles, it also makes them sensitive to potentially lucrative market trends. This is a huge advantage (especially in competitive markets), as it helps you to recognize opportunities early and create an appropriate strategy to capitalize.\n\nThis is the type of responsiveness and analytical thinking that enables bespoke bicycle makers to thrive in the UK in the wake of the Olympics, as <a href=\"http://www.bruichladdich.com/article/we-made-it-bespoke-bike-builder-jake-rusby\">the value of British cycling industry exceeded £2 billion</a> and saturated the market with mass-produced models. This created a demand for more unique products that only insightful and introspective entrepreneurs could fill.\n<h3><strong>Use Subtle Humor to Engage employees (and potentially clients)</strong></h3>\nWhen you think of leadership, your thoughts may be initially drawn to the type of charismatic and charming individuals portrayed in film and media. While this should detract from the quality of introverts as leaders, it does highlight an issue in terms of how these inner-focused individuals address the perception of them as being standoffish and entirely unengaging.\n\nIf you are attempting to inspire others as a self-leader or introverted entrepreneur, you should therefore consider using humor to bridge this gap and effectively engage others. Projecting a positive, <a href=\"http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Advice-for-Introverts-How-to-Thrive-in-the-Business-World.aspx\">smiling persona can have a huge impact</a> on employee morale, for example, while organic and unforced fun also help to motivate and creative progressive energy within your venture.\n\nAs an introvert, you may also want to play to your strengths and occasionally use self-depreciating humor to connect with others.\n<h3><strong>Use your Open Mind to drive successful Recruitment Campaigns</strong></h3>\nWe have already touched on the fact that introverts are innately thoughtful individuals, who are inspired by open minds that are uninhibited by emotional values such as greed, conceit and jealously. This is an attribute that can be used to benefit every single aspect of your business, but particularly during the process of identifying and recruiting top industry talent.\n\nThis is actually a weakness for extroverted leaders, who are typically insecure and competitive individuals who can begin to feel threatened by talented employees. In contrast, as an introverted leader you can impose a culture of personal development within your firm, which enables you to employ exceptional talent that challenges every single individual to continually improve their performance.\n\nThis includes yourself, as you enable your employees to become better than you and lay down the gauntlet for further development.\n\nThese three steps will help you to succeed as an introverted self-leader or entrepreneur, without forcing you to compromise on the core attributes that make you unique.', 'How to Thrive as an Introverted Self-Leader and Entrepreneur', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-to-thrive-as-an-introverted-self-leader-and-entrepreneur', '', '', '2016-02-24 06:00:53', '2016-02-24 11:00:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29077', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29085, 386, '2016-01-28 06:00:12', '2016-01-28 11:00:12', 'After school I stood in our garage looking up at the rafters with just an hour of light left in the fall day.\n\nOutside the first snowfall of the season had covered the ground with a thin blanket of white goodness. Inside I was bursting with excitement to start skiing for the season.\n\nNot wanting to ruin my new skis, I took down an old pair of wooden skis with cable bindings. I put them on the garage bench, taking down tools to adjust the old bindings to my new ski boots.\n\nI walked over to the ravine two blocks from the house. The four lanes of afternoon traffic on Groat Road roared past below me as I strapped on my old wooden skis at the top of a little goat trail made for hikers. I pushed off on my ancient skis, not caring how dangerous the skinny little trail was. I had been waiting all fall for this moment to arrive. The adrenaline-fueled rush propelled me down that dirt trail barely covered with the skiff of new snow. After months of anticipation I had arrived.\n\nOne of the most powerful ways to motivate people is to build resonance around a vision and events that people can anticipate and look forward to. While fear holds us back, resonance propels us forward to a positive happy outcome. We will overcome many fears and challenges when we are focused on the positive experiences that we anticipate as the outcome of our work.\n\n<h3>Build anticipation With These Ideas</h3>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Paint as vivid a picture as you possibly can about what the future state will look like. As I stood in my parent’s garage, I could actually sense what the motion of sliding down the snow was going to feel like.</li>\n<li>Build anticipation for each step along the journey, not just for the final outcome. It is often easier to get everyone sensing and feeling those intermediate successes, then they can sense a huge goal.</li>\n<li>Celebrate each win before moving on to the next challenge. Doing this sets the tone, right-sizing the challenges while building trust and connection between all the participants.</li>\n<li>Have joy in the process. On that long ago first ski day, I enjoyed the process of walking home from school in the snow, getting out my ski boots, opening the garage, looking for a pair of skis, adjusting the bindings, walking to the ravine, walking home, and putting everything away.</li>\n</ol>\n\nThe photo accompanying this article was taken in the back yard of the first house we lived in. I am with my Dad and our old English sheep dog Peter Pan. The pair of wooden skis in my hand may very well have been the ones my teenage self anticipated using. Looking at this photograph reminded me of how much I looked forward to skiing with my Dad when I was a teenager.', 'Anticipation', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'anticipation', '', '', '2016-01-28 06:00:12', '2016-01-28 11:00:12', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29085', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29091, 376, '2016-01-29 06:00:46', '2016-01-29 11:00:46', 'The January Lead Change Group theme was <em>critical questions</em>.\n\nQuestions are widely touted as essential leadership and coaching tools. Some folks have written entire books, in-depth articles, and countless blog posts around the subject of questions.\n\nJust do an Internet search using the keyword <em>questions</em> and you will have more reading material than remaining lifespan.\n\nCommon themes include classic types of questions, how and when to ask questions considering intent and context, and even how to respond to questions, all depending on your own goals for the interchange (knowledge sharing versus knowledge gathering and so on).\n\nNo question of the popularity of questions in our world, is there?\n\nI have four distinct thoughts to share about the purpose of questions, whether we are asking questions within a personal relationship, a business context, or around societal directions. These might be helpful to consider as we prepare to ask our next question.\n\n<h3>Learning</h3>\n\nWhen we ask a question, and then listen to the answer, consider what has been said, and then respond, we are learning.\n\nQuestions help us learn something. We often ask a question because we want to know something we do not know. Sometimes we ask a question to test our assumed knowledge. We ask questions to move the ball down the field.\n\n\"How did you do that?\" clearly opens the door for the other person to share their knowledge with us.\n\n\"Why didn\'t you do instead?\" is more testing in nature. Note, avoid testy questions, which is a whole other thing, and this type of question allows us to display what we already think we know about the issue, but still allows for continued learning.\n\nWhen everyone is learning something they value, coming to consensus is easier than when they are not.\n\n<h3>Leading</h3>\n\nAll good questions are examples of good leadership.\n\nHowever, I am not talking about leadership in the traditional sense here, but leading, as in \"leading a horse to water and then forcing him to drink\" or however that folk saying goes.\n\nQuestions often point the way toward something. While one should never force a person to answer a question in a particular or desired way, how we ask has a lot to do with where the other person looks for their response.\n\n\"What other options have you considered?\" is a good example of how to remind someone that more than one way to solve a problem or respond to a situation exists.\n\nWhat do you think about?\" is more pointed, and gently nudges the other person in a particular direction. Note the intentional use of the word \"gently\" here.\n\nYou are contributing to the shape of the discussion through leading participants with questions.\n\n<h3>Structuring</h3>\n\nA good question contributes to the form and shape of the conversation in all contexts.\n\nThe structure of a discussion often has to be a delicate balancing act. We usually want our discussions to move relatively logically from point to point, from beginning to end, and be fairly equal in terms of contributions from all parties, but feel more relaxed and less rigid than strictly logical and highly organized.\n\nQuestions can change the direction of the overall discussion and even become a control mechanism which does not feel like a control mechanism.\n\n\"Are we ready to move on to Point B?\" is an obvious example of how to change the subject and move down the agenda bullet points.\n\n\"Is this what we have agreed to, then?\" followed by a short synopsis of what you think has been confirmed will also help end one discussion, opening the way for the next.\n\nIn both cases, the underlying message is \"Let\'s move on, folks\" but when put into a question format, you are suggesting, rather than demanding or directing.\n\nThis creates a more amicable tone, which leads to the next point.\n\n<h3>Setting The Tone</h3>\n\nFinally, questions are always part of a conversation. Every element in a conversation is not a question, even if you are a coach or a cognitive therapist.\n\nWhen asked in a collegial and non-confrontational manner, questions help create collaborative and amiable engagements with other people. When questions arise in a confrontational or hostile manner, they don\'t, instead contributing to an <em>me vs you</em> or <em>us vs them</em> experience, which usually does not involve effective learning, positive leadership, or a very enjoyable atmosphere.\n\nThe use of <em>we</em> instead of <em>you</em> in your question when possible is an example of a small word which can mean a large difference in how the question is received.\n\nKnowing yourself - motives, motivations, and morale - before engaging someone with a question is essential. We too often go into a discussion without preparation, which means we have given over control to our emotions and our desires. These are not alone adequate to create a positive discussion. Passion can be a great motivational driver, but it can also create a very energetic and frenetic atmosphere which may or may not serve your larger purposes.\n\nBefore you engage with another, you need to answer some self-knowledge questions. Here\'s a sampling of what I try to ask myself before important connections are made:\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why am I doing this?</li>\n<li>What do I need or expect to happen during our connection?</li>\n<li>What is my specific and detailed current perception of the other person?</li>\n<li>What are the beliefs, values, and biases I bring into the discussion?</li>\n<li>What will set me off like a skyrocket?</li>\n</ul>\n\nThose are my thoughts about questions, so now I have a few questions for you:\n\n<ul>\n<li>What did I miss or misconstrue in the above?</li>\n<li>What would you add to this discussion?</li>\n</ul>', 'Riddle Me This', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'riddle-me-this', '', '', '2016-01-29 06:00:46', '2016-01-29 11:00:46', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29091', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29117, 274, '2016-02-01 15:54:57', '2016-02-01 20:54:57', 'The Lead Change Group is grateful to Paul LaRue of <a href=\"http://upwardsleader.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The UPWards Leader</a> for hosting the February 2016 Leadership Development Carnival.\n\nThis month, the contributors encourage all of us to continue strong in the new year, develop ourselves and our people, and stay the course of authenticity. Some authors will inspire, others will challenge, but they all empower us to make a positive impact in our leadership spheres.\n\nPlease visit the full carnival post at <a href=\"http://upwardsleader.com/2016/02/01/february-2016-leadership-development-carnival/\" target=\"_blank\">The UPWards Leader</a> to gain insight, resources, and motivation to lead well.\n\nEach of the contributors would appreciate a visit to their articles, and we would be grateful if you would share the carnival among your contacts. You can easily tweet your support by using our simple <a href=\"http://ctt.ec/c4fmT\" target=\"_blank\">click to tweet</a> feature.\n\nThe Lead Change Group will be hosting the March 2016 Leadership Development Carnival so stay tuned for our call for submissions in the coming weeks. We will look forward to another fantastic month!', 'February 2016 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'february-2016-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2016-02-01 15:54:57', '2016-02-01 20:54:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29117', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29128, 252, '2016-02-08 06:00:33', '2016-02-08 11:00:33', 'Uncertainty. It’s probably why I got married at 21 years of age. I didn’t know how to select someone to marry. I didn’t know what constituted good spouse material or how to make such a partnership work. When my boyfriend asked me, I thought, “He must know what it takes to get married.” I said yes.\n\nI bring this up because in retrospect I realize I didn’t know what I would do next if I didn’t get married. I was getting ready to graduate from college. I didn’t have a job offer yet. I had no idea what it took to live on my own. My boyfriend provided me with a ready-made path forward.\n\nI wouldn’t say I had a fear of uncertainty. I simply didn’t know what to do next at that point in my life. With a wedding and a serious job prospect on the horizon, it was nice knowing what the next steps would be.\n<h3>My first hard lesson of adulthood, i.e. expect one uncertainty after another</h3>\nSometimes situations we stumble into work out, like a marriage at age 21. This one didn’t. I remember feeling great anxiety that there was no one to make decisions for me. I had to navigate unfamiliar territory. I\'m talking about decisions like when to move out, to initiate the divorce, or to acquire a new place. I remember a friend’s silence at one point indicating to me these were my decisions to make, and mine only.\n<h3>Challenge uncertainty with anticipation and planning</h3>\nThen there was the first downsizing event I experienced. After surviving the cut I knew I didn’t want to feel that type of uncertainty again. I learned that I could do a number of things to increase the odds I’d keep my job or be ready for a new one. I could meet keep my eyes open for opportunities when chaos ensued. Keep my skills up to date. Be clear on my financial situation.\n\nNow, if there is rumbling in an area of my life, I ask myself what I can do to prevent it or plan for it.\n<h3>Fall back on resilience when planning doesn’t work</h3>\nThere are those things that are just going to happen. The bottom fell out of the stock market when I was preparing to sell my house. And I really needed to sell my house. I did, despite obstacles and naysayers.\n\nThere are many examples, large and small, that bring uncertainty front and center. A traffic jam on the way to the airport disrupts your travel plans. You receive a diagnosis that changes your life. Someone close to you passes in an untimely way.\n\nLearning to apply resilience and resourcefulness is another place to turn. You will fall back and regroup to get to your intended destination. You will learn what will become the new normal in your life, with your new diagnosis. You will grieve the loss of a loved one in your own way.\n<h3>Take care of yourself</h3>\nAnother aspect for managing uncertainty is the ability to do what I call self-soothing. I\'ve learned to maintain moderation in my thinking. In other words, don’t think a particular event is the end of the world. Stop torturing yourself with your thoughts.\n\nYou catch yourself imagining the worst. Remember life rolls in waves. Hope is just around the corner. In fact, you can make the choice to accelerate a move toward other options. Remind yourself what you can do, versus focus on what you have no control over.\n\nTrust that you can handle whatever comes your way. You have before. Develop and use your support system.\n\nI remember wanting to have a tantrum on the floor like a three-year-old while going through my divorce. I was angry as heck when I didn’t know if I was going to make my first downsizing cut. My stomach hurt in such a cold, dark way when I had a bad falling out with a friend.\n\nBut, I made it through when I thought I couldn’t. Expand your definition of success to include those times when you got to the other side of uncertainty, or learned to manage its constancy.', 'Sick and tired of dealing with uncertainty?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'sick-and-tired-of-dealing-with-uncertainty', '', '', '2016-02-08 06:00:33', '2016-02-08 11:00:33', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29128', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29167, 399, '2016-02-03 06:00:34', '2016-02-03 11:00:34', 'I will be honest - it took me a while to catch on to the fact that the title <em>millennial</em> was referring to me and my peers.\n\nUntil I really took the time to step back and consider how differently (and why) my generation worked and related to leadership, I saw my steps into the professional world as just more cogs turning in the business machine.\n\nBut after a few years of working in a variety of environments, I am beginning to understand how different we twenty/early thirty somethings really are.\n\nThere is much talk about how to encourage leadership in millennials, what millennials need to succeed, how millennials will lead, etc. However, until my generation of twenty/thirty somethings is able to learn from our predecessors, we won’t be able to advance and begin to fill their shoes! Young professionals such as myself need good leaders to look up to learn from, and our leaders need to be in tune with how our millennial minds work.\n<h3>Leaders, This Is What We Need</h3>\n<ul>\n	<li><strong>Tear Down The Walls</strong> - My generation is all about breaking down barriers (hence hacking, startups, file sharing, open-sourcing, etc.). In order for our leaders to reach us and help bring out the best in us, we need to feel a strong sense of camaraderie: the we’re in this together kind. We do not inherently respect authority, and need a personal relationship to really look up to someone. We need to feel empowered to approach problems from a wide variety (and often untraditional) perspectives. We need to feel a sense of <em>openness</em> (think communal office spaces and coffee-break brainstorming).</li>\n	<li><strong>Put Those Walls Up</strong> - I know this seems to contradict my previous point, but it doesn’t! We recognize that too much freedom leads to chaos, and we do need structure to our lives. We need to feel free to express ourselves and experiment within the boundaries of clear goals and objectives. It is easy for us to get distracted (we grew up in the information age after all), so by giving us clear and definitive targets, you will help us to know when we are on the right track (consider a sonnet - a form that requires a tremendous amount of structure but can ignite unprecedented creativity!). Give us that structure, that framework, but be flexible and remember that rules are only effective when they push us to grow.</li>\n	<li><strong>Treat Us Like Future Leaders</strong> - That means we need you to relate to us as not only employees, but future leaders. You need to communicate with us that you see how much potential we have to grow. You need to invest in helping us outgrow our current positions and communicating with us how that can be accomplished. Please check in with us regularly - we are not always the best at expressing ourselves (we have been tainted by email, texting, and could stand to learn a thing or two from you about face-to-face communication) - and help us develop a trajectory for our professional lives.</li>\n	<li><strong>Help Us Stick To Our Guns</strong> - With so many options in the world available to us at every moment of the day, we need your leadership. Though we tend to have great ideas and tons of passion, we often get stuck when a concrete decision needs to be made. This is where you come in - help us learn to be decisive, and to defend our decisions when necessary (as a new mom, I find myself constantly googling baby advice and second guessing myself - don’t let us do this with our careers!).</li>\n	<li><strong>Believe In Us</strong> - Despite how much confidence we exude, how much creativity we possess, and how nonchalant we may seem, we are perhaps the most self-critical, unconfident generation yet. I am not a psychologist and do not understand all of the nuances of this reality, but I can see how much my peers (and sometimes myself!) need older generations of leaders to help us access and activate our potential. We should not be coddled, or considered too delicate for criticism, but we do need your confidence to help build our own. This confidence and clarity of purpose is something we admire most about you, our leaders.</li>\n</ul>\nNo matter what business you are in, there’s no avoiding us millennials! We are here to stay, but we need YOU to help prepare us to one day (not too soon!) fill your shoes and usher in the next generation of future leaders.', 'What Millennials Need In A Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'what-millennials-need-in-a-leader', '', '', '2016-02-03 06:00:34', '2016-02-03 11:00:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29167', 0, 'post', '', 27);
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(29172, 403, '2016-02-12 06:00:01', '2016-02-12 11:00:01', 'Does collaboration really work? That seems to be the question. The simple answer is: it depends. Not every endeavor or project calls for collaboration, just like in a team-based organization, not every project requires a team. Maybe we should ask a bigger question. Maybe we should ask if it is worth it to spend the effort needed to move to a collaborative culture.\n\nI started my research into collaborative organizational cultures about five years ago. There was little written about it. Of course, there were <strong>some</strong> great books such as those by Morton Hansen, Amy Edmondson, and Ron Ricci. But mostly collaboration was talked about in books focusing on teams. Few focused on collaboration itself. Since then, in a relatively short period, collaboration has become more prominent in the literature to the point that it is a new buzzword.\n\nIt seems that whenever a “new “paradigm gains momentum, the critics raise their voices, which to me says, it is noteworthy. It has made it to the big time. Perhaps it is the threat of change, real or unreal, that causes worry or the need to examine the faults or dangers of what may threaten the status quo. Personally, I am glad a conversation has begun. The very debate is a positive. It helps all of us learn of potential pitfalls and dive more deeply into the complexity of collaboration. I applaud the open discussion\n<h3>Some of the concerns I have heard expressed are:</h3>\n<ul>\n	<li>Involving others in collective thinking may actually cloud clear thinking.</li>\n	<li>Gathering information and different perspectives may actually inhibit innovation. Having the right people with the right skills work on a project can allow more experimentation and speed up the process.</li>\n	<li>Collaboration can promote laziness because success is not any individual’s direct responsibility. People can let others take the responsibility.</li>\n	<li>Collaboration can take a lot of time that could be used in other efforts. It may actually undermine performance and true creativity.</li>\n</ul>\nActually, this all may be true. I agree that collaboration, if seen as \"everyone must be involved in every project or decision,\" is hurtful to organizational and individual success. A few people working together on critical issues that have the skills needed and ability to work quickly is far more effective. Therefore, collaboration involving lots of idea generation from multiple sources does not work for many projects.\n\nThis last argument, although true, misses the point. Collaboration is not a blanket approach to every issue an organization faces. Collaboration is effective when the cost of not collaborating is greater than the costs of lost opportunities. Collaboration as I see it is a way of being. It is part of the DNA of the organization, deeply embedded in the culture and fueled by the passion and expertise of all its members. It enables the organization to utilize the resources of all its members. When all members are focused on the good of the organization and its goals, rather than focusing on individual or departmental agendas, the power of the organization is unleashed. Collaboration is not a \"nice to have\" set of soft values, but a strategic way of operation which can advantageously negotiate the complex business environment we live in.\n<h3>Let\'s revisit the basic tenets of collaboration:</h3>\n<ul>\n	<li>Utilize differences</li>\n	<li>Nurture safety and trust</li>\n	<li>Involve others in creating a clear purpose, values and goals</li>\n	<li>Talk openly</li>\n	<li>Empower yourself and others</li>\n	<li>Expand organizational knowledge</li>\n	<li>Develop all employees to be self leaders</li>\n</ul>\nEven though I am agreeing with those who say involving everyone and brainstorming on critical issues can be a waste of valuable time, can cloud the thinking and can be overwhelming, I would like  to share a story that happened in my company where this was not the case.\n\nIn 2009, the recession was in full swing. Ours is a training solutions company and we were feeling the pinch. In fact, we were concerned that jobs must be cut; clients were not investing in their people like they had previously.  We were very concerned.\nThe leadership team had done their best to generate solutions to our situation. They were at a loss. The owners had insisted that no jobs would be lost. They needed to find other ways to make it through. So they did something unheard of, they called an all-company meeting bringing in employees from all corners of the globe. They explained the company’s situation and that they needed everyone’s best thinking on how to save costs and increase revenue.\n\nPeople were placed in groups of maximum organizational diversity. For example, HR was paired with facilities. The charge was to brainstorm ideas. Every idea was to be accepted –no judgment. Then they were asked to argue the ideas and each table come up with their best ideas. The only caveat was <strong>No Jobs Lost</strong>. The noise level rose when they got to this part. At the end of the day, each table turned in their best ideas.\n\nThe leadership used over 55% of the ideas and<strong> no jobs were lost.</strong>\n\nThe power of that experience left people with the feeling of importance, that they were valued and had something to contribute. It created raving fans for the organization and renewed passion for the work of the organization. It was a powerful and moving experience for all.\n\nCollaboration proved out, even on a large scale.', 'But Does Collaboration Really Work?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'but-does-collaboration-really-work', '', '', '2016-02-12 06:00:01', '2016-02-12 11:00:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29172', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29199, 406, '2016-03-21 06:00:15', '2016-03-21 10:00:15', 'Struggling to get work done instead of slacking off? Tempted by that second doughnut? Struggling to resist checking your phone? Shopping impulsively on Amazon? What you need is more willpower!\n\n<a href=\"http://lesswrong.com/lw/cmc/book_summary_willpower_by_baumeister_tierney/\">Recent research</a> shows that strengthening willpower is the real secret to the kind of self-control that can help you resist temptations and achieve your goals. The great news is that scientists say strengthening your willpower is not as hard as you might think. Here are seven research-based hacks to strengthen your willpower!\n<h3>1. Smile</h3>\nSmiling and other mood-lifting activities help improve willpower. In a <a href=\"http://www.albany.edu/%7Emuraven/publications/promotion%20files/articles/tice%20et%20al,%202007.pdf\">recent study</a>, scientists first drained the willpower of participants through having them resist temptation. Then, for one group, they took steps to lift people\'s moods, such as giving them unexpected gifts or showing them a funny video. For another group, they just let them rest. Compared to people who just rested for a brief period, those whose moods were improved did significantly better in resisting temptation later! So next time you need to resist temptation, improve your mood! Smile or laugh, watch a funny video or two.\n<h3>2. Clench Your Fist</h3>\nClench your fists or partake in another type of activity where you exercise self-control. Studies say that exercising self-control in any physical domain causes you to become more disciplined in other facets of life. Keeping that in mind, do whatever works for you to exercise self-control when you are trying to fight temptations: clench your fist, squeeze your eyes shut, or you can even <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21467548\">overcome other physical challenges</a>.\n<h3>3. Meditate</h3>\nMeditation is great for a lot of things -- reducing stress, increasing focus, managing emotions. Now <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810012000104\">research suggests</a> it even helps us build willpower! With all these benefits, can you afford not to meditate? An easy way to get started is to spend 10 minutes a day sitting in a calm position and focusing on your breath.\n<h3>4. Reminders</h3>\nOur immediate desires to give in to temptations make it really challenging to resist them. Our emotional desires seem like a huge elephant and our rational self is like a small elephant rider by comparison. However, one way to steer the elephant is to set physical reminders in advance to remind ourselves of what our rational self wanted to do. So put a note on your fridge that says \"only one doughnut\" or set an alarm clock to buzz when you want to stop playing video games.\n<h3>5. Eat</h3>\nDid you know that your willpower is <a href=\"http://www.pnas.org/content/108/17/6889.full\">powered by food</a>? No wonder\'s it\'s so hard to diet! When we don\'t eat, our willpower goes down the drain. The best cure is a meal rich in protein, which enables the most optimal willpower.\n<h3>6. Self-Forgiveness</h3>\nHow is self-forgiveness connected to willpower? What <a href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24940811\">the science suggests</a> is that feelings of regret deplete your willpower. This is why those who eat a little too much ice cream and feel regret are then much more likely to just let themselves go and eat the whole pint or even gallon! Instead, when you give in to temptation, be compassionate toward yourself and forgive yourself. That way, you\'ll have more willpower going forward!\n<h3>7. Commitment</h3>\nThe most important thing to strengthen your willpower is commitment to doing so! Only by committing to improving your willpower every day will you be able to take the steps described above. To do so, evaluate your situation and why you want to strengthen your willpower, make a clear decision to work on improving this area, and set a <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/living-intentionally-3-steps-to-gaining-agency\">long-term goal</a> for your willpower improvement to have the kind of intentional life that you want.\n\nThen break down this goal into specific and concrete steps that you will take based on the strategies described above. <a href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12017/full\">Research shows</a> this is the best path for you to build your willpower!\n\n&nbsp;', '7 Tools to Build Your Willpower', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-tools-to-build-your-willpower', '', '', '2016-03-21 06:00:15', '2016-03-21 10:00:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29199', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29205, 374, '2016-02-05 06:00:38', '2016-02-05 11:00:38', '<em>This post is a part of our 2016 Lead Change Group Guest Blogger Series. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Joshua Lee Henry from <a title=\"Advancing the Kingdom to Transform Society\" href=\"http://joshualeehenry.com/\" rel=\"home\">Advancing the Kingdom to Transform Society</a>.</em>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><em>Go from Sinking to Succeeding in Creating Significant Change for Your Life and Work </em></strong></p>\nSeveral years ago I led a professional development workshop for the alumni association of my alma mater. The title of my presentation was “Toy Box Leadership” loosely based on the book by the same name, with a subtitle “Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child,\" by authors Ron Hunter and Michael Waddell. The workshop was a success. Not necessarily because the leadership concepts and practices I shared were so groundbreaking, but because the toys I used as props had a certain nostalgia about them that everyone could relate with. They made the material memorable and personable.\n\nThe toys I discussed, and their accompanying lessons, included the relationship principles evidenced in the connecting together of Legos ®, the attitude adjustments and body language metaphors of Mr. Potato Head ®, and the push-and-pull rhythm of leadership similar to that of a Slinky ®.\n\nOf the content I shared that day, the most powerful revelation I had from my own preparation for the lesson had to do with the Slinky ®. In fact, much of my insight came from another toy-based book called Change is Like a Slinky: 30 Strategies for Promoting and Surviving Change in Your Organization by leadership expert, Dr. Hans Finzel. Hans is a trusted leadership mentor whom I have learned much from. His book The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make is a classic and his follow up, The Top Ten Leadership Commandments, is a wonderful primer for new leaders. Hans even hosts his own podcast called the “Leadership Answer Man,\" which I also highly recommend. Not only do Hans and I share a common industry, we also took graduate studies at the same university.\n<h3>In Hans’s book, Change is Like a Slinky®, he makes the following nine parallels between the two:</h3>\n<ol>\n	<li>You have to take it out of the box to have fun with it</li>\n	<li>It comes in many styles and colors</li>\n	<li>Somebody has to launch it on its way</li>\n	<li>The course it takes once it begins is entirely unpredictable</li>\n	<li>It routinely gets stuck halfway down the stairs, and has to be relaunched. Repeat as necessary</li>\n	<li>It is messy, noisy, and chaotic</li>\n	<li>Before it is launched, it has stored potential energy--when launched, that energy force becomes kinetic energy</li>\n	<li>You really don\'t control it once it begins its journey</li>\n	<li>It rarely lands where you predict</li>\n</ol>\nAnybody with even the slightest amount of experience leading change can certainly identify with these similarities. Biologically ironic to our human nature, most people adamantly resist change. Yet it remains one of the only constants in life. Mark Twain said that “the only person who likes change is a baby with a wet diaper”. Well as a leader in my own right and father of a five month old, I can attest to the truth in that statement.\n\nChange is so often difficult because it takes us out of our comfort zone. It disrupts the status quo and requires us to take action. But we don’t need to fear change. Change can also offer an enormous amount of benefits, like growth in a career, innovation for the future, and discovering new possibilities in life.\n<h3>Hans offers these six phases for helping us to handle change in a healthy way:</h3>\n<ol>\n	<li>Accept the need for change</li>\n	<li>Aim squarely at the future</li>\n	<li>Anticipate your adversaries and allies</li>\n	<li>Advance the plan with courage and tenacity</li>\n	<li>Adjust course as you listen and learn</li>\n	<li>Align your team as you stay the course of change</li>\n</ol>\nChange can be a good thing if we just take the risk to give the Slinky ® a push to get it started. After positive change gets going, the momentum pulls it forward with each step. So much so that you begin to believe that your successful, Slinky ® style change could climb a staircase!\n\n<strong>References:</strong>\n\nToy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child (2009) by Ron Hunter and Michael Waddell\n\nChange is Like a Slinky: 30 Strategies for Promoting and Surviving Change in Your Organization (2004) by Hans Finzel\n\nThe Top Ten Leadership Commandments (2012) by Hans Finzel\n\nThe Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make (2004) by Hans Finzel\n\n<strong><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-29217\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/joshua-lee-henry-two-120x150.png\" alt=\"joshua lee henry two\" width=\"120\" height=\"150\" />Joshua Lee Henry </strong>is the Director of Coaching on Purpose, a biblically-based leadership development consultancy that operates as a “BAM” –business as mission, organization. Coaching on Purpose is also a Zig Ziglar Legacy Certified training program that specializes in teaching ministry principles for the marketplace. He is also a published author, conference speaker, and corporate trainer.', 'Lead Change like a Slinky®', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'lead-change-like-a-slinky', '', '', '2016-02-05 06:00:38', '2016-02-05 11:00:38', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29205', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(29251, 251, '2016-02-10 06:00:34', '2016-02-10 11:00:34', 'With January arrived the opportunity to write an impactful blog post. I wanted to begin the year with a meaningful message and not just any concept would do. The content had to be gripping and inspiring.\n\nDay after day slipped by and my writing pad remained blank. I was so entangled in the mental trap of creating something significant that I. Wrote. Nothing.\n\nGrrrrrrrrrr. How had I let that happen?\n\nA rainy Saturday provided the perfect backdrop for figuring it out. The first breadcrumb of insight came with remembering advice literary agent Rachelle Gardner had shared with me:  sometimes you have to kill your darlings.\n\nIn writing, the phrase “kill your darlings” means removing something precious that doesn’t move the story along. Extrapolating this writing concept to my thinking yielded the erroneous belief that my post must be profound. I had accepted that “darling” as a truth, which had become a stumbling block to action.\n\nNow on to exploring the reason for my stumbling block. Another mug of coffee sipped to the cadence of pounding rain yielded another insight:  that “darling” was a false truth, one that I had allowed to mess up my thinking. Where is it written that the first post of the year must be momentous? I’d placed crazy pressure on myself all because of an illogical, self-imposed belief. Sheesh, why had I done that?\n\nWhile dreamily watching the water level rise in the pond across the street, I had my last aha:  what I was doing at this moment—thinking critically—is what I had neglected to do earlier. I had ignored the red flag of a strongly held belief; and, as a result, I failed to analyze and evaluate my thoughts. This is a perfect illustration of what Drs. Linda Elder and Richard Paul call the “inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked,” i.e., when critical thinking is absent.\n<h3>Critical thinking:</h3>\n<blockquote>“…is thinking about one\'s thinking in a manner designed to organize and clarify, raise the efficiency of, and recognize errors and biases in one\'s own thinking.  One uses critical thinking to improve one\'s process of thinking.” ~ Kirby Carmichael\n\n“…is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.”     ~ Dr. Linda Elder\n\n“…calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends.” ~ Edward M. Glaser, PhD\n\n“… is reflective reasoning about beliefs and actions…and reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.” ~ Robert Ennis, Professor</blockquote>\nCritical thinking isn’t only about what goes on in our minds. Our thoughts and beliefs significantly impact our feelings. It’s that intricate tango between the logic of the head and the emotion of the heart.\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-29253 size-medium\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dreamstime_xs_34340485_business-circles-of-thinking-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"power of critical thinking\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" />\n\nIn their article, <a href=\"https://books.google.com/books?id=vMHT4MsLHlYC&amp;pg=PA59&amp;lpg=PA59&amp;dq=development+of+critical+thinking+skills+and+dispositions+is+a+lifelong+endeavor&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=jFvmpDGXj4&amp;sig=BCbjgwtqY8Y2JSF3_PurY9LMG0A&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjEkqTxv-jKAhXLNiYKHTTcAVYQ6AEIMjAE#v=onepage&amp;q=development%20of%20critical%20thinking%20skills%20and%20dispositions%20is%20a%20lifelong%20endeavor&amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\">The Thinker\'s Guide to Intellectual Standards,</a> Drs. Elder and Paul present a list of critical thinking strategies that cut across both thinking and feeling. Seven items on that list are now on a sticky note affixed to my pencil cup. Items one through three are rooted in feelings; the remainder address thinking.\n<ol>\n	<li>Explore thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts.</li>\n	<li>Develop intellectual humility and suspend judgment.</li>\n	<li>Develop intellectual perseverance.</li>\n	<li>Clarify issues, conclusions, or beliefs.</li>\n	<li>Questioning deeply: raise and pursue root or significant questions.</li>\n	<li>Examine or evaluate assumptions.</li>\n	<li>Give reasons, and evaluate evidence and alleged facts.</li>\n</ol>\nWith a thoughtful mix of self-awareness and self-discipline, these seven items are doable. Making them real becomes a matter of making the time to reflect and to ask the right questions. Elder and Paul note that the “development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a lifelong endeavor.” That gives me hope for staying on track because I know working on being a better me is an endless pursuit.\n<blockquote>The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.  ~Albert Einstein</blockquote>', 'How to Use Critical Thinking to be a More Effective Leader', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-to-use-critical-thinking-to-be-a-more-effective-leader', '', '', '2016-02-10 06:00:34', '2016-02-10 11:00:34', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29251', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29269, 276, '2016-02-15 06:00:17', '2016-02-15 11:00:17', 'A few weeks ago, I was reflecting on how my career started over 25 and a half years ago. I remembered my coworkers and how much time we spent writing code, debugging programs, analyzing issues that arose, and helping each other figure out problems.\n\nI also remembered the late nights and eating out as a team after a long day at work. It was a lot of fun and it created a bond of camaraderie. I enjoyed the recollections of how great it was to be part of a team.\n\nTo succeed in any profession, you must learn to work with others. It is easier said than done, though, because we all have different personalities and temperaments. We all have different motivations, goals and aspirations. When some folks come to work, they just do the work and are eager to get home. Some people come to work because they like what they do, while others come to work because they love what they do, thus it is not called work. The latter thrive in their jobs because they value their relationships and focus on establishing relationships in addition to getting things done.\n<h3>What’s the best way to establish a relationship?</h3>\n<ol>\n	<li>In any work relationship, focus on a common goal rather than just getting your stuff done first. John Maxwell’s quote comes to mind, “Believing in people before they have proved themselves is the key to motivating people to reach their potential.”</li>\n	<li>Never underestimate the capabilities of the other parties.</li>\n	<li>Do not jump to conclusions, and give people the benefit of the doubt</li>\n	<li>Offer to help when you can.</li>\n	<li>Exercise patience, don’t rush to conclusions, and (most importantly) be nice.</li>\n	<li>While you want to get your job done, a win-lose situation is not a good thing. At times, you need to strive for a win-win situation.</li>\n</ol>\nSuccess can be attained when you take into account the motivation and goals of all of the parties in any engagement. You must understand what motivates the people you’re working with. Focus on helping others because they will more likely help you get your job done. When you add value to others, they will also help you achieve your goals. The next time you need to collaborate with someone, think of how relationships matter. Focusing on fostering a good relationship can yield a better result in the long run.', 'Relationships Matter', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'relationships-matter', '', '', '2016-02-15 06:00:17', '2016-02-15 11:00:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29269', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29285, 374, '2016-02-12 13:00:28', '2016-02-12 18:00:28', 'This month we are featuring <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/instigators/chris-edmonds/\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Edmonds</a>, Founder and CEO of the <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Purposeful Culture Group</a>.\n\nChris received his BA from Whittier College, a secondary teaching credential from California Lutheran College, and a Masters of Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Business since 2000.\n\nHe has been a non-profit executive for 15 years, and a speaker, author, and executive consultant for 25 years. He is the author or co-author of seven books and two manifestos. His most recent book, <a href=\"http://thecultureengine.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Culture Engine</a>, helps leaders create workplace inspiration with an organizational constitution. It was listed by <a href=\"https://wearemotto.com/business/best-branding-books-for-entrepreneurs/\" target=\"_blank\">Motto</a> as one of the <a href=\"https://wearemotto.com/business/best-branding-books-for-entrepreneurs/\" target=\"_blank\">6 best branding books for entrepreneurs</a>. He shares, \"having my own hardcover book published by one of the top five publishers on the planet\" is one of his best ever professional moments.\n\nWhen asked about one leadership lesson he learned from his first job, he said: \"Leaders don\'t need to be liked but they need to be respected for fairness, kindness, and consistency.\"\n\nWhen asked about the strangest question he\'s ever been asked in a job interview, Chris tells us he was asked, \"How tall are you?\".\n\nThe book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1455250002&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=built+to+last\" target=\"_blank\">Built to Last</a> by Collins and Porras is a favorite. Chris said it has been the most helpful book for his professional life, an epiphany in fact!\n\nOne thing we can count on from our Instigators is an abundance of creativity. We asked Chris about the most creative solution he\'s ever seen to a problem. He responded, \"sending a player whose bad behavior was impeding team progress and success home for the day. No discussion, just \'go home.\'\" Chris says, \"it was a shock to them and to us -- and it didn\'t repair all the bad behavior. It did get the team back on track that day.\"\n\nOne of Chris\'s favorite quotes is:\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"quote\">Be for things in life - it\'s too exhausting to be against them.</div>\n<div class=\"attribute\">~ Ruth Gordon as Maude in Harold &amp; Maude</div></blockquote>\nIf money was no object, Chris said he would \"play music\"! He\'s a working musician on the side. (Check his music out <a href=\"http://www.chris-edmonds-music.com/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.)\n\nWhen considering the important qualities of leaders, Chris believes that service -- a servant heart and servant actions -- are the most important.\n\nOne question we ask our featured Instigators is \"What is the one thing that should be taught in schools that isn\'t already?\"Chris believes students should be taught that positive values in the workplace are as important as results.\n\nIf he had to hashtag his life, Chris\'s would be: #valuesmatter.\n\nChris says the best advice he\'s ever been given was \"slow down, listen, and learn from your team members.\"\n\nThank you, Chris, for \"slowing down\" long enough to answer the featured instigator questions. We enjoyed learning more about you!\n\n<em><strong>Editor\'s Note</strong> - You may ask, “How does one get chosen to be a featured Instigator?” The answer is simple. If you are already an Instigator, fill out <a href=\"https://cl182.infusionsoft.com/app/form/lcg-feature-questions\">this form</a> and continue to engage with the Lead Change Group on a regular basis. If you are not yet an Instigator, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/join/\">sign up</a>. There are many benefits to being an Instigator – email us if you want more information.</em>\n\n<strong>Previous Featured Instigators:</strong>\n\n1/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-marcella-bremer/\" target=\"_blank\">Marcella Bremer</a>\n\n12/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-john-stoker/\" target=\"_blank\">John Stoker</a>\n\n11/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-sean-glaze/\">Sean Glaze</a>', 'Featured Instigator - Chris Edmonds', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'featured-instigator-chris-edmonds', '', '', '2016-02-12 13:00:28', '2016-02-12 18:00:28', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29285', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29299, 415, '2016-02-16 06:00:17', '2016-02-16 11:00:17', '“Is it just too sad to be over 40 and still figuring out what you want to be when you grow up?” This question came from a woman in a job-seekers coaching group I co-lead.\n\n“Who do you want to be?” is a question we ask of young people until they’re about 23, when we suddenly stop and assume this decision has been made. It’s in the past. Whoever you are, that’s it. You have decided. But this doesn’t reflect the reality. Usually we choose our jobs or professional roles as we listen to other voices:\n\n\"I need to pay the bills.\"\n\n\"I have a family to feed.\"\n\n\"This is the only kind of job I can get here, now.\"\n\n\"I have to be practical.\"\n\nAnd of course:\n\n“You aren’t supposed to have fun. That’s why they call it work.”\n\nWhat if 2016 is your year for a new career? What if <em>this is your chance to bring <strong>what you do </strong>into alignment with <strong>your true self</strong></em>? To stop pretending and be both authentic and fantastic?\n<h3><strong>New Career Skills</strong></h3>\nFearless exploring is the most important new-career skill you can have. You\'ll need clarity on:\n<ol>\n	<li>Who you are</li>\n	<li>What you <em>can </em>do and what you know</li>\n	<li>How to tell (or shape) your story</li>\n</ol>\nClarity on these three elements (saving the last for last) is where my clients find they need the most support in order to leverage their experience and knowledge into a new career.\n\n<strong>Do you know who you are?</strong> This can be more complicated than it looks.\n\nIf you are considering leaving a current position, you might be dissatisfied with the fit between you and your job. Fit with your job is important. You have a basic human need to use your strengths every day. If you aren’t developing your strengths, that makes the work <em>hard </em>or <em>frustrating</em>, which is something you have to tolerate daily.\n<ul>\n	<li>How often do you get to use your strengths?</li>\n	<li>Have you developed all the mastery you can develop?</li>\n	<li>Is it still a challenge for you?</li>\n</ul>\nWhen you are looking ahead at starting a new career, you will need to answers to these questions:\n<ul>\n	<li>How do you come across to people?</li>\n	<li>What are your strengths? What is harder for you?</li>\n	<li>What business problems/challenges do you <em>need</em> to solve?</li>\n	<li>What’s your value in the marketplace?</li>\n</ul>\nPart of who you are is who you feel like spending time with and supporting, so you must know how to answer these questions:\n<ul>\n	<li>What kind of organizational vision, priorities, products, and story resonate for you?</li>\n	<li>What are you like at work?</li>\n	<li>What do you need from your boss? From your coworkers?</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Do you know what you</strong><strong><em> can</em></strong><strong> do?</strong> Many people become so comfortable with the skillset they’ve been using at work that it becomes challenging to imagine competence in a different field. When you are looking at starting a new career, you’ll need to know:\n<ul>\n	<li>What transferable skills you have.</li>\n	<li>Where your transferable skills can be most usefully applied.</li>\n</ul>\nYou need to be reliable, committed, and capable in your work. This is part of the intrinsic connection we feel to a job. If any of those are falling apart, you will be unhappy, and you will start planning to leave.\n\nIf you are considering starting a new career but are not yet qualified, what can you do to acquire the knowledge and skills that will equip you? If you are convinced that you <em>should</em> be qualified even though other people don’t see it, maybe you need to let go of that internal “should” message and get the credential you need.\n\n<strong>Do you know how to tell your story? </strong>The story you tell (known in marketing circles as your brand) must fit your experience, goals, and persona. If anything seems off, your resume won’t get another look or you won’t get past that first phone interview. Knowing how to tell your story is one of the most challenging aspects of starting a new career, whether you are changing industries, hoping for a new career in a new town, or trying to recover from an unfortunate event such as getting fired or being several years out of work.\n\nFor example, many employers want to see Progressive Experience. “Progressive experience” is a story that corporate recruiters and hiring managers understand quickly, but very few actual human beings have spent a considerable portion of their adult lives in the same industry climbing the corporate ladder. Taking time to shape your story means looking for the progressive aspects of your career and experience and highlighting that progression.\n\nThe easiest way to make sure your story comes together well for prospective employers is to be true to yourself. Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don\'t have to remember anything.” What is less apparent is that there can be many versions of the truth.\n\nHow you frame your stories about work depends on the perspective you take in the telling. To get hired, the perspective of the hiring manager must be that your past, present, and future come together in a great, reassuring story.\n<h3><strong>Your search for a new career</strong></h3>\n<strong>Put it all together</strong>. You will know you are ready to launch when you can speak fluidly about who you are, what you can do, and how you got to where you are today--when your resume, elevator speech, and interview responses all paint the same picture, a picture of the person your prospective employer wants to hire. An ability to fully explore those three areas is the most important of all new-career skills you can have.\n\n2016 will be closing in about 350 days, no matter what you do. What would you like your career to look like in January 2017?\n\nEditor\'s Note: For more information about Amy and her services, please visit <a href=\"http://careerleadershipalignment.com/\" target=\"_blank\">this link</a>.', '2016 May Be Your Year For A New Career', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '2016-may-be-your-year-for-a-new-career-2', '', '', '2016-02-16 06:00:17', '2016-02-16 11:00:17', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29299', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29310, 329, '2016-03-17 06:00:05', '2016-03-17 10:00:05', 'The meal was superb at the Outback Steakhouse in Conyers, GA. And, my wife and I were looking forward to a romantic nightcap in our La Quinta Inn hotel room within walking distance of the restaurant. A vodka tonic is not the same without a slice of lemon so I had asked the Outback bartender for a whole lemon which she gladly provided. We walked into the La Quinta lobby in desperate need of a knife to cut our lemon for garnishing my wife’s favorite adult beverage!\n\n“Tracie,” I announced to the front desk service rep, “can we please borrow a knife to cut this lemon for a special nightcap?” Without hesitation, she responded, “I will be delighted to help you with that.” We were expecting a plastic knife or a small paring knife. After all, this was a limited service hotel, not a fancy full-service Ritz-Carlton. A moment later, she emerged from the kitchen with a big smile, a carving knife, and a cutting board. We were stunned! It was empowerment at its finest!\n\nAs we walked down the hallway toward our room, I said to my wife, “Now, that is taking care of your guest!” My wife quickly chided, “She was also taking care of this hotel. She probably figured you’d try to cut that lemon on their wooden desk!!”\n\nEmpowerment does not mean unlimited license. It means responsible freedom -- balancing great service with great stewardship. Tracie was going the extra mile for her guests; she was also taking care of her hotel. If we dissected this act of empowered action for lessons learned, what might we discover was fueling Tracie’s superb hosting?\n<h3><strong>The Power of “Giving the Knife”</strong></h3>\nOne of the features of grandparenthood is the huge repository of stories just waiting to be told to anyone who will listen. So, be patient with a short granddaddy story.\n\nMy youngest granddaughter, Cassie, spends a week with us in the summer while her two older sisters are off at camp. A couple of years ago we started inviting Cassie to prepare pancakes every morning…completely from scratch and with limited supervision! A side feature was her narrating her chef-work as it was videotaped for the “Cassie’s Cooking Show” to be viewed later on our television. But, we noticed that what came with the “you’re in charge” cooking was the ease with which it was generalized to doing her chores without being asked.\n\nWhen her whole family visited us one weekend, she decided to make cookies—a process she had practiced during our summer weeks. When it came time to cut the cookie dough to be placed in the baking pan, her mother got a shocked look as I confidently handed her seven-year old daughter a sharp knife. Sensing her mother’s discomfort, she said, “Mom, I got this!  I know how to be super careful with a knife” as she carefully cut each cookie. The sound of confidence was more than obvious. I know what you’re thinking...granddaddies can be dangerous people!!\n\nThe message is the same for employees with empowerment. Trust them as mature adults and it will be generalized to all their other assignments. If you lead as a confident partner and not as a doting parent you’ll receive motivation, not movement; commitment, not compliance. Assume the best in your employees and, like Cassie, your employees will be a shining example of your assumption.\n\nBeing a partner does not mean acting as a “servant.” The word servant (with a hat tip to Robert Greenleaf!) implies deference while partner implies mutuality. Servant connotes power over; partner connotes power with. Servant denotes compliance, partner denotes community. Servants acquiesce; partners assert. Finally, servants show patronage; but partners show passion.\n\nCompetitive advantage today requires cutting edge innovation, distinctive service, and lightning fast responsiveness. That advantage requires a work force committed to success and enthusiastic about excellence. The \"partner-leader\" focuses less on sovereignty and more on support; they coach not control. How do partner-leaders carry out their “in charge” positions without power and authority being the medium of exchange?\n<h3 style=\"line-height: 18.0pt;\"><em><b><span style=\"font-family: \'Georgia\',\'serif\'; color: #333333;\">Tools for “Giving the Knife”</span></b></em></h3>\nEmpowerment is the process of releasing employee power. Since personal power is already present in every employee, empowerment is not a gift given by the leader. When leaders ask, “How do I empower my employees?” they are viewing it as a gift. The job of the leader is to release power. Think of your leadership job as a liberator…removing obstacles that keep employees from using their personal power. What are the barriers to responsible freedom in your operation? Below are four empowerment obstacles often the culprits to power release.\n\n<strong>1) Purpose: Focus on What Matters Most</strong>\n\nToday’s employees work harder and smarter when they feel a part of an important mission. The obstacle “no purpose” means employees fail to focus on what matters most. However, armed with a clear purpose they make responsible decisions on behalf of both the organization and the customer. When asked, “What are you doing,” the apathetic bricklayer stated the obvious ... \"laying bricks.” But, the bricklayer with purpose answered, “I’m building a great cathedral.” Purpose provides employees a focus on the cathedral building mission, not just the brick-laying tasks.\n\nPurpose is the “Oh, so that’s why I’m here” explanation that energizes and inspires. For Tracie to act with extraordinary zeal, for example, it was obvious she knew her purpose was to be “here for the guest” not just “check the guest into the hotel.” Dan Pink in his best-selling book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805\" target=\"_blank\">Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us</a> cited “purpose” as a top catalyst for commitment and motivation, not the carrot-stick approach of yesteryear.\n\n<strong>2) Protection: Demonstrate Obvious Trust</strong>\n\nEmpowerment begins with error! The obstacle “no protection” means employees feel there is no net of support to catch them should they fall from the high wire of responsible risk-taking. If errors are met with rebuke or punishment, it sends a very different message than if leaders view errors as opportunities for learning and preparation. Without risks, there is no learning, no creativity, and consequently, no motivation. With risks, there are occasional honest mistakes that lead to preparedness.\n\nRemember: it is much easier to gently rein in an overzealous, go-two-extra-miles employee than it is to find one with the enthusiastic attitude in the first place. Even if it makes you tense up like my daughter-in-law and cross your fingers to think of employees “out there on the high wire,” your job as leader is to support employees’ courage so they go out and try again.\n\n<strong>3) Permission: Ensure Relevant Boundaries</strong>\n\nEmployees need guidelines, not unlimited license. The obstacle of “no permission” can imply “just go do whatever you think is best.” Such a boundaryless approach is leader abdication, not empowerment. But guidelines also need elbow room to enable the person to adapt to the situation and to the customer. Customers don’t want robotic uniformity in a service experience. They do want consistency. But they also want to be personally treated as unique. This combination requires frontline flexibility within relevant boundaries.\n\nKeep in mind that shifting an employee from a history of tight rein to greater freedom requires patience. It also requires continual encouragement and non-stop support. It is likely they will not believe you the first time you say, “Yes, you can!” As Ken Blanchard is fond of saying, it takes catching employees doing things right. It also requires being crystal clear on expectations and providing instructive coaching when well-intentioned employees take actions outside the boundaries of responsible operation.\n\n<strong>4) Proficiency: Help Employee Feel Prepared</strong>\n\n“Knowledge is power,” said philosopher Francis Bacon. The “no proficiency” obstacle robs employees of the capacity to find resourceful solutions. Proficiency is the mark of a wise person prepared and empowered to go beyond the familiar and the ordinary. Tracie probably did not have a class on “loaning a knife and carving board.” But, her preparation enabled her to find a wise solution that thrilled her guest and protected her property. Training your employees, not once but constantly, provides more than competence, it helps ensure service wisdom. It enables confident “I got this” certainty.\n\nLeaders as mentors know that mentoring is not about smart comments or clever quips but rather lessons laced with never-ending compassion, crystal-clear communication, and a sincere joy of watching employees acquire mastery. Whether a thirty-second suggestion or a thirty-minute lesson, great mentoring is done with humility, curiosity and patience.\n\nAs long as organizations have people at different levels, empowerment will be a challenge and a never-ending journey. The wise leader recognizes the enormous power that can be released and harnessed when obstacles to responsible freedom are eliminated and employees are encouraged to think more like owners. Morale climbs, burnout is reduced, leaders feel responsibility shared, and profits soar as customers rave about the organization full of value, joy...and power!', 'Give Your Employees a Knife', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'give-your-employees-a-knife', '', '', '2016-03-17 06:00:05', '2016-03-17 10:00:05', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29310', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29312, 411, '2016-04-06 06:00:02', '2016-04-06 10:00:02', 'Leaders can be categorised in a number of ways, but according to the Harvard Business Review, there are seven main action logics. As a leader\'s ability grows, whether through personal development or leadership training, they may be able to advance through the categories, improving productivity and overall performance.\n\nHere, ranked from least effective to most effective, are the seven leadership types.\n\n<strong>1. Speculator</strong>\n\nThis type of leader is characterised as self-centred, manipulative and egocentric, focusing on personal victories at the expense of others. The speculator is typically an opportunist who will break rules, exploit situations and justify their own behaviour, while rejecting criticism. They are willing to take great risks, but produce poor corporate performance. As a result, unless they undergo sufficient leadership development to change their ways, their reigns are usually short-lived.\n\n<strong>2. Ambassador</strong>\n\nPolite, cooperative and keen to avoid conflict, ambassadors help to bring people together and ensure all ideas are heard, making them ideal for supportive roles. However, they often struggle after ascending to leadership positions, as they ignore problems, shy away from making tough decisions and fail to initiate necessary changes. For this reason, they can be summed up as well-intentioned but self-destructive.\n\n<strong>3. Specialist</strong>\n\nThe most common leadership type, specialists attempt to rule through pure logic and rely heavily on acquired knowledge. They strive for continued improvement and often take a data-driven approach to solving problems, dismissing emotional intelligence. Although they cope better than opportunists, their main leadership failing is their belief that they know best, meaning they refuse to listen to subordinates and view collaboration with scepticism.\n\n<strong>4. Highflier</strong>\n\nA highflier is goal-orientated and has a more complex view of the world than an expert, understanding that feedback and delegation are essential. Most highfliers try to influence others in positive ways and try to create a pleasant workplace atmosphere, which supports and challenges employees, leading to strong job satisfaction levels. With that said, highfliers struggle to think outside the box, which can stifle overall company creativity.\n\n<strong>5. Maverick</strong>\n\nSometimes viewed as \'wild cards\', mavericks are often great at finding unique solutions to problems and are able to think in abstract ways, making them highly valuable to their organisation, especially in a practical sense. They communicate well, even with other types of leaders, but have a tendency to ignore rules which they deem irrelevant, which can become a source of irritation to others.\n\n<strong>6. Tactician</strong>\n\nAble to combine idealistic and pragmatic approaches into a single vision, tacticians excel when it comes to implementing dramatic change. Given that they are also able to manage people\'s natural aversion to change, they are ideal leaders for organisations looking to go through a transformational phase. Meanwhile, their inquisitive nature and willingness to consult with others helps them to produce a strong corporate performance.\n\n<strong>7. Experimenter</strong>\n\nFinally, experimenters are the rarest leadership type and are set apart from strategists by their ability to reinvent and renew in truly meaningful ways. This type of leader has high moral standards, is comfortable talking to people from all walks of life and can oversee dramatic societal transformations. Other key characteristics include the ability to juggle priorities effectively, tackling short-term issues without ever losing sight of their long-term goals.', 'What Type of Leader Are You?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'what-type-of-leader-are-you', '', '', '2016-04-06 06:00:02', '2016-04-06 10:00:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29312', 0, 'post', '', 1);
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(29334, 273, '2016-03-03 06:00:32', '2016-03-03 11:00:32', '<p class=\"Body\"><em>This post is a part of our 2016 Lead Change Group Guest Blogger Series. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Ian Whitfield from Ian Whitfield Photography.</em></p>\n<p class=\"Body\">Photography. Something I\'ve wanted to do for a good while. Life learning. Something for me. And something to give back. I wanted to develop skills and an artistic passion - very different from my natural logical nature. It had to be part of my life, rather than a separate activity. I wasn\'t going to just go and do photography - and exclude the family. It needed to be seamless to what I was doing.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">That led to the initial choice of camera - I didn\'t want a professional-level <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_single-lens_reflex_camera\" target=\"_blank\">DSLR</a> - simply much too heavy, even if the image quality should, or could, be better. I chose a compact camera system with interchangeable lenses. This new experience is now 18-months old - I started running just in an automatic mode, exploring questions such as:</p>\n\n<ul>\n	<li class=\"Body\">How did the camera perform?</li>\n	<li class=\"Body\">What did the different lenses offer me?</li>\n	<li class=\"Body\">Was the camera achieving my objective of being part of me?</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Body\">It was then time to consider the scary prospect of moving away from auto. A friend is a professional photographer and offers one-day photography courses - distilling his learning and experience into a quick \"sheep-dip\" experience. Would I remember everything or anything? The day gave confidence to start mastering the camera, rather than stay in the comfort of auto-mode. And nuggets of learning would filter back into my mind as I started exploring the many menu options.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">So how do you learn? Push yourself to the edge of your experience. Then practice, practice, practice. I remember one family day out where fat fingers pushed a setting - I didn\'t notice, was not reviewing my work, and didn\'t know the impact until later - most of the images were unusable but that lesson was learned.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">As the camera is part of me, that practically means accompanying me on dog walking and being on a steam locomotive (I volunteer on a couple of steam railways). I wanted a personal style - not necessarily photography perfection - but one that gives the feeling of being there, experiencing all that the activity brings. I mentioned perfection - the photos needed to be right for me and I needed confidence in my production. So I started to edit my photos, to make sure I was happy with what I was producing. As a sanity check, my son acts as my validator and critic.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">I mentioned giving back; I did want to share my photos, for others to like and enjoy. Around 9 months ago, I set up a Facebook page, <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/PhotosbyIPW/?ref=br_rs\" target=\"_blank\">Ian Whitfield Photography</a>, as the most convenient way to share, within the communities that I\'m part of, and increase the exposure of the photos themselves. The page is now liked by over 1,000 individuals and although not particularly strategic in approach, has allowed me to interact with an increasing number of people. And the potential to move into a more strategic social media plan and become more commercial in my approach.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">How have I increased exposure for the photos? Within each theme Facebook provides a range of focused groups and pages - some are interest groups, others focused specifically on photography, and many commercial retail pages. I can take a railway themed photo, provide commentary, and share out to over a dozen different groups and pages. One magazine regularly shares the images to its 230,000 followers. Others have contacted me to publish to hard print.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\">Where does the journey lead? That\'s not too clear presently. I continue to learn - an online photography course is underway. And I continue to practice - yes, practice, practice, practice. I continue to take my camera out with me, even when it\'s easier to leave it behind. It gives me motivation and drive - with the next step moving out into other social media and being more targeted in my approach. That requires organisation and focus - while remembering the fun and satisfaction of myself, and the pleasure given to others in a growing global community.</p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><em><span class=\"il\"><img class=\"alignleft wp-image-29440\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ian-whitfield-two-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"ian whitfield two\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" /></span></em></p>\n<p class=\"Body\"></p>\n<p class=\"Body\"><em><span class=\"il\">Ian</span> Whitfield is an amateur photographer, volunteer steam locomotive driver, and an engagement manager at a global IT outsourcing business. <span class=\"il\">Ian</span>\'s photographs can be found at <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/PhotosbyIPW/\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr />PhotosbyIPW/</a>. </em></p>\n<p class=\"Body\"></p>', 'Picturing Myself as a Photographer', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'picturing-myself-as-a-photographer', '', '', '2016-03-03 06:00:32', '2016-03-03 11:00:32', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29334', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29338, 386, '2016-03-11 06:00:21', '2016-03-11 11:00:21', 'I believe that when we stretch ourselves in one part of our lives, that stretch shows up in other parts of our lives. That is why I encourage leaders to do things that expand and hone their edges, whether it is in work, life, or play.\n\nIn <a href=\"mailto:http://coachdjgreer.com/keeping-my-edge/\">Keeping My Edge</a>, I share how challenging myself on really difficult ski runs in the mountains keeps my performance edge in many other areas of my life. This year I am learning an entirely new way to keep my edge by stretching my skiing in a completely new direction. I am volunteering for <a href=\"mailto:http://www.vass.ca\">Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports</a> (VASS).\n\nAs a volunteer, I have been required to take a lot of training in both ski instructing and in the four modules of the Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers training program. While my initial impression of disabled skiing was for those with physical disabilities, such as a missing limb, I have learned that VASS instructs students with autism, cognitive challenges (e.g., someone who has had a stroke), visual impairment, and indeed those with physical disabilities from missing limbs to paraplegics and quadriplegics. <strong>Stretch #1</strong>—there is a lot more to disabled skiing than I ever knew.\n\nAt VASS, we always instruct in teams of two or more. Our student this season is a 27-year old autistic young man who is completely blind who has skied for ten years, including five with VASS. <strong>Stretch #2</strong>—a single student may have multiple disabilities. I interviewed our student’s caregiver, showed up for all training and orientation, and was still anxious heading up to Grouse Mountain for our first night of instructing our student. <strong>Stretch #3</strong>—even with all the training and preparation I still had to deal with my own anxieties.\n\nOnce I met my fellow instructors and our student, we headed up the mountain. Imagine being completely blind, having to 100% rely on someone else for your safety, and then try and get on a 100-person ski gondola? We helped our student navigate around hundreds of people, got him safely on the gondola, walked him up a long hill to the rental hut, and got him into his ski gear. <strong>Stretch #4</strong>—guiding our student onto the gondola, the long walk up the hill, and helping him into his ski boots and skis.\n\nWe started the night on the beginner run. We decided to use a 12-foot pole, designed specifically for instructing visually impaired skiers. Two of us ski holding either end of the pole with our student between us. <strong>Stretch #5</strong>—I had not received training on the 12-foot pole, so I had to learn as we went.\n\nWe gingerly headed down the run having success on our very first try. We worked on our student’s technical skills, focusing on weight shift in turns, with the result that on our subsequent runs we went twice as fast. <strong>Stretch #6</strong>—remembering to actually instruct, after first making sure our student was safe and having fun.\n\nThe anxiety was gone. I was focused on working as a team and helping our student. As the evening progressed I realized what a blast we were all having. <strong>Stretch #7</strong>—there are many ways to have fun skiing—not just challenging myself on difficult runs.\n\nAnne Bethune, President of VASS, calls what we do VASS Magic. She’s right—there is magic in being able to help someone with severe disabilities get out and enjoy the mountains, hills, and experience of riding a pair of skis down a mountain. <strong>Stretch #8</strong>—it is a gift to be able to volunteer for VASS.\n\n<strong>Stretch #9</strong>—the bonus is that the skills I’ve learned in VASS help me in many other areas of my life. I have more patience. I assume less. I focus on having fun first.', 'Stretching Into the Challenge', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'stretching-into-the-challenge', '', '', '2016-03-11 06:00:21', '2016-03-11 11:00:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29338', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29342, 307, '2016-02-19 06:00:10', '2016-02-19 11:00:10', '<h3>That Won’t Work!</h3>\n“David, I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work.”\n\nRoger was isolated, burned out, and frustrated. His team had turned against him, his boss was done waiting, and Roger knew his job was on the line if he didn’t produce results.\n\nWe had discussed tools he could use to have a better relationship with his team and to help them achieve results. Every suggestion I gave he met with an objection, such as “I’ve tried that…That won’t work… You don’t understand…”\n\nAs we explored further, it became clear that William <em>really had tried</em>. He’d said the right things, tried doing the right things, but his team would not respond.\n\nMost leaders who want to get better at leadership do it the way Roger tried to do it. They focus first on what they do.\n\nIf you’re like most leaders, you focus first on how you’ll talk to our team, how you’ll run your meetings, what you’ll do to address performance problems, how you’ll train, coach, encourage and do all the other things leaders do.\n\nThese activities are important, of course, but they’re not everything. In fact, if your leadership and employee engagement activities don’t produce the results you hope for, it’s likely that you need to put your attention somewhere else first.\n<h3>The Real Problem</h3>\nTo understand the real issue here, think of a tree. Picture the entire tree in your mind. Go ahead and do that now before you read further.\n\nYou probably saw a trunk, branches, and maybe some leaves or needles. What\'s interesting is what you <em>didn’t</em> picture or draw.\n\nYears ago lightning struck a giant locust tree in my front yard. Unfortunately, it killed the tree. When the arborists came out to cut down the tree, they said they would remove half the tree.\n\n“Half the tree?” I replied, “Wait a minute – I thought I was paying you to take out the whole tree!”\n\nThe arborist smiled and said, “As above, so below. As much tree as you see above ground, there is an equal amount of it below ground. We’re only taking away the half that’s above ground.”\n\nWhat you see when you look at a tree <em>is only half of the tree</em>. Leadership is similar – what you do is only half of your leadership. Ultimately, your employee’s engagement is not something you do – it’s the product of who you are, who they are, and the environment you create.\n<h3>Your Leadership Roots</h3>\nWhen your branches and leaves aren’t healthy, it’s time to focus on your roots. In the same way, if your leadership programs, employee engagement activities, and solutions aren’t working, it’s time to focus on you and your leadership roots.\n\nIn our new book, <em><a href=\"http://amzn.to/1PIr40j\">Winning Well: A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul</a>, </em>Karin Hurt and I focus most of our work on the \"what you do\" aspects of leadership and management. But we begin with <em>who you are</em> - what you do <em>is</em> important, but it can’t replace who you are.\n<blockquote>Leadership is first who you are, then what you do.</blockquote>\nWhen I say “who you are,” I’m talking about your roots. Roots sustain a tree, they nourish it, they bring in water and nutrients. They anchor the tree during storms.\n\nYour leadership roots do the same thing for you. They sustain you, give you energy, and anchor you when life is difficult.\n\nYour leadership roots are your motivations and values. These are the reasons you lead. To explore your roots, ask yourself a question, “What do I really want from this position?”\n\nPeople usually answer with the 5 ‘P’s:\n<ul>\n	<li>Power</li>\n	<li>Prestige</li>\n	<li>Purse (money)</li>\n	<li>People</li>\n	<li>Purpose</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>You’re Not Fooling Anyone</h3>\nIf your first answers are power, prestige, or purse (money), your team is unlikely to respond to your leadership. People aren’t dumb. You may never say it, but when you’re all about yourself – your power, your money, or your status – people know it. It bleeds through everything you do.\n\nIn contrast, when people and purpose motivate you, your team knows it. They know you genuinely care about them and that you serve them in order to accomplish something bigger than any of you can do on your own.\n\nThose motivations will last through challenges and tough times. Your teams will stick with you because they trust you.\n\nNext, examine your values. Leaders who sustain lasting results combine the values of confidence and humility. They have the confidence to say what needs to be said and to keep the team focused on results <em>and </em>they have the humility to treat others with dignity and hear tough feedback when it is shared.\n<h3>Your Turn</h3>\nRemember, leadership is first who you are, then what you do. If what you’re doing doesn’t work, I invite you to examine your “roots”.\n\nWhat motivates you? Why do you lead? If the answers are all about you, how can you start to put people and purpose back at the center? Internally, do you value both confidence and humility?\n\nLeave us a comment and share your thoughts: <strong>As a leader how do you stay focused on what matters most?</strong>\n\nTake care,\n\nDavid', 'Why Your Employee Engagement Programs Fail', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'why-your-employee-engagement-programs-fail', '', '', '2016-02-19 06:00:10', '2016-02-19 11:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29342', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29357, 322, '2016-04-15 06:00:02', '2016-04-15 10:00:02', 'Not everyone can be the type of hero that serves our country and defends our freedom. It takes a special type of person. Thank you to all the active service members and veterans!\n\nNot everyone can be the type of hero that saves lives daily. Thank you to all the firefighters, EMTs, doctors and law enforcement agencies!\n\nEveryone and I mean everyone in the world has an opportunity to impact others every day with every interaction! Who knows  -- you could be someone\'s hero by the impact you make on them!\n\nAmazing acts happen when you <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140328014244-83086959-are-you-serving-as-a-leader?trk=mp-reader-card\" target=\"_blank\">serve others</a>. Especially when you are a leader, then it becomes part of your culture.\n\nA few weeks ago, one of my teams had an active shooter outside their place of business. The next few things that happened were quite amazing. One of my employees went to the door to lock it. Two other employees started getting everyone to safety. Then, those employees went back to the front of the building to shut the security gates to ensure the safety of everyone. These decisions were made by their subconscious. There was no time to analyze the situation, think about potential options, weigh those options, then come up with a conclusion. The experiences in both life and the work environment of these employees led to this subconscious decision.\n\nIt gets better! Another employee, who hadn\'t eaten all day, gave his sandwich to one of the children who was upset and hungry. After giving him his sandwich, he sat with him and told him that Superman came down and took the bad guy away.\n\nIt inspires me and pulls at my heart strings every time I think about it.\n\nI need you do something for me.\n\nCheck your pulse.\n\nIs it still beating?\n\nThen you still have time!\n\nThe most valuable currency in life is the impact that you make on others! Family, Friends, Co-Workers, Acquaintances, and Complete Strangers! You can be a leader with no title in any environment.\n\nIf you show selflessness then your return on happiness will be more than you could ever imagine.\n<h3><strong>Exchange Rates</strong></h3>\nThe only exchange rate you have to worry about is the smile and feelings you give others when you invest time in them. Investing time in others is a rare commodity these days. If you are a leader of people in any business this should be your number one priority every year when you set them. When you invest in your people, they will invest in your customers. When your people invest in their customers then the customers come back and continue to do business with your organization. If you work for a publicly traded company that means increasing shareholder value.\n<h3><strong>Charitable Donations</strong></h3>\nThat feeling you get when you give someone something that helps them get through another day. There is not another feeling like it! A main objective of any leader is to get to know their team by understanding them on both a personal and professional level. Gaining trust and respect from a team comes from these types of interactions. Once you have the trust and respect, your team will know that you genuinely care about them which builds up your ability to influence them. Here are ways to increase your <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/its-time-for-a-paradigm-shift/\">charitable donations. </a>\n<h3><strong>Unlimited Supply</strong></h3>\nThere is no shortage! It is up to you on how much you give everyone that you interact with daily.\n\nWho did you impact today?!\n\n<strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><strong><em> </em></strong></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;', 'A New Type of Hero!', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'a-new-type-of-hero', '', '', '2016-04-15 06:00:02', '2016-04-15 10:00:02', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29357', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29360, 322, '2016-03-29 06:00:27', '2016-03-29 10:00:27', 'What do your people need from you?\n\nThe digital world has changed the way we interact and communicate with each other. It has exponentially increased the information that we share with each other. Every day I am surprised to learn how many leaders out there don’t invest the time they should into the development of their people.\n\nIt is time for a paradigm shift!\n\nEric Thomas talks about how <a href=\"http://etinspires.com/tgim-winners-win-and-losers-lose/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Winners Win and Losers Lose.</a> He uses many examples of sports franchises that always win and some that always lose. He makes some very valid points about leadership and culture.\n\nThese 3 practices can help create a winning culture with your team!\n<h3><strong>1:1s</strong></h3>\nMy article, <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141104114657-83086959-the-unknown-motivational-factor?trk=mp-author-card\" target=\"_blank\">“The Unknown Motivational Factor”</a> got a lot of buzz around how 1:1s can act as a catalyst for motivation. 1:1s are an important part of the development of every employee. The fact that you take the time to sit down with them and have an impactful conversation helps with 2 of the 3 motivational factors: mastery and purpose. (For more on these motivational factors, I recommend <a href=\"http://www.danpink.com/drive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Daniel Pink’s Drive</a>.\n\n<em>The Setup:</em>\n\nThe meeting should be scheduled in advance.  The employee should build their game plan or playbook prior to the 1:1.\n\n<em>The Conversation:</em>\n\nStart with a personal connection. There is nothing worse than starting a conversation with business. We aren’t machines. We are humans with emotions. I absolutely hate when a person sees me for the first time that day and immediately asks me about results. As the guys on <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_Countdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Monday Night Countdown</a> would say:  <strong>“C’Mon Man!\"</strong>\n\nAsk them what they want to talk about. This doesn’t have to be about business, even though it turns to business sometimes, but the understanding should be that they can bring anything they want to the table.\n\nReview their plan. Ask about their successes. Ask them why they feel like they have these successes. Ask them how they can duplicate the successes in others (this step is skipped too often). Ask about their challenges. Ask them why they feel like they have these challenges. Ask how they feel like they can overcome them.  Ask how you can help them achieve their goals and overcome their challenges.\n\nLeave the conversation with commitments from them and give them commitments from you and the leadership team on how you will help them!\n<h3><strong>Living the Culture</strong></h3>\nEvery employee on your team should know the <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141013011535-83086959-are-you-using-the-right-v-i-c-e-grip?trk=mp-author-card\" target=\"_blank\">vision</a>. If you ask them, they should immediately be able to tell you without thinking about it. In order to live the culture, it has to be a part of what everyone does daily.\n\nWhat is your team fighting for daily?  What do you all want to achieve? What is the team\'s purpose?  How do we achieve it together?  How do we have FUN while doing it?\n\nIn order for us to live our vision out every day and to scale it to 240+ employees, we establish many different outlets. GroupMe allows us to stay in contact with all 240 employees to send updates, collaborate on ideas and strategies, deliver recognition, and just have genuine conversations.\n\nWe have Culture Parties. We call them parties because workshops, meetings, and events are too bland and boring.  The District Leadership practices humility and being human. The last culture party we did, I got challenged to a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBZTk48zuJ8\" target=\"_blank\">water war </a>in 40 degree weather. Let me tell you how excited I was about that! Ha! But it isn’t about me. <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140328014244-83086959-are-you-serving-as-a-leader?trk=mp-author-card\" target=\"_blank\">It is about my team</a> and my team loved it!\n\nWe incorporate motivation, inspiration and purpose. We recognize our top performers! We deliver our purpose and the impact that it has had on our people and our customers!\n\nWe beef up our knowledge with games like Family Feud, Jeopardy, Taboo and Heads Up. Now what fun would these games be unless the winners got prizes? Well they do. They get to pick the song and the losers have to bust out their best dance moves or lip sync, karaoke style!\n\nWe build teamwork with Nerf wars, making products out of random items, and creating 30 second infomercials about them.\n\nWe tie it all together with our vision and what we want to accomplish together as one unit.\n\nRemember, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” ~Aristotle\n<h3><strong>Development Programs</strong></h3>\n6 years ago, I was sitting in a Wild Wing Cafe talking about employee development with <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-carman-9990a525?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=GYpe&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=830869591455322562570&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=61&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A830869591455322562570%2CVSRPtargetId%3A86810949%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH\" target=\"_blank\">Rob Carman</a> who I was mentoring at the time. We talked about how the employee development programs were mediocre at best. We set out from that day to create and change the development programs for our people.\n\nWe wanted to teach leadership skills, study previous leaders, talk about how to inspire and motive people, why emotional intelligence is important, how to have tough conversations, how to run a business, how to tell a story with your results, why structure and processes are important and how to coach effectively. So we did!\n\nNow there are development programs for all levels of my organization and from those development programs there have been over 70 promotions (30% of my team) in less than 3 years.\n\n\"If you touch 1 person a day for 5 years you will have touched over 1500 people and if those 1500 people have touched 1 person a day that is over 10 million people you will have left a mark on in 5 years.\" ~ <a href=\"http://www.robinsharma.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Robin Sharma</a>\n\nHow are you progressing careers, shifting paradigms and impacting others?\n\nAlways available to learn, share experiences, or help in any way I can. Feel free to message me.', 'It&#039;s Time for a Paradigm Shift', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'its-time-for-a-paradigm-shift', '', '', '2016-03-29 06:00:27', '2016-03-29 10:00:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29360', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29375, 408, '2016-02-26 06:00:25', '2016-02-26 11:00:25', 'I\'m a big believer in leadership development. Early in my career, I had a manager who noticed my potential and nominated me for training programs that kick-started mine. Then, as a newly-minted entrepreneur, I joined peer-to-peer counseling groups such as Young Entrepreneur\'s Organization (YEO) and my local tech council\'s Executive Roundtable to help me continue to develop my skills. In the time since, I have belonged to other organizations, attended conferences, seminars, webinars, and worked with business coaches to work towards continual improvement. So there\'s no denying that I\'m an advocate for leadership development.\n\nBut leadership development does not necessarily mean following in the path of the leaders before us, and I believe that in today\'s fast-changing world, this couldn\'t ring more true. I won\'t try to broad-brushstroke the definition of a leader – there are many types and leaders of small and large organizations alike. Some leaders are incredibly innovative and think far ahead of everyone else; others have rock-solid skills at building strong organizations and teams. I\'m not suggesting that we should dismiss the capabilities of these leaders or not try to emulate them. What I am positing, however, is that we need to be looking beyond what we see and expect of \"typical\" leaders in this day and age.\n<h3><strong>Born, Made, or Something Else?</strong></h3>\nWe all know the long-running debate: Are leaders born or made? I\'m not going to try to tackle that one here. Instead, I\'d like to discuss what I see our leaders of tomorrow needing. Leaders of tomorrow will not necessarily be people who rise up through the ranks of an organization, sticking to some long-held hierarchical path to achieve a pinnacle. The pace of our world frankly can\'t afford the time for this kind of trajectory.\n\nLeaders of tomorrow need to be nimble-minded, adaptive, and forward-thinking. They have to be able to anticipate and predict what\'s coming down the pike and start moving their companies towards those changes <em>before</em> they get here. That means they have to be bold and brave, especially if they have investors. There\'s no room for complacency. I think of Amazon\'s Jeff Bezos who always takes the long view, a long view which constantly focuses on innovation and efficiency, and yet he seems to be regularly vilified by Wall Street for losses or lower returns than they would like. As of this writing, Amazon\'s stock price is $525 USD. I don\'t see anyone hastening to dump Amazon stock.\n\nHave the majority of leaders today mastered the art of change? To me it feels like quite the opposite. For tomorrow\'s leaders, then, do we look for people who have more traditional leadership skills <em>and </em>a strong ability to change; or do we first look for these foresight and adaptation skills <em>and then</em> try to teach (or draw out) the ability to lead?\n\nI feel so strongly that tomorrow\'s leaders need to have the ability to see, adapt to, <em>and even seek out</em> change that I believe it needs to be a Top 3 criteria for leadership, particularly if that leader is being hired into an organization.\n\nSo how many leadership development and corporate mentoring programs themselves lead with how-to-change coursework? It\'s about time the majority do.', 'Why Tomorrow&#039;s Leaders Shouldn&#039;t Mimic the Leaders of Today', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'why-tomorrows-leaders-shouldnt-mimic-the-leaders-of-today', '', '', '2016-02-26 06:00:25', '2016-02-26 11:00:25', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29375', 0, 'post', '', 23),
(29382, 273, '2016-03-30 06:00:31', '2016-03-30 10:00:31', 'Leaders are difference makers. They are catalysts who make positive things happen with available people, ideas, and resources. Which is why the world judges leaders first on what they <em>actually</em> accomplish, not the quality of their ideas or the strength of their vision. Strategy is important, innovation is important. But in the long run, a leader has to be somebody who knows how to get things done.\n\nUnfortunately not many leaders have strong “get it done” skills. In a December 2015 <a href=\"https://hbr.org/2015/12/only-8-of-leaders-are-good-at-both-strategy-and-execution\">Harvard Business Review article</a>, three  authors described the pitiful results of a survey of almost 700 executives. “Only 16% of top leaders were rated very effective at either strategy or execution.” And only 11% were rated very effective in executing their strategy.\n\nToo many leaders are beaten before they even start. They show up again and again ill-equipped for success. What are they missing?\n<h3><strong>Systems</strong></h3>\nIf you’re going to accomplish anything big or important—and that’s what leadership is all about—you’ll need systems. Good systems are what we use to accomplish tasks that have to be done, at a certain level of quality or accuracy, again and again. They save time, money, and energy. They help leaders and teams focus on the things that matter most, which means they are able to get more accomplished.\n\nA big project is made up of hundreds, maybe thousands of those types of repeated tasks. A company is made up of thousands or millions, even billions. Without systems, people trying to accomplish those tasks flounder, wander, waste time. They get bogged down in mundane, if necessary, duties.\n\nDon’t let that happen to your team. Instead, spend the next month testing, analyzing, and improving every system you or they use. Develop more systems—for anything that happens semi-regularly. Why? I’ll give you three critical reasons.\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Most people aren’t great at developing systems. </strong></li>\n</ol>\nIt’s not that building systems is all that difficult. The problem is that people don’t think about them and aren’t challenged by their leaders or colleagues to do so.\n\nI created an assessment of the five fundamental skills for personal success, based on the Cycle of Winning I describe in <a href=\"http://weidelonwinning.com/book\"><em>Serial Winner</em></a>. In the assessment, I included three statements that relate to systems. Those three statements are consistently among the lowest scoring items on the test. The second lowest scoring item of all? “I continue to face the same struggles in my work or life, even though I keep expecting things to get easier the more I do them.” Almost 60% of hundreds of respondents agree or strongly agree that things aren’t getting easier the more they do them. Why? Because they don’t have systems.\n\nGood systems require thought, planning, analysis, the desire to improve, and in teams, the ability to get other people on board. Most people simply don’t have all of those skills and they don’t understand the importance of developing them. If you want the systems your team uses to be effective and to get better over time, you’re going to have to <em>make it happen</em>.\n\nIf you’re one of those people who is lousy at developing systems, make the time to get better. If you can’t do that, find somebody on your team who creates great systems and leverage their talents for the good of the team and the company. Find the most efficient and productive people on your team and gather their ideas first.\n<ol start=\"2\">\n	<li><strong>To work, most systems have to be personal.</strong></li>\n</ol>\nSome things in life and at work are done by most people in almost the same way, based on best practices in a company or industry, regulations, or the technology you’re using. But outside of that group, the systems that work best are the ones that<em> work for you</em>.\n\nMy Uncle Martin was a farmer. He kept his farm neat and orderly: fields cultivated, lawns cut, trucks and tractors always in their specific parking spots, hay and grain stacked carefully. He had a system for everything that he taught to the farmhands who worked for him. However, he also had a huge shed where he kept his tools and his workbench. To the untrained eye, it was <em>a complete mess</em>—spare parts, wires, pieces of metal, tubes and pipes of every size scattered around. But Uncle Martin knew where everything was, and that’s what mattered. (His system worked great for years—until the whole shed burned down. Sometimes you have to rebuild even the best systems.)\n\nEven in a company, the systems that work the best are personal or customized. Which means you—or your team—have to develop them. You can hire a consultant to come in and analyze how you work and tell you what systems or processes you need. More than likely, they’ll fail.\n\nWhat’s your personality? How do you keep yourself organized? How visually oriented are you? What’s the culture of your team like? All of these questions matter when it comes to developing a system that will last and produce the right results—and only you or your team can answer them.\n<ol start=\"3\">\n	<li><strong>You can’t grow without systems.</strong></li>\n</ol>\nWhether you’re an entrepreneur or a division leader or a department leader, your top priority is growth. Without systems, and focused effort to improve those systems, you can’t achieve that top priority. Sporadic, random improvements in the quality or efficiency of your product or service are not going to generate the kind of steady growth most companies need.\n\n<strong>Bottom line</strong>: Consistent success is not a random event. It requires systems. The more you can automate, put into a routine or on a list, or get on a schedule, the more discretionary time you create for yourself and for your team—time you can use to strategize, create, innovate, and grow.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-29697\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/larry-weidel-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"larry weidel\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" />\n\nLarry Weidel is the author of <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Serial-Winner-Actions-Create-Success/dp/1626342342\" target=\"_blank\">Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success</a> (Greenleaf, October 2015). He has spent the past 40 years building an award-winning financial services organization across North America. On his website, he shares articles, podcasts, and other resources to help people win in any area of life. Connect with Larry at <a href=\"http://weidelonwinning.com/\" target=\"_blank\">WeidelonWinning.com</a>.', 'The Best Leaders Have the Best Systems', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-best-leaders-have-the-best-systems', '', '', '2016-03-30 06:00:31', '2016-03-30 10:00:31', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29382', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29386, 385, '2016-04-25 06:00:54', '2016-04-25 10:00:54', 'Several years ago I was coaching an executive sales team. During the meeting, someone brought up that the salespeople in the field were struggling. The VP of Sales said something like, “I have been meaning to address that for some time. We really do need to do a better job of training our people.”\n\nI was present a couple of months later when one of the directors walked into the room before the meeting began and threw a huge three-ringed binder on the conference table as he exclaimed, “Here it is.” “Here is what?” the VP asked. “The new sales training manual that you requested four months ago,” responded the director. The VP turned bright red and then exclaimed, “I didn’t request a new training manual.”\n\nThis is how things go sometimes. We think someone is making a request or we think we know what they want until we find out otherwise.\n\nHere are 10 tips for making sure that your people give you what you want every time.\n<ol>\n 	<li><strong>Give clear directions</strong>. This means you have to think specifically about what you want before you give directions or an assignment. If you don’t know what you want someone to do, then what you ask people to do will lack the degree of detail which will allow them to give you what you want. Check in with them to see if they have clearly understood your instructions. Don’t assume anything.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Identify guidelines for success</strong>. Everyone seems to define success in different ways. If you take the time to establish guidelines for success, they will follow them with precision and create the outcome that you desire.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Document clear processes</strong>. Anytime you can define frequently repeated tasks, you will ensure that those tasks are always completed in the manner that is expected. People will also feel more confident that they are doing what is required.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Identify the needed resources</strong>. It is essential to spend time identifying the equipment, time, material, and support that is needed to complete a project by the deadline. If you don’t want anything to get in the way of the success of a project, then take the time to explore and help people get whatever resources are absolutely essential to their success. Taking a moment to listen to what people think they need compared with what you think they need can be quite revealing.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Invite input from the person</strong>. Sometimes people know more about what will work and what won’t work than you do. Asking for a person’s input about what you are trying to achieve may surprise you. Ask questions to solicit their input about what they feel is the best way to complete the assignment or project. Don’t get defensive if their ideas are different than yours. Explore their thinking, look for evidence that supports their perspective, and don’t hesitate to ask for their ideas about how to more successfully achieve the desired goals. If you don’t agree with their perspective, thank them for their ideas, openness, and candor. In the future continue to look for other opportunities to solicit their input. Over time, such behavior will create respect for you and value for the individual.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Be supportive</strong>. When things are not going well, individuals may be afraid to approach you with bad news. If you frequently communicate that you want to know about their progress and challenges and that you are always willing to listen, they will feel more comfortable in approaching you when they really need your help. Be sure to encourage them and express your confidence in them and their abilities when they seem unsure about themselves. And when they seem stuck, provide the necessary support they need to help them move forward. Finally, when they succeed, look for opportunities to celebrate and recognize their efforts.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Jump in and help when needed</strong>. This doesn’t mean that you will do a person’s work for them, but it does mean when a crisis arises, people love a leader who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and jump into the fray and pull together to achieve a common goal. Doing so says that you are just as committed to the objective as you expect them to be.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Allow for autonomy. </strong>No one likes a micromanager. Micromanaging someone sends the message that you don’t trust them to do their work. Sometimes managers are afraid to relinquish control in certain situations. If you tend to micromanage, then you had better find out why. Review the foregoing points to try to determine where things go awry and don’t be afraid to explore with the individual their lack of ability if their performance is falling short of your expectations. When you can surface and understand the barrier to their success, then you can deal with it in an appropriate way.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Explore what didn’t work and why. </strong>When things don’t work out as planned or the results are less than desirable, you want to explore all the factors that contributed to the lack of success. You might begin by asking yourself what you could do that would increase success. You also might try asking the individual what they could do differently next time. This allows you to identify where barriers emerged and helps them to learn the problem solving skills that will make them a better contributor and future leader.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Get to know your people.</strong> People adore a leader who is personally interested in them. Knowing your people helps to establish trust. Trust leads to loyalty which enhances an individual’s discretionary effort, the effort that people expend above and beyond what is required to do their job.</li>\n</ol>\nIf you are not achieving the results you want, the first place to start in trying to understand the source of your lack of results is by looking at yourself and how your behavior may contribute to what you are getting. Heightening your awareness of your contribution and making needed changes will help you to avoid surprises and lessen the likelihood of getting something that you didn’t want.', '10 Tips for Making Sure People Give You What You Want Every Time', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '10-tips-for-making-sure-people-give-you-what-you-want-every-time', '', '', '2016-04-25 06:00:54', '2016-04-25 10:00:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29386', 0, 'post', '', 2);
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(29393, 274, '2016-03-07 06:00:54', '2016-03-07 11:00:54', 'Welcome to the March 2016 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival!\n\nThere are so many fascinating themes in this month\'s carnival! They range from how to lead in a crisis to how to develop leadership qualities when things are calm. Take a moment to browse through ALL of this month\'s fantastic selections; you are sure to come away encouraged!\n\nLet\'s Get Started\n\n<strong>Anne Perschel</strong> of <a href=\"http://germaneconsulting.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Germane Consulting</a> submitted <a href=\"http://germaneconsulting.com/speed-and-beauty-of-emotional-intelligence/\" target=\"_blank\">Speed &amp; Beauty of Emotional Intelligence Examined</a>. Anne shares, \"The speed, beauty and effectiveness of emotional intelligence is exemplified by Ted Kennedy’s announcement, to a mostly black audience, that Martin Luther King had been murdered. The post includes with 3 question to boost your emotional intelligence in unexpected and tense situations.\" Locate Anne on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bizshrink\" target=\"_blank\">@bizshrink</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Bill Treasurer</strong> of <a href=\"http://giantleapconsulting.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Giant Leap Consulting</a> contributed <a href=\"http://giantleapconsulting.com/leadership-development/does-being-disorganized-make-you-less-effective/\" target=\"_blank\">Does Being Disorganized Make You Less Effective?</a>. Bill recaps, \"An effective manager is an organized manager — because being organized reduces distractions and removes the unnecessary from your life. Sometimes “getting organized” is easier said than done, however. Here are five steps to get your act together.\" Follow Bill on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/btreasurer\" target=\"_blank\">@btreasurer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Chery Gegelman</strong> of <a href=\"http://consultgiana.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Giana Consulting</a> shared <a href=\"http://consultgiana.com/1-way-to-break-the-cycle-of-the-flip-flopping-leader/\" target=\"_blank\">1 Way to Break the Cycle of the Flip-Flopping Leader</a> . Chery writes, \"When someone deeply researches and considers and issue and changes their mind - It\'s called thinking.\" However, when titled leaders flip-flop because they haven\'t done their homework, and are simply avoiding conflict they aren’t leading, they are looking out for themselves.\" Chery is on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/GianaConsulting\" target=\"_blank\">@gianaconsulting</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Chris Edmonds</strong> of the <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Purposeful Culture Group</a> contributed <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/write-it-down-then-act-on-it/\" target=\"_blank\">Write it Down, Then Act on It</a>. Chris summarizes how this post: \"shares new research that validates the benefits of formalizing goals and holding oneself accountable for those goals, just as the mythical 1953 Yale Study of Goals (which never happened) proposed. Along with Edmonds’ proven values accountability system, greater team effectiveness is within reach!\" Follow Chris on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/scedmonds\" target=\"_blank\">@scedmonds</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Conor Cusack </strong>submitted <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-mr-frederick-douglas-conor-cusack-mpa?articleId=6110103601907060739#comments-6110103601907060739&amp;trk=prof-post\" target=\"_blank\">An Open Letter to Mr. Frederick Douglass</a>. In this post, Conor looks back on the legacy of Frederick Douglass and imagines changes to education which would thrill him, should he visit 2016. Find Conor on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ConorCusack\" target=\"_blank\">@conorcusack</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<div>\n\n<strong>D</strong><strong>avid Dye</strong> of <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Trailblaze, Inc.</a>, shared <a href=\"http://trailblazeinc.com/resources/engage-newsletter/success-at-leadership-life-and-volcanoes/\" target=\"_blank\">Success at Leadership, Life - and Volcanoes</a>. David writes, \"Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a difficult challenge and had thoughts like: “What was I thinking, believing I could do this?” David shares a personal and inspiring story of how to overcome these common leadership doubts.\" Discover David on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/davidmdye\" target=\"_blank\">@davidmdye</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>David J. Greer</strong> of <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Coach David J. Greer</a> contributed <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/finish-well/\" target=\"_blank\">Finish Well</a>. David shares, \"Focusing on how you finish your day sets you up to be the best leader you can be for your next day.\" Encounter David on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/djgreer\" target=\"_blank\">@djgreer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<div>\n\n<strong>Eileen McDargh </strong>of <a href=\"http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Resiliency Group</a> provided <a href=\"http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/resiliency-motivational-speakers-blog/resiliency-rebounding-a-lesson-in-leadership\" target=\"_blank\">Resiliency Rebounding, a Lesson in Leadership</a>. This piece asks, \"Imagine closing your doors at a time when customers are ready to spend money?\" and looks at how the Chipotle restaurant chain jumped to reclaim its credibility after a recent food-based infection outbreak that resulted in customer illness. Discover Eileen on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/macdarling\" target=\"_blank\">@macdarling</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Jesse Lyn Stoner</strong> of the <a href=\"http://seapointcenter.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Seapoint Center</a> provided <a href=\"http://seapointcenter.com/great-leaders-retain-a-listening-attitude/\" target=\"_blank\">Great Leaders Assume a Listening Attitude</a>. Jesse summarized: \"Research shows that most people think they are good listeners… and they’re wrong. Good listening is about more than learning skills, it’s about developing a \'listening attitude\'.\" Follow Jesse on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JesseLynStoner\" target=\"_blank\">@JesseLynStoner</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Jill Malleck</strong> of <a href=\"http://epiphanyatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Epiphany at Work</a> contributed <a href=\"http://epiphanyatwork.com/how-to-become-a-more-patient-and-attentive-leader/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Become a More Patient and Attentive Leader</a>. Jill shares, \"Every day life is full of opportunities to develop new leadership habits. Here’s an example of how a leader learned patience.\" Find Jill on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/epiphanyatwork\" target=\"_blank\">@epiphanyatwork</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Joel Garfinkle</strong> of the <a href=\"http://careeradvancementblog.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Career Advancement Blog</a> submitted <a href=\"http://The Power of Gratitude in the Workplace\" target=\"_blank\">The Power of Gratitude in the Workplace</a>. Joel recaps: \"Learn the physical and emotional benefits of gratitude and 4 ways to bring it more into your life and work.\" Discover Joel on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JoelGarfinkle\" target=\"_blank\">@JoelGarfinkle</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>John E. Smith </strong>of <a href=\"https://strategiclearner.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Strategic Learner</a> shared <a href=\"https://strategiclearner.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/urgent-illusions/\" target=\"_blank\">Urgent Illusions...</a> John describes the post as, \"a revisiting of the relationship between urgent and important, with special attention to how and why this shows up in the workplace.\" Find John on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StratLearner\" target=\"_blank\">@stratlearner</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>John Spence</strong> of <a href=\"http://blog.johnspence.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Achieving Business Excellence with John Spence</a> contributed <a href=\"http://blog.johnspence.com/2016/02/effective-followership/\" target=\"_blank\">Effective Followership</a>. John shares, \"To be a successful leader, you must have superb followers. Here are some ideas about how to be an effective follower.\" Follow John on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AwesomelySimple\" target=\"_blank\">@awesomelysimple</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Julie Winkle-Giulioni </strong>of <a href=\"http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Julie Winkle-Giulioni</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/blog/leadership-matters/respect-find-out-what-it-means/\" target=\"_blank\">RESPECT: Find Out What It Means</a>.  Julie summarizes, \"Managers who want to build strong teams capable of delivering strong results can take meaningful steps forward with just one word: <strong>RESPECT.\" </strong>Find Julie on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Julie_WG\" target=\"_blank\">@julie_wg</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<div>\n\n<strong>Marcella Bremer</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership and Change Magazine</a> shared <a href=\"http://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/suffer-survive-thrive-organizational-culture/\" target=\"_blank\">Suffer, Survive or Thrive in Organizational Culture?</a>. Marcella describes the post: \"Three stages of organizational culture are when people suffer, survive or thrive at work. Check the characteristics to gauge your workplace\'s energy level. Do you see how leaders can make a difference to the culture when they change their style of leading and managing?\" Locate Marcella on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MarcellaBremer\" target=\"_blank\">@marcellabremer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Mary Jo Asmus</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.aspire-cs.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Aspire Collaborative Services, LLC</a> contributed <a href=\"http://www.aspire-cs.com/making-a-connection-instead-of-solving-the-problem/\" target=\"_blank\">Making a Connection Instead of Solving a Problem</a>. Mary Jo says, \"The best leaders know that people aren’t a problem to be solved; they are a connection to be made.\" Find Mary Jo on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mjasmus\" target=\"_blank\">@mjasmus</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Michael Lee Stallard</strong> of <a href=\"http://connectionculture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Connection Culture</a> shared <a href=\"http://connectionculture.com/leading-with-character-humility/\" target=\"_blank\">Leading With Character: Humility</a>. To summarize, \"Great <span class=\"il\">leaders</span> lead with great character. In this article, Michael Lee Stallard explains why humble <span class=\"il\">leaders</span> are more successful and provides tips for leading with humility.\" Follow Michael Lee on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/michaelstallard\" target=\"_blank\">@michaelstallard</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ConnectToThrive\" target=\"_blank\">@connecttothrive</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Neal Burgis</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.successful-solutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Burgis Successful Solutions</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.successful-solutions.com/2016/02/29/leaders-bringing-out-creativity-from-your-employees/\" target=\"_blank\">Leaders Bringing Out Creativity from Your Employees</a>. Neal recaps, \"In bringing out the creativity in employees, leaders need to look at how different they need to be as compared to working in a “traditional” or ordinary work environment. Creative employees conduct higher and greater performance than non-creatives.\" Find Neal on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Exec_Solutions\" target=\"_blank\">@exec_solutions</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Paul LaRue</strong> of <a href=\"http://upwardsleader.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The UPwards Leader</a> contributed <a href=\"http://It’s Time To Measure AQ (Authenticity Quotient)\" target=\"_blank\">It\'s Time to Measure Authenticity Quotiont (AQ)</a>. Paul continues, \"In the quest for what measures great leaders, here\'s a trait that is coming on the horizon. Measuring a person\'s authenticity may be the best way yet to gauge sustainable leadership influence.\" Discover Paul on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/paul_larue\" target=\"_blank\">@paul_larue</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Randy Conley</strong> of <a href=\"http://leadingwithtrust.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Leading With Trust</a> shared <a href=\"http://leadingwithtrust.com/2016/02/21/4-essential-skills-every-new-manager-needs-to-learn/\" target=\"_blank\">4 Essential Skills Every Manager Needs to Learn</a>. Randy writes, \"Becoming a manager for the first time is a significant career milestone, but studies have shown that most new managers lack the skills and training for their new role. In this post, Randy Conley shares four essential skills that will help new managers get started on the right foot. Find Randy on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/RandyConley\" target=\"_blank\">@randyconley</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Robyn McLeod </strong>of Chatsworth Consulting submitted <a href=\"http://chatsworthconsulting.com/2016/02/11/comparing-yourself-to-others-is-a-waste-of-time-and-heres-how-to-stop/\" target=\"_blank\">Comparing Yourself to Others is a Waste of Time -- and Here\'s How to Stop</a>. Robyn continues, \"In the post, I encourage instead of comparing yourself to others, refocus on who you are, your personal journey, and the choices that you are making for yourself so that you can move forward with greater strength, clarity and happiness.\" Locate Robyn on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ThoughtfulLdrs\" target=\"_blank\">@ThoughtfulLdrs</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong><u></u>Susan Mazza</strong> of <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Random Acts of Leadership</a> contributed <a href=\"http://randomactsofleadership.com/the-barriers-to-connecting-effectively-through-communication/\" target=\"_blank\">The Barriers to Connecting Effectively Through Communication</a>. Susan shares, \"Consider a situation in which you are having difficulty connecting with someone. Are any of these 4 attitudes hindering your communication?\" Find Susan on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/SusanMazza\" target=\"_blank\">@susanmazza</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Tanveer Naseer</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.tanveernaseer.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Tanveer Naseer</a> shared <a href=\"http://www.tanveernaseer.com/the-one-thing-leaders-need-to-do-today/\" target=\"_blank\">The One Thing Today\'s Leaders Need to Do</a>. Tanveer writes, \"With all the numerous things that demands a leader\'s attention, there is one thing that every leader needs to do to help their organization succeed.  This post examines what this one critical step is for today\'s leadership.\" Connect with Tanveer on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TanveerNaseer\" target=\"_blank\">@tanveernaseer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Wally Bock</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.threestarleadership.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Three Star Leadership</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.threestarleadership.com/innovation/lets-try-it-and-see\" target=\"_blank\">Let\'s Try it and See</a>. Wally recaps, \"Don’t debate your ideas to death. Try them out instead.\" Find Wally on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wallybock\" target=\"_blank\">@wallybock</a>.\n\n<em>Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for this month\'s carnival! If you would like to be on the distribution list for submission calls, please contact Paula Kiger (paula @ weavinginfluence (dot) com)!</em>\n\n</div>\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n</div>\n</div>', 'March 2016 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'march-2016-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2016-03-07 06:00:54', '2016-03-07 11:00:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29393', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29397, 376, '2016-02-29 06:00:53', '2016-02-29 11:00:53', 'A few thoughts about uncertainty ...\n\nPeople talk a lot these days about uncertainty with regard to our shared economic, political, cultural, and personal futures. Many speak wistfully of an imagined past time when things were perceived as more certain. Life seemed more predictable and known, and is usually remembered as more pleasant than our current realities.\n\nUncertainty within our memories of times past is often absent or downplayed. We revise our past to make it more pleasant, more simple, more predictable looking back at how things unfolded.\n\nThe term <span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoric_recall\"><strong>euphoric recal</strong><strong>l</strong></a></span>\" in the addictions treatment arena describes a common tendency among people with addictions to talk in positive and even humorous terms about their past drug use, highlighting the positive while downplaying the negative. Events which objectively involve pain and suffering are presented with some enjoyment, which puts the addict in danger of relapse. We all do this to some extent in our personal and professional lives.\n\nIn the business world, the popular acronym <strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https://hbr.org/2014/01/what-vuca-really-means-for-you\">VUCA</a></span> r</strong>eminds us that life is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. I would not argue with any term on this list or the overall meaning that things are often not stable or predictable. One need only pay attention to the news to see evidence that supports the use of this term.\n\nHowever, I wonder when have our lives, personal, professional, and public, not been thus?\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"quote\"><strong><em>\"Exploring the unknown requires tolerating uncertainty.\"</em></strong></div>\n<div class=\"attribute\">~ <a href=\"http://www.briangreene.org/\">Brian Greene</a> (Physics and Mathematics Professor)</div></blockquote>\nMy parents experienced a world depression as children, followed by a global war as young adults, then lived on into the tumult and change of the past fifty years, all the while living life, working hard, and raising children. They did not seem unnecessarily deterred by their own personal history of upheaval, change, and uncertainty. They simply lived with an awareness that things can and do change.\n\n<strong>So we do not necessarily remember that uncertainty has always been part of our daily lives...</strong>\n\nWe tend to talk about uncertainty as though it were a special event or trait, present only at certain times and in certain situations.\n\nI remember being uncertain on my first days:  of school, college, the military, marriage, every new job, new church, new house, and too many other things to list. I hoped, expected, and maybe prayed to do what was expected each time, to be successful, to live up to my own ideals. Sometimes this was what happened and sometimes it was not.\n\n<strong>Uncertainty is often painted as negative because uncertainty creates fear, which can be paralyzing.</strong>\n\nI have had to find new ways to get to work on occasion, because my normal route was unavailable due to human failure or Mother Nature. I have woken up employed and gone to bed unemployed, started a day with my father on the other end of the telephone and ended with him gone forever from this planet. I woke up on a beautiful Tuesday morning in September and ended the day in a restless attempt to sleep and forget the images of that day\'s terror.\n\n<strong>Uncertainty about a great many things exists on a very personal level for everyone, every single second of every day.</strong>\n\nSometimes we confuse certainty with intention. I intend to navigate each day in a certain, predictable way. Promises are made and obligations formed, based on our intention to live predictably. We try, really we do, to introduce certainty into our personal and professional worlds.\n\nWe expect, desire, and try to introduce certainty through our intention that things happen in the way we expect them to … in spite of ample evidence that things do not always happen as we expect.\n\nIn actuality, we do not really have a choice about facing uncertainty. Uncertainty just \"is\" and our role regarding uncertainty in our lives is to simply adjust as well as possible to that reality.  This is not a bad thing ...\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"quote\"><strong><em>\"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.\"</em></strong></div>\n<div class=\"attribute\">~ <a href=\"http://www.ursulakleguin.com/\">Ursula K. Le Guin</a> (Novelist)</div></blockquote>\nUncertainty is often mixed with a delicious sense of anticipation or excitement. This is as it should be and the sensation of anticipation of change is what makes life livable, even with that constant uncertainty.\n\nOur lives would be very bland indeed, if we were not able to entertain some level of uncertainty. Rather than fear and avoid uncertainty, we might do better to embrace not knowing how things will work out.\n\nA question for you to ponder and respond to:\n\n<strong>How might you make uncertainty in your life an asset, rather than a liability?</strong>', 'Certain Uncertainties', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'certain-uncertainties', '', '', '2016-02-29 06:00:53', '2016-02-29 11:00:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29397', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(29398, 374, '2016-03-01 06:00:26', '2016-03-01 11:00:26', 'This month we are featuring <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/instigators/eunice-parisi-carew/\" target=\"_blank\">Eunice Parisi-Carew</a>, Author, Consultant, and Co-Founder of the <a href=\"http://www.kenblanchard.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Blanchard Companies</a>.\n\nEunice holds a Doctorate in the Behavioral Sciences from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As she traveled her career path, she has worked at USO Service Clubs, found herself working in the midst of street gangs, directed an alternative school, and taught at the University of Hartford as a Professor of Group Dynamics and Leadership.\n\nMost recently, Eunice co-authored <a href=\"http://collaborationbeginswithyou.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Collaboration Begins With You</a> with Ken Blanchard and Jane Ripley. She has also co-authored <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Minute-Manager-Builds-Performing-Library/dp/0688172156\" target=\"_blank\">The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams (Rev.)</a>, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/High-Five-Magic-Working-Together/dp/0688170366\" target=\"_blank\">High Five! The Magic of Working Together</a>, and <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Higher-Level-Revised-Expanded/dp/0137011709/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441418988&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=leading+at+a+higher+level\" target=\"_blank\">Leading at a Higher Level</a>.\n\nWhen asked about one of the best moments she has had professionally, Eunice shared, \"I won the best teacher award at the university where I taught, and I won the Most Values Led Player at the Ken Blanchard Companies.\"\n\nShe thinks these are the most important qualities in leaders:\n<ul>\n	<li>honesty</li>\n	<li>transparency</li>\n	<li>communication skills</li>\n	<li>critical thinking</li>\n	<li>awareness of human dynamics</li>\n	<li>strategic business sense</li>\n</ul>\nWhen questioned about the strangest thing she\'s ever been asked in a job interview, Eunice tells us she was asked, \"Why would you want to work with kids? You are a kid yourself!\".\n\nThe book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Teams-Creating-High-Performance-Organization/dp/1633691063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1456501168&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+wisdom+of+teams\" target=\"_blank\">The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization</a> by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith is a favorite. She believes schools should teach life skills and working collaboratively, probably instructional approaches that could <strong>contribute</strong> to students who become members (and leaders!) of high-performance organizations.\n\nWhen asked the most creative solution she\'s ever seen to a problem in life or work, Eunice replied, \"pose the problem, discuss and let it sit and steep a while before tackling it.\"\n\nThe best advice she\'s ever been given was, \"be the best that you can be.\" If money were no object, she would \"be the best she could be\" traveling to different cultures.\n\nIf she had to hashtag her life, Eunice\'s would be: #allispossible.\n\nOne of Eunice\'s favorite quotes is \"life is a very special occasion.\"\n\nIt was a very special occasion to be able to learn more about you, Eunice. <em>Thanks.</em>\n\n<em><strong>Editor\'s Note</strong> - You may ask, “How does one get chosen to be a featured Instigator?” The answer is simple. If you are already an Instigator, fill out <a href=\"https://cl182.infusionsoft.com/app/form/lcg-feature-questions\">this form</a> and continue to engage with the Lead Change Group on a regular basis. If you are not yet an Instigator, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/join/\">sign up</a>. There are many benefits to being an Instigator – email us if you want more information.</em>\n\n<strong>Previous Featured Instigators:</strong>\n\n2/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-chris-edmonds/\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Edmonds</a>\n\n1/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-marcella-bremer/\" target=\"_blank\">Marcella Bremer</a>\n\n12/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-john-stoker/\" target=\"_blank\">John Stoker</a>\n\n11/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-sean-glaze/\">Sean Glaze</a>', 'Featured Instigator: Eunice Parisi-Carew', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'featured-instigator-eunice-parisi-carew', '', '', '2016-03-01 06:00:26', '2016-03-01 11:00:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29398', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29425, 372, '2016-03-04 06:00:26', '2016-03-04 11:00:26', 'What’s the best and most effective team you ever served on? Think of a team - at work, school, sports, neighborhood, wherever - where you genuinely contributed to the team’s goals and you were treated with trust, respect, and dignity in every interaction.\n\nI ask this question frequently - of executives I’m coaching to improve their company’s culture, of keynote audiences, in leadership workshops, and more.\n\nFor many people, their best team experience pops right up in their memory banks. I ask what that team was like for them. They report that serving on that team was fun. Goals were met without drama. Relationships were honest, civil, and real. There was a true bond created among team members and with the team leader. Everyone was fully committed to the team’s present day purpose. Issues were resolved promptly. There was genuine trust and respect exhibited.\n\nThen I ask how their team leader created that environment.\n\nNo matter how different the context of people’s “best team” was - work or outside of work - the answers to this question are always the same.\n\nThat team leader trusted us. She delegated authority and responsibility when we earned it. He called us on our crappy behavior. She praised us and gave credit frequently. He got his hands dirty, helping with the work when things got hectic. She challenged us. He kept it light with fun stories and “spur of the moment” celebrations. She held us accountable for our commitments. He valued us as “whole persons,” supporting our lives outside of work.\n\nThese effective leader behaviors are common across industries, countries, and decades. They’re proven practices for engaging team members’ hearts (spirit), not just their heads (knowledge) and their hands (skills).\n\nThese leaders created a strong community where team members engaged in efforts daily to do their individual jobs well AND to help their team succeed.\n\nWhen I ask audiences whether or not their current boss models these best practices, the reaction is muted. Often, the reaction is crickets (overwhelming silence with periodic chirps). That’s a strong indicator that these behaviors are not common in their current jobs.\n\nThe research on employee engagement isn’t pretty. A <a href=\"http://www.gallup.com/poll/188144/employee-engagement-stagnant-2015.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">2015 Gallup survey</a> indicated that engagement is stagnant in the US with 32 percent of employees being engaged. A <a href=\"http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/443262/file-2286477002-pdf/2014_TINYpulse_Employee_Engagement__Organizational_Culture_Report.pdf?t=1421196337693:940:0\" target=\"_blank\">2014 Tiny HR study</a> found that only 21 percent of employees feel strongly valued at work.\n\nWhy is it so hard for leaders to embrace these proven practices with their teams today? Leaders know what is required - the list of beneficial behaviors hasn’t changed in years!\n\nI think there are a number of hurdles that inhibit leaders embracing these behaviors. They aren’t asked to manage people’s hearts; leaders are incented to drive results. Leaders may think praising and encouraging people is “soft” and not relevant to the work. There aren’t consistent reliable dashboards available to measure trust, respect, engagement, etc.\n\nSo, these best practices are ignored in many workplaces around the globe.\n\nThe impact of a “results, results, results” focus are significant. Performance might be OK when the leader is present, monitoring the work. When the leader isn’t there, output and quality often decreases. Proactive problem solving is reduced. If team members don’t feel valued and respected, why should they apply themselves, more than the minimum?\n\nAnd, the improving economy is seeing American employees <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2016/02/23/whats-that-sound-is-it-your-talent-heading-out-the-door/\" target=\"_blank\">voluntarily quit their jobs</a> at a higher rate since the start of the global recession in 2008.\n\nEngage team members’ hearts by valuing their contributions and ideas, thanking them for their efforts and accomplishments, trusting them to act in alignment, and celebrating traction and successes regularly. It can’t hurt - can it?', 'The Power of the Heart: Creating community in your workplace', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-power-of-the-heart-creating-community-in-your-workplace', '', '', '2016-03-04 06:00:26', '2016-03-04 11:00:26', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29425', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29427, 268, '2016-03-25 06:00:53', '2016-03-25 10:00:53', 'Business leaders are communicators. Your words shape perceptions and influence opinions. Employees, customers, and shareholders look to you for information, as well as interpretation of what the facts mean for them. Your stakeholders seek clarity, completeness, and truth. Is that what you are providing?\n\nConsider these 12 points:\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Proximity:</strong> Are you viewing the scene from a helicopter or the ground? What vantage point will give listeners the details and perspective they need?</li>\n	<li><strong>Vantage point blindness:</strong> Imagine riding an elephant. You may have an excellent view of the horizon, but you cannot see the elephant’s feet or what you are trampling.</li>\n	<li><strong>Situational bias: </strong>Suppose your hourly workforce is grumbling about low wages. This situational dissatisfaction can breed a group cynicism that colors how they hear your messages.</li>\n	<li><strong>Spin:</strong> When you portray facts with the intent to create a specific impression or inspire a specific action, you walk a fine line between reporting news and manipulating your audience.</li>\n	<li><strong>Curation:</strong> When you purposely omit or edit facts to make a message more palatable, you erode trust. <a href=\"http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2014/03/06/5-reasons-to-re-examine-how-leaders-communicate/\">Listeners detect when they are not getting the full story.</a> You also risk depriving people of the information they need to make sound business decisions.</li>\n	<li><strong>Reporter filters:</strong> If you personally are excited about an initiative, you may come across as a cheerleader. If you have doubts about a project, listeners may sense your lack of enthusiasm, even if you are trying to keep your opinions to yourself.</li>\n	<li><strong>Knowledge gaps:</strong> You can only report the information you have; if you don’t research fully, or if your sources withhold information, your output may be incomplete or inaccurate.</li>\n	<li><strong>Permission:</strong> Has someone asked you to withhold details that would be vital to a listener’s understanding and decision-making? What is your responsibility to press for permission to share the full story?</li>\n	<li><strong>Drawing conclusions:</strong> Check the facts, and your assumptions about those facts, before reporting news. Carefully consider all possible interpretations of the events before deciding what to communicate.</li>\n	<li><strong>Framing:</strong> Provide context to help the listener understand the significance of your message; context could include company history, competitive threats, etc.</li>\n	<li><strong>Squeaky wheel:</strong> Just because it’s loud or outrageous doesn’t mean it’s the most important or newsworthy.</li>\n	<li><strong>Placement:</strong> If something is on the front page of a newspaper with a bold headline, readers assume it’s more important than something buried on page 10 in small font.</li>\n</ol>\nA recent visit to the <a href=\"http://www.newseum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Newseum</a> in Washington, D.C. inspired this post, particularly a Holocaust video that leaves viewers with the question, “If the media had treated this news differently, could we have saved lives?” This video and an <a href=\"http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/10903\">article</a> at <em>History News Network</em> paint a clear picture of a placement problem (#12 above):\n\n“<em>The New York Times</em> alone printed nearly 1,200 articles about what we have now come to call the Holocaust, about one every other day.\n\n“The articles in the <em>Times </em>and elsewhere described the propagation of anti-Semitic laws in German allied countries; death from disease and starvation of hundreds of thousands in ghettos and labor camps; mass executions in Nazi-occupied Russia; and mass gassings in Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek. The articles also indicated that these were not isolated incidents, but part of a systematic campaign to kill all the Jews in Europe.\n\n“And yet, at the end of the war and for decades afterward, Americans claimed they did not know about the Holocaust as it was happening. How was it possible for so much information to be available in the mass media and yet simultaneously for the public to be ignorant?\n\n“The reason is that the American media…never treated the Holocaust as an important news story.”\n\nI encourage you to read this challenging <a href=\"http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/10903\">article</a> in full and think about the implications for communicators.\n\nPeople are looking to you, as a leader, for communication that will build understanding and lead to good decisions. Are you upholding the trust your stakeholders have placed in you?', '12 Factors To Consider When Crafting A Message', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '12-factors-to-consider-when-crafting-a-message', '', '', '2016-03-25 06:00:53', '2016-03-25 10:00:53', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29427', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29431, 406, '2016-04-20 06:00:30', '2016-04-20 10:00:30', '<b>“Pursue your passion.” That’s the way to find meaning in your work, right?  </b>\n\nWell, “pursue your passion”  is the typical phrase thrown around when people talk about finding meaning in one’s work. And that’s not bad advice. Pursuing your passion is one great way of finding meaning and happiness in your work. <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/stop-live-the-life-you-want\">I did so myself</a> when I decided to become a professor and later the President of Intentional Insights.\n\nHelping people reach their goals using science-based strategies is <i>incredibly</i> motivating for me. I get shivers of pleasure when I get emails from people thanking me for improving their lives. I’m so tempted to stay up long into the night to make more articles and videos to help spread such messages, energized by the vision of how much better the world would be and how much happier people would be with these tools. It\'s better than coffee!\n\n<b>So are you telling me I can’t find meaning in work that does not match my true passion</b>?\n\nNo, not at all! The <a href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191308510000067\">research shows</a> that you actually can make pretty much any work significantly more meaningful. Now that should put a smile on your face!\n\nStudies find that <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/what-is-the-meaning-of-life-for-you\">your mental and physical well-being</a> <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/what-is-the-meaning-of-life-for-you\">depend on having a rich sense of purpose and meaning in life</a>, so it’s wise to make your work meaningful. I’ll cover one strategy on how to do that here, and two in a subsequent article on this topic.\n\nBefore diving into the strategies, let me clarify that I use the term “work” to refer to any area in which you get paid to bring value to others. For example, the government supports schools because students bring value by becoming educated to make a better society for us all. House-husbands and house-wives bring value by taking care of the home, and are supported by their partners. At Intentional Insights, we create blogs, videos, apps, online classes, books, most available for free, with those who value these products being out there volunteering or offering donations to our nonprofit.\n\n<b>Ok, so I’d like to make my work more meaningful – what’s the first strategy? </b>\n\nFirst, think about the connection of your <a href=\"http://www.michaelfsteger.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dik-Eldridge-Steger-Duffy-JCA-2012.pdf\">everyday work tasks to your personal long-term goals</a> at regular intervals. Being the President of Intentional Insights helps me accomplish my long-term goal of improving the world and helping people have better lives. But that higher purpose tends to be lost in the everyday tasks of writing articles, fundraising, answering emails, etc.\n\nSo every week on Saturday afternoon, I sit down to review what I did that week. I think about how it helped bring about the kind of world where I want to live. I imagine that world, visualizing all the details of how much better off other people are, how they make wiser decisions, how much less suffering and more joy there is in the world. I let myself feel how good it would be to live in that world, and how great it is that my daily work activities help bring that world into reality. I then write my feelings and thoughts in my journal. I want to make sure I have a record I can refer back to any time I get lost in the everyday business of my work activities.  <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/searching-for-meaning-and-purpose-in-life-religion-is-option\">Research </a>shows journaling is a great strategy to gain a higher sense of meaning and purpose in life. I also encourage others at Intentional Insights to connect their long-term goals to their daily tasks, and to create an organizational culture that facilitates such meaning-making activities.\n\nWhile improving people’s lives happens to be my goal, you should think about your own goals. Maybe you think, \"I only do my job for the paycheck.\" Try to sit down at systematic intervals and think about what your paycheck does for you. Does the money help you accomplish your goal of having financial stability and security? Does it help you have the kind of lifestyle you want? Does it help you support your family? Visualize the specific things the money does for you. Imagine that world thoroughly, and feel all the positive emotions you get from that world. Then, write down your feelings and thoughts, and refer back to them whenever you’re feeling like you need to recall the reasons you’re doing what you’re doing.\n\n<b>So what’s the takeaway here?</b>\n\nThe takeaway is that you work for yourself, not anyone else. You do what you do for your own reasons and goals. Always remember that and <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/living-intentionally-3-steps-to-gaining-agency\">be intentional</a>. Show agency in getting what you want from your work, including a sense of meaning and purpose in life.\n\nConsider sharing this article with your co-workers and/or supervisor if you think they would benefit from reading it, and also if you would benefit from them having read it.\n\n<b>Questions to Consider:</b>\n<ul>\n 	<li>Say your friend asked you how to find meaning and purpose in their workplace. What advice might you offer?</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n 	<li>Will reading this article lead you to take specific steps to gain greater meaning and purpose from your work? If so, what are those steps? What might be the barriers to such steps, and how will you deal with such barriers?</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n 	<li>What kind of benefit have you gained from reading this article and how will your life be better off, if in any way?</li>\n</ul>', 'Finding Meaningful Work Is All About You', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'finding-meaningful-work-is-all-about-you', '', '', '2016-04-20 06:00:30', '2016-04-20 10:00:30', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29431', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29453, 252, '2016-03-08 06:00:21', '2016-03-08 11:00:21', 'If you hear any version of these statements on a regular basis, you may be a Chief Encouragement Officer.\n<ul>\n	<li>“I need to hang around you more often.”</li>\n	<li>“You are the most positive person.”</li>\n	<li>“You encourage my heart.”</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Empowerment, hope, encouragement – all connected</h3>\nEmpowerment is one of my favorite topics. Recently I realized that there are some particularly important requirements to feel empowered. To behave in an empowered way requires confidence. It’s like a little path. In order to gain confidence you have to at least feel hope and encouragement. Encouragement was the big ah-ha for me. I don’t think we can receive or offer enough encouragement.\n<blockquote>“The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams.” – Sidney Madwed</blockquote>\n<h3>You can’t give what you don’t have</h3>\nEarly in my career, I was competing unnecessarily with the women I worked with. I felt uneasy about it. When I dived into it I understood, first, there was enough for everybody. Secondly, competing negatively brought us all down, including me. I wanted to eliminate the destructiveness. I wanted to be uplifted and uplifting.\n\nAbout that time I was reading a book of wisdom. It stated the only thing lacking in any situation is what you are not giving. That got my attention. I started noticing myself mentally commenting when someone showed noteworthy skills or actions. Then I started voicing my observations. Why don’t we do that more often?\n\nI once asked someone what held her back from recognizing others more. She said she didn’t want to indulge them. That’s an interesting take on encouragement. I wondered what she said to herself when it came to assessing her own skills, abilities and actions.\n\nI was coaching an employee on writing his performance appraisal. He could not use the word “I” when describing his accomplishments. This might seem like a small thing. Yet it pointed to discomfort with owning his gifts. He told me it felt like bragging. I understand. In reality, it is simply stating facts.\n\nAffirm your skills, abilities and accomplishments with humble confidence. Then you can more comfortably become an encouragement machine.\n<h3>Qualifications to be a Chief Encouragement Officer</h3>\nIt’s not about superficialities. The other day I told a woman that I could tell she put a lot of thought into her outfit. That’s more meaningful than saying, “Nice outfit.” She told me that comment gave her confidence, as she was going into an important meeting just then.\n\nIt’s not about compliments. It’s about noticing what is important to another person and offering a boost in that area. Encouragement can be as simple as:\n<ul>\n	<li>Noticing someone is nervous about a presentation and later sharing what you learned.</li>\n	<li>After having observed someone in retail dealing with a difficult customer, acknowledge the skill and patience shown.</li>\n	<li>Helping someone recognize a skill he or she clearly takes for granted.</li>\n</ul>\nTo be a successful Chief Encouragement Officer means you hold a positive vision for what human beings are capable of, for yourself and for others. You have an unconditional commitment to see what others do well. Just as important, you are committed to telling them. You apply this to yourself as well.', 'How to be a Chief Encouragement Officer', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-to-be-a-chief-encouragement-officer', '', '', '2016-03-08 06:00:21', '2016-03-08 11:00:21', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29453', 0, 'post', '', 4);
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(29507, 416, '2016-03-09 06:00:40', '2016-03-09 11:00:40', 'If I asked you what qualities a great leader has, chances are you’d mention traits like intelligence, vision, and determination. While these are certainly important to have, research shows that softer qualities like being sensitive to others’ feelings and listening well are just as, if not more so, important.\n\nTheodore Roosevelt put it well when he said, \"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.\"\n\nBeing able to care and be in tune with other’s emotions as well as your own is something called Emotional Intelligence. Having high emotional intelligence is key to being successful in life, including in the workplace, as it helps you relate to others. Consider the research of psychologist <a href=\"https://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-leader\">David Goleman</a> at nearly 200 large, global companies in which he found that truly effective leaders are distinguished by a high degree of emotional intelligence. Other studies have shown a positive relationship between emotionally intelligent leadership and employee satisfaction, retention, and performance.\n\nSo, how exactly can a leader cultivate his or her emotional intelligence? Here are 5 ways:\n\n<strong>Practice mindfulness</strong>. Meditate, do yoga, practice deep breathing. Do whatever you can to help open your heart, settle your mind, and relax. Research shows that the more you’re open to those that you lead, the more engaged they’ll be on projects and more committed to you as an individual. I actually do a yoga pose before some of my workshops that involves placing a yoga block in the center of my back and allowing my shoulders to fall back on either side. This helps me physically and mentally open my heart to those I’m working with for better engagement.\n\n<strong>Be self-aware</strong>. Practicing mindfulness is the first step to being aware of your own emotions, what causes them, and how you react to them. It allows you to know how you manage stress and pressure which is crucial when leading others. Without being tuned into your emotions, you may project stress or anger onto your team, confusing and disillusioning them. Leaders with self-awareness are able to develop skills that will help them manage their own emotions and respond effectively to situations that come up.\n\n<strong>Be aware of others</strong>. The more self-awareness leaders have, the more they’ll be aware of others’ emotions.  Emotionally intelligent leaders anticipate how people will react to certain situations and are proactive in responding. Before doing something, they think about how their actions might impact others. Then they help them deal with the effects.\n\n<strong>Practice empathy</strong>. You can do this in a tactical way. Practice systemic listening. By this, I mean, when you’re talking with someone, summarize what you think you have heard. Ask probing open-ended questions so they feel free to say whatever is on their mind. Also, let them know that you understand how they feel.\n\n<strong>Be vulnerable</strong>. In that vein, be ready to share similar experiences. Explain what you went through before you got into this position and what you have learned. Vulnerabilities can promote connections and strengthen relationships. Think about some of the strongest bonds you have, I bet a lot of them are with people who know and/or share your vulnerabilities.\n\nThere  are many ways to assess your emotional intelligence and get your baseline such as this <a href=\"https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/ei-quiz.htm\">online quiz</a>. By taking one, you can find out your weaknesses and learn strategies to improve those areas. Doing this and practicing the tips above will no doubt help you be a better leader—and person.', '5 Ways Leaders Can Raise Their Emotional Intelligence', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '5-ways-leaders-can-raise-their-emotional-intelligence', '', '', '2016-03-09 06:00:40', '2016-03-09 11:00:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29507', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29513, 417, '2016-04-13 06:00:35', '2016-04-13 10:00:35', 'There is much to be said about leadership, and there is no shortage of descriptive words one uses when talking about leaders – influential, dedicated, globally thinking, focused, etc. – but how often do we describe leaders as creative? The modern leader has to have a lot of differing traits that all help them do his/her best to lead others and make decisions successfully.\n<h3><strong>Creativity and Leadership </strong></h3>\nAlthough not often associated with leadership, creativity is a trait that modern leaders want to harness, as it is vitally important. Since creativity is the driving force behind innovative products, services, and businesses, it is an excellent idea for leaders in all positions and industries to apply creativity to sharpening the imagination.\n\nIt\'s difficult to find the perfect balance between creativity and leadership. Strong leaders are organized and diligent, tend to have a large amount of power over a group, and usually have to manage them. On the other hand, creativity is free flowing, chaotic, and unrestrained.  However, when a good leader harnesses the right amount of creativity, amazing things happen.\n\nSuccessful businesses are built. New products and services hit the market that have never been offered before. Other members in the organization excel. No matter what spells out success for your individual organization, originality and innovation will aid you to reach success.\n\nThe key for leaders to remember is that, even if they are not the most creative person in the organization, they should serve as a “guide” for imagination. That is, it is a good leader’s job to encourage creative thinking within the organization, and construct a team that works well, by bringing in workers with varying aspects that complement each other. This way, a team of different thinkers can brainstorm together and come to the best solution that is both practical and innovative.\n<h3><strong>Creativity Killers </strong></h3>\nNot only is it hugely important as a leader to understand how to harness your own creativity, but you also want to provide and encourage a creative process for your team. Since in most cases your group members are the ones who support the organization’s vision, they need an environment where their imaginations thrive.\n\nBefore you set out to enhance the creative process, take a quick look around you. Is your work atmosphere conducive to innovation, or does it prevent it? Are qualities you use as a leader helping or hurting the overall creative process for your organization?\n\nHere are just a few traits that kill creativity. If you are guilty of a few of these, make an effort to change your ways to encourage innovation among team members.\n<h4><strong>Not Listening </strong></h4>\nYou\'re understandably busy, but if you don’t take the time to listen to ideas of employees or others in your group, you could miss out on some great ideas and drive creative people away from the company. Plus, individuals will notice if you don’t listen and, eventually, will stop suggesting new ideas. Then the company or organization suffers, as you don’t get the proper feedback you need for innovation.\n<h4><strong>Shooting Down Ideas </strong></h4>\nBesides taking the time to listen to new ideas, you should also consider new ways of going about certain tasks. If you shoot down an idea because it sounds different, then you are discouraging out-of-the-box thinking. Furthermore, you might discourage others in the brainstorming process. Creative types usually have a different approach to looking at the big picture and working out ideas. Hear them out!\n<h4><strong>Playing It Safe </strong></h4>\nCreativity is all about taking risks. Break new ground, try something that you have never tried before, brainstorm, and implement those scary-but-good ideas. When you stick to the same format over and over, you limit yourself and discourage any type of creative environment.\n<h4><strong>Restricting Freedom </strong></h4>\nEmployees need structure and guidance. But in order for imagination to flourish, it needs freedom. When you cut out freedom, you might as well eliminate all creativity. It\'s important to understand that there are many ways to reach a goal. Don’t force people to work in the same way or to perform the same jobs. Everyone is different and should be allowed the freedom to work in the ways that are best for them (within reason, of course.)\n<h4><strong>Limiting Group Diversity </strong></h4>\nIt’s no surprise that people who are similar tend to get along well. However, if you are looking for innovation, constructing teams of like-minded individuals will likely result in the group agreeing with each other. You want team members to push each other; you want members to bring different skill sets and views to the table. Different approaches and backgrounds may not make for the smoothest of teams; however, the taking the more challenging path will often make up for that with quality ideas and originality.\n<h4><strong>Micromanaging </strong></h4>\nAs a leader, you do have control and power of certain people or groups. However, you should refrain from micromanaging and trying to control every aspect of a project. Micromanagement kills morale and imagination. Learn to step away and offer guidance and support. When you do this, you are sure to see the creative talents shine.\n\nIt’s never too late to start creating practices and guidelines to aid the imaginative thinkers in your work environment. Just remember to keep an open mind and act as a facilitator for creativity, and notice the all the positive changes that you see. Part of being a successful leader is embodying the qualities that you want your team members to act on.\n\nThink of new ways to address your problems and think of the group when you set out to achieve company goals. When you do, chances are your employees will be happier, and business will continue to boom.\n\n<em>Editor\'s Note: The author submitted this post on behalf of Amanda Speaks. Visit the <a href=\"http://amandaspeaks.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Amanda Speaks site</a> for resources on developing resilient and successful students. </em>', 'Creativity: An Undervalued Leadership Skill', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'creativity-an-undervalued-leadership-skill', '', '', '2016-04-13 06:00:35', '2016-04-13 10:00:35', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29513', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29516, 251, '2016-03-10 06:00:01', '2016-03-10 11:00:01', 'A few weeks ago I was jamming to the radio while traveling to a meeting. Paused at a stoplight, I glanced at the car to my right. The driver met my eyes, shook his head, and made the cuckoo gesture. I smiled and kept on singing.\n\nHad this situation occurred early on in my personal journey, I would have responded very differently. Feeling silly, self-conscious, and embarrassed, I would have prayed for the red light to be short. Social convention—the law of opinion as philosopher John Locke calls it—says that “normal” people don’t behave that way.  Back then, I would have stopped singing immediately because, as Locke puts it, the “threat of condemnation or disgrace from one’s fellows is a powerful motivation.” For most of us, being in situations where we are isolated, don’t fit in, or face reprisals isn’t much fun.\n\nThe pressure to conform and the desire to belong are enormous, and together they can influence our actions. Solomon Asch conducted <a href=\"http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/142/Conformity.html\">research</a> in which “subjects were asked to match lines of different lengths on two cards. In this experiment, there was one obvious right answer. However, each subject was tested in a room full of ‘planted’ peers who deliberately gave the wrong answer in some cases. About three-fourths of the subjects tested knowingly gave an incorrect answer at least once in order to conform to the group.”\n\nOther times, we may do something even more harmful than changing an answer. When our point of view, opinion, or preference is in opposition to what the majority thinks, we sometimes choose to remain silent. Political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann calls this behavior the spiral of silence. This spiral is especially potent when our opinions have a moral component—that’s us trying to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong.\n\nAs leaders, we may not enjoy being isolated or not fitting in, yet we don’t hesitate to go there. Leaders marshal the courage to stand alone. Leaders don’t allow themselves to be deterred from doing what’s right by the fear of being alone or not being liked. Leaders don’t fall victim to the spiral of silence. They:\n<ol>\n	<li>Make the tough calls no matter how unpopular those decisions may be</li>\n	<li>Hold people accountable so poor performance doesn’t fritter away potential</li>\n	<li>Pursue change knowing it is the path to ongoing relevance</li>\n	<li>Encourage purposeful discomfort in pursuit of personal and organizational growth</li>\n	<li>Ask the uncomfortable questions to ferret out the best solution and minimize bias</li>\n	<li>Ensure there is diversity not only of sex, race, and age but also of thought, opinion, and perspective so people can appreciate both sides of the bigger picture</li>\n	<li>Are self-aware, perpetually seeking to understand themselves to better understand others</li>\n</ol>\n<blockquote>I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. ~Audre Lorde, poet and activist</blockquote>\nEffective leadership is <a href=\"http://braithwaiteinnovationgroup.com/secret-sauce-leadership/\" target=\"_blank\">delivering both </a>results and relationships, which sometimes requires putting ourselves in the lonely but necessary place of speaking and acting differently. We choose to march to the different drummer…or sing our hearts out while behind the wheel.', '7 Things Leaders Can Do to be Refreshingly Different', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-things-leaders-can-do-to-be-refreshingly-different', '', '', '2016-03-10 06:00:01', '2016-03-10 11:00:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29516', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29519, 409, '2016-05-26 06:00:57', '2016-05-26 10:00:57', 'Office politics can cripple businesses and cause undue stress for employees and managers alike. What’s most frustrating is the fact that issues within a team are often avoidable and just as easily fixed.\n\nSome industries benefit from rather <a href=\"http://www.bruichladdich.com/article/laddiemp3-goes-down-well\" target=\"_blank\">convenient ways of bringing people together</a>, but if you don’t have quite the same product or service to play with, you have to get back to the basics of team dynamics.\n\nI’ve spent a great deal of time nurturing small teams and ensuring they work cohesively. The secret sauce I’ve always relied on is happiness; if your team is happy and enjoy working with one another, they’ll be productive.\n\nI’d like to share with you my tips for bringing teams together and resolving issues.\n<h3><strong>Listen</strong></h3>\nConflict often arises because people don’t think they’re being listened to. Prove that <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/talk-less-to-get-your-employees-to-listen/\" target=\"_blank\">you’re a good listener</a> by having regular chats with staff and, when you spot someone acting grumpily, ask for a quiet, gentle word away from everyone else.\n<h3><strong>Break down physical barriers</strong></h3>\nDo you have multiple teams divided by walls or partitions? Are those walls and partitions really required? Conflict can arise between teams when the environment in which they work divides them. Sometimes, division is necessary, but if you’re a small business, investigate the option of an open plan working space.\n<h3><strong>Arrange regular excursions</strong></h3>\nBefore you skip this one, I’m not suggesting you take the team to Thailand for a couple of weeks! More a <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/6-awesome-ways-that-companies-have-rewarded-their-employees/\" target=\"_blank\">regular treat</a> such as a meal out or a spot of go karting. Even joint customer visits can work wonders when it comes to team bonding and the avoidance of conflict.\n<h3><strong>Reward teams, not just individuals</strong></h3>\nEver thought of doing a team review alongside the usual employee reviews? Doing so will bring them together and often forces staff to tackle any issues head on and face-to-face. It’ll also be another example of you listening - this time to the team as a single entity.\n<h3><strong>Brainstorm</strong></h3>\nLet’s say you have two staff members at loggerheads. The chances are they’ll have two very different opinions or views on the same subject. Get them together and kick off a brainstorming session. You’ll kill two birds with one stone; they’ll gradually learn to work with one another and discover that there is always a mutually-beneficial solution.\n<h3><strong>Put strict email usage rules in place</strong></h3>\nEmail can cause undue stress and - you guessed it - conflict within teams. Messages get missed, responses are often slow and team members spend more time emailing when they should be picking up the phone. Set everyone the challenge of only checking their emails three times per day at specific times and for a duration of only 30 minutes each time. Happiness will follow - I promise!\n<h3><strong>Keep in mind cultural differences</strong></h3>\nThe beauty of the planet we inhabit is that each and every one of us is different. As a result, you may have an office containing people from all manner of diverse cultures, backgrounds and countries. Small cliques may form amongst those from similar backgrounds, which is fine until they isolate themselves. Help them avoid ostracization by mixing the teams up and encouraging a \"we’re all in this together\" culture.\n<h3><strong>Ensure everyone has equal learning opportunities</strong></h3>\nTeam issues sometimes stem from gaps in knowledge and competency on behalf of certain team members. This may manifest itself as ultra-defensiveness and a tendency to enter conflict, so it’s important you give everyone an equal opportunity to learn. If you spot knowledge gaps - fill them.\n<h3><strong>Conclusion</strong></h3>\nSo many team issues relate to poor communication or an unwillingness to communicate at all. Follow the above steps and you’ll build a vibrant team which loves working as one.', 'How to Bring People Together and Resolve Team Issues', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-to-bring-people-together-and-resolve-team-issues', '', '', '2016-05-26 06:00:57', '2016-05-26 10:00:57', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29519', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(29541, 414, '2016-04-27 06:00:15', '2016-04-27 10:00:15', '<strong><em>In many ways, there is no longer a need to make a compelling case for business blogging in 2016</em></strong>.\n\nAfter all, there are a myriad of statistics which support this practice, with businesses that commit to regular blogging known to <a href=\"http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blogging-in-2015\">generate 67% more leads</a> than those that do not. Marketers who prioritize blogging are also thought to be 13 times more likely to achieve a positive Return on Investment (ROI), and this underlines the reach of the cost-effectiveness of publishing branded content.\n\nWhile business owners are increasingly informed about the benefits of blogging, however, many are still struggling to leverage this channel to its full potential. Beyond the generation of leads and the optimization of sales conversions, for example, blogging may also offer entrepreneurs a platform from which to lead, inspire and create a viable company culture.\n<h3><strong>Can you lead through your Content? Here are three reasons why the answer is yes</strong></h3>\nThe challenge that remains for entrepreneurs is to determine precisely how content can be used to lead and develop various business elements. So here are three examples that we came up with for business-owners to focus on: -\n<h3><strong>Use your Blog to establish Thought Leadership</strong></h3>\nThought leadership is a foreign concept to some, but this essentially refers to the process of building client and consumer relationships through the publication of industry knowledge. Your blog can therefore be <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/russprince/2012/03/16/what-is-a-thought-leader/\">the entry point into such relationships</a>, offering a unique insight into a specific market and allowing you to build trust.\n\nThe key here is the quality of the content on your blog, which depends on its accuracy, insight and the way in which it is delivered. So long as you can add value and present interesting data in an engaging manner, it is possible to build a loyal following that is keen to interact with your brand.\n\nYou can build on this further by encouraging readers to leave comments that share their opinions and questions, while also creating tailored blog content that responds to these directly in the future. The <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/#18c20dd23564\">ability to listen is a key leadership attribute</a>, and one that can be reflected by your regularly published blog posts.\n<h3><strong>Promote a reflective company culture through your blog</strong></h3>\nThe development of a clearly defined company culture has numerous benefits for businesses, particularly in relation to branding and the recruitment (not to mention the retention) of talent. A company culture should be underpinned by a number of core values, which in turn creates consistent messaging and a structured approach to overcoming challenges. This supports sustained and organic growth and the creation of a talented, like-minded workforce.\n\n<strong><em>Your blog can be central to this drive, as you look to publish content that promotes these pivotal values</em></strong>. Positive and energetic brands should look to <a href=\"http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/5-tips-to-creating-a-sense-of-urgency-in-your-writing-and-emails/\">write posts in the present tense to create a sense of urgency</a>, for example, while also covering exciting topics that feature an organic hook.\n\nThe main thing is to focus on brand values and the type of culture that you wish to create, before using your blog as a platform to embody this. As a starting point, try to create an array of content that promotes as many values as possible, while also including examples of employee success stories and other case studies that offer an insight into your businesses culture and philosophy.\n<h3><strong>Create posts that help you to lead by written example</strong></h3>\nIn the quest to lead and inspire others, communication is one of the most important skills that you can possess. The use of your company blog as a platform for engaging and inspiring others therefore makes perfect sense, especially if you commit to driving interaction with readers and sharing your content across various social channels.\n\nWith this in mind, why not use your blog as a channel through which you lead by written example? Creating a series of posts that share your experiences as a successful entrepreneur is sure to inspire readers, for example, while this type of positive content is also relevant to your businesses philosophy and its marketplace. It also adds genuine value and offers a first-person perspective on the concept of turning <a href=\"https://wffinancialsolutions.co.uk/how-to-avoid-burnout-16-tips-for-entrepreneurs/\">an initial business concept into something that generates a sizable income</a>, which is invaluable in the modern age.\n\nOne of the main characteristics of leaders is that they are secure in themselves and not afraid to inspire an entire generation of potential business competitors. In fact, many consider their duty to educate and inspire this demographic, while also mentoring employees and customers alike. A company blog is the ideal platform through which to attempt this, especially in competitive markets where there remains a great deal of interest.\n\nIn terms of best practice, try to focus on key areas of expertise and knowledge. You should also tailor this to suit demand, however, so create a number of potential blog post ideas before testing specific keywords for popularity and traffic. This will enable you to write informatively about topics that are close to your readers\' hearts.\n\n<strong><em>These steps should help you to lead through your blog, and hopefully become an inspiration to both employees and consumers alike. </em></strong>', 'How to Lead Through Your Blog Content', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-to-lead-through-your-blog-content', '', '', '2016-04-27 06:00:15', '2016-04-27 10:00:15', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29541', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29545, 276, '2016-03-14 06:00:36', '2016-03-14 10:00:36', '<em>“The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats.”</em> - Theodore Roosevelt\n\nAll of us at some point in our lives will encounter challenges. Some people will succumb and give up, while others will try their best to work on it until they overcome and learn the lessons.\n\nEarly on in my career, I would rely on my technical capabilities to get recognized and climb the proverbial ladder. As a single performer, it was easy to do my best and let my work speak for itself. That trend was rather short lived, because as I proved that I’m capable, more and more work came my way.\n\nIt was both a recognition and challenge, because I was given the opportunity to manage others. It might sound great having a new title and being given the responsibility to manage others. It was, until the first day, when I realized that the transition from peer to manager would not be as simple as I thought.\n\nI did my best to work through it and managed to get things done, but I did not seek anyone’s help, because I did not know that I had that option. After 10 years in my career, I characterized my career as fairly successful, but I was missing the point of how to be a leader to my team.\n\nI had a meeting with my manager and we discussed what I needed to work on. He told me that I was efficient in getting my work done, but I didn\'t connect with my people. I had never thought of the folks working for me as my people. I assumed we all worked together because we were given the responsibilities to get it done.\n\nAfter my meeting with my manager, I decided to look up books on leadership. <a href=\"https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&amp;type=C211US105D20150202&amp;p=21+Irrefutable+Laws+of+Leadership\" target=\"_blank\">The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership</a> was the first one I read. I decided that in order for me to develop my leadership ability I needed to learn from those who knew it better than everyone else.\n\nI applied for a Seton Hall Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership (MASCL). I was fortunate to be accepted to Learning Team 21. It was the start of my leadership journey that helped me learn and develop my leadership abilities.\n\nOver the next 18 months, I was challenged and forced to answer tough questions about my leadership abilities and to work on action plans to help improve them. I learned so many theories and concepts that at times I was overwhelmed. To retain the knowledge, I had to create action plans and track my progress.\n\nI was challenged and quitting crossed my mind, but I forced myself to continue and stayed persistent. Working full time and going to school was never easy, but it forced me to operate outside my comfort zone.\n\nAs I moved along, I was able to apply what I learned; people around me noticed a difference in the way I operated and dealt with them. It was reassuring to see that my dedication and commitment was paying dividends.\n\nAfter I graduated, I committed the rest of my time to focusing on talent development. I have to say that I overcame the lack of leadership abilities, but it was not easy. It took me a long time to make progress, but I’m definitely pleased with the result.\n\nI have invested many hours in training people on personal growth and leadership development. More importantly I have invested many hours in coaching and mentoring.\n\nMy biggest lesson in this journey is that you can always fix what is not working as long as you’re willing to acknowledge that you are not good at it and are willing to invest the time to learn. More importantly, reading is only valuable if you retain the knowledge. It is best to apply any concepts learned and build upon it.', 'Overcoming Challenges', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'overcoming-challenges', '', '', '2016-03-14 06:00:36', '2016-03-14 10:00:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29545', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29555, 322, '2016-06-07 06:00:01', '2016-06-07 10:00:01', '<em>The</em><em> Golden Rule for Businesses has been proven by Science.</em>\n\nWe use science every day to save lives, invent revolutionary products and services that change the world.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.livescience.com/33749-top-10-inventions-changed-world.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Wheel. The Nail. The Compass. The Printing Press. The Combustion Engine. The Telephone. The Light Bulb. Penicillin. Contraceptives. The Internet. </a>\n\nBasically, how you get places both physically and directionally.\n<ul>\n 	<li>The buildings where you live and work.</li>\n 	<li>The way you communicate with people that aren’t in the same room.</li>\n 	<li>Medications that fight disease and sickness.</li>\n 	<li>What you are reading this article on right now.</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"message-body\">If we have changed the world through science, businesses should revolutionize the way they operate based on science.</p>\n\n<h3><em><strong>The Problem</strong></em></h3>\nMost businesses care about profits, shareholders and the thoughts of Wall Street more than serving their people.<a href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"> Business leaders sacrifice people for bonuses compared to the military where soldiers get medals when they sacrifice for others.</a> When you ask anyone in the military why they don’t think twice about running into the line of fire to save someone’s life the response is always, “Because they would do it for me.” I would argue that this type of \"serving others\" culture would make any businesses more successful.\n\nGallup’s engagement study shows year after year that there is barely any movement in engagement across their sample size of 1.4 million people, 192 organizations, and 34 nations.\n\n<a href=\"https://hbr.org/2013/04/does-money-really-affect-motiv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">120 years worth of research done</a> by Edward Deci and Judy Cameron show that Intrinsic Motivation increases engagement by 300%. Their studies show a very weak correlation between salary and job satisfaction. Similar results were found when comparing pay to pay satisfaction. The studies show this isn’t limited to just one part of the world, it is a global issue. Whether you are in the top half or the bottom half of the pay structure, there are similar levels of satisfaction.\n<h4><em><strong>How can you achieve intrinsic motivation?</strong></em></h4>\n<em>Purpose and Fulfillment</em>\n\nPurpose and Fulfillment come from leaders investing time and energy into their people. <a href=\"http://99u.com/videos/7058/simon-sinek-if-you-dont-understand-people-you-dont-understand-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">“If you don’t know people, you don’t know business.”</a> People are relying on you as a leader to look after their sons and daughters like they are giving them away. <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2014/02/09/let-love-inspire-your-leadership/#54c066a84de8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">You have to love them</a>, but you can still discipline them. Understanding what is important to them, what inspires them, what is their why, and what their emotional triggers are is crucial in motivating people intrinsically. Showing them how their work contributes to their personal motives and the business’s purpose. Investing time in your people and having an environment where people feel safe (\"I do it because they would do it for me\") will lead to everyone’s fulfillment.\n\n<em>Happiness Advantage</em>\n\nInvesting time and energy in your people will allow for you to increase the <a href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Happiness Advantage</a>. Happiness is often on the wrong side of success. The Happiness Advantage has proven to increase productivity by 31% and sales by 37%.\n\n<em>Eliminate Incompetent Leaders</em>\n\nIncompetent leaders are the biggest cause of disengagement in organizations. As a manager, it’s your personality and your ability to make decisions that will have a significant impact on whether your employees are engaged at work or not.\n\n<em>Incentives of Choice</em>\n\nAllowing your people to work for something greater than money. Set up a consistent rewards program for your people to earn free items of choice, such as travel, merchandise, and charitable donations. Using the carrot and stick method only provides a short term lift in performance. The behavior may happen, but once rewards are eliminated the behavior returns to prior performance. In order to have sustainable behaviors, the reward must be constant. Think it about it like hotel or credit card points; every time the employee does something, they earn points towards something of their choice.\n\n<em>Serving Others and Eliminating Stressors</em>\n\nCostco created an environment of serving others and eliminating a stressor that allowed people to perform at their best. They paid their people better than anyone in their industry and their leader James Sinegal visited almost every location annually. The more people focus on their salaries the less they focus on satisfying their intellectual curiosity, learning new skills, and having fun. All things that help people perform at their best. Costco’s stock price since 1983 has increased 1200% where the S&amp;P has only increased 600%.\n\n<strong><em>Creating a movement to evolve managers into leaders and help businesses make investing time in their people is my priority. I would love to discuss this mission or anything that is on your mind. </em></strong>', 'They Don&#039;t Get It, Do YOU?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'they-dont-get-it-do-you', '', '', '2016-06-07 06:00:01', '2016-06-07 10:00:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29555', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29558, 409, '2016-04-22 06:00:37', '2016-04-22 10:00:37', 'Ever wondered how the carbon footprint of a printed letter compares to a boiled kettle? I have, and it turns out a letter can do just as much damage to the environment as two boils of a kettle. Who’d have thought it?\n\nYou’ll be glad to hear I haven’t gone as far as testing this myself. Thankfully, a carbon footprint comparison tool came to my rescue. Tools like this <a href=\"http://www.eco2greetings.com/carbonize.html\" target=\"_blank\">provide eye-watering examples of just how easy it is to damage our lovely planet</a> whilst going about our jobs.\n\nThe office, given its abundance of tech, materials and volume of occupants, can be a key culprit. We all have to do our bit when it comes to keeping the Earth healthy, and if you’re concerned your office’s carbon footprint is rather larger than it should be, I’ve got 5 brilliant tips for reducing it.\n\n<strong>1. Go digital</strong>\n\nThis one is rather obvious, but we all need reminding occasionally. Before you print anything, ask yourself if you need to. I can guarantee the answer will nearly always be \"no.\" We live in a world where document sharing is incredibly simple and convenient, so make use of wonderful tools like Dropbox.\n\n<strong>2. Allow people to work from home</strong>\n\nOne less person in the office will result in fewer emissions emanating from the building and one less car in the car park. That all adds up over time, and if you make it a regular, acceptable thing, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment and will most likely see a positive upturn in productivity as a nice side effect.\n\n<strong>3. Recycle as you would at home</strong>\n\nWhen you enter the office, do you think about recycling in the same way you do at home? Are there different bins for different types of waste?\n\nIf you’re shaking your head, it’s time to start recycling as you would at home. Add bins for plastics, metals, glass and food waste and encourage your staff to use them.\n\n<strong>4. Turn stuff off</strong>\n\nIf you’re running a business, there’s a good chance you’ve got a server which needs to be on at all times. That’s fine and is part and parcel of every day life. Everything else, though, can be switched off when it’s time to go home: workstations, monitors, lights - the lot. Similarly, if the photocopier is barely used throughout the day, reach for the plug.\n\n<strong>5. Share your green credentials with others</strong>\n\nIf you share the green workload between two buildings, you’ll reduce the carbon footprint of both, so why not team up with a like-minded company nearby? You could share servers, web hosts or simply keep one printer between the two of you if you’re close enough. Make it a partnership - it’ll work brilliantly for both companies.\n\n<strong>Summary</strong>\n\nWhen Apple launches a new product, it spends a great deal of time highlighting its green credentials. This is for two reasons: 1) they know they have a responsibility to protect the planet and, 2) it works marvellously as a marketing tactic by endearing them to customers.\n\nYou can do the same. Go green!', '5 Ways to Reduce Your Office Carbon Footprint', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '5-ways-to-reduce-your-office-carbon-footprint', '', '', '2016-04-22 06:00:37', '2016-04-22 10:00:37', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29558', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29563, 323, '2016-03-22 06:00:52', '2016-03-22 10:00:52', 'Political season is upon us. As I watch debate after debate, I find myself asking one simple question:\n\n<strong>What happened to civility in leadership?</strong>\n\nMany years ago, a colleague and I were asked to create a training program to help employees – i.e. future leaders – act “more professional.” As we attempted to meet this daunting request, we made an interesting discovery.\n\nWhile there are many facets that define what it means to be a “professional,” one stands above the rest as critically important: being nice to others.  We labeled that idea <strong>civility</strong><em>.</em>\n\nThe American Heritage Dictionary defines <em>civility</em> as:\n<blockquote>Courteous behavior.  Politeness.  A courteous act or utterance.</blockquote>\nAs one component in our program on Professionalism, we encouraged participants to explore what civility meant to them, to the people around them, and to their organization. Here’s a sample from one workshop where participants described both civil and uncivil behaviors, in their own words.\n<table style=\"height: 387px;\" width=\"437\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"779\"><em><strong>Civil behaviors</strong></em></td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"779\"><strong><em>Uncivil behaviors</em></strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"779\">\n<ol>\n	<li>Saying “hi”</li>\n	<li>Holding doors</li>\n	<li>Acknowledging others</li>\n	<li>Giving due credit</li>\n	<li>Making introductions</li>\n	<li>Waiting your turn</li>\n	<li>Keeping commitments</li>\n	<li>Being on time</li>\n	<li>Being patient</li>\n	<li>Listening</li>\n	<li>Saying “please” and “thank you”</li>\n	<li>Serving yourself last</li>\n</ol>\n</td>\n<td width=\"779\">\n<ol>\n	<li>Slamming doors</li>\n	<li>Shouting</li>\n	<li>Ignoring</li>\n	<li>Giving the “stink eye”</li>\n	<li>Cutting in line</li>\n	<li>Name-calling</li>\n	<li>Gossiping</li>\n	<li>Interrupting</li>\n	<li>Road rage</li>\n	<li>Inappropriate gestures</li>\n	<li>Broken promises</li>\n	<li>A harsh tone</li>\n</ol>\n<em> </em></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\nBefore you write this off as oversimplified material we learned in preschool, I must report that, almost daily, I am saddened to learn of discourteous acts performed by leaders.\n\nA snide remark here. An unkind look there. Sarcastic comments. Underhanded deeds. Unfriendly conduct. Hurtful quips. Making others look bad in order to get an upper hand. Winning at all costs. And the list goes on.\n\nMuch too often now, we see it in the news.\n\nIf civility is so simple, why is it so hard to do?\n<h3><strong>Why Being Nice is Hard</strong></h3>\nIn an effort to explain, I offer the following:\n\nThis story comes from an interview on the PBS show: <em>NewsHour with Jim Lehre</em>r. On that program, David Gergen interviewed Stephen Carter, Professor of Law at Yale University and author of the book <em>Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy.</em>\n\nIn the interview, Carter talks about the state of civility in America today:\n<blockquote>While we tend to think of civility as being about manners, as being about behavior, and it is partly that, I’d like to think of it as something larger, that <strong>civility is the sum of all the sacrifices that we make for the sake of living together.</strong>  And one of the things I think we’re losing in America today is the sense of...going the extra mile, doing something we don’t have to do, that the law doesn’t require of us, in order to help someone else’s life be a little bit better. The sacrifice will make for a common enterprise.</blockquote>\nThere it is – what makes civility hard: <strong>sacrifice</strong>.  To be civil means to give of ourselves. To surrender, to lose. To be selfless, a servant.\n\nAnd in today’s world of me, me, me and take, take, take, have we forgotten to give? Is there too much at risk? If so, then what do we stand to lose in our efforts to achieve civility?\n\nConsider the following:\n<ul>\n	<li>Being right</li>\n	<li>Getting the upper-hand</li>\n	<li>Winning</li>\n	<li>Looking good</li>\n	<li>Forwarding our own agenda</li>\n	<li>Getting something “important” off our own to-do list</li>\n	<li>Receiving the attention of others</li>\n	<li>Personal comfort</li>\n</ul>\nThese are all things that we oh-so desperately desire in the moment, right? But is there anything on this list of fragile short-term gains that we couldn’t also achieve in the long-run, and in a more lasting manner?\n\nThe enduring benefits of being nice are countless, and include:\n<ul>\n	<li>Positive relationships</li>\n	<li>Trust</li>\n	<li>Support</li>\n	<li>Goodwill</li>\n	<li>Reciprocity</li>\n	<li>Deposits in the emotional bank account of others</li>\n	<li>Improved emotional intelligence, which comes from practice</li>\n	<li>Innovation</li>\n	<li>Happy, productive work environments</li>\n	<li>Attracting and retaining talented people</li>\n	<li>Other future benefits, yet unknown</li>\n</ul>\n<h3><strong>Being Nice is Worth It</strong></h3>\nThe long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs. Further, we know that people want leaders who care, who support them, teach them, and help them grow. It is hard to do those things when we lead with fear and hate - products of incivility - which never amounts to anything positive. Lately we\'ve seen the byproducts of incivility including anxiety, unrest, and violence…so why ever make that choice?\n\nTo quote the great Maya Angelou:\n<blockquote>I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.</blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Putting Nice Back in Leadership</strong></h3>\nHow do we put civility back in leadership? Simple. Start by expecting nothing less. Ask yourself, do I expect civility? Do I model it? Does my organization value and nurture it?  If not, find the gaps and make the necessary changes.\n\nFrom there, being civil requires patience, understanding, emotional intelligence and the willingness to make small sacrifices for the sake of others.\n\nLet’s bring civility back to leadership. Please and thank you.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>In closing, I want to give thanks to my former colleague, Kathy Collins.  Kathy and I partnered on the course referenced above many years ago and the ideas I shared in this post were inspired by that work we did together. I felt it was important to acknowledge her here. Because, to do otherwise, would be, well…uncivil.</em></p>\n&nbsp;', 'Where Did the Nice Leaders Go?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'where-did-the-nice-leaders-go', '', '', '2016-03-22 06:00:52', '2016-03-22 10:00:52', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29563', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29582, 399, '2016-03-16 06:00:30', '2016-03-16 10:00:30', '<h3>A Small Story</h3>\nIn 7th grade, my class went on an overnight field trip to a place called Bradford Woods for a “team building retreat.” Throughout the trip, we partook in various team building exercises that included obstacle courses, puzzles, and relay races. I remember one activity that involved balancing multiple people on a square-shaped plank on top of a ball with the goal of keeping all four corners off the ground for ten consecutive seconds.\n\nFor what seemed like hours (probably more like 20 minutes), we jumped on and off, yelling at each other as the teachers stood by and let us work things out for ourselves. At one point, I realized that if two people of similar size stood on opposite sides of the square at the exact same time, it would stay off the ground. I decided to take control of the situation and convinced everyone to follow my lead. Within 5 minutes we had completed the task!\n\nLooking back, this is what I learned that day:\n\n<strong>A leader is not necessarily someone of exceptional intelligence or with an ultra-charismatic personality. A leader is someone who sees a problem or lacking, realizes that they are the only one who can fix it, and takes responsibility for doing so. </strong>\n\nA leader takes a tough situation and does their best to make good out of it.\n<h3>A Big Story</h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">When Jay Feinberg, a 22-year old analyst for the Federal Reserve, was told he would need a bone marrow transplant to survive, he was devastated. But when it proved extremely difficult to locate a match (55,000 people were tested and four years passed before a match was found), he became determined to make it easier for others needing bone marrow to find matches.</p>\nThough he could have easily returned to a successful career in the financial sector, Jay decided to devote his life to encouraging people to register for bone marrow registries around the world, eventually founding <a href=\"http://www.giftoflife.org/\">The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation</a>.\n\nJay realized there was a major lack of registered bone marrow donors and took responsibility to remedy the situation. He was faced with a challenge, overcame it, and used that experience to help others.\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GOL_LOGO_contact_lo.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-29575\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-29575 aligncenter\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GOL_LOGO_contact_lo.jpg\" alt=\"Gift of Life\" width=\"219\" height=\"78\" /></a>\n<h2>What’s Your Story?</h2>\nBoth stories—the very ordinary story of my 7<span style=\"font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 16px;\">th</span> grade team building experience, and the extraordinary story of Jay Feinberg serve as examples of individuals stepping up to fill a lack (even if that was not the original plan).\n\nIn our lives, we are faced with countless opportunities to exhibit leadership. Sometimes, we welcome these opportunities as the next steps in our career paths. Other times, we cringe at the idea of acting upon these opportunities, but take responsibility and move forward nonetheless. Sometimes these opportunities are small, and sometimes they are life-changing.\n\nWhy become a leader? Not for pride, not for honor, not even for money. <strong>Become a leader because you have no choice, because you know that you are the right person for the job, and because you want to (and you will!) make a difference in the world.</strong>', 'Why Become a Leader?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'why-become-a-leader-2', '', '', '2016-03-16 06:00:30', '2016-03-16 10:00:30', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29582', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(29601, 412, '2016-03-18 06:00:07', '2016-03-18 10:00:07', 'Certain aspects of thinking and behaving like a good leader can be tough for many on the leadership development path. Our brain doesn\'t develop neuropathways at the flip of a switch. New habits may takes months, if not years, to become second nature.\n\nThe best of leaders who grasp concepts like influence, vision, listening, and delegating with relative ease arrive there through hard work and practice. We shift by soliciting feedback, developing self-awareness with humble introspection, and taking responsibility to own up to \"our stuff\" when \"our stuff\" is at fault. Remember the old saying, \"for every finger you point, there\'s three pointing back at you\"?\n\nHow a leader thinks and acts can no doubt impact a team for better or worse. Better = high-functioning leadership fostered by mutual trust and accountability. Worse = dysfunctional leadership hampered by poor decision making and weak social/emotional intelligence.\n\nSpeaking of dysfunctional leadership, let’s take a look at some common distorted thinking patterns that, not only have I personally witnessed in my line of work with my clients, but the literature confirms as dysfunctional leadership. These common thought patterns hold leaders back, destroy their self-esteem, and damage relationships in the workplace.\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>1. VERY EXTREME</strong>—seeing things in black and white, and blowing things out of proportion.\n<strong>2. VERY BROAD</strong>—generalizing from a specific; labeling people rather than their behaviors.\n<strong>3. VERY NEGATIVE</strong>—seeing the glass as half empty and dwelling heavily on the worst possible outcome.\n<strong>4. VERY DEMANDING</strong>—wanting things their way and having expectations that cloud a sense of reality.\n<strong>5. VERY JUDGMENTAL</strong>—condemning others for their shortcomings and being unable to forgive.\n<strong>6. VERY OBSESSED</strong>—getting on a track of being unable to budge or view things differently; persevering about something that is out of their control.\n<strong>7. VERY CONFUSED</strong>—having pictures in their heads that do not match the “real world”; feeling that they don’t get what they think they\'re “supposed to” get; having a hard time seeing things without denial, blame and negativity.\n<strong>8. VERY INTOLERANT</strong>—having a need to have things the way they “should be”; finding it difficult to have patience and tolerance for differences that don’t fit their needs and expectations.\n<strong>9. VERY PERFECTIONISTIC</strong>—having a need to be “right” and not make mistakes, as that would mean one is inferior or is a failure; having permeating low self-esteem.\n<strong>10. “SHOULDING” ON SELF AND OTHERS</strong>—placing expectations of how one “should” be, thereby limiting their ability to accept self and others without judgment, leading to negativity and tendency to criticize.</p>\nAs you consider some of the points above, what resonates with you as a leader? What would you say may be the hardest distorted thinking pattern to overcome, or even accept that it’s dysfunctional? Which may be the easiest?', 'Dysfunctional Leadership: 10 Thinking Habits to Avoid', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'dysfunctional-leadership-10-thinking-habits-to-avoid', '', '', '2016-03-18 06:00:07', '2016-03-18 10:00:07', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29601', 0, 'post', '', 11),
(29619, 415, '2016-11-11 06:00:42', '2016-11-11 11:00:42', 'A few years ago when I was managing a high energy, informal, friendly, and fun team, I could count on everyone to work well together--with one exception. One of the men--a young recruit--was extremely structured, highly conforming, protective of his private time, and confrontational. He had been hired at a time when we were worried about having enough hands on deck to get all of the work done, but his presence contrasted starkly to everyone else in the team and anyone who interfaced with our office. We came to understand this situation as “not a good fit,” and it created misery on all sides.\n\nTeams with a diverse pool of workers and thinkers can benefit from differences in style, but they take more time and effort from their leaders to support communications without conflict. When leaders misunderstand differences in style, they typically hire workers like themselves, creating a default culture where difference causes problems.\n\nAs a leader, you can decrease discomfort and increase productivity by increasing your awareness of personal style and organizational culture and how they interrelate.\n\nPeople are extraordinarily complex individuals. We \"flex\" and show up differently depending on the situation, the people around us, and what is needed. However, most of us do have a default style—a way of behaving that is most comfortable, particularly under times of stress.\n<h3><strong>Consider these dimensions of personal style:</strong></h3>\nEvery individual has a default style that can be ‘mapped’ along these dimensions:\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Individuals-Style.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-29620\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-29620 aligncenter\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Individuals-Style-300x212.png\" alt=\"Individuals have a default style that shows up in relation to several dimensions.\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" /></a>\n\nIf you are familiar with the DISC assessment, you may notice that High “D” is Dominant/Different, High “I” is Promoting/Influential, High S is Supporting/Steady, and High C is Analyzing/Conscientious.\n\nThe young man I described above likely could be described as Stable/Structured, Analyzing/Conscientious, Dominant/Different, and (slightly) Driven/Controlling.\n\nMany people are familiar with the DISC styles and how they impact individual behavior, but what is less known is how each of these dimensions of personal style corresponds to organizational culture dimensions. When a team is predominantly staffed with a single behavioral style or closely related styles, the resulting team will have a culture that is heavily weighted toward that style. At a corporate or team level we would describe those cultures with different language:\n\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/organizations-style.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-29621\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-29621 aligncenter\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/organizations-style-300x211.png\" alt=\"Organizations can show up with a dominant style, especially when it is led or populated by people with a particular dominant style.\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" /></a>\n\n<strong>Flexibility/Discretion</strong>: The organization focuses on its ability to change with circumstances or market forces and empower its workforce. Recently some organizations like Zappos and HolocracyOne have made headlines with their managerless structures and intentions of adapting  quickly to environmental changes. (Corresponds with “Flexibility/Informal.”)\n\n<strong>Stability/Control:</strong> The organization focuses on its commitment to strategic direction and internal reliability. The people who work here must be on the same page. (Corresponds with “Stable/Structured.”)\n\n<strong>Adaptability/Adhocracy</strong>: Chiefly tuned in to the changes in the marketplace and taking action to adapt. Dynamic, creative, and open to risk. (Corresponds with “Promoting/Influential” or “I” styles.)\n\n<strong>Consistency/Hierarchy:</strong> A formalized work environment with high role definition and replicated practices/procedures. Normal in customer service businesses that pride themselves on consistency for customers no matter the geographic region. (Corresponds with “Analyzing/Conscientious” or “C” styles.)\n\n<strong>External/Differentiated: </strong>Goal-oriented learning organizations that differentiate themselves from their competition in the marketplace and drive excellence in their processes and products. (Corresponds with “Dominant/Different.”)\n\n<strong>Internal/Integrated: </strong>Focused on developing personnel--both leadership and the rank-and-file. Quality of teamwork and the values they share are paramount. (Corresponds with “Conforming/Easygoing.”)\n\n<strong>Mission/Market: </strong>Executing the action plan that creates bottom-line results and move the organization toward realizing its goals. Corporations focus on stockholder value. (Corresponds with “Driven/Controlling” or “D” styles.)\n\n<strong>Involvement/Clan: </strong>Commitment to the organization is most valued. Employees are “members of the family” with a career in the company. (Corresponds with “Supporting/Steady” or “S” styles.)\n\nThe workgroup I described at the start of this article would be described with the terms Flexibility/Discretion, Adaptability/Adhocracy, Internal/Integrated, and Involvement/Clan. In practically every dimension, the team and our one member who “didn’t fit” were opposites. This was not his fault, and he wasn’t wrong. But the similarities between others on the team and the difference between them and him became a source of frequent conflict and tension.\n\nLeaders can increase effectiveness by tuning in to these dynamics, understanding their own default or preferred style and the benefits of diversity, understanding the style preferences and flexing capacity for each of their employees, and learning more about how to manage diversity.\n\nFor further reading:\n<ul>\n 	<li><a href=\"http://amzn.to/1V9oLH6\"><em>Organizational Culture Change: Unleashing Your Organization’s Potential in Circles of 10</em></a> by Marcella Bremer</li>\n 	<li><a href=\"http://amzn.to/1V9p1pD\"><em>Leading Culture Change in Global Organizations: Aligning Culture and Strategy</em></a> by Daniel Denison, Robert Hooijberg, Nancy Lane, and Colleen Lief</li>\n 	<li><a href=\"http://amzn.to/1U4q6jC\"><em>Taking Flight!: Master the DISC Styles to Transform Your Career, Your Relationships...Your Life</em></a> by Merrick Rosenberg and Daniel Silvert</li>\n</ul>', 'The Hidden Ways Organizational Culture Can Impact Your Team’s Functioning', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-hidden-ways-organizational-culture-can-impact-your-teams-functioning', '', '', '2016-11-11 06:00:42', '2016-11-11 11:00:42', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29619', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29627, 418, '2016-04-04 06:00:13', '2016-04-04 10:00:13', 'The flowers that are in full bloom are wonderful. The weeds that have taken over one corner are terrible. To get my garden in world class condition and ready for the competitive eye of my neighbor is exactly what every leader must do: seed, feed, and weed.\n<ol>\n	<li><strong>Consider the “season.\"</strong> In today’s 24-hour global economy, it would appear that there is no season, nothing that distinguishes night from day. Grow, grow. Sell, sell. But the smart leader watches the sky, reads the clouds, and can tell when there are shifts to indicate a new season. Bring products to market at the wrong time or introduce an idea without understanding timing and the “garden” can quickly resemble a piece of scorched earth.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n	<li><strong>Give credence to the unexpected and control what you can control.</strong> The El Niño weather has not only raised havoc with my roses but spawned dangerous storms and opposing droughts throughout the world. Leaders face “El Niños”: market downturns, a coup in Africa, airline strikes, terrorist attacks. You name it. A great leader takes all precautions and then remains flexible and ready for the unexpected. Scenario planning, a strategy first employed by Royal Dutch Shell, brings experts from a wide range of fields together to discuss actions if different scenarios take place. Scenario planning allows you to think out—in advance—various options. In like fashion, my corner of the garage has all the tools, sprays, and plant potions necessary for probable surprises.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n	<li><strong>Plant seeds and give space to the sowers.</strong> A smart leader knows that it is only through dialogue that ideas can sprout and take root. Instead of jealously guarding “my ideas, my client, my territory,\" a leader with an eye toward growing a “garden” takes no ownership but rather seeks to find which seeds have merit. Like the biblical passage, some seeds will wither on rocks or find little moisture in shallow soil. But others will be carried to places where they flourish. When newcomers bring ideas from other industries and businesses, are they welcomed or are they rooted out because “that’s not how we do things here”?</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n	<li><strong>Feed different plants differently.</strong> Not every plant needs the same thing, yet all plants must eat. A “garden-wise” leader understands “nothing is so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.\" Just as each voice has its own unique sonogram, each employee, associate, and stakeholder needs a unique blend of “food.\" For some, the \"food\" is numbers: “Give me numbers and I thrive.” For many, it’s the opportunity to learn and advance in knowledge. For others, it’s the engaging nature of the work itself that offers fulfillment.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n	<li><strong>Weeding is backbreaking work.</strong> A great leader hates this part of the task. It means fact-finding. Accountability. Time. Not everything that is “green” belongs in my garden. Not every associate belongs with you. In fact, firing customers at times can also be the healthiest long-term fertilizer for a vibrant business.</li>\n</ol>\nLeaders must take time to stop and “smell the roses.\" I can get so overwhelmed with the “work” of my garden that I forget why I planted it. Why have you planted your “garden”?  Are there people who delight in the work of your hands?  When you step back and gaze at your enterprise, are you pleased with what you see?\n\n&nbsp;', 'Five Leadership Lessons from the Garden', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'five-leadership-lessons-from-the-garden', '', '', '2016-04-04 06:00:13', '2016-04-04 10:00:13', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29627', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29648, 419, '2016-04-26 06:00:09', '2016-04-26 10:00:09', 'Forgive and forget…\n\nIf we want to be seen as good people, that’s what we do every time someone has caused us pain.\n\nMaybe she didn’t hand in that report you needed on time, so you had to work an extra three hours, missing your daughter’s volleyball game. Or maybe your coworker cut you off mid-sentence in a meeting and then later reiterated an idea of yours that he claimed as his own.\n\nSure, these things upset you and maybe you gave them a hard look to let them know you weren’t pleased, but you needed to move on and focus on getting your work done.\n\nSo you decided to forgive them and forget about it.\n\nAnd that makes sense, right?\n\nAfter all, isn’t it better to forgive than hold that anger inside, making you bitter, draining your energy?\n\nThe problem is that when we do this, we are using forgiveness as a solution, not a process. In other words, we use forgiveness as an agent to help us heal from painful situations and move forward, not as a way to change the relationship and increase the partnership.\n\nWhen we use forgiveness as a solution, we lower the other person’s accountability and our influence on them.\n<h3><strong>5 Ways Forgiveness Lowers Accountability and Influence</strong></h3>\n<ol>\n 	<li>At work, we generally try to avoid emotions that are unpleasant, like anger and hurt. We naturally believe that we should escape “bad” feelings as soon as possible. Forgiving and moving on is a logical way to achieve this. However, when you do this, you are just pushing back those emotions. They will continue to build up, causing you to avoid this person and making you less likely to want to partner with them in the future.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n 	<li>Glossing over these unpleasant feelings not only doesn’t work, it also does not help you to dig into the emotion to find out what it is trying to tell you. Feeling hurt or angry are often signals that your boundaries have been crossed and can tell you how you can fix it. If you don’t listen to yourself, you aren’t holding yourself accountable for maintaining healthy boundaries.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n 	<li>If you try to forgive without confronting the person first, you have not given them the chance to acknowledge what they did, so you have not held them accountable.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n 	<li>Forgiving those who have not taken responsibility for their actions lets them off the hook and robs them of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.</li>\n</ol>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n 	<li>John F. Kennedy said, “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” He is warning us that forgiveness can leave you vulnerable to being hurt again. If the person who caused you pain has not been held accountable – you are opening yourself up to being harmed again.</li>\n</ol>\nHow can you turn forgiveness into a process that creates more influence and partnership?\n<h3><strong>The 5 Steps for True Forgiveness</strong></h3>\n<ol>\n 	<li>You tell the person how they have crossed your boundaries.</li>\n 	<li>The person acknowledges what they have done, taking accountability for their actions.</li>\n 	<li>They feel remorse and apologize for their actions.</li>\n 	<li>You feel heard, and the two of you are on the same page in this situation, both of you being intentional to keep it from happening again.</li>\n 	<li>You feel an increase in partnership because of the mutual understanding, allowing you to forgive them.</li>\n</ol>\nIn the process of true forgiveness, the relationship is changed forever in a good way. Many who go through these steps together end up feeling more connected and closer than they were before the incident. And their influence with that person has increased.\n\nBut what if the person doesn’t acknowledge what they have done? What if they refuse to be held accountable?\n\nEven though this may be a painful outcome, now you are clearer on whether you can partner with this person in the future. If they are not willing or able to change their behavior to help you, at least now you know that in the future you need to go elsewhere to collaborate.', '5 Ways Forgiveness Lowers Accountability and Influence', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '5-ways-forgiveness-lowers-accountability-and-influence', '', '', '2016-04-26 06:00:09', '2016-04-26 10:00:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29648', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29654, 408, '2016-03-24 07:22:01', '2016-03-24 11:22:01', 'Some people are not going to like what I\'ve written here, so first a few fair warnings and disclaimers: 1) These are my personal observations and opinions, nothing more; 2) I am going to make generalizations; there are always obvious exceptions when it comes to generalizations. 3) I\'m not in the \"business\" of leadership so I\'m not trying to sway \"buyers\" towards my line of thinking or \"products.\"\n\nThe business of leadership, i.e. leadership development, has been around for quite a while now, and I think for the most part it\'s been legitimate. Whether it was through peer advisory organizations, group practices, or individual consultants, leadership development was delivered to its beneficiaries in an equitable way, with buyers predominantly paying for services rendered. Services might also be accompanied by corollary products: tomes and textbooks, workbooks and worksheets, assessment tools, and the like. These products could also be purchased a la carte, but were still often used in conjunction with the services rendered.\n\nThese days, however, there seems to be a growing preponderance of products, particularly products associated with an individual selling their \"system.\" The people selling these systems have turned themselves into the product – the brand – and their credentials seem somewhat sketchy. These systems seem supported by what I\'ve come to call, \"The Formula,\" and the people selling The Formula become peddlers. The Formula looks something like this:\n<ul>\n	<li>So-called expert Peddler writes a book, which these days Peddler can even self-publish. Book price point is quite reasonable, but really doesn\'t make Peddler much ROI...but that isn\'t the point</li>\n	<li>Peddler markets book, particularly if they become expert at social media</li>\n	<li>Peddler goes \"on tour,\" pushing their book and their expertise. An aggressive Peddler gets lots of appearances, further reinforcing their personal brand and so-called expertise. Peddlers with deeper pockets actually hire people to promote them, giving the greater impression of omnipresence</li>\n	<li>Appearances + book = paid gigs</li>\n	<li>With a growing personal brand and paid gigs, new productization occurs: The Method. The Method is the packaging and how-to\'s of The Formula thus far, which is clearly no secret per the above but which many others want in on. (\"I want to be as successful as Peddler!\")</li>\n	<li>Peddler teases The Method: \"Attend my one-day only workshop/exclusive webinar and learn all my secrets.\" Said event is 100x the cost of the book</li>\n	<li>Peddler\'s event doesn\'t really disclose much and is really just a tee-up for the real pitch. Perhaps the pitch is for \"an exclusive mastermind group\" priced at 10 – 20x the cost of the event...monthly! Or, perhaps the pitch is to entrap – oops, I mean encourage – others to become Peddlers of the Peddlers products...for a princely buy-in fee</li>\n	<li>Peddler repeats the last two steps until Peddler can actually claim to be a \"6-figure/7-figure income producer!\"</li>\n</ul>\nDoes The Formula sound familiar? Sure it does. It\'s called Amway for leadership development or the selling of knowledge. At its most benign, it\'s multi-level marketing; at its worst, it\'s a Ponzi scheme.\n\nAre people entitled to make money from the knowledge they have? Certainly! Can legitimate experts follow The Formula to make this money? Of course.\n\nMy concern with this, however, is that I\'m seeing it as a trend, and not a good one. The Formula is churning out a lot of Peddlers, and so many Peddlers have led to confusion and commoditizing in the market. How is an ordinary (and perhaps naïve) person or business entity looking to gain real wisdom to discern the difference between experts with real, acquired knowledge and those who\'ve basically just parlayed their reputation and marketing savvy into a product?\n\nThis commoditization can\'t be good for the business of leadership and knowledge development...unless someone\'s aim really is only to learn how to make lots of money claiming to have deep expertise of a subject they only really have surface expertise on. And sadly, I think there are plenty of folks seeking this out there, too. I have seen commoditization of this sort before -- in the digital marketing industry, for instance – and whereas the so-called experts are supposed to be in service to their clientele, they\'re really only in service to themselves. I do not think of this as service leadership. I think of this as borderline fraud.\n\nSo where is this all going? Will there be so many Peddlers working The Formula and selling their Methods that the market will not be able to bear so many and it will ultimately correct itself? Or, will it continue to propagate because people would rather think they\'re buying into the quick route to success than to put in the hard work that it takes to be a real leader?\n\nI\'m really not sure. Only time will tell.', '“The Formula”: The Unspoken Truth About The Packaging, Peddling, And Commoditization Of Leadership And Knowledge', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-formula-the-unspoken-truth-about-the-packaging-peddling-and-commoditization-of-leadership-and-knowledge-2', '', '', '2016-03-24 07:22:01', '2016-03-24 11:22:01', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29654', 0, 'post', '', 7),
(29660, 329, '2016-04-18 06:00:49', '2016-04-18 10:00:49', 'When Alexander II was the Czar of what is now Russia in the mid 1800’s, he looked out of his palace window and observed a soldier guarding an area of the palace lawn that appeared to be little more than empty space. “What is that soldier guarding?” he asked then-Ambassador Otto van Bismarck. Bismarck asked the captain of the guard for a reason for the sentry’s post. He learned only that the soldier was following a long standing order at the palace. It was the 1800’s version of “We’ve always done it that way!”\n\nVowing to learn the rationale for the guard duty, Bismarck had the soldier asked if he knew why he was standing guard over what appeared to be empty space. The soldier was clueless as to the reason but assured his inquirer he was following precise orders. His superior also did not know why, only that this particular post had always been under strict orders to be guarded around the clock. Undaunted by bureaucratic ignorance, Bismarck finally found an elder soldier who reported what his father, also a palace guard, had told him.\n\nSome 150 years early during the reign of Catherine the Great, the region had a long, hard winter. One morning, looking from the same window from which Alexander II would later peer, Queen Catherine saw the first flower of spring pushing out of the snow covered palace lawn. Wanting to enjoy this lone flower for as long as possible, she posted a guard to protect the flower from being picked.\n\nUnfortunately, the order was never rescinded. So, for many years to follow, soldier after soldier engaged in a round the clock meaningless act in strict obedience to what quickly became a completely absurd policy. No one challenged the policy; they just did what they were told. The flower story is relevant today.\n\nPolicies and practices, appropriate at the time of their creation, can assume a permanent life of their own. As circumstances change (which they always will), the “givens” that govern enterprise must be examined and questioned. Without a culture that values boldness and candor, well-meaning front line employees will follow, even defend, the rules that add no value. They will guard flowers that are not there. It takes leaders willing to challenge unhelpful procedures and question valueless rules.\n<h3>Stupid Rule Clue: Customer Anger</h3>\nGrowing up on a cattle farm provides a chance to see the promise and perils of freedom. For months cows leisurely graze, sleep in the shade and drink water from a nearby pond. In the winter when there is no grass, bales of hay are delivered to their “doorstep.” But, when the time comes for the cows to be transported to market, herding can become a challenge. It starts out rather peaceful; but as cows are steered from the open pasture into small holding pens and then forced to go up a loading chute and onto the truck, it requires low voltage electric prods to convert their resistance into compliance.\n\nWhat does this cattle herding metaphor have to do with you? If you limit your customers’ freedom with stupid rules, you pay the price with their propensity to respond with greater than normal wrath. They take out their anger on your frontline, ramping up stress and turnover. They assertively trash your reputation. Their social media rantings spotlight your “stupid rules” as they inform hundreds of potential customers to stay clear of your “holding pens and loading shootschutes.” Examine where customers show their angst and ask: “Is this a stupid rule that needs to be exorcised?”\n<h3>Overcome “Stupid Rule” Blindness</h3>\nGrowing up in the rural Deep South at a time of racial segregation, I witnessed the socially accepted norms of the times—whites and blacks had separate bathrooms, water fountains, schools, and sections in the theatre. No one, black or white, challenged that thought process; it was the way things were. My primary playmates were the African-American children whose parents worked on my dad’s farm; the topic of segregation never came up. I was in late junior high before I realized how inane it all was. Why was it not obvious to me much younger that such practices were completely wrong? How could I have been so socially blind?\n\nThe “this is the way it has always been done” rationale is more than a plea for a comfortable status quo; it is a signal that an alternative to practice may not be easily seen. Think of all the assumptions of yesteryear we took for granted. Employees can’t work from home, business casual will lead to low productivity, or the workday is nine to five; the work week forty hours. We can catalog a gazillion current myths that once were accepted truths. It takes leaders who boldly create disruptor patterns aimed at questioning the limitation of “what is” in pursuit of a more progressive “what might be.”\n\nOrganize a “service garbage patrol” to spot and report places service is a needless hassle for customers. Start with your customers\' first encounter. A restaurant might select the parking lot. If your customers’ experiences with your “parking lot” were a picture of your whole service system, what would it tell them about what you value and your top priorities? What is their ending memory at farewell? Now, focus the service garbage detection spotlight on every other process in search of stupid rules.\n\nTD Bank created a “Kill a Stupid Rule” program; any employee who spotted a rule that kept employees from delighting customers got a fifty-dollar reward. Like TD Bank, make busting customer-restricting bureaucracy more valued than protecting those “sacred cows” long in need of slaughtering. A Board of Customers might provide keen insight into stupid rules that employees take for granted. Create an on-going virtual customer focus group focused on policies, procedures and practices. Take an empathy walk with a key customer through your service processes and beg her or him for candor about the experience.\n\nLeadership has had its history of being characterized by a role of control. Rules create order, policies prevent anarchy, and leaders protect stability. Clearly there are circumstances where rules are crucial to safety, ethics and fairness. This is not a plea for revolt. But, the truth is order and rationality do not need to be added by leaders; they ooze from the seams of every business encounter.\n\nLeadership today is about fostering the illogic of innovation, the irrationality of passion and purpose, and the instability of change. Holding on to stupid rules restrains us from the adventure of advancement. Following the current may give us momentary ease and comfort, but only dead fish swim with the current. In the words of Helen Keller, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”', 'Don’t Be a Leader of Stupid Rules', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'dont-be-a-leader-of-stupid-rules', '', '', '2016-04-18 06:00:49', '2016-04-18 10:00:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29660', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29665, 376, '2016-03-28 06:00:45', '2016-03-28 10:00:45', '<strong><em><a href=\"http://davidburkus.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David Burkus</a> is a very dangerous man ...</em></strong>\n\nIn <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118611144/?tag=mythsofcreativity-20\" target=\"_blank\">Myths of Creativity</a></em>, he punctured my long-held beliefs about creativity, including those which I had cherished because they absolved me of all responsibility for being creative. I could no longer simply relax and say \"<em>I\'m not the creative type,\"</em> even though it made life much easier for me.\n\nWell, once again, Burkus is disturbing my sense of comfortableness with the aptly named <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Under-New-Management-Organizations-Upending/dp/0544630971/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441990711&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=under+new+management+burkus\" target=\"_blank\">Under New Management</a></em>. This time, he is really out for blood ... the tired blood of old management and leadership practices, which we intuitively understand to be less than effective, but have allowed to continue long after their usefulness (if it once existed) has passed.\n\nTo understand how disruptive Burkus\'s new book is, it simply has to hover near or at the top of your \"<em>Must Read\"</em> list. The book is provocative and unsettling to those of us who shrink from the challenge of dislodging some very well-entrenched processes in many large systems.\n\nAs you read specific chapters which attack long-standing business practices, such as \"<em>Ditch Performance Appraisals,\"</em> \"<em>Pay People to Quit,\"</em> or my personal favorite \"<em>Fire The Managers,\"</em> I imagine you will start nodding your head in agreement with his clear-eyed and fresh perspectives...\n\n... but that\'s not the point of this post.\n\nWhen we consider engaging in the type of systemic change that <a href=\"http://davidburkus.com/\" target=\"_blank\">David Burkus </a>espouses and think about joyfully dismantling <em>What Was</em> in order to create <em>What Should Be</em>, we have to consider a hard truth:\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>We just may be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution ...</strong></p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">While many of us have spent decades either secretly or openly advocating for these type of changes, we do so while envisioning ourselves as the freedom fighters on the barricades, rather than the robotic police lined up, armed, and ready to repress the rebellion.</p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Three quick questions for us all to consider at this point, all based on the assumption that the changes in <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Under-New-Management-Organizations-Upending/dp/0544630971/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1441990711&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=under+new+management+burkus\" target=\"_blank\">Under New Management</a></em> are generally valid and desired:</p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Why haven\'t we already done all this?</strong></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">If we are honest, most of these changes are long-overdue and well-known to us. So we have to consider the reasons for not having made the leap years ago. Security, fear of the unknown, lack of support ... many reasons exist for why we have not done what we needed to do in the past.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Knowing why we have not changed prepares us TO change.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>How have I personally helped maintain the status quo, rather than support needed changes?</strong></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Beyond knowing, we usually act in ways that either actively or tacitly support the status quo. If we are to change and help others change, we have to identify these situations and make different choices.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">When we change our choices, we change the outcomes.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>What do I need to do now to change this?</strong></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Burkus gives some good general directions on how to effect this magnitude of change, but we still need to drill down the personal level and consider our own changes, in order to support and create the larger changes.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Before we can change a system, we have to change ourselves.</p>\nChange can be good and change can be needed, but we have to prepare ourselves to choose our change role wisely. Real change requires more preparation than thinking about and answering a few questions in a blog post. However, you probably have already had some experience doing this.\n<h4><strong>How have you personally prepared to support needed systemic changes?</strong></h4>\n<div class=\"yj6qo ajU\">\n<div id=\":282\" class=\"ajR\"><img class=\"ajT\" src=\"https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif\" alt=\"\" /></div>\n</div>', 'About Breaking The Rules', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'about-breaking-the-rules', '', '', '2016-03-28 06:00:45', '2016-03-28 10:00:45', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29665', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29670, 381, '2016-03-31 06:00:50', '2016-03-31 10:00:50', 'Before you even start reading, let me guess what you’ll say! Will it be “what is she thinking?”\n\nBelieve it or not, I\'m thinking, “What a great theme for the month of March!\" The Lead Change Group theme for March is \"tell about a time when you broke the rules or did things differently.”\n\nWell, how about now? Karin Hurt, CEO of <a href=\"http://letsgrowleaders.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Let’s Grow Leaders</a>, asks “Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to remember someone’s point when they wrap a story around it?” Well, here’s my story.\n\nWe all know how things get done. It’s a rare occasion when anything great is accomplished by a singular human. \"It takes a village\" is a common theme these days; \"it takes a team\" is a common thread in every project. <strong>Teamwork is how things get done.</strong>\n\nTo work productively a team needs to have mingled talents, vision for the finished product, well-defined common goals, reasonable expectations, outstanding communication skills, and homogenous personalities. OK so that bit about homogenous personalities just makes it easier to connect the dots. Teams and projects are complex and complicated, characteristic of many moving parts. The elements of teamwork could take days and pages to develop, but let’s skip all that and go with the story. Putting together the Ingredients of Fine Teams is like baking a Texas Sheet Cake using an award-winning recipe and premium products. If you read to the end, you have a take home treat.\n\n<strong>Flour </strong>– This is the team itself, their reason for existing.  Maybe it’s a group of individuals who are together for this one project. The reason this team exists is the flour. Flour is the main ingredient in most baking. Without it there is no substance, no texture, and no solid foundation.\n\n<strong>Water </strong>– Water is the pool of talent, creativity, flexibility, and acceptance of diversity among team members. Water is colorless and nondescript on its own, but the nature of the team is dependent on it.\n\n<strong>Cocoa </strong>– Think of cocoa as the vision and specifications defined as the goals for this team. Vision is what we want for our final result. Specifications are the guidelines and rules for how the team works together. It’s like a roadmap everyone can follow, even while working separately on their individual tasks.\n\n<strong>Sugar</strong> – Enthusiasm in large doses. Remember Mary Poppins and her song about a spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down? Of course you do. Sugar is a crystalline substance that sparkles, especially when dumped in ample quantity into the dark ingredients. Teams get weary, they get bored, enthusiasm wanes, and dare I say it? Tempers can get a little bit exasperated – or a lot. Bring on the sugar, not in teaspoons but in heaping cups of enthusiasm.\n\n<strong>Sour cream</strong> – It’s not what you think. Sour cream is the added effort of research, fact-finding, logic, analysis. Teams can be divided on these principles. At what point do you stop researching and cease analysis? This can become the sticking point between the overthinking and the underachieving. Sour cream, when infused and integrated into the right recipes, stabilizes and even boosts the quality from mediocre to premium because it’s there. The added study and extra effort improve the results. Do you have sour cream on your team? How are they being valued and used productively?\n\n<strong>Soda </strong>– Attitude – When soda is combined with moisture and ingredients like sour cream and chocolate, the result produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand when heated in the oven. If not used immediately after the soda and other ingredients mingle, the reaction fizzles and the product falls flat. We need positive, effervescent attitudes. We need them often and we need them now.\n\n<strong>Salt </strong>– Marketing – Fact! Every project, every idea, every team, and every member is being marketed in some way. Salt is the mainstay of flavor in nearly every recipe. Too much salt and the end result is ghastly. It’s bitter, unappealing, and inedible. But used with the right dimensions, within tolerance, the results are appealing and tasteful while exerting a gravitational pull.\n\n<strong>Butter </strong>– Education – This is where the results are sustaining. Butter is the metaphor for a well-oiled team. Most commonly found in its solidified form, the block is easily recognized, measured, and useful. But butter can also be softened, pliable, and spread thinly across a broad area to be even more effective. Education can be contained or it can spread beyond boundaries while maintaining its purpose and meeting the needs of the team and the enterprise.\n\nThe Ingredients of Fine Teams.  Bake these thoughts well and prepare to flourish as a team. Recognize individual characteristics and applaud unique qualities each member brings to the team. The result will be a delicious blend of strengths, talents, skills, and personalities to make your next project a masterpiece.\n\n“What is she thinking?” Now you know. There’s a side of me that loves surprises. Actually in my multi-sided self, most of me loves an element of surprise, surrounded by fun, and baked in warmth of relationships.\n\nWhen you form a team for a specific objective, add in talent, knowledge, personalities, idiosyncrasies, mix well and shake it into a plan, you get a delectable finished product. When you take fine ingredients, mix well, and shake it into a pan, you get a delectable finished product.\n\nNow, if all this baking talk has activated your sweet tooth, you can put this recipe to use while reflecting on the sweet outcome of successful teamwork!\n\n<strong>Texas Sheet Cake</strong>\n\n<strong>Ingredients</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>1 cup <em>butter, cubed</em></li>\n	<li>1 cup <em>water</em></li>\n	<li>1/4 cup <em>baking cocoa</em></li>\n	<li>2 cups <em>all-purpose flour</em></li>\n	<li>2 cups <em>sugar</em></li>\n	<li>1 teaspoon <em>baking soda</em></li>\n	<li>1/2 teaspoon <em>salt</em></li>\n	<li>1/2 cup <em>sour cream</em></li>\n</ul>\n<strong><em>ICING:</em></strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>1/2 cup <em>butter, cubed</em></li>\n	<li>1/4 cup <em>plus 2 tablespoons milk</em></li>\n	<li>3 tablespoons <em>baking cocoa</em></li>\n	<li>3-3/4 cups <em>confectioners\' sugar</em></li>\n	<li>1 teaspoon <em>vanilla extract</em></li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Directions</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>In a large saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Remove from the heat. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; add to cocoa mixture. Stir in the sour cream until smooth.</li>\n	<li>Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x  1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.</li>\n	<li>In a small saucepan, melt butter; add milk and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk in confectioners\' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour over warm cake. Cool completely on a wire rack.<strong> Yield: </strong>15 servings.</li>\n</ul>\n<strong>Recipe Credit:</strong>  Taste of Home magazine, February/March 2003', 'Whipping up a Masterpiece', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'whipping-up-a-masterpiece', '', '', '2016-03-31 06:00:50', '2016-03-31 10:00:50', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29670', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(29677, 374, '2016-04-01 06:00:36', '2016-04-01 10:00:36', 'This month we are featuring Leading Voice <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/leading-voices/chip-bell/\" target=\"_blank\">Chip Bell</a>, author, renowned keynote speaker on innovative customer service, and consultant/speaker to such organizations as Microsoft, Nationwide, Marriott, Lockheed-Martin, Cadillac, Ritz-Carlton, Caterpillar, Verizon, USAA, Harley-Davidson, and Victoria’s Secret.\n\nChip studied at the University of Georgia, Vanderbilt University, and the George Washington University. He also did some post-doctoral work at Harvard. He says, however, \"The most important education for me has come from lessons learned in life, not academia!\"\n\nFollowing graduate school and the military (including a tour of duty as an infantry unit commander in Viet Nam) Chip was director of management and organizational development for NCNB (now Bank of America). He started a consulting firm in 1980 and says he has been having a blast ever since!\n\nA leadership lesson Chip gained from his first job was: <em>inclusion will get you more commitment than control. </em>\n\nWhen asked about one of the best moments he has had professionally, Chip shared, \"Watching my books hit the national best seller list. Being on CNBC, Fox Business, CNN and ABC pitching a new book. Helping the CEO of Southwest Airlines launch a best-selling book. Getting a book endorsement from Seth Godin.\"\n\nHe thinks these are the most important qualities in leaders:\n<ul>\n 	<li>humility</li>\n 	<li>passion</li>\n 	<li>trustworthiness</li>\n 	<li>curiosity</li>\n</ul>\nWhen questioned about the strangest thing he\'s ever been asked in a job interview, Chip tells us he was asked, \"If you could live your life as an animal, what animal would you choose and why?\"\n\nThe books Chip has found most helpful for his professional life include <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Novel-Richard-Adams/dp/0743277708\" target=\"_blank\">Watership Down</a> by Richard Adams, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Business-Growth-Theodore-Levitt/dp/0070374155/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1459181369&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=marketing+for+business+growth\" target=\"_blank\">Marketing for Business Growth</a> by Ted Levitt, and <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-New-Transform-Remarkable--/dp/1591843170/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1459181397&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+purple+cow\" target=\"_blank\">The Purple Cow</a> by Seth Godin.\n\nWhen asked the most creative solution he\'s ever seen to a problem in life or work, Chip replied, \"Having my seven-year-old granddaughter describe the work of a client (a very large cement company) as the maker of dance floors for cars. Her metaphor led to the company working on creating cement highways with embedded florescence for dark country roads.\"\n\nThe best advice he\'s ever been given was, \"Your job as a consultant is not to help clients feel better about being weak; your job is helping clients get strong.\" As for advice <strong>he</strong> would give, he believes schools should teach ethics.\n\nIf he had to hashtag his life, Chip\'s would be: #CreativeFun (symbolizing having fun and making a difference).\n\nOne of Chip\'s favorite quotes is \"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing\" from Helen Keller.\n\nHe must consider his current assortment of speaking and consulting tasks a daring adventure, because when asked \"if money were no object, what would you do all day?\" he responded, \"Work as a keynote speaker, write business books, and work as a customer loyalty consultant--exactly what I am doing\"!\n\nThanks for sharing a moment in your daring adventure with us, Chip!\n\n<em><strong>Editor\'s Note</strong> - You may ask, “How does one get chosen to be a featured Instigator?” The answer is simple. If you are already an Instigator, fill out <a href=\"https://cl182.infusionsoft.com/app/form/lcg-feature-questions\">this form</a> and continue to engage with the Lead Change Group on a regular basis. If you are not yet an Instigator, <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/join/\">sign up</a>. There are many benefits to being an Instigator – email us if you want more information.</em>\n\n<strong>Previous Featured Instigators:</strong>\n\n3/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-eunice-parisi-carew/\" target=\"_blank\">Eunice Parisi-Carew</a>\n\n2/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-chris-edmonds/\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Edmonds</a>\n\n1/2016: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-marcella-bremer/\" target=\"_blank\">Marcella Bremer</a>\n\n12/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-john-stoker/\" target=\"_blank\">John Stoker</a>\n\n11/2015: <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/featured-instigator-sean-glaze/\">Sean Glaze</a>', 'Featured Leading Voice: Chip Bell', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'featured-leading-voice-chip-bell', '', '', '2016-04-01 06:00:36', '2016-04-01 10:00:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29677', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(29703, 355, '2016-04-05 06:00:54', '2016-04-05 10:00:54', '<p class=\"Body\"><strong><em>This post is a part of our 2016 Lead Change Group Guest Blogger Series. Today we are pleased to reacquaint you with Tony Adams, a returning Instigator.</em></strong></p>\n<em>What can a choir of society’s most disadvantaged teach us about leadership and the importance of building a great team?</em>\n\nI recently had the pleasure of seeing Melbourne’s “Choir of Hope and Inspiration” perform. What a wonderful, uplifting experience to listen to this group of beautiful, courageous people living with the crushing isolation of homelessness, mental health and addiction.\n\nOK, so the singing wasn\'t great and the dress code was, frankly, a little frayed around the edges, but the collective result was something very special. Energy, passion, vulnerability, courage and joy.\n\nIndeed, what struck me about the Choir was the commitment that the singers showed to their music and importantly, to each other.\n\nThink about this for a moment - the Choir members live in the cold, grey fringes of society - homeless, often physically or intellectually disabled, or with severe isolation issues - drugs, alcohol or mental health problems. Their backs are up against the wall every day. Every single day. An unrelenting struggle to survive, to stay off the drink or the needle, to find something to eat, to have a shower, to get the right medication.\n\nCommitment to a social activity might be a little low on their level of priorities, yet these remarkable people turn up and practice for 5 hours at a time, once a week, every week. They are committed to the cause, heart and soul. Amazing.\n\nSo where does this commitment come from? How can we achieve that same bond with our team members?\n\nMaslow gives us a starting point, by arguing that we can provide an environment that nurtures \"higher order needs\" for self-actualisation, self-respect, a sense of recognition and identity.\n\nIt was wonderful to see the Choir Master put that into practice by bringing the singers together and teasing out their stories, letting them express themselves as individuals through solo performances and brief interviews between numbers, inviting the audience to connect with the singers both as people (not \"homeless people\", \"addicts\" or \"drunks\", but simply, regular people) and as a collective group.\n\nThese are really simple, powerful practices - allowing our teams members the space and security to express themselves through their work, helping them find their own, personal voices and building a sense of tribal belonging, of being \"in the team\".\n\nIn practical terms, we can focus on cultivating mutual respect, sense of individual and collective identity and a clear, engaging and simple sense of purpose.\n\nOne of the singers said it so well - \"When I\'m walking around the streets I mostly get ignored but once I tell people I\'m in the Choir, it always starts a conversation, people become interested and I love to talk about it\".\n\nWhat a powerful affirmation of identity and belonging.\n\nAs leaders, we succeed when we pull together a group of people with little in common, into a tight, connected and committed team. To do this well, to get the very best from our people, we need to step away from the team and connect with them as individuals.\n\nWe need to talk with them, not to them.\n\nWe need to give of ourselves and invite them to do so in return.\n\nWe need to listen and respond.\n\nWe need to engage, completely and honestly.\n\n<em>Tony Adams is a project leadership consultant, speaker, mentor and writer and feels truly blessed to work with brilliant, innovative people and companies around the world, leading complex, innovative change programs that shape the way their people live and work. Learn more about Tony at his <a href=\"http://www.tonyadamspm.com/\" target=\"_blank\">website</a>.</em>', 'Building a Great Team One Song at a Time', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'building-a-great-team-one-song-at-a-time', '', '', '2016-04-05 06:00:54', '2016-04-05 10:00:54', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29703', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29714, 343, '2016-04-07 06:00:40', '2016-04-07 10:00:40', 'People are the face of your brand.\n\nWhether salespeople, delivery drivers, customer service reps, cashiers, or spokespeople, most companies work hard to place their best people in front of their customers.\n\nYour people are the face of your organization, and work hard to represent that brand.\n<h3><strong>That\'s only one side to your brand coin.</strong></h3>\n<a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/coin.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-29722\"><img class=\" wp-image-29722 alignleft\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/coin-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"191\" height=\"143\" /></a>\n\nThe other face to your brand is what your company does in support of your people and customers. Quality, systems, communication, culture, and future that go on behind the scenes are key components of your brand. When your people promote and sell your company, they sell not just a product or service, but the entire package that is your company. Can your people confidently represent your brand to your customers?\n<h4></h4>\n<h3><strong>Consider the following as the other face of your brand:</strong></h3>\n<strong>Quality.</strong> Do both your products and services speak to high quality? Is there a consistency in your product that your people can fully support out on the front lines? Can your service be attested to by your customers; does your service style support your people and your clientele? Your front line staff want to promote the best products, and will shy away from those lines that don\'t deliver as well.\n\n<strong>Systems.</strong> I\'ve heard many front line employees say in confidence to their customers to avoid certain products or programs that just don\'t deliver. Why is that? The justification ranges from holes in the systems, to unreliable time frames. I\'ve even had people say that certain procedures cause more work and headaches and they avoid those processes - and opportunities to sell that program - altogether. Systems can make or break the best product lines, so make sure they are self-working and fully support the end-user.\n\n<strong>Communication.</strong> A customer asks the employee for an answer to a service issue. The employee asks those in the company involved to help with answering the customer\'s question, and for action steps to resolve. No response is given. After a couple of attempts, the employee is faced to admit the truth that they\'ve received no answer. Another outcome can be when the answer is a \"that\'s the way we operate, that\'s the way it is\" excuse that doesn\'t acknowledge the customer\'s concern. These examples erode the customer\'s trust, but also the employee\'s confidence in representing the company. Customer communication that flows from the front line staff must be a team effort to internally build your brand.\n\n<strong>Culture.</strong> Studies have shown that if your employees feel like part of a dynamic team, fully supported, and confident in the company\'s commitment to their values and customers, their ability to sell and go the extra mile for your customers far exceeds those in organizations where the culture is toxic, non-supportive, and lacks true purpose. Culture is not just a team meeting to generate a few days of momentum, but a sustained daily commitment to have everyone - from executive leadership through the newest hire - be pulling on the same rope in the same direction.\n\n<strong>Future.</strong> If you want your people to have that ardent fervor to promote your brand, the future must be certain. This is not just the company\'s future, but the employees as well. Lack of training, professional development, opportunity, or vision of their role in the mission stays on the minds of your people when they interface with customers. If they don\'t see a vibrant future, or potential springboard, for themselves down the road, you can guarantee their service to your customers to be robotic and passionless. Creating a visionary future for each individual gives them greater purpose in that serving their clientele will lead them on the path to their dreams. Oh, and by the way, your customers pick up on this as well when they interact with your people.\n\nYour brand is everything your company is - both up front and behind the scenes. Your people know both sides to your brand coin, and will represent it in proportion to how the components actually work, or not. By seeing your brand from both sides of the coin, you will have a much clearer understanding of how your people go to bat for you on the front lines.\n\n<strong>Keep both faces of your brand towards your people. Your people who face your customers will honor your brand as much as you honor it.</strong>\n\n&nbsp;', 'The Other Face Of Your Brand', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-other-face-of-your-brand', '', '', '2016-04-07 06:00:40', '2016-04-07 10:00:40', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29714', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29733, 252, '2016-04-08 06:00:03', '2016-04-08 10:00:03', 'As an HR manager, it’s amazing what people will tell you. Sometimes when a promotion notice was posted, employees would seek me out and ask, “How did that happen???”\n\nIt was particularly perplexing when the person in question was observed to be more talk than action. Or they were unreliable in making good on commitments. Maybe they were known for creating more work than necessary.\n<h3>Who gets promoted?</h3>\nI would get questions about how a specific person got a job with <em>so much </em>responsibility. I often thought to myself, “Because he or she is willing to do it when no one else is. And that\'s not necessarily a good thing.” Depending on the organization, there comes a time when the peer group at a certain level is not healthy. I\'ve seen this. It\'s almost like the higher they go, the worse they get at being team players.\n\nWhile in corporate America I’ve been in discussions about who would make a good leader. We identified people with real leadership potential. And yet, they had already made it known they didn\'t want anything to do with leading. They didn’t have the stomach for what it would take to work with troublesome would-be peers.\n<h3>Why some leaders are so self-absorbed</h3>\nOne theory I have is what I call “The Jersey Shore” theory. I admit to never having seen an entire episode of the once popular reality TV show. But it occurs to me that at a certain level in the organization the same dynamics kick in. It’s as if you are a reality show star. You are so insulated. You view yourself as the center of the universe in a contrived environment.\n\nOn more than one occasion I tried to save a leader from him- or herself. I tried to help them understand how their approaches or messages were received. I wasn’t trying to talk them out of a decision, only the “how.” I observed pouting. I was ignored. Once I was verbally abused. You just can’t save some people from themselves.\n<h3>What it takes to avoid this self-deception</h3>\nMaster coach Marshall Goldsmith wrote a book called, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/What-Got-Here-Wont-There/dp/1401301304\" target=\"_blank\">“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”</a> I remember applying his concept while coaching a particular dysfunctional leader. She regularly alienated just about everyone. She said she must have been doing okay if she got to the level she achieved. Her heels were dug in. She saw nothing to change. What Marshall’s concept would suggest is that she got promoted to her current level despite her flaws, not because of them. She couldn’t see that for herself.\n\nAs leaders, we must check ourselves. I come back to a component of emotional intelligence. To avoid self-deception, let’s look at empathy. You have to ask yourself if you are having the effect you are hoping for when you work with others. The empathy comes in when you look at your impact on others as compared to your intention. If this frequently doesn’t match up, you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror, get some feedback, get a coach, or maybe even join the Lead Change Group!', 'How did that person get to be a leader?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'how-did-that-person-get-to-be-a-leader', '', '', '2016-04-08 06:00:03', '2016-04-08 10:00:03', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29733', 0, 'post', '', 13),
(29754, 274, '2016-04-05 13:00:51', '2016-04-05 17:00:51', 'The Lead Change Group is grateful to <a href=\"http://thethoughtboard.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Thought Board</a> for hosting the April 2016 Leadership Development Carnival.\n\nThe Thought Board says it best when they say this month\'s contributors are \"taking leadership to new heights across the globe\"!\n\nPlease visit the full carnival post <a href=\"http://thethoughtboard.com/leadership-development-carnival/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> to read posts about performance reviews, succession planning, engagement, and more.\n\nEach of the contributors would appreciate a visit to their articles, and we would be grateful if you would share the carnival among your contacts. You can easily tweet your support by using our simple <a href=\"http://ctt.ec/86VUZ\" target=\"_blank\">click to tweet</a> feature.\n\nThe Lead Change Group will be hosting the May 2016 Leadership Development Carnival so stay tuned for our call for submissions in the coming weeks. We will look forward to another stellar month!', 'April 2016 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'april-2016-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2016-04-05 13:00:51', '2016-04-05 17:00:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29754', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29770, 389, '2016-07-07 06:00:49', '2016-07-07 10:00:49', 'What do President Obama and heavy metal guitarist <a href=\"http://www.yngwiemalmsteen.com/yngwie/\" target=\"_blank\">Yngwie Malmsteen</a> have in common?\n\nThey both wear essentially the same thing every day so that they can save their brain power for bigger, more important decisions.\n\nConstantly making decisions can strain a decision maker--so the opportunity to share the decision-making space can be quite appealing. And if involving employees in decision making is meaningful to them, then enabling them to actually make the decision will be exponentially more important. The key is to create \"intelligent autonomy\" that gives employees the independence and influence they crave, but does so in a manner that thoughtfully avoids the contradictions and pitfalls of a poorly executed delegation of power.\n\nBefore discussing the pitfalls, let\'s gain an appreciation for the astounding power of autonomy done right. According to a <a href=\"https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bouncing-back/201106/the-no-1-contributor-happiness\" target=\"_blank\">report</a> by The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the number-one contributor to happiness in life is not money, popularity, good looks, or even a good sex life. It\'s autonomy: \"the feeling that your life--its activities and habits--are self-chosen and self-endorsed.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://faculty.som.yale.edu/amywrzesniewski/documents/Onthemeaningofwork_000.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Research</a> clearly shows that jobs allowing for higher levels of autonomy have been shown to generate more meaning at work.\n\nUniversity of Michigan professor Gretchen Spreitzer conducted a <a href=\"http://ceo.usc.edu/working_paper/taking_stock_a_review_of_more.html\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> of twenty years of research on empowerment at work and found that empowered employees report a high level of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, lower turnover, increased performance effectiveness, and increased motivation. Relatedly, supervisors who reported higher levels of empowerment were seen by their subordinates as more innovative, upward influencing, and inspirational.\n\nEmpowerment executed effectively also engenders meaningful outcomes like increased trust and bonding between the giver and receiver, and an elevated sense of ownership, control, self-esteem, and accomplishment for those empowered.\n\nPosition power gives way to personal power with autonomy. When employees have greater levels of autonomy, they are better able to use their personal attributes to contribute to job performance.  For example, I\'ve witnessed an empowered manager drive a critical but controversial project to an effective conclusion by using skilled listening and empathy to persuade misaligned key stakeholders. Her manager would have achieved the same outcome, but undoubtedly would have left a trail of bodies in his wake. The empowered was able to succeed by doing it \"her way\" and got a chance to exercise traits that are core to her value system--a meaningful experience through and through.\n\nGiven all this goodness, how can you craft intelligent autonomy, or empowerment done right?\n\nIt starts with a simple but important insight: It takes work to give away work.\n\nThis is particularly true if you want to avoid the surprising dark side of empowerment.  Here are eight ways to grant autonomy in an intelligent fashion.\n\n<strong>1)  Fulfill the Foundational Requirements</strong>\n\nEnsure a baseline of trust, a practice of information sharing, and a willingness to delegate growth work, not just grunt work. Employees have to feel themselves stretching and feel the influence they have to truly feel empowered. If you allow for substantive, not inconsequential, decisions to be made by the empowered, and overcome any fear you might have of delegating some big decisions as well, you are on the way to smartly implementing autonomy and avoiding some of the most basic pitfalls en route.\n\n<strong>2)  Have an Agreement for Autonomy in Place</strong>\n\nWhether a document or a discussion, it will formalize the rules of engagement and operation in the handover of power. Such an agreement can be broken out into three parts: construction, consideration, and consultation. <em>Construction</em> involves building a basic set of expectations for the work associated with the empowered tasks.  <em>Consideration </em>means the empowered must also show some specific consideration toward the delegator (you). <em>Consultation</em> spells out the decisions that will require your specific consultation.\n\n<strong>3) Facilitate Recipient Readiness</strong>\n\nJust because employees are empowered doesn\'t mean they are set up to succeed. They may have difficulty accepting the new responsibilities for fear they will be overmatched or because they view the new responsibilities as an added burden to a job that already has enough pressures. As a countermeasure, you must ensure that your employees are ready to accept the responsibility. You should work to ease the fears of accountability that can come with empowerment, ensuring that people are set up to win and confident that they will. The employees themselves have to demonstrate that they are ready, willing, and able as well.\n\n<strong>4) Provide Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reward</strong>\n\nMore work without more reward is rarely welcome. And even if the work must be done, the motivation might not exist to do it. That is why it is so vital to ensure that there are intrinsic and extrinsic rewards baked into the new work. You can make the work intrinsically motivating by building in flexibility to allow employees to define what they want to get out of the new autonomy granted. Of course, let us not forget the good old-fashioned <em>extrinsic </em>reward and recognition that should accompany the added responsibility and accountability sought from employees. Proper recognition for expanded responsibility that is well handled is a must, as are meaningful rewards.\n\n<strong>5) Facilitate by Assisting Success vs. Avoiding Failure</strong>\n\nMistakes will be made when employees are given autonomy. Part of the reason employees need to be empowered in the first place is to learn from the experience of their mistakes. The mistake you have to avoid as a manager is reacting poorly to their mistakes. It\'s important that you let the cycle of empowerment work itself out where the employee learns from both successes and failures. You have to act as a facilitator, not a fixer. The minute you start acting like you want people to avoid any miscues, the empowerment itself has failed. Instead, shift to a mindset of assisting success.\n\n<strong>6) Construct Communication Loops</strong>\n\nA breakdown in communication can mean a breakdown in trust between you and the employee you\'ve delegated decision-making authority to. Autonomous employees shouldn\'t go off the grid, but instead should find ways to report back regularly on progress. Checkpoints should be established to provide updates, encouragement, help, training in teachable moments, and to avoid operational drift whereby work migrates away from previously aligned objectives and parameters.  Communication needs to be a two-way street.\n\n<strong>7) Covet Communication Loops</strong>\n\nCommunicate with your empowered employees in a manner such that they actually come to <em>covet</em> the communication loops in place over time. If you begin to sense that the fierce sense of independence developed (typical of empowered individuals) is beginning to backfire, it\'s time to revisit how the communication loops are being used. Focusing those communication touch points on open and rewarding exchanges can leave the empowered feeling that it is productive to continue inviting management in along the way as appropriate.\n\n<strong>8) Tie a Measurement Tether </strong>\n\nHaving established success criteria and measures in the agreement for autonomy and reviewing progress against those measures periodically will help ensure work stays on course. It also helps keep the empowered motivated along the way as they have tangible evidence they are on track to hitting their goal. As important, keeping the measures front and center reinforces what success looks like, otherwise it can easily fall prey to a variety of interpretations. Doing so ensures everyone defines success the same way and helps ensure that the ultimate output of the autonomy can be celebrated by all--which is meaningful in its own right.\n\n<u>3 ways you can take action on this article:</u>\n\n1)    Comment on it and get the conversation going\n\n2)    Share this article to help others and build your own credibility\n\n3)    Click <a href=\"http://scottmautz.com/newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> to receive my free newsletter and get more leadership building insight', '8 Ways to Grant Intelligent Autonomy', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '8-ways-to-grant-intelligent-autonomy', '', '', '2016-07-07 06:00:49', '2016-07-07 10:00:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29770', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29772, 389, '2016-08-02 06:00:43', '2016-08-02 10:00:43', 'There is a silent, guiding force in your life that has more influence than you can imagine. We instinctively know the impact that friends and family have on how we live our lives. We know how powerful our dreams and aspirations can be for affecting how we carry on. We know how our desire to be healthy can affect our habits or how our romantic interest in someone can affect our behavior. All are forces in our world as seen and felt as a driving rain.\n\nBut do we ever stop to really consider how the <em>assumptions we make</em> shape and mold our actions, behaviors, and lives? The impact is profound. Our assumptions can derail dreams, stop progress in its tracks, self-impose limits, create self-fulfilling prophecies, distort motives and harm relationships, kill creativity, and lead us down unwanted paths. Some assumptions we make with great awareness, many are on autopilot running our lives and guiding our decisions like a subconscious consigliere.\n\nNow I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking – assume you’ll succeed and you will kind of stuff. I’m talking about assumptions taken as fact, that become beliefs, and that ultimately misguide us. It is up to us to tunnel our way out of a life constricted by tunnel vision. When we challenge our assumptions, a veil lifts and new possibilities open up. We shatter misconceptions that have been weighing us down. We leave behind “knowing syndrome” and embrace “growing syndrome.\" We see the world differently, more clearly, more vibrantly. The power of truth unfolds before our eyes.\n\nHere are nine ways to help set those truths free in your work life, and life in general:\n<h3>1) Remember all the stakeholders</h3>\nAssumptions are often based on things that may or may not be true - think of all the stakeholders involved and how they’d view your assumptions.  Would the product supply team agree that you will have enough capacity?  Would the researchers agree they can deliver the innovation on time?  Would the finance person agree that your investment will generate acceptable returns?\n<h3>2) Force fresh perspective</h3>\nWe can fall into a pattern of operating within the same set of assumptions over and over because we continually see things with the same perspective. Break the stasis and bring in fresh viewpoints. Bring outsiders into a brainstorming session. Bring back people who were part of better, winning days and talk to them about what drove success at that time. Conduct a session where you view the world through a competitor\'s eyes and model their responses to your moves. Whatever the source, create some tension with the status quo.\n<h3>3) Watch your language</h3>\nWords of absolutism can sneak into our assumptions, turning accurate statements into over-generalizations. Stop and pause when you use words and phrases like “never,\" “always,\" “all of,\" and “none of.\" Take time to really <a href=\"http://blog.fastfedora.com/2011/10/how-to-challenge-your-assumptions.html\" target=\"_blank\">qualify your qualifiers</a>.\n<h3>4) Think like a science teacher</h3>\nAssumptions are essentially hypotheses. In the world of science, hypotheses are either accepted or refuted with <em>proof</em>. Call out assumptions when you hear them to raise awareness. Then ask yourself if the assumption on the table has been actually proven, and if so, does it still hold true?\n<h3>5) Question your questions</h3>\nAs a leader, you can closely examine the types of questions you ask the team, ensuring you have a helpful dose of assumption challenging questions in the mix. Of course you shouldn’t pester the team with an unending stream – this is about reexamining the portfolio of leadership questions you ask. Perhaps less information requests or status update questions and more assumption challenging questions are in order.\n<h3>6) Expand time</h3>\nMany assumptions are based on past history – don’t get stuck there. Regard the past, yes, but don’t disregard what may have changed.  That said, it’s also important to not get stuck in the now and to view your assumptions through the lens of how things might be in the future. How might industry trends change or negate your assumptions? Finally, the idea of expanding time also means to literally expand the amount of time you allot for the process of challenging assumptions. We often make assumptions because it’s easier and quicker. For certain, challenging assumptions can be difficult and time consuming, but you have to do it – too much is riding on getting it right.\n<h3>7) Ask why</h3>\nAssumptions can quickly have gaping holes exposed when you simply ask why - “Why do you believe that assumption is true?” The rationale or root cause behind the assumption might rapidly be revealed as weak at best.\n<h3>8) Don’t let data numb you</h3>\nFrom time to time I will say to my team, “Use data to go from ‘I think’ to ‘I know\'. But don’t let ‘I know’ get in the way of ‘I think’.”  While data should certainly be used to inform our decisions, sometimes we can rely on it at the expense of using our gut or in lieu of challenging the assumptions behind the data.  Keep a balance.\n<h3>9) Double click on pain point assumptions</h3>\nNot all assumptions are created equal.  Identify the one or two most critical assumptions you are making and spend extra time challenging them.\n\n<u>3 ways you can take action on this article:</u>\n\n1)     Comment on it and get the conversation going\n\n2)    Share this article to help others and build your own credibility\n\n3)    Get my free newsletter <a href=\"http://scottmautz.com/newsletter/\">by clicking here</a> for more leadership building insight\n\n&nbsp;', '9 Ways to Challenge Your Assumptions', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '9-ways-to-challenge-your-assumptions', '', '', '2016-08-02 06:00:43', '2016-08-02 10:00:43', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29772', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29774, 389, '2016-09-02 06:00:51', '2016-09-02 10:00:51', 'Is inspirational leadership the holy grail of leadership?\n\nI define such a pinnacle – the holy grail of leadership – as that which engenders the highest levels of employee engagement and commitment.\n\nSo, by that definition, then yes, hands down, inspirational leadership is the summit.\n\nAnd your employees would agree with me.\n\nA major <a href=\"https://hbr.org/2013/06/what-inspiring-leaders-do\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> examined a half million employees and their assessment of 50,000 leaders in terms of 16 core leadership competencies.  The outcome of the study showed that the ability to inspire “is what most powerfully separates the most effective leaders from the average and least-effective leaders. And it is the factor most subordinates identify when asked what they would most like to have in their leader.”\n\nA pursuit worth the effort - but then you probably didn’t need a study to tell you that. We all know how it <em>feels </em>when we are around an inspirational leader.  Inspirational leaders spur the expenditure of discretionary energy. You feel uplifted.  The power of possibility surges through you. You might even physically get the tingles as you are reminded and reinvigorated about what could lie ahead and why you are doing what you are. You feel connected to the mission, to the leader, to others, and to your work.  You feel worthy, and worthwhile. You aim higher and try harder. You feel compelled to take action.\n\nYou can trigger this response.\n\nAnd it turns out there are plenty of opportunities to do so.\n\nIn a major survey, 55% of managers said the ability to inspire was the single most important leadership attribute, and yet only 11% said their current manager was inspiring. Anecdotally and honestly, how many of the leaders around you can you say are truly inspiring?\n\nThere is no question of the void to be filled. The question you may have, though, is \"can inspirational leadership be taught?\" In another major study, almost 900 executives were asked to pick one leadership attribute out of 16 to focus on to improve. Amongst the 310 who chose to work on improving their ability to inspire others, when doing so they moved from the 42<sup>nd</sup> percentile, (below average), to the 70<sup>th</sup> percentile – a statistically positive gain and evidence that you can indeed learn to become inspiring.\n\nYou absolutely can elevate your inspirational firepower - what follows will fire you up to do just that.  Here are 10 ways to inspire others to action:\n<h3>To inspire, be inspired</h3>\nTo inspire others to action you have to emit a passion for your own actions. Financial guru Suze Orman has <a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2011/07/06/the-7-secrets-of-inspiring-leaders/#39a2c9a31958\" target=\"_blank\">openly admitted</a> that the single secret to her success is her willingness to show her passion for what she is doing. Warren Buffett says that at Berkshire Hathaway, 75% of the managers they hire are independently wealthy and don’t need to work – by design. Hiring such a profile allows them to focus in on talent that simply loves and is passionate about what they’re doing “because that passion brings out an enthusiasm and a dedication in others.”\n<h3>Be custom-built contagious</h3>\nClosely related to point # 1 above, while it is certain that you must have passion to foster passion, it is just as essential that you demonstrate this passion and energy <em>in your own way. </em>If the energy is emitted in an inauthentic manner, it defeats the purpose. Yes, you can light up the room with loud and heartfelt oratory – that’s certainly one way to go if it feels natural. But introverts take heart.  Some of most inspirational leaders I’ve ever seen command the room with an approach I call “elegantly electrify.\" They might not even speak very often, but when they do, it is with a quiet authority and an underlying and intense focus and passion. There are many ways to transmit your energy. However you do it, you <strong>must</strong> do it, though. It is a fundamental requirement of inspirational leaders to be able to turbocharge via osmosis.\n<h3>Remember it’s about them, not you, a greater cause, not your cause</h3>\nThere is an underpinning of modesty and a sense of servitude inherent in inspirational leaders. They are connectors, not climbers, more interested in relationships than their own reward. They ultimately see their role as serving something greater than themselves and couldn’t hide it if they tried. Keep this mantra front and center for the times you might stray off center.\n<h3>Motivate them to prove you’re right (about them)</h3>\nSorry for the tongue twister – here’s what I mean by this: the first part of this involves a commitment to actively instill confidence in others. When we do, often the first thing they want to do is demonstrate we were right to place such confidence in them. They will show their appreciation by wanting to further earn yours. The second half of this idea though is to not just express confidence in someone and detach, letting the energy from the positive transaction wane and leaving the compliment feeling empty. Instead, remain an interested stakeholder in their ultimate success. For example, instead of just stating your confidence in someone, you can say, “I believe in you and I believe you are going to crush this project. I’m here to help you see it through to the successful conclusion of which I know you are capable.” You get the idea. Instill confidence and install a conduit of continued support. They’ll take great pride in proving your belief in them is well warranted.\n<h3>Inspire people to become better versions of <em>themselves</em> (not better versions of you)</h3>\nInherent in this sentiment is a commitment to understand the unique DNA of those you are interacting with and a desire to help them build from that singular blueprint. It is both an investment in and an understanding of the individual. It requires unearthing the best qualities of each person. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell likens it to the plight of the gold prospector who is “always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there’s a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, <a href=\"https://www.idisciple.org/post/5-attributes-of-inspirational-leaders\" target=\"_blank\">inspirational leaders</a> search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.”\n<h3>Communicate a clear, resonant vision with stretching goals</h3>\nPeople want to know where they are going, and why. They want to be connected to something bigger than themselves and pursue goals with intrinsic value that help them accomplish things important to them. Communicating such messages in a clear and compelling manner is a central function of the inspirational leader. And if your vision requires change by the way, make your case for change clear. People also want to be challenged and be given a chance to rise to the occasion. So set the bar high without being unrealistic.\n<h3>Act like a pace car</h3>\nIn auto racing, the “pace car” is a car that rides ahead of the field for a few laps at a high, even keel speed before the race starts. Then, having enabled a running start, they drop out of the way as the cars behind accelerate past with vigor. Likewise, the inspirational leader sets the pace for the organization, role modeling the behaviors they want to see, helping the “field” to a running start, and then getting out of the way after fully charging and empowering the organization.\n<h3>Provide reality and hope</h3>\nThe key here is to provide a balance of both. It’s hard to be inspired by someone who infuses high doses of optimism and possibility, but is clearly not grounded in reality. Likewise, while transparency is inspiring, when that transparency involves a rough state of the union address, the constituents need to hear a reason to believe and a plan for better, brighter days ahead as well.\n<h3>Know the tenets of How to Be, not just How to Do (to inspire)</h3>\nInspirational leadership is not just about how to do, it’s as much about how to be. Research shows there are 6 core attributes that employees find most inspiring in their leader – 6 How To Be’s if you will:\n<ul>\n 	<li>Be Humble (people are drawn to humility, especially when it includes showing vulnerability)</li>\n 	<li>Be Authentic (which makes you accessible)</li>\n 	<li>Be Accountable (including a zeal for facing challenges head on)</li>\n 	<li>Be Caring (including caring enough to really listen to what others have to say)</li>\n 	<li>Be Trustworthy (including doing what you say you are going to do – the well documented secret to Nelson Mandela being such an effective and inspirational leader)</li>\n 	<li>Be Driven (including an ability to get to the heart of the issue, cutting through the baloney, making things happen)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Get (and Expect) Results</h3>\nThe truth is, while losers can be lovable and, yes, at times inspiring, you are much more likely to be inspired by a lovable winner.  Winners get results. Getting results inspires an organization on many levels. And expecting results does the same.\n\nMake this <em>that moment</em> – the one in which you recommit to inspirational leadership.  The net result will inspire everyone involved – including you.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<em>3 ways you can take action on this article:</em>\n\n1)    Comment on it and get the conversation going\n\n2)    Share this article to help others and build your own credibility\n\n3)    Get my free newsletter <a href=\"http://scottmautz.com/newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> for more leadership building insight', '10 Insights on Inspirational Leadership', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '10-insights-on-inspirational-leadership', '', '', '2016-09-02 06:00:51', '2016-09-02 10:00:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29774', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29776, 389, '2016-10-27 06:00:24', '2016-10-27 10:00:24', 'One of our greatest responsibilities as leaders is to help others become better versions of themselves. We do this through a tireless commitment to teaching, coaching, and investing in those around us. Great leaders are always on the lookout for opportunities to ply this trade. What follows is a little “advance scout” help, a set of eyes on the front lines of daily work life if you will. What exactly are we on the lookout for?\n\nTelltale teachable moments. When you spot one, don’t pass up the opportunity to invest. Here are some of the most commonly seen, rich moments where your investment can equal their betterment:\n<h3>When reality doesn’t match expectations</h3>\nI really believe in a simple formula:  Happiness = Reality – Expectations. Unhappiness in the manager/employee relationship can come when, as a leader, your expectations aren’t being met in reality, or when their expectations were never aligned to yours in the first place (either too low or too high). Any of these scenarios present an opportunity to dig in and understand what is causing the gap.  Do so and you’ll be sure to excavate useful learning and enable some realignment.\n<h3>When they’re seeing things from just their side during conflicts/tension</h3>\nI’ve found it to be true that when it comes to interpretations of a conflict between two sides, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. A classic tell-tale teachable moment resides when one of the parties can only see things from “the far left” – i.e. their point of view. Future (and current) leaders need to be astute enough to step back and openly and objectively consider the opposing point of view. It quite often strengthens the outcome, resolves conflict faster, and expands the debating parties’ worldview. This poor vision and lack of flexibility can also show up as not scoping up to see the bigger picture, or being myopic or one dimensional in general on an issue, whether or not a conflicting, challenging party is involved. All of this represents a deep reflecting pool to dive into for improvement.\n<h3>When the “A” game is not present in an “A” situation</h3>\n“A” situations can include big meetings, pivotal points in a project’s life, or a crisis, just to name a few. The lack of an “A” game might show up as a highly flawed recommendation, a lack of anticipating questions or pushbacks, poor delivery of key messages, a lack of urgency or proactivity, or any other number of ways in which less than optimal performance showed up in high stakes situations.  Don’t miss the chance to instruct here on a very visceral, teachable moment.\n<h3>When someone falls short on a risk taken</h3>\nProceed carefully here, teachers in waiting. The point is not to discourage risk taking, but to encourage more of it. Help the risk taker learn where they went wrong, what they could have done better to avoid the outcome, or what will make the next venture more successful – and do so in an uplifting, encouraging manner. A <a href=\"http://blessingwhite.com/research-report/2013/01/01/employee-engagement-research-report-update-jan-2013/\" target=\"_blank\">study conducted by Blessing White</a> found that 41% of employees said their manager never encouraged them to take risks, while another 33% said their manager only sometimes encouraged them to take risks.\n<h3>When someone is not aware of the perception/impression they’re leaving</h3>\nEvery once in a while we all need a mirror held up in front of ourselves. Note this is a teachable moment, not a preachable moment.  The idea is not to lecture them on being more like you, or to have perfect behavior in all situations. This is merely a powerful opportunity to give someone the gift of insight through introspection. Help them understand how they are showing up, and then help them connect the dots to how they really want to show up. Too many would rather complain about the net impact of someone’s behavior rather than help them to see the impact that very behavior is having on its recipients.\n<h3>When you spot opportunities peeking out from the shadow of strengths</h3>\nWhen I’m coaching others on how to help their employees improve, I talk of the importance of pinpointing what needs to be worked on/improved. It can sometimes be very tricky to articulate exactly what it is someone needs to improve on – you know it’s there, it can be hard to put your finger on it. The first place to look for someone’s opportunities is in the shadows of their strengths. For example, those skilled at big picture envisioning can often be less adept at rolling up their sleeves and making things happen. Those who are known to be great collaborators can sometimes struggle with decisiveness. And so on. The point is to keep an eye out for instances when these opportunities creep out from within the shadows of one’s strengths. Knowing this framework can help you spot these teachable moments.\n<h3>When you have the chance to share the view from the window seat</h3>\nTeachable moments don’t only present themselves through the behaviors and outcomes of the coachee – such moments can also arise when you have an applicable experience to share. Are you coming back fresh from a leadership summit where interesting, important, and relevant things went on? Take the time to download the experience with your team. Just spent time with the CEO and got the chance to see how he/she thinks, feels, and acts? Share your observations with your direct reports. Sharing the view from the window seat helps people to see “what it’s like” and presents a great learning opportunity.\n<h3>When you can highlight gaps in preparation or thinking</h3>\nAs good, responsible, managers, when we spot gaps we often instinctively just fill them in. But doing so too quickly can mean a teachable moment is bypassed, especially when it comes to gaps in preparation or thinking. Such times present a great opportunity to enroll the individuals perpetrating the shortfall and help them to see what still needs to be done or thought through, and why. This gap filling exercise provides a contrast and context for the coachee that will be remembered and improves the completeness of their efforts moving forward.\n<h3>When you can spell out the difference between good and great</h3>\nThis is closely related to aligning on expectations, but deserves its own point. Quite often, people don’t deliver great simply because they don’t know what it looks like. I’ve found it to be an incredibly powerful teaching moment when you sit down with the coachee and literally spell out the difference between good and great. Create a simple grid with three columns. The first column contains the performance vectors that count most (such as thinking and problem solving, vision, initiative and follow through – whatever performance variables are most important for your business). In the second column, you spell out, in writing, what <em>good</em> performance might look like for each performance variable. In the third column, you spell out, in writing, what <em>great</em> performance looks like for each variable. Investing the time to do this and talk it through with your coachees will lead to many powerful moments of learning and improved performance. After all, very few people aren’t interested in being great, especially when they clearly understand what that looks like.\n<h3>When tempers are lost or excuses are made</h3>\nFinally, teachable moments lie in the times when we don’t “own the moment” in which we react poorly – particularly when we lose our temper or make excuses. While there may be plenty of instances where losing one’s temper is justified, it is rarely productive and presents an opportunity for reflection. What was at the root cause of the outburst? How much of it can the coachee own to prevent such tension in the future? Likewise with excuse-making. The coachee can benefit from seeing how unbecoming it is, and in being honest with themselves about how much of the outcome they own – thus learning, improving, and preventing the need for excuses in the future.\n\n<u>3 ways you can take action on this article:</u>\n\n1)    Comment on it and get the conversation going\n\n2)    Share this article to help others and build your own credibility\n\n3)    Get my free newsletter <a href=\"http://scottmautz.com/newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> for more leadership building insight\n\n&nbsp;', '10 Telltale Teachable Moments', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '10-telltale-teachable-moments', '', '', '2016-10-27 06:00:24', '2016-10-27 10:00:24', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29776', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(29778, 389, '2016-12-21 06:00:58', '2016-12-21 11:00:58', 'I’m blessed enough to get the opportunity to speak at universities all over the country and the question I’m most often asked by students is, “What do you know now that you wish you knew, back then, when you started your career?”\n\nI thought I’d share a response to this question in an attempt to serve any of the younger, or younger at heart, <em>Lead Change</em> readers.\n\nFirst of all, I try not to think about the fact that “back then” was over 25 years ago, back when an app was still a delicious pre-dinner treat and über was just a word you used in your English essays to get a chance to use the cool umlaut symbol above the “u.\" When I get past this mental sidebar, I settle in.\n\nHere are eight of the things I say; tomorrow I will share seven more:\n<h3><em>You</em> Own Your Career</h3>\nYoung professionals often like to believe that if they keep their heads down and crank, the Great Career Planner in the sky will simply move them from job to job in a stepwise fashion until career dreams are fully realized. Don’t fall into this trap. Yes, people will help you along the way, but you really are in the driver’s seat. Early in my career I was doing too much assuming and not enough asserting.  It’s important to be clear on what you want, and understand that you have to be proactive in making it so. For more on being clear on what you want, see the next point.\n<h3>Meaning Starts with “Me”</h3>\nYou are the only one who can ascribe meaning (or not) to what you spend your time on. It is sooo critical that early on you commit to pursuing the life and career that you want, not the life and career someone else expects of you. The word “meaning” starts with “me” for a reason. This is the key to having a truly meaningful, fulfilling career – and life.  Bronnie Ware is a palliative nurse (a nurse that tends to the dying) who has written a great book and blog titled <em>The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying</em>. Learn more <a href=\"http://bronnieware.com/regrets-of-the-dying/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>. Number one on the list of regrets? “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”\n<h3>Zap, Don’t Sap</h3>\nYou will soon learn there are two kinds of people you’ll work with. There are those who zap energy into a workplace with their enthusiasm, passion, and optimistic outlook, and those who sap energy with their pessimism, gossip, and negative attitude. Despite my best intentions, I’ve found myself occasionally spiraling down with the debbie-downers over my career. This, from someone who prides himself on his attitude! It speaks to the incredible corrosive power that negative ions can have in the workplace. Don’t get sucked into the vortex of energy-sucking vampires. And closely related to the idea of zapping is to live the 10/90 principle – believe that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Many times I’ve seen great attitudes be the tiebreaker as to who got what coveted job.\n<h3>Character Reveals Itself in Times of Crisis</h3>\nUse times of crisis to show <strong>your</strong> character. You really get to know someone when you watch them in times of adversity and crisis. It’s easy to be awesome when things are going great. But when the chips are down, how will you show up? What an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. And I can assure you, people will remember how you acted in times of adversity, one way or another. One of the greatest regrets I have in my career came from an impression I left during a time of crisis where I was lashing out and blaming well-meaning coworkers. They didn’t forget my reaction, and I never will either.\n<h3>Lift as You Climb</h3>\nRising up the chain is nice. Lifting others up as you do so is what it means to be a caring human being with a servant leader mindset.  The position you gain should be used not just to further your own, but to help others improve theirs. Starting a new chain of “Pay It Forward” never, ever, gets old. I stopped getting my jollies from my own promotions years ago.\n<h3>Go from Being…to Becoming</h3>\nI often wonder why we call ourselves human beings. We should call ourselves humans doing. Go, go, go, do ,do, do - we attack our harried lives with cell phone in one hand, latte in the other, rushing on our way to work each day. We barely have enough time to be, let alone become. And going from merely being, to becoming – becoming a better version of yourself - is how fulfillment enters your work life. Commit early in your career to the practice of constantly becoming. Place learning and growth on a pedestal. I think back now to the times in my career when I was least happy and I can tell you with great clarity, it was when I wasn’t learning and growing.  It was when I found myself wondering, “Am I wasting my time here?” Don’t waste any of yours – stay in constant pursuit of learning and growth.\n<h3>Go from Success…to Significance</h3>\nThere is absolutely nothing wrong with being focused on success early in your career. Or even later in your career, for that matter. It’s about evolution though. The sooner you commit to being not just successful, but <em>significant</em>, in the lives of others, the deeper the ultimate fulfillment experienced at work. I made this discovery about halfway through my career. I was struggling with why I was working so hard - for what reason? I was spending too much time away from loved ones, committing to a pursuit of success that was starting to feel empty. A series of events in my life got me focused on making a difference in the lives of others in addition to pursuing success per se, and I’ve never looked back.\n<h3>Be an Original Thinker</h3>\nIn the book <a href=\"https://www.amazon.com/Orbiting-Giant-Hairball-Corporate-Surviving/dp/0670879835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1482266590&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=orbiting+the+giant+hairball\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Orbiting the Giant Hairball</em></a>, an art teacher talks of a simple question he asks students every time before the class activities start. “Who here thinks they are a genius?” he shouts. In response, every kindergartner whips their hand straight into the air with reckless abandon. When he asks this same question to the 12<sup>th</sup> graders he teaches, how many do you think raise their hand? Not one.  And so it can go in our career. We land in a company somewhere that expects us to think and act in a certain way, and we face retribution when we don’t. The human nature of human preservation kicks in. Over time, as we elevate to higher “grade levels,\" we begin to parrot what our bosses say and think. Somewhere along the line, we realize our original thinking has been stuffed back down into our souls, and we begin to doubt ourselves. Don’t let this happen – protect the unique gifts and original thinking you have to contribute to the world. I still fight each day to do just that.\n\nAll the best as you accelerate your own careers. May each of these lessons looking back help you in moving forward. I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.\n\n<u>3 ways you can take action on this article:</u>\n<ul>\n 	<li>Comment on it and get the conversation going</li>\n 	<li>Share this article to help others and build your own credibility</li>\n 	<li>Get my free newsletter <a href=\"http://scottmautz.com/newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a> for more leadership building insight</li>\n</ul>\nEditor\'s note: To access Part Two easily, please click <a href=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/what-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-started-my-career-part-two/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.', 'What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Career (Part One)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'what-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-started-my-career-part-one', '', '', '2016-12-21 06:00:58', '2016-12-21 11:00:58', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29778', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29792, 409, '2016-08-22 06:00:56', '2016-08-22 10:00:56', 'Several years ago, I was given the opportunity to lead a sales team. I’d been at the company for five years but had never tried my hand at management, so I thought, ‘why not?’. And, really, what was the worst that could happen?\n\nWhat followed knocked me sideways.\n\nManaging teams is incredibly difficult, stressful and challenging. Leading a team is something else entirely but comes hand-in-hand with management if you want to be a great boss.\n\nI struggled. I had militant staff and a team who, collectively, just wasn’t pulling its weight.\n\nIf you’re leading a team, you may be struggling too, which is possibly how you ended up here.\n\nThe good news is, leading a team doesn’t have to be stressful. Here’s how you can remove stress from your role as a manager.\n<h3><strong>1. Consider yourselves part of a family</strong></h3>\nThis may sound a bit wishy-washy, but it is one of the most important lessons I learned as a manager. In order for a team to be effective and happy, <a href=\"http://www.bruichladdich.com/article/its-family-affair\" target=\"_blank\">it must be run as a family</a>. Everyone must do their bit.\n\nThat means you can challenge your staff, but they can challenge you too. Just like you might with a spouse or child over the dinner table. Work with that mindset, and you’ll all benefit from shared learning and problem resolution.\n<h3><strong>2. Praise every improvement, no matter how minor</strong></h3>\nEmployees will feel undervalued if their hard work isn’t recognised. Quite often, that hard work may only result in a small improvement to the business, but as a manager, you’re in a unique position to spot such results. When you do, praise the owner of the job - always. A quiet word of encouragement and \'thanks\' will often mean far more to people than any <a href=\"http://www.ecardshack.com/blog/four-important-psychological-elements-building-better-company-culture/\" target=\"_blank\">financial reward</a>.\n<h3><strong>3. If you’ve screwed up - admit it</strong></h3>\nWe all screw up. Even managers. In fact, I probably screwed up more as a manager than as a regular employee. Hiding mistakes was only making me feel more stressed, so I decided to open up and admit to my staff when I’d made a mistake.\n\nBeing humble is an important management lesson. Your staff will warm to you and realise you are, like them, human.\n<h3><strong>4. Give people the best tools</strong></h3>\nThis one may require a rather tricky conversation or two with those above you, but if your staff are battling through their day with old, broken computer equipment and uncomfortable chairs, you’ll be on the receiving end of their wrath.\n\nEnsure your staff are provided with the best tools to do their job. Their productivity and happiness will increase and, as a result, the business will generate more revenue. That’s how to sell it to the finance director!\n<h3><strong>5. Make that decision</strong></h3>\nNo one likes a manager who can’t make a decision. Be confident in your ability to do just that and prove to your team that you have a plan for them.\n\nYou’ll make poor decisions (see tip 3), but you’ll also make some brilliant decisions, and the mere fact you’re making a decision at all will enable you to retain your authority while gaining more respect from your team.\n\nThe above tips became sacred while I managed that sales team. They improved my job satisfaction, created a pleasant, creative working environment and ensured I had a happy, productive team to deal with, as opposed to a bunch of militant colleagues. I hope they work for you, too.', '5 Ways to Remove Stress from Management', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '5-ways-to-remove-stress-from-management', '', '', '2016-08-22 06:00:56', '2016-08-22 10:00:56', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29792', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29798, 251, '2016-04-12 06:00:10', '2016-04-12 10:00:10', 'I invite your help in figuring this one out! Has give-and-take gone out of style?\n\nFor centuries, the norm of social reciprocity—exchanging kindness, goods and services for mutual benefit and not the icky quid pro quo stuff based on shady dealings or subtle manipulation—has been part of the cultural fabric.\n\nIn their book, <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/People-Lake-Mankind-Its-Beginnings/dp/0380455757\">People of the Lake:  Mankind and its Beginnings</a></em>, Richard Leakey and Kurt Lewin remark that our ancestors participated in an “honored network of obligation” i.e., <em>I help you, you help me</em>. I’ve benefited countless times from this informal system of give-and-take, participating in little slices of humanity exchanged at home, work, and in life encounters with friends and near strangers.\n<h4>Forms of reciprocity</h4>\nReciprocity, typically in one of three forms, is an element in many aspects of our lives such as the leader/follower relationship, economics, justice in determining punishment that fits the crime, and in personal and professional relationships.\n<ul>\n 	<li><em>Generalized reciprocity</em> is an exchange in which a person gives a good or service to another, does not receive anything back at that time, but has the expectation of future repayment. Think of a mentor/mentee relationship or watching the neighbor’s house while they’re on vacation as they’ll do the same for you when you go away.</li>\n 	<li><em>Balanced reciprocity</em> as defined by Wikipedia “refers to direct exchange of customary equivalents without any delay.” Think bartering, exchanging notes from a business conference with a colleague, or a neighborhood boarding up each other’s windows in advance of a storm.</li>\n 	<li><em>Negative reciprocity</em> is the most impersonal form of exchange, in which each party\'s goal is to get as much as they can with little to nothing offered in return. Think someone trying to take advantage.</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>What\'s Being Observed</h4>\nReciprocity is a social lubricant, yet several micro and macro circumstances have me scratching my head about what is/may be happening to this norm.\n<ul>\n 	<li>At a recent community listening session, I facilitated a table discussion amongst eight individuals from a variety of walks of life. When the session was over, several people began exchanging business cards. A business woman politely said this to everyone who offered her a card, “Thanks. I don’t want your card but I do want you to have mine. Here you go.”</li>\n 	<li>Research shows that bosses who treat people with kindness, respect and dignity are “seen as less powerful than other managers.”</li>\n 	<li>Duty of care within the corporate realm seems to be more of an option than a customary and welcomed “honored network of obligation.” While companies provide wages in exchange for work, less care is taken with providing training and development, minimizing bias, not expecting 24 x 7 email availability, and consulting employees on issues that concern them.</li>\n 	<li>Six people volunteered to develop a workbook for a nonprofit workshop. Five of the six agreed to edit and proof each other’s content. The sixth wanted others to critique his materials but declined to review the materials of the others.</li>\n 	<li>Workplace performance systems and compensation programs reward “winner take all” and “conquering hero” actions more than collaborative, team-oriented endeavors in which employees freely share information and help with one another. Professor Walter Fluker writes in his book <em><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Leadership-Character-Civility-Community/dp/0800663497/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1460417148&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=ethical+leadership\">Ethical Leadership</a></em>, “In a world of winners and losers, there is little room for principles of equity, reciprocity, and impartiality.”</li>\n</ul>\n<h4>What\'s Being Pondered</h4>\nAs I noodle these happenings, I ponder:\n<ul>\n 	<li>Has the “honored network of obligation” become tainted with unethical behavior such that people no longer feel the need to exchange things for mutual benefit? Do they feel they can use technology and social media to do it on their own?</li>\n 	<li>As kindness is perceived as a weakness, might a concern for being seen as soft contribute to not wanting to both give and take?</li>\n 	<li>Has the expectation of returning a favor become a quaint, old-fashioned notion in world where opportunities to take abound?</li>\n 	<li>Does the possibility exist that I’m over-thinking this whole thing (*smile*)?</li>\n</ul>', 'Is give-and-take an old-fashioned notion?', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'is-give-and-take-an-old-fashioned-notion', '', '', '2016-04-12 06:00:10', '2016-04-12 10:00:10', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29798', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(29809, 386, '2016-04-11 06:00:20', '2016-04-11 10:00:20', 'Today marks the one year anniversary of the launch of my book <a href=\"http://windinyoursails.coachdjgreer.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Wind In Your Sails: Vital Strategies That Accelerate Your Entrepreneurial Success</a>. The first chapter of my book is dedicated to how entrepreneurs achieve their peak performance and how to show up at their best for the people they lead. Leaders really do set the tone.\n\nIn the year since publication of Wind In Your Sails, readers have told me that these principles apply to all leaders. Whether you lead a business, corporate team, community group, or how you are a leader as a spouse, parent, or friend. How you show up as a leader each and every day has a massive impact to all of the people around you.\n<h3>Daily Rhythm</h3>\nIt is your choice how you show up. My Mom told me the basics: get enough sleep, eat enough food, and exercise every day. You know what? My Mom was right. While the idea is simple, we all lose track of this and need to get ourselves back on track to look after ourselves first.\n\nI write and speak about <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/4-vital-actions/\" target=\"_blank\">4 Vital Actions</a> we need to focus on each and every day:\n\n<strong>Start:</strong> How do you start your day? Is the first thing you do is to get on your smart phone or computer? Most of us need to get grounded first, then eat a proper breakfast. For me, I then exercise. I don’t touch a computer or phone for the first two hours of my day.\n\n<strong>Plan:</strong> What is your plan for the day? Have you set aside time to look after yourself? Do you make sure that you accomplish one important task that will move you closer to your goals?\n\n<strong>Connection:</strong> Who do you need to connect with today? What are the critical conversations that must take place during the day? Even the uncomfortable ones.\n\n<strong>Finish:</strong> How do you finish your day? What slows you down and prepares you for an awesome night’s sleep?\n<h3>Commit to Change</h3>\nMy challenge to you is what do you need to change to set your leadership tone? In order to make changes in our daily habits, we need to start with one small thing and then commit to changing it every day.\n\nIn my presentation <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/speaking/\" target=\"_blank\">Slow Down to Speed Up</a>, I ask audiences to make one change in their day in one of the 4 Vital Actions: Start, Plan, Connection, or Finish. Pick something that is concrete rather than something that is vague. Here is an example conversation that I had at a recent presentation to make a change action specific:\n\n<strong>Me:</strong> “Who would like to share their commitment?”<img class=\"alignright wp-image-29812 size-medium\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20160408.feet_.walking.english.bay01-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"20160408.feet.walking.english.bay01\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" />\n<strong>Leader:</strong> “I will. I do too much for everyone else. I need to look after myself. I will walk more.”\n<strong>Me:</strong> “What does walking more mean to you?”\n<strong>Leader:</strong> “I will go for a walk once a day.”\n<strong>Me:</strong> “When will you go for a walk?”\n<strong>Leader:</strong> “I will go for a walk every day at 8:00.”\n<strong>Me:</strong> “Did you mean 8:00 am or 8:00 pm? How long will you walk?”\n<strong>Leader:</strong> “I will walk every day for the next week at 8:00 am for 30 minutes.”\n<h3>Who Can Help</h3>\nAs human beings we are funny creatures. Most often we feel we have to do it all ourselves. If you really want to commit to making one daily habit change for the next week, tell someone else and ask them for their help. The leader at my talk was going to ask his wife to remind him at 7:30 am every day that he is committed to going for a walk at 8:00 am. Who can you ask to help you make a change you want to achieve?\n<h3>Take Action Now</h3>\nHow you show up sets the tone for everyone around you. Focusing on your daily rhythms and making sustained changes in those rhythms will change how you show up. By choosing one simple thing to change at a time and committing to that change for at least a week, you will start showing up differently.\n\nWant to really commit to making a change? All you have to do is click <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/commit/\" target=\"_blank\">this link</a> and fill out the simple form. Tell me about the change you are committed to and I’ll give you some help.\n\n<strong>What are you waiting for?</strong>', 'Leaders Set the Tone', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'leaders-set-the-tone', '', '', '2016-04-11 06:00:20', '2016-04-11 10:00:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29809', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29829, 265, '2016-05-24 06:00:29', '2016-05-24 10:00:29', '<p class=\"p1\"><em><strong><span class=\"s1\">You will never be a leader.</span></strong></em></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You won\'t get that promotion. The bonus and salary increase you expect will be given to someone else. Your product won\'t change the world. Your idea won\'t go viral. Your organization will fade into history. The legacy you leave will be forgotten. And a generation from now no one will even know your name. </span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Be honest.</span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You\'ve had these thoughts before. The voices in your head are relentless. It\'s not competition that trips you up. It\'s not the unexpected or unavoidable that bring you down. It\'s the constant self-talk of unsatisfied desire, unrealized dreams, and unreasonable expectations.</span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">At some point, every leader faces it. We struggle to increase our influence. We hope to enlarge our territory. You see it so clearly. Why can\'t others?</span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><i>What if I told you the path to greater influence isn\'t about growing influence at all?</i></span></strong></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\'s about growing <i>capacity</i>.</span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Every fear fades when we are confident we have the capacity to face it. I play a game with my children. It\'s like hide-and-seek only we play in the dark and I have a flashlight. I hide. They seek. They squeal with delight when I jump out and scare them. But it\'s not the same for my older kids. They\'ve learned my best hiding places. They know that when I jump out nothing dire will happen. They\'re big enough now to get away when I chase them or keep me from tickling them if I catch them. Their capacity has increased. And for them, that\'s a game changer.</span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Increasing your capacity is a game changer for you. To increase your capacity you must:</span></p>\n\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>CARE PASSIONATELY</b></span></h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Passion is contagious. It drives an individual or organization to go further than they imagined possible. Passion is the fuel that inspires action. Influence will grow around those things about which you passionately care.</span></p>\n\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>OBSERVE DEEPLY</b></span></h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\'s not the devil that\'s in the details. It\'s the leader who cares passionately enough to see the significance of those details. There are two businesses in my community. Both make great food. One has an eye for detail. The other is less concerned about things like cleanliness or customer satisfaction. One company is an international success. The other struggles to break out of a local market. For them, opening another store won\'t increase their influence. But increasing their capacity to observe deeply certainly will. </span></p>\n\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>THINK CLEARLY</b></span></h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Increasing your capacity to think clearly is more difficult than you might imagine. Distractions fight for your attention. We stumble when we give primary effort to secondary concerns. As your capacity to care passionately grows and you begin to observe deeply the details of your dream, you begin to think clearly about the path ahead. Priorities come into focus. Obstacles shrink in size. Not because they\'re insubstantial, but because they are the next milestone in your story of success. Thinking clearly is about the will to focus and the patience to act at the opportune time. </span></p>\n\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY</b></span></h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The more clearly you think, the more effectively you will communicate. Passion without description is a fire that burns. Passion with a focus on details and the clear thought of intentional action is a fire that refines. If you can\'t articulate your passion then what you have isn\'t passion. It\'s raw emotion. You know what you feel. Not what you think. To bring people with you, they have to feel your passion and know your thoughts. Increase your capacity to use words to describe a preferred future and discover an ever-growing number of people who will join your journey. </span></p>\n\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>ACT SPECIFICALLY</b></span></h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\'s not a to-do list. It\'s an intentional plan to expose yourself to that which ignites your passion. To remove those things that distract from thinking clearly. To educate yourself in ways that challenge your thinking, help you see in greater detail and articulate your message more clearly. </span></p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Your capacity determines your reach. Grow capacity. Grow influence.</span></p>', 'Stop Trying to Grow Influence. Grow this Instead.', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'stop-trying-to-grow-influence-grow-this-instead', '', '', '2016-05-24 06:00:29', '2016-05-24 10:00:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29829', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29832, 276, '2016-04-14 06:00:51', '2016-04-14 10:00:51', 'Advances in technology have led to changes in the way we do things. In earlier days, processes were done manually. Operation manuals were created to guide new joiners and current employees on how to get things done. When automation arrived, various tasks were automated and the folks who used to do those jobs had to learn new things to stay employed. Some folks moved on to learn how to do automation and were able to those jobs.\n\nWith change, leaders face challenges on how to lead their people. As such, they need to be re-programmed, adapt to situations, and come up with new approaches to lead their organization. They are challenged to work outside their comfort zone. Sometimes they need to unlearn what they learned in the past to adapt and figure out their journey to where they need to be.\n\nTheir ability to adapt ultimately determines how successful their organization will be. In certain situations, it also decides the destiny of their organization.\n\nReprogramming is not an easy thing. It requires the leader to identify which skills are obsolete and out of date and commit to unlearning them. Once the leader identifies it, he/she needs to identify new things to learn. This phase is not easy because it creates a lot of anxiety and concerns about their futures. There are leaders who are not capable of leading in transition. Therefore, all rises or falls on leadership. The quicker the leader adjusts to change the better they will lead their organization to where they need to be.\nI personally had to go through this situation and re-program myself.\n\nHere is what I did to adapt:\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Understand the rationale of change – seek to understand and learn what it is all about</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Decide to buy-in or move on – once you know the rationale for change, you need to decide if you’re for the change or you have to move on</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Reprogram – unlearn old things to open new opportunities to learn new things. As difficult as it is, it is an essential process in order to head in the right direction</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Be aware at all times – be aware of your actions and make sure you’re doing the right thing to support to change. Observe how you communicate and act around other people</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Provide training – this is essential to help your people. The more support you can provide, the better the team can adapt to change</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">• Be consistent and celebrate successes – as your team makes progress, identify opportunities and celebrate quick wins.</span></p>\nAs a leader, you have to ask question: Does it make sense? Is it worth it? Are you all for it?\n\nOnce you’ve answered those questions, there is no time to waste. It is time to move forward and set the groundwork to make it happen.', 'Reprogramming of Leaders', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'reprogramming-of-leaders', '', '', '2016-04-14 06:00:51', '2016-04-14 10:00:51', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29832', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(29852, 307, '2016-04-19 06:00:19', '2016-04-19 10:00:19', '<em><strong>What Had I Done?</strong></em>\n\n“David, I can’t believe what you did!”\n\nUh oh. At first I thought I’d screwed up…but Kathy was beaming. A great smile lit up her face.\n\n“I loved what you said. People always give me a hard time about my highlighting and notes. They tell me I’m \'anal\'…but you <em>appreciated</em> it. You said it was a good thing – that I was intentional.”\n\nKathy is an engineer. She had just lost her job due to economic conditions in the industry where she works.\n\nShe’s also the very first person to have purchased a copy of our new book: <a href=\"http://amzn.to/1Soc4Jj\"><em>Winning Well – A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul.</em></a>\n\nAt our book birthday party, she greeted my co-author Karin Hurt, and me with her book all ready to be signed. And that’s when I saw it –\n\nThe rainbow. The inside page was marked with different colors, each coded to a particular concept or type of content. Kathy is an intentional reader – she takes careful notes and internalizes what she reads. When she showed us the highlighted key, she was almost embarrassed.\n\nBut I was thrilled.\n\nOur first reader – and wow was she ever reading!\n\nIn fact, I was the one that was encouraged. After two years spent writing and working intensively with Karin to help leaders and managers in a way no one had done yet, here was someone using it – what could be better?\n\nI took a picture of her colorful reading key and shared it on Facebook with the following comment:\n\n“This is one of my favorite photographs of ‪<em>Winning Well</em>. Kathy shared her intentional reading system and some of her favorite quotes with Karin and me. I love it because we wrote the book to be read and used - not sit on a shelf as a trophy or souvenir. Life only changes when you take action!”\n\nWhen I saw her the following week, she told me how much she appreciated the way I’d taken something that other people mocked and acknowledged the strength in it. She’d been feeling down after the layoff and that brief encouragement had helped.\n<h3>The Fastest Way to Energize Your Team</h3>\nDale Carnegie once said that the sweetest sound in the world is the sound of your own name. I’ll take the liberty of saying that the second best is the affirmation of your own strengths.\n\nThink back to the last time someone saw the best part of you, called out your value, and told you how and why you are important. It felt awesome, right? You might have felt ten feet tall, energized, ready to take on the world!\n\nYou can make your people feel the same way. It just takes two steps:\n<ol>\n 	<li>See Them.  Look for their strengths. How do they contribute those strengths to the team? Why do they make a difference with their strengths?</li>\n 	<li>Tell Them. Don’t make the mistake of assuming people know that you appreciate them. If all they hear from you are performance goals and improvement plans, they may start to think you’re trying to get rid of them. Okay, let’s add a third step just to be sure:</li>\n 	<li>Do It Again.</li>\n</ol>\nNot every day…maybe not even every week. But seeing people and appreciating them never gets old and can be a regular part of your leadership tool kit.\n<h3>Your Turn</h3>\nThink about your team and your colleagues. <strong>What is one strength each of them brings to work?</strong> (Hint: it might not be in their immediate job description.) <strong>Why does this strength matter – how does it contribute to the team? To your results? To your relationships?</strong>\n\n<strong>When was the last time you told them? If it’s been more than a few weeks, do it today!</strong>\n\nBonus: If you see the strength, but aren’t sure how it contributes, ask: “How might I help them work from their strength and contribute value?”\n\nBe the leader you want your boss to be and start <em>Winning Well</em> today!', '3 Steps to Bring Out the Best In Your People', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '3-steps-to-bring-out-the-best-in-your-people', '', '', '2016-04-19 06:00:19', '2016-04-19 10:00:19', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29852', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29856, 420, '2016-07-19 06:00:44', '2016-07-19 10:00:44', 'Whatever it is that you are trying to achieve in life, it can be extremely frustrating when you encounter roadblocks to accomplishing your goals and obtaining success. Sometimes, these roadblocks are due to circumstances beyond your control. However, in many cases, the direct or indirect cause of failure comes from within. <a href=\"http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2011/07/toxic-feel-good-thinking-patterns-why-theyre-addictive/\">Negative, fearful thoughts and thoughts that reflect a lack of confidence</a> can definitely prevent your success. The good news is that if you can recognize them, you become empowered.\n<h3>Here are 7 poisonous thoughts that interfere with your success, and some ways that you can reshape them.</h3>\n<strong>1. My Idea Might Get Rejected or Ridiculed</strong>\n\nYou have a great idea. Maybe it’s a concept that you can use to launch the startup you’ve always dreamed of. Maybe it’s the money saving idea that will get you noticed by your department head. Then, you start to have doubts. Your idea goes against the grain. You are new to the department and haven’t established any relationships yet. You’ve never submitted a proposal before, and from what you’ve seen, your boss has little patience. Whatever the reasons are, you are hesitant to share your idea, even though it could greatly benefit you and other people.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: Imagine being the person who listens to your proposal. Do you really think that rejection and ridicule is going to be the reaction? Of course not! There is no guarantee that your idea will be accepted or used. On the other hand, the likelihood that you will face negative consequences is pretty much nil. Stop overthinking things!\n\n<strong>2. I Don’t Have The Experience For That</strong>\n\nMost people are taught from childhood on to respect experience. After all, how many advertisements do you read that tout the number of years a company has been in business? How many times were you told as a child that you should listen to people with more experience?\n\nBased on all of this, it is easy to think that you should wait your turn until you have an acceptable amount of experience, or that you are not qualified to take on a position that <a href=\"http://bestessay.education/blog/does-everyone-have-what-it-takes-to-be-a-leader\">requires leadership skills</a>. As a result, you wait.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: Experience is a good thing, but it isn’t the all end all. There are many people who have accomplished great things in spite of having limited experience. There are also people who have worked for years who have contributed very little, and who have stagnated. What does this all mean? Don’t define yourself by your experiences. Define yourself on your abilities and individuality.\n\n<strong>3. It’s Too Risky</strong>\n\nYou have a plan for success, but you also have a problem. Chances are, pursuing that plan means taking risk. You may be risking your career, your finances, or even your own self-esteem. The result is that you do nothing. There is simply too much at stake. If you tell people that you are considering taking a risk, you probably receive more blowback than support.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: Read the autobiography of nearly any successful person. They took risks. Then, those risks paid off. Risk is not a negative thing. It is a motivator that you can use to help you to achieve great things. Your willingness to take risk is also a great sign of your faith in something. Hopefully that something is yourself. If you can get past your fear of risk and grasp that faith, you will go far.\n\n<strong>4. I’m Not Good Enough</strong>\n\nHaving doubt in your abilities is one of the most <a href=\"http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240018\">common thoughts that can interfere</a> with your success. Doubts about your adequacy are quite common, and can actually be a sign of intelligence. Did you know that such types of thoughts reflect more intelligence than persistent thoughts of confidence? It’s true! Overconfidence is often a reflection of not considering all of the possibilities and not thinking things through.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: Remember this. You are good enough! Not only are you good enough, you are so great that you are concerned about your shortcomings and the impact of your thoughts and actions on others. Isn’t that something that every successful person should aspire to? If you have thoughts of self-doubts, try meditation, or using visualization to remember your capabilities and successes. It may even help to use journaling to get these feelings that can be so destructive on your path to success\n\n<strong>5. I Will Probably Fail</strong>\n\nSometimes, your thoughts aren’t simply thoughts of self-doubt. Instead, they reflect more fearful thoughts. This is when you begin to tell yourself that failure isn’t just possible, but that it is probable. In many cases, this doesn’t mean that you are going to fail. It simply means that you are afraid of failure, and the stigma that comes along with it. Who can blame you? Failure can come with some pretty serious consequences.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: If you are having thoughts about failure, do not beat yourself up over them. They are perfectly rational thoughts. After all, if you do anything to take a risk in order to obtain success, you risk failure. Not only that but <a href=\"http://www.budbilanich.com/50-famous-people-who-failed-at-their-first-attempt-at-career-success/\">the greatest people in the world often fail</a> before they find the perfect combination of hard work and fortune. Instead of ruminating on the concept of failure, try to focus on the concept of learning new things from your mistakes.\n\n<strong>6. People Won’t Support Me</strong>\n\nYou will not make everybody happy as you try to become a successful person. Some people will see you as being naive. Others will fear that you are taking too many risks. <a href=\"http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-detox-your-life-of-negative-people-and-feel-good-about-it/\">Some people will simply not understand</a>, or they will not want to lend their support to your efforts to become more successful because you aren’t taking the well-traveled path.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: People may be more supportive than you realize. Yes, you may have to deal with skepticism, but more often than not, a skeptic can be convinced when they see a bit of progress. Likewise, people who seem to be unsupportive in the first place, will often become your fiercest advocate once they are convinced. Don’t let lack of support make you give up. Work hard to earn that support from the people who matter!\n\n<strong>7. It’s Too Late to Pursue My Dreams</strong>\n\nThere is no timeline for dreams, and there is no timeline for success. Unfortunately, if you are trying to accomplish something there is no limit to people who have no qualms in telling you that you are foolish to pursue your dreams at such a late date. They may even tell you to act your age.\n\n<em>Reshaping Your Thoughts</em>: It is never too late to do anything. If you have a dream that you want to pursue, go for it. You certainly shouldn’t let anybody else’s opinions about that interfere with you. If you are the one who is confronting your own doubts, think about this. College degrees can take 5 years to achieve. It can take ten years to get a business going. That’s a lot of years, but if you don’t pursue your goals, that just means that you are going to be just as old without a college degree or your own business.\n\nIt is natural to have doubts, but do not let doubt ruin your future. Take a chance and eventually you will win. Maybe you have some more poisonous thoughts to share with us?\n\n&nbsp;', '7 Poisonous Thoughts That Interfere With Your Success', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', '7-poisonous-thoughts-that-interfere-with-your-success', '', '', '2016-07-19 06:00:44', '2016-07-19 10:00:44', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29856', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29872, 406, '2016-06-15 06:00:04', '2016-06-15 10:00:04', 'Jerome is desperate. He drags himself to his office job every day, the one he’s had for 4 years now. He clocks in at 9, and starts doing client calls until 12. He then takes a half-hour lunch break, followed by a team meeting, and then more client calls until 5. The same old job, the same routine, and an overwhelming feeling of emptiness deep inside. He doesn’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing, he just feels no sense of meaning to it all. Oh, it’s a good job, pays the bills, but he’s just so unhappy.\n\nJerome increasingly found himself drawing pictures in his coffee instead of doing his work, and his performance reviews suffered. He was worried about being laid off!\n\nThat’s when he came to me to get some advice on finding greater meaning and purpose in his job. He didn’t want to change the job itself, he just wanted to change his way of feeling and thinking about the job. Having read my book, <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YK6FFZU?ref_=sr_1_1&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1433617202&amp;sr=1-1&amp;pldnSite=1\">Find Your Purpose Using Science</a>, he thought I’d be the man for the job.\n\nI told him about some of the research-based strategies for finding meaning and purpose in one’s work that I described in an <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/to-finding-meaningful-work\">earlier blog post</a>. Namely, I described how to connect his personal goals and aspirations to his everyday tasks at work.\n\nI then told him about an additional strategy, using myself as an example.\n<h3><strong>Try building community spirit and social bonds through your work.</strong></h3>\nPlenty of studies indicate that <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/purpose-driven-life-and-secularism\">community and social bonds</a> contribute strongly to a sense of meaning and purpose in life. The <a href=\"http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235269894_Spirit_and_community_at_Southwest_Airlines_An_investigation_of_a_spiritual_values-based_model\">scientific literature</a> shows this applies to work as to any other sphere of life.\n\nIn my own role at <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/\">Intentional Insights (InIn)</a>, I strive to create opportunities to engage with fellow participants on projects together, and to collaborate in a positive and supportive manner. Collaborating around mutually exciting projects in a positive manner is one way of building social bonds in the workplace.\n\nMoreover, I make sure to regularly meet with InIn participants where we talk about topics not directly related to our mutual work, but to other things going on in our lives. Doing so helps enrich the professional relationship and turn it into a deeper and more meaningful one, where each person feels supported by the other. Likewise, I occasionally organize social events where all InIn participants can gather to socialize, especially to celebrate important organizational accomplishments.\n\nYou can do some of the same in your own work. Most types of work provide opportunities to work with others on mutual projects together, and you can do your part to be a great team player who supports and encourages others.\n\nLikewise, set up meetings with coworkers and talk about things related not only to work, but also to life as a whole. While an increasing number of people work from home, video-conference calls can provide an opportunity to collaborate on work projects and talk about non-work topics.\n\nFor additional resources on a science-based approach to finding meaning and purpose, check out these free resources from Intentional Insights:\n<ul>\n 	<li>The Find Your Purpose Using Science <a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/book-find-your-purpose-using-science\" target=\"_blank\">workbook</a>;</li>\n 	<li>A <a href=\"http://s.bl-1.com/h/rdg7cLD?url=https://meaningandpurpose.herokuapp.com/users/sign_up\" target=\"_blank\">science-based web app</a> to evaluate your current sense of meaning and purpose;</li>\n 	<li>An <a href=\"https://humanistlearning.com/workplacemeaningandpurpose/\" target=\"_blank\">online class</a> on cultivating meaning and purpose in the workplace, certified for credit for coaches, trainers, HR professionals, and consultants.</li>\n</ul>', 'Community Building for a Sense of Purpose in the Workplace', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'community-building-for-a-sense-of-purpose-in-the-workplace', '', '', '2016-06-15 06:00:04', '2016-06-15 10:00:04', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29872', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(29875, 408, '2016-04-21 06:00:49', '2016-04-21 10:00:49', 'From my vantage point, we live in bizarre times, a time no better exemplified than our society’s obsession with the Kardashian clan. Nearly ten years into its unbelievable reign, the Kardashians and their de facto queen, Kim, embody the “more and bigger is better” reality-show-meets-real-life theme of our times. In the age of Kardashians, reality shows, and skewed idol worship, however, most people’s lives are not ever going to live up to what they see on television or social media. These are artifices, set up to make people want and aspire to these lives, but few ever can or will.\n\nNor is this issue strictly limited to the (in)famous. Social media perpetuates and exacerbates the myth that everyone’s life is grand. As people post pictures of luxury vacations, new acquisitions, fine dining experiences, or even a never-ending stream of nighttime partying-on-the-town, the onlookers can’t help but to compare their own lives to what they’re seeing in these pictures. There’s been plenty written about the issue of “social comparison motive” and its possible negative impact on mood and self esteem, and though I’m not here to say it’s all bad, social comparison motive certainly raises challenges for today’s leaders.\n<h3>Adjusting Expectations Ain’t As Easy As It Used to Be</h3>\nWhen I talk about level-setting, I mean adjusting expectations. Doing a reality check. Being the voice of reason. This doesn’t seem to be happening as much as it used to, and it got me thinking about why that might be and the impact it might have on leadership.\n\nCertainly, anyone who enters a situation with false or unadjusted expectations to begin with makes that situation more challenging for its leader. Whether these expectations were established through external circumstances – like social comparison motive – or through a poor lack of communication from the outset, doesn’t really matter. What matters now is that leaders need to proceed with even more caution than ever to ensure that everyone’s expectations about a goal, project, or task are on the same level. Making assumptions is even more dangerous than before because, I believe, people’s expectations are falsely higher than before.\n\nIn part, we can’t blame people. Humans are prone to the overconfidence effect, where we all think our outcomes will be far more optimistic than probability odds actually predict. So if someone’s viewpoint has been raised by social comparison motive, for example, not only are they likely to want a better outcome, they may in fact expect it. We have heard a lot about managing the multi-generational workforce, but the challenge of managing against these undue expectations can cross all generations because people of all ages are susceptible to hype and social comparisons.\n\nSimilarly, the leader may suffer from <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overconfidence_effect\">overconfidence effect</a> when it comes to her team or a particular individual. But if the schism between the two parties’ expectations is made wider than either expects due to these societal influences, then the impact of overconfidence is even more pronounced. This points out that even leaders need to question their own expectations (or have a reliable go-to person who they can level-set against).\n<h3>Solutions?</h3>\nAre there any solutions to this current dilemma? Let’s revisit to some tried and true methods:\n<ol>\n 	<li><strong>Clearly state outcomes and expectations</strong> – Both parties must have the freedom to discuss their understanding of  expectations from the outset. Leaders must be clear and exacting in their communications and team members need to speak up if they don’t understand or anticipate a difference between what’s achievable and the leader\'s expectations.</li>\n 	<li><strong>Never assume anything</strong> – the larger the potential chasm for misunderstanding, the more important it is that leaders do not take for granted that others are on the same page with them unless there is a discussion and agreement to that end.</li>\n 	<li><strong>You have to handle the truth</strong> – I frequently quote the epic line Jack Nicholson barks in the movie, <em>A Few Good Men</em>: “You can’t handle the truth!” For anyone who wants to believe in the inflated fabrication of reality TV or even Mad Men-like glorified advertising campaigns, the truth bites. But the world that most of us occupy on a daily basis is not this distorted world. Real reality may be the least appealing and, perhaps, the hardest one to lead through. In this reality, the leader has to motivate people whose own reality may be something of a parallel universe. And that’s tough.</li>\n</ol>\nSo the next time you’re wondering why people aren’t doing what you’d expect them to be doing under normal circumstances, remember that we’re living in the Kardashian Age. In these times, we may have to un-teach the drinking of the Kool-Aid, and not the other way around.', 'Level-Setting Leadership in the Kardashian Age', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'level-setting-leadership-in-the-kardashian-age', '', '', '2016-04-21 06:00:49', '2016-04-21 10:00:49', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29875', 0, 'post', '', 4),
(29881, 274, '2016-05-02 06:00:29', '2016-05-02 10:00:29', 'Welcome to the May 2016 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival!\n\nThis edition touches on so many nuances of leadership! Starting with a discussion of leadership myths about leadership and ending with a discussion of the role of sleep, this collection has something for each visitor.\n\nLet\'s Get Started\n\n<strong>Anne Perschel</strong> of <a href=\"http://germaneconsulting.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Germane Consulting</a> submitted <a href=\"http://germaneconsulting.com/leadership-myth/\" target=\"_blank\">Is This Leadership Myth Leading You to Fail?</a>. Anne shares, \"You’ve discovered and avoided the pitfalls of a number of myths about leadership over the years. But this one is tricky, because it was working, or so it seemed.\" Locate Anne on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/bizshrink\" target=\"_blank\">@bizshrink</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Chris Edmonds</strong> of the <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Purposeful Culture Group</a> contributed <a href=\"http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/the-one-thing-great-bosses-pay-attention-to/\" target=\"_blank\">The One Thing Great Bosses Pay Attention To</a>. Chris summarizes: \"There are a lot of things that can grab a leader’s attention. Most are urgent but not important. Great bosses pay attention to one thing more than any other. Learn what it is - and why it’s so important - in this post.\" Follow Chris on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/scedmonds\" target=\"_blank\">@scedmonds</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Dana Theus</strong> of <a href=\"http://inpowercoaching.com/\" target=\"_blank\">INPOWER Coaching</a> submitted <a href=\"http://inpowercoaching.com/managing-team-psychological-safety-achieve-team-productivity/\" target=\"_blank\">Managing A Team With Psychological Safety To Achieve Team Productivity</a>. In this post, Dana writes \"Teams aren’t smart because smart people are on them; teams are smart because everyone—no matter how small—contributes and feels comfortable doing so.\" Find Dana on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DanaTheus\" target=\"_blank\">@danatheus</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>David J. Greer</strong> of <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Coach David J. Greer</a> contributed <a href=\"http://coachdjgreer.com/finish-well/\" target=\"_blank\">Finish Well</a>. David shares, \"Focusing on how you finish your day sets you up to be the best leader you can be for your next day.\" Encounter David on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/djgreer\" target=\"_blank\">@djgreer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>David Grossman </strong>of <a href=\"http://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/blog\" target=\"_blank\">The Grossman Group</a> shared <a href=\"http://t.sidekickopen01.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XX45vg0NjVd_V9d64kjZRW8qlQyH56dRD0f7_l4NP02?t=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourthoughtpartner.com%2Fblog%2F10-must-do-tips-for-persuasive-presentations&amp;si=4949109605662720&amp;pi=738f0d33-8b7d-4590-be33-37c6fb54916c\">10 Must-Do Tips for Persuasive Presentations</a>. This post offers ways senior leaders can most effectively hone their presentations. Discover David on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ThoughtPartner\" target=\"_blank\">@thoughtpartner</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<div class=\"divide\">\n\n<strong>Jill Malleck</strong> of <a href=\"http://epiphanyatwork.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Epiphany at Work</a> contributed <a href=\"http://epiphanyatwork.com/stop-scaring-staff/\" target=\"_blank\">Engage with Interest not Aggression</a>. Jill shares, \"Results-oriented leaders may be too aggressive in the way they engage with staff’s work. Here’s how self-awareness helps leaders to make personal style changes.\" Find Jill on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/epiphanyatwork\" target=\"_blank\">@epiphanyatwork</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Jennifer Molina </strong>of the <a href=\"http://www.i4cp.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Institute for Corporate Productivity, Inc. (i4cp)</a> provided <a href=\"http://www.i4cp.com/productivity-blog/2016/04/14/i4cp-study-finds-managers-who-cling-to-good-talent-are-bad-for-business\" target=\"_blank\">i4cp Study Finds Managers Who Cling to Good Talent Are Bad for Business</a>. This post explored how companies with agile, mobile workforces outperform competitors. Tweet i4cp at <a href=\"http://www.i4cp.com/productivity-blog/2016/04/14/i4cp-study-finds-managers-who-cling-to-good-talent-are-bad-for-business\">@i4cp</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Jim Taggart </strong>of <a href=\"https://changingwinds.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Changing Winds</a> contributed <a href=\"https://changingwinds.wordpress.com/2016/03/27/should-leaders-ever-be-morally-flexible/\" target=\"_blank\">Should Leaders Ever be Morally Flexible?</a>. Jim summarizes: Effective leadership involves staying true to steadfast principles and maintaining a consistent, ethical approach to how you conduct yourself daily, whether it’s through community service, managing in business or government, or interacting with peers as you solve problems and serve customers and clients. Find Jim on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/72keys\" target=\"_blank\">@72keys</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Joel Garfinkle</strong> of the <a href=\"http://careeradvancementblog.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Career Advancement Blog</a> submitted <a href=\"http://careeradvancementblog.com/speak-up-work\" target=\"_blank\">Get Ahead by Speaking Up at Work</a>. Joel recaps: \"If you want to advance, you have to be visible. When you speak out and share your opinions, people will see you as someone with power, inﬂuence, authority, and leadership. If you stay silent, you won’t be noticed, and your career will stall out.\" Discover Joel on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/JoelGarfinkle\" target=\"_blank\">@JoelGarfinkle</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Jon Mertz</strong> of <a href=\"https://www.thindifference.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Thin Difference</a> contributed <a href=\"https://www.thindifference.com/2016/04/trigger-innovative-leadership/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Trigger Innovative Leadership</a>. Jon shares, \"When creativity is unleashed, organizations stay ahead of the curve. To trigger innovative leadership, we need to be the example. These three ideas can help.\" Follow Jon on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ThinDifference\" target=\"_blank\">@thindifference</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Julie Winkle-Giulioni </strong>of <a href=\"http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Julie Winkle-Giulioni</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/blog/leadership-matters/the-work-of-collaboration/\" target=\"_blank\">From Team Building to Team Bonding</a>.  Julie summarizes, \"Most organizations invest heavily in activities designed to build teams and support the results they are capable of delivering. But team-building is just a stop on the road to your ultimate endgame. Consistently delivering superior results, quarter after quarter and client after client, demands going farther. It demands team-bonding.\"<strong> </strong>Find Julie on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Julie_WG\" target=\"_blank\">@julie_wg</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Lexie Martin</strong> of <a href=\"https://www.leadershipdirections.com.au/leadership-training/\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership Directions</a> provided <a href=\"https://www.leadershipdirections.com.au/knowledge-centre/team-cohesion-emotional-intelligence\" target=\"_blank\">Building Team Cohesion With Emotional Intelligence</a>. By developing self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management skills within their teams, leaders can drive productivity and innovation. Connect with Lexie on <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-directions-australia\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Lisa Kohn </strong>of <a href=\"http://www.chatsworthconsulting.com\" target=\"_blank\">Thoughtful Leaders</a> shared <a href=\"http://chatsworthconsulting.com/2016/04/11/dont-miss-the-sparkling/\" target=\"_blank\">Don\'t Miss the Sparkling</a>. In the post, Lisa shares that as leaders we can be caught up in unimportant tasks and not be fully awake to the moments around us.  But Thoughtful Leadership reminds us to be completely in the  moment, see the best of it, and to have it bring out the best in us. Find Lisa on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ThoughtfulLdrs\" target=\"_blank\">@ThoughtfulLdrs</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Marcella Bremer</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership and Change Magazine</a> shared <a href=\"http://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/the-collaboratory-working-together-in-finding-ideas-that-energize-to-take-action/\" target=\"_blank\">The Collaboratory: Working Together in Finding Ideas That Energize to Take Action</a>. Marcella describes the post: \"The \'Collaboratory\' is a co-creative engagement process for solving complex problems with your team or organization. Using three phases from Otto Scharmer’s Theory U (Downloading, Envisioning and Prototyping) the participants generate and try new ideas. How’s that for engaging and energizing your workplace?\" Locate Marcella on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/MarcellaBremer\" target=\"_blank\">@marcellabremer</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Michael Lee Stallard</strong> of <a href=\"http://connectionculture.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Connection Culture</a> shared <a href=\"http://connectionculture.com/leading-with-character-citizenship/\" target=\"_blank\">Leading With Character: Citizenship </a>. To summarize, \"Citizenship - or loyalty to a group - is on the decline in today\'s organization\'s. Here\'s why leaders need to be intentional about modeling citizenship.\" Follow Michael Lee on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/michaelstallard\" target=\"_blank\">@michaelstallard</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/ConnectToThrive\" target=\"_blank\">@connecttothrive</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Neal Burgis</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.successful-solutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Burgis Successful Solutions</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.successful-solutions.com/2016/04/26/leading-with-presence-to-communicate-new-ideas/\" target=\"_blank\">Leading With Presence to Communicate New Ideas</a>. Neal recaps, \"Face challenging presentations and conversations with more confidence when you communicate your ideas to others. Showcasing your presence of the way you stand and walk are something to think about. You need to demonstrate very well the way you speak. Using your leadership presence to communicate your ideas to prospective clients will help you move your business or organization forward.\" Find Neal on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Exec_Solutions\" target=\"_blank\">@exec_solutions</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Randy Conley</strong> of <a href=\"http://leadingwithtrust.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Leading With Trust</a> shared <a href=\"https://leadingwithtrust.com/2016/04/10/the-single-biggest-difference-between-leaders-and-managers/\" target=\"_blank\">The Single Biggest Difference Between Leaders and Managers</a>. Randy writes, \"Randy Conley says the difference between leadership and management is often overhyped. But he advocates there is one key distinction between the two in his post. How you approach this one factor will define whether you’re leading or managing.\" Find Randy on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/RandyConley\" target=\"_blank\">@randyconley</a>.\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>\n<strong>Wally Bock</strong> of <a href=\"http://www.threestarleadership.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Three Star Leadership</a> submitted <a href=\"http://www.threestarleadership.com/productivity/sleep-is-an-important-thing-but-its-not-the-only-thing\" target=\"_blank\">Sleep is an Important thing But It\'s Not the Only Thing</a>. Wally recaps, \"If you want to be as productive as you can be, you need enough sleep. But that’s not all you should do.\" Find Wally on Twitter at <a href=\"https://twitter.com/wallybock\" target=\"_blank\">@wallybock</a>.\n\n</div>\n<div></div>\n<div><em>Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for this month\'s carnival! If you would like to be on the distribution list for submission calls, please contact Paula Kiger (paula @ weavinginfluence (dot) com)!</em></div>\n<div class=\"divide\"></div>', 'May 2016 Leadership Development Carnival', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'may-2016-leadership-development-carnival', '', '', '2016-05-02 06:00:29', '2016-05-02 10:00:29', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29881', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(29886, 273, '2016-05-10 06:00:20', '2016-05-10 10:00:20', 'Let’s talk about discouragement, shall we?\n\nIf you and I sifted through the dustbin of history, I bet we’d find a whole bunch of great books, ideas, companies, hopes that wound up there because someone got discouraged.\n\nI’d have some stuff in that dustbin. Maybe you would, too.\n\nAnd, you know, I think I’ve had enough of that. I’m done with being outdone by discouragement.\n\nNot so far back on the calendar, I left a stable job as a Senior Foreign Policy Advisor in Congress to take a dream deferred out of storage and put it into the world.\n\nLast April, I launched <a href=\"https://thelightningnotes.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Lightning Notes</a>, a short daily post to help us move the world forward. It features great ideas and striking stories to remind us that we matter and that improving the world is our matter.\n\nI’ve never done anything like this before. I’m flying this little biplane while I build it. And there’s been plenty of discouraging turbulence along the way.\n\nWhich isn’t surprising. For surely where there’s risk of any kind, there’s likely to be discouragement of some kind. Things don’t go as planned, people don’t respond as hoped, parades get rained on, insults get added to injury.\n\nFaithful to its etymology, discouragement can knock the courage right out of us. And leave us down for the count.\n\nBut here’s the plain truth about we humans: We can be knocked down, but not out.\n\nAnd a big difference, perhaps the difference, between the things that exist in the world and the things that wind up in history’s dustbin is this: Someone somewhere let discouragement get the best of them and someone somewhere didn’t.\n\nSo, if we’re going to take risks - which are, I believe, a pantry staple for a life well-lived - let’s take them knowing that discouragement will be a part of the process, but not the end of the process. Unless we allow it to be.\n\nThe question, then, to ask ourselves is:\n\nWhen we’ve been knocked down by discouragement and courage’s been whacked clear out of us, what do we need to give ourselves to get back up?\n\nMe, I put myself on a strict Lift Up Diet: I spend my time with the people who lift me up. Fill my mind with the ideas that lift me up. Go to the places, listen to the music, read the writing that lifts me up.\n\nAll that, until I’ve got some courage back in my bones. From there, it’s not long until I’m on sturdy enough footing to sift cleareyed through the why’s of discouragement, see what I can learn from them, then get on with the business of living.\n\nTo risk, but really, to live is to know the ache and the pain of things not going as hoped. It comes with the territory of being human.\nSo, we will have discouragement, you and I. But let’s not let it have us.\n\nBecause we have to get back to work. And go make something exist in the world.\n\n<em>Caiti<img class=\"alignleft wp-image-30052 \" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Caitie-e1462840467132-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Caitie\" width=\"79\" height=\"79\" />e</em> <em>Whelan is the Founder/Noter-in-Chief of The Lightning Notes, a short daily post to help us move the world forward (sign-up for the <a href=\"https://thelightningnotes.com/newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">weekly newsletter here</a>!). Prior to that, she was a Senior Foreign Policy Advisor in Congress, co-founded a school in India, and briefly raised pigs in Italy.</em>\n\n<em>Editor\'s Note: </em>I am thrilled that Caitie accepted our offer of a guest post. I first learned about her through <a href=\"http://whitneyjohnson.com/caitie-whelan-lightning-notes/\" target=\"_blank\">Whitney Johnson\'s Latest Thinking</a>. I subscribed shortly after learning about The Lightning Notes and quickly saw why Whitney was so impressed. ~ pk', 'Getting to the Other Side of Discouragement', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'getting-to-the-other-side-of-discouragement', '', '', '2016-05-10 06:00:20', '2016-05-10 10:00:20', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29886', 0, 'post', '', 6),
(29889, 273, '2016-05-23 06:00:27', '2016-05-23 10:00:27', 'Experience is a tough teacher; you receive the test first then learn the lesson. We’ve all learned quite a few lessons at the hands of that instructor.\n\nWhen underperforming firms, or firms which have issues they are ill-equipped to solve, need to make changes in order to right their ship, so to speak, <a href=\"http://www.forteone.com/services/leadership/\">interim leadership</a> is sometimes brought in to provide experience and an extra set of hands to implement change. In many cases, the businesses are private which means the owners are the ones running the organization.\n\nThese situations are tricky because <a href=\"https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/200910/business-why-change-is-so-hard-and-how-make-it-easier\">change is hard</a>, especially for founders or the second or third generation who may be in charge. The interim CEO is there to drive change, implement new processes, and retrain or hire new people in order to solidify the foundation for sustainable improvements. In theory, if a business is failing, the business leaders want to do whatever needs to be done to save it.\n<h3>Leaders Facing Change Need to Possess These Characteristics</h3>\nIt’s a good theory, but it doesn’t always prove workable. In some cases, despite best efforts, change in companies comes slowly or not at all. Over time, in many situations, a business executive may say they want change, but that does not necessarily mean they are wired to accept or lead change. Leaders in businesses undergoing substantial change need to possess these important characteristics:\n<ul>\n 	<li>Humility accompanied by a belief that they do not know everything about their business</li>\n 	<li>Personal ability to change how they think and operate, including possibly the role they will play in the firm moving forward</li>\n 	<li>Capacity to be “all in” with supporting transition in their business, which often means operating outside long-held comfort zones</li>\n</ul>\nMany business leaders have “strong type A” personalities. Their personalities served them well in building the business and overcoming obstacles, but now the business is in trouble and they find themselves facing unfamiliar issues. Their initial attempts to solve the problems failed, so they seek help from outsiders to implement a change of management plan. However, accepting help from “an outsider” is tough to swallow, and supporting a program of change (with all the pushback from employees) causes some leaders to backpedal. Often, it is simply too tough to break with old ways, and familiar people, which had sustained them for years.\n\nMy father was a businessman, and he taught me at an early age this important lesson: the difference between a rut and a groove is depth. Many business leaders need help seeing they are in a rut and getting out of it.\n<h3>Supporting a Process of Change</h3>\nNot every business owner who needs change is capable of supporting a process of change. When thinking about ways to correct problems and solidify a firm’s foundation, those making the tough decisions need to determine if they have the three characteristics mentioned above: a measure of humility, willingness to change, and the ability to unconditionally support a change process. If they do have these characteristics, success is much more likely to ensue. If they do not, an interim CEO will need to be inserted to run the company during the change process.\n\nIn most cases, strong leaders are willing and open to change, and they recognize the importance of change in their firm. But change is tough enough without passive roadblocks at the top of the organization. The most important criteria for successful organizational change is having a leader (or owner) who has the courage to see beyond the horizon and ability to personally champion a new direction for their company.\n\n<em><img class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-30167\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mark-Rittmanic-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Mark-Rittmanic\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></em><em>Mark Rittmanic, founder and CEO of the consulting firm <a href=\"http://www.forteone.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>FortéONE</b></a>, has conceived, built, led, and sold several successful businesses. He applies lessons learned from those experiences to help others achieve their goals. At FortéONE, he leads business development and identifies growth opportunities for the firm. Mark is a former U.S. Army Captain who understands the importance of structure and processes and their role in business. </em>\n\n&nbsp;', 'Three Characteristics Needed to Champion Change', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'three-characteristics-needed-to-champion-change', '', '', '2016-05-23 06:00:27', '2016-05-23 10:00:27', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29889', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(29904, 415, '2016-04-29 06:00:36', '2016-04-29 10:00:36', '<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does “Performance Feedback” mean to you?  A painful waste of time, or a great opportunity? Both have been said about the same experience. How? I’ve learned it is possible to find value in even the most poorly delivered evaluation, no matter where it comes from. We can all process feedback so we can benefit from it rather than reject critical comments.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I started facilitating workshops, my co-facilitator and I would distribute feedback forms and ask participants to tell us what their experience was like. Whenever I collected the sheets, my attention was pulled by a section where my performance was scored against my partner’s. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I knew it would cause me pain (and wasn’t very fair), but I craved a message that </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was better</span></i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than my partner</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had been. No matter how non-competitive I might believe myself to be, if you put me in a ratings race with anyone, I want to </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">win</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My typically higher scores in “preparation” didn’t satisfy my craving. I studied the ratings until I proved to myself that my partner had won the day.</span>\n\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why would anybody listen to me? </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’d think. </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’ll never achieve anything. </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While I indulged in this negative thinking, my productivity and sociability dropped away. But what’s the alternative?</span>\n<h3><b>Cultivate curiosity about what people are ‘reading’ from you</b></h3>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their new book, </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well/dp/0143127136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1461861000&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=thanks+for+the+feedback\" target=\"_blank\">Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well</a></span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen advocate for developing skills in learning from feedback “even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, frankly, you’re not in the mood.” Off base or unfair? Are they suggesting you change </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">everything </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that others want you to change? </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No, but everything you do communicates something about you, and your message will have an audience. Feedback lets you know what your “audience” is receiving. Is the information they are receiving (about either your content or about yourself) the information you want to convey? </span><a href=\"https://careerleadershipalignment.com/2015/07/17/feedback-zero-become-a-feedback-hero/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only way you’ll ever know is by attending to feedback and learning how to interpret the clues you receive</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. </span>\n<h3><b>Start where you are--wired for taking feedback the way </b><b><i>you </i></b><b>do</b></h3>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of us is wired to take feedback in our own particular way. It’s not unusual for feedback to knock you off your game if :</span>\n<ul>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You feel it isn’t true (</span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truth)</span></i></li>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The person delivering it is the wrong person to say </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that (Relationship)</span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or </span></li>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The feedback threatens your understanding of who you are </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Identity)</span></i></li>\n</ul>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where the workshop evaluations hit me the hardest: my sense of myself as a “really good facilitator.”</span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will respond to feedback in your own signature way, characterized by how you feel and think generally and how you </span><a href=\"http://intentionalinsights.org/where-do-our-mental-maps-lead-us-astray\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">process</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> feedback in particular. I was predisposed to dismiss positive feedback and to take negative feedback hard. I was also wired to recover more slowly from those hard hits. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others might get </span><a href=\"https://careerleadershipalignment.com/2015/07/02/celebrating-small-wins-the-importance-of-baby-steps/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a big boost from small compliments</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but aren’t so bothered by criticism. Their default wiring might mean they are resistant to teaching or change because they don’t take constructive criticism seriously enough. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you know your default wiring, you can predict and manage your reactions and then develop better skills for receiving and interpreting feedback.</span>\n\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-29905 size-full\" src=\"http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/I-want-to-learn-from-your-feedback.jpg\" alt=\"I want to learn from your feedback, AND I want to be accepted for who I am\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" />\n<h3><b>Grant yourself space to seek improvement</b></h3>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately I discovered a path away from the darkness of comparison and into a healthier place. As it turns out, my strategy was in line with recommendations in </span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks for the Feedback. </span></i>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I found a way to focus on my own numbers and compare them to previous feedback. Finally, the drug-like attraction of comparing myself to others eased. My anxiety shifted to </span><a href=\"https://careerleadershipalignment.com/2015/07/21/how-to-be-the-tortoise-that-wins/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interest in my own development</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Over time I saw my numbers improving relative to my earlier scores. And, I learned to trust myself instead of craving external validation as my facilitation skills improved. </span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can set the stage for new growth and success by: </span>\n<ol>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cultivating curiosity about what people are reading from you, </span></li>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accepting and becoming familiar with your default settings for receiving feedback (your wiring), and </span></li>\n 	<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granting yourself permission to have room for improvement. </span></li>\n</ol>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You do not have to choose between the joy of being accepted and the challenge of learning from feedback. Both are possible together. Loving yourself enough to accept feedback without fear is a wonderful practice.</span>\n\n\"I want to learn from your feedback\" image courtesy of Amy Kay Watson and <a href=\"https://careerleadershipalignment.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Career Leadership Alignment</a>.', 'Feedback is Good (Even When it Feels So Bad)', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'feedback-is-good-even-when-it-feels-so-bad', '', '', '2016-04-29 06:00:36', '2016-04-29 10:00:36', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29904', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(29913, 376, '2016-04-28 06:00:11', '2016-04-28 10:00:11', '<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\"<em>Identify someone with a problem and you\'ll be identifying someone who resists the suggestion that he has one.  That\'s self-deception - the inability to see that one has a problem. </em></span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(The Arbinger Institute in<em> Leadership and Self-Deception</em>, 2nd ed., p. 17)</span>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are <em>\"in the box,\" </em>as the Arbinger folks say, when we engage in certain behaviors which create or reinforce our self-deception.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Of course, I\'m not sure that the above is always the case. A leader who has a problem may be so self-aware, self-confident, and self-effacing that he or she simply acknowledges reality by making amendments and correcting their behavior.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">However, most of us are not quite that perfect, so \"<em>the box appears to fit</em>\" in many cases, so to speak.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is a prime example of how deceiving others leads to self-deception. We change perceptions of who or what is to blame, and, in the process, convince ourselves that we are still okay. Self-deception is linked to our level of responsiveness to various aspects of work in many ways.</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here are three of those many that I feel are particularly critical ways in which we deceive ourselves about what we do and who we are:</span></p>\n\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WE FOCUS ON \"THINGS TO DO\" RATHER THAN ON RESULTS ...</span></h4>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">I often focus on the difference between being busy and being productive in my coaching work. This is as much for myself as for others, because we all suffer to some degree from falling into a period of great effort, which produces the appearance of great effort, but produces little or no actual measurable results. Eventually, we may even collapse into a puddle of depleted energy cells ... without having actually accomplished anything.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Being busy should not be an end in itself, but it is often used as a mask to hide our reluctance to engage with the more powerful and potentially productive activities. Being busy is usually being safe.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We respond to activity, rather than outcomes.</span>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WE CHOOSE NOT TO LEARN OR SHARE INFORMATION ...</span></h4>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There\'s an old saying of which I am quite fond, that goes something like this: \"<em>He has been with us twenty years, but has one year of experience repeated twenty times</em>\" to show that measuring experience by length alone does not help us. Many organizations have employees who fit this description, not in the exact number of years of service, but in the outdated education they use. We live in a world where information changes at a blinding speed and what we learned a while ago becomes outdated easily.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you think a college degree from thirty years ago qualifies you for today\'s marketplace, you are simply fooling yourself. I cherish my degrees earned at various schools over the years, and I use bits of information I learned a long time ago on a regular basis.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">But if I depend on my initial college degree to provide any credibility, I am simply fooling myself.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Even up-to-date information can be abused. We have also probably experienced <em>The Gatekeeper</em> - that employee who knows many things about the organization. They are sometimes the archivist or primary record keeper of valuable information and sometimes just the vice president\'s executive assistant ... the point is they use their knowledge as power to maintain their position.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Gatekeeper may be benevolent or malevolent, but their primary tool is closely guarded information and their primary mission is to keep it that way.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We focus on hoarding information and not on growing or spreading it.</span>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WE LOOK TO SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY ...</span></h4>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We play \"The Great American Blame Game\", as I have heard it called. I would guess that other countries and cultures have very similar games to be played, because this stems from a very human desire to avoid punishment. While understandable, it is not particularly emotionally or psychologically healthy, since avoiding responsibility is based on not accepting reality, but manipulating perceptions.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are at least three significant outcomes from shifting responsibility to others or to circumstances:</span>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We get really good at doing so, to the point of automatic response. Not accepting responsibility becomes our default position. This is not a positive skill set to develop.</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We temporarily avoid the negative consequences that often accompany responsibility. Note the use of the word \"temporarily\" here ... it\'s key. As the very old saying goes, \"What goes around, comes around.\"</span></p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We miss the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and make better ones in the future. This is the worst outcome from not accepting responsibility for outcomes.  If we do not learn, we repeat our behavior, even when it produces negative results.</span></p>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We concentrate on avoiding, rather than on learning and growing.</span>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SO PEOPLE OFTEN ENGAGE IN SELF-DECEPTION BY AVOIDING RESPONSIBILITY TO ESCAPE CONSEQUENCES.</strong></span></em></p>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">None of the above is probably any type of revelation to you.  Observant people in any organization will nod knowingly as they read my words, because these situations and behaviors are commonplace.</span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Even though self-deception is around us and maybe in us, we should not simply accept or support self-deception, in ourselves or others. The first important element of actual change is to create awareness and the first place to create awareness is within ourselves.</span>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How have you deceived yourself in a past work situation?  </strong></span></h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How are you deceiving yourself now?  </strong></span></h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What can you do to change that?</strong></span></h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Acknowledgments:</span></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Inspiration for this post came from a Responsiveness assessment from <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http://www.krapu4.com\">Tom Krapu,</a> to whom I am indebted.</span></p>', 'The Box of Self-Deception', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-box-of-self-deception', '', '', '2016-04-28 06:00:11', '2016-04-28 10:00:11', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29913', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(29949, 372, '2016-05-04 06:00:09', '2016-05-04 10:00:09', 'If you were to boil \"effective leadership\" down to three core concepts, what would they be?\n\nAs I engage with senior leaders to learn how they view leadership, the concepts they provide are almost exclusively financial metrics. The most popular responses include “hit the numbers,” “exceed budgeted nets,” and “deliver what our customers need, profitably.\"\n\nThose are all good things. Financial success helps your enterprise sustain itself. Delivering on promised results and profits will rarely be a bad thing for a leader to accomplish.\n\nIsn’t it interesting, though, that proven benefits like boosting employee engagement or creating a safe, inspiring work environment or treating everyone with trust, respect, and dignity don\'t make the “top list”?\n\nThe quality of workplace relationships matters. The <a href=\"http://drtc.me/proof\" target=\"_blank\">research is undeniable</a>. Talented, engaged employees who feel valued and respected generate consistent results, WOW customers, and treat others with dignity, every day. That’s a desirable mix: engaged players, consistent results, great service, and civil treatment.\n\nLeaders have the opportunity - or more specifically, the responsibility - to create something more than a “results at any cost” workplace.\n\nHere’s my take on the three core concepts of effective leadership.\n\n<strong>Context.</strong>\nLeaders must set the context for the work team members do. Beyond “making money” or “finishing projects,” what is the meaningful outcome of the work? How do customers benefit? Do your products and services help improve the quality of life of customers? How does your community benefit? Are some profits set aside for community service projects or supporting a local charity? Is time set aside regularly - say, once a quarter - so employees can volunteer to build bicycles for needy children or help paint an elderly resident’s home? When leaders promote and engage in these discussions and activities, they help create meaning and significance beyond results.\n\n<strong>Commitment.</strong>\nTeam leaders and team members have responsibilities, too. They embrace goals, tasks, and projects and commit to completing them “on time and under budget.” Talent and enthusiasm must be aligned to performance expectations as well as to treating others according to your team or company values and behaviors. Every member of the organization must build relationships, extend networks, and offer desired solutions so that performance expectations are realized. Leaders must clarify expectations and secure everyone’s commitment to deliver on their performance promises, kindly.\n\n<strong>Consequences.</strong>\nWhen you read that term, I know what you’re thinking: “Uh, oh. Someone’s in trouble!” The reality is that leaders need to be prompt with positive consequences as well as negative consequences. When people exceed expectations, when they go above and beyond to proactively solve problems or wow customers, leaders must promptly recognize them. Praise and encourage players when they do the right things the right way!\n\nAnd, sometimes people don’t do what they’ve promised they will do. Sometimes people fall short of their agreed-to performance. When that happens, leaders must promptly engage in discussions to express issues clearly and directly, listen and learn about dynamics that may be driving undesirable behaviors, and reach agreements to ensure aligned behavior moving forward.\n\nThose are my three. What do you think? What have I missed? Add your thoughts in the comments section below.', 'The Leader&#039;s Opportunity', '', 'publish', 'open', 'closed', '', 'the-leaders-opportunity', '', '', '2016-05-04 06:00:09', '2016-05-04 10:00:09', '', 0, 'http://leadchangegroup.com/?p=29949', 0, 'post', '', 8);
