3 must haves for becoming a great leader in the 21st Century

If I had to cut through to the most important skill sets leaders will need to work on today in preparation for tomorrows success it would be a transformation course outlining 3 things:

Perspective: Its a different world, as a manager you are no longer graded on your work but graded on the work your team does instead. This fundamental perspective shift is often overlooked, underestimated or flat-out misunderstood. Encourage, Inspire, Motivate, Lead, Empower and Educate You need to know the difference and have a good perspective of when to use them.

Mind-set: Becoming a great leader or manager is not about having all the answers its about asking the right questions. Meaning, the best don't tell people what decisions to make, they help them learn to make better ones themselves. Our work in this area is not harder it is just different.

Emotional Intelligence: Developing their ability to make decisions based on principles not emotions. We are not thinking machines but feeling machines that think. Emotions can be detrimental to careers if not understood and controlled in a productive way.

I would add a fourth if they are required to interview, select or hire their team. Selecting people is imperative, but doing it well has jack to do with crafty interview questions or detailed background checks. It starts with understanding your answer to this question. "Can you change people?" If so, how much? What's the difference between Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Beliefs, Traits, Behaviors and talents? Which of those can be changed and which have to be brought in as is??

If you cant answer those questions you cant select people effectively for your team.

Just some thoughts Good luck!

Innovation thats more than just lip service...

Talk is cheap (unless it's with an attorney of course) and when it comes to innovation that is exactly what many companies settle for, but they don't have too. I recently read a piece published in the Harvard Business Review that put innovative entrepreneurs under the microscope and examined when and how they came up with the ideas on which their business was built. I wanted to share a few of the insights they found to the secret sauce of business success, "innovation".

The authors studied the habits of Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Herb Kelleher, David Neeleman just to name a few and out of this in-depth research they were able to identify patterns of behaviors that help answer many questions but most notably this one:

Can we learn to be innovators?

The answer is unequivocally yes, the article outlines research that has lead to the assertion of five "discovery skills" that clearly distinguishes the most creative executives and their results.

1. Associating: In my field of work as a consultant and trainer we must have a developed competency to connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems or ideas from different industries in a way that can clarify or add value to a business. In the HBR article Steve Jobs said "Creativity is connecting things." The article then outlines the example of Pierre Omidyar who in 1996 was able to link three seemingly unconnected dots (1) a fascination and passion with creating more efficient markets; (2) his fiancés desire to locate hard to find collectible Pez dispensers; and (3) the ineffectiveness of local classified ads in locating such items. As a result Ebay was founded.

Entrepreneur Frans Johansson described this ability and discipline as the "Medici effect" referring to the explosion of talent and new ideas that resulted from a family bringing together sculptors, scientists, poets, painters, philosophers and architects. The article continues by saying "As these individuals connected, new ideas blossomed at the intersections of their respective fields, thereby spawning the Renaissance, one of the most inventive eras in history."

In my opinion associating is one of the most overlooked skill sets in people today. Developing a mind-set that systematically solves problems and creates opportunities by learning to connect the seemingly unconnected in a way that’s productive and clarifying will set you apart in both personal and professional endeavors.

2. Why? Why not? What if?: Much of our work with helping organizations achieve their best results is centered around challenging the false generalizations and testing untested assumptions that exist in their culture. In the article Meg Whitman, former CEO of Ebay, describes the innovative drive of leaders such as the founders of Ebay, Skype and Paypal as "getting a kick out of screwing up the status quo," what a great way to put it! The best businesses understand the importance of consistently asking themselves these 3 questions: Why? Why not? What if?.

Look for most of us, business is not life threatening its ego threatening and if you want to create sustainable success you have to be able to ensure your culture is always open to questioning itself and that employees respect the difference between challenging questions and criticism.

3. Observing: Ideas, solutions and opportunity exists everyday right in front of our faces yet few tend to pick up on them and fewer actually do anything about it when they do see it. The articles example here is Intuit founder Scott Cook and his idea for Quicken financial software, after watching his wife struggle with keeping track of their own finances. Scott observed a behavior then acted on his observations as a result grabbed 50% of the market for financial software in the first year.

So, develop your ability to look for small behavior niches that can be exploited in the context of design, brand, service or product.

4. Experimenting: As adults we have such a love hate thing with success and failure. Meaning we love success but hate failure. Further many tend to harbor a view of experimentation as mainly something reserved for smart people in white coats. The truth is the world is a laboratory and observing, questioning and associating are very much pointless unless you actually begin to put the ideas to work.

We can learn much from watching a kid learn to walk, falling down isn't the end of the world and most times its greeted with laughter. They somehow know they are trying something new, experiencing a different feeling and want the freedom of getting around a little more efficiently then just on their stomachs…to be innovative experimentation and forcing failure is not just a good idea...its good business.

5. Networking : I am not talking about handing out businesses cards at your local chamber mixer here. What I am talking about is the amount of talent that is a phone call away from you and who would be willing to meet for lunch. Your ability to draw artists, academics, scientists, thinkers, adventurers and entrepreneurs close to you will serve as the greatest predictor of how well you will be able to enhance your innovative spirit and mind-set. Conferences, seminars, civic events and fund-raisers you have interests in are all great places but resist the urge to sell, instead buy, listen, connect and most importantly follow up.

The more you learn to associate, question, observe, experiment and network the more creative your problem solving and idea generation will get. Hope this helps!

To read the article visit http://hbr.org/ and search for spotlight on innovation!

We were reminded...

I forget keys, I forget my phone, I forget things all the time but November 5th, 2009 was one of those nights you just don't forget. I had the honor and privilege to meet Rev. Billy Kyles, he was the keynote speaker at the Annual Benefit Dinner for the Facing History and Ourselves organization. Their work is based on the premise that "we need to- and can- teach civic responsibility, tolerance, ethics, understanding and social action to young people." They accomplish this through innovative and relevant studies, personal accounts and emotional connections to the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, Civil Rights Movements and other violent human experiences representative of our not so better history.

I was lucky enough to attend that night on behalf of MPACT Memphis and as a guest of Michael Terry, a board member of the organization. Our table was center stage and only one row back from the front of a room with over 700 people in it (this proved to be a great seat too). I immediately noticed the size and set up and began to think this may not be a typical dinner event, yet in all honesty I wasn't exactly sure what I was trekking into. That changed and did so pretty quickly. The night was filled with remarkable accounts and stories from both educators and students alike all of whom participating in a program that reaches over 1.8 million students in countries all over the world.

For those not familiar with Reverend Billy Kyles, he was a young local civil rights leader involved in the integration of Memphis's school system, restaurants, buses and other public areas of the city and oh, did I also mention that he happen to be the only one standing next to Dr. King just outside of room 306 at the Lorraine Motel on April 4th, 1968. The only one standing out there when the shot was fired that silenced Kings physical heart, while simultaneously amplifying the heartbeat of his cause. Forty one years, seven months and one day later, less than 1 mile away from where he was standing in 1968 it was now an older Rev. Kyles at the lectern this time, yet still delivering a fiery, detailed and gripping account of the assassination and its surrounding events.

We were reminded vividly of the genuine courage that was evident with all those involved during this deadly fight to simply be treated as human beings, no more no less.

We were reminded honorably that their fame and attention wasn't about fame at all, no self-serving reasons, no internal scandals, schemes or ulterior motives. King came to Memphis and lost his life fighting for 1300 sanitation workers to get a .10 cent per hour raise and did so knowing full and well that his time on earth could certainly be cut short for it.

We were reminded passionately that you cannot sway, you cannot quell, you cannot break, beat nor defeat a sympathetic and humane cause propelled by people willing to sacrifice everything for it. In Kyles own words "you can kill the dreamer but you cannot kill the dream."

And most profound to me, we were reminded that we are never to young to do something worth writing about. You see at the ages of 39, 33, 35 and 27, not one of them in the photograph (pictured above) was over the age of 40.

Now in his seventies, and speaking to a world far removed from where it once was Rev. Kyles (to an absolute standing ovation) started making his way back down to his table which happened to be behind us. Now when 700 people stand up, start to cheer and then just turn every which way to look at you, I imagine it could become a bit difficult to see. He came through the isle right in front of me and at a slow pace, just looking around not in admiration the applause or people, but more of exploration. He walked right to me as I shook his hand and leaned towards him I just said "thank you" to which he smiled patted my shoulder, looked me in the eye (people still standing and applauding loudly) and said "hmm...I lost my seat". We both laughed as I offered him mine then as the crowd began to conform he found it, but not before I got to say thank you and shake the hand of man who over his lifetime helped so many others find their own way.

In the words of George Bernard Shaw "The reasonable man looks to adapt himself to the conditions that surround him...The unreasonable man adapts the conditions that surround him to himself. All progress depends on the unreasonable man."

A special thanks goes to the Facing History Organization, Mr. Terry and MPACT Memphis for allowing me such a great experience.

Dropping the axe?

Be sure it's sharpened first and watch your foot; two very important things to keep in mind when making the tough call to lay off or cut back on talent. See, there is a paradigm that exists in business today, one that reflects the missions and goals of organizations to be progressive, innovative and agile in the marketplace they compete in yet a documented history of dangerously handicapping their ability to do so. Innovation, progress and agility are capabilities and values that rest on things like R&D, training, experience, teamwork and a synergistic confidence in a companies ability to make something happen. When cash becomes tight what are the first areas up on the chopping block tend to be? You guessed it, training, R&D and talent. See, you can have one, you can have the other but you cannot have both. Take head before making the tough call of giving the axe to 1 or all 3 of these necessities of progress.

A 18 year study by the University of Colorado of S&P 500 firms showed no link between downsizing and a subsequent return on their assets. A Bain study also of a similar model found that the 158 firms that used lay offs for cost cutting suffered drops in stock price. Bain warned "it can take 18 months to realize the cost savings from a layoff, and by then the person may be needed again (not to mention law suits, morale issues, lost productivity). A separate study done over 5 years found that "surviving" workers had increased time out of work and medical claims ranging from 100%-900%.

We are not saying don't make the tough call if survival is in question just don't overlook or underestimate the hidden costs of such a decision, perhaps there is another way...

You big dummy....

The business world can be a challenging, chaotic and often funny place. In the spirit of reminding ourselves that our situations are often more ego-threatening than life-threatening, enjoy some "insight" from those who just don't seem to get it...(all taken from various list of dumb things)

Quote: "I like Mackey's haircut. I think he looks cute."- Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, posting under the screen name Rahodeb, on a Yahoo Finance stock forum. The Federal Trade Commission later revealed that Mackey authored this and numerous other posts over an eight-year period, hyping his company and himself while trashing the competitor Wild Oats. TNT? To build buzz for its animated show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network placed electronic lightboards depicting a character from the show saluting passersby with an upraised finger. Problem was it triggered a bomb scare that shut down two bridges, an expressway, a subway station, and a stretch of the Charles River. Best Buy...at this kiosk:The state of Connecticut sued Best Buy for setting up in-store kiosks set to a website that looks identical to bestbuy.com but lists higher prices than those they would actually find online. Wet paint of the 21st century: To test Google's ability to block harmful advertising, Belgian IT security consultant Didier Stevens posts an ad that reads "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!" It is accepted by Google and displayed 259,723 times; 409 web surfers actually click on the ad. (source: CNNmoney.com) No comment: Upon her death, Leona Helmsley leaves $12 million to her white Maltese, Trouble. How did that work out for you? "I believed fundamentally that the balance sheet was strong. I believed that then and I believe that now." - Ken Lay, court testimony (April 06')

Getting Linkedin to pay-

I am going out on a limb here and saying that right now I believe Linkedin to be the most undervalued tool many of us have in our social networking belt. Twitter this and Facebook that but whether you are looking for a job, friend, ex-coworker or a sale to close the month it has the easiest and probably most productive platform of what I have seen so far. Now, I admit that I have had an account for over a year now and just over the past 2 weeks really been digging into the capabilities of this site and encourage you to do the same!

Some interesting things to check out:

1. Search capabilites by industry and company (also tells you how far down the connection line you are to them)

2. See who has viewed your profile (specifics available for the premier member)

3. Q&A section...lets you post and answer questions from others. They have a ranking system that gives incentives for people to take time and answer truthfully so some great free advice is possible.

Take some time and revisit your page update and make a few connections a day. I can think of much less effective ways to spend 15 minutes!

Is your coach earning his keep??

With all of the career changes happening now and the business landscape looking like it does, life coaching and business coaching business is picking up for those who can provide results. Coaching can be a powerful tool if done right. The one-on-one relationship is designed to engage a person in a deep and honest exploration of goals and the actions required to accomplish them. It’s about knowing when to kick and when to hug and holding you accountable to make consistent (sometimes dramatic) progress towards your most important aspirations.

If your considering a coach or mentor a few things to consider and principles that we and 360 Solutions believe are the most important for a successful venture!

1. Clients are capable, resourceful and whole. We believe this is the most important principle of coaching. Many of the helping professions treat people as though they were broken, dysfunctional or less than capable. To us the best coaches recognize the brilliance and power of their clients to solve their problems. In short they don't need to be told what decisions to make just guided to help them make better decisions themselves. The true power of it is not in answers but in the questions.

2. The agenda should come from the client. Clients are in charge of the coaching relationship. The job of the coach is to “hold the client’s agenda” and ensure that they are continually moving towards the results they want. The coach is not an expert who can tell clients what is most important in their lives or how to live their lives. The coach helps clients give voice to what is most important and then focuses on the process of how to get there. This principle honors and respects the full capability of clients.

3. The focus is on outcomes. Coaching “begins with the end in mind.” The coach is continually helping clients clarify the outcomes they want. As such, the focus of coaching is on creating the future rather than getting over the past. Helping clients articulate the outcomes they desire guides the entire process, whether setting goals to achieve a larger life vision or solving day-to-day problems.

4. The process addresses a client’s whole life. Coaching helps clients achieve fulfillment in all areas of their lives. Clients are “whole people” and success or failure in one area of their lives affects other areas as well. For example, physical health influences relationships, career and spirituality. And so on. The process of coaching includes a perspective and assessment of many areas of life as well as learning to make choices that lead to greater balance in all areas of life.

5. The relationship is the catalyst. The relationship between clients and coach acts as a catalyst which “calls forth” the full potential of clients. Through their interactions with a coach, clients tap into their power and abilities to create the life of their dreams. However, the focus of the relationship is not on the coach, per se. The power is derived from the relationship, tailored to the unique needs of each client, and mutually designed to empower clients to achieve their highest goals.