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Lead On

This is not a political post. A very few weeks have past since our nation elected its next President Barack Obama. Was President-elect Obama your choice?Maybe he was and you are elated and looking forward to his leadership - maybe he was not and you are still grumbling about it and spending unproductive time nailing every team member he adds to his cabinet.

Whether it be the news media or water cooler conversation - there is too much grumbling going around. The votes have been cast and counted for. Our job as leaders is to "lead on!" We are called to respect the position of President, and prayerfully support our nation and her leadership whether we agree or disagree. For theorganizations and teams that we GET TO lead, we must carry the role of servant leader now more than ever. People need leaders who are excited to lead above the many current challenges and "sure to come" future challenges. People do not need to hear their leaders grumbling about the new guard. This puts you the leader on your heels in the eyes of your people. People need leaders who are leaning forward and captivating the masses to believe in a better future and be part of creating that better future. The next President does not run your team - you get to do that.

No doubt, new administrations regardless of party will implement new things that will cause some chaos. My advice is: be the leader who assures your people that you all will work together in transparency and determination to manage the changes with excellence and outside the box thinking.

I saw a letter from a CEO on the day after Obama was elected President. It was an email to his company and here is a snippet from it:

"It’s a 'new day' and CHANGE is directly ahead in America and around our world. How we embrace it and enhance it is the test of our metal, ingenuity and commitment to good and fairness in the value that we mutually create and add to all that we associate with. In this puzzle, opportunity will emerge and our ability to keep a positive vigil and operating strategy that will make it work for us is the course we must make our commitments to and look forward to in the main while using what we have learned in our past to make our future bright."

"Please join me in embracing this Change and reaching new heights together as 'Great Americans'"

 

This message inspires hope from the Chief Executive at a time when there are mixed emotions. It is nothing of a political message. It is everything of an organizational rally to its toes when it could have easily flipped to its heels.

 

Yes, there are going to be some things you like and do not like - your job is NOT to grumble it, BUT to Lead right on through it. Let's see what we as leaders are really all about.

Leader Profile - Lars Dalgaard

Being close to HR and all things people driven, I have been intrigued by Lars Dalgaard. Lars is the CEO and founder of SuccessFactors, a leading HR (talent management) software company. For one, I have been exposed to his product and some of his executives. The product is rocking and the team has a contagious DNA.

Dalgaard is known to be quite bold if you will. One of the common threads you will hear about him is his grand vision and massive goals. He is driven with a passion to "go and make this a very different world to work in."His large appetite for success is fueled by his belief that no one should be unclear about how they stand in their company and should be treated immaculately well. He firmly believes  that his product will do more than just create a better workplace for his customers. He states clearly that SuccessFactors "will improve worldwide productivity by 50%." Now, as Jim Collins would say - that is a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). Why not have one? You must.

In reading an article on him published in Workforce Management I came across the following founding principle of his when he started SuccessFactors in 2001:

"No Jerks! Our organization will consist only of people that absolutely love what we do, with a white hot passion. We will have utmost respect for the individual in a collaborative, egalitarian, and meritocratic environment - no blind copying, no politics, no parochialism, no silos, no games, no cynicism, no arrogance - just being good."

If you calculate your way through that principle - you see that he is going on the defense against many of the toxic inhibitions to an effective organization and apparently does not tolerate anything but the best. Check the links throughout this post for some brief notes on him. An interesting guy who is going after great things with a supreme belief in a better future.

Lower The Criticism

For the past few months and especially last week, if you have turned on the tv or the radio, you have no doubt been exposed to an overload of criticism. During election periods the criticism quotient is through the roof. Like many, I am over it and glad the commercials and ads are done with for now.

There is a liability to our leadership when it comes to this over exposure. For one - the unavoidable psychological factor of your mind processing negative rants and attacks on people. Whether you are intentional with it or not, your mind is going to hang on to the negation for a while. What happens then? As soon as someone does something that you do not totally agree with - you mentally send a toxic level of criticism towards them and perhaps even verbally pounce on them more than you should have. Additionally, if you are not careful - you will find yourself looking for someone to screw something up so you "have something on them." These are just a few examples of the many liabilities a culture of criticism creates.

When we spend our mental energy on harboring negativity and looking for a messy moment - our leadership weakens and our ability to create a better future struggles greatly.

Trust me, you have some of the mess in you just by nature of our recent environment. My advice to us is:

One, stay away from the news today (it will be there tomorrow) and create your own news by leading at a higher level. Two, encourage people with your smile. Three, give verbal compliments to someone you do not know. Four, praise your team members for what they have done. Five, call someone and tell them you are thankful for their life.

These few things will help you shake some of the cynicism and help you embrace that delivering hope is up to you. Your people and the world around you will tune in to you vs the squawk box.

Why are you doing it?

How often are you like me and get caught up in the grimy details that lead you to get lost on why you are doing what you are doing? The details can derail our purposes if we are not careful. When this happens, we become less inspired, less inspiring, fatigued and certainly less productive. This doldrum can set it in on us especially with big tasks or projects that you may be heading up.

I have done a very simple thing that I am confident will help you if you adopt it. This first photo is a file folder packed with contents of to-do's and updates for a large project.

 

When I look at the file above before and after a meeting, I see just a file filled with documents. I need to go into this file with a reminder of the purpose and I need to close it with the same reminder. These files below do just that...

   

This is so easy and may seem hokey, but it's not. Every time I source one of these files for myself or before leading their relative meetings, I am reminded what it is we are trying to do. Also, regardless of how long and taxing the meeting may be - when I close one, I am brought back to the nobility of the task and not the nuances. This method is much better for my mind and it helps me be inspired and more inspiring.

I ask myself as related to the two files in the picture:

1) Did we make progress towards having excellent training at every position?

2) Did we help them grow today?

Avoid Relational Recession

I read a select few blogs on a regular basis. One of my favorites is Keith Farazzi's. I have been a Keith fan ever since reading his book Never Eat Alone. I agree with Keith on pretty much his entire message. Keith is a leading voice on the power of relationships as the fuel for our biz lives and total life.

While our economy is taking a hit and the criticism boat is full to capacity - people tend to cling to scarcity thinking. "The world is going to end, businesses are going to survive, Washington is corrupt, hide your money in a mattress oh my!" When people adopt this thinking they go scarce with their focus on relationships. Nothing could be more damaging. When things are going bad, be great, when the mood state is dropping, try and raise it. When emotional intelligence is threatened, remind people by your emotional actions that it is more important than ever.

When we do rebound from an economic standpoint - the people who avoid the relational recession will be the first ones to gain the new business that is sure to come.

Link to this brief video from Keith and many others on his blog.