A Call To Action or to Collective Action?

Jan Mayer-Rodriguez and Mike Kublin

On Monday, January 21st, the United States held their Presidential Inauguration. During the Inaugural address, many references were made to leadership actions and behaviors required for success.

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” –Conrad Hilton

A Call to Action or to Collective Action?

Comments were made about “collective action”, not simply a “call to action”. Think in terms of COLLABORATION! For those familiar with Thomas-Kilmann, collaboration means being both assertive and cooperative. It means working together to find a solution that fully satisfies the concerns of both, and it includes digging in to an issue to identify underlying concerns and finding an alternative that meets both sets of concerns. It’s a win-win solution!

Successful leadership also requires embracing differences. We say not only embrace the differences, but leverage them! We all have our own unique set of strengths; making use of everyone’s strengths can only make us a stronger “whole”, and increase the chance for obtaining the results we desire.

Leaders must set the tone and direction. We need to set and clearly communicate our goals. We need to identify our priorities, and as change is required, we cannot resist it. Rather we must lead through and manage the obstacles and resistance we encounter. “When times change so must we.”

Leaders work hard; they display ownership, responsibility, and accountability. We need to work smart, not just hard. Too often we respond to urgent issues and make them a priority over important issues. We need to not only display behaviors associated with ownership, responsibility, and accountability, we need to instill them in others.

Leaders must be willing to take risks. Risk has been defined as “undertaking a task involving a challenge for achievement or a desirable goal in which there is a lack of certainty or a fear of failure.” This means we will make mistakes; we will learn from them and we will grow.

We must take pride in what we do, we must harness new ideas and technology, and we must invest the time to assess what’s most important while maintaining our focus. Which of these leadership actions and behaviors do you consider as your strengths? Which could be further developed? Now’s the time to take action!

Michael W. Kublin is the founder and President of PeopleTek,Inc., a leadership coaching and development company specializing in helping leaders and organizations thrive.

By examining behaviors, leveraging preferred styles, and by removing fear from leadership, organizational growth occurs and results improve. Prior to founding PeopleTek, Michael worked for Electronic Data Systems and American Express in a variety of leadership roles managing technical teams and interfacing with internal and external business partners and vendors.

Jan Mayer-Rodriguez is editor-in-chief for PeopleTek's weekly leadership tip, assists with developing and enhancing business relations, and identifies developmental opportunities for organizations and individuals. Prior to joining PeopleTek, Jan had a 27 year career at American Express where her positons focused on enhancing internal/external customer satisfaction levels, delivering superior products, and building effective cross team behaviors.