Leadership Trends and Realities

Quality Check for Meetings

Robert Whipple, LeaderGrow.com

For most of us, meetings are our most significant time-wasting activity. If you have not found yourself frustrated while sitting in a useless meeting with no escape, you must be a hermit.

The interesting thing is that we, the participants, really do have the power to manage these interfaces between people in ways that are productive, impactful, and fun. In this article, I want to focus on a simple quality check as a means to improve meetings.

The way time is used in meetings is a part of the overall culture of a team. Managing meetings well is one activity that will improve team performance, but it should not be done in a vacuum. It should be a part of an overall process to improve trust and accountability within the team.  Leaders normally set the pace for what goes on in any team, so they need to take a lead role in managing meetings for better outcomes.

I advocate that teams have a quick evaluation at the end of each meeting. The leader simply states the following.  "Our time is precious, and meetings use a lot of time. It is our responsibility to make sure we are making the best use of every minute.  How many of you think this meeting was an excellent investment."  The feedback can be in the form of a quick discussion, a questionnaire, or, if trust is high already, just a thumbs up for good, thumbs down for bad. Of course, if a binary vote turns out to be mostly negative, a conversation needs to take place to understand the specific issues. It can take less than a minute, but it gives a quick feedback.  The other benefit is that it lets people know the leader is not clueless and is open to suggested improvements for next time.

For this method to be fruitful, the leader must establish an environment of trust. People need to know they will not be punished, in any way, for giving their opinions. If the leader reacts well to comments, even if the input suggests the leader is wasting the group's time, then trust will be enhanced. Another benefit occurs if the leader includes other people in planning future events to prevent the same problem at the next meeting.

It is critical if the leader does such an evaluation that he or she follows up and actually makes the changes suggested.  A subsequent time check should not bring up the same issues.  If it does, then stronger action is required before going further. The leader is responsible for the follow up and modification of meeting processes, even though he or she may ask for help from others as well.

This quality check allows everyone to take ownership of the meeting process to ensure it is vital and adding value.  If there are problems in the meeting format or content, they can be addressed before the next meeting, so bad habits are not proliferated.  I urge you to add this simple check to the end of all your meetings.  It will pay big dividends.

Robert Whipple, MBA, CPLP, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.  For more information, or to bring Bob in to speak at your next event, contact him at www.Leadergrow.com, [email protected]

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Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 8

Earl Cobb

Focused Leadership is a book which provides you a synopsis of the approach I diligently crafted, refined and applied in order to get the leadership results I desired over my 30-year career leading large and small organization in Fortune 500 companies as well venture capital backed start-ups. In Focused Leadership I have incorporated a series of informative and concise discussions regarding my leadership approach, which I now call the “10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning”. 

Step 1: Leading with Intention, Not Authority

Step 2: Envision the End at the Start

Step 3: Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Step 4: Don't Allow Bumps in the Road Distract You

Step 5: Energize Others to Do Their Best

Step 6: It's Not All About You

Step 7: Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

Step 8: Have the Courage to Make the Right Decisions 

One of my favorite leadership quotes is one that is attributed to Winston Churchill. It states, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

Throughout my career, I have been both a practitioner and a student of leadership. I have read almost every book on leadership that I have been able to get my hands on. Most of the contemporary literature on leadership focuses on leadership styles, characteristics, principles, traits, models, etc. Much of the literature offers a great deal of historical insight, comparisons and advice. However, what I have found to be most intriguing is how the virtue of “courage” seems to be omnipresent. Aristotle once called courage the first virtue and alluded to the fact that courage is the virtue which makes all of the other virtues possible.

I believe that in addition to being the most important human virtue, when it comes to organizational performance and success --- courage is also the most important virtue of an effective leader.

The reason I have been such a fan of the Winston Churchill quote mentioned above is that I have learned that in the context of leadership, courage is both a “verb” and a “conjunction.” It takes a certain brand of courage to execute both the “gives” and the “takes” required to get the best results for the entire organization. Effective team and organizational leadership is about being able to synergistically blend talent and get the most out of diverse human experiences. In order to make this approach to leadership work for everyone involved, you must possess the brand of “courage” that allows you to not only fearlessly “stand up and speak” but to also fearlessly “sit down and listen.”

In addition, Focused Leadership is characterized by an intense focus on decision making which complements this brand of courage. As leaders, we are not strangers to decision making. However, we all find ourselves, at times, faced with the need to make a decision that is right for our team but challenging for others (and maybe ourselves) to swallow. I can recall scores of decisions I have made over my career which fall into this category. They all, at the time, seemed to take on the dimensions of “life or death” decisions. However, in hindsight, I recall that every decision that landed “on the side of the team as a whole” turned out to be the right decision.

As a part of your effort to become a more effective leader, you should strive to have the brand of courage required to make decisions that are best for your team and your organization’s success.

HAVE THE COURAGE TO MAKE  THE RIGHT DECISIONS

Earl Cobb is the author of "Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader", and an American “rags-to-riches” success story. Through his hard work, dedication and faith, Earl has forged an accomplished career as a systems engineer, project/program manager, and gifted entrepreneur. He is also a highly respected senior management executive. He has enjoyed over twenty-five years of success within Fortune 100 companies including Honeywell, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank. He is the former President and CEO of MedContrax, Inc.

You can contact Earl at earl@richerlifellc. You can find his website at  www.richerlifellc.com

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Windows, Mirrors and Leadership

Michelle Braden, CEO of MSBCoach

As a leader, do you use a window/mirror approach?  This is a meaningful question for authentic and effective leaders to ask themselves.  When things are going well, and goals are being met or exceeded, a compelling leader will use the window approach.  The window approach transpires when a leader points out the window and says, “look out there… they did it… they are the reason for our success!”  On the contrary, when there is a failure or let down, the leader with integrity holds up the mirror and says, “I am responsible. Where did I fail to communicate, motivate, understand, or explain?”

When using the window/mirror approach, it is important for leaders to know their intrinsic as well as their extrinsic motivations.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be valued and appreciated for the work you have done (and for some leaders this is an important source of motivation).  Nevertheless, it becomes your responsibility to share the glory once you step into the leadership role.

As leaders, let’s hold up the mirror with the following questions:

1. Have I ever taken credit when I shouldn’t have?
2. Were there times when I had the opportunity to share the glory and chose not to?
3. Have I ever pointed the finger at someone or something for a failure or a mistake?
4. What are three action steps I will take to use the window/mirror approach in my leadership?
5. Who can be an “accountability partner” to help me make sure that I am following through with these new leadership behavior patterns?
6. If receiving credit is an important motivation for me, how can I share the credit and still be fulfilled?
7. What will be the benefits to me if I use the window/mirror approach to leadership?
8. What will be the benefits for my team if I use the window/mirror approach?

We know from Gallup research that only 28% of employees are “actively engaged”, a staggering 53% are “disengaged” and 19% are “actively disengaged”.  These numbers have drastic negative effects to the bottom line.  But leaders who practice the window/mirror principle create a bond with their employees to help increase employee commitment and the organization’s bottom line.  Leaders also start to see team members who are happier and more self-confident. The window/mirror approach to leadership builds trust, loyalty, and employee engagement throughout the organization.

Do you have any questions to add to our “mirror” list above?  Can you think of any instances where you have successfully employed the window/mirror approach to leadership, or some instances where you wish you did?  If so, I hope you will share your insights with us.

Having a coach is a powerful way to become more effective with the window/mirror approach.  A coach will partner with you to help you uncover leadership blind spots, and steer you towards a more effective leadership approach.  MSBCoach specializes in leadership and executive coaching.  If you are interested in learning how to work with a coach and improve your leadership effectiveness, I invite you to contact us today to find out more.

Michelle Braden is the CEO of MSBCoach, an ICF certified business. Michelle is an ICF and TED certified coach and received her Advanced Human Behavior Certification and Wellness Coaching certification from the Leadership Institute of America.  She is an advanced certified associate of Emergenetics, Int. and advanced trainer for DiSC. Michelle has worked with notables from Morgan Keegan, Capital One, the University of Virginia, General Dynamics, LexisNexis, and the City of Charlottesville, and has served in leadership, coaching and training positions for corporations such as Robert Half International and Retirement Unlimited Incorporated. She has written two leadership training manuals for The Church of God International and is a freelance writer for Thought Leaders Blog, Lead Change Blog, Leadership Courseware Blog, The Business Networker, and Forward/Adelante magazine.

Working Ahead of the Power Curve

Robert Whipple, LeaderGrow.com

Ever find yourself scrambling near a deadline to get all the work done? I suspect we have all experienced a time crunch on a project, whether it was a term paper in school, a special project at work, or even a party to celebrate a holiday. As we pull an all-nighter to finish our project just ahead of the deadline, what we are really doing is lowering our chances of a successful effort.

The alternative is to arrange your life so that you can complete your work well ahead of the due date. My mentor used to refer to this as "working ahead of the power curve." There are many advantages of getting the work done early. Here are six obvious advantages:

1. You have more time to polish the work, so the quality is significantly higher.
2. You can do dry runs of the material, so your work comes out more professional looking.
3. You can relax and not be uptight about working close to the deadline. That also improves the quality of the material along with the quality of your life.
4. You get the reputation as an organized person who has his or her act together.
5. You can spend some time looking at potential problems that might arise and have contingencies ready to go.
6. Since you know you are prepared, you appear more confident and relaxed when the event arrives.

With the help of my mentor, I got the idea of doing this many years ago. It sounded impossible to me at the time because, like everyone else, I was always so backed up with dozens of projects. Actually, it was not as difficult as I thought to get into the habit of tricking myself into believing the deadline was a week or two ahead of the actual due date. Once I experienced the tremendous benefits of working ahead of the power curve, as described above, I have tried to work that way ever since. There are still some times when things get just overwhelming, but when that happens, I just get up earlier to keep things moving. 

Try the formula of working ahead of the power curve in your life. If you can acquire the discipline to do it, you will find that the quality of your work will rise, while at the same time your stress level will go down. It is a life skill well worth cultivating. 

Robert Whipple, MBA, CPLP, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.  For more information, or to bring Bob in to speak at your next event, contact him at www.Leadergrow.com, [email protected]

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