Lessons of Leadership & Culture From Kenya

March 3, 2012 by

Leadership is CultureA few weeks ago, our three children taught me a valuable lesson during a trip to the national public library in Kenya to attend a children’s club. The first activity of the day was poetry, and the club’s coordinator asked for a child volunteer to teach the others a poem. There was a poignant unease as none of the children wanted to go up on stage.

Suddenly, a hand shot up. It was our precious six-year old daughter. My lovely wife nearly fell off her seat in fright! She wondered what our daughter could possibly teach her peers. Before my wife could react, our daughter bounced onto the stage. In a clear, confident voice, and without skipping a beat, she let forth the words:

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
a peck of picked peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a pipe of pickled peppers,
where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

Like clockwork, all the children chimed in together and asked to learn the piece. At the end of it, there were many smiling, albeit tongue-tied children. Curious to know what drove her to volunteer, I asked her and she responded, “It was the right thing to do!” She had this funny look on her that seemed to suggest that I might be growing a little soft in the head.

Then it struck me, unbeknownst to her, she was already honing her leadership skills. Without fear of failure, she took the initiative, and taught her peers. Immediately, it took me back to a poem I read on Todd Nielsen’s blog, “The Leadership / Parenting Analogy”. Four lines from “Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D especially stood out…

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.

Then I fully appreciated our daughter’s response. My wife and I have sung, spoken and read to our three children from when they were snug in their mother’s belly. In there, a culture was incubated… one of care, reading, love, and sharing. No one taught our daughter the tongue twister she recited that morning. Her mother had written it out on a card and posted it on a door at home.

From a very tender age we have encouraged our children to read wholesome literature. We read to them, bought them books, and spurred them to explore the joys of the written word. My wife and I also read a lot. Reading has become an odyssey into new worlds. At six years, our first-born daughter is exploring Greek mythology, presenting me with a mind-boggling account of Greek leaders and their conquests and failure. She is already engaging us in debates, trying to link historical events to present reality.

As parents, we have been very deliberate and actively present in our children’s lives. We have been able to practice what Lyn Boyer refers to as ‘Affective Leadership’, the ability to connect with and influence other people to achieve common goals through strong and genuine relationships and emotional attachments.

As we have developed the culture of our family, so the culture of organizations needs to be developed. A primary function of leadership is to develop culture. For the right culture to emerge, deliberate and careful nurturing is required. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell notes that people don’t rise from nothing. “[People] are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.”

Furthermore, Brent Harris said, “You can’t teach culture. You have to live it. You have to experience it. You have to share it. And most importantly…you have to show it.”

As leaders I hope that we can all take heed of the lessons all around us, including in our family, that teach us how to develop and improve the cultures that we are responsible for.

Please leave a comment below.

Connect with Kimunya Mugo: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

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Leadership Re-Imagined – Why the lessons of the Past Are Not Enough!

March 2, 2012 by

Leadership Re-ImaginedLeadership Re-Imagined: The traditional barriers to entry in nearly every industry have fallen. Even brilliantly innovative ideas, products, and services – no longer secure a company’s competitive advantage. This is the reality of information diffusion and global commoditization. The new competitive edge is neither a product nor a service; it is the people who make them. While innovations can be replicated …innovators cannot.

The new barrier to entry is a cadre of leaders in an organization who inspire innovation as a way of life at every level and who can develop more leaders like them. To develop such a cadre of leaders, companies need to adopt three specific leadership tenets:

  • The ratio of leaders to employees has inverted
  • Old skills and competencies are insufficient for leadership effectiveness
  • Traditional programs for leadership development have become irrelevant

The ratio of leaders to employees has inverted

Let’s assume the following:

  • You define a leader in an organization as:  any individual who can further that organization’s objectives by influencing the behavior of others.
  • Many, if not most, activities that do not involve the influencing of human behavior can be performed by technology.

Those being true, then most of the people in your organization are capable, in some way or another, of furthering the organization’s objectives by influencing the behavior of others. The majority of your employees then, should be developed and managed as if they were leaders.

No longer are your leaders restricted to the C-suite or even the top 200 or 500. The majority of employees are probably leaders and can further your company’s objectives by influencing others whether internally or externally. Apple gets this, many other companies do as well – but not all.

Microsoft’s attempt to emulate Apple’s wildly successful retail stores didn’t seem to be working all that well when I took a walk through the Century City Shopping Mall in Los Angeles last week. The Apple store was teaming with excited shoppers; Microsoft’s attractive, large new store was empty except for its team of assistants standing by, waiting. Microsoft staffs its stores with competent salespeople, I am sure. But Apple staffs its stores with inspired leaders who know they are expected to further Apple’s objectives by influencing the behavior of others. These objectives go beyond “the next sale;” they are more about growing the Apple brand and co-opting new Apple fans. Appreciating the ratio of leaders to employees in your company is key to its growth.

Professor Bill George of Harvard Business School writes in his insightful February 17th article, A New Era For Global Leadership Development, that: “Rather than concentrating on the top 50 leaders, global companies need to develop hundreds, even thousands, of leaders comfortable operating in a variety of cultures…. IBM’s former chief learning officer recently estimated that IBM will need 50,000 leaders in the future.”

Skills and competencies are insufficient for leadership effectiveness

Traditional leadership competencies do not equip leaders for a global environment of accelerated change. Today’s leaders manage in paradox and for this they need agility, tenacity and unwavering values. They need the stature to connect with and challenge people simultaneously, inspire trust; and ignite innovation.

Great leaders won’t cut it any more. We need great human beings in leadership positions.

Some of the leadership paradoxes to optimizing existing operations while preparing for a future even they cannot imagine are:

  •  A business-unit focus …with an enterprise vision.
  • Authentic self-insight …with the cultural intelligence to adapt to different cultures and generations.
  • Inspiring innovation …while driving efficiencies.
  • Manage traditional lines of accountability …while embracing complex multinational, multi-functional and multi-cultural matrices.

Traditional methods of leadership development have become irrelevant

We need new thinking about leadership development. We need to grow people’s characters not just their competencies and help them achieve results by using their personal stature more than their positional status. Above all, if most of our employees are to be developed and managed as leaders, our training must produce leaders who know how to develop and manage other leaders – many of them – leaders of different generations and of different cultures.

Hours of classroom training yield limited returns. Exposing leaders to best practice and current thought leadership at best makes them as good as others. Business simulations sharpen leaders’ minds but do nothing for their stature and character.  Your leadership development architecture should be as innovative as your product development and indigenous to your own culture. It should focus on character not on competencies;  it is only through growing leadership character that you build leadership prowess.

Audit your current thinking on leadership development by asking yourself and your team 5 questions:

  • How do we define a leader in our organization?
  • What ratio of leaders to employees do we consider our company to have?
  • Is the way we develop our leaders as innovative as the way we develop our products and services?
  • Is our leadership development now, radically different from our older paradigms of thought?  How different is it from the programs of our competitors and peers?
  • Can our leadership development architecture become our competitive advantage going forward, and how easy would it be for others to copy us?

You might have a unique opportunity now to re-imagine your philosophy of leadership, re-engineer your leadership development, and forever set your company apart from its competitors.

Lets keep the conversation flowing. What do think about these new paradigms of leadership and the importance of innovation in leadership? Please leave a comment below.

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Does Your Leadership Style Need To Change When Leading Internationally?

March 1, 2012 by

International LeadershipLeading Internationally: There are not too many books about leading internationally and the majority of books on leadership are written by individuals with either an American or British background. Built into many of these books is an assumption that leadership is the same wherever the culture of those being led are located. While there is considerable overlap in what different geographic cultures regard as good leadership, when leading internationally you need to verify that your leadership style fits the cultural expectations of those you are leading.

Six Questions To Ask When Leading Internationally

There are often no clear cut answers on the type of culture to expect when leading internationally; however, you can adapt your leadership style as you become more aware of different cultural interpretations of leadership. The following six questions will help you to become more aware of the leadership style you should adopt when leading internationally.

Question One to Leading Internationally:
Which comes first – personal relationships or fairness?

In Anglo-Saxon cultures the fair application of universal rules, irrespective of the relationship you have with the individual, is regarded as creditable. However in other cultures the relationship you have with the individual is regarded as paramount. For example, in the culture you operate in, if a mother reported her criminal son to the police, would this be regarded as a positive or a negative thing? Which comes first, the rule or the relationship? What impact will that have on your leadership style?

Question Two to Leading Internationally:
Where are they looking – the future or the past?

American culture is generally very future orientated, while in other cultures like in the Middle East, the past has greater resonance. For leaders this is a key question, as a vision that resonates with past glories will have greater traction with a past-orientated culture. Your exhortations for a bright future need to be recognizable within the organization’s history.

Question Three to Leading Internationally:
How do they feel about risk – exciting or a threat?

Not all cultures feel the same way about risk. Many people are risk adverse, whatever the culture, but in some cultures, change as an opportunity is a hard sell as they are strongly risk adverse. As a leader, you need to understand their risk appetite and stress the continuity of the change (we are already doing it, we just need to do it a bit more) rather than the benefits of a new way of working.

Question Four to Leading Internationally:
How do they see relationships – open or localized?

This is a common challenge for expatriate managers – where do work relations end and private ones begin. Inviting your team to your house for a BBQ may go down well in some cultures but in many others this would be at best inappropriate or at worst sheer torture. Where do work relationships end? This issue includes calling people at home or at the weekend. This may be acceptable in one culture but an invasion of privacy in others.

Question Five to Leading Internationally: 
How do they see hierarchy – flat or with clear differentials?

Failing to understand the accepted culture can create difficulties for you as a leader. Some cultures do not discriminate between hierarchy – no special parking places, no separate lunch facilities. In others, there is a clear distinction. Breaking what is expected of you can lead to a loss of respect that is hard to undo. Demanding a different treatment in a non-hierarchical culture may result in tension. Similarly, being one of the team when you are expected to be separate may lose you respect. What is their approach to hierarchy?

Question Six to Leading Internationally:
Which do they prioritize – the individual or the group?

I once tried to bring in an individual bonus scheme into a culture which prioritized the group. However, everyone was given the same rating by the managers and therefore the same relative bonus. What is most important to your team? Individual recognition or the success of the team? This can affect numerous decisions including promotions, salary structure and public announcements of success. Many cultures are not comfortable with western-style individualism and the team can actively or passively undermine initiatives that do not prioritize the team.

Leading Internationally: Summary

Remember, there is no right answer with cultural questions, especially when leading internationally. Culture is merely “the way we do things round here.” However, the biggest driver for change is contact with other cultures (that means you!). Ask yourself these questions, or even better, discuss them openly with your team. Avoid generalizations based on nationality (what culture does a French manager with an MBA from the US working in Singapore have?) but base your understanding on observation and discussion. 99% of all cultural clashes can be resolved through discussion. Be open, observe, discuss and adapt your leadership style to the culture you are working in.

Lets keep the conversation flowing. What hints and advice do you have to leading internationally? Please leave a comment below.

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Solitude, Silence, & Doubt …Companions to The Loneliness of Being a Leader

February 26, 2012 by

Lonely Leadership

A colleague came to the door today,
Solitude was his name.
We hung out awhile,
and talked about the game.

Then another knock …though I barely heard;
I went to the door, to see who it could be.
Lo and behold it was our old colleague, Silence.
So we all gathered ’round, and watched T.V.

It had been a while since I had seen my friend, Doubt;
but he sat down beside me …and started to shout.
So we all argued under a solemn storm, well past the midnight horn.

Then “Mercy,” cried I, “You must all leave.”
“Up to my bed, I must catch my Z’s.”
“But lets do it again, it was so much ….umm, fun.”
“But another time, when there is …sun?”

We saw much of each other, over the years;
in happy times, bad times, good times, and tears.
Then one day we made a crazy goof;
we moved in together, under one roof.

We finally realized it was a bad mistake.
So we all shook hands and went our ways.
promising to get together …one of these days.

But take my advice, its a good route,
if ever you bump into Solitude, Silence, or Doubt.
Don’t stay long, though it be their desire.
For there are others out there, who will lift you much higher.

Though they may be the ones to help over the years,
A leader must find more friends to ease the fears.
Loneliness comes quickly, with Solitude, Silence, and Doubt.
So step down from your perch, and look all about.

The Loneliness of Being a Leader

I wrote that poem over 15 years ago and it recently came to mind, as I observed a situation unfolding with a colleague. I don’t profess to be a poet, and have not written poetry in a long time, but I felt that the message was an important one to share and understand. Those that have run departments and organizations know the heavy weight that can bear down on them while they struggle to make the right decisions. This weight has been described for years under the phrase of “its lonely at the top.”

Lonely LeadershipThe burden of knowing that the livelihood of the people and their families under your leadership, may never be easy to bear, especially in times of trouble. We can’t talk it away, or rationalize it, the burden must be carried, decisions must be made …and we have to live with those decisions once they are made.

I won’t say that I never “bunk” with solitude, silence, or doubt …we all have our days. Solitude, Silence, and Doubt, can be really horrible companions to a leader, but they can also be strong advisers to bring about greater understanding. I love leadership, and 0ver the years I have discovered several things that have helped me minimize this burden that can sometimes be great. So much so, that I rarely feel the burden, but instead feel the privilege.

A Leader Should Surround Oneself with People that are Smarter and Different

I use the term “surround” loosely. In this world of information, it is easy to surround ourselves physically and virtually with brilliant minds. Any smart leader knows that to be successful they must have leaders and managers in their organization that have brilliant minds and that compliment your differences. These people must be relied on to give honest advice and feedback. But more so than this even, I have found that surrounding yourself with coaches, advisers, and a personal performance partner, can be hugely beneficial. Additionally, websites like LinkedIn and Focus allow you to ask questions and get advice from a wide variety of brilliant minds. There are also many professional associations made up of peers in your industry that might have the same struggles you have and can offer advice. Ultimately you will have to make the decision you are struggling with as a leader, and live with it; but you should never have the excuse of not having anyone to get advice from.

A Leader Should Eliminate Negative Influences

I am not referring to advisers. I am a firm believer in conflict and feel you must have people around you that will give you different or opposing views. But this world has a lot of negative influences that can bring about doubt and loneliness. I rarely watch or listen to the news, especially any local news. It is always filled with the horrors of the world; and even though they may not be associated with your leadership, it usually does not contain the positive, self-affirming influences that you need in your life that do affect your leadership.

This need for positive influences also applies to: where you go, what you fill your idle time with, what music you listen too, even what you eat and drink. There are so many factors that can bring about a negative vibe in your body and mind, which will not relieve your leadership burden, but add to it.

A Leader should Immerse Themselves in Discovery

I could go on a rant on this topic. The world is filled with so many wonderful books, magazines, and blogs that contain amazing advice. Nothing has increased my leadership acumen, or helped me gain more understanding … than reading. In times of solitude and loneliness, don’t turn away from the brilliant minds that could help you be become stronger and more knowledgeable. Immerse yourself in discovering how to be a better leader.

========================================================================= So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to avoid the loneliness that can come from being a leader?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies. =========================================================================

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Words To Lead By – An Inspirational Message of Leadership

February 22, 2012 by

I am not even sure where I found this video, as it was sitting in draft mode for months. But as I watched it – the message pierced my mind and uplifted my heart as I considered certain situations and leadership challenges that I was struggling with. Please take a few moments, sit back, relax, and just take in this short message of leadership that we should all remember. Please comment below on what words of leadership were of most value to you, and what additional words of leadership advice you might have.

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So …now that you’ve watched this video, how are you going to use this information to improve your leadership? What words of leadership were of most value to you, and what additional words of leadership advice do you have to improve your success?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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A Leadership & Personal Branding Lesson From a 3 Year Old

February 14, 2012 by

Leadership & Personal Branding

I wrote a guest post today over at the website http://www.clubbrandspiration.com. I would not normally post an article on my site that mentions a guest post, but I liked the article so much that I wanted to share it with all of you. It is about a small lesson of leadership & personal branding that I learned from playing with my 3 year old.  Please take a trip over to Club Brandspiration and check out the article: http://www.clubbrandspiration.com/2012/02/personal-branding-lessons-from-a-3-year-old/. Whether you want to differentiate yourself or your company, the words of my son ““You Be All Those, & I’ll Be Me,” I think Will help you.

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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to differentiate yourself or your company?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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Achieving Accountability With Talk of Infidelity

February 8, 2012 by

AccountabilityAccountability – I consider myself an expert on accountability and execution (I did write a book on it…), but recently I received a lesson in accountability that I will never forget. Each week after I do my weekly planning, I determine my 3 most valuable goals for the week and I then send these goals to my “personal performance partner,” in some circles this would be called an “accountability partner.” Mine is both a friend and a colleague. Each week he performs the same routine and sends his goals to me. We do this to keep each other accountable. So a couple days after sending my goals for that particular week, he sent me an email and asked me how I was coming on my number one goal for the week. That week was a very busy week, and I responded with this message:

“I have not done it . I got busy with a bunch of other things. I need to do it …so much to do. I am going to try and do it tonight.”

Two hours later I received a lesson in accountability that I plan on using over and over. This is what my accountability partner said:

“I don’t like the word ‘TRY.’ What would your wife say if you would have said ‘I will TRY to be faithful to you?’ Either make it your number one goal or don’t, but don’t try to fool yourself, as your smarter than that! Commit my friend!”

I almost fell out of my chair. I was stunned and laughing at the same time. I had never seen this tactic used in accountability. So do you think I completed my goal that week…..um, hell yeah!

Accountability & “Try”

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience, and it was not so much about accountability, it was actually about the word “try” and my ability to get goals done. There are so many distractions in life that take us away from achieving what is important. No one knows this better than a leader. We could have a number one goal for ourselves, a number one for our organization, a number one for each department or region, etc… Juggling these can be difficult

The particular goal for that week was not a very pleasant goal, but was necessary for the future security of my family. It took a lot of time, in a week that I did not have much time. I was up until the wee hours of the morning one day completing this goal, and while I was tired the next morning, I felt a lot better than if I would have excused my goal away and rationalized the non-completion of it. I learned two lessons from this experience: First that when something is really important to me and the “why” is big enough, that I will move mountains to complete my goal; and secondly that no matter the circumstances, I usually do have the will power and energy to make sure I complete my goal. It might not be easy, but focus can bring about amazing successes.

I have worked on accountability with many business owners that very easily rationalize the non-completion of their goals. With some, no matter how much I try to bring accountability into the goal completion, they will just make excuses for all that they did not get done. Usually though we have the power to overcome the word “try.” Sure there are valid reasons sometimes, for not completing goals, but many use these for what they really are, lame excuses.

I believe we have the power to define our future, and overcoming our mental blocks and excuses is necesary to bring about a future that looks the same way we imagine it to be.

Accountability Takeaway’s

1.   Find yourself an accountability partner that cares as much about your success as you do. Help to keep each other accountable for each other’s goal completion.

2.    Reading. My favorite book on accountability, and one of my favorite books period, is The Oz Principle, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, Craig Hickman. I highly recommend reading this book, it will change your outlook on the meaning of accountability. This book is so important to me that my child will read it when he is old enough to understand it. So this is not a frivolous recommendation.

3.    When you find yourself making excuses for not getting goals done, think twice on if you really have the power and energy to complete it. Don’t give in to excuses. Focus, make a plan, and make it happen.

4.    When you find yourself failing on goals, review the reasons or the “why” to determine if it is strong enough to motivate you to action.

5.   If all else fails, compare your own “try” to something really bad and is against your values, like …infidelity.

On last thought. My accountability partner really knows me. He knew that I was making excuses and letting other things get in the way. It was not that I was not accomplishing things. I was accomplishing a lot of things, but I was ignoring my number one. Make sure you have a good enough relationship to get this serious in your accountability efforts, otherwise your good accountability intentions could backfire.

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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to bring greater accountability to your goals?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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Lessons of Execution & Leadership from Cotton Patch Cafe

January 31, 2012 by

LeadershipFor the past 3 months I have been consulting with a company in the city of Lubbock. Located among the flat landscape and cotton fields of West Texas, this small city is brimming in abundance with many things, but three in particular: banks, churches, and restaurants. Fortunately, as I have been traveling for extended periods of time there, I am thankful for the many restaurants. Anyone that travels for extended periods of time understands that eating out meal-after-meal can be a frustrating endeavor. Restaurants are one of the few places where the top-down effectiveness of the leadership of organizations can be experienced so intimately and instantly; and where you can win and lose a “client” in minutes.

I am never as picky about customer service or product quality as when I am at a restaurant. The product of a restaurant is the experience and the food. Restaurants that are successful & have successful leadership, continually strive to perfect these items at every level. It is quite easy to see through the restaurants that have poor leadership, as their lack of attention to innovation and quality is easily recognized. This is all about drilling down into the little things: butter that is not frozen when it comes out, food that is warm, friendly staff, drink always full, etc…

Among the many restaurants that I have eaten at, the one that I keep coming back to time after time during my stay in Lubbock is the Cotton Patch Cafe. (*Note: this article is NOT sponsored). The Cotton Patch cafe has 39 locations in only 2 states, but the lessons of innovation, execution and leadership, are valuable for businesses worldwide. While no restaurant is perfect all the time, this restaurant has exceeded all my expectations and given me a home away from home feeling.

Let me share with you what I have learned over the last couple months about leadership, perfection, innovation, and successful execution from my 2 to 4 visits a week to the Cotton Patch Cafe:

Setting the Tone

When you walk in the door one is instantly greeted by two smiling hostesses. I have never had to wait for a hostess to show up. I think many people in leadership positions overlook this fact of how much a smile and a good experience, right when you “walk in the door,” can set the tone for the rest of the experience. This is no different a lesson if you do not have a customer facing business.  Have you ever called a business and been met with an indifferent or rude person on the other end of the line? Or receieved a technician at your business that was just “doing their job?” A smile can do wonders, whether in person …or over the phone. The staff at Cotton Patch all take the time to remember my name, and ensure that my experience is good from the onset. The day I wrote this article, I had been to two restaurants before finally going to Cotton Patch. The service at both restaurants was horrible and I left each of them without eating. Looking back, neither of them met me with a smile at the door. So if you think this is not that important, think again.

Quality of People

I can only assume that the Cotton Patch leadership has a great training or orientation program, and/or even a great hiring process, because I have never had a bad experience with any individual there. In fact I will take that a step farther and say that I have never, not had, an exceptional experience with any individual there. I see new faces on different days and they still perform the same as others. There cannot be enough said to the lesson of: hire good people, train them well, and success will follow.

Teamwork & Silos

At most restaurants, the hostess is the person that greets people and escorts them to their table. The bartenders stay at the bar, the waiters and waitresses – take orders and serve, the clean-up crew cleans the tables. Well at Cotton Patch those position all exist as well, but their teamwork is amazing. Waiters and waitresses at most restaurants are especially territorial. Same goes for sales staff at businesses. They are protecting their tip, their “commission.” Yet at Cotton Patch, I have seen the hostesses cleaning-up tables to help the clean-up crew. I have had waiters and waitresses that were not my waiter or waitress at the time, go and get me a drink. I have had other waitresses come to my table to make sure things were OK.

There are no silos that I have been able to identify; they all work as a team. Many books have been written on teamwork and avoiding silos. This important lesson of leadership creates synergy and multiples an organization’s success – many fold. A team of people that cares first for the successful experience of the customer, rather than protecting their personal tip amount, is a beautiful site to see.

Innovation & Consistency

One thing about restaurants that has always bothered me is if there is something on the menu, or the atmosphere that is not perfect, I have never understood why the restaurant leadership does not take the time to innovate and make it perfect.  Instead, many restaurants keep serving up the same poor quality food over and over or doing the same poor practice over and over. At Cotton Patch, the bread is always warm, butter is never frozen, the food is always good, and each menu item tastes just as good …each and every time. Over 2 months ago I had their pork chop meal. They were best pork chops I have ever had, and for over a month, I was actually afraid of getting it again because I was afraid that the “best” could only happen once, and I did not want to ruin the perfect memory I had. Well, I was wrong, it was awesome the second time too.

Leadership & Execution Perfection?

Those in leadership at all organizations need to take the time to perfect their processes, perfect their products, and provide consistent quality and service. Of course a business shouldn’t get stuck down in the details and avoid delivering; but it is important to always be innovating and trying to achieve perfection in all aspects of an organization’s operations, services, and products. In my opinion, Cotton Patch has done just that.

These lessons from Cotton Patch Cafe are important for all businesses. I use the term “perfection” loosely, as the best any business can do is to satisfy the highest number of people, most of the time. Of course… hmm… if Cotton Patch were to start serving sweet potato pie, well then, I would probably have to concede perfection…… 🙂

If you are ever in Texas or New Mexico, take the time to see these lessons in action for yourself at Cotton Patch Cafe. And if you happen to visit Cotton Patch Cafe in Lubbock, TX, please say “Hi” to Leeann, the General Manager, and give her a high-five.

Leadership Take-Away’s From Cotton Patch Cafe

1.   Set the tone with your customers right off the bat.
2.   Make sure your staff knows how to smile, on the phone and in person.
3.   Hire quality people
4.   Train your people well
5.   Foster teamwork & abolish silos
6.   Perfect your product and/or services for the market you are serving
7.   Keep innovating
8.   Execute with consistency
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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to bring about greater success in your organization?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, as well as occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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Filed Under: Leadership Perfection Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 Steps To Avoiding the “F” Word & Meaningless Leadership

January 25, 2012 by

Meaningless LeadershipFrancis Chan stated so eloquently stated,”Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” The depth of truth in that statement gives me goose-bumps. Oh how often we find ourselves, succeeding at the things we are good at and never pushing ourselves try different and greater things that will really matter in our lives, our companies and our relationships.

There is a difference in achieving something that took a lot of effort and achieving something that is meaningful, great, and lasting. I have thought about this and wondered how can I determine if a goal I have really matters.

Avoiding Meaningless Goals & Meaningless Leadership

Work through the following steps, to determine if a goal you have is really meaningful and to avoid meaningless leadership in your organization:

  1. Will this goal contribute to my long-term success?
  2. Will achieving this goal make me (a better leader, a better spouse, a better manager….etc…)?
  3. Talk with friends, coaches, family, subordinates and colleagues and ask them if the goal you are making is meaningful and really matters. This is especially important if your goal effects them.
  4. Ask yourself, if nothing held me back, is there a goal that is higher on the same ladder that will be more meaningful? Don’t short-change yourself by not pushing hard enough.

These steps, while simple will push you beyond a stretch. Meaningful often means harder, but not necessarily, but the rewards are hugely greater if you achieve a meaningful goal and create meaningful leadership successes. It is better to work hard and fail inches from a hard meaningful goal, than to succeed at tiny meaningless goals.

So don’t be afraid of the “F” word, FAILURE, be afraid of setting meaningless goals for yourself or your organization, for with meaningless goals, comes meaningless leadership.

Setting Meaningful Goals t0 Avoid Meaningless Leadership

I recommend reading The Ultimate Personal Success Plan and follow the 4 steps listed above to get on the path of creating goals that will be meaningful to you, your organizations, and your relationships.

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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to bring more meaning to your goal achievement and avoid meaningless goals and meaningless leadership?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, as well as occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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Filed Under: Meaningful Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Successful Leaders Guide To Getting Lucky

January 18, 2012 by

Successful LeadersHave you ever been envious of successful leaders? Have you ever wondered why all the good things happen to them? Have you ever questioned yourself and thought, “why can’t I be as  lucky as those successful leaders?” Do you wonder why good things happen to those successful leaders and why good fortune seems to follow them around?

The Secret of Successful Leaders

Well, I will tell you the secret of successful leaders …they get lucky because they do the work to create opportunities that appear to others as luck. Yeah, it is not really luck is it. Shamrocks, rainbows, and rabbit feet will not make successful leaders. Luck comes from creating opportunies that come to us as we get out of our comfort zone, take risks, and do the work that is necesary to create those opportunities.

I realized this week that as hard as my personal success plan is for me, there was something I still was not doing. I was not getting out of my comfort zone and creating opportunites. My personal success plan is hard for sure. I have a ton of goals and they require a large amount of discipline and focus to achieve. But therein lies the problem, I am doing a bunch of things, but very few of them require me to get out of my comfort zone, they just require me to work harder. There is no doubt that they will make me better, but “better” has never really been good enough for me.

A Successful Leaders Takeway to Creating Luck

So I challenge all you leaders, wheter you consider yourself a successful leader or not, to dig deep, figure out what you want to achieve and what opportunies you could create by stepping out and doing one thing everyday that will help to bring greater success. Keep at it, keep at it, and sooner or later, you’ll get lucky too, because as Elmer Leterman said, “Luck is what happens when preparation, meets opportunity.”

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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to create “luck?”

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comment section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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Filed Under: Leadership Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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