What’s Your Style of Leadership: The Big One, The Trendy One, or The Child…

July 29, 2013 by

Leadership-Style-BowlingIf you visit a bowling alley and watch the bowlers, there are a few things you might see. There will probably be the big guy with a loud voice, throwing the ball as fast as he possibly can. There might be the trendy lady who doesn’t want to bend too much because her pants are too tight. You might see the five year old; who walks up to the line, bends over, and pushes the bowling ball.

All of these bowlers start with the same chance of getting a strike, but the likelihood of succeeding is all in their style.

Leadership is a lot like bowling, it takes… style. You need to be able to identify your style, and adjust for each situation. Using the big bowler as an example, his first throw down the alley might result in nine pins knocked down, leaving only one. If he uses the same approach with his second toss, he might miss completely. He will have a much better possibility of success if he slows down and focuses on the remaining pin.

When leading, take a few moments periodically and reassess the style you are using. It could be that what worked at the beginning of a project, is not the style that is needed in the middle or the end of a project. Keeping a team focused and enthused about their goal takes effort, and needs a bit of adjustment now and again. As teams mature, the style needed to lead them will also change.

What style works for you?

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10 Steps to Lead with Your Personal Brand, not Your Title!

March 25, 2013 by

10-Steps-to-Lead-with-Your-Personal-Brand-not-Your-Title-Peter-SterlacciGuess what CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CMO? At the end of the day, that title of yours really means nothing. CxOs are a dime a dozen and beyond the initial ‘wow factor’ that you might receive by telling someone you are Chief ‘Something’ Officer, that is where it ends. That fancy title actually ‘commodifies’ you even at the executive level, and people simply do not get excited about commodities!

Your true ‘wow factor’ comes from how your personal brand defines your leadership.” ~Peter Sterlacci Tweet This!

 10 Steps to Lead with Your Personal Brand

How can your ‘leader brand’ differentiate you from all the other CxOs out there? Follow these 10 steps to uncover and maintain the ‘wow factor’ of your leader brand.

1. Know Yourself to Grow Yourself

Do you know how others see you? Is there a gap between how you view your leadership and how those around you do? The first step to grow yourself is to know yourself and this involves both internal reflection and gathering external feedback.

The 360˚Reach Personal Brand Assessment enables you to gather data regarding the attributes, skills, competencies and strengths that define your brand. The process begins with a self-assessment and is followed by requesting feedback from others so you can compare how you view yourself with how you are currently perceived. The results will enable you to identify areas that you want to accentuate and areas you want to diminish as you define your leader brand.

2. Articulate your VPs

The foundation of your leader brand is called your “VPs” – vision, purpose, values, and passions.

  • Vision: Your image of what you see possible for the world – your desired future.
  • Purpose: Your role in turning your vision into reality.
  • Values: The ideals or operating principles that determine how you conduct your day-to-day activities. Your values are true to you and you do not compromise them.
  • Passions: This is what motivates and energizes you. Your passions get you out of bed in the morning, but as a leader always have ‘pure unadulterated tenacity’ to drive your passions forward.

3. Define your Target Audience

When leading your job is not to be ‘famous’, but rather to be ‘selectively famous’. In other words, identify the people who need your leadership and communicate your leader brand only to them. This target audience are the only ones who need to know you. They are the ones who will ultimately make the critical decision to follow you. Once you know your target audience, do everything in your power to nurture them.

4. Tell Your Story

Michael Margolis, founder of Get Storied, says,

“Your story is your brand. You have to get others to believe and identify with your story. When you can do that — the need to persuade, convince, or sell disappears.”

You have a unique story to tell and that story is what makes your leader brand authentic. Of course others can relate to your story because it may be similar, but it is never exactly the same. Each story is unique.  Focus on those things that make you unique and capitalize on them. Perhaps your credentials and experience got you into your leadership role, but your character and story is what will compel people to follow you.

5. Create Your ‘Leader Brand Statement’

What do you want to be known for? Having an answer to this question defines what your target audience can expect from your leadership. Remember, this statement is NOT your title! It is also not your personal mission or life purpose. It is a memorable 1-2 sentence statement that is solutions oriented. Here is a great template to use when crafting your leader brand statement:

“I want to be known for being __________ so that I can deliver __________ to __________.”

It is vital that you truly identify with your leader brand statement. You need to live and breathe this every day so take the time to make sure it best represents who you are and what you can do.

6. Build Your Brand Communication Plan

Visualize your brand communication plan as the wheels on a bicycle. Without wheels you cannot move! This plan allows your leadership to move forward.

The center of a wheel, the hub, keeps the spokes together. Likewise the center of your plan is the core leadership message you want to communicate to your target audience. Your communication vehicles, or spokes, radiate out of your core message and provide the support to keep your plan together. These may include presenting at conferences, joining professional organizations, using social media, creating a blog, writing an article or book for publication, etc.

Select a mix of vehicles that you will enjoy doing and will actually enable your leadership to reach your target audience. Remember, a broken spoke makes a wheel wobble and lose its strength. Select vehicles that you are strong at, or at least ones you are happy to make stronger. Schedule these ‘spokes’ into your calendar and commit to executing and repeating them.

7. Follow the 3Cs of Branding

Now that you know what you want to be known for and have a communication plan in place, remember to always follow the three C’s of branding – clarity, consistency, and constancy.

  • Clarity: Always be very clear about who you are and who you are not. By knowing your unique promise of value you are identifying what sets your apart from other CxOs. This is what differentiates you and allows you to attract brand loyalty among the people who are compelled to do business with you.
  • Consistency: Once you are clear about your promise of value, consistently demonstrate your brand promise everywhere. This includes your social media profiles, your website, your business cards, your communications. Everything.
  • Constancy: It is not enough to be clear and consistent if you are not always visible to your target audience. Strong leader brands are constant. They are always there for their customers, prospects, and those who can help them achieve their  goals. Be visible or run the risk of being forgotten!

8. Live in the Inquiry

Regular maintenance of your leader brand is necessary so live in the inquiry and always ask yourself if what you are doing or saying is on-brand or off-brand.  Is it contributing to your leadership message or distracting from it? Google yourself regularly to see if there is anything off-brand.  Ask for direct feedback from your community or do another 360Reach personal brand assessment to check if others see your brand in the same way you have been presenting it. If you find yourself going off-brand, take a moment to stop, assess what has happened, and get back on-brand as quickly as possible. By being on-brand your credibility is maintained.

9. Adapt and Adjust

Your leader brand isn’t static. It should evolve in response to the different expectations you face at different times in your career. Have the self-awareness to evolve your brand and if necessary even reinvent your leader brand.

10. Rinse and Repeat!

On a yearly basis go back to Step 1 and start again. It is important to establish the habit of re-assessing your leader brand and creating a new plan for the year. Has your vision or purpose changed? Do you have a new target audience? Are you no longer living your leader brand statement? Was there inconsistency in how your communicated your brand?

In the end, it is vital for any one of us, not just CxOs, to lead without a title. Perhaps Robin Sharma, author of The Leader Who Had No Title, said it best:

“Regardless of what you do in your organization, the single most important fact is that you have the power to show leadership.”

Follow the 10 steps above and you too will show your leader brand!

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The Precipice: Influence and Manipulation – Which Way Will You Fall?

March 9, 2013 by

Influence-Manipulation-Leadership-Ali-PaskunIn some ways, to influence and to manipulate can seem to be the same thing. After all, the intent of both influence and manipulation is to get other people to behave, think, or make the decision you want them to. But is that really the case as demonstrated by these definitions from thefreedictionary.com?

Influence:  (n) 1. A power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially one that operates without any direct or apparent effort. 2. Power to sway or affect based on prestige, wealth, ability, or position.  (v) 1. To produce an effect on by imperceptible or intangible means; sway. 2) To affect the nature, development, or condition of; modify.

Manipulate: (v) 1. To move, arrange, operate, or control by the hands or by mechanical means, especially in a skillful manner. 2. To influence or manage shrewdly or deviously. 3. To tamper with or falsify for personal gain.

As indicated in the definitions, the main purpose of both influence and manipulation is  to sway; however, there is a definite difference between the two. Influence is an ethical behavior; manipulation is unethical. We admire leaders who have mastered the power of influence; equally, we mistrust leaders we believe to be manipulative. They are both getting us to see things their way. Taken too far, influence can move to the other end of the spectrum and become manipulation.

The differences between influence and manipulation include the:

  • reason behind the intention to persuade another person
  • truthfulness and accuracy of provided information
  • transparency of the process
  • benefit, affect, or impact on the person.

Manipulation implies an intent to fool or trick someone into doing, believing, or buying something that leaves them harmed in some way. We view manipulators as schemers. Out to get what they want using whatever means possible, manipulators selfishly pursue their own agenda, trying to control instead of wanting to influence another person. For example:

Influence:  Someone offers a proposition that is beneficial to both parties.

Manipulation: Someone offers a proposition that serves their own purposes and is against the other person’s interest. They conceal a desire to move the person to their point of view in a way that will only benefit themselves. In addition, if their intention were uncovered, the discovery would cause the other person to be less receptive to their idea.

Influence: All information provided is accurate and shared openly.

Manipulation:  Information is withheld or distorted to trick or deceive.

Influence:  Someone is willingly led to something they want or that will benefit them.

Manipulation: Someone is led to something that will harm them or lead them to eventual regret.

Influence:  Requesting someone to do you a favor you believe they won’t want to do using sincere appreciation.

Manipulation: Getting someone to do you a favor you believe they won’t want to do using guilt or emotional blackmail.

Many years ago I worked with a manager who often ended his directives with, “And if I find out you didn’t follow what I said, you’re fired,” Looking back now, I assume that he was not confident in his role, his ability to do the job, and/or his effectiveness as a manager and leader. We have all known people who, like my former colleague, get others to do what they want through fear and intimidation. Using these tactics may accomplish what they want, but it does not make them leaders. Like love and hate, there is a fine line between influence and manipulation.

Like love and hate, there is a fine line between influence and manipulation.”  ~Ali Paskun Tweet this!

Which side are you on? Please share your insight and experience below.

Filed Under: International Leadership Blogathon Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Leading From The Heart

March 2, 2013 by

Leading-Heart-Susan-Bagyura“Leadership is not a formula or a program, it’s a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It’s an attitude, not a routine.” ~Lance Secretan

Even with leaders, loyalty and respect are earned, not given.  It’s the leader’s emotional intelligence skills determining their ability to influence and inspire others.

Here’s a perspective using the head and the heart.  Purpose and mission are important to both the head and heart leaders, but the day-to-day approach is stark in contrast.

When someone leads from the head, there’s an intellectual process that seems quite rational and reasonable.  As long as everything is running smoothly, this approach works well.

However, when there’s stress and tension, then the ego steps in looking for causes and someone to blame for the situation.  Voices and tensions are raised in reaction to the chaos. It’s like the lights were shut off as the darkness spreads throughout affecting anyone involved, even on the periphery.

Once the problem is resolved, outer appearances show that everything is back to normal.  However, a serious toll will have been taken, leaving anger and humiliation to fester in the wake. Things will have been said and done that many will carry as silent wounds.

When someone is allowing the head to rule during those stressful times, as things appear to be going desperately wrong, the ego is like a general involved in a bloody battle.  All civility is tossed aside in favor of getting the job done.  It’s a fear-based environment and everyone dreads being caught in the crossfire.

A heart-centered leader sees the people rather than the task as the number one priority.  This leader will be focused on bringing out the best in people in all circumstances.  Relationships are built based on respect, growth, cooperation and communication.

When leading from the heart, time is set aside to understand what’s important to each individual in terms of their:

  • Career/work
  • Growth
  • Family
  • Health
  • Finances
  • Future aspirations

The loyal union is predicated on helping each other get what they want.

Should a tense situation arise, rather than looking for a culprit, people will respond to the immediate needs while looking for the learning to be gained from the experience.  Instead of making accusations, ways to resolve the situation are found and changes are made to reduce the likelihood of a re-occurrence.

At the core of the heart-centered leadership is preservation of each individual’s value to the team, the organization.  When leaders take the time to view their staff from different perspectives, particularly personally, they will see strengths and commitment beyond their imaginings.

The proof of this is seen in each episode of Undercover Boss.  The CEO and their directors wonder how they can improve performance.  It’s decided the CEO will go undercover.

Always in disguise, the new worker experiences great difficulty doing any of the jobs they are given.  Suddenly at least 2 things become obvious to the boss:

  • The employees are working at maximum capacity
  • Most of the people, despite personal challenges, are performing amazingly well.

It’s only when these leaders have some heartfelt moments with some individuals that they recognize the extraordinary people working in their companies. Later the CEO institutes programs or assistance.

In each case, the CEO found the heart of their organization by engaging with each employee as a peer with something to learn from them.  Judgments were set aside in pursuit of understanding.

Although their individual contribution won’t show up on the spreadsheet, the personal pride of the workers performing to the best of their abilities shone through in the personal interactions with the undercover boss.

Each one ended up in tears when they were finally recognized and appreciated for their value to the organization.  Leading from the heart may take more time, but the outcomes are well worth the effort.

 Leading from the heart may take more time, but the outcomes are well worth the effort. ~Susan Bagyura Tweet this!

What other thoughts do you have about leading from the heart? Please share your thoughts below.

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Humility in Leadership: Myths, Fears, and Truths

March 2, 2013 by

Humility-leadership-kate-nassar Humility in leadership conjures vivid images in leaders’ minds. The images seem to fall into opposite camps: indecisive wimpiness or non-arrogant self-confidence.  It’s fair to say that if your image of humility in leadership is one of weakness… then you are not likely to strive for HUMILITY!

On the other hand if you see humility in leadership as the self-confident strength to lead others to shine, you are on your way or almost there.

What if you want to move from seeing humility in leadership as weakness to embracing its strength? Or perhaps you as a leader already embrace it but your leader doesn’t.

I’ve walked this journey with many leaders. So let’s walk it now.

Humility in Leadership: Steps to See Strength

Humility in Leadership: Myths, Fears, Truths (Image by: Dopamind via Flickr Creative Commons License.)

Humility in Leadership: Myths & Fears

Change involves owning your own fears for they can either create myths or extend themselves. What common fear-based myths, stop your growth to humility in leadership?

  • Fear of being a weak leader.

    New leaders, transitional leaders, and long time leaders all know they have strengths and weaknesses. Those who sense their own weaknesses more intensely than their strengths, often fear being seen as a weak leader. Will people see them as too nice to lead? From this fear comes the myth that humility in leadership is indecisive weakness.

  • Fear of being disrespected.

    Like dominoes, one fear based myth leads to another. Leaders who believe the myth that humility is indecisive weakness, fear being disrespected as a wimp. They then embrace the myth that being a strong non-humble leader builds respect. Certainly, there are many real problems that develop under weak leaders including bullying among teams, power struggles, culture of blame, finger pointing, low morale, and even chaos. Ironically, the same trouble can develop with non-humble leaders. I have seen both — over and over and over.

  • Fear of entanglement.

    This fear is often subconscious and hidden from leaders’ awareness. There are personality types as well as past experiences that drive leaders to avoid true connection with those they lead. They see connection as entanglement and loss of objectivity. They then attach this fear to humility in leadership, and form a false conclusion: Humble leaders lose their objectivity and can’t handle tough conversations with employees. Humility does not cause a loss of objectivity. In fact, it strengthens it. Humility keeps you in learning mode and objectivity comes through knowledge.

Myth: Humble leaders lose their objectivity and can’t handle tough conversations with employees.” ~Kate Nasser #leadership #peopleskills Tweet this!

Humility in Leadership: Truths

  • Humility elevates purpose above the personal.

    Leaders’ humility guides all toward the greater goals instead of personal whimsy. It balances the empathy to connect with the objectivity to achieve.

  • Humility celebrates all talents encouraging all to contribute for success.

    Leaders’ humility naturally inspires, for it highlights everyone’s abilities instead of just the leaders’ strengths.

  • Humility removes the veneer and shows leaders’ greatness.

    Humility is transparent. It shows who and what leaders are. Team members trust this authenticity and engage without the distraction of hidden agendas and politics.

  • Humility is stronger than any yell!

    Leaders who check their egos at the door have far greater influence. Humility keeps leaders listening. Humility replaces the ego — the target of conflict — with “we go“. This inspires contribution and models ideal teamwork behaviors. Conversely, it is always a problem when dominating solo type leaders demand teamwork.

  • Humility smooths resistance to change and growth.

    Humility fosters continuous learning. It allows and encourages everyone to learn from mistakes for the benefit of all. This is a prerequisite to change and growth — the secret to business success. In fact, companies fail when the market changes and they don’t. Humility in leadership feeds a culture of learning and flexibility. No one method, nor practice, nor view, nor person is cast as best. The goal is to listen, perform, learn, and succeed.

Humility in Leadership: What Ifs

What if you as a leader practice humility yet the leader you report to sees it as weakness?

  • Find out specifically what that leader sees as weak? Small changes in your behavior can close the gap between you and your leader without abandoning humility.
  • Consider what if any cultural and personality differences there are between you and your leader. These differences impact how people view behaviors and describe their impact.
What if you as a leader practice humility and the teams see you as weak?

  • Ask them where and when do they need more strength from you? Humility is not generally the culprit. Most likely there are stressful situations that you are not seeing. Remember humility is not abandonment. Assist where they need help.
  • Engage team members and discuss your leadership style. Leadership evolves and their expectations may be ahead of your evolution. Be open to learning from them.
What if you as a leader are being told to develop some humility?

  • Write down how this makes you feel before you respond else you might react defensively. Then ask for specific examples of where your behavior needs to change.
  • Review the fears and myths noted above to guide your journey of growth. Have you worked with strong humble leaders? What did you learn from them? Have a mentor or coach help you evolve and refine your leadership style.

Humility in leadership is not a label nor a fixed set of behaviors. It is a mindset of inclusion and a model of continuous learning for success. It honors and engages all. It builds tremendous trust and sustains all especially in tough times of change.

So we’ve come quite a distance. What other what ifs shall we discuss?

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The People Will All Say, “We did this ourselves!”

March 8, 2012 by

Leadership - We did it“A leader is best when neither seen nor heard; Not so good when adored or glorified; Worst when hated and despised. Fail to honor people, they will fail to honor you; But of a good leader, when his (or her) work is done; The aim fulfilled; The people will all say: “We did this ourselves.” (Lao Tse).

Lao-Tse emphasizes peace of mind and tranquility of the spirit. He stresses how important it is to be one with nature because it provides positive character. He regards genuineness, sincerity, and spontaneity to be “natural” characteristics which people are born with and possess. Yet, he claims these qualities are destroyed through education and cultural influences.

In addition, he explains how a person is able to dismiss all authority except for the authority of self and a personal God. In this case, God is understood to be everything in nature. Thus, people who know and respect the authority of their inner nature know where they belong.

Leadership is the process of defining a vision and the guiding and inspiring others to reach that vision. Leaders, establish direction, align people and motivate and inspire people to complete the vision despite any obstacles they may face along the way.

In times of change, executives and managers alike make the mistake of thinking that if people are ordered to change, they will. This is a tragic misunderstanding of human behavior and often leads managers and executives to respond like drill sergeants. We, as humans, do not change simply from gaining information, people change because they support and trust their leaders.

Leadership is crucial, core values like integrity, excellence and respect or people are extremely important. To shape, define and sustain a winning culture you need to improve some attributes:

  • Vision.
  • Strategic Direction.
  • Prioritization.
  • Multi-functional Engagement.
  • Teamwork.
  • Accountability.
  • Analysis.
  • Problem solving.
  • Getting to action.
  • Excitement.

To lead effectively is important to do several things well:

  • Listen and understand your people´s needs.
  • Develop them into stronger and better employees.
  • Inspire them from their hearts.
  • Find ways to support them with what they need.
  • Encourage team members to take heart and do the hard things.
  • Recognize their achievements.

To get the best results from your team or from a group of people, a leader has to care about excellence. You have to show the way and help people understand what´s possible. To deliver the highest quality results, a leader has to set high standards and live up to them.

When a team member gives an outstanding effort, a strong leader shows appreciation and says “Thank you”. Give thanks for the moment, and you´ll capture it forever. Imagine how someone would feel if you didn’t. The person might feel that you don´t value for their hard work. So don´t wait, notice the positive thing your people are doing. Tell them how much you appreciate it.

A leader, has a vital relationship with the other members of the team. These people will give their best effort if they know, like and trust the leader. They´ll be loyal to the leader and the team because the leader is loyal to them.

You also need to develop these same factors in yourself, this self-development will focus on two areas: leadership skills, and the personal strengths of leaders, which are two very different things. You aren’t born with personal strengths, you begin developing these behavior patterns while growing up. And you continue to get stronger as you use them throughout adult life to cope with the challenge of work and life.

Connect with  Oscar Capote Agudo : Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

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