Positive Leadership: Be Yourself

It is natural to want to be like the people we look up to. We want to recreate the success they have enjoyed in our own lives. So we try to imitate them. It seems like the shortest distance between two points. Of course, we are trying to copy a result. What we often fail to see is the work it took to get them to the place where they could do what they do. And sometimes it’s all flash and no substance.

And while you can try to copy a style, mannerisms, or life path, what makes it work for them isn’t what is written down. It’s what they can’t teach you that makes it work for them. It’s the things you can’t easily articulate that come from the core of your being—that which makes you you—that makes the difference.

Harvard Business School Professor and former Medtronic CEO Bill George, wrote, “Any prospective leader who buys into the necessity of attempting to emulate all the characteristics of a leader is doomed to failure.” It’s one thing to learn from others, it’s quite another to try to imitate them.

A big part of the problem is the lack of confidence we have in ourselves. Sometimes in watching the success of others, we lose faith in ourselves. “There is but one cause of failure and that is a man’s lack of faith in his true self,” observed William James.

Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz took a teaching position at Stanford in 1986. In an interview with a reporter about his role there, he put it this way:

‘I’m a strong opponent of imitation. I always tell them that they have to be themselves. That’s hard, because they don’t believe in themselves, they believe in their heroes. And I will tell them: that’s perfectly alright, but your hero is the only one who can play that way. If you want to try and do the same thing, it will only be an imitation, however perfectly you will do it. I keep on trying to convince them that they have to play what they feel themselves. But that’s not easy.’

Your hero is the only one that can play it that way. Be yourself.

Positive Leadership: Be Yourself

Positive Leadership: Celebrate!

You have probably heard something similar to, “Live each day to the fullest, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.” Like all sage offerings, there is an element of truth involved here.

For a lot of us, we take the days of our lives for granted. The years go swirling past in a rush of things to do, places to see, and dreams to fulfil. We work diligently, raise our families, and try to measure up to our own – or someone else’s – definition of success. For some of us, we put our heads down, shoulder to the wheel (so to speak) and forget to look up.

Not “looking up” is unfortunate. We need to take the time to savour the experiences of each day, good or not so good, because these experiences inform who and what we are. If we don’t look up, we miss the simple joy of a quiet summer evening. We miss that look of wonder on a child’s face, the first time they discover rainbows in a puddle.

In short, we miss the opportunity to be grateful.  Why are the drivers for appreciating life and having gratitude missing from many people's lives?  We should not have to experience ‘misery’ to boost our insights into the value of life.

Do yourself a favour this weekend. Begin a new habit. Before the end of each day, stop and soak in the experiences of the day. Let the smile come to your face as you remember the happy and the funny. Plan out what you will do “the next time” for those moments that didn’t come out so well. And be grateful for the time you’ve had to make a difference in the lives of others.

Celebrate today, and face tomorrow with the expectation that something great will happen!

Positive Leadership: Celebrate!

Positive Leadership: Thinking Like A Champion

To be a champion you must Think Like a Champion. Champions think differently than everyone else. They approach their life and work with a different mindset and belief system that separates them from the pack.

1. Champions Expect to Win - When they walk on the court, on the field, into a meeting or in a classroom they expect to win. In fact they are surprised when they don't win. They expect success and their positive beliefs often lead to positive actions and outcomes. They win in their mind first and then they win in the hearts and minds of their customers, students or fans.

2. Champions Celebrate the Small Wins - By celebrating the small wins champions gain the confidence to go after the big wins. Big wins and big success happen through the accumulation of many small victories. This doesn't mean champions become complacent. Rather, with the right kind of celebration and reinforcement, champions work harder, practice more and believe they can do greater things.

3. Champions Don't Make Excuses When They Don't Win - They don't focus on the faults of others. They focus on what they can do better. They see their mistakes and defeats as opportunities for growth. As a result they become stronger, wiser and better.

4. Champions Focus on What They Get To Do, Not What They Have To Do - They see their life and work as a gift not an obligation. They know that if they want to achieve a certain outcome they must commit to and appreciate the process. They may not love every minute of their journey but their attitude and will helps them develop their skill.

5. Champions Believe They Will Experience More Wins in the Future - Their faith is greater than their fear. Their positive energy is greater than the chorus of negativity. Their certainty is greater than all the doubt. Their passion and purpose are greater than their challenges. In spite of their situation champions believe their best days are ahead of them, not behind them.

If you don’t think you have what it takes to be a champion, think again. Champions aren’t born. They are shaped and moulded. And as iron sharpens iron you can develop your mindset and the mindset of your team with the right thinking, beliefs and expectations that lead to powerful actions. 

Positive Leadership: Thinking Like A Champion

Positive Leadership: Bouncing Back

As many of us prepare to watch The Open Championship, one of the leading contenders will be the US Open Champion Rory McIlroy.  McIlroy conquered the rest of the field in historic fashion just a few weeks ago at Congressional Country Club outside Washington D.C. His 8 shot victory was the largest at the US Open since Tiger Woods back in 2000. He also became the youngest winner of that event at 22 years old since Bobby Jones in 1923. We believe there are some critical leadership lessons we can learn from Rory.

What makes this victory even more impressive was that when we had last seen Rory McIlroy in a major before the US Open, he self-destructed during the final round of The Masters in Augusta, GA back in April. He started the final Sunday with a 4 shot lead and had one arm in the winner’s green jacket. However, some 5 hours later he carded a final round 80 and finished in a tie for 15th place.

Following the Masters many people in the media wondered if McIlroy would ever get his confidence back to compete at golf’s most elite level. Most people thought it would certainly take longer than the 2 months between the Masters and the US Open. However, McIlroy used the Masters as a learning experience and was able to achieve even higher performance at the US Open.

“Going back to Augusta this year, I felt like that was a great opportunity to get my first major. It didn’t quite work out,” McIlroy said. “But to come back straightaway at the U.S. Open and win, that is nice. You can always call yourself a major champion, and hopefully after this, I can call myself a multiple major champion.”

So what does this mean for us as leaders? McIlroy’s meltdown, unfortunately for him, happened to take place in front of millions of people on worldwide television.  However, the need to learn from mistakes and setbacks is no different for a professional athlete than it is for a business leader who mangles a presentation at a board meeting or mishandles a client relationship.  Thankfully our mistakes don’t get broadcast worldwide!  But we’ve all been there, particularly earlier in our careers, and well, later too.  Rory is an inspiring example we can learn from.

The key leadership lesson that comes across observing his progress is that a leader has to be able to think strategically about the future and build on the past. 

The past, for many of us as senior leaders, is filled with success stories but also lessons learned. It has been said that the “people who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it”. Leaders who don’t learn from their mistakes are certainly asking to make those same mistakes again.

The higher performing leaders are the ones who are able to apply the following simple process to both positive and negative events in their career development:

1. What went well about the event? For McIlroy, he was able to have the experience of leading a major championship for three rounds even though he was not able to close it out. Every successful leader can look back on achievements that you would definitely want to have again, and the key is not to forget those successes even when debriefing a negative event. If you can cement those factors that went well, you will know what to do again. 

2. What can we improve upon? At the Masters, McIlroy definitely would say that he could improve upon how he played the final round. ”Going back to Augusta, the first three days I played aggressively. I played smartly but I played aggressively to my targets” said McIlroy. “And then on Sunday, I started to play defensively, and that’s when things can go wrong.” As a leader you should always take the time after a setback or frustration to reflect individually, have a discussion with those people involved and also talk to an individual or group of people you trust about what you could have done differently. Taking the time to reflect upon negative experiences while they are fresh in your mind is a valuable experience to go through in order to crystallise the necessary improvements.  

3. What will you do differently next time? For McIlroy, he needed to convince himself to stay in the moment and maintain his strategy during the final round of a major if it was working for the first three rounds. As he learned the hard way, the mistake he made at the Masters was to shift his strategy so that he was playing not to lose, rather than playing to win. As leaders, you need to prepare for the next time you are going to be in a similar situation and know how you will improve upon your performance when given the opportunity. While this process is certainly not rocket science, it offers a very helpful way to go for leaders to learn and debrief experiences, either positive or negative. Sports coaches will often say that it is easier to learn from a win, but that the learning is always more deeply felt after a loss. Therefore when we make mistakes – as we all do, especially if we are filling a new leadership role or trying to be innovative – then we need to learn from these mishaps so that don’t happen again.

Golf and life in general offer an endless supply of leadership lessons that we can learn from and apply to our business careers. For Rory McIlroy, he was able to build on his successful achievements, including leading the Masters for 63 holes out of the total 72, rather than getting pulled down by his one bad round. When he was faced with a similar situation two months later at the US Open, he led for the entire championship and closed the tournament strongly. Now heading into this week’s Open Championship, he is hoping to continue that streak for another 72 holes and claim the Claret Jug.

Part of today’s personal leadership is about resiliency.  The ability to bounce back after setbacks is more needed today than perhaps any time in our lifetimes. 

Positive Leadership: Bouncing Back

Positive Leadership: Why Leaders Must Have A Positive Attitude

You don’t have to have a positive attitude to have a leadership role, and you don’t even have to have it to lead. But you definitely must have a positive attitude if you want to lead successfully for an extended period of time.

Positive attitude means an expectancy that good things will generally happen, (and that even when they don’t there is likely good that will be found in the challenges) and a healthy optimism for the future for your company, team, yourself and life in general.

Here are three major reasons having a positive attitude is important for you as a leader.

You are in the energy business

As a leader, whatever industry you are in, you are in the energy business. Remember that whatever energy you bring to your work will be noticed and amplified. Your personal attitude is a huge part of the energy you inject into your team and organisation. If you aren’t injecting positive, supportive and encouraging thoughts and actions into the workplace, it is far less likely that others will either. You can’t rely on someone else to do this for you—you are a leader.

Positive attracts

If you think you are leading, but no one is following, you are just taking a walk. If you want to or need to lead, you need to have others choose to follow. Think about the people that you most want to be around, those whom you are attracted to. Are those people more positive or negative? Do you want to choose to spend time with people who think the future looks dim or bright? Would you rather be around people who encourage and are proactive, or those who focus on the negative and who think about the future with a “gloom and doom” approach? Positive attitude and energy are attractive. The best leaders know this and that is a major reason they lead successfully.

Positive creates productivity

Are you more productive in a negative or a positive environment? In which atmosphere are you likely to be more creative, engaged and get more done?  If you are looking for a numbers driven, bottom line reason why a positive attitude matters in your organisation, look no further than productivity.  People will get more done in a positive environment.

If you are wondering if it is possible for one person to change the attitude or environment in an organization, and therefore have the impact just described, remember this: Enthusiasm is contagious, and someone must inject that energy into a group, team or organisation in order for it to grow. Positive energy doesn’t happen automatically, someone must start. As in many other ways, leaders must go first.

You must go first.

If you want to be a more successful leader and have a bigger impact on those you lead and serve, focus on your attitude and know that as you change your thinking and your attitude, your actions will start to change your work, your team and your world.

Positive Leadership: Why Leaders Must Have A Positive Attitude

Positive Leadership: The Importance of Team IQ

Teams have intelligence just like individual people do. But the intelligence factor of human groups is not simply the average of its members, in fact that has only little to do with it. Researchers have now found a way to measure team IQ and what it takes to achieve it.

What is team intelligence?

As individuals, intelligence defines our capacity for abstract thinking, reasoning, learning, planning and rapid problem solving. In essence, it characterises our ability to deal with cognitive complexity, an indispensable quality for today’s global managers. Insofar as it applies to teams, intelligence describes the ability of a group of individuals to tackle and manage complex and non-routine situations together. Intelligent teams can outperform their most knowledgeable members.

How to get a high Team IQ?

It is well known that for teams to function and perform to the best of their ability, they must focus on structure, processes, leadership and the right organisational support and context.

What research now indicates, however, is that collective intelligence in teams can lead to higher performance. We have evidence that speaking in turns by group members, the proportion of females on a team and especially social sensitivity are all elements that lead to higher team intelligence.

For more, see:  http://www.imd.org/research/challenges/TC037-11.cfm

Positive Leadership: The Importance of Team IQ

Positive Leadership: How to deal with people who think they are performing in an acceptable manner

What to do about it: Provide everyone who reports to you with ongoing and timely feedback.

As you do, remember:

• The goal of feedback is to help employees succeed by reinforcing effective performance and redirecting ineffective performance.
• Feedback should be based on specific, observable, and verifiable data and information.
• Feedback should be given as close to the occurrence as possible.
• Feedback should be a two-way process. Be sure to solicit the employee’s input on why his or her performance is good … or lacking.
• Feedback should include a discussion of the potential impact of continued good or deficient performance.
• Feedback should never include threats or promises.

Positive Leadership: How to deal with people who think they are performing in an acceptable manner

Positive Leadership: From Values to Action

From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership

By Harry M. Kraemer

Reading this book you get the feeling that Harry Kraemer is the consummate nice guy. When he started his corporate career as the junior member of a team that was working in cubicle, he decided to set as a goal for himself not to advance to the next step, but to commit himself to making a difference by doing the best job he could, treating the people around him with respect, and never putting the his own needs and desires ahead of the goals of his team or organisation. Some years later, having advanced all the way to CEO, he still graced the softball games and dinners of those who served with him in the cubes.

Along the way he developed some principles of values-based leadership that obviously served him well:

·         Self-reflection: Increases self-awareness. It is the key to identifying what you stand for, what your values are, and what matters most. It requires asking yourself key questions, such as, What did I say I was going to do today, and what did I actually do? What went well? How did I treat people? What would I do differently, and what did I learn?

·         Balance: The ability to see issues, problems and questions from all angles, including opposing viewpoints. Encourages you to seek multiple perspectives to gain input rather than consensus.

·         True-self confidence: The ability to see and accept yourself exactly as you are. Helps you to identity your strengths, improve your weaknesses and admit when you are wrong or don’t know something.

·         Genuine humility: Never forgetting who you are, appreciating the value of each person in the organisation, and treating everyone respectfully. This keeps you from forgetting where you came from and keeps you focused on and connected to others.

, Mastering these four principles will lead you to connect with and gain much greater influence over others than mastering networking and various techniques of persuasion. The reason? Your ability to influence people whether one or fifty thousand, depends significantly on their ability to appreciate your values. 

Any of your employees, peers, partners should be able to explain what you stand for in consistent terms, and it should be evident to new people you meet.

Positive Leadership: From Values to Action

Positive Leadership: Dealing with Adversity

When times get tough, some people fold and some are made even stronger. 

Did you ever wonder why some people seem to be able to handle life better than others? Everyone likes to think that they have what it takes to survive adversity and tough times, but when the chips are down, some folks definitely do better than others.

The real survivors in life (not the participants in the recent glut of “reality” survivor TV shows that only seem to bring out the worst in human behaviour) have developed personalities that allow them more options. They also have a strong and clear intention to survive, and to do it in good shape. When problems or setbacks occur, they don’t waste time complaining and they don’t dwell on the past or what they’ve lost. Instead, their energies are focused on getting things to turn out well.

Survivors believe that, no matter what happens to them, they are the ones who are in charge of their destinies. They don’t get mad at the world for not treating them better, but they do have an extensive menu of behaviours they can choose from, depending on the situation. In other words, survivors are option thinkers, instead of black and white, either/or thinkers.

They also have a wonderful ability to laugh at adversity because they know that even if they lose everything else, they will still have themselves. People with survivor personalities can walk confidently into the unknown because they expect to find a way to make things work out.

So, if you want to be a true survivor, try focusing your attention less on safety and security and more on developing positive beliefs and expectations.

Positive Leadership: Dealing with Adversity

Positive Leadership: Do Their Eyes Shine?

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Ben Zander had a startling realisation at the age of 45 as it occurred to him that “the conductor doesn’t make a sound. His power depends on his ability to make other people powerful. My job is to awaken possibility in others. If their eyes are shining, you know you are successful.”

Zander’s lesson is a valuable one for those in leadership.

Positive Leadership: Do Their Eyes Shine?

Positive Leadership: How to Lead From a Distance

Let’s face it; the days of everyone going to work and seeing everyone you work with are gone forever! 

Separation brings a whole new set of issues and challenges. And leaders must adapt by bridging the gaps that occur when people work apart from one another.

One of the things that leaders need to do is to demonstrate reliability to each team member so that people have confidence that you, as a leader, will honour the commitments you make.

Here are a few reliability trust builders for your consideration:

• Keep a written list of all agreements/promises/commitments you make, check it frequently.
•  Ask your people to tell you one thing you can do to be more reliable in their eyes – then DO IT!
• Be available to support and respond to team members. When not available, follow up as soon as possible.

Positive Leadership: How to Lead From a Distance

Positive Leadership: Endurance on the Field and at Work

Kathy Button Bell is vice president and chief marketing officer at Emerson, the manufacturing and technology company in St. Louis. A sports background, she says, “makes you a good sharer” and more empathetic in the office.

'I think everybody benefits from having played sports.  It makes you a good sharer, for one thing, in lots of ways.  And it makes you more empathetic in general.  I love to see sports in a résumé.'

For more, read: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/03corner.html?_r=1

Positive Leadership: Endurance on the Field and at Work

Positive Leadership: Leadership Quotes 2

Positive Leadership: Leadership Quotes 2

Positive Leadership: Leadership Quotes

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Positive Leadership: Leadership Quotes

Positive Leadership: Ethical Leadership

How do we know what’s ethical or what’s the right thing to do? 

Here are some solid leadership guidelines for you and your team members.

• Is it legal?
• Does it comply with our rules and guidelines?
• Is it in sync with our organisational values?
• Will I be comfortable and guilt-free if I do it?
• Does it match our stated commitments and guarantees?
• Would I do it to my family or friends?
• Would I be perfectly okay with someone doing it to me?
• Would the most ethical person I know do it?

Positive Leadership: Ethical Leadership

Positive Leadership: How and When to Give Positive Feedback and Reinforce Positive Performance

The most effective encouragement for positive performance is positive feedback – it’s also the best way to reinforce that desired behaviour for the future. 

Here are some guidelines for doing just that:

Be sincere. Giving positive feedback can backfire if it’s not perceived as genuine. Most people are experts, or at least think they are, at reading the sincerity of their manager. Faking positive feedback is risky. Be sincere … or wait until you can be.

Be quick. The sooner you give feedback after the behaviour you’re trying to reinforce, the better your results will be. If you only give positive feedback at performance review time or on other formal occasions, you miss a major leverage point for improving productivity.

Give feedback often. There’s a significant difference in the perceptions of managers and their followers as to how often positive feedback is given. Don’t be fooled into thinking you recognise positive behaviour too often. Do it twice as often as you think you should, and you’ll have a good chance of meeting your employees’ needs.

Positive Leadership: How and When to Give Positive Feedback and Reinforce Positive Performance

Positive Leadership: Finding a Great Mentor

Here are four tips for finding (and keeping) a great mentor:

1. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. The search for a mentor should begin right away. Don't put it on your future to-do list for a year or two from now. Especially when starting a new job, strike while the iron is hot.

2. SECURE BOTH A MENTOR AND A SPONSOR. Look for support at varying levels of your company's hierarchy. Seek out a mentor to help navigate daily concerns and a sponsor willing to sing your praises when it comes time for a raise or promotion.

3. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. If you wait for a mentor to seek you out, you could wait a long time. Remember, the worst your prospective mentor can say is no. When you ask, be clear and up front with what's required in terms of time and commitment. 

4. BE ASSERTIVE. If you want a strong and assertive mentor, start acting that way yourself. Stride into a room. Make eye contact. Use a firm handshake. Choose the best available seat. Stop apologising. And then, when the time comes, say thank you.

Positive Leadership: Finding a Great Mentor

Positive Leadership: Why You Need Women Leading In Your Organisation – A Summary of the Data

More women in leadership measurably helps companies succeed.

Here’s a summary of some of the data out there on women in leadership and the benefits they bring to the organisations they serve, starting with the hard line performance and profitability numbers.

 •“…. Companies with three or more women in senior management functions score more highly on average (on nine dimensions of company excellence). It is notable that performance increases significantly once a certain critical mass is attained, namely, at least three women on management committees for an average membership of 10 people. “   (Women Matter, McKinsey 2007)

 •“Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women board directors attained significantly higher financial performance, on average, than those with the lowest representation of women board directors.” (Catalyst, October 2007)

 •“A selected group of companies with a high representation of diverse board seats (especially gender diversity) exceeded the average returns of the Dow Jones and NASDAQ Indices over a 5 year period.” (Virtcom Consulting)

 •“An extensive 19-year study of 215 Fortune 500 firms shows a strong correlation between a strong record of promoting women into the executive suite and high profitability. Three measures of profitability were used to demonstrate that the 25 Fortune 500 firms with the best record of promoting women to high positions are between 18 and 69 per cent more profitable than the median Fortune 500 firms in their industries.” (European Project on Equal Pay)

There are many other studies about the softer benefits of female leadership.

 •“The standard argument is that diversity is good and you should have both men and women in a group. But so far, the data show, the more women, the better.” (Harvard Business Review on of group intelligence, June 2011)

 •“The status and role of women is a very good clue to a company’s growth potential. When women are at the table, the discussion is richer, the decision‐making process is better and the organisation is stronger. Integrating a gender lens into investment strategies can, in my view, improve long‐term investment performance. Investors need to start taking notice.” (Joe Keefe, President,  Pax World Investments, February 2011)

 •“Female managers – as rated by their bosses, themselves and the people who work for them – were rated significantly better than their male counterparts. This difference extends beyond the ‘softer’ skills such as communication, feedback and empowerment to such areas as decisiveness, planning and setting standards.” (Pfaff & Associates, September 2009)

 •“Of particular interest is the fact that overall trust in female CEOs remains higher than trust in male CEOs, as was the case last year. And most of this increasing level of trust was experienced by non-managers, who registered an increase of a massive 11 index points in their trust for their female CEO between 2009 and 2010.” (Management Today September 2010).

 •“Women leaders are more persuasive, assertive and more willing to take risks than male leaders. Women leaders were found to be more empathetic and flexible, as well as stronger in interpersonal skills than their male counterparts. These qualities combine to create a leadership style that is inclusive, open, consensus building, collaborative and collegial.” (Caliper Corp. 2005)

Despite the fact that these studies have been published across the last decade, little has changed in our business culture.  The “30% solution” – identified by McKinsey (above) and coined by Linda Tarr-Whelan in her book, Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World  - now commonly references the point at which individual businesses and the business sector in general will benefit from women’s special talents and skills in their leadership ranks. 

However, “(i)n (the last) 10 years the proportion of women board members on Fortune 500 companies has barely crept up from 12 to 15 per cent and 60 have no women.” (Linda Tarr-Whelan, Financial Times April, 2011). 

So we’re barely half way to the tipping point and as Calvert Investments reports recently, there are still many all-white, all male boards who do not believe they have a diversity issue.

Women in the USA constitute:

 •40% of the management workforce

 •46.8% of the total workforce

 •42% of MBAs

 •59% of bachelor degrees

 •61% of master degrees

 •about 50% of of law and medical degrees.

So what do we do to get more women into leadership without overthinking? Some advice seems self-evident and very cheap.

 •Men – put your irrational fears aside. Open yourselves up to a new way of doing business and invite this plentiful resource in to help you thrive.

 •Women – you’re powerful no matter where you are or what you’re doing. The research says that your very presence in a group helps the group become more intelligent. Don’t hide your natural talents even though they look different than what the male-dominated culture around you says they should look like. It’s what they need from you even though they don’t know it. Step out and stop waiting for someone to give you permission and just shine. What are you waiting for?

Try it. See what happens.

Positive Leadership: Why You Need Women Leading In Your Organisation – A Summary of the Data

Positive Leadership: Moving Towards a Values-based Culture in Your Organisation

The journey toward values-based cultures — are you on the way?

Culture, values and leadership are critical priorities for business leaders. No matter how many resources your company deploys, how many experts you retain and no matter how many programmes you run, little matters if you’re not reaching your global workforce at heart, mind and gut level.

Companies are grasping this and embracing values-based corporate cultures, governance and leadership as new sources of advantage. In the USA, Southwest Airlines, Zappos and Google are leading the way, demonstrating the benefits of values-based behaviour.

What are some ways your company can advance its ethical journey?

Treat culture as a strategy: An ethical culture is not created by accident. It is deliberately crafted at many levels of the organisation under the guidance of leaders who hard-wire it into the processes and practices by which business gets done.

To make ethical considerations truly central to operations, ethics and compliance must expand beyond education and communications and encompass the wide variety of corporate practices, including performance appraisals, promotion and recruiting practices.

Seek better alignment and purpose: Ethics and compliance programmes serve a distinct purpose, but they cannot adequately fulfil that role unless they help reinforce corporate priorities. They fall short if they operate in isolation from rapidly shifting business needs and conditions.

Seek partners beyond your traditional domain: Ethics and compliance leaders can extend their influence and better fulfil their mandate by building deeper partnerships with business units, human resources, corporate communications, and environmental and social responsibility departments. Isolated compliance and ethics functions will never reach the hearts and minds of employees.

Culture as a strategy, fuelled by values that are translated into tangible behaviours and embedded in the gears of a business, can create a sustained competitive advantage in the marketplace. Ethical cultures are not created overnight. But ultimately, tomorrow’s winners will be those who invest in systems inspired by values-based culture.

Positive Leadership: Moving Towards a Values-based Culture in Your Organisation

Positive Leadership: Are You Committed To Leadership Development?

Do you have a relentless commitment to your leadership development programme?

This is not necessarily a question for the training manager but rather you as a leader. As we introduce Positive Leadership to organisations we sometimes find that there is not really a strong commitment to leadership development. Here are some questions that can be answered in the positive by those who we find do have a strong commitment to leadership development. 

How are you doing on these questions?

Do your emerging leaders know they are emerging leaders?

Do you discuss career development regularly with your emerging leaders?

Do you share stories of your development progress to this point and your next steps?

Do you hire emerging leaders or do you merely fill positions?

Do your emerging leaders work on the challenges of the company?

Do your emerging leaders teach each other?

Do your emerging leaders teach you?

Do your emerging leaders have access to the top executive?

Are career plans measured in your performance measurement?

Do your emerging leaders make cross-boundary staffing decisions?

Just a few questions to get you started.

Positive Leadership: Are You Committed To Leadership Development?

Positive Leadership: Overlooked Attributes of Successful Leaders

According to Garret Kramer, the author of  Stillpower: The Inner Source of Athletic Excellence, the four most overlooked attributes of successful coaches, as well as leaders of any kind are:

1. They look to the state of mind of the athlete or individual in question, not his or her behaviour.

Poor performances or behaviours are the result of an individual’s low mindset. Nothing more, nothing less. Rather than holding players or employees accountable to their actions (judging behaviour), the best leaders hold them—and themselves—accountable to recognising the thoughts and feelings that accompany high states of mind, and only acting from this mental state. This type of coach distrusts his own thoughts from low moods and encourages his players to do the same.

2. They understand that the spoken word is far less important than the level of psychological functioning from which the word is spoken.

Here’s a simple reminder. Words are merely an echo of a feeling. A coach might say to a player, “I was really proud of your effort tonight.” But if there is no feeling or passion behind the words, they might actually have a negative impact. Successful coaches take notice of their own level of functioning moment to moment. They know that positive words only originate from positive states of mind.

3. They keep goal setting in perspective.

Successful coaches know that the more athletes focus on the ‘prize,” the more they thwart their own awareness, shrink their perceptual field, and limit the imaginative possibilities. These coaches understand that achieving goals does not elevate self-worth or happiness. Instead, they relish the journey—the relationships and experiences—as the path toward creating exactly what they want becomes clear.

4. When in doubt—they turn to love.

Great coaches set guidelines and expectations based on one overriding principle: love for their players. They know, above all else, that love will always provide the answers to helping others—and to success.

Positive Leadership: Overlooked Attributes of Successful Leaders

Positive Leadership: Investing In Your People

“If you are all alone at the top, you are not a leader. You are a hiker.” John Maxwell

No one creates success alone. To win in business, you must win with people. Running over people will only get you so far. To create true and lasting success you must nurture and invest in your people. Here are 3 essential ways to do this.

Care about them - The main question every employee in every organisation is asking is, “Do you care about me; can I trust you?” Employees want to know if you care about them. If you do, they will be more likely to stay on the bus and work with you. Employees are more engaged at work and will work at their highest potential when their manager cares about them.

Develop a relationship with them - Author Andy Stanley once said, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” Far too many managers and leaders share rules with their people, but they don’t have a relationship with them. So what happens? The people rebel and they disengage from their jobs and the mission of the team. To develop a relationship with your employees, you need to build trust, listen to them, make time for them, recognise them and mentor them.

Appreciate them - The main reason why people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. For example, Doug Conant, the CEO of Campbell Soup, has written more than 16,000 thank-you notes to employees in the past seven years and created a very positive business in the process. It’s as easy as saying (or writing) “Thank you.”

It’s a simple truth: When you care about your employees and the people you work with, they are more likely to stay with you and work harder, with more loyalty and greater positive energy. In turn, they are more likely to share their positive energy with your customers, thus enhancing service and the bottom line. The greatest customer-service strategy has nothing to do with customer service, but it has everything to do with how you treat your employees. If you model great service, they will provide great service.

Remember, leadership is not just about what you do, but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do. Instead of running over the people in your team/organisation, invite them along with you and engage them to help you create an amazing and successful ride.

Positive Leadership: Investing In Your People

Positive Leadership: Embracing Constructive Criticism

“When you see yourself doing something badly, and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.” Randy Pausch

Criticism has become almost taboo within the workplace – often avoided at all costs or reserved for the most extreme situations. And yet, constructive criticism is one of the most meaningful gifts you can receive from another.

Ask yourself this; if an individual had a piece of information that would make you a better professional, manager, team contributor, or person in general, wouldn’t you want to know it? Of course you would! So why do we view criticism in such a negative light? Are we really that scared of learning that we are doing something wrong or that we could be more effective if we acted differently?

Leaders understand that they cannot and do not do everything well. Leaders understand that they can always be better – they can always grow. Individuals who are willing to point out areas to us where growth is needed and should be pursued should be held in high regard. These individuals are the ones who are looking out for your personal and professional development. These individuals care about you most.

The next time someone criticises you, your work product or your actions, stop and seek to understand what they are attempting to convey. Their criticism may just be the best gift you have ever been given.

Positive Leadership: Embracing Constructive Criticism

Positive Leadership: Rory McIlroy

“Own your defeats and you will be defined by your victories!”

What a great statement on the Oakley homepage (http://uk.oakley.com/). Oakley celebrates their sponsored champion Rory McIlroy, who just won the US Open Golf Championship. 

What a performance by young Rory, especially since a few months ago at the US Masters he blew a 6 shot lead in the final round. For the past few months he has been hounded by the media on why he ‘choked’. Every interview this past weekend he navigated the questions on “will you choke?” with utter maturity, wisdom and humility. Over and over Rory mentioned that Augusta prepared him for this weekend. That loss prepared him and launched him into his future. He became a wiser, more focused and maturer golfer from that failure. Rory also sought the counsel of Jack Nicklaus, a master of the game. Jack gave him counsel on dealing with the failure. At the end, Rory turned a failure into on of the greatest victories ever. He smashed 13 records on the weekend too.

Positive Leadership: Rory McIlroy