Managing Your Emotions

Have you ever experienced the emotional rollercoaster ride of working for a boss whose mood swings were unpredictable and uncontrolled? Excessive anger, panic, and frustration lead to impatience and irritability, which create tension in the work environment—tension that reduces productivity and causes people to leave.

Yes, everyone gets frustrated and irritated with co-workers from time to time. It is a natural response and you may even have a very good reason for it. But whether it is justifiable or not, an out of control reaction produces the same result—tension, reduced productivity, and likely more turnover.

The starting point for managing your emotional reactions effectively is to understand that the trigger for these emotional reactions is your beliefs. For example, if you believe that employees should do what they're told without question, you are likely to react negatively when they question what you want them to do. The cause of your reaction is your belief—not their behaviour!

Be honest with yourself. On a sheet of paper, complete these statements:

"I get angry when...

"I get irritated when...

"I find myself arguing with people when...

"I get impatient with people when...

The next step is to ask yourself, for each of these situations:

What were you thinking?

What are your underlying beliefs that led to you to thinking this way?

What alternative beliefs would be acceptable to you and would change your reaction?

In the example above, the old belief was: employees should do what they're told without question. An appropriate alternative belief could be: employees should ask questions to make sure they understand what to do, and why it needs to be done.

By following these steps, you will begin to recognise in advance what types of situations trigger emotional reactions that you need to reign in to create a high performance work environment. The next time you feel the need to yell or shout or laugh or cry, or run for the hills, you will have a plan in place for a more fitting way to handle your latest hurdle like a true leader.

Managing Your Emotions

Keeping Criticism of Leaders Positive

A well-worn axiom known to every person who has served on behalf of their country is that "it is a soldier's right to complain."


In recent days, there have been a spat of NFL players who have publicly complained about their coaches, ownership or front offices. Most of these players have done so to get traded. A player in a team sport has every right to voice his opinion, but only if those opinions are presented in a positive, constructive manner with the best interest of the team in mind. This is a form of leadership that is critical for success.

Teams cannot not win with only the leadership of great coaches - they need great players. Every recent team that claims the title "dynasty" in sports history has been led by great individual players who were not afraid to speak their minds, but did so for the good of the team, not themselves personally. These leaders saw ways to make their teammates, coaches and fans better players and people.

These teams include the Patriots, who are led by Tom Brady, Junior Seau and Teddy Bruschi; the Ravens, led by Ray Lewis, Trevor Pryce and Ed Reed; the Broncos, led by John Elway, Steve Atwater, and Rod Smith; and the Cowboys, led by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. All of these players earned the right to be leaders with their work ethic, selfless devotion to their organisations and teammates that made those around them play better. Sometimes, criticism is necessary for improvement and calling out defects is necessary. Other times a mere pat on the back or an "attaboy" is all that is required.

The first amendment provides the freedom of all Americans to free speech and opinion. However, in the context of a team, the First Amendment will promote success if the statements are made for the betterment of the collective, and not the ego of the individual. Every player has that right to complain, but in order to succeed in the NFL, it had better be to benefit those around you.

Keeping Criticism of Leaders Positive

The Tensions Inherent in Good Leadership

There is no recipe for good leadership but it does involve several tensions:

• Do not claim to know the future but articulate a vision.
• Understand the politics but remain above them.
• Respond quickly to situational demands but act to reshape them.
• Focus relentlessly on task but build team cohesion.
• Identify with your employees but be prepared to take a step back.
• Be your authentic self but recognise that you have different, and difficult, roles to play.

For more see: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fc5288e6-f927-11dd-ab7f-000077b07658.html

The Tensions Inherent in Good Leadership

What kind of leader do we need for 2010?

In 2009, most corporate leaders have kept their focus on survival--shifting their product mixes, cutting costs, reducing stocks, downsizing. Now, as the economists declare that the economy is stabilizing, many leaders are gearing up for 2010 and trying to take a longer view. What they see looks very different from anything in the past. It's sinking in that this mess won't go away fast.

As Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive officer of General Electric, has been saying for months, we are not just riding out the difficult downside of a cyclical business fluctuation. We are facing a fundamental reset of the global economy.

From the tops of corporations on down, people are looking at their colleagues with wary eyes. Every top leader today came into his or her position in a world where growth was a fundamental property of the system. In the last few months, many have realised that they don't honestly know which current leaders are fit to lead in this new, different world. Great leaders are asking themselves and their most trusted advisers, "What of my experience, expertise and success should I keep from my past? What do I need to shed? What new capabilities might I need?"

The unvarnished truth is that leaders today fall into three categories:

Leaders who don't want to. These are people in top jobs who could take the leap and lead in new ways in the new environment but who fundamentally don't care to. They are too close to retirement and too successful. Deep down, they know they don't have the energy and drive to undo many of the things they put in place, things that made them very successful in an earlier world. They are working hard to ride it out for the next few years and collect their pensions.

Leaders who probably can't. These are people who are in important positions of leadership, believe they are great leaders and feel they should still be in the top posts--but they lack the skill, breadth of experience, innovativeness and rigor to change at the pace required by a fundamental reset.

Leaders with a good chance. These are the few who have the skill, curiosity, imagination and determination to change, to let go of their sense of entitlement and their obsolete expertise from a world that has vanished and, with the right support and personal discipline, become leaders who will succeed today and in the future.

Heading into 2010, it should be even more obvious than it was a year ago which of your leaders falls into each category.

Everyone, from board chairman and CEO to line manager, needs to assess the people he or she is counting on to deliver in the future. First ask: Who doesn't want to, who probably can't, and who has a good chance? Then ask what you yourself are doing to make sure that the good-chance leaders get the opportunities and support they need so they can step forward and lead?

Along the way, don't forget to take a careful look to see if your don't-want-to and probably-can't leaders are in a position to block your good-chance ones. If so, move them out of the way, fast.

What kind of leader do we need for 2010?

12 Lessons in Leadership

“Each member of your team has the potential for personal greatness; the leader’s job is to help them achieve it.” Coach John Wooden

Here are Coach Wooden's keys to leading a successful team -

1. Good Values Attract Good People.
2. Love Is The Most Powerful Four-Letter Word.
3. Call Yourself A Teacher.
4. Emotion Is Your Enemy.
5. It Takes 10 hands To Make A Basket.
6. Little Things Make Big Things Happen.
7. Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.
8. The Carrot Is Mightier Than A Stick.
9. Make Greatness Attainable By All.
10.Seek Significant Change.
11.Don’t Look At The Scoreboard.
12.Adversity Is Your Asset.

12 Lessons in Leadership

21st Century Leadership

Dr. James Canton is a renowned global futurist. For over 30 years, he has been insightfully predicting the key trends that have shaped our world. He is a leading authority on future trends in innovation and The Economist recognizes him as one of the leading futurists, worldwide. Dr. Canton is CEO and Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures, a leading think tank he founded in 1990 that advises business and government on future trends. He advises the Global Fortune 1000 on trends in innovation, financial services, health care, population, life sciences, energy, security, workforce, climate change and globalization.

In his book, The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World in the Next 20 Years, he says of 21st century leadership:

'There is a new era emerging that requires a new breed of leader. This new leader needs to have the ability to change and adapt quickly-with a future smart eye on what's possible. The 21st Century Leader recognizes that without keeping an eye on the future you may be doomed to remaining a prisoner of the past. With this eye on the future, the 21st Century Leader welcomes innovation, embraces change and thrives on chaos. The 21st Century Leader recognizes that only the smartest will survive the immense challenges of the future. The good news is that by preparing today we can successfully meet the challenges of the future. But what skills are necessary to survive in the future? What do you need to do today? How will this affect you? Why should you be concerned now?

Many leaders in business today seem so overwhelmed with their current workload that suggesting they prepare for the future may seem impractical. Just the opposite is true. By preparing today to meet tomorrow's challenges, we set in motion a new leadership paradigm, one that will help leaders better cope with today.

By developing a futurist-leaders' perspective, managers will learn new strategies for dealing with people and organizations. To improve your marketability and performance as a futurist-leader you need to understand: the nature of the future leadership challenges, the changing workforce, changes in your organization and how you can enhance your leadership ability.

We cannot hold back the forces of change. We cannot deny that our society and the very nature of business is changing daily. Yet some leaders resist change. Global commerce is redefining business in a virtual borderless world. But regardless of all of these changes organizations will still need leaders to lead. The role of the leader in the 21st century will be even more critical to the success of the organization than it is today. Business will become more stressful, competitive and chaotic. Leaders will be called upon to find order in chaos, fulfill customers and employees, plan for today and for tomorrow. It is the leaders who are the glue that will hold together the organization. Their intelligence and above all their ability to adapt will be a valuable asset.

There are leaders today that feel out of step with the future world that is growing up around them. These leaders need to learn new skills and new mindsets if they are to survive today and in the 21st century. It would be safe to assume that the 21st century will not be an easy, enjoyable stress-free time for business. But it shall also be a time of great challenges, opportunities, profits, innovation and imagination. Those leaders who understand this and have the foresight to prepare today to lay a foundation for learning, will be ahead of the game. Those that operate business as usual will be left behind. Preparing today for future challenges is a strategic endeavor worth every leader's effort. Rather then deny the change forces that are ushering us into the 21st century, leaders need to learn to ride these waves. By using change as an ally, even chaos can be instrumental to a leader's game plan.

Above all else the leader's ability to adapt to change will be a learning process. Much of the learning technology needed to fully cope with the challenges of the 21st century have yet to be developed. Nevertheless, a leader's openness to change, a capacity to take risks, an ability to experiment, keeping an open mind to new ideas and having an appetite for innovation will greatly help. This is an exciting time to be a leader. The 21st century welcomes us.

We need to develop a strategy so that we can navigate through these uncertain times. Remaining cautiously optimistic is not enough. A 21st Century Leader needs a 21st century strategy. Regardless of how chaotic, confused or stressful the 21st century will be, by preparing today, leaders can successfully meet the challenges of the future. Don't wait for the future to sneak up on you. A changing workforce, increased competition, a shifting marketplace and a lackluster economy will all contribute to the high stress roller coaster ride into the 21st century.'

21st Century Leadership

Thoughts about Leadership

1. People follow the leader first and the leader’s vision second - It doesn’t matter if the leader shares a powerful vision, if the leader is not someone who people will follow the vision will never be realised. As a leader, who you are makes a difference. The most important message you can share is yourself.

2. Trust is the force that connects people to the leader and his/her vision - Without trust there is a huge gap between the leader and the vision. Without trust people will be disconnected. However if people trust the leader they will join the leader and help move the organisation forward towards the vision.

3. Leadership is not just about what you do but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do.

4. A leader brings out the best within others by sharing the best within themselves.

5. Just because you’re leading the team doesn’t mean you have the right to run over people - Abraham Lincoln said "Most anyone can stand adversity, but to test a man’s character give him power." The more power you are granted the more it is your responsibility to serve, develop and empower others. When you help them grow they’ll help you grow.

6. “Rules without Relationship Leads to Rebellion” - As a leader you can have all the rules you want but if you don’t invest in your people and develop a relationship with them they will rebel. This applies amazingly to children as well. It’s all about relationships.

7. Lead with optimism, enthusiasm and positive energy, guard against pessimism and weed out negativity.

8. Great Leaders know they don’t have all the answers. Rather they build a team of people who either know the answers or will find them.

9. Leaders inspire and teach their people to focus on solutions, not complaints.

10. Great leaders know that success is a process not a destination - John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, never focused on winning. He knew that winning was the by product of great leadership, teamwork, focus, commitment and execution of the fundamentals. As a leader focus on your people and process, not the outcome.

Thoughts about Leadership

Women in Leadership

Over the past several years McKinsey has interviewed more than 85 women from around the world and across industries. These leaders share a few traits, including finding meaning in their work, seeing the world positively even after setbacks, and being unafraid to seize unexpected opportunities. Among the women who begin to tell their stories in this video are Andrea Jung, of Avon, Stella Rimington, a former director of British Intelligence, and Shelly Lazarus, CEO of Olgilvy & Mather.

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Making_a_remarkable_career_Women_discuss_how_they_approach_work_and_life_2226

Women in Leadership

How to Boost Morale and Engagement in the Current Economy

The recession has led to a widespread loss of employee engagement that could cripple organisations even as the economy heads into recovery, according to Jon Gordon, author of The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change.

“Even if companies haven’t literally lost their employees, many have lost them psychologically,” said Gordon. “And if leaders don’t strive to change that — to create a positive culture that energises people — there will be dire consequences.”

Tired of working more hours for less pay under the threat of termination, many workers have mentally checked out of their jobs, he said. They are simply doing what they need to in order to hang on until something better comes along.

A recent study by the Workforce Institute at Kronos found in organisations that have experienced layoffs, 40 per cent of employees report their productivity has suffered. Of that 40 per cent, two-thirds think morale has been negatively impacted and they aren’t as motivated as before.

“For leaders, now is the time to improve your company’s culture and get inside your employees’ heads,” said Gordon. “You need to personally make sure that your company is a place where people want to work. You can allow the current economy to crush your morale, confidence and spirit, or you can choose to proactively shape your organisation into one that is positive, resilient, and prepared to take on challenges.

The following nine strategies will help leaders boost morale and engagement in the current economy:

1. Focus on people, not numbers. Leaders need to take a step back and remember their company isn’t what shows up in the finance department’s spreadsheets — it’s the finance people themselves, and the HR department, and the salespeople, and support staff. Ultimately, an organisation’s failure or success is determined by the moods, innovation, energy, thoughts, and behaviors of the people who work there, said Gordon.

2. Model good behaviour. Leaders set the tone for how employees respond to almost every situation. They can inspire, or they can extinguish. Whatever an organisation expects from its people, it must also expect from the senior leadership.

"Now is not a time to be barricaded in your office. Now is a time to be in the trenches with your people, leading, working, and building a successful future," said Gordon.

3. Practice positive leadership. And no, "positive leadership" doesn't simply mean the absence of overt negativity. It means remaining purposeful in the face of adversity. While it's important to acknowledge the obstacles your organisation is facing, don't dwell on them in meetings or in individual conversations, and don't bring up bad news before you've pointed out one or two things that are going well. Instead of being disappointed by where you are, optimistically focus on where you are going.

"Right now, negativity and fear are probably knocking your people off balance," Gordon points out. "It's a scientifically proven fact that the nature of our thoughts affects our lives in tangible ways. I firmly believe that if you think your best days are behind you, they are. However, if you think your best days are ahead of you, they are.
 
Therefore, it's time to regroup, refocus, and unite your people to create a winning mindset, culture and positive team environment. Remember, culture drives behaviour. You win in the office first. Then you win in the marketplace. With a winning team you create strength on the inside that can withstand the negativity, naysayers, and adversity on the outside.
 
"While it’s important to acknowledge the obstacles an organisation is facing, don’t dwell on them in meetings or in individual conversations, and don’t bring up bad news before pointing out one or two things that are going well.
 
4. Fill the void. In the absence of clear and positive communication, people start to assume the worst, and they will act accordingly. Leaders should personally meet with employees and continually communicate through town hall meetings and face-to-face meetings, said Gordon.

5. Tell energy vampires, “It’s time to get on the bus…or off the bus.” No matter how many pep talks leaders give or good behaviours they model, their efforts won’t go far unless everyone is on the same page.
“Once you’ve identified the naysayers on your team, gently approach them and give them a chance to get on the bus and share in a positive vision,” Gordon advises. “However, if these energy vampires refuse to get on board, then you must get them off the bus.”

6. Forbid complaining. Successful organisations with great cultures focus on solutions, not on complaints, said Gordon. Let employees know they are not allowed to complain unless they also offer solutions.

7. Teach employees to be heroes, not victims. Both heroes and victims get knocked down, but heroes get back up while victims simply give up. Remind employees they have a significant influence over how things turn out.

8. Focus on the small wins. When leaders focus on small wins, the team gains the confidence to go after and create the big wins, said Gordon.

9. Make sure you have sharks in key positions. When the economy was thriving, it didn’t matter as much if key employees turned in a mediocre performance. Now, it's important to figure out which people display the characteristics of driven, go-get-’em “nice sharks,” and which are “goldfish,” or more natural relationship managers.

“Your sharks are the people you need in sales or business-driving positions,” Gordon suggests. “Your goldfish, or relationship managers, are better suited to answering phones, taking orders, and cultivating customer goodwill. People who aren’t in the right positions won’t thrive—and your organisation will constantly find itself struggling.”

How to Boost Morale and Engagement in the Current Economy

Positive Leadership Limited - What We Do

Positive Leadership Limited is a strategic leadership consulting firm, serving clients based mainly in the UK and USA.

Positive Leadership Limited delivers advisory and business consulting services which:

• assist the leaders of organisations facing change, identify, develop and implement strategies designed to maximise the positive financial and human impact of such high pressure events; and

• help organisations develop the leaders of today and tomorrow.

Our advisory and consulting services include: leadership advice in the areas of business strategy, M&A, capital raising, talent development and performing under pressure; and leadership consulting in the areas of coaching, mentoring, executive education and training. We draw extensively on lessons from the elite sporting environment in the work we do.

Positive Leadership Limited shares global best practice and thought leadership with its clients and builds the awareness and reach of its client focused 'game plan for winning' through various channels, including its online presence at http://positiveleadershiplimited.blogspot.com/  and http://www.positiveleadership.co.uk/  and through public speaking and writing.

POSITIVE LEADERSHIP - HELPING LEADERS EXCEL UNDER PRESSURE

Positive Leadership Limited - What We Do

The Power of Mentoring

John Wooden is the most successful coach in NCAA history, having led the UCLA Bruins to 665 victories and ten championships in the years leading up to 1975.

Coach Wooden, who has served as a mentor to so many through his timeless teaching, turns 99 years young on October 14th. Coach Wooden, selected by his peers as the Greatest Coach of All Time in a recent survey by The Sporting News, encourages all of us to never stop learning and to teach others with that same passion.

After eight books, many of them bestsellers, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring is the one closest to John Wooden’s heart: a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his college coach, his wife, Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Teresa. The second half is built around interviews with some of the many people he mentored over the years, including Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Bill Walton, fellow coaches, family members, and even a middle school coach in Canada. Their testimony takes readers inside the lessons Wooden taught to generations of players, bringing out the very best in them not just as athletes but as human beings. In all, it’s an inspiring primer on how to achieve success without sacrificing principles, and on how to build one of the most productive and rewarding relationships available to any athlete, businessperson, teacher, or parent: that of mentor and protégé.

The Power of Mentoring

The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership (JB Warren Bennis Series), by Steven B. Sample, the President of the University of Southern California, was released in October 2001.

A contrarian leader, as defined by Sample, is one who sees situations from his own unique point of view and who finds genuinely new solutions to the challenges facing his organisation.

The Contrarian's Guide is a distillation of Sample's decades as a university president, director of corporate boards, civic leader, inventor, and professor. In this book Sample explodes many romanticised views of leadership and presents profound leadership lessons that combine a masterful survey of history with rich insights from personal experience.

Sample uses USC's explosive recent growth as a case study in contrarian leadership, noting how bold and unconventional choices helped USC become a world leader in the fields of communication and multimedia technologies, earn national recognition for its innovative community partnerships, and solidify its status as one of the nation's leading research universities.

Among his counterintuitive lessons:

• Never make a decision today that can reasonably be put off to tomorrow.
• Think gray. Don't form opinions if you don't have to.
• Think free. Move several steps beyond traditional brainstorming.
• Listen first, talk later. And when you listen, do so artfully.
• Shoot your own horse. Don’t force others to do your dirty work.
• The best leaders don't keep up with the popular media and the trades.
• Know what hill you are willing to die on—and keep its exact location to yourself.
• Know the all–important difference between being leader and doing leader.
• You can’t copy your way to the top.

The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

Is It Possible To Motivate Everyone?

At the basis of motivation is the why of human behaviour. The fact that there are so many methods used to encourage people to put forth their best effort, speaks to the complexity of the issue. But can everyone be motivated? The simple answer is no. You can’t successfully motivate everyone. And some might say you can’t motivate anyone. Motivation is an internal process. Much is dependent on an individual’s concept of themselves and their interpretation of the environment or situation they find themselves in.

In Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!, author Suzanne Bates reminds us that “you can inspire people to discover their own motivation. If you communicate effectively and connect people with purpose, they will feel the spark that motivates them.”

Additionally, she writes, “By consistently communicating purpose with passion, you attract the right people with the right talent, skills, and motivation. The right people come into your orbit; those who aren’t right will move on.”

At the same time, Bates does offer a caution. Throwing your hands up and acting on the assumption that you cannot motivate everyone can actually damage motivation further. This assumption was “true in boom times, when organizations were bloated and some people you hired were marginal. Those days are over. Now that companies have downsized and are arguably leaner and meaner with the best talent, this is a damaging assumption. It is a leader’s responsibility to motivate employees. It’s time to stop blaming employees, and start looking to leaders to ignite the spark.”

Listen to the author:

Is It Possible To Motivate Everyone?

Surviving Tomorrow's Challenges

The World Business Forum that took place in New York last week was definitely the place to be to pick up advice on leadership, and how you and your company can be best positioned for what's in store through the end of the current crisis we're in, and on into recovery.

The two-day event featured a wide array of leaders from the worlds of business, politics and academia: President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker, and he was amply supported by a cast that included the likes of T. Boone Pickens, Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, management guru Gary Hamel, economist Jeffrey Sachs (who just happens to advise President Obama), and many more.

Despite the wide range of backgrounds and specialties of each of the speakers, several key themes emerged over the course of the two days that are likely to affect how business is conducted in the coming years. Of those, the top three were as follows:

• The need for greater transparency
• The need to realize our interconnectedness with the rest of the world—and not only on economic issues
• Energy: sustainability and independence

Likely, none of those will come as a surprise to anyone who's spent any time reading about business recently, much less leading one, but as speaker Patrick Lencioni pointed out on day one of the event, there's no harm in over-communicating, especially where key challenges to our way of life are involved.

Transparency

Of the three issues listed above, it may seem odd that greater transparency is listed first, but there's good reason for that. Of all the leaders who addressed the need for transparency, none nailed the scope of the challenge quite as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers Chairman Dennis Nally. In his eyes, economic recovery is linked to the issue of trust: people, companies and governments all need to be able to trust each other. Without that, says Nally, everyone remains fearful, and normal economic activity and growth can't resume. His solution: greater transparency, especially in terms of adherence to financial reporting standards. Everything else—global recovery, the ability to invest in alternative energies, job growth—therefore springs from the issue of transparency.

Interconnectedness

The question of interconnectedness is another that was addressed by many speakers but nailed by one: President Bill Clinton. Outlining a scenario where unsold condos in Florida and the South of France had a knock-on effect that could be realized as far away as a manufacturing facility in Vietnam (no home sales meaning no income for discretionary spending on imported manufactured goods), he declared that "divorce is not an option" from the rest of the global economy. Thus, as we seek to recover and get stronger, it's important to realize that we're all in this together; the days where American prosperity led to prosperity around the world are fading. Now, American prosperity depends on relationships—and prosperity—in other countries.

The energy question

The one area where all participants were in agreement is that energy is going to be one of the main drivers of growth in coming years. The reasons are simple: oil is finite and becoming ever more expensive; carbon reduction is a necessary goal; national security depends on ending or greatly reducing reliance on foreign energy sources. Thus, alternative sources are the way forward. T. Boone Pickens used his platform at the Forum to reaffirm his pledge that he will deliver an energy plan for America, focused on natural gas—"the only natural resource in America that will move an 18 wheeler."

All told, perhaps the most striking analysis of the challenges facing us—and the nature of the changes that may have to come—was offered by Jeffrey Sachs, who opined that “markets can’t solve the problems.” The reason? “These are problems that require markets and public policy working hand in hand.” Drawing together all of the themes touched on so far, he commented that “we need a new approach to the planet”—one where “global cooperation lies at the center” of everything we do, and where we “put people first rather than the powerful interests.”

Whether or not you agree with Sachs' take on the road to a solution, the challenges are pretty much there for all to see. While they represent a difficult road ahead, there are also sure to be opportunities in each of them. Staying nimble enough to benefit from those—and to negotiate the changes we're sure to see—is going to be the key to surviving in business in the coming years.

Surviving Tomorrow's Challenges

How Much Do You Trust Your Leader?

How much do you trust your leader? Rate them against the six dimensions of trust, and compare results with your colleagues:

http://www.i-l-m.com/research-and-comment/6630.aspx

How Much Do You Trust Your Leader?

Why Do Some Leaders Succeed and Some Fail?

Tough economic times seem to bring out the best and worst of leaders. Why the difference? The answer may lie in the style of leadership. Powerful leaders distinguish themselves by their capacity to inspire people to action and enroll them as change agents in organisations. Powerful leaders could also be called transformational leaders, and they are very different than authoritarian or transactional leaders who rely on control, dominance, and reward and punishment to get employees to perform.

Jim Collins describes the powerful leader as a Level 5 Leader, which is based on the idea that respect for people, selflessness and a strong commitment to achieve results, bring out the best in subordinates. Level 5 leaders are a paradoxical blend of fierce will and personal humility. They are ambitious for their organisations, but rarely allow their ego to be an obstacle for the success of their organisation.

In an excellent scholarly article by Dr. Stephen Long in the Business Leadership Review in July, 2009, he points out that growing a business during a recession is the ultimate test of leadership, citing companies such as Proctor and Gamble, G.E., Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft as depression or recession start-ups.

Long proposes that the essential component for leadership success is a leadership style that is powerful but not authoritarian, arguing that the way leaders manage their people has a direct impact on how their team performs. Powerful or transformational leaders create the "will to work effectively and collaboratively--not because employees are coerced, but because they are committed," Long suggests.

Powerful leaders are creative and systemic thinkers, whereas authoritarian leaders rely primarily on logic and linear thinking, "which leads to reasons not to do." Long describes the behaviour of powerful leaders as being able to successfully manage the paradox of change and stability, and being able to construct a mental reality for followers that may not yet exist.

The psychological state of people during tough economic times can be driven by fear and anxiety. These emotions often prevent authoritarian leaders from seeing reality or taking advantage of new opportunities. Authoritarian leaders can be victims of their own emotional roller-coaster of cycles of good and bad times which spreads to followers, whereas powerful leaders have much higher levels of emotional intelligence and display a calm evenness in their behaviour.

Powerful leaders recognise that authoritarian control will not get followers to commit to any initiative during tough economic times, Long argues. People resist being controlled and want to accomplish something meaningful through collaboration.

Finally, it's not enough that the CEO exhibit a powerful leadership style. It means that this style of leadership needs to be developed throughout the organisation so the organisation can not just survive, but flourish.

Why Do Some Leaders Succeed and Some Fail?

Positive Leadership Pays Off

Consider this scenario: An executive walks into the office and has a brief exchange with the receptionist, pointing out problems with the previous day’s work. The executive then holds a staff meeting where the employees are criticised for poor performance or attitudes. Later that day, the executive has an unpleasant discussion with a customer who is complaining about the company’s service. By the end of the day, the executive’s negative: positive exchange ratio is significantly unbalanced.

What does this have to do with leadership, employee performance and ultimately, business results? Two words - positive psychology. The practice of psychology is part of the larger movement championed by psychologist Martin Seligman, the author of Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realise Your Potential for Lasting Fulfilment and Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life.

Research conducted by Seligman and others point to the effect of positive emotions on people, organisations and customers. Among other things, they emphasise the impact of positive attitudes and thinking, optimism and resilience as powerful forces that determine both happiness and success.

In the past decade, scientists have explored the impact positive to negative interaction ratios at work and in people’s personal lives. They found this ratio can be used to predict – with remarkable accuracy – everything from workplace performance to divorce.

This work begun with psychologist Dr. John Gottman’s exploration of positive to negative ratio’s in marriages. Using a 5:1 ratio, Gottman and his colleagues predicted whether 700 newlywed couples would stay together or divorce. He scored their positive and negative interactions in a 15-minute conversation between husband and wife. The follow-up 10 years later revealed he had predicted divorce with 94% accuracy.

So what is the optimal positive to negative ratio in organisations? A recent study by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson and mathematician Marcial Losada found that work teams with a ratio greater than 3:1 were significantly more productive than those with lower ratios. The research uncovered an upper limit of 13:1 at which productivity declined. They concluded that completely blind optimism and unrestrained positivism can actually be counterproductive.

However, Tom Rath, co-author of New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket: Positive Strategies for Life and Work,says managers and executives need not worry about breaking the upper limit. The levels of positive emotions in most firms are woefully inadequate.

When leaders display positive emotions, others take note, and more importantly, action. Positive leaders don’t sit back and wait for things to improve. Instead, they are always trying to catch excellence in action. They call attention to what is right, rather than looking for things that are not working or need to be fixed. The raises the organisation’s positive ratio and its productivity.

Positive leaders raise the flow of positive emotions, not just because it’s the nice thing to do or to be liked. They are less concerned with what they can get out of their employees than they are with looking for opportunities to invest in their employees. They understand the degree of positive leadership can significantly affect their company’s bottom line.

Positive Leadership Pays Off

Leading Through Change

Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on leadership and change. His is the premier voice on how the best organisations actually "do" change successfully.

Here is Kotter's 8-Step Process of Successful Change:

SET THE STAGE

1. Create a Sense of Urgency.

Help others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately.

2. Pull Together the Guiding Team.

Make sure there is a powerful group guiding the change—one with leadership skills, bias for action, credibility, communications ability, authority, analytical skills.

DECIDE WHAT TO DO

3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy.

Clarify how the future will be different from the past, and how you can make that future a reality.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in.

Make sure as many others as possible understand and accept the vision and the strategy.

5. Empower Others to Act.

Remove as many barriers as possible so that those who want to make the vision a reality can do so.

6. Produce Short-Term Wins.

Create some visible, unambiguous successes as soon as possible

7. Don’t Let Up.

Press harder and faster after the first successes. Be relentless with instituting change after change until the vision becomes a reality.

MAKE IT STICK

8. Create a New Culture.

Hold on to the new ways of behaving, and make sure they succeed, until they become a part of the very culture of the group.

Leading Through Change

Seven Ways Inspiring Leaders Communicate

Whilst Carmine Gallo was conducting research for the book Fire Them Up!: 7 Simple Secrets to: Inspire Colleagues, Customers, and Clients; Sell Yourself, Your Vision, and Your Values; Communicate with Charisma and Confidence the following seven techniques were shown to result in inspirational communication:

• Demonstrate enthusiasm—constantly. “Inspiring leaders have an abundance of passion for what they do. You cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself. Period. Passion is something I can’t teach. You either have passion for your message or you don’t. Once you discover your passion, make sure it’s apparent to everyone within your professional circle.”
• Articulate a compelling course of action. “Inspiring leaders craft and deliver a specific, consistent, and memorable vision. A goal such as "we intend to double our sales by this time next year," is not inspiring. Neither is a long, convoluted mission statement destined to be tucked away and forgotten in a desk somewhere. A vision is a short (usually 10 words or less), vivid description of what the world will look like if your product or service succeeds.”
• Sell the benefit. “Always remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. In my first class at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, I was taught to answer the question, "Why should my readers care?" That’s the same thing you need to ask yourself constantly throughout a presentation, meeting, pitch, or any situation where persuasion takes place. Your listeners are asking themselves, what’s in this for me? Answer it. Don’t make them guess.”
• Tell more stories. “Inspiring leaders tell memorable stories. Few business leaders appreciate the power of stories to connect with their audiences… No amount of data can replace that story… Stories connect with people on an emotional level. Tell more of them.”
• Invite participation. “Inspiring leaders bring employees, customers, and colleagues into the process of building the company or service. This is especially important when trying to motivate young people. The command and control way of managing is over. Instead, today’s managers solicit input, listen for feedback, and actively incorporate what they hear. Employees want more than a paycheck. They want to know that their work is adding up to something meaningful.”
• Reinforce an optimistic outlook. “Inspiring leaders speak of a better future… Extraordinary leaders throughout history have been more optimistic than the average person. Winston Churchill exuded hope and confidence in the darkest days of World War II. Colin Powell said that optimism was the secret behind Ronald Reagan’s charisma. Powell also said that optimism is a force multiplier, meaning it has a ripple effect throughout an organization. Speak in positive, optimistic language. Be a beacon of hope.”
• Encourage potential. “Inspiring leaders praise people and invest in them emotionally. Richard Branson has said that when you praise people they flourish; criticize them and they shrivel up. Praise is the easiest way to connect with people. When people receive genuine praise, their doubt diminishes and their spirits soar. Encourage people and they’ll walk through walls for you.”

No leader accomplishes a vision alone. Inspiration is critical to rally people to make the journey and to commit the time and energy required to bring a vision to pass. These seven techniques present some great ways to inspire and motivate people to greatness.

Seven Ways Inspiring Leaders Communicate

How Do Teams Win?

Have you ever noticed that many of the leadership clichés we live by are not living up to their reputation? Leaders flippantly throw around sound bites of so-called “wisdom,” picked up at conferences or from leadership books and use them without truly questioning whether or not they are true or even useful. Bit by bit, these clichés have reached the status of “conventional wisdom” – widespread beliefs that are not only untested but untrue – also causing havoc in the workplace.

For example, take the cliché, 'There is no “I” in Team'. How often do you hear leaders reminding their teams, “There is no ‘I’ in TEAM.”? Maybe this is the exact problem with teams. While no one is ostentatiously taking all of the credit, they are still allowed to think that they have worked harder than others, are far more valuable than others, or were not to blame for the lack of results. While they may no longer be discussing these beliefs publicly, they are spending a great deal of organisational resources colluding with co-workers behind the scenes, meanwhile not improving their own approaches or performances. Far worse is the fact that no one is taking accountability for their part in creating the current results.

There may not be an “I” in the word “TEAM” but there certainly is an “I” in WIN! And in “PRODUCTIVITY,” “IMPROVEMENT,” “DRIVE FOR RESULTS” and “COMPETITVE.” In teams that are able to succeed in challenging circumstances, there are plenty of “I’s” being used – with the account of how we got to where we are today with the current results.

How Do Teams Win?

Leaders need to set clear expectations and goals. They then need to focus the energy of the team on either achieving the desired results or learning what to adapt next so that the desired results can be achieved. Learning and results will only come when each team member is able to honestly assess their results without considering the circumstances. Next, they need to ask themselves whether or not they hit the mark and then account for their own actions, assumptions, behaviours and choices that contributed to the shortcomings of the team. Only with this clear line of sight directly acknowledging what “I” did to contribute, can one know what exactly they need to change so that they can choose to respond differently in the future.

Advice on how to reach the finish line:

1) Leaders must be very clear about the results that are required from teams. Team projects were approved and budgeted resources based upon a business case that outlines which results are necessary to even justify the investment. Do not allow the team to re-write the business case mid-project.

2) Subsequently, leaders need to be incredibly honest about a team’s results. If the team nailed it – great! Celebrate and reward. But if the team did not reach the mark, stop giving them credit for effort or allowing them to applaud lackluster results and justify shortcomings by “considering the circumstances.” There will always be circumstances and teams need to learn to succeed in spite of circumstances – that is the value they add, mitigating the risks of the circumstances while implementing and executing.

3) Lead the team through a thorough accounting of their contributions to the results. If the team had great results, ask each member of the team to account for the decisions, choices, approaches and behaviours that led to the success so that they can intentionally duplicate it in the future. If lackluster results were delivered, ask each member to identify ways in which they contributed to the end result. Their responses need to begin with, “I chose,” “I denied,” “I assumed,” “I did,” “I didn’t,” “I needed to have” and “I acted” (This is where the “I” in TEAM comes in and the magic starts to happen!). Once each individual can identify how they specifically contributed, they can then commit to what they will do differently in the future – facilitating great learning, individual development, and better future results. And most importantly, the team becomes immune to circumstances when it comes to results.

Every great leader needs to firmly insist on quite a few “I’s” in team in order to restore results back into the workplace!

How Do Teams Win?

Leadership That Inspires

Here are some interesting observations from former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, speaking in a recent video interview at his London office with author Dr. Henry Cloud. The video aired first in the 2009 Maximum Impact Simulcast:

'During my ten years in office, I learned to have the courage to lead. At first, I wanted to please all of the people all of the time. But when you’re governing that’s impossible. You have to do what you believe is right. You can’t follow the air of public opinion; at times you even have to challenge it.

Leadership is the same from teachers to coaches to entrepreneurs. Every leader must be prepared to make a decision and assume responsibility for it, even when people don’t like the decision, fight against it, and criticize your motivation for making it. Leaders stand up when others stand back.

For me, the most important trait in a fellow leader wasn’t charisma or brilliance, but reliability.

Leadership in tough times requires a particular manner of expression. First, be honest if you’re going to have to make major changes. Second, inspire people that you can get through it.

I can’t think of a single person in the top areas of life without these characteristics:

1) Self-belief
2) Hard work
3) Ability to rise from failure.

Leaders give up the luxury of self-pity. You can’t lead and moan at the same time. Leadership positions are voluntary. You chose to lead, therefore don’t complain about the burdens of being in charge.

Action Plan:

• Make a “no-whining” pact with a fellow leader within your organisation. Whenever either of you complains about the demands of your job, you owe the other person a pound.
• Have a “So what?” criticism ceremony. Jot down the main criticisms leveled at you or your decisions during the past month. Once you’ve put them on paper, ceremonially burn them over a candle. This exercise is intended to remind you that being a leader invites criticism. People will disagree with you, and you need to be able to handle their disapproval.'

For more, see - http://www.leadercast.com/dl/2009/09summary_tonyblair.pdf

Leadership That Inspires

The Role of 'Soft Power' in Effective Leadership

Joseph Nye is Harvard University distinguished service professor and Sultan of Oman professor of international relations. He is the author of many books and articles on international relations, including his most recent book, The Powers to Lead: Soft, Hard, and Smart.

In this Harvard John F Kennedy School of Government Q&A he talks about modern day approaches to leadership and how they relate to power:

'Q: Your latest research focuses on modern day approaches to leadership and how they relate to power. Please discuss some of your most compelling findings.

Nye: I am interested in “soft power,” the ability to get what you what through attraction rather than coercion and payment. I had originally applied that idea to international relations, but in my new book I try to apply the concept of soft power to individual leaders. What I’ve found is the way we talk about leadership is quite inaccurate. We have in our minds a sort of a leader as the person who gives orders, the king of the mountain, and the orders sort of cascade down to below. And that fits with hard power, payment, or coercion. But if you think about a networked world, that we have in the information age, then you realize that a leader isn’t the king of the mountain. The leader is in the center of the circle and he or she has to be able to attract people to them and that requires soft power, the power to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion. So as we think about leadership there’s a great danger that we say – as President Bush has said – the leader is the “decider.” More important is how do we pick the goals? How do we decide who decides? How do we decide the timing of deciding? What I’ve discovered is the leader has to have these soft power skills to attract people, not just give orders.

There are three skills that are most crucial in the exercise of soft power – the first is emotional intelligence, the ability to control your own emotions and use them to reach out to others; second, the idea of composing a vision of the future that attracts others; and third, communication skills including both rhetorical skills and also the ability to use non-verbal communication tools. Those three crucial soft power skills have to be combined with hard power skills in organizations, in politics, and so forth. When we restrain our definition of leadership to only top-down, king of the mountain, we miss the crucial role of soft power in effective leadership.

Q: When we discuss leadership we must also discuss the ability to persuade and to bring about the changes that you as a leader wish to affect. Can you expound on that topic?

Nye: An effective leader uses soft power to bring others to share his or her vision of where we should go. Now, that vision of where we should go may be partly developed by the leader in consultation with others. It may also be a vision which the leader has developed from his or her background, but the ability to persuade others that this is where they want to go is absolutely crucial.

One way to examine leadership is through a model in which most people lead from the middle. A leader in the middle has to think in terms of a compass. There’s a boss above them, sort of to the north, and they have no hard power with the boss; they have to persuade him or her. There are collaborators to the east and the west, who are the different agencies, organizations, or groups over whom they have no authority, and they have to attract them to get cooperation. Then they have followers or subordinates over whom they can use their hard power to get what they want. But, frankly, they must also be able to get those subordinates to buy into their vision, which is very difficult to do by coercion alone.

So persuasion as an aspect of soft power becomes particularly important. Most of us are really leaders from the middle. Very few of us have no boss above us and very few fail to require cooperation from people on either side of us.'

For Professor Nye's view on the importance and use of 'smart power' on the international political stage see - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8udhM8QKxg

The Role of 'Soft Power' in Effective Leadership

The Importance of Exercise

Regular exercise is the best way to stay physically healthy, and it also offers psychological benefits to counteract stress.

Exercise can increase your sense of being in control, strengthen your self-esteem and help you regulate your emotions. It offers a healthy distraction from stressful situations while inducing the relaxation your body needs to dissipate its stress hormones. Regular exercise also leads to improved effectiveness as a leader.

In research involving executives around the world it has been found those who exercise regularly rate significantly higher on leadership effectiveness, as judged by their bosses, peers and direct reports, than men and women who exercise only sporadically or not at all.

The Importance of Exercise

Winning is all in the Mind

Sir Steve Redgrave CBE won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals.
Redgrave is one of only four Olympians to have won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games. This achievement has led to him being hailed as Britain's greatest Olympian.

Redgrave's new book, Inspired relates the stories of fellow sportsmen and women that spurred on his success.

Here is his view on the importance of self-belief:

'When we came off the water having just won the gold medal in Sydney, the BBC was waiting to interview us. "When did you know you'd won the race, Steve?"

"After 250 metres." "D'you mean with 250 metres to go," Steve Rider corrected me, clearly thinking I'd be crazy to imagine the race won after only an eighth of the distance. "No, I mean after 250 metres," I said. I wasn't joking.

I know that some people thought I was arrogant. That's a peril of self-belief. It might have appeared arrogant in that exchange with Steve Rider, but it was only the truth. I genuinely felt that at the time, mainly because the belief doesn't spring from nowhere. It arrives because you work like a dog for years and years and years.

Self-belief is probably the most crucial factor in sporting success. The bodies are roughly equal, the training is similar, the techniques can be copied, what separates the achievers is nothing as tangible as split times or kilograms. It is the iron in the mind, not the supplements, that wins medals.'

Or as Muhammad Ali, one of Redgrave's heroes said: ' Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have late-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.'

Winning is all in the Mind