Archives For Leadership Legacy

What’s Your Leadership Legacy?

December 24, 2012

New Year 2013As 2012 comes to a close, we humans consider what 2013 will bring. We examine our life and work. We then map out resolutions that can get us back on our desired path – to health, to better relationships, to managing our finances better, whatever.

The most common New Year’s Resolutions are aimed at improving our physical selves – losing weight, getting more fit, eating heather, quitting smoking, etc. Setting health standards like these are a very good thing! And, some research indicates that fewer than 23% of people who make resolutions keep them.

This terrific NY Times article outlines proven strategies for creating New Year’s Resolutions with specific goals, then aligning brain power and will power to meet them.

Let me suggest a New Year’s Resolution for your consideration: creating a more positive leadership legacy in 2013.

Be Intentional About Your Leadership Legacy

We all create our legacy, day by day. Every plan, decision, and action tells your boss, peers, and staff what you stand for. What you value is transparent through your actions.

A negative leadership legacy creates anger, frustration, and fear in that leader’s team. A positive leadership legacy creates cooperation, enthusiasm, and productivity in that leader’s team. Here are three things to consider as you build a more positive leadership legacy in the coming year.

Clarity

Define what a good job looks like! Create a “contribution plan” for each team member, with clear goal standards and clear values standards. To ensure goal clarity, create specific, measurable goals that align with the team’s purpose and strategy. To ensure that goals are accomplished in ways that honor the team’s values, create behaviors that outline how team members will treat leaders, peers, followers, and customers. Then, hold all accountable for the goals & values in their contribution plan.

Consistency

Pay attention to what you pay attention to! Once goals are set, leaders need to follow up to ensure progress is happening, quality standards are exceeded, and deadlines are met. That doesn’t happen consistently. Once values standards are set, leaders need to follow up to ensure that valued behaviors are being modeled. For example, if integrity is one of your team’s values, you might define it behaviorally with a statement like, “Keep your promises – do what you say you will do.” That places the burden on every player, not just the leader.

Compassion

Connect before you direct! Be nice. In many organizations today, boss and follower interactions and relationships are not consistently civil. Civility in your work environment is a minimum standard; demonstrate it and coach staff to do the same. Move the needle from civility to compassion by being proactively compassionate with staff. Validate others’ efforts as well as accomplishment. Greet people kindly each day. Listen to their ideas with interest (not distain). Delegate responsibility to talented, values-aligned staff.

Join in the conversation about this post/podcast in the comments section below. What might you do in 2013 to ensure your leadership legacy is a positive one, not neutral or negative?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Complete my new Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This new research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your organization.

Photo © istockphoto.com/a-s-l. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes!

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

In Culture, Podcast , , , ,
permalink

Inspire Staff to Notice & Act

October 29, 2012

iStock_000015616695XSmallContaminated steroid medicine from a Boston, MA, pharmaceutical compounding center caused a massive spinal meningitis outbreak in the US over the last month.

That outbreak lead to the deaths of 25, sickened over 300, and exposed as many as 14,000 patients.

The FDA announced this week that inspections at the pharmacy revealed poor sanitation on sterilization equipment and lab surfaces. The company’s clean room where medicines were mixed was anything but clean. Contamination of bacteria and mold far beyond acceptable standards were found throughout the lab. It seems clear that this outbreak was caused by the company’s own poor standards and practices.

A telling note in a NY Times article: there is no evidence that the company or company staff took any action to resolve these issues.

No action.

What kind of culture existed in that pharmacy that would tolerate, even enable, leaders and staff to ignore unsanitary conditions? Time will tell as more details from the FDA investigation come to light.

Create Problem Solvers, not Problem Spotters

In your organization today, do leaders and staff pay attention to things that are “not quite right”? Do they notice and ignore, or do they notice and act?

Every organization faces complacency at times. The temptation to find short cuts is strong in a tight global economy. Short cuts may improve productivity – but at the cost of quality (and safety, as this example shows).

How can you create a culture where leaders and staff notice problems AND solve them, so product and service quality isn’t compromised? How can you inspire leaders and staff to apply discretionary energy – over and above the minimum required – to ensure quality and safety for customers?

Dr. Tony Simons’ research and resulting book, The Integrity Dividend, provides a proven path to creating a culture of behavioral integrity.

Simons’ research discovered “behavioral integrity” when looking for something entirely pedestrian. The hypothesis they were testing was that “employee commitment drives customer service” in the hospitality industry. What they found was immensely more powerful, a concept that proved that employee perceptions of leader behavior significantly impacts the employee’s application of discretionary energy in service to company, team, and customers.

Simply stated, behavioral integrity is leaders keeping their promises (doing what they say they will do) and demonstrating the espoused values of their organization. When employees see their bosses have behavioral integrity, they apply discretionary energy. Customers notice and appreciate that energy, and profits go up.

I firmly believe that the culture in the pharmacy at the heart of the meningitis outbreak was driven by leaders who had little behavioral integrity. Otherwise, the sanitation issues would have been handled by caring staff, moment to moment. That’s not what happened – and lives were lost because of that organization’s culture.

What are your thoughts? Join in the conversation about this post/podcast in the comments section below. How well do your team members “show up,” notice, and act on opportunities to do the right thing, to WOW your customers?

FREE SURVEY: What is it like to work in your company culture? Contribute your experiences in my FREE Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis will be shared in an upcoming post and podcast.

Photo © iStockphoto.com/youngvet

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes!

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

In Culture, Podcast , , , ,
permalink

Leadership Stupidity Has High Costs

July 2, 2012

iStock_000005339918MediumMy best boss, Jerry Nutter, helped me understand that everything a leader does either helps, hinders, or hurts the employee’s performance or the leader’s relationship with their employee. Leadership stupidity carries a big cost.

Two examples come to mind – both from my non-profit days.

An Example of My Leadership Stupidity

The first example is from one of my earliest management experiences. I was a newbie at influencing others. I tried my best every day. Some things I did worked great – and a few things were NOT remotely helpful.

In this instance, I was struggling with a highly skilled employee who wasn’t contributing like she once was. She was demonstrating all the classic signs of demotivation. In staff meetings and during individual conversations, she’d sigh heavily or roll her eyes if she was asked about her tasks or deadlines. Other staff members were complaining about her behavior. One day I decided to “take the bull by the horns.” I set up a meeting with her and, as soon as we sat down, I told her that she was a valued member of the team but that she had a crappy attitude. I used a more colorful term than “crappy.”

If I was hoping to shock her, I did. Unfortunately, my language derailed any hope of getting to the core issue – her “demotivated persona.” It took me weeks to get back on an even keel with her and to attempt to address her behavior.

The Impact of My Boss’ Leadership Stupidity

The second example was later in my non-profit career. Fundraising is a big part of non-profit work and this was the closing dinner of a month-long fundraising campaign. More than 100 staff & volunteers were in attendance from branches across the county. My board chairman and I were ready to announce the total raised by our small branch – more than they’d ever raised before. Just before the program began my boss pulled me aside and asked me to announce a higher total than we’d raised. “You’ll continue raising funds through the year – are you confident you’ll hit this number by December?” he asked.

I hoped my boss’ suggestion was well-intended; we would continue raising funds. However, he was asking me – and my key volunteer – to “stretch the truth” that night. I refused.

The relationship with my boss was destined for difficulty from that evening forward. I experienced a values-mismatch that I could not ignore. Within a year, I had left that organization.

Leaders cannot afford to hinder or hurt employee performance or relationships. Two ideas may help: Integrity and Impact.

In his book, The Integrity Dividend, Cornell University professor Tony Simons found that when leaders 1) do what they say they will do and 2) demonstrate their organization’s values, employee commitment goes up, customer service rankings go up, and profits go up. Those are powerful and desirable outcomes of leader integrity!

Leaders must also keep their “fingers on the pulse” of their impact on employee performance and relationships. How do leaders gauge the quality of their relationships? Ask employees! Leaders will learn where and how they can refine behaviors and approaches to help – not hinder or hurt.

What leadership stupidity have YOU experienced – or even delivered? What was the impact of that stupidity? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

Photo © iStockphoto.com/yzak

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes!

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

In Culture, Podcast , , , ,
permalink

Leaders, Observe & Align Culture Practices

June 4, 2012

On the drive home from the airport recently I was listening to an interview with a well-known comedian, writer, and actor. He was asked how success had changed his work approach over the years.

He said, “Success insulates you. Early on as a comedian you become a trained observer of humans and situations around you. You notice things and they prompt a joke or a story or a film. After you’re successful, you can’t do that as easily anymore. To be an effective observer, you have to be part of the background. When someone recognizes you, you’re no longer part of the background.”

He sighed. “I miss that. I still observe, but it’s harder for me today.”

Success insulates leaders, too. Great bosses are keen observers of the human condition. They keep their fingers on the pulse of how safe and inspiring their work environment is, day to day. The only way to do that is to proactively observe and courageously align their organization’s culture.

Leaders Must Immerse Themselves in Their Corporate Culture

Leaders make plans, decisions, and actions based upon what they believe – about the market, their customers, their employees. Too often the information they receive is only a portion of the “whole story;” if they rely too heavily on that narrow perspective, they make mistakes (sometimes expensive ones).

Here’s an example of proactive observation: A plant manager I work with recently took five key players to visit a customer’s plant. The two-day visit helped my client’s team learn how to tweak systems (and even packaging) to make their customer’s job easier. Those key players came back with tactical plans to fix those issues.

Leaders need to be equally proactive in learning what it’s like to get work done in their own organization’s work environment. Just like the plant manager took key staff to visit a customer, leaders need to regularly push themselves away from their keyboards and “hang out” in their workplace. They need to “observe by wandering around,” asking what’s working (and what’s not).

They will face the same issue the comedian reported: leaders are well-known so they can’t always observe “from the background.” However, observing on a regular basis will reduce staff awareness of the leader’s presence. Hang out and observe a lot.

Be Courageous In Addressing Mis-Aligned Behaviors

Over time, this proactive observation will reveal things that get in the way of employee performance and passion. Lousy policies and systems will come up. Supervisors who yell or don’t listen will be apparent (as will those who do!). The quality of relationships between & among bosses & team members will be obvious.

Once leaders become aware of these issues, they must demonstrate the courage to fix them. It is MUCH easier to address issues a leader knows about. The trick is to get leaders to regularly immerse themselves in their current corporate culture, tweak things that aren’t working, and celebrate the things that are working.

What ways do you or your leaders “keep fingers on the pulse” your organization’s corporate culture? What’s the impact of leaders NOT paying attention to the work environment? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

Photo © iStockphoto.com/prodakszyn

In Culture , , , ,
permalink

Reflections On My Best Boss

April 2, 2012

Jerry Nutter, my best boss ever, passed away this week. His passing caused not only my personal reflections on what he and his guidance means to me, but it enabled others who Jerry influenced to connect and reminisce about this great man.

Everything good I do today – as a husband, parent, team member, and consultant – is immensely influenced by Jerry’s coaching, humor, high standards, and love of service. My understanding of high performing, values-aligned teams came from my experiences on teams lead by Jerry. My “great boss” tweets all stem from what I learned from Jerry over my 15 year career as a YMCA professional.

Nutterisms

Two co-workers from my YMCA days have remained dear friends – Sioux Thompson with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Ann Phillips, a Blanchard colleague. Our time with Jerry changed us – and binds us together. We celebrate Jerry every day by repeating truisms Jerry shared with us. We call these truths “Nutterisms.” Favorites include:

  • “Everything a leader does either helps, hurts, or hinders the creation of peak performers.”
    Leaders do not have “neutral” impact. They are “on duty” 24/7. Withholding a decision IS a decision. Leaders need to be present, be smart, ask for help, and do the best they can, every moment. This Nutterism expands to include a leader’s impact on teams, organization culture, discretionary energy – across the board.
  • “There’s no such thing as a hole in the other guy’s end of the boat.”
    We’re all in this venture together. Ignoring issues in other parts of their organization put leaders and their team at risk. Be observant, raise questions, and lend a hand to solve problems to keep the enterprise vibrant.
  • “You can’t make up in training what you lack in hiring.”
    An organization has the responsibility to hire team members with the best skills & work ethic possible. Once hired, these potential stars require an extensive orientation and ongoing mentoring to find the best fit for their skills & motivations. If you don’t hire great skills or a great work ethic, you’re screwed. No amount of training will “fix” a bad hire.
  • “You can shoot the arrow then run over to where it hit and draw a target around it and say, ‘Bullseye!’ Or, you can draw the target, shoot the arrow, and close the gap.”
    Be intentional. Make your strategy and goals clear. Make your best effort, then refine your approach to hit your target. Otherwise, it’s all a game and little good will be accomplished.
  • “I believe you believe that.”
    I believe something different. I’ll engage in dialog to help you understand how I see the scenario playing out. If I do that well, I may educate you on the realities of the moment and we can move forward.

In retirement, Jerry was relentless with his service. He volunteered to help create and serve on a non-profit board of directors for the Humboldt Crabs baseball team. His service inspired an entire community to support this independent club and create a wonderful family resource that today is entering it’s 68th year.

Jerry’s impact has spread far beyond his one-on-one efforts and our world is a better place due to his influence. Condolences and positive vibes surround Jerry’s wife Karen and their family during this difficult time.

How did your best boss influence you? Share your insights in the comments section below.

Learn about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

Photo © iStockphoto.com/SchulteProductions

In Culture , , ,
permalink