9 Ways to Protect and Manage Your Most Precious Asset

Posted on March 25, 2012 by successtv
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There’s probably nothing more valuable than time. We’re given a set amount of “pieces” or tools that we caneffective time management use to accomplish goals. The one limiting factor will be time. Will we make our deadlines? Will we manage our team and resources toward the most important tasks or get sidelined doing the unimportant but urgent? Where will we get our best advice? Here are nine tips to support your personal and professional leadership efforts. 

Four Ways to Effectively Delegate by Karlin Sloan

We think of leaders as take-charge people who can handle difficult tasks with grace and determination and who are capable of juggling several tasks at once. Of course this is right – to a point. No one is perfect – and you shouldn’t try to be! The best leaders know when it’s time to ask for help and rather than feeling ashamed, they become empowered.

Here are four instances where it’s more than OK to ask someone for help >>

Five Ways to Get Matched with Your Best Mentor
by Lois Zachary
Mentors or a Board of Advisors can give you the perspective and coaching to move your leadership skills up a notch or two. And, you don’t need to wait for a formal mentoring program to get matched with your next mentor.  If you follow these simple steps you can do it yourself.

But where to begin? Just follow these simple steps:

    1. Do some reflection and self-assessment.  Consider mentoring relationships you’ve had in the past and what worked for you and what didn’t. What are the lessons you want to carry forward? You may discover, for example, that you had a hard time asking for help or sharing your vulnerabilities and, on reflection, you realize you could have gotten so much more about the experience had you been willing to reveal more of yourself.  Or, you may notice that the mentor who was the most helpful to you gave you fair and candid feedback.  These kinds of insights can help you make a better decision about the attributes and characteristics you are looking for in your next mentor.
    2. Use criteria to identify, seek, and select the right mentors for you.  What criteria?  Read more >>

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Empowered Leaders Who Ask for Help

Posted on March 22, 2012 by successtv
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by Karlin Sloan

We think of leaders as take-charge people who can handle difficulthow to effectively lead and delegate tasks with grace and determination and who are capable of juggling several tasks at once. Of course this is right – to a point. No one is perfect – and you shouldn’t try to be! The best leaders know when it’s time to ask for help and rather than feeling ashamed, they become empowered.

Here are a few instances when it’s more than OK to ask someone for help.

Organizing your office – Ask an assistant to help if you’re drowning in paperwork and can’t find your iPad under all those files. It’s perfectly OK, and it frees you and lessens some stress so you can focus on other tasks.

Dealing with a problem employee – You may not have all the answers, and at times the way to approach an employee who has been underperforming or acting out might require some outside advice. Ask a coworker you trust, bounce your ideas off of them – it might just help you in the end.

Fixing something broken/Finding something lost – Just like organizing your office, save yourself some time and ask for help in these situations!

Talking through a problem – Whether it’s that problem employee or a concern you have with an order from above, it’s good to take some time so discuss your concerns. It might just help you actually clarify what you’re really feeling about the situation.

It’s Ok to make sure something simple is off your plate. Too often pride or stubbornness gets in the way of our ability to accept help. So, the next time someone offers to help you with something, be honest with yourself and determine whether you really could use it. If by accepting help, you can do a better job, then, by all means, accept the help and don’t forget to say: “Thank you.”

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Karlin SloanFor more on how asking for help can help you develop your resilience, check out Lemonade: The Leaders Guide to Resilience at Work, available at www.theresilienceproject.net.

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Get Matched with Your Next Mentor

Posted on March 20, 2012 by successtv
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by Lois Zachary

You’ve missed the deadline for submitting your request for a mentor,Criteria for finding the best mentor again! There was just too much on your plate. Well, guess what? You don’t need to wait for a formal mentoring program to get matched with your next mentor.  If you follow these simple steps you can do it yourself!!

But where to begin? The task seems daunting but it needn’t be. Just follow these simple steps.

  1. Do some reflection and self-assessment.  Consider mentoring relationships you’ve had in the past and what worked for you and what didn’t. What are the lessons you want to carry forward? You may discover, for example, that you had a hard time asking for help or sharing your vulnerabilities and, on reflection, you realize you could have gotten so much more about the experience had you been willing to reveal more of yourself.  Or, you may notice that the mentor who was the most helpful to you gave you fair and candid feedback.  These kinds of insights can help you make a better decision about the attributes and characteristics you are looking for in your next mentor.
  2. Use criteria to identify, seek, and select the right mentors for you. The choice of a mentoring partner should be deliberate and well-thought out. If you use criteria rather than relying on chemistry, you will find you make a sounder decision. Relying on criteria helps you focus on just what you need. It suggests possibilities you probably never thought about before.
  3. Network like crazy to find the right mentor for you. Ask the people you know who they know. Be explicit about the criteria you are looking for in a mentor. Follow up on any lead, no matter how minor. Remember they have connections too.
  4. Use your criteria when you make your final selection. Don’t get blown away by personality, charisma or chemistry after you meet someone. Look for a mentor who will be a good learning fit for you.  Ask yourself: Will this person challenge me to stretch and grow? Does this person have the interest, time and willingness to mentor me? Does this person have the knowledge and expertise I need? Is there a good learning fit between what I need and what this person has to share?
  5. Bring your authentic self to the relationship. Be open and real. Let your mentor get to know the real you. This means being willing to be open, honest and vulnerable.

“Doing it yourself,” it doesn’t mean going it alone. What it means is doing the preparation work and spending the time to find the mentor with the right learning fit for you.

—

Lois Zachary

Lois Zachary is the President of Leadership Development Services, LLC. and an international expert on mentoring and leadership development. She has written several books on mentoring. The newest one is The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships. Other books include Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization’s Guide, and The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You.

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How to Avoid Creating Lapdogs at Work

Posted on March 14, 2012 by successtv
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“Lap dogs historically were kept in many societies around the world by individuals with leisure time, as docile companion animals with no working function.” Wikipediahow to avoid favoritism

We’ve all seen ”lap dogs” at work.  They can be seen as the favorites of the boss and, to many of us, as ineffective or not really pulling their weight.  Maybe that’s true or too harsh but the main point is that leaders need to be aware of them and avoid favoritism. The consequences of not doing that are just too great.

How to Avoid Suck Ups and Favoritism by Marshall Goldsmith

I have reviewed more than 100 custom-designed leadership profiles for major corporations – and have helped write over 50. These documents typically feature motivational language that describes the leadership practices companies desire – such as “communicates a clear vision”, “helps people develop to their maximum potential,” “strives to see the value of differing opinions,” and “avoids playing favorites.”

One item I have never read is “effectively fawns over executive  management.” While almost every company says it wants people to “challenge the system,” “be empowered to express your opinion,” and “say what you really think,” there sure are a lot of people who are stuck on sucking up!

Most of us are easily irritated–if not disgusted–by derriere kissers. Which raises a question: If leaders say they discourage sucking up, why does it happen so often? Here’s a straightforward answer: Without meaning to, we all tend to create an environment where people learn to reward others with accolades that aren’t really warranted. We can see this very clearly in other people. We just can’t see it in ourselves.

So now you may be thinking, “This guy Goldsmith is right. It’s amazing how leaders send out subtle signals that encourage subordinates to mute their criticisms and exaggerate their praise of the powers that be. And it’s surprising how they can’t see themselves doing it.

Of course, Goldsmith isn’t talking about me. I don’t do this in my company.” And maybe you’re right. But how can you be so sure that you’re not in denial? Read more >>

—

Guidelines for Managing Your Mentor Relationships by Lois Zachary

One of my favorite children’s stories is Seven Blind Mice. It struck me that this familiar tale offers some valuable lessons about an increasingly popular form of mentoring, the board of directors (sometimes referred to as mosaic mentoring).

Having diverse and multiple mentors with different backgrounds, experiences and ideas can guide you to new discoveries, facilitate your growth and development as a leader, enhance your capability and expand your capacity as a leader. This model is not for everyone but it is for you if prepare yourself, carefully select your mentors, set the tone at the first meeting, create momentum, and commit to the relationship.

Prepare. Make sure that you make the time to reflect on your purpose for creating a BOD. Clarify your own goals, objectives and intention. Consider what it is you are willing to contribute to the relationship. Be willing to candidly share your needs, expectations and limits. Identify the characteristics you are looking for in each of your BOD mentors. In doing so, reflect on your past mentoring relationships and what was most helpful to you.

Read more about how to nurture and get the most out of your mentoring relationships >>

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Protecting and Managing Your Most Precious Asset

Posted on March 10, 2012 by successtv
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strategizing and protecting your timeThere’s probably nothing more valuable than time. We’re given a set amount of “pieces” or tools that we can use to accomplish goals. The one limiting factor will be time.  

Our goal could be to create a loving family, build a fast growth business, career success or to develop other people.  Time is the resource or tool, if used wisely, that can propel you to reach your goals, personally and professionally. Or, it can work against you as the unimportant and urgent  overwhelm your life and zap your energy.

So, with that in mind. How do we savor and use our most precious asset to create, produce and reach our goals? Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, told the Wall Street Journal, he actually “allocates” or budgets his time much like you would do with your financial resources. He allocates time he can spend on his top priorities: time with his young children, customers, partners, one on one meetings with top executives, vacations. He creates a roadmap based on expectations, what he’s done in the past and, moreso, on what he wants to accomplish in the future.

What’s fascinating about his approach is that it involves planning. For instance, he knows he’s going to be traveling about 90 days a year (25% of the year) so he wants to make sure to spend enough time with his children when he’s home. He knows he’s going to need to meet executives for one on one leadership reviews…or spend time researching or exploring new ideas that lead to innovation.

While this can sound like one more ‘to do’ to add to your already maxed out schedule. Think about this as a time-protection strategy. It forces you to estimate and budget along your priorities and goals. That way you can protect your time from the daily intrusions or time wasters that derail your ultimate goals.

Food for thought.

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How to Avoid Suck Ups and Favoritism

Posted on March 5, 2012 by successtv
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by Marshall Goldsmith 

I have reviewed more than 100 custom-designed leadership profiles for major corporations – and have helped write over 50. These documents typically feature motivational language that describes the leadership practices companies desire – such as “communicates a clear vision”, “helps people develop to their maximum potential,” “strives to see the value of differing opinions,” and “avoids playing favorites.”Recognizing contribution over suck ups

One item I have never read is “effectively fawns over executive  management.” While almost every company says it wants people to “challenge the system,” “be empowered to express your opinion,” and “say what you really think,” there sure are a lot of people who are stuck on sucking up!

Not only do companies say they abhor such comically servile behavior but so do individual leaders. Almost all of the leaders I have met say that they would never encourage such a thing in their organizations. I have no doubt that they are sincere. Most of us are easily irritated–if not disgusted–by derriere kissers. Which raises a question: If leaders say they discourage sucking up, why does it happen so often? Here’s a straightforward answer: Without meaning to, we all tend to create an environment where people learn to reward others with accolades that aren’t really warranted. We can see this very clearly in other people. We just can’t see it in ourselves.

So now you may be thinking, “This guy Goldsmith is right. It’s amazing how leaders send out subtle signals that encourage subordinates to mute their criticisms and exaggerate their praise of the powers that be. And it’s surprising how they can’t see themselves doing it. Of course, Goldsmith isn’t talking about me. I don’t do this in my company.” And maybe you’re right. But how can you be so sure that you’re not in denial?

I use an irrefutable test with my clients to show how we unknowingly encourage sucking up. I ask a group of leaders the following question: “How many of you own a dog that you love?” Big smiles cross these executives’ faces as they wave their hands in the air. They beam as they tell me the names of their always-faithful mutts. Then we have a contest. I ask them, “At home, who gets most of your unabashed affection?” The multiple choices:

  • one, your husband, wife, or partner;
  • two, your kids; or
  • three, your dog.

More than 80% of the time, the clear winner is — the dog!

I then ask them if they love their dogs more than the members of their families. The answer is always a resounding “no!” My follow-up: “So why does the dog get most of your unqualified positive recognition?” They reply with answers that all sound about the same. “The dog is always happy to see me.” “The dog never talks back.” “The dog gives me unconditional love, no matter what I do.” In other words, the dog is a suck-up.

I can’t say that I am any better. I have two dogs at home. I travel all the time, and the dogs go absolutely nuts when I return from a trip. I pull into the driveway, and my first inclination is to open the front door, go straight to the dogs, and exclaim, “Daddy’s home!” Invariably, the dogs jump up and down and wag their little tails. I give them a big hug. One day, my daughter, Kelly, was home from college. She watched my typical love fest with the dogs. She then looked at me disgustedly, held her hands in the air like little paws, and barked, “Woof woof.”

Point taken.

If we aren’t careful, we can treat people at work like dogs: by rewarding those who heap unthinking, unconditional admiration upon us. What behavior do we get in return? A virulent case of the suck-ups.

Here’s how leaders can stop encouraging this behavior. Begin by admitting that we all have a tendency to favor those who favor us, even if we don’t mean to. We should then rank our direct reports in three areas.

  1. How much do they like me? (I know you aren’t sure. What matters is how much you think they like you.)
  2. What is their contribution to our company and our customers?
  3. How much positive, personal recognition do I give them?

In many cases, if we are honest with ourselves, how much recognition we give someone is more often highly correlated with how much they seem to like us than it is with how well they perform. If that is the case, we may be encouraging the kind of behavior that we despise in others. Without meaning to, we are basking in hollow praise, which makes us hollow leaders.Marshall Goldsmith Effective leadership skills video DVD training

Life is good.

Marshall

My recent book, MOJO, is a New York Times (advice), Wall Street Journal (business), USAToday (money) and Publisher’s Weekly (non-fiction) best seller. It is now available online and at major bookstores.

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7 Benefits of FeedForward vs Feedback

Posted on March 1, 2012 by successtv
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by Marshall Goldsmith

Here are seven reasons why managers and leaders like FeedForward and find it helpful as opposed to painful, embarrassing, or uncomfortable. Their answers offer a greathow to give positive feedback with feedforward explanation of why FeedForward can often be more useful than feedback as a developmental tool.

1. We can change the future. We can’t change the past. FeedForward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past. Race-car drivers are taught to look at the road ahead, not at the wall. By giving people ideas on how they can be even more successful, we can increase their chances of achieving this success in the future.

2. FeedForward can come from people we have never even met. It does not require personal experience. One very common positive reaction to the exercise is that participants are amazed by how much they can learn from people they don’t know. For example, if you want to be a better listener, almost any fellow human can give you ideas. They don’t have to know you.

3. Face it! Most of us hate getting negative feedback, and we don’t like to give it. I have reviewed summary 360-degree feedback reports for more than 50 companies. These two items: “provides developmental feedback in a timely manner” and “encourages and accepts constructive criticism” , almost always score near the bottom on co-worker satisfaction with leaders. Traditional training does not seem to solve this problem. If leaders got better at providing feedback every time the performance appraisal forms were “improved,” most would be perfect by now!

4. FeedForward can cover almost all of the same material feedback can. Imagine you have just made a terrible presentation in front of the executive committee. Your manager is in the room. Rather than make you relive this humiliating experience by detailing what went wrong, your manager might help you by offering suggestions for future presentations. These suggestions can be very specific and still delivered in a positive way – without making you feel even more humiliated.

5. FeedForward tends to be much faster and more efficient than feedback. An excellent technique for giving ideas to successful people is to say: “Here is an idea for the future. Please accept it in the positive spirit in which it is offered. If you can use it, great! If not, just ignore it.” With this approach almost no time is wasted judging the quality of the ideas or trying to refute the suggestions. This kind of debate is usually negative, wastes time, and often counterproductive. By eliminating judgment of the ideas, the process becomes much more positive for the sender, as well as the receiver.

6. FeedForward can be a useful tool with managers, peers, and team members. Rightly or wrongly, feedback is associated with judgment. This can lead to very negative – even career-limiting – consequences when given to managers or peers. FeedForward does not imply superiority of judgment. It is more focused on being a helpful colleague than an expert. As such, it can be easier to hear from a person who isn’t in a position of power or authority.

7. People tend to listen more attentively to FeedForward than feedback. One participant in the FeedForward exercise noted: “I think that I listened more effectively in this exercise than I ever have in my life!” When asked why, he said, “Normally, when others are speaking, I am so busy composing a reply that will make sure that I sound smart that I am not fully listening to what the other person is saying. In FeedForward, the only reply that I am allowed to make is ‘thank you.’ Since I don’t have to worry about composing a clever reply, I can focus all of my energy on listening to the other person!”

When to Use FeedForward

The intent of this column is not to imply that leaders should never give feedback or that performance appraisals should be abandoned. The intent is to show how FeedForward can often be preferable to feedback in day-to-day interactions. Aside from its effectiveness and efficiency, FeedForward can make life a lot more enjoyable. When I ask managers how they felt the last time they received feedback, the most common responses are negative. When managers are asked how they felt after receiving FeedForward, they reply that it was not only useful, but also fun.Marshall Goldsmith Effective leadership skills video DVD training

Life is good.

Marshall

My recent book, MOJO, is a New York Times (advice), Wall Street Journal (business), USAToday (money) and Publisher’s Weekly (non-fiction) best seller. It is now available online and at major bookstores.

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How would you define “Soft Skills”?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by successtv
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It’s a great question. You’ve got to wonder how this name came about when ”soft skills” are the hardest to teach and learn. They are the critical skills that will make you a good leader, a more effective communicator or better able to influence people. Yet, the very name, “soft skills”, can mean they aren’t important or fluffy at best. 

Here are some of great responses to a question about this on LinkedIn. The responses are from the Chief Learning Officer Group. Their explanations and wordsmithing could help you with pitching this type of leadership development training to your boss or recipients: 

  • John Hoskins: “The label does diminish the value of the skills. One might argue that you could have all the ‘technical’ hard skills in the world but be pretty ineffective in working with others if you lack the ‘soft skills.’ ” 
  • Brent Darnell: “I tend to use people skills. Keep in mind that I work exclusively with technical people, mostly contractors and engineers. They seem to accept it fairly well.” 
  • Jerriann Massey: “I always and ONLY use Critical Skills and explain that relationship skills, interpersonal skills and the like are critical in business.” 
  • Adrienne Russ- Chief Consultant:  ”Personal Development” 
  • Joshua Holman: “I prefer ‘essential skills’ myself.” 
  • Lefteris Kanavas: “I’ve used several phrases in the past:  
    • Corporate Interdependence Skills
    • Inspirational Skills
    • Acceleration Skills
    • Rapid-Change Skills
    • and the names I selected depended on the recipient audience (I’ve taken the above names from Leadership Development type of audiences)”
  • Darren Levy: “This does bring up a fundamental lack of understanding with many organizations of the difference between management and leadership. The term soft skills is often used to potentially cover up a lack of awareness of what management vs leadership development actually is. I tend to preface it as are we developing management capability, leadership confidence and ability, mindsets and skill-sets.” 
  • Amit Rathi:  ”Emotional Intelligence Quotient” 
  • Andy Garlick: “Interpersonal Skills? Management Skills? Life Skills? I have always been fascinated that we screen for ‘technical skills’ and wonder why we end up with people who can’t think out of the box; people who are obnoxious; people who are passive; etc.” 
  • Jim Grossen: “We use ‘Professional Effectiveness’ 
  • Fred Lang, PhD: “Don’t allow anyone to use the phrase ‘Soft Skills’ when you refer to leadership skills. They are ‘Critical Skills’ which enable the enterprise to move forward.” 

Did we miss any?

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Delusional Leaders – Eyes Wide Shut

Posted on February 24, 2012 by successtv
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by Holly Green

Have you ever watched the TV show Undercover Boss?

The “plot” is fairly simple. Each week, the CEO or owner of a business goes undercover as an entry-level employee in his or her own company. beware of delusional leadership and not seeing realityS/he typically works in different jobs and different areas of the company.

In the episode I watched, one part that struck me as particularly genuine was the owner’s reaction to the challenges his front-line employees face every day. He seemed honestly surprised to learn what they went through on a daily basis and what it took to get their jobs done.

And that leads me to this point – most CEOs, owners, and C-level business leaders tend to view their organizations through rose-colored glasses. Meaning they often have unrealistic ideas of what goes on in their organization and how others view the company.

This unrealistic view occurs for two reasons:

  1. Business leaders tend to be optimistic by nature. They’re problem solvers and go-getters who like to make things happen. So they instinctively pay more attention to what’s going right in the business than what’s going wrong. They tend to focus on what is possible and the future more than the past.
  2. CEOs generally surround themselves with a small group of people (the management team) who depend on the boss for their jobs. These people often tell the CEO what they think she wants to hear rather than what she needs to hear (the unvarnished truth). This often results in a leader with no real understanding of what goes on in the business on a daily basis.

Having an overly optimistic view of the business is a natural and valid bias/thought bubble for C-level executives. However, it doesn’t serve the organization well. The trick is to find ways of behaving that allow you to constantly refresh that bubble and get more in touch with the day-to-day realities of your organization.

Start by getting out of your office and spending more time with customers and employees. They will tell you what is really happening in your company. If you find it easier to connect with customers (as many CEOs do), make a point to get out of your comfort zone and engage with employees as much as possible.

One of my fellow Vistage International speakers, Kraig Kramers, recommends a great technique for finding out what’s really going on in your organization. A former CEO of eight different companies, he calls his technique “W4C,” or walk the four corners.

Every day, spend 20 minutes walking around your business doing nothing but talking to people and asking three specific questions: How can we improve the company? How do we fix the problems? What opportunities can we take advantage of? The key, says Kramers, is to ask them how rather than telling them how.

Next (and you’ll get plenty of time to practice this skill if you walk the four corners) is to listen actively. Go into each department or team, ask people what’s on their minds, and then listen. Suppress your natural instinct to argue, defend or explain. Just listen, and then thank people for their input.

If you find it absolutely necessary to speak, ask clarifying questions rather making than definitive statements. For example, “That’s interesting, what leads you to that conclusion? What would you recommend as a possible solution? What would you do if you were one of our customers?”

getting the unvarnished truthFinally, broaden your inputs and sources of data, both internally and externally. A good internal technique is the “cold-eye review,” whereby non-experts research various aspects of the business and report back to you. For example, have someone from accounting take a look at marketing and give their perspective on that area of the business.

Externally, if you don’t have some sort of system for regularly staying in touch with customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders, get one now! Focus groups, intranets, monthly lunches, etc., etc. The options are limited only by your imagination.

To lead effectively, leaders need to see things as they really are. So take off your rose-colored glasses every now and then and, like the undercover boss, you’ll be amazed at what you see!

—

Holly GreenHolly is CEO of The Human Factor, Inc., and helps business leaders and their companies achieve higher levels of performance and profitability.  Holly was previously President of The Ken Blanchard Company and LumMed, Inc.  Holly’s clients include AT&T, Microsoft, Expedia, Nokia, and Google as well as numerous small and midsized businesses. 

Holly’s top selling book, More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today’s Changing World (available in 9 languages globally) goes beyond the theory of leading and managing by providing practical, action-oriented information.

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