JK Leadership Development Blog

Do you believe in circumstances?

2010-03-01T09:28:00.001Z

George Bernard Shaw said:

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."

I am sure you know people who continue to let their "circumstances" block their progress or even allow them to define who they are. And yet, you will also know people who have not only succeeded against all odds but even because of them.

What makes the difference?
How are you creating your own circumstances?
Where are you not taking responsibility for your life?
What will you do about that?

Starting a Leadership Movement in 3 minutes

2010-02-25T09:18:00.000Z

This is an interesting take on starting a leadership movement.

What do you think? Are you the shirtless man that people are hesitating to follow?
Are you playing safe and waiting for the crowd to join in before you commit?
Where in your life can you be the first and most significant follower?

Focusing on the important things in life

2010-02-15T11:44:00.000Z

My Vistage group really helps me focus on what is important in my life both professionally and personally, and last week's meeting was no exception. I was reflecting on the meeting when I came across this peice written by Nadine Stair (85 years old)

"If I had my life to live over, I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but i'd have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after the other, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute.

If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way late in the fall. I would go to more dcances. I would ride more meery-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies."

So, my questions to you are:

What is really, really important in your life?
How is this reflected in where you currently spend your time and energy?
How has what's important to you changed during different ages? (10? 16? 21? 30?)

I would love to hear what came up for you and any actions you intend to take as a result.

How are you avoiding saying "No"

2010-01-22T12:52:00.001Z

I have been delivering a number of free coaching sessions recently to help people start 2010 off on the right foot. One of the themes that seem to be emerging is people's fear or reluctance to put in place boundaries, and say "No" in order to protect those boundaries. I will write about how to say "No" without fear of unleashing world war 3, in my next "Leading Questions" newsletter.

Meanwhile, I am really interested to know how you avoid saying No. Here are some recent examples:

Saying "I can't" when I mean "I won't"
Bringing in all kinds of reasons/excuses why I can't or its not possible
Talking about something else in order to deflect
Making vague promises using "maybe" "perhaps" "sometime soon" etc.
Saying "Yes" and hoping they'll foget
Using "they" "the management" "the group" or "someone" when I mean "I"
Avoiding the person making the request.

So, here are my coaching questions. And I would love to hear your responses:

How do you go about not saying "No"?
What kinds of situations lead you to behave like this?
What is the fear that is holding you back?
What is the potential impact on you and on others of not saying "No"?

Yes everyone hates role playing ..... and

2009-12-02T09:41:00.000Z

I just read this post Everyone Hates Role Playing by Frank Roche.

Frank suggests that as everyone hates role playing, trainers should forget experiential learning as a way of embedding the learning points all together and try teaching instead! He goes on to argue that people learn from teaching, and visual learners learn from books. What do you think?

I disagree with Frank's view of how people learn. We learn mostly from experience and reflection. I have yet to see a baby pick up a book in order to learn how to walk! They try it, fall over, try it again, and again until they have mastered it. In work, studies show that people learn from experience (70%) role models (20%) and books and courses (10%)(Centre for Creative Leadership)

As a trainer I leverage this by using work related experiences, examples and stories and follow the training up with work based learning opportunities such as projects, experiments and tasks.

As far as role play goes, I want to distinguish between role play (acting - not good) and real play (real life scenario's - good) Employees may also hate the idea of real play but we never learn to do anything differently without stepping out of our comfort zone. My job as the trainer is to make this step as safe as possible. I hate exercise but that's not a valide reason to avoid it.

I'd love your views:

Have you been on a training programme which used role play or real play?
How have you learned to be the manager you are?

Managing Clever People

2009-11-20T08:57:00.000Z

As we move towards a knowledge economy we need to manage organisations full of clever people who don't usually respond well to being managed.

Managing clever people can be like herding cats. Do you have clever people on your team who you need but don't enjoy managing? It's important to learn how to bring out the best in clever people because they can add tremendous value or, as we have seen recently in global businesses, destroy value. Here are some thoughts and tips from Rob Goffee, co-author of "Clever"

What do you do or can you do to create the environment in which clever, creative, innovative and talented people thrive and also contribute fully to the organisation?

How to ask questions without looking stupid

2009-11-07T13:54:00.001Z

Sometimes we hold ourselves back from asking questions for fear of looking stupid or demonstrating that we don't know something that we feel we "should" know. Imagine how dangerous it can potentially be for a business if the senior team are pretending knowledge or understanding they don't have or are restricting their options by not asking others for their contrbution and thinking. That's why these suggestions by Jodi Glickman Brown may prove useful:

1. Start your question with what you know. Do your homework first. Get enough background information to put your issue or problem in context. Give the other person an idea of what you've completed to date or what you know already and then proceed to explain what's outstanding, where or how you're struggling, or what you need help with.

2. Then, state the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, thoughts or clarification. Form an opinion on what you think the answer should be. Don't just ask, "How should I reach out to the brokers?" Instead propose a course of action and get your boss's feedback: "I'm thinking of sending out a mass email to the brokers but I'm not sure if that's the most effective format...what do you think of that approach?"

3. If you don't know the direction to take, ask for tangible guidance. Instead of asking "What should I do?" ask specifically for the tools you'll need to make that decision yourself, such as a recent example of a similar analysis or a template for a given task. Or, ask for a referral to someone who has worked on a similar initiative or project in the past.

In the vast majority of cases, you'll get a lot further in your career by asking the tough, smart questions.

So, my questions to you are:

How many times in the last week have you not asked a question when to do so, would have been useful or helpful?
What stopped you? And what assumptions might you be making?
How can you start practicing the above approach in a relatively risk free environment?
When will you do it?

Original source: Jodi Glickman Brown Great on the Job.

Daniel Goleman - Why aren't we all Good Samaritans

2009-11-03T21:10:00.000Z

I wonder if Daniel Goleman would share my concerns about the potential impact of social media on relationships. If you can spare 13 mins.(re-assure your boss it is for personal/professional development) this is an interesting talk for all kinds of reasons.

Social Media - For Good or Ill?

2009-11-02T11:51:00.000Z

It's been three months now since I committed to launching myself fully into the social media world. I am blogging, tweeting, posting, and linking like a good 'un and making some great connections ..... or am I?

While I am totally convinced of the potential value of social networking, I have started to get some uncomfortable feelings about its potential for harm and the damage it can do at an individual and global level. Only this week Stephen Fry had a moment of doubt about how good twittering is for his mental health.

I know by posting this to a blog I am likely to be talking to people who are sold on social media so I am interested to hear your responses to my following musings.

1. My social media company kept re-iterating to me that "it's about being social" and that if I don't keep posting to facebook regularly, "friends" will assume I am not interested in them and stop following me. All the posts I am seeing on Facebook are upbeat, chirpy and superficial. Great! I am all for demonstrating a positive attitude. What happens when people aren't feeling positive, and can't tell anyone because that isn't what it's about?

2. I watch people who are apparently spending their time pootling off to Paris, bungy jumping in Brisbane, and living it up in Las Vegas! and that's all on a Wednesday afternoon. How does this affect people who are lonely or isolated and how real is it anyway?

3. I am using Tweetadder to find hundreds of people who are interested in leadership and management and following people who are following me. I thought I wanted to learn from thought leaders in my field and provide free, practical resources to people that follow me.

What is the motivation of twitter users? Are we genuinely wanting to learn from or connect with everyone we follow or is it more like a cacophony of monologues? Are we on an ego trip to show how popular, or credible we are? or are we really just looking to sell our products and services?

4. When I am out and about and seeing people in social groups, or even in team meetings overtly or covertly sending text messages, emailing and twittering I am just willing them to be present where they are, enjoying the people they are with, fully involved in the conversation. Making eye contact for goodness sake!

In summary my concern is that while we are all so hooked on making as many connections and sharing as much information as possible what is happening to real relationships? Are we linking with people but not getting to know people. Are we "friends" with people but not there for them when they need help? I would love to know that social media is being used as an additional resource and not as a replacement for the deep, trusting, confiding relationships that we all need.

What do you think?

Thought of the Day - How Do You Define Success?

2009-10-17T08:56:00.000+01:00

Is success the opposite of failure?

Are you focussing your attention on being successful by not failing?

What is the impact when you do "fail"and how does your thinking shape your response?

Winston Churchill said:

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

How does that fit your view of the world?

4 Things Every Employee Needs to Know

2009-10-16T08:38:00.000+01:00

Leadership is vital in order to look ahead to the future, set direction and encourage people to rally behind that vision, and commit to working towards it. It's important to engage staff in challenging how things have always been done, and come up with new and creative thinking about how to reach stretching business goals. However, without management to ensure that people are conforming to the plans, standards and processes there would be chaos, and instability and nothing would be achieved. An effective balance of leadership and management is necessary for outstanding business performance.

In his blog All Things Workplace Steve Roesler outlines clearly and simply, 4 things that all employees need know, no matter what their industry.

1. What am I supposed to do?
The fastest way to confuse a workforce is to speak in grandiose, visionary language. People--including you and me-want to know, specifically, what has to be done as well as what "good" looks like.

2. Will you let me do it?
This question is the result of too many experiences with managers who got in the way by doing #1 just fine and then jumping in when not needed.

3. Will you help me when I need it?
Employees do want to know that it's ok to ask for help when the situation requires it; and, that they'll get it without judgment. Asking for help shows maturity and character; so does giving it.

4. Will you let me know how I'm doing?
We all want to know where we stand with our boss. It's just plain uncomfortable not knowing--and not knowing can cause a well-intentioned employee to continue doing things the wrong way. After all, no one is indicating that anything should change!

So, my questions to you are:

If I asked you and your staff what you need them to do, how confident are you that the answers would match?

What is one peice of performance feedback you are currently avoiding giving?

When are you going to give that feedback?

How do I stop my colleagues driving me crazy?

2009-10-13T20:26:00.000+01:00

By Julie Kay

Do any of these sound familiar?

My colleague repeatedly misses deadlines which puts my work schedule under enormous pressure?

My boss delegates and then constantly hovers over my shoulder and just cant seem to let go
One of my direct reports continues to make the same fundamental errors even though I've shown them what to do many times?
I have a peer who puts the damper on every idea single idea I have ever come up with?

A particular person just has to walk into the room and my hackles start to rise?

Relationships are complex and problems can be entrenched, but there are simple steps you can try before calling in external support (coach, counsellor, firing squad!)

Establish the impact of the problem

Stop things that don't work

Try things that may work

1. Establish the impact/importance

Ask yourself:

How is this behaviour impacting me?
The other person?
Those around us?
The performance of our team and/or business?
Our customers?

Then establish how much time and energy you and others have spent discussing this person.
What has this achieved?
How has this affected my relationship with others?
How else could I have used this time?

Based on the above, decide to address it or ignore the problem.

2. What doesn't work

Labelling people in terms such as "difficult" or "stupid" or "control freak".
This can become a self fulfilling prophecy. We spend our time looking for evidence that supports our label.

Having unrealistic expectations.
Make sure you are not expecting everyone to be the same as you or that you have to like everyone. As the saying goes "if everyone thinks the same, no-one thinks very much".

Believing the other person is making you feel this way.
Our emotions are largely the result of how we think and what we believe about an event or person. We can change our thinking and beliefs. We can't change the other person. (Look out for the next newsletter on managing emotions.)

Trying to control the other person's behaviour.
The most common reason for people feeling negatively towards others is not being able to change them and make them behave the way we think they should. Ensure you are not wasting valuable energy on this pointless exercise.

3. Top tips to try

Tell them. Give them direct feedback about the behaviour you are seeing and how it impacts you

Share your vision and goals and listen to theirs

Clarify and communicate what you want from the relationship and ask them in return

Identify everything positive about this person and how they can contribute to you. Remind yourself often.

Put yourself in their shoes. Is it possible that the other person is experiencing you just as negatively? What other actions can you take to improve your relationship?

Confront the possibility that you may be getting some pay off by making and maintaining this as a difficult relationship. How is it serving you?

Adapted from "The Learner Within" - IBM Corporation

To sum up, you need to:

Stop wasting energy on things and people outside your control and start focussing on what you can do to accept, avoid or change the relationship. You can only do that bychanging something in your own thinking or behaviour. This will take hard work, commitment and persistence but the pay-off is potentially huge. Just think of all the hard work and negative energy you've probably been putting in until now!

Happy learning!

Be the change you want to see

2009-10-05T12:55:00.000+01:00

When I am called in to work with companies it usually involves changing behaviours in some way to support the business more effectively. Often the senior teams want their direct reports to change their behaviour, the middle managers want to know that any development they are undertaking is also being undertaken by the senior team and everyone else just want “the management” to change. So this article by Lou Tice really struck a chord with me. Perhaps it will for you.

“Managers who want quality from their workforce need to hold themselves to the same high standards. To borrow an old saying, "What's good for the goose, is good for the gander" - or it should be. You see, in the quest for total quality and continuous improvement, many managers forget about the role that they themselves play in bringing these things about. They ignore the baggage they bring to work every day, but expect their employees to be totally focused on their jobs. Or they announce a new corporate ethic, but continue to behave as they always have because they don't really think the new standard applies to them. There is no doubt about it. The companies showing the others how it's done are characterized by management that is more receptive to change and more receptive to new ideas. And the companies that will lead us into the future are the ones led by men and women who can do what is currently considered unusual, and do it comfortably. They are risk-takers in their personal as well as professional lives and they see themselves - intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, economically - as experiments in continuous improvement. In other words, they walk the talk. Change usually starts at the top, but it can also be stopped there unless management makes a sincere effort to take its own standards of excellence to heart

So, whether you are an executive, manager, employee or business owner here are my questions to you:

· How are you demonstrating your own commitment to continuous improvement?
· How are you modeling the behaviour you want to see?
· How much energy are you wasting focusing on how others “should” behave?

Thought of the Day - Double Your Failures

2009-09-24T08:36:00.000+01:00

For perfectionists everywhere

" Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You're thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that's where you'll find success."--- Thomas J. Watson

Monday mornings vs Friday afternoons

2009-09-23T15:02:00.000+01:00

I recently worked with a CEO and her team. At the start of each of our sessions she would announce to me in front of the team, not to expect anything from her until 10am when she was more awake. Now I didn’t work with her for long and you can draw your own conclusions about that, but she did spring to mind when I saw the clip below on YouTube.

As a leader in your organisation you are setting the pace and tone for those around you 24/7, so my questions to you are:

When do you get the “Monday morning” feeling at work? How do you challenge it?
How can you generate the “Friday afternoon” feeling for yourself and your team more often?
How do you respond when a member of your team presents like the polar bear?
What do you do to channel the energy and enthusiasm of your penguin moments?

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions

Julie Kay
http://www.jkld.co.uk/

How do I develop myself as a manager when I don't have enough time to do the day job?

2009-09-10T09:15:00.000+01:00

By Julie Kay

How do you go about finding the right development opportunities which are tailor-made for you? Development opportunities where you can learn exactly what you need to, at exactly the time you want to, and in a way that suits your learning style and your situation?

First, for any effective learning to take place you will need to be aware of and accept your learning needs and then (and only then!) take action to address them. No matter how busy you are, you do need to invest some time up front to accurately pin-point your learning needs. I can almost hear you groan, but remember this up-front investment will pay handsome dividends. Any subsequent learning will be much more effective and sustainable.

Now here is the good news! Taking action should fall within what you are already required to do within your job role. How many training events have you attended or heard of that work the other way round? They start with very little exploration of individual and business needs and if there is any follow up to support the transfer of skills to the workplace after the event, an inordinate amount of extra work is placed on the learner.

1. Undertake a solid, reliable 360 degree appraisal to establish a) the specific skills and behaviours that are most important in your role and in your business and b) where your strengths and development opportunities are in relation to those skills and behaviours.

2. Establish and agree a Personal Development Plan and I mean Personal! You don't have to target weaknesses, it is usually much more productive to work on making better use of your strengths or taking an average skill and making it a strength.

3. Remember that the most effective learning usually happens on stretching assignments and projects at work, rather than on a course, so look for work based opportunities that will stretch and develop you.

4. Learning is a journey not an event. Don't waste your time and money on a one off event especially if it is taking critical time away from core operations. Also, steer clear of the sheep dip 'one-size fits all' approach. You can't afford to spend time on topics that aren't relevant or that you are already strong in.

5. Look for learning in bite-sized chunks so you can focus on one small step at a time and build and sustain your new skills over time.

6. Ensure that there is support and accountability built in at work and that you are transferring your learning to real work situations from the start. You haven't time to take on extra work in order to meet the course criteria. The support can come from a line manager (they are the most influential factor in applying new skills) or from a learning buddy.

7. You are unique and you know how you learn best. The approaches you may consider are individual coaching, group facilitation, teleseminars/webinars, online communities of peers, longer programmes that blend a number of approaches. The options these days are endless.

8. Evaluate your learning on an individual and organisational level. You and your company needs to know just how your newly acquired skills has benefitted you and the performance of the business.

To sum up, you need to:
• keep it real and relevant
• take small progressive steps
• find the right approach for you
• get support from within your workplace
Happy learning!

Create a culture of candor

2009-09-04T14:53:00.000+01:00

In their article, What’s Needed Next: A Culture of Candor James O'Toole and Warren G. Bennis argue that rather than just measuring leaders’ effectiveness on how much wealth they create for their investors they should also be assessed on their ability to build businesses that are economically, ethically and socially sustainable. They see the first step in achieving this as creating e a culture of candor.

“Companies can't innovate, respond to stakeholder needs, or run efficiently unless the people inside them have access to timely, relevant information. Increasing transparency can be an uphill battle against human nature, however. The obstacles are numerous: macho executives who don't listen to their subordinates or who punish them for bringing bad news; leaders who believe that information is power and hoard it; groupthink among team members who don't know how to disagree; boards that fail to question charismatic CEOs. Nevertheless, leaders can take steps to nurture transparency. By being open and candid, admitting their errors, encouraging employees to speak the truth, and rewarding contrarians, executives can model the kind of conduct they want to see. Training employees to handle unpleasant conversations with grace also will break down barriers to honest communication.”

So if you agree that a culture of candor is the basis for sustainable business, consider:

How are you modelling that open and honest communication yourself?

What issue is nagging at the back of your mind right now that you are avoiding raising?

What specific actions are you taking to support your staff in speaking up?

Putting down roots

2009-08-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

Workplace coaching is now widespread, but who should look after it - line managers or coaching specialists? Martin Howe asks what direction the profession should now take.

Click here for the full article written by Martin Howe

Managers working 'extra 40 days'

2009-08-25T12:09:00.000+01:00

The average manager in the UK puts in the equivalent of an extra 40 days a year to help them cope with their workload, a survey suggests.

The Chartered Management Institute says almost nine in 10 managers work longer than their contracted hours, typically for an hour and 18 minutes a day.

Most of the 1,511 senior staff surveyed said they did this to meet deadlines or to cope with a high volume of work.

The report comes as the TUC is urging people to work their contracted hours.

The report has been issued in support of the union organisation's campaign, in what represents a rare tie-up between management and union representatives on workplace issues.

The TUC is urging workers to stick to their hours on Friday after calculating that if employees worked all their unpaid overtime from the start of the year, February 22 would be the first day they would be paid.

In the CMI survey, 2% of those questioned said they were pressured by their bosses to work extra hours to meet workloads while 3% said they worked long hours to get ahead.

The CMI's Quality of Working Life report also showed that 16% of women, compared with 35% of men, work over 48 hours per week.

The institute said the survey showed that efforts to reduce working hours in recent years had failed.

"Why are employers ignoring the impact of long hours on the health and performance of their employees and what responsibility are employees taking for how they manage themselves?" said Jo Causon, CMI director for marketing and corporate affairs.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/7251943.stm

Published: 19/02/2008 00:03:44 GMT

© BBC MMVIII