“If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you are doing.” ― W. Edwards Deming Nature, especially human nature, is hardwired to find a process for surviving, growing, and winning. It is the responsibility of the leader at each level to see the vision, set the tone, find the process, cultivate it, and grow it. The process of building a successful winning organization is complex, multifaceted and involves several key elements....
Recently I was sitting in on a company leadership meeting when the topic of motivating employees came up. One leader said he struggled with determining how hard to push an employee to perform well. When he said this, I was reminded of all the many people I had heard say they admired a person in their life because they pushed them to be better. Encouraging employees to grow beyond their personal expectations or even abilities to meet...
“You don’t build business, you build people, then people build business.” ~Zig Ziglar Hiring new employees is an important and complicated process, but giving careful thought and planning into the onboarding process is like an investment that can produce impressive long-term gains. And finding the right way to engage and integrate a new employee has never been more important for any organization looking to maintain or grow their business. In today’s market smart organizational leaders have a plan...
According to Leadership Challenge, there are four characteristics most admired in a leader: honesty, competency, inspiration, and having a forward-thinking (a visionary leader) mindset. Forward-thinking, visionary leaders have a clear idea of where they are headed. They envision a better future and work toward it, rather than merely living with the current status quo. They are futuristic, innovative, and imaginative, see the big picture, work to make a positive impact, and often want to change their world...
Sometimes it helps to take a minute and actually list the employee qualities you are looking for when hiring at your organization. Do you know what your organization is looking for? Do you need leaders, followers, outdoor workers, independent thinkers, problem solvers, strategic thinkers? Years ago, an employee, Louis R., helped show me what we needed at my organization. Louis was a self-taught irrigation specialist. He had “old school” values. He believed in working smarter, not...
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” -Booker T. Washington Adversity is defined as difficulties, misfortune, bad luck, hardship, or distress. Bosses, employees, contractors, suppliers, weather, circumstances, and customers can be a real source of adversity for any of us in leadership. When we are misunderstood, have our character questioned or our reputation slandered by our co-workers, it is painful....
Today, while working with our team in a Leader-to-Leader session, one of our seasoned leaders said, “I was creating my own leadership lid. I had intentionally set my ability to lead myself and others too low because I was afraid, I might fail. “ The leadership lid is that imaginary barrier we often put in the way of how we think and how we develop ourselves. The lid might be telling us that we don’t have the...
If you are being asked to do more, take on more, it is because you are a problem solver, you get results and you are seen as someone who can adapt and overcome. In short, you are a leader in the eyes of your organization, and it feels good. But organizations change; it may happen when they are experiencing major growth and expansion, or top-level leadership switches out. When this happens, the pressure is on the...
If you are not already a leader in your organization, you may have your eye on the job and all that goes with it. You want to wear a supervisor’s shirt, have the perks and extra pay that comes with it. You want the business card that says your name and the new leadership title. Maybe, deep down inside you want to be called “boss.” Let’s talk about the other things that come with the title. You...
“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.” ~Albert Einstein One of the foundations of leadership in any industry is modeling the behaviors you want to see more of in your organization. If you are in the service industry like me, then you know how important this principle is to the people who serve on the front lines. Frontline team members are often critically important to customer service and satisfaction....