In my last post, I described 5 decision making options leaders can choose, depending on the amount of time allowed and input and buy-in needed.This post will describe a process a leader can use to help a group reach an efficient consensus decision.First of all, it’s important to define what’s meant by “consensus”.Here’s a definition that’s worked for me:“Consensus is a decision that every member of the group has had input to, understands, and is willing to support.”Note that consensus does not mean that everyone agrees with the decision 100%. It mean’s they’ve had their say – and have been listened to – and at the end of the day, are committed to supporting the decision. The final decision is owned by the group.The leader also needs to decide on a “fallback” method in case the group cannot reach true consensus. Otherwise, in theory, if just one person is not willing to support the decision, the meeting can go on forever.The two most common fallback options are:1. The group votes, majority rules.2. The leader decides.The threat of a fallback is a deterrent – it rarely has to be used, however, having it will motivate a group to give and take in order to reach a consensus.Here’s a general process to use when making a consensus decision. It’s a way to ensure everyone has a say, generates energy, and can quickly move a group to a decision they can all buy in to and support.The leader should check for agreement at the beginning and end of each step. Consensus building is a series of small agreements as you scale the mountain – you don’t just leap to one big agreement at the end.1. Frame the decision.Agree on what is being decided. Test your decision statement to make sure it’s not too narrow in a way that limits your options. For example, instead of “choose between a Honda Pilot or a Ford Explorer”, the decision might be “choose the best mode of family transportation”.2. Generate alternatives.This is the time to brainstorm. Follow the rules of brainstorming (anything goes, don’t evaluate, build on each others ideas, etc…) and write each idea on a flipchart of whiteboard (or a virtual whiteboard if using web conferencing).3. Clarify alternatives.Take some time to allow questions for clarification. This is not the time to evaluate an idea – or to agree or disagree – it’s strictly to make sure everyone understands each alternative.4. Narrow down the choices.Add up the total number of ideas and divide by 3. So if 30 ideas: 30/3=10. In this case, give each team member 10 sticker dots (can be purchased at any office supply store). Have the group place their stickers on the alternatives they like the most. Make sure you tell this group this IS NOT the decision making process – it is strictly an efficient way to “take the temperature” of the group to see which ideas rise to the top and sink to the bottom. There are many ways to do this, but I usually say one sticker per alternative to keep it simple.5. Keep and discard.Start with the alternative with the most votes and ask: “It looks like this one got the most votes – how about if this one stays for now?” If everyone agrees, then circle it. The go to the alternative with no votes, or the least, and ask: “OK, this one didn’t get any votes – can we eliminate it?” If no one objects, draw a line through it. If someone strongly objects – ask why. Give them time to make their case, and then move on to the next.Although this may sound like a long and tedious process, it actually can go pretty quickly. The group often just decides they’ll go with the alternative with the most votes. A leader can also suggest combining ideas, by asking “So what is it about option A that you like so much? Can we add something to option B to satisfy that need?”There may be times when it’s appropriate to choose multiple alternatives. In fact, that’s often the case. For problem solving (i.e., “best ways to reduce expenses”, or “best ways to generate revenue”), it’s typical to leave with a list of alternatives.6. Summarize the decision(s), and decide on who’s going to do what by when.This is the test of true commitment. Usually when a group reaches a true consensus decision, the energy and commitment is so high people are clamoring to sign up for action items. If all of a sudden the room goes quiet and no one is making eye contact, chances are you missed a step in the consensus building process.Then, pass out pins, have everybody stick a pin in their finger, and sign their names on the flipcharts in blood (just kidding).Consensus building is hard work for a leader – it takes a willingness to “roll the dice” and be open to any alternative. Big egos need to be set aside. However, the time and work invested will yield not only higher quality decisions, but implementation will be faster and smoother because everyone will be committed to the outcome.

Leaders often need to make hard decisions.Our current president recently said “by the time something reaches my desk, that means it’s really hard. Because if it were easy, somebody else would have made the decision and somebody else would have solved it. So typically, if something’s in my folder, it means that you’ve got some very big, difficult, sticky, contradictory issues to be wrestled with.”Yes, it can be lonely at the top. But it doesn’t always have to be. There are times when a leader may want to involve others in the decision making process.There are five ways a leader can do this. None of them are “right” or “wrong” – it all depends on the degree of involvement required and how quick the decision needs to be made.5 Decision Making Options:1. Tell“I want to inform you of a decision I’ve made and give you an opportunity to ask any questions.”2. Test“I’m thinking of choosing option A to solve the problem – what do you think?”3. Sell“I’m thinking of choosing option A to solve our problem – let me convince you why I think it’s a good option.”4. Consult“I need to select an option, and would like your input on which to choose.”5. Consensus“We need to make a decision, and I’d like us to make the decision together.”The chart below can help a leader choose the best decision making option. If a decision needs to be made right away – and little involvement is needed, then the “Tell” method is perfectly appropriate. Examples of when this method might be used include emergencies (“the building is on fire – exit the front door now!”) – or trivial matters, where the leader does not want to waste everyone’s time.As you can see from the chart, the more buy-in needed, the more time it usually takes to make a decision.There are pros and cons for each option. Obviously, the ones requiring less involvement are faster. However, with little involvement, there is little buy-in and commitment, and a missed opportunity to incorporate multiple perspectives.Again, each of these options has it’s time and place. The important thing is for a leader to be clear with the group which option is being used. This helps set the right expectations and informs people how they need to prepare. When a leader bounces back and forth between options and doesn’t tell the group, it confuses and frustrates the team – as well as the leader.Consensus will provide the highest degree of involvement, collaboration, and commitment. However, if mismanaged, attempting to reach a consensus decision can turn into the meeting from hell.In my next post, I’ll show you how to reach a consensus decision in an efficient way – usually in less than an hour.

Thanks to Adi Gaskell, from CMI and a regular Great Leadership reader and commenter, for bringing this November 10th press release to my attention. He says “It's been very popular here in the UK with the likes of the BBC and Daily Telegraph running stories on it. I think it could run well on your blog.”I did a Google news search and it looks like the U.S. press hasn’t picked up on it yet, so consider this breaking news. Might even be a first for Great Leadership. (-:Has the leadership “crisis” gotten so bad that we need to turn to the government for help? It apparently has in the U.K. I’m afraid we’re not too far behind in the United States. The federal government is already managing General Motors. And for any private sector organization that took a government bailout, they’re being told how to pay their executives.Take a look at the press release, then my commentary at the end. I’d be interested in your thoughts.Half of workers quit jobs due to bad management10th November 2009Better Managed Britain campaign launched to bring about skills transformationAlmost half of workers surveyed (47 per cent) have left a job due to bad management, figures from CMI today revealed.A new survey of the UK workforce (3,000 adults surveyed by OnePoll), conducted on behalf of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) also revealed that 50 per cent believe that they could do a better job than their current manager and a similar number (49 per cent) said they would be prepared to take a pay cut, in order to work with a better manager.Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: “The figures reveal the depth of the crisis of confidence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people’s wellbeing.” Tonight, CMI, as the champion of management and leadership excellence in the UK, will meet with representatives from the three main political parties at the launch of its Manifesto for a Better Managed Britain to demand that urgent action is taken to transform management and leadership performance.More than 1,500 leaders and managers have already pledged their commitment to CMI’s Manifesto, from organisations including PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Interbrand. The Manifesto, the result of extensive research, analysis and consultation, calls for managers, organisations and the Government to pledge their commitment to help meet the economic, social and political challenges facing Britain. It sets out the case for the Government to make the development of effective managers a national priority – with the public sector leading by example. Employers are called upon to develop professional managers and leaders in their organisations and to foster a culture where competence and accountability are paramount. The requirement for individual managers is to demonstrate professionalism, be role models and commit to continuous professional development.68 per cent of managers surveyed confessed to being ‘accidental’ managers, not aspiring to occupy management roles at the start of their careers. Two in five admitted to not wanting the responsibility of managing people at all, while 63 per cent of managers say they had no management training. Only 28 per cent of managers hold any type of formal management qualification.Ruth Spellman continued: “It’s not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors and it shows. It’s telling that the majority of individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we’re going to stay competitive internationally, the Government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap. In what other profession would it be acceptable for only a quarter of practitioners to hold a professional qualification? The sad truth is that UK managers are no longer regarded as professional, competent or accountable. By signing up to the Manifesto, policy makers, managers and leaders can demonstrate their commitment to raising UK plc’s game.”Dan’s Commentary: And just how is the government supposed to address the problem of bad management in the U.K.? In an interview with ePolitix, Spellman had these suggestions: Government should pledge to make development of effective managers a priority and to lead by example, by supporting professional management and leadership in the public sector. Tax breaks for employers investing in professional, accredited training should be common ground between the political parties and a key part of any Budget that seeks a Better Managed Britain. Government backing for the development of a Youth Academy for Management and Leadership. Government needs to ensure that more up-to-date and accurate labor market information on management and leadership practices, capabilities and qualifications is collected.CMI is a respected organization, and I’m sure their proposals are well intended. However, they also appear to be somewhat self-serving, considering CMI is a provider of leadership and management training. That’s kind of like Jenny Craig Weight Loss Centers calling for making weight loss a national priority, with tax breaks and funding for weight loss programs.The proposal that I like the most is the first one. I’d love to see the government lead by example. And you know, the reality is, I’m sure a lot of their managers already are. It’s just that we only hear about the high profile failures from the media. I’ve personally met plenty of outstanding, role model leaders from the public sector. In fact, many of the leading executive education programs have heavy participation from federal agencies, so it’s not like they aren’t paying attention to leadership development. And let’s not forget the military – the U.S. Army has a world-class leadership development program.Of all the proposals, the one that scares me the most is the last one. I could envision myself spending hundreds of hours pulling together the equivalent of a yearly Affirmative Action Plan for leadership and management development. Arrrgh! No thanks, that kind of “help” we don’t need.So what do you think? What should the government’s role be, if any, in addressing the shortage of great leadership and management talent?

Whenever I’m designing a leadership development workshop, I’m always aware of the cost of pulling 20 or so supervisors, managers, or executives away from their work for anywheres from 4 hours to 4 weeks. The biggest cost of any training program isn’t the instructors, travel, facilities, and food. It’s not even the salaries of the participants. The most significant cost, and often overlooked, is the lost opportunity cost. For every hour a manager, or salesperson, or programmer, spends in a classroom, that’s one hour of lost productivity. For executives, the opportunity cost is even greater. That could mean one less deal being made, one less critical decision being made, one less meeting with an investor or customer, etc…Being aware of these total costs gives me additional motivation to make sure every minute is well spent and the benefits far outweigh the costs. Here are some things I’ve learned over time that will lead to a great leadership development experience.1. Executive and management involvementI’ve already written about this topic – see “10 Ways to Involve Leaders in Leadership Development Programs”. Involve them right from start to finish, and everywhere in between. You’ll get a better workshop and the learning will be reinforced – that’s a given. However, here’s the real secret sauce of involving executive sponsors and the participant’s managers: they end up learning and role modeling as well! I’m not sure if there’s an official name for this phenomenon, but I’ve been calling it “the ripple effect”.As you design – always bake in ripple throughout the process. More ripple = more ROI.2. Participant selectionI’ve never been a fan of unscreened, open enrollment programs. I’ve found that careful participant selection can make or break a program. Consideration should be given to skill level, common interests, challenges, and needs, motivation, and diversity. Take advantage of activities, breaks, meals, and evenings to promote networking.3. Pre-work and postworkThink of any leadership development as a process, not just an event. With effective pre and post work, you can often build as much development before and after the workshop as you can during the workshop. Examples of effective pre and post work include:- Pre and post meetings with the manager to review expectations and debrief learnings (see #1)- Readings – case studies, books, and online articles- Blogs, Wikkis, and threaded discussions- Journaling (send them a nice journal with tips on how to journal)- Shadowing assignments or interviews- Conference calls or webinars- Online training4. Extraordinary contentI understand the value of self-discovery and learning from our peers – that’s all well and good. However, the best leadership development programs always include some amount of fascinating and incredibly relevant content. That is, helpful tips, new ideas, proven best practices… the kind of content that causes participants to light up, pick up their pens and start writing. The source of this content can be internal or external experts –there’s a time and place for both. Or, extraordinary content could be researched or purchased, and delivered by a skilled trainer.5. Participant involvementExtraordinary content by itself will not always produce learning, and certainly not development. Great leadership development programs always have at least 50% of the time devoted to doing. The “doing” can include action learning, case studies, discussions, role plays, white paper development and presentation, and simulations.6. Participant insightEvery leader is different, and no workshop could possibly be designed to address each leader’s specific development needs. In order to ensure these unique needs are uncovered and addressed, build in assessment, feedback, coaching (peer or professional), time for reflection and individual development planning.7. Great logisticsIt’s unfortunate, but I’ve seen great programs unravel due to inadequate meeting rooms, horrible food, ice cold or sauna-like room temperatures, technology failures, guest speakers not showing up, and all sorts of other little things that were just overlooked. My approach is to plan it like a wedding – think through every little thing that could go wrong, and have back-up plans for every kind of emergency.

Guest post by Eileen Habelow:According to Randstad’s 2009 World of Work survey, an alarming number of workers surveyed (83%) feel fortunate to have a job. Why do I say alarming?While this sentiment might simply be an expression of gratitude for some, I believe it is just as likely that this response reflects a distinct undertone of survival mentality – just grateful, just thankful, just fortunate.So, what is the impact of survival mentality? Survival mentality tends to put people into a defensive mode – a reactive and protective stance. When employees are in survival mode, they are constantly looking over their shoulders or in the proverbial rearview mirror for the other shoe to drop. The impact is lower productivity and less focus on the job.Adding to the premise of a survival mentality is fear. The same survey also revealed that 52 percent fear for their economic well-being! This response alone provides a clear picture of the roller coaster of emotions that employees bring into the workplace. Couple fear with a steady diet of predominately negative news – job losses, dwindling consumer confidence, institutions in financial turmoil, recession – and the recipe is the same: lower productivity and less focus on the job at hand.So, how do we help employees get from survive to thrive with the swirling of negativity all around? What can we do to encourage the language of an environment that thrives? How can we facilitate or create a workforce that has a forward-looking, windshield outlook instead of a rearview mirror viewpoint? The answer is communicate, communicate and communicate some more!Tell them all that you can tell them. Paranoia is a killer! During a tough time at work, silence is NOT golden and no news is NOT good news! When employers leave ‘dead air’ in the workplace instead of open communication lines, paranoia will set in; and with paranoia comes the survival mentality I previously mentioned. There is always something that can be communicated to the workforce even if it is ‘no decisions have been made, but we are working on it’. While there will always be information and news that cannot be shared, make sure to share what you can. This communication helps to keep employees from wondering what just happened and what might happen next. Over communicate during a tough time and be as transparent as possible to keep your employees informed.Pay close attention to your top performer. Often times, we assume that our best employees already know that they are the best and that they must know how important they are to the company. Wrong. How many times has your company been surprised by the exit of a key performer after it was too late to convince him or her to stay? Even the most confident performers can have doubtful moments during a tough economic time. Sales, results, growth and profit can all be down for even the best formers so it’s critical for your most important employees to know (for sure) that they are valued and why they are valued. This can be as simple as a personal conversation that discusses the employee’s value and seeks to discover what is most important to them at the moment. Bottom line: make sure the employees you value most know that they are valued.Be clear about why some are gone and why some are still here. Honesty is the best policy. You may think that you are saving face for those who have been let go, but while you may soften the blow (very temporarily, by the way) of those who exit, you could be doing damage to the perceptions of those who are left. If every layoff brings a company line of ‘it was just a business necessity’, those who survive the layoff may NOT know why they are still around. You know what comes next…they are ‘just grateful’ to have a job. Consider instead communicating specifics around why decisions were made and what impact those decisions will have on those who remain. Of course you can customize the reasons for your situation, but the key is telling employees why they are still here and why they are valuable to the company. That alone can encourage employees to look forward for the next goal without feeling a sense of guilt or speculating as to why some are gone.Avoid credibility killers. When talking with employees, you are representing the company as a leader. Avoid using phrases like ‘the company’ or ‘upper management’ – they are surefire credibility killers. Another quick credibility killer is ‘the boss and I really think you need to get your game together’. Every time you bring someone else into the room for a tough conversation (literally or figuratively), it may make the conversation easier for you, and you may even think it softens the blow, but consider how you instantly demote yourself when you relegate the decision to someone higher up. You may even inadvertently communicate that you are not the leader your position suggests you should be.Focus on the goals and be clear about the role. Find a common destination or a shared goal that is guaranteed to get employees looking forward, through the windshield. Then get all employees moving in the same direction toward the goal by establishing clear roles and expectations for each employee. Again, this focus will get your employees looking forward and help each employee be clear about what they bring to the table.Dr. Eileen Habelow is the Senior Vice President of Organizational Development at Randstad US. Eileen’s formal education has been focused on instructional design and educational psychology. Her professional experience has ranged from learning and development, sales and operations, and organizational effectiveness.

A 360 degree leadership assessment is one of the most effective ways to get feedback from your employees, peers, and managers against a set of pre-defined leadership competencies.Having debriefed these for hundreds of managers, and taken a number of different 360s myself, I’ve discovered some best practices that have worked for me and others.Here are 10 tips for getting the most value from a 360 degree leadership assessment:1. Mentally prepare yourself.You have to go into these things with the right frame of mind. Don’t get all worked up dreading the results and hoping no one says anything bad about you. Instead, go into it with the objective of unlocking the secrets of what you need to do to become a better leader.2. Don’t try to figure it out yourself.This is critical. Any responsible program or organization wouldn’t implement a 360 degree feedback process without offering assistance with making sense of the data. Even though I may know the instrument inside and out, I still will sit down with a coach, a colleague, or my manager to review it with me. When you’re too close to the data it’s way too easy to miss something. It’s human nature – we sometimes see what we want to see, are too hard on ourselves, or make assumptions that others would not make. If anything, having someone to talk through it with just provides emotional support.3. Don’t play detective.Don’t waste time trying to figure out who made a comment or who rated you high or low. Unless it’s your manager’s rating, the reports are designed to protect the raters. Too managers make assumptions – and I’ve done it myself – and have been wrong. Just take each comment and rating for what it is – data – and focus your energy on what you’re going to do about it.4. Holistically of systematically?There’s two ways to sort through all of the ratings and comments. Some managers take a more holistic approach – they take it all in, let it marinate, and come up with themes, patterns, connections, and trends. It’s like an art to them. Other managers prefer to take a more analytical, systematic approach. They focus on the statistically significant differences (and I can barely explain what that even means) and their own complex algorithms in order to make sense of it all. There is no right way – they both work. Use whatever method works for you, and don’t let someone force you to use a method that doesn’t fit your style.Also – while comments are important – don’t get too hung up on a single comment, especially if the ratings and rest of the report don’t support the comment. It’s this tendency to overreact to a single comment that has caused some 360 providers not to use them. Personally, I find value in them, when taken for what they are – a single data point.5. Pay attention to and celebrate your strengths!No, really, this is not just a cliché. I’ve had managers completely dismiss what I thought were some awesome strengths. That’s another reason why it’s better to have someone go through the results with you. Unfortunately, leaders don’t always get to hear about what they are doing right. These strengths can also play a part in figuring out how to overcome or work around weaknesses.6. Look for blind spots and differences.Blind spots are areas where you’ve rated yourself higher than others have. This could either be due to lack of self-awareness, or a marketing problem. Either way, they may need to be addressed. Differences in ratings between rater groups may mean you’re showing up differently depending on the situation. Perhaps your manager sees you as a great listener and your employees don’t. In this example, it’s not an issue of not knowing how to listen – you’re just choosing who you listen too. It could be more of a respect issue.7. Absolute vs. relative scores?If a “4” on a seven point scale is defined as “good”, and your lowest score is a 5.5, does that mean you don’t have any development needs? No, not unless every single one of your scores is a perfect 7. Anything less means there’s room for improvement. Some organizations or groups of employees tend to rate their manager’s higher. Focus on your own relative strengths and weaknesses, not what the rating scale says.8. Find 2-3 things to improve.When all is said and done, the objective is to find 2-3 leadership behaviors:A. Where you have opportunity to get betterB. That are important to improve, i.e., they will make a difference in your successC. You are motivated to improve.Why 2-3? Actually, there’s no science behind that number. If something is really going to be hard for you to improve, than one is enough. Other times, you can improve more than 2-3 things if they are related or easy to learn. But for simplicity, people seem to buy-in to 2-3.9. Make a plan and take action.360s are great input to an individual development plan. However, don’t just keep the plan to yourself – share it with others. These two steps – having a written plan and sharing it with others – have proved through research to be the single biggest differentiators of those who have taken a 360 and improved and those that have not improved. Follow-up and thank those that have provided you feedback and let them know what you’re going to work on to improve your ability as a leader.10. Follow-up.If possible, take another assessment 12-18 months later. That’s about how long it’s going to take for people to notice any improvement in behavior. You don’t have to take the entire assessment again – just the questions relevant to the areas you are trying to improve.Asking for feedback takes a lot of courage, and it’s a big investment of a lot of people’s time. Follow these tips and you’ll get the most ROI for the effort.

Welcome to the day after Halloween, too much candy hangover, take the leftovers to work, full moon, November 1st edition of the Leadership Development Carnival.There's no bottom of the treat bag dum-dums in this edition - nothing but full-size snicker bars.So grab your candy bag and get ready to fill it up with some sweet advice, opinions, and ideas from some of your favorite leadership bloggers. You can also follow many of these bloggers on Twitter by using this Twitter group, courtesy of Becky Robinson. We lead off with Wally Bock presenting Let’s hear it for the role models posted at Momentor.Next up is Mary Jo Asmus presenting Choosing posted at Mary Jo Asmus.Anne Perschel presents Never Waste A Good Recession posted at Germane Insights.Steve Roesler presents Team Leaders: Do You Do This? posted at All Things Workplace.Becky Robinson presents Leading in Relationships posted at Mountain State University LeaderTalk.Ideas for leaders to ponder when using metaphors to inspire followers: Jennifer V. Miller presents In the Family Way posted at Jennifer V. Miller.Mark Stelzner presents What Costume Are You Wearing? posted at Inflexion Point.Chris Young presents Maximize Possibility Blog: Are You a Victim of "Satisfactory" Performance? posted at Maximize Possibility Blog.Bret L. Simmons presents Leadership Integrity: Touchy-Feely Crap? » Bret L. Simmons – Positive Organizational Behavior posted at Bret L. Simmons - Positive Organizational Behavior.Can you teach someone to be a great leader? Or does something else have to happen? Wally Bock presents Can leadership be taught? posted at Three Star Leadership Blog.Mike Myatt presents CEO Success...It's not Random posted at N2Growth Blog.Everyday management lessons from a popular reality TV show: Sharlyn Lauby presents What I've Learned About Business From Mike Rowe posted at HR Bartender.This post is a description of my most recent personal journey to do hard things: Michael Ray Hopkin presents Do hard things posted at Lead on Purpose.Adi Gaskell presents How far are you spreading your talent web? posted at The Management Blog.Alice Snell presents Home Grown Leaders Get Respect posted at Taleo Blog - Talent Management Solutions.This is a list of the 7 books that were most influential in my develop as a leader: Tom Glover presents 7 Books That Made Me the Leader I Am Today posted at Reflection Leadership.Some important takeaways from the recent "Talent Management Challenge" around Strengths focus and Self-assessments: Amy Wilson presents A Couple Things to Learn about Leadership posted at TalentedApps.The most important actions that foster engagement aren't rocket science; they just require a little consideration and common sense. Miki Saxon presents Ducks In A Row: The 7 Word Genius Of Engagement : Leadership Turn - Articles, tips, and resources about leadership. posted at Leadership Turn.Lisa Rosendahl presents On NOT Making a Decision posted at Lisa Rosendahl.Building the bench is not reserved for good economic times. It is just as critical when times are tough and is a critical leadership responsibility. Tom Magness presents Building the Bench posted at Leader Business.Chris Young presents Maximize Possibility Blog: Are You a Victim of "Satisfactory" Performance? posted at Maximize Possibility Blog.Bill Matthies presents Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By posted at Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By.Janna Rust presents Leadership & Management: What's the Difference? posted at Purposeful Leadership.If you're looking to develop leadership talent in your organization, start by getting the support of your top executives. According to the preliminary results of i4cp's major new study on leadership competencies, conducted in partnership with the American Management Association, executive support is the number-one factor that contributes to proper leadership development. Erik Samdahl presents It Takes Good Leadership to Develop Good Leaders - i4cp posted at Productivity Blog.As more and more followers yearn for their leaders to be real, this post explores what steps are needed to lead with authority. Eric Pennington presents So Many Masks, So Little Time posted at Epic Living - Leadership Development Career Management Training Executive Life Coaching Author.Management must strive to transform their organizations into engaged and authentic communites during the next 10 years. David Zinger presents Henry Mintzberg on Creating a Community of Employee Engagement posted at David Zinger Associates.Anna Farmery presents Who is at the centre of your world? posted at The Engaging Brand.Wayne Turmel presents Why can't IT speak our language? posted at TPN :: The Cranky Middle Manager Show.Silence truly is golden, it allows your mind to soar, explore and be creative; it also encourages you to become friends with yourself. Miki Saxon presents MAPping Company Success posted at MAPping Company Success.Nick McCormick presents Ready to Take ?The Leap?? posted at Joe and Wanda on Management.There are many theories on every aspect of leadership. The reason for this amount of theories is that leadership is complex and variant. Given the importance of effective leaders in any organization, the companies try to ask many questions for evaluating leadership characteristics of a candidate. Nissim Ziv presents Leadership Interview Questions and Answers: Examples of Skills for Leaders posted at Job Interview & Career Guide.Dan's note: this one's a little off the theme of leadership, but it's a great list of writing resources: Barbara Williams presents The Ultimate Guide to Better Business Writing: 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources posted at Online Degree Programs.org.Albie presents Your personality affects your global leadership style posted at iDevelopWorld.Bill Bubenicek presents 10 Ways To Get A Seat On A Small Business Advisory Board posted at BoardMyBiz.com.Here are a few tips to help you create powerful presence when you open any presentation: Angela DeFinis presents Create a Powerful Presence posted at DeFinis Communications.Kara Wirt presents Good questioner = good person posted at Dr. G.Linda Jones presents 101 Business Books Everyone Can Learn From posted at AccreditedOnlineColleges.org.This post is about how managers can help survivors of layoffs and keep them productive and committed to the company: Aaron Windeler presents Helping survivors through layoffs: the importance of feeling in control posted at Scientific Management.Trent Cotton presents 7 Ways to Increase Morale and Productivity posted at Helping Businesses Succeed.Wise_Bread presents How to Get Laid Off by a Step by Step Guide posted at Wisebread.Karthik Raj G presents What makes a good leader? posted at KARTHIK RAJ G.I became more productive and focused throughout my day by waking up earlier. Learn the techniques I used to accomplish much more with my business. Ralph Jean-Paul presents How To Wake Up Early Without Hating It: My 3 A.M. Experiment posted at Potential 2 Success.Leaders need to be sure they are taking care of themselves, so they can bring the most benefit to others. Erin Schreyer presents Be the Best You, To Be the Best Leader posted at Authentic Leadership.When hiring new employees, jargon specific to the workplace should not be used or explained up front. Dallas Bragg presents Watch that Workplace Jargon! posted at Developing Daily.Jane Perdue presents Losing Your Leadership Wings posted at Life, Love & Leadership.Bob Lieberman presents The Identity Crisis posted at Cultivating Creativity – Developing Leaders for the Creative Economy.Albie presents 10 Reasons why you should keep a journal posted at iDevelopWorld.This blog posts discusses how to manage whining into a constructive activity: Elyse presents How to manage Whining with no Problem Solving posted at Anticlue.That's it for this month's edition! Next month's Carnival will be December 6 , 2009, hosted by Mark Stelzner, at Inflexion Point. Use the Carnival Submission Form to submit your post.

After taking the recent Talent Management Challenge, a reader commented:“Suggestion for your next blog post - How do you improve career coaching and development at your organization when your managers are bad at it and don't have time to get better (ha - and they don't think they need to get better, nor do they have the time!)?”The reader was referring to solid, beyond a shadow of a doubt research that says managers, in general, are lousy at coaching and developing their people.As if that fact isn’t depressing enough, what makes it even worse is a whole body of other research that proves just how well effective coaching hits the bottom line. For example, a 2007 Corporate Executive Board study found that sales reps receiving great coaching reach on average 102% of goal in contrast to sales reps reporting poor coaching who achieve only 83% of goal. Good coaching can improve bottom performance by 19%!Coaching is not just a “nice to do” – it’s a proven productivity driving, revenue growing, high impact management activity.So if it works…. why don’t more managers do it? And why are they so bad at it?There are four reasons:1. They don’t understand how effective it is in improving performance.2. They don’t have time. While “lack of time” may be just a symptom of reason #1, it’s also a reality that most managers these days are terminally busy and have difficulty finding time to eat, let alone coach.3. It’s hard to learn. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult leadership competencies to learn.4. Poor execution. Managers often spend too much time coaching poor performers at the expense of the “B” performers who would benefit from it the most. Or, they apply the same process to all employees equally.Given this stark reality, what’s an organization to do? How can we infuse coaching skills into an organization’s managers? Here are four ideas:1. Help managers understand the importance of coaching.Stop trying to convince them it’s the “right thing to do” in order to improve employee satisfaction. Show them the research and the ROI. Make it a business case, not an HR driven social agenda.2. Set expectations and help align their priorities.Establish clear, measurable, non-negotiable expectations. Then get rid of all the lower priority stuff that’s filling up their days. We can’t just tell managers coaching is important and hold them accountable for it, and not eliminate the non-value activities that are often driven by their own managers and HR. BTW, I didn't even bother suggesting "adding it to their performance appraisals". It already is, and that's never made a difference.3. Teach them how to do it.While it’s hard, it’s not impossible. Good managers are not born with a coaching gene… they are good at it because they know what key behaviors make the most difference and they practice those behaviors relentlessly. There is no 3x5 laminated card short-cut solution to teaching and learning coaching skills – it’s a significant investment of time and effort.4. Use internal and external experts.Create a pool of internal and external coaches as a temporary or permanent “work-around”. These experts could be from HR, training, professional external coaches, or anyone that has a knack and passion for bringing out the best in others. Over time, this capability can’t help but be transferred… it’s a quicker way to infuse an organization with coaching expertise, while you are building your manager’s skills at the same time.5. Try the Vulcan Mind Meld.Just be careful, it's tricky. Too much be can physically debilitating for both parties.While these solutions may sound overly simple (except for the mind meld), the devil is in the details. It’s going to take a lot of commitment and hard work. We just need to ask ourselves: would it be worth an almost 20% productivity improvement or increase in revenue? If so, then let’s get to work.

Two years ago today, October 28, 2007, I launched Great Leadership. 445 posts and counting.Once again I'm going to skip the usual lengthy reflections, "best of" lists, and thanking the members of the academy. 95% of my readers would find it boring, and there would be just way too many people to thank. The one thing I did want to share is an answer to a question my blogging friend Scott Eblin asked me over a year ago. Scott's an executive coach, and probably because he just can't help himself, he asked me one of those deep, reflective questions that good coaches often do - "So tell me Dan, what are your goals for blogging?"I really couldn't come up with a good answer for Scott. If I were being completely honest with myself, I'd probably have listed a number of self-centered reasons for blogging, like becoming rich & famous, advancing my career, a sense of achievement, building my network, and my own personal learning and development. While to some extent, all of those goals are true. But after two years, I've finally figured out what really drives me to do this.... it's to help develop great leaders. Period. It's important to me - I feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of a lot of leaders and aspiring leaders. The rest is all secondary. OK, enough of that. I was pleased to hear from Jessica Lee last night that Great Leadership was selected as one of Fistful of Talent's top 30 blogs. I'm honored to be included on such an awesome list of talent management blogs. Take a look at the list - it's a good one - and add them to your regular reading list.Also, stop by and have a beverage with Sharlyn Lauby, your HR Bartender. Sharlyn's hosting the latest spooky edition of the HR Carnival, with posts from about 30 of the best HR bloggers around. Take a good look at the rest of Sharlyn's blog too while you're at it - she's a rising HR blogging star (#5 on the Fistful of Talent ranking!).Lastly, I'll be hosting the November edition of the Leadership Development Carnival this Sunday, November 1st. If you'd like to submit a post, please use the Carnival submission form.Senior moment note: the first version of this post said 3 years... it's only been 2. Sure seemed like 3.

Guest post by Emmett C. Murphy:When antelopes hear the sound of a lion’s roar their instinct tells them to run in the opposite direction. Doing so, however, means they run to almost certain death because lions expect their prey to do just that. The male of the pride anticipates where the antelope will run while the lionesses lie in ambush opposite the male. When the lion roars, a startled antelope runs directly into the jaws of the waiting lionesses.When faced with threats to our happiness or security, we humans all too often run away from the “roar” of daily life only to find, later, the threats returning or compounding. Effective leaders realize that survival and success lie in having the courage to confront threats. At moments in our lives we are called to account in a way that forces us to decide whether we will stand for our values. While we appreciate the need for courage in other areas of our lives, we may not appreciate how much courage it takes to lead in the workplace. The following practices of effective leaders all take courage. They are not all instinctual, however. Many must be learned.Empower the FrontlinesThe “ivory tower” mentality of many chief executives amounts to cowardice. Effective leaders regularly meet with and solicit information from frontline employees, seeking them out and approaching them even when it feels awkward or unnecessary. As Deborah Dunshire, M.D., chief of Millennium: the Takeda Oncology Company, says, “If you never have direct access, or don’t create those forums, you can have a divergence between what you believe is the case in the organization and what actually is. I think that’s where organizations lose momentum, lose engagement and start losing great people.” Leaders from Sam Walton to Deborah Dunshire derive success from talking regularly, openly, and encouragingly with their employees. They seek “direct access” to information, which engages and empowers informed employees.Resolve ConflictsIt’s easy enough to say that you shouldn’t run away from conflicts. The reason so many of us do, however, is because we treat resolving conflicts as an A versus B scenario. A contest of wills. A question of who is going to be torn apart. Rather than framing conflict negotiation in win-lose terms, effective leaders approach conflicts from a problem-solving perspective. Often individuals in conflict have lost sight of the customer—the reason they are there. Conflict resolution then aims to focus the warring parties on their shared interest—the customer’s interest. Rather paradoxically, by directing attention away from self-interest, leaders can actually help individuals gain insight into their own behavior. When leaders move away from “win-lose” talk they can often see a problem that needs solving—a reality—beyond the viewpoints of A and B.Communicate ResponsibilityFacing a person one-on-one to help clarify his or her responsibility takes courage. The difficulty comes, in part, from the fact that when a person fails to take responsibility for his or her work it often indicates a deeper problem. Maybe someone fails to hand in a report because that person hasn’t been supplied with all the necessary documents. Maybe someone neglects the long lines at the cash register because she’s been asked to take on too much responsibility in the back storeroom. Expecting someone to take responsibility for his or her work does not mean expecting that person to take on whatever you throw at them but it does mean expecting them to take responsibility for what they can and cannot manage. A person who takes on more than he or she can handle is acting irresponsibly. The person who takes on too much responsibility in the back storeroom, knowing her primary responsibility is at the cash register, fails to “own” her job. While it takes courage to confront an employee about his or her productivity, the message about taking responsibility aims to empower and give the employee a greater sense of control.Take Responsibility YourselfMy model of a responsible adult and a tremendous leader is my friend and client Marliese Mitchell. Mitchell started her professional career as a nurse, earned an MBA at Harvard, worked her way up the ladder, and eventually took a job as president of the world’s biggest international hospital consulting firm. On her first assignment in this position she visited a hospital in Singapore where she heard some disturbing rumors about the sale of baby boys. Instead of running from the news, Mitchell decided to work incognito as a staff nurse to learn for herself whether the rumors were true. What she discovered about the hospital practices was worse than she imagined and led to criminal convictions backed by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, among others. When Mitchell heard the roar she ran toward it despite the dangers. Her story involves so much physical courage and personal integrity that I want everyone to read it, maybe more than once; I tell it in nearly every book I write. In Mitchell’s situation, the peril of confronting the roar may have at first seemed equal to the peril of ignoring it. Despite the great moral imperative, some might wonder why Mitchell took the risk. In fact, ignoring the problem, Mitchell realized, could have eventually cost her more: her job, the respect of employees and clients, and her integrity.All of these acts of courage involve confronting someone or something directly—frontliners, individuals in conflict, irresponsible associates, or your own values. Here’s the simple logic: threats rarely disappear on their own so running from them won’t help. Facing them will get you much further.Emmett Murphy, Ph.D., is Founder and President of Murphy Leadership, a global leadership consultancy. Murphy is the author of several books including Talent IQ: Identify Your Company's Top Performers, Improve or Remove Underachievers, Boost Productivity and Profit. He is currently at work on his new book, Entrepreneurial IQ.

Last week I ran a contest sponsored by Lominger based on the book 100 Things You Need to Know: Best People Practices for Managers & HR.I pulled 10 questions from the book and offered a free copy for two winners. I received 34 submissions from around the world. Only ONE person got all 10 right..... and the winner is:Cindy Blackwell! Congratulations Cindy, you know your people practices.The next closest were Amy Wilson and Marty Jordan, each with 8 right answers. I used random.org to select: Amy Wilson. It was easy to "grade" the answers as they came in... most people didn't just get a few wrong, they got most of the questions wrong. Lominger uses a 1-5 "degree of certainty" scale for each answer, based on the amount of research to support the answer. I only used questions with the highest degree of certainty, so there were no "maybe" answers here.Look, I'm not trying to put my readers down here. Most of my readers are HR pros, consultants, executive coaches, and savvy managers. As I read the book, I was guessing right less than 50% of the time myself. I ran my own contest with my team - all seasoned talent management practitioners - and the best score was a 6. I had lunch with a colleague last week - a university organizational development professor and experienced practitioner - and he was pretty surprised by the answers too.Does this tell us anything about how we manage people? Are many of our sacred "truths" just plain wrong?I read an interesting story by Sharon Begley in Newsweek in which she aks why psychologists seem to reject science. She writes:For years, psychologists who conduct research have lamented what they see as an antiscience bias among clinicians, who treat patients. But now the gloves have come off. In a two-years-in-the-making analysis to be published in November in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, psychologists led by Timothy B. Baker of the University of Wisconsin charge that many clinicians fail to "use the interventions for which there is the strongest evidence of efficacy" and "give more weight to their personal experiences than to science." As a result, patients have no assurance that their "treatment will be informed by science." Walter Mischel of Columbia University, who wrote an accompanying editorial, is even more scathing. "The disconnect between what clinicians do and what science has discovered is an unconscionable embarrassment," he told me, and there is a "widening gulf between clinical practice and science." Wow. Could we be guilty of the same level of managerial malpractice when it comes to how we teach managers how to manage people? Are we ignoring the science of talent management and over-relying on our experience? Given how proud I am that my blogging is based on "practical experience", I'd be one of the first targets of this accusation.Anyway, not to be too much of a buzz-kill, the contest was just meant to be fun and stimulate some good discussion. The correct answers are below, along with implications.The Talent Management Challenge Answers:1. Who is the least accurate judge of a manager’s job performance?D. Self.Relying on self-ratings for job improvement and career development would not be a sound practice. Almost anyone else's rating would be more accurate.2. What is the relationship between being smart (having a high IQ) and the ability to manage others effectively?C. There is a small relationship; it helps but not much.Most people overvalue smarts as a predictor of managerial success. While it's not unimportant, it isn't worth the weight that most give it.3. How accurate are the ratings on formal performance appraisal evaluations?A. People get higher ratings than they really deserve; ratings are generally inflated.Most studies show that 85 to 95 percent are rated at or above average in formal performance appraisal processes. So we need to discount the value of these ratings.4. What is the effect on others of a person asking for and seeking negative feedback?C. Others think more positively of the person.The people who look for more feedback, especially negative feedback, are usually more self-aware, self-assured, and perform better because they have more insight into their development needs.5. How skilled are managers, in general, at being good coaches and helping others develop their long-term careers?E. Managers, in general, are very poor at coaching and developing their people.Relying exclusively on line managers to coach and develop their people for the long-term is a losing strategy.6. What is the most likely outcome of people focusing exclusively on developing their strengths and doing only those jobs that match their strengths?D. Strengths are likely to be overdone or not balanced, and unaddressed weaknesses would become blind spots.I've posted on this topic here and here. At least I got one answer right. (-:7. How do high performers rate themselves compared to low performers?D. Rate themselves lower than others do and lower than low performers.Self-ratings are suspect in a number of ways. Lower performers overrate and higher performers underrate. 8. What percentage of high potentials succeed after they are promoted?C. About 50% continue to be successful.If the call on potential is correct to begin with, the success rate would be higher.9. What most often gets managers and executives terminated?C. Poor self-knowledge and relationships. We need to make sure high potentials get feedback, coaching, and mentoring early in their careers.10. What’s the most effective long-term talent acquisition path to follow?B. To the extent possible, it’s better to build your own talent and go outside.In general, about an 80/20 mix (internal to external) is a good strategy. So what do you think? Please comment on your opinion about the contest results, and/or any of the answers and implications.

I’ve been looking into the field of positive psychology lately, participating in a pilot program and reviewing some of the research.For the regular readers of Great Leadership, who have gotten to know my “no nonsense” pragmatic approach to leadership development, this may come as somewhat of a surprise. I’m also personally not the touchy feely type, so this has been a bit of a stretch for me.This is not some wacky leadership development flavor of the month. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve learned, and think a lot of it can be applied to leadership. In a very practical way, of course. (-:Here’s one aspect of positive psychology: How you react to someone’s good news can hurt or improve the relationship.When an employee (or a peer, or anyone) comes to you with good news, how do you respond? Do they walk away feeling satisfied, inspired, and motivated? As leaders, that’s what we strive for, right? Or do they walk away feeling de-motivated?You may be surprised to discover you may be wasting an opportunity – even worse, harming the relationship – and not even realizing it. Let’s dig a little into positive psychology to find out why.Shelly Gable, who is an associate professor of psychology at University of California, Santa Barbara, works on the positive psychology of love and marriage. Most psychologists who research marriage work on problems. They focus on how a couple responds when something bad happens.Gable takes a different approach. She works on what makes a marriage great, and her approach can apply to anybody who wants to improve a relationship – at work or at home.Here’s an example to illustrate the concept. How you would respond if your significant other tells you that he or she has just been promoted?1. Do you react enthusiastically (active-constructive)? "Hey, that’s fantastic news! You must be so proud. How about if we go out and celebrate tonight?”2. Do you point out the potential problems or down sides of the good event (active-destructive)? "Uh oh, does that mean you’re going to be working longer hours and traveling more?"3. Do you say little, but convey that you are happy to hear the news (passive-constructive)? "That’s great, honey."4. Do you seem uninterested (passive-destructive)? "What’s for dinner?"She calls the first category "Capitalizing," - amplifying the pleasure of the good situation and contributing to an upward spiral of positive emotion. Capitalizing turns out to be the key to strong relationships.Here’s some more of “the science”: University of Washington researcher John Gottman found that partners in satisfying marriages say at least five times as many positive things to each other as negative things.Let’s take this back to the workplace and leadership. How do you think your employees would describe your typical responses to their good news?1. Active/ConstructiveMy manager usually reacts to my good news enthusiastically – sometimes even more excited than I initially was. I’m often encouraged to “relive the moment”, and he/she takes the time to listen and ask questions.2. Passive/ConstructiveMy manager doesn’t make a big deal out of it, but I’m pretty sure is happy for me.3. Active/DestructiveMy manager often finds a problem with my good news – the glass is always only half full.4. Passive/DestructiveSometimes I get the impression my manager isn’t paying attention or just doesn’t care much.As a leader, every interaction with your employees is an opportunity to inspire and motivate. We tend to spend a lot of time teaching managers how to deliver bad news, deal with conflict, deliver constructive feedback, and solve employee concerns.How about if we discipline ourselves to respond in a positive way to good news? It sounds so easy, but trust me, it's not.Try it out, and see what happens. What have you got to lose?

There is no shortage of developmental challenges a leader could face throughout their careers. Here is a summary of three decades worth of research that describes these challenges. Note the overlap and similarities between the lists.1988: The Lessons of ExperienceThe Center for Creative Leadership’s Morgan McCall, Michael Lombardo, and Ann Morrison identified sixteen developmental experiences that have the most impact on a leader’s development. Their findings were published in 1988 in the groundbreaking book “The Lessons of Experience”.Assignments:1. Early work experiences: early non-managerial jobs2. First supervision: first time managing people3. Starting from scratch: building something from nothing4. Fix it/turnaround: fixing/stabilizing a failing operation5. Project/task force: discrete projects and temporary assignments done alone or as a part of a team6. Scope: increase in numbers of people, dollars, and functions to manage7. Line to staff switch: moving from line operations to corporate staff rolesOther People:8. Role models: other people with exceptional (good or bad) qualities9. Values played out: “snapshots” of chain-of-command behavior that demonstrate individual or corporate valuesHardships:10. Business failure or mistakes: ideas that failed or deals that fell apart11. Demotions/missed promotions/lousy jobs: not getting a coveted job or getting exiled12. Employee performance problem: confronting an employee with a serious performance problem13. Breaking a rut: taking on a new career in response to discontent with the current job14. Personal traumas: crises and traumas such as divorce, illness, and deathOther events:15. Coursework: formal courses16. Purely personal: experiences outside of work2001: The Leadership PipelineThe Leadership Pipeline was based on work originally done at General Electric in the 1970s by Walt Mahler, an HR consultant and trainer. Mahler identified six different passages and challenges in a leader’s career (“The Crossroads Model”). Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel then applied their expertise in succession planning to write the Leadership Pipeline in 2001.1. Managing self to managing othersThe first passage is from managing elf to managing others. This passage occurs when a person gets promoted to first line manager. The skills required in this position often include planning work, assigning jobs, motivating, coaching, and measuring the jobs of others. Though these skills are all easily learned, first-line managers often encounter difficulties in the change of values required to effectively manage others.2. Managing others to managing managersThe second passage is from managing others to managing managers. This passage in the leadership pipeline is often ignored due to the assumption that managing others and managing other managers are quite similar. It is important to note that the two are entirely different tasks. Managing managers is a more crucial task and requires the key ability to identify who has the potential to be good leaders. Failure to do so can lead to holding first-line managers for technical work instead of managerial work. This then creates a clog in the leadership pipeline and eventually affects the performance of the organization.3. Managing managers to functional managersThe third passage is from managing managers to functional managers. This passage is a much tougher transition because it requires an increase in managerial maturity. This means he/she has to learn to let go of previous management work, and instead focus on the functions of the business. The manager also needs to take on a more holistic approach and strategic mindset. This is required for creating functional strategies for the company and managing the whole function of the business.4. Functional managers to business managersThe fourth passage is from functional managers to business managers. This passage can be one of the most fulfilling and the most satisfying among all the passages because it gives the manager more control and say about the company operations and strategies.This position also requires a major shift in skills, time applications, and work values. Neglecting these qualities ultimately results to problems such as not valuing and using staff functions, failure to direct and energize finance, and other challenges that may negatively affect the business.5. Business managers to group managersThe fifth passage is from business managers to group managers. This particular passage places value in the success of other people’s businesses. This focuses on group of businesses, not just one. Therefore, a Group manager is required to become more proficient at evaluating strategies, developing and coaching business managers, creating a portfolio strategy, and correctly assessing the right core capabilities to succeed. The point is to see the company issues in the broadest terms possible. Failure to acquire these skills ultimately results to failure in supporting the business managers.6. Group managers to enterprise managersThe sixth and final passage is from group managers to enterprise managers. These are the CEOs and presidents of the companies. This passage focuses more on values and skills because this position requires a visionary leader. Enterprise managers would have to let go of the individual products and customers, and see the whole picture. Usually, they are required to set three or four priority goals, and focus on implementing the strategies for these goals. The biggest problem in this passage is that enterprise managers often fail to change their values and mindset. Hence, it is very difficult to develop a CEO for this transition.2009: The 8 Toughest Transitions for LeadersNow we have Michael Watkins, author of the First 90 Days. His new book is Your Next Move: The Leader’s Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions. In it, Watkins has identified eight types of career moves that most executives face during their careers.1. The promotion challenge: Moving to a higher level in the hierarchy and understanding what success looks like at the new level, including issues of focus, delegation, developing leadership competencies and demonstrating presence.2. The leading-former-peers challenge: An important variant of promotion in which the leader is elevated to manage a team including his or her former peers, with the associated challenges of establishing authority and altering existing relationships.3. The corporate diplomacy challenge: Moving from a position of authority to one in which effectiveness in influencing others and building alliances is critical.4. The on-boarding challenge: Joining a new organization and grappling with the need to adapt to a new culture, develop the right political “wiring” and align expectations up, down and sideways.5. The international move challenge: Leading in an unfamiliar culture while at the same time moving one’s family and creating a new support system.6. The turnaround challenge: Taking over an organization that is in deep trouble and figuring out how to save it from destruction.7. The realignment challenge: Confronting an organization that is in denial about the need for change and creating a sense of urgency before emerging problems erupt in a crisis.8. The business portfolio challenge: Leading an organization in which different parts are at different states — startup, turnaround, accelerated growth, realignment and sustaining success — and figuring out where to focus and how to build momentum.

I recently purchased a book from Lominger called 100 Things You Need to Know: Best People Practices for Managers & HR.I’m such a geek, I couldn’t put it down. It’s kind of like a Who Wants to be a Millionaire Game for managers and HR practitioners. I wanted to bring it to a neighborhood party, but Mrs. Great Leadership vetoed that idea. (-:I thought it would be fun to do a contest to test your knowledge. I contacted Lominger and they’ve given me permission to publish a few questions and will provide a couple free books for the contest – list price is $39.95!Email me (dmccart3 at rochester dot rr dot com) with your answers to all 10 questions by the end of the day, next Friday, 10/23/09. The first two with all the right answers wins. If no one gets all 10 right, I’ll select and announce the two winners with the most correct answers Monday, 10/26/09, along with the right answers (according to the book) and implications. In case of a tie, I’ll use a random generator to select the winners.If you’re a real smarty pants and feeling very confident, you can post your answers in the comments section for all to see.Full disclosure: this is not a paid promotion. I have no business relationship with Lominger other than being an occasional customer.The Talent Management Challenge1. Who is the least accurate judge of a manager’s job performance?A. BossB. PeersC. Direct reportsD. SelfE. Customers2. What is the relationship between being smart (having a high IQ) and the ability to manage others effectively?A. There is a strong relationship; the smarter you are, the better manager you can beB. There is a moderate relationship; the smarter you are, the more likely it is you can manage others wellC. There is a small relationship; it helps but not muchD. There is no relationship; the level of your IQ has nothing to do with how well you can manage othersE. There is a negative relationship; the smarter you are the more likely it is you won’t listen or delegate3. How accurate are the ratings on formal performance appraisal evaluations?A. People get higher ratings than they really deserve; ratings are generally inflatedB. Higher performers get inflated ratings but lower performers get accurate ratingsC. Higher performers get accurate ratings but the ratings of lower performers are inflatedD. Everyone gets accurate ratings in generalE. People get lower ratings than they really deserve4. What is the effect on others of a person asking for and seeking negative feedback?A. Others often think the person lacks self-confidenceB. Others expect the person to be defensive if they respond and therefore don’tC. Others think more positively of the personD. Others respond by actually increasing positive feedback to counter the requestE. It has no measurable impact on others5. How skilled are managers, in general, at being good coaches and helping others develop their long-term careers?A. Managers, in general, are outstanding at coaching and helping their people developB. Managers, in general, are strong at coaching and helping their people developC. Managers, in general, are about average in their ability to develop their peopleD. Managers, in general, are not very skilled in helping their people in career developmentE. Managers, in general, are very poor at coaching and developing their people6. What is the most likely outcome of people focusing exclusively on developing their strengths and doing only those jobs that match their strengths?A. It would only work well for those with the right strengths to begin withB. People would be happier and more productive because they wouldn’t have to worry about their weaknessesC. The strengths would get stronger, overwhelming any weaknesses that might get in the wayD. Strengths are likely to be overdone or not balanced, and unaddressed weaknesses would become blind spotsE. More people would become strong performers over time7. How do high performers rate themselves compared to low performers?A. Rate themselves higher than others rate themB. Rate themselves the same as others rate themC. Rate themselves lower than others doD. Rate themselves lower than others do and lower than low performersE. Rate themselves at the same level as low performers8. What percentage of high potentials succeed after they are promoted?A. The great majority (90%) are still in place five years later and are successfulB. About 75% continue to be highly successfulC. About 50% continue to be successfulD. About 25% continue to be successfulE. While over 75% stay in their jobs, only 25% could be called successful9. What most often gets managers and executives terminated?A. Poor performanceB. Poor future prospectsC. Poor self-knowledge and relationshipsD. Poor technical job skillsE. Poor track record overall10. What’s the most effective long-term talent acquisition path to follow?A. It’s always better to develop your own talent from withinB. To the extent possible, it’s better to build your own talent and go outside for specialized and temporary needsC. It’s faster and cheaper to get most of your talent from outside because you can never develop enough internal people to go aroundD. It’s always cheaper and faster to buy talent from the outsideE. Developing internal people just leads to increased turnover; it’s a losing gameGo ahead – take the challenge! Better yet, pass it along to your team, your colleagues, or your networks and have a little fun competition. Or, you can work on it together as a team and submit your collaborative answers.

I’m please to announce a new partnership with Human Resources IQ, a division of IPQC.Great Leadership is now featured as a regular “Blog D’jour”, along with Evil HR Lady, RecruiterGuy, Mel Kleiman, and Kevin Burns.I'm hidden on the right hand column, about halfway down.HRIQ, powered by e-Bim, is a forum for sharing ideas, best practices and solutions within the business community. You can interact, share solutions to your business problems with an incredible network of authoritative sources and practicing professionals.Human Resources IQ enables you to find from your peers a method, a solution, a proven best practice that solves your specific problems when you need it solved. They offer a steady stream of front-line content that is timely, relevant, practical and has been validated by practitioners.By becoming a member of Human Resources IQ you will receive complimentary access to resources that will keep you at the forefront of industry change. You will receive access to a growing library of multi-media presentations from industry leaders, an email newsletter updating you on new content that has been added, and special member only discounts on events.Also….Check out the latest Carnival of HR, hosted by Jon Ingham on his Social Advantage blog. No one hosts a blogging Carnival like Jon.

I’m co-posting on the topic of executive coaching with Mary Jo Asmus, an executive coach, leadership blogging friend, and former HR executive.Mary Jo came up with this idea as a way to bridge the expectation gap and improve collaboration between HR and external coaches.You’ll find the co-post “What an Executive Coach Wants from HR” over at Mary Jo’s blog.Here’s mine, from the limited perspective of just one corporate “buyer” of executive coaching services:What HR Wants From an Executive Coach1. Results… and sooner than later!Executive coaches are a big investment, and especially during these tough economic times when budgets are tight, we need to make tough trade-off decisions as to where we spend our limited professional services dollars. Our Board of Directors are holding our executives accountable for making the numbers every quarter, and they in turn are holding HR accountable for helping them get those results. If we’re going to spend $10,000-$30,000 on an executive coach, we need to see a substantial ROI ASAP. That means measurable objectives need to be established right at the beginning, and a process for evaluating progress and results.2. Competence.The ideal executive coach has a combination of executive experience and professional coaching credentials. Our executives need practical advice from someone who has walked in their shoes and understands executive politics. While we prefer professional coaching certification or training, from International Coach Federation (ICF) or some other credible organization, experience and track record is looked at as well.3. Value.We realize the best coaches can command top fees. There is a reason for this – it’s a scarce skill set and the good ones can consistently produce results for their clients.However, budget dollars are tight. In fact, when it comes to corporate spending, things may never return to where they were. So while we understand the concept of “you get what you pay for”, we also reserve the right to shop for the best fees and negotiate. It’s like buying a car - we’d prefer not to pay sticker, we want quality over brand name, and don't want a lot of un-needed options.We’d also like the option of paying an hourly fee, vs. a fixed 6-12 month price. That way, unlike a cell phone plan, either side can walk away at any time, with no long-term commitment or penalties.4. Help us make an informed buying decision.Provide us with a nice 2 page package that describes your background, coaching model, references, process, and pricing. That will help us easily narrow down our options and pass along our recommendations to our executive clients. Be willing and available for a 30-60 minute initial screening and chemistry phone call or meeting.5. Involvement.When we connect you to a client, we want to be involved as a part of a three-way partnership. HR can provide valuable upfront background and context, be involved in development goal setting, help answer questions and possibly remove obstacles, and be an ongoing resource for the executive. Keep in mind that unless the executive is paying for the coach with their own Visa card, the company is paying the coach, and HR often represents the company’s interest. The degree of involvement should not depend on whose budget the coaching fees are being paid from.6. Focus on leadership behaviors and business results, unless otherwise agreed to upfront.A disturbing number of executive coaches are contracted initially to address workplace behavioral issues and end up crossing the line into personal therapy. We realize it’s often important to “peel back the layers” to get at the underlying issues, but the best coaches know where to draw the line and make a referral – even if they have the expertise.7. Chemistry with the executive client.We want our clients to make their own choice when it comes to a coach. We’ll give them at least 3 choices, as opposed to over-relying on the same executive coach. We’ll do our best to minimize the political pressure of feeling the need to work with the coach that the CEO favors.8. Client and company confidentiality.We’ll want a signed NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and expect it to be honored. When working with our company and executives, we expect and respect the highest degree of confidentiality and discretion. While this may seem like a given, unfortunately, it’s not always the case. In fact, it’s often issues of internal confidentiality that cause the most problems – which we often need to step in and clean up.9. Access and convenience.While phone coaching is getting more popular and can be very effective, many of our executives still prefer face-to-face coaching. Being located in the same area as the executive, while not something a coach can control, is something we look for. Being willing and able to travel to the client helps as well.We’d love to hear from other HR pros or executive coaches - sharing these expectations can only only help improve the process. What do you look for? Please post a comment on either blog.

Thanks to Miki Saxon for sending this guest post idea my way. I like it. It's an interesting follow-up to my last post, Can a Poor Presenter be a Great Leader?By Carmine Gallo, Author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience Apple’s Steve Jobs returned to a standing ovation at a special music event in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 9th, marking the return of the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. For more than three decades, Steve Jobs has elevated product launches to an art form. His techniques, sharpened over the years, can be used by CEOs, entrepreneurs, small business owners, educators or anyone who wants to inspire an audience. Here are seven ways that Steve Jobs dazzles an audience, and so can you.1. Create a “holy smokes” moment.Every Steve Jobs presentation has one moment that leaves everyone in awe—the water cooler moment. These “moments” are scripted ahead of time to compliment his slides, the Apple Web site, press releases and advertisements. In 2008, Jobs pulled the MacBook Air out of a manila, inter-office envelope to show everyone just how thin it was. Bloggers went nuts and it was the most popular photograph of the event. On September 9, 2009, the “water cooler” moment wasn’t a product at all. Instead, it was Steve Jobs himself walking onstage after a long, health related absence. He told the audience he now had the liver of a mid twenties person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for such generosity,” he said.2. Stick to the rule of three.The Rule of Three is one of most powerful concepts in writing. The human mind can only retain three or four “chunks” of information and Jobs is well aware of this principle. A Steve Jobs presentation is typically divided into three parts. During the September 9th event, Jobs outlined the presentation into three areas: iPhone, iTunes and iPod. Jobs has even been known to have fun with the principle. At Macworld 2007, he introduced “three revolutionary products;” an mp3 player, a phone, and an internet communicator. After repeating the three products several times, he disclosed the big announcement—all three would be wrapped up in one, the iPhone. The rule of three turned into a water cooler moment. Ask yourself, what are the three things I want my audience to know? Not twenty things, just three. You can get away with more points in written form (like an article) but stick to three in public presentations and verbal conversations.3. Share the stage.Jobs rarely gives an entire presentation himself. Instead he surrounds himself with a supporting cast. He had a large supporting cast at the September music event including Apple’s VP of product marketing, Phil Schiller and iTunes software designer, Jeff Robbin. At least four game developers took to the stage as well. Songwriter Norah Jones capped it off. Of course, you’re not going to have Norah Jones wrap up your next presentation, but if you can share the presentation with another team member (or customer) by all means, do so.4. Introduce heroes and villains. Every great drama has a hero and a villain. Steve Jobs is a master at creating drama. We see this technique as far back at 1984 when Apple first introduced the Macintosh. Jobs set up the product launching by painting a picture of IBM “big blue” bent on “world domination.” Apple, he said, would be the only company to stand in its way. The crowd went nuts. One can argue that the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads are hero vs. villain vignettes played out in thirty second ads. Great presentations have an antagonist—a common enemy—so the audience can rally around the hero. Your brand and your product play the role of the hero.5. Think visually. Apple presentations are strikingly simple and visual. For example, there is very little text on a Steve Jobs slide. While the average PowerPoint slide has 40 words, there were far fewer than forty words in the first dozen slides of the September music event. When Jobs talked about the popularity of iPhone around the world, his slide showed 23 flags of different countries instead of country names. When said the iPhone app store was celebrating its first anniversary, a slide appeared with a birthday cake holding one candle. When he talked about lower iPod prices, the new price was accompanied by photos of the iPods. This is what psychologists call “picture superiority.” It simply means that ideas are more easily recalled when presented in text and images than in text alone.6. Create Twitter-friendly headlines.Apple makes it simple for the media to talk about their products—the company writes the headlines for them. Now, reporters will tell you that they like to come up with their own headlines, but why then did hundreds of them use “World’s thinnest notebook” to describe the MacBook Air? Because that’s the way Steve Jobs described it, and frankly, it’s hard to come up with a better way of saying it. Jobs always describes a new product with a concise phrase that fits well within a 140 character Twitter post. What’s an iPod? “One thousand songs in your pocket.” What’s Genuis Mix for iTunes? “It’s like having a DJ mix the songs in your library.” If you can’t describe what you do in one sentence, go back to the drawing board.7. Sell dreams, not products.Steve Jobs is passionately committed to changing the world and his passion shows in every presentation. Anyone can learn the specific techniques he uses to create visually creative slides, but those slides will fall flat if delivered without passion and enthusiasm. When Jobs introduce the iPod in 2001, he said that music was a transformative experience and that in its own small way, Apple was changing the world. Where most observers saw a music player, Jobs saw an opportunity to create a better world for his customers. That’s the difference between Jobs and the vast majority of mediocre leaders—Jobs is genuinely committed to changing the world and he’s not afraid to say it.©2009 Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience.Author BioCarmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience, is a presentation, media-training, and communication-skills coach for the world's most admired brands. He is an author and columnist for Businessweek.com and and a keynote speaker and seminar leader who has appeared on CNBC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC.com, BNET, RedBook, Forbes.com, and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily, as well as many other media outlets. Gallo lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is a former vice president for a global, top-ten public relations firm.For more information please visit http://www.carminegallo.com/

Question #1: Can someone be a great presenter and not be a great leader?There are plenty of people that make a good living giving presentations on all kinds of topics. They usually are experts in their subject matter, have a lot of passion for their topic, have a compelling story to tell, and have honed their presentation skills to a very high level.While some presenters are attempting to inspire others, not all are. Some are just sharing information or entertaining. So we’d have to say yes, you can be a great presenter and not be a great leader.Question #2: Can someone be a great leader and not be a great presenter?It depends on how you define leadership. Most would agree that one of the characteristics of a great leader is the ability to inspire others to change. I suppose in some leadership roles, this can be accomplished one person at a time, without ever having to give a presentation. However, for most leaders, at some point, they are going to have to give that department presentation, halftime pep talk, inspirational talk to the troops, or presentation to the big dogs. It’s those make-or-break moments on stage when leaders have the opportunity to influence the greatest number of people to change.So if a leader gets stage fright, and doesn’t shine during these opportunities, or worse, avoids them altogether, than I’d say it’s going to be an up hill climb to ever become a truly great leader. You can’t just throw up your hands and say “it’s just not me”. Consider it a requirement for the job.The good news is, presentation skills are not something anyone is born with. It’s a very “learnable” leadership competency.The bad news is, it’s going to take a lot of work. The leaders that are good at it are good at it because they recognize the importance of it and work damn hard at it.Here are two references to support these points. In the latest edition of Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger’s “FYI, For Your Improvement”, presentation skills were found to be “moderately” difficult to develop. Way easier than learning strategic agility, building effective teams, and confronting direct reports, but harder than planning, informing, and perseverance.Goeff Colvin’s recent bestseller, “Talent is Overrated”, describes how the best athletes, performers, and leaders get really good at anything. It has nothing to do with inborn talent. They’re great at what they do because they use “deliberate practice”. In other words, they work hard – a lot - at the things that really matter and get feedback.So, leaders: are you ready to make the commitment to improve your presentation skills – and in doing so, become a better leader? Here are some recommendations for getting started:1. Swallow your pride and get some help.A lot of the more senior, and experienced leaders I work with see presentation skills as remedial. There’s some truth to that perception. Again, according to Lominger’s research, most executives already rate pretty high in presentation skills, and most mid-managers and individual contributors are rated medium. So if you know you’re not, you’re behind most of your peers. It’s hard to acknowledge you need some help and to take that first step in seeking it out.Fortunately, there are a lot of resources out there. There are books – “Leading Out Loud”, by Terry Pearce, is one of my favorites. There are public courses that you can find in just about any major city. For those shy executives with big egos, a personal coach is a good option.2. Practice, practice, and practice some more.You can’t get really good at something if you only do it 3-4 times a year. Make sure any course you take has at least 50% practice built into it. Most communities have a local Toastmasters chapter, and while these meetings can sometimes feel like an AA meeting, you’ll get plenty of opportunity to practice in a safe environment. Start small – brief presentations to your own team – then work your way up to larger and more unfamiliar audiences. When you’re ready, try volunteering to give a presentation at en external conference. You’ll get to talk about something you’re an expert on, and if you screw up, while it may be embarrassing, at least chances are you’ll never have to meet anyone in that audience again.Never, ever, give a presentation without preparation and practice. Even the best don’t wing it – that’s why they’re so good. One exception: Martin Luther King actually didn’t write his “I have a dream” speech ahead of time – he was winging it. But he already had LOTS of practice.3. Get feedback.Practice by itself won’t work unless you get feedback. In most presentation skills courses or with individual coaching, you’ll get to see yourself on video. You’ll usually be able to immediately spot opportunities for improvement. The trainer, coach, or other students will also tell you what you did well and where you need to improve, in case you were too busy noticing how big your butt looked.Use written evaluations for any presentation you give, and always have a trusted friend in the audience that is willing to help you debrief your presentation.4. Master the techniquesIn addition to knowing their subject and being insanely passionate about it, the best presenters have mastered the following techniques:- The use of stories. Great presenters recognize the important of connecting with their audience on an emotional level. They know when and how to use a compelling story to make a point or to influence.- The use of media. The bar just keeps getting higher and higher when it comes to the creative use of PowerPoint, pictures, audio, and video. Do yourself a favor and make a friend who can help you bring your content and stories to life through the creative use of media.- Audience engagement. We retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, and 70% of what we discuss with others. Build opportunities into your presentation to form pairs or small groups to discuss the content.- Handling questions. First of all, always save time for questions. I’ve seen too many presenters give a great presentation, and then fall down during the Q&A. Every question is another leadership opportunity to convince and inspire others to take action. Always make sure you repeat or paraphrase the question, check to see if there’s a question behind the question, answer it directly and authentically, and then check to see if you’ve answered it. If you don’t know the answer, say so, and make a commitment to get the answer and follow-up. It’s even better if you can anticipate the tough questions, and build them into your presentation, instead of avoiding or glossing over them.5. Learn and borrow from the best.There are opportunities to learn how to give great presentations every day, if we’re consciously looking for them. There are examples of great presentations in movies, television, YouTube, conferences, meetings, church, and politics. Keep a notebook – jot down ideas on how the best open their presentations, tell stories, use media, engage their audience, and handle questions. Build these proven and effective techniques into your own presentation skills toolbox.

The October Leadership Development Carnival is UP! But it's not here.... this month's Carnival is being hosted by Becky Robinson, leadership blogger extraordinaire from Mountain State University's LeaderTalk. You can find it here. There are posts from some of my favorite regulars, and Becky has recruited some new contributors as well. There's even a Twitter list so you can follow them all with just one click.The next Carnival will be November 1, 2009, back here at Great Leadership.

A colleague of mine loves to teach managers a simple, yet effective way of gathering feedback and ideas for improvement. It’s so simple it only takes about two minutes to explain it to someone. Yet it’s so effective, it’s led to dramatic improvements in leadership capability. Really, I have the testimonials to prove it.Once someone learns it, they become evangelists for it and can’t wait to share it with others.I’m not sure who is the originator of the technique – if anyone knows, please let us know so I can give credit. It may have been Jack Canfield, in his book The Success Principles, but I don’t have a copy to verify.Got your attention? OK, it’s called the “10/10” technique.Although it can be used for self-improvement in a lot of ways, we use it for leadership development as follow-up to a 360 degree assessment.First, the manager identifies something they want to improve – say leading a meeting, delegating, listening, or conducting a one on one. Although not as effective, it could even be as general as “leadership”.Then, at the end of a one on one, or whenever the opportunity presents itself (it only takes about 10 minutes), the manager asks the question: “On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate my delegation skills?” Usually the answer is not a perfect 10, because the manager has already had it pointed out on their 360 assessment. So if it’s anything less than 10, the managers asks the follow-up question: “What would I need to do for you to rate me a 10?”It works so well because it gives the manager very specific ideas for improvement, in terms of what’s important to the other person. It opens up dialog in a non-threatening way, builds trust, and creates a win-win developmental partnership.The 10/10 technique is very versatile – it can also be used with your peers, manager, customers, suppliers, and even in your personal relationships. “So tell me honey, on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate my ____?”Let’s try it out right now: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this blog? If less than a 10, what would I have to do to have you rate it a 10?

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T….Find out what it means to me.”Aretha FranklinThe value of respect has been a subject of the news lately, featuring rapper Kanye West and congressman Joe Wilson.John Spence just wrote a guest post for Great Leadership on the most important skills needed by global leaders, respect being one of them.If you were to take a look at 100 corporate value statements, I guarantee you’d find the word “respect” on at least 90% of them. Respect usually ends up high on the list of those “what do employees value most” lists. Every wants and deserves a little respect at work, especially from our leaders.So what does it mean to show respect as a leader?R = Relationships. Do you have a transactional relationship with your employees? That is, you pay them X dollars, and they give you Y amount of work? Are they just another “human resource” to you? Or have you taken the time to cultivate a relationship, based on mutual respect and support?E = Everyone counts, no matter who they are, at any level in the organization. Great leaders don’t selectively dole out respect, in a way that serves their own agendas. Want to judge the true character of a leader? Watch how they treat the cleaning people. I’ll never forget looking out the window and seeing the CEO of my former company in the parking lot, with the building’s cleaning crew gathered around him. While I couldn’t hear the conversation, it was very apparent that he was engaged in a lively discussion, they were laughing, and he looked like he was listening intently.One of my favorite VPs said he learned this from his experience growing up around his father, who was a handyman for the rich and famous. He saw the way his father was often treated, and vowed if he ever ended up in a position of power, he would always treat everyone with a high degree of respect.S = Support your employees. This means making sure they are paid fairly, are given the resources needed to do their jobs, barriers are removed, and sponsorship is obtained for their work. When they succeed, let everyone know. When they screw up, cover their backsides.P = Please and thank-you. As a manager, you don’t have to ask your employees to do anything – you can simply order them. As a leader, if you treat them as if they do have a choice, they’ll end up exceeding your expectations. Saying thanks and showing sincere appreciation is another way to show respect. Most managers think they do a good job at this…. most employees think they don’t. Try doing it until it feels like overkill, and then you can pull back if people start complaining (it’s never happened).E = Encourage every employee to grow and develop, in order to reach their full potential. Be a coach, a mentor, and a teacher. Set aside time on a regular basis for career and development discussions. Help your employees become more that they thought they could ever become. Better yet, help them become greater than yourself.C = Care. That’s right, care about your employees (some would say love them, although that sounds a bit extreme for me). Care about their success at work, their families, their health, their goals, and their satisfaction. Here’s a test: do you know the names of your employee’s children? Do you give them a card on their birthday? What’s the first thing you do you do when an employee or family member becomes seriously ill? Ask how soon they can get back to work, because there are important project deadlines that can’t be missed? Or organize a food basket drive?T = Treat people how they want to be treated (the platinum rule), not how you want to be treated (the golden rule).

Guest post by John Spence:I was recently asked by one of the most prestigious Executive MBA programs in America to give a speech on the most important skills needed to be an effective “global leader” in the future. To prepare for the talk I sent a note to more than 20 friends and clients that are CEOs or senior leaders at multinational companies for their input on the topic. Although I received replies from nearly every corner of the globe that answers were surprisingly similar. By a wide margin, this group of extremely experienced leaders identified the following traits as the most essential:· Ethics· Honesty· Transparency· Integrity· Humility· Respect· Flexibility· CollaborationI find this to be a fascinating list, because this is not at all what I heard just five years ago. Until very recently the major skills most companies focused on in their leaders were things like vision, strategic thinking, decisiveness, execution, drive, and accountability for results. And while these things still remain important, it is obvious that the pendulum has swung from a focus almost purely on maximizing ROI to highly ethical behavior that still delivers the numbers.I, for one, am extremely pleased to see this shift. I have worked in far too many organizations that drove their people into the ground in an all-out effort to “beat the street.” The quarter-to-quarter pressure to “make the numbers” was so overwhelming that people began to play fast and loose with the rules. For example, several years ago I was invited to give a talk on vision and values to one of the leading financial service firms in the world. For two hours, I stood before the thirteen directors of this multibillion - dollar company and shared with them my thoughts on the importance of setting a clear direction for the firm that was solidly grounded on unyielding integrity to their corporate values, which revolved around professionalism, teamwork, respect, service, and client focus. At the end of my presentation, when I opened the floor for questions, an interesting debate ensued. One of the directors raised the issue of what to do about a top employee: he was a multimillion - dollar producer but treated other employees aggressively and rudely in his quest to deliver his stellar numbers. I turned and pointed to the wall where there was a huge brass plaque with the values of the organization written in foot - tall letters and said, “If this employee is not living your value of respect, if he is running roughshod over the rest of his team and causing significant internal strife, then regardless of how much money he generates for the firm, he either has to change his behavior or be terminated.” As those last few words came out of my mouth, one of the directors literally jumped out of his chair as if someone had hit him with a cattle prod. “You have got to be kidding me,” he said. “ There is no way in the world I’ m going to fire somebody who brings in $30 million a year. ” I replied, “That’s fine, as long as you chisel respect off the values statement. But if this group of directors tells the employees that these are the values that the firm believes in yet allows people to violate them openly as long as they generate massive amounts of cash, then people will know that making money is much more important than living the values. ”It is no surprise that this sort of behavior by the supposed “leaders” of this firm eventually led to the demise of the company when people realized the numbers they had been reporting to Wall Street were a complete fabrication. What’s worse, when an employee works in an environment like this and starts down the slippery slope of bending the rules (or their manager pushes them) the loss of personal dignity and self-respect can be devastating.It has been an exceedingly painful way to learn the lesson, but if the events of the past year drive a resurgence of the importance of ethics, integrity, honesty and respect in global leaders then perhaps there has been a silver lining to this economic storm. The question I ponder though is how do we keep these things at the forefront? How do we train the next generation of global leaders to focus on corporate values as strongly as they do profit margins?To me the answer is to clearly show them that servant leadership, a positive corporate culture and a true dedication to sustainable business practices… are the ONLY road to sustainable competitive advantage and long-term profitability. It is my opinion that the number one factor in building a highly successful company is in attracting the absolute best people to your team and making sure that they are totally focused on continuous innovation and extreme customer focus. That means that what we used to consider the heat of the business business – the numbers – have now become “soft” and flexible – and what we used to consider the “soft side” of business, the “people” side, has now become the rock-solid foundation for success. In other words: Talent x Culture = Success.What does all of this mean to you? That finding, hiring and growing insanely talented people should be a strategic objective for your company. That corporate culture cannot be left to chance; it must be nurtured, shaped and supported strongly through the organization. And that a leadership style based on values, ethics and integrity will be the cornerstone for being a successful global leader of the future.John Spence is a executive trainer, professional speaker and author. His latest book is entitled: Awesomely Simple – Essential business strategies for Turning Ideas into Action. To learn more go to: http://www.awesomelysimple.com/

When you work in talent management inside an organization, you often have advance information about which managers are going to be promoted and who’s about to be fired. Maintaining confidentiality is critical; as is being able to hold a poker face when people are speculating.Unfortunately, people don’t always know why they were promoted or fired. There are times I’d love to be able to just spill the beans, and let the person know ahead of time, and tell them why. If I could, the script would probably be about the same for each scenario.The Good News Script:Congratulations, you’re going to be promoted next month! You sure deserve it. Here’s why:- First of all, you’ve consistently achieved outstanding results, ¼ after ¼, year after year. Even in this tough economy, you’ve managed to hit or exceed the targets that were established for you. And not just recently – you’ve consistently demonstrated the ability to get results, in any situation you’ve been in.- You’ve demonstrated the ability to learn and adapt. The last few years, you’ve been given a series of “stretch” developmental assignments. In each one, you quickly got up to speed, got results, and more importantly, developed new skills and incorporated those skills into your repertoire.- You’ve got rock solid values, including ethics, integrity, credibility, and unwavering respect for others, no matter who they are. We did 360 interviews with your peers, coworkers, clients, and suppliers. Your scores were consistently high on each of these attributes from all stakeholders.- You’re been committed to developing your people. Quite frankly, given the importance of your current role, we were reluctant to let you go. But you’ve done such a remarkable job developing a pipeline of talent, we have three outstanding candidates from your team to choose from.- You are seen as a leader amongst your peers. You are the one they turn to for advice and look at to see how you react. They respect you and will have no problem working for you. You’ve demonstrated the ability to reach across functions and work collaboratively for the greater good of the organization.- You’ve got outstanding “leadership presence”. The executive team respects you, you don’t back down, and are able to influence decisions at every level of the organization.- You’ve created a motivating and inspiring environment throughout your organization. We’re wondering if there is something in your department’s water coolers. People seem to love their work, are always positive and upbeat, and you’ve got the highest employee engagement survey scores in the company.Now, don’t forget to act surprised when you get the news.The Bad News Script:I’ve got some bad news for you – you’re going to get fired next month. Actually, we won’t tell anyone you’ve been fired – we’ll say you’re “leaving to pursue other opportunities” or “leaving to spend more time with your family”.This shouldn’t come as any surprise to you, if you’ve been paying attention to the writing on the wall. Some of the clues you may have picked up on are:- Your performance has been horrible. This has been going on for over two years now, and we don’t see it getting any better.- You’ve been given every opportunity to be successful in this role. You’ve turned over your entire team (twice) and hand picked their replacements. You’ve been given management training and coaching (although you missed most of the sessions). You’ve shown no interest or ability to learn or change.- While you used to get outstanding results, you’ve burned too many bridges to sustain those results. You’ve been described as arrogant, aloof, petty, self-centered, and defensive. People just can’t stand working with you.- You’ve failed to build a team and have been a destructive force on your manager’s team. We’ve tried to do team building, and every time we do, the problems are all about you.- You can’t be trusted. Last month’s ethics violation is a vivid example of this and the last straw.- We’ve had more open door and HR issues come out of your department than any other. When HR has tried to work with you, you ignore their counsel.- Every time we’ve tried to implement a change, you’re the last one to implement it. When it comes to change, the best we can expect from you is compliance (unless it’s your idea). More often than not, you’re a barrier.As for your replacement, we are already conducting an external search. There’s certainly no one on your team who we would consider, given your team’s lousy performance and the lack of development you’ve given them. In fact, we’ll probably need to clean house and replace most of them thanks to your lack of leadership.The good news is, being in this position has probably been killing you. It really will be a relief to move on and find something that you can be successful at. You may as well start looking now, and I wish you all the best.OK, back to reality. I’ll never be able to have those advance conversations, nor would I really want to. However, I sure can spread the word on what it takes to get promoted or fired, before it happens to you!

Every once in a while I’ll get a question from a reader, co-worker, or student about how to break into the leadership development field. The reality is, it’s not really an entry level profession, and there’s no one right way to get there.The leadership development profession includes trainers, coaches, HR generalists, managers, authors, speakers, preachers, and every combination of these. They have degrees in management, organizational development, human resource development, psychology, education, and engineering. Some have certification… some don’t.So while I don’t have a good answer on how to break into the field, I can look back and share how I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about leadership development. I believe these could be repeatable learning experiences for someone just getting started.In no particular order:1. Study real leadersFrom the day we play our first sport or join our first organized activity, we are surrounded by opportunities to study leadership and management. We learn from all of those good and bad examples. It’s a numbers thing - the more of them we are exposed to, the more we learn. I started out training first level supervisors – blue collar foreman, nuclear engineers, and accountants - so in the course of just a few years, I was exposed to hundreds of new supervisors from all walks of life.However, the “studying” needs to be intentional – it won’t just happen by osmosis.You have to be rampantly curious about what makes great leaders tick – their skills, values, experiences, career paths, styles, etc….More importantly, you have to be an investigative reporter to find out how they got to where they are. You begin to see patterns on how the good ones develop, and the bad ones don’t. Those patterns can then be replicated for others to follow or avoid.2. Learn from the real “gurus”Fortunately, there are already a lot of people out there that have already had all this experience and studying. When you can fit what you seeing and hearing into already discovered best practice frameworks, it all starts to come together and make sense. You develop a proven framework and toolkit.For my money, the most credible source on leadership development isThe Center for Creative Leadership. They have the best research, models, theories, publications, and programs. No one else comes close, and those that do, tend to have roots that go back to CCL.To be fair, there are others…. Dave Ulrich, Noel Tichy, Marshall Goldsmith, Morgan McCall, Warren Bennis, Peter Drucker, and way too many others to mention. I’ve accumulated over 200 books on leadership development, and am constantly looking things up and re-reading them. Good practice based on research is timeless, unlike some of the fads the charlatans peddle.3. Learn from fellow practitionersWhen you work for a big company, chances are, there will be others involved in leadership development that you can learn from. I’ve learned from my managers, peers, and employees. One of my favorite former managers now runs an executive development practice at Monitor. Another ran leadership development programs at GE, considered the best at leadership development.There’s also lot’s of opportunities to learn from others outside of your organization. I’ve gone to a lot of great conferences and networking events, and am always looking for new opportunities to maintain an external perspective.That’s one of the reasons I blog… I learn as much as I share. It’s a way to connect with others from around the world that are as passionate about this stuff as I am.4. Don't just buy products and services; buy capabilityI lot of what I learned came from external suppliers, consultants, and coaches. I suppose this is a combination of learning from experts and other practitioners, but worth calling out separately. I’m thinking more of those that I have hired to do work or provide products for the various companies I’ve worked for. In my early days, I did this a lot, because quite frankly, I didn’t know a whole lot about anything. Each time I did, I tried to soak up as much as I could during certifications and project work. Most were very generous about transferring their capabilities.Some of the best I’ve learned from are DDI, PDI, Lominger, and a lot of small, niche consultants and coaches.5. Stay in “school”There are some good degree programs in this field (HRD, OD,), but that’s not where I’d recommend starting. First get a few years of experience, then the degree.In addition to at least a Masters, and perhaps a PhD, I’d recommend attending as many university-based executive development programs as possible. Michigan, USC, and Harvard all have deep expertise in leadership development, as well as CCL.6. Trail and error.I’ve been fortunate to have worked at companies that have given me a lot of freedom to innovate, take risks, and screw up now and then. I love to tinker with the system, test new ideas, and add to my toolbox. I've always considered a 1/3 adoption rate a pretty good batting average.Earlier in my career I fell for my share of fads and wacky ideas. Now, while I still like to think I’m open to possibilities, I’ll make sure anything new I try is based on research, tested, reference checked, and evaluated.So while that’s what’s worked for me so far, I realize my experience is limited and there still is lot’s more to learn.For those of you in the field, what’s worked from you? Where have you learned the most about leadership development, and what advice could you share for someone just getting started?