Leadership: Virtual Management

Virtual management is a leadership model that today's leaders are role modeling for future leaders. Most of today's leaders did not "grow-up" in corporate America with a virtual boss.

Leaders are now managing people who are located in the same building or on the same campus, not around the corner. Still more leaders are working with employees that are located in another state and country.

What make is hard to manage virtually?

• The logistics. When to communicate with time zone changes?
• Letting go. How does the leader know if the work is getting done in a manner that represents the department and the company?
• Fear. The ability to fairly rate a virtual employee come performance management review time
• Nonverbal clues. Can't read the employees nonverbal clues. Not sure what they are thinking or feeling.
• Out of sight, out of mind. How to give virtual employees plum assignments, ask them questions, coach them.

One way to move forward as a successful virtual leader is to ask yourself "What do I need from my virtual staff and what does my virtual staff want and need from me?" Then ask your staff.

Talk about the commonalities and the difference's with your staff, of course, on a conference call. As the leader pay attention to the needs of the virtual staff. Can you accommodate them? If not, say so upfront with your reasons. Become a really good listener and call on those you haven't heard from on the call or give them a call later on to check in with them.

Quarterly ask your staff how you are doing as a virtual leader. Get their input and observations. Give yours. Build trust with your team. Trust is the grease that makes a team work together successfully.

This is truly a leadership model that today's leaders are creating and role modeling. Why not do it well?

Barb...The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Character Clues

On Friday, April 14 on an airline flight back from working with a client I read with interest an article in USA Today titled "CEOs vouch for Waiter Rule: Watch how people treat staff.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2006-04-14-ceos-waiter-rule_x.htm

What's the waiter rule? Simply, how you treat the wait staff is how you deal with staff and vendors.

We've all seen the person who muscles their way to the front of the waiting line to get their name on the list for a table. The person who yells at the waiter when they get the bill over some extra charge. Or take the woman who when she got her bill yelled at the waiter "This isn't my bill. What kind of place is this, you can't even get the bill straight!."

Now think about how that person will most likely treat her administrative assistant or manager who makes a simple mistake. Yikes!

In the article the author quoted Steve Odland, CEO of Office DEPOT, about how a mistake he made when he was a young boy as a wait staff made such a positive impact on him on how to deal with mistakes later on in life.

So take stock of how you treat wait staff, the janitor, etc. and what you can learn from this leadership viewpoint. Are people you are interviewing nice to the other people they've come in contact with at your company- your Admin, the receptionist, other staff? Are vendors that you deal with treating the receiving folks, the accounts payable people with respect?

Actions do speak louder than words. And in this case words do speak louder when spoken to the folks who actually perform the work.


Barb...The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Coaching Moments with a Three Year Old

As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight a young family came near where I was sitting. Two little girls probably around three and five years old and little boy in the stroller being pushed by Mom. Dad was interacting with the little girls as he talked with his wife .

The three year old daughter accidentally backed into a gentleman and kept on going as she spun around. Both parents at the same time said to the little girl, "What do you say? Say excuse me". But the little girl, as little children will do, kept right on moving towards the window to watch the planes taking off. Both parent turned and apologized to the gentleman for their daughter's actions. He said "Don't worry about it".

You might think that in this day and age that would have been the end of the story but then why would I be writing about it, right?

Coaching moment with a three year old.

The father went over to his three year old daughter and stooped down so he was at her eye level. Then he said in a friendly, warm tone, "Hey, I want to talk with you about what just happened. Would you like it if I bumped into you?" "No" she said. When that happens again her Dad said, you say "I'm sorry."

Here's the beat part...

Her Dad said "Let's practice that. (I of course was absolutely riveted by now to see what he was going to do with a three year old. )

The father said "Let's pretend I'm a reading a book and you bumped into me. Dad was pretending to hold a book in his hands and was moving his head left to right like he was reading. He told his daughter, "Go ahead, bump me." She bumped into him with a little smile on her face and said, "Excuse me." "Right" the father says.

Then to wrap up this whole coaching moment the father turned to his older daughter with "How'd you used to say excuse me when you were younger? It was really funny". The three of them proceeded to laugh and they went on talking about something else. Here the father not only coached one daughter but he also included his other child as well to make it a family coaching moment. Nice job, Dad!

How as a leader can you put this coachable moment into practice? Here's how I work with my coaching clients on this very skill....

• Keep your antennae up for small coachable moments with your staff
• Pick a time and place that's conducive to sharing your thoughts..."I'd like to talk with you about.... " (set the situation)
• Ask your employee how did they think the interaction or situation went?
• Listen to their response. Yes, listen. Don't be tempeted to add your two cents in or cut them off with your wisdom.
• Then involve them in the resolution
  - what will or can they do next time?
  - offer to role play with them what they would say or do the next time
• Then let them know you are confident in them. Ask them to let you know how it goes the next time they have this kind of situation and they use their new way of thinking.
  

You'll be glad you did and so won't they. Nothing breeds success like success itself.

Imagine the next time the little girl bumps into someone. She has a mental model of what to do that feels right and she knows how to do it well. Wouldn't we all like to have those mental models to help us in our next leadership foray?

Barb the Leadership Lady

Leadership: Learning Lessons

Wow, I can't believe that I haven't written in quite awhile. What have I been up to? I have been writing my first book that is to be published this fall by Wiley and Sons titled "The Essential Online Solution: A Five Step Formula for Small Business Success. This truly has been a wonderful experience so far. We still have the edits to go through and the marketing but I have learned several lessons along the journey so far.

The first lesson I learned is that I have made a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to writing a book. I proved to myself that I can do this writing stuff!

The second lesson I learned is what I've known a long time about myself, that I like to work with other people. So having a co-author has been part of the fun for me. I was able to collaborate, talk and discuss the merits of blogging, search engine optimization and so on.

This lapse in writing about Leadership has made me realize that I indeed need to write every week. Why? I am starting to enjoy this writing process. Did I actually write that? Wow, I've come a long way. Another reason is a selfish one on my part. The more I write about Leadership and it's everyday impact the more material I will have for dare I write this...a new book!

So that's it for me today. I'm looking forward to writing every week again.

Barb the Leadership Lady

Leadership: How can you "see" the presence of a leader?

I was attending a conference this weekend in Washington, D.C. and enjoying an lively conversation with photographer Dov Friedmann www.dovfriedmannphotography.com and speaker, singer and author Willey Jollie http://www.williejolley.com about what it was like to photograph famous people. You see, Dov has photographed world figures, Madeleine Albright, Jack Welch and Colin Powell to name a few.

Something that Dov said struck a cord with me around leadership development. Dov asked Willie and I "Have you ever been in the presence of greatness?" We all talked about who we know gives off that presence and why.

When it came to Colin Powell we all agreed that he walks his talk as a leader. His integrity, values, respect for mankind speak loudly. We also admired Powell's ability to motivate and inspire troops and our nation, again great leadership skills.

Can you "see" leadership presence? Can you articulate what that looks and feels like to someone else? I challenge you to try this and see what comes to your mind as leadership greatness.

Barb...The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Teamwork

When it comes to sports there are a lot leadership connections. Take the great movie "Remember the Titans" with Daniel Washington or "Hoosiers".

In a recent Austin, TX Business Journal there was an article that deciphered the leadership skills and lessons to be learned from the University of Texas head football Coach Mack Brown Leadership lessons executives can take to the boardroom


Coach Brown and his team were victorious in the Rose Bowl this season.

The one lesson learned that I know is lacking in a lot of teams I work with see http://www.callanconsulting.com is the ability to either encourage people along the way or to acknowledge a job well done. I believe some managers think that the project work is what the person is paid to do so why should they take the time to be a cheerleader. Or the business is moving so fast that the accomplishment is old news when it is completed and a new project has started.

Here is where the Gallup and other employee engagement surveys have shown that acknowledging an employee means a lot in terms of the employee feeling committed to the work and the company.

Remember employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. Don't let that happen to you.

Barb .....Leadership Lady

Leadership: Follow the Hurt

The last two weeks have been busy here in Massachusetts when it comes to politics and religion. The House Of Representatives was voting on a bill that would require churches in Massachusetts to disclose their financial information.

For the first time in my ten years attending the Lutheran Church of Framingham our Pastor actually made a statement about politics. He wanted us to be aware of what this bill was and what it meant to us as a congregation and what we could do to take action.


Leaders of the legislature I believed wanted to alleviate the hurt of the Catholics who don't know where their money is and what it goes to and what assets their church really owns. Here is where leadership came to play for me. Religious orders that usually don't work well with each other on issues came together on this one. Leaders of most faiths spoke out and they were heard. Parishioners who normally don't get involved were inspired to call or email their representatives to voice their concern. Out of this action, see the link below, the legislation which was supposedly a slam dunk last week was resoundingly defeated yesterday.

Leadership does make a difference. Just because one group is hurting does not mean that everyone should pay the price. Legislation as we all know will not undue any hurt that has been done. But the leadership of the affected party (the Roman Catholic Church) should show his leadership skills quickly on this matter. Waiting a year to find out information is not a sign of leadership..it feels like stalling to most of us.

Good for our legislature to call the intended legislation for what it was. Good intention, bad law.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/01/26/house_rejects_disclosure_of_religious_funds/

Barb...The Leadership Lady