Leadership Lady

Leadership: Virtual Management

2006-06-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

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

2006-05-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

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

2006-04-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

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

2006-04-18T06:44:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-02-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-30T08:42:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

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

Leadership: Inspiration is the Name of the Game

2006-01-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

Leadership is about pulling people to action, not pushing them. It's about getting people to want to follow you even though they are afraid or unsure. Leadership is about caring enough to paint a picture of the change that excites people to implement your idea.

I saw leadership in action last Saturday when I attended the National Speakers Association New England chapter's meeting. www.nsanewengland.org

Rick Segel, CSP was the keynote speaker. www.RickSegel.com Rick is also a past president of NSA-New England. Through his talk he inspired people to think differently about their speaking business. He challenged them to try new things. He showed the group a few of his biggest mistakes that he has made in his speaking career and what he learned from those mistakes.

After Rick asked how many people had a blog (only four people raised their hands) he gave business reasons why every speaker should have a blog including his web site statistics that showed traffic from his blog is the second highest generater for him.

How did Rick show leadership last Saturday? On Monday I was speaking with a writer, Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, who said Rick made her realize she needed to set up a blog. After a conversation with me in less than 10 minutes Sheryl had her blog up. Check it out at writingace.blogspot.com. Pretty good don't you think?

Sheryl would never have attempted a blog without Rick painting that picture of the business reasons for doing so. I'd say Leadership in action, wouldn't you?

Barb.... Leadership Lady

Leadership: Following Through

2006-01-11T17:11:00.000-05:00

It's been of those weeks and I see that I missed my own Monday deadline to post to my blog. So here's a midweek post.

I have started to read with much fascination and enjoyment Doris Kerns Goodwin's new book about Abraham Lincoln, Team of Rivals. I'll let you know what I think as I make my way through this history rich book.

Barb...Leadership Lady

Leadership: Human Resource-related issues deliver to the bottom line

2006-01-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

In a recent article in the Boston Business Journal "Women top execs: Worker focus ranks high on priority list" by Lisa Van Der Pool points out the emphasis that women executives are placing on human resources-related issues.

The survey was conducted by the Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College and the Commonwealth institution both located in Massachusetts.

In this five year study employee satisfaction has risen from fourth place to second place-to 92% in 2005. Not surprising a healthy company culture came in third at 81%. Number one was customer satisfaction at 97%.

What does this data suggest? I believe that a thriving company needs to have employees that are engaged. Read any Gallup data on employee engagement and you will see the impact that shows up in bottom-line profits when you have engaged employees.

Engaged employees are not satisfied employees. Engaged employees feel valued, feel trusted in making decisions that impact the company and they are given opportunities to grow in their knowledge and experiences. Which in the best of companies makes them not to want to leave or even think of leaving their company. Instead, they are the company's best marketing and recruiting arm.

Take a look at the Q12 questions that Gallup has crafted to create engaged employees and a culture that delivers customer satisfaction bar none.

Happy New Year and here's to engaged employees in every company!

Barb the Leadership Lady

Leadership: Peter Drucker Said it the Best

2005-11-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

On the front page of the Wall Street Journal Marketplace section today, Monday, November 14, 2005 there is an article under the column "In The Lead " by Carol Hymowitz titled "As Managers Climb, They Have to Learn How to Act the Parts" and on the bottom half of the same front page is the article by Scott Thurm and Joann S. Lublin on "Peter Drucker's Legacy Includes Simple Advice: It's All About the People".

How ironic. Why?

When reading both articles it is clear that the manager turned CEO in the first article could have benefited greatly from reading only one of Drucker's 39 books early in her career.

Peter Drucker is a legend in leadership. He was 95 years old when he passed away on Friday. And to most people's amazement he was still teaching and writing!

Drucker believed that when you create environments where people can shine, where people can be and do their best then everyone wins including the shareholders.

There are six Drucker lessons that are highlighted in the article under 'Management is About Human Beings'. The lessons are simple but profound and not easy to do.

Drucker had a profound impact on the leadership in this country and even on today's leaders. His art of asking questions and framing leadership will and has stood the test of time.

Now if all leaders would embrace the notion that it's all about the people our world would certainly be a different and I bet, a better place for all humankind.

Barb... The Leadership Lady

Leadership and the Red Sox

2005-11-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Last week was Leadership 101 in action for the Boston Red Sox. For those of you don't know, the General Manager, Theo Esptein, resigned from his position the day his contract ran out.

Why was this big news? The whole Red Sox Nation believed that Theo would sign a new contract. No one thought he wouldn't being, the hometown boy and having his dream job.

Yet in the end Theo did surprise everyone, including himself, I think when he resigned.

How did this become a leadership week in Boston? John Henry, the CEO of the Boston Red Sox made it one. At the press conference Henry made it perfectly clear that he owned the responsibility for Theo not being resigned. And when asked he said "I blew it. There are many things I could have done differently so that Theo was still with us."

In addition, Henry took the heat for his President and COO, Larry Luccino, who was noticeably absent from the press conference. Henry said that he asked Larry not to attend the press conference. Talk about taking accountability for the actions of his team.

It was a good day for leadership. It also was a good day because Epstein showed his character and integrity that we all had come to admire one last time. He did not bash anyone. He did not blame anyone. He kept that to himself and obviously asked and got the agreement from Henry that why he resigned would stay within the confines of Red Sox management.

It was a shock to Red Sox fans and the sports writers to lose Theo Epstein. It was humbling to see Epstein stick by his morale compass and not be badgered by the press for "the answer". Esptein knew that the press wanted to blame someone. Boston is very good at the blame game unfortunately. But that's another story.

My best to Theo and may the Red Sox learn a lesson from this debacle. May the Red Sox apply what they have learned. That will be the real test of leadership. Have they learned from their mistakes and made things better? Only time will tell.

Barb .... The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Employee Engagement and Remote Management

2005-10-31T08:44:00.000-05:00

When a group of vice presidents was recently asked what their biggest headache or fear was concerning remote management they had many not just one headache.

The concerns ranged from building trust to how do you develop people who you don't see very often?

What was also very telling to me was that over three quarters of the group did not have any remote (telecommuters) working for them. As a group they know that the day is coming real soon and they are afraid. Why? Business would not be done the same. Actually what would change is the leader's managing style.

Work/life balance is a key issue in retaining your best employees which makes remote management a critical skill. When you cut down an employees commute by 3 hours a day that gives them a big morale boost. Employees tend to give some of that time to the company and the rest they can focus on family and their life passions. Which makes your company a place to work and tell others about.

The key as a leader is to keep the remote worker involved, build trust between both of you and remember when you have some choice assignments to offer them to everyone including the remote worker.

Barb...The Leadership Lady

Influencing: All About Connection

2005-10-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

What comes to mind about when someone asks you the qualities and attributes of a really good influencer?

In an ongoing influencing survey by my company, Callan Consulting, we are seeing the connection thread when it comes to people who influence well.

What is this connection thread? It's influencing with a spirit of collaboration, sincerely connecting with the other person or group. One-to-one seems is the preferred method of influencing from the senior executives who have answered the survey. Why?

People are less likely to put up a wall in a conversation. You also have the ability to ask questions in a non-threatening manner, check out your facts and discover hidden agendas. The conversations are the two-way street to communication. So many of the respondents made note that influencing is a two-way highway.

Conversations are not the formal agenda in a meeting were people are not as forthcoming in group settings. This could be due to lack of confidence, have seen people burnt before and won't embarrass themselves and the people who like to think things over and then come to a conclusion that they can use to influence you. Sound familiar?

In making the connection 100% if the respondents mentioned listening as the key to getting to know where the other person or group is on the topic and what the people are feeling. And by making a good connection you should be prepared to be influenced to change your mind as well...what a thought.

So fellow readers, make those connections so you can truly appreciate the other person's perspective before you try to successfully influence them.

Barb....the Leadership Lady

Leadership: The Power of Stories

2005-10-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Leaders set a vision by the stories they tell. Think about leaders that you admire and who you now know what they stood for.

I'll bet that was easy for you to do due to the vivid image or idea that the leader tells in his or her story.

Painting a picture for people by telling stories is one of the oldest methods of communicating. Look at the Bible and all the leaders that are known by a particular story. Stories help people see the future they can't believe will exist.

What a good story also does for the listener is to help them visualize what you mean and how they can adapt that vision to their life or work.

I spoke yesterday to a group on Communicating With Influence. People came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they enjoyed my stories. One person said" Your stories helped me see how to relate your information to my work, my personal life and my community service work. " That remark got me to thinking about the power of stories.

Telling the same story over and over again also helps people get the message. People also know that you mean what you say and are pretty serious about everyone getting the message. That's why telling people 7 times in 7 different ways is a great strategy to use when you are embarking on a change. We all hear things differently and what may motivate me, may not even get you to listen.

So when you want to influence someone to make a change, help them see the future by telling a story that paints the picture for them. In the story describe in detail the way the new future looks, feels and sounds. Having people live the future now will help them move to the future with ease.

Barb...The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Inventing Success

2005-10-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

As a leader, imagine a world where everyone who works with you is an "A" player. By this I mean people come up with great ideas and find a way to implement them, they produce significant results for the team and the list goes on.

In their book "The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life", Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander explore this imagined world by suggesting that we give each person an A . According to Zander and Zander "when you give an A, you find yourself speaking to people not from a place of measuring how they a stack up against your standards, but from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves."

Imagine telling everyone that you believe they are the very best. Then talk about what being the very best means to them. Ask them how you can help them be their very best. So often we as leaders we don't take the time to actually talk and get to know people. We make assumptions that what works for us works for everyone else. That's when we get into trouble.

So imagine your world full of A players. What assumptions are you making now? How have your conversations changed? What is being generated in your mind, tone of voice and expectations of that person and vice versa?

Invent that world of A players by giving everyone an A.

Barb... The Leadership Lady

Leadership: When the Going Gets Tough

2005-10-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

In a previous blog I mentioned that I was just beginning to read David McCullough's best selling book, "1776" which has made me look at George Washington in a new light.

Now that I have finished reading this book, I am truly appreciative of what Washington did for my country as a man and as a leader of a fledgling new country.

If we needed someone in charge that followed the rules we'd still be colonies of England. What did Washington do that showed his leadership abilities?

First, Washington kept his head, by that I mean he did not let the New Englanders know how much he disliked them, which came in handy at the end of 1776. Second, he kept his health when his solders and officers were dying of influenza, he survived. Third, he kept his strength as he kept crazy hours and had the fate of the new country on his shoulders.

When things got very tough what did Washington do? Here's just one example; At the end of 1776 the majority of the soldiers, who happened to be New Englanders, could leave and go home..that still amazes me. Which meant that for all intensive purposes the war would be over and England would have kept her colonies.

What would you do if that was you? What do we as leaders do today when the going gets tough? When you have people who are brunt out, maybe haven't taken their vacations, or haven't carved out work/life balance so they are fully ready to participate in the next project?

Here's what Washington did. He took it upon himself to offer a ten dollar bounty to any soldier who would stay another six months. That was a lot of money at that time. He did not wait for Congress to act..there was no time left.

Washington also gave a speech to the soldiers asking them to stay. When the drums rolled, no one stepped forward. He then spoke a second time:

"My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do and more than could be reasonably expected, but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the course of liberty, and to your country, which you can probably never do under any other circumstances."

What do you think happened? The drums rolled again, no one stepped forward. Washington waited with great patience. Then suddenly men started to move forward surprising everyone I'm sure, but Washington.

When I read this speech again I see a clearly stated vision, emotional benefits to the soldiers, acknowledgement of where they have come from and what they have endured. And then pointing them forward to an opportunity that is once in a lifetime.

How do you engage your workforce? Do you have a vision that drives your decisions? Do you engage your people by emotional, rational and political statements? If not, craft a vision and share it with your folks. The next time you have to round up "the troops" to make that extra effort or to make an unpopular change try using the pattern that Washington did. The results may surprise you.

Let me know how you fare.

Barb...Leadership Lady

Influencing: Connecting the Dots

2005-09-14T07:17:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why economics was boring in college or high school?

It's because we didn't have Professor Steven D. Levitt as our economics professor. Levitt along with his co-author Stephen J. Dubner have given us the New York Times Bestseller Freakonomics.

Levitt has a real talent for asking interesting questions. I mean who would think to ask "If drug dealers make so much money, why do they still life with their mothers?" or "Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?'

What is this Freakonomics? It's Levitt's way of explaining how people get what they want. He is able to tell a story while measuring an effect that seems unmeasurable by most people.

What better way to influence someone and get what you need accomplished than by asking interesting questions, gathering your data and presenting it with a story that compels the listener to take notice and act on your information?

All data tells a story. The use of data is the number one tactic to influence someone so Freakonomics should be on your Fall reading list if you didn't get to read it this summer. http://freakonomics.com

Enjoy.

Barb, The Leadership Lady

Leadership: Knowing the Questions To Ask

2005-09-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you but listening to the news and reading the paper this last week has been emotionally draining. Hurricane Kartina's aftermath will live in infamy.

What I've noticed is that everyone has an opinion. What went wrong, who did or did not do something. How could we ,"America", let this happened to us?

Forget the polls, forget the news media hype, forget the photo-ops.

Leaders who have led this great country of ours and successful businesses have always known to ask good questions when the going gets tough.

Yesterday, my Pastor, the Rev. Richard Hurst, Jr., reminded me of this during his sermon. He talked about the devastation after a hurricane that hit Great Barrington, MA about ten years ago and what he learned from trauma specialists. These folks gave Pastor a list of events that would unfold in the next few weeks... with searing accuracy. And they are the same things that are taking place now after hurricane Katrina.

So a great leader would have asked the questions; "what typically happens after an event such as this? What should we (the country, the county, our employees and our business) and I expect. What should I be doing to prevent some of these things from happening, if I can?"

May we all be leaders in our businesses, churches, communities... asking the good questions, volunteering, writing checks and doing what we can to make a positive difference for the future of all of America.

Barb- Leadership Lady

Leadership and Culture: Do They Matter?

2005-08-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

Company culture does matter. Just ask the former high ranking Citigroup executives who have departed in the last several weeks.

It appears according to the news that the CEO Charles Prince who took over the reins of Citigroup two years ago has a very different management style than his predecessor and Chairman, Mr. Weill.

It seems Citigroup has gone from focusing on the short term-stock prices and fast growth to a long term strategic point of view where reputation, internal controls and ethics matter. From brainstorming with a few key aides and giving autonomy to the operating chiefs to oversight committees, studying reports and polls and centralizing operations.

Talk about a culture change taking place. It would seem to me that people who were used to taking risks, not necessarily getting buy-in and making their numbers at almost any costs are scratching their heads asking “what happened?”

Do culture and values matter? I think we only have to look at the Enron’s, World Com and yes, Citigroup to emphatically say Yes!

I think the challenge for any leader is the boundary line between doing business, having a great culture that lives the values that makes it a great company. I am convinced that working for the short term does not allow companies to live according to their values.

What does your leadership style and that of your company say about culture and values?

Till next time,

Barb the Leadership Lady

Leadership or Shall We Say..Lack of Leadership

2005-08-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

Did you happen to catch the WSJ article, "Sometime Colleagues Are Just Too Bad Not to Get Promoted, Wed. August 17 from the Cubicle Culture by Jared Sandberg?

Sandberg uses the term "Hot Potato" for employees who usually have a bad attitude, can't do the work, don't complete the work, are egotistical, arrogant... you get the picture. Others have used the term "Problem Employee".

So what does this have to do with leadership or the lack of leadership? What do managers typically do with a hot potato that reports to them? You may have guessed it. Managers promote this employee or transfer them to another department but in some way they get rid of them.

Today when you can get sued at the blink of an eye and may feel threatened by the repercussions of confronting this person it's understandable to want to pass the buck. But does this really solve anything for the company, the peers who have to work with this person or for the person themselves?

I know as a manager it was very difficult to for me to address problem employees but being in HR we were not mangers but leaders to role model for others the way to handle situations. At the time I didn't appreciate the role model concept but what a wealth of experience I gained by doing the right thing by all.

The key question from our Sr. VP Craig Saline was always "What's the work?". Was the employee meeting the standards? If not, what was the development plan and did the employee understand the seriousness of the situation?

Keeping hot potatoes is unhealthy and everyone knows it. Yes, it's not a perfect world, office politics still yield their power. But for the most part smart managers who want to engage their whole workforce challenge the hot potatoes and do deal with them by not passing the problem on to someone else. After all that's what a great leader does, right?

Barb Leadership Lady

Influencing: George Washington at his best

2005-08-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

In the best selling book 1776 by David McCullough that I'm reading I am continually discovering that George Washington was a master of inspiring people to action...influencing.

Washington, according to what I read was a master influencer. Why do I say that? In times of great peril for our soon to be nation, he was able inspire men to leave their wives, children, home and occupations to fight in what was considered an no win conflict against the most powerful nation in the world at that time, England.

In the book the author relates the story of one man named Joseph Reed, a London-trained Philadelphia lawyer who was only supposed to be an escort to Washington as far as New York. Yet Reed continued on to Cambridge, MA to take the role of Washington's secretary although he had not provided for his family or his law practice. Reed had said Washington had,

expressed himself to me in such terms that I thought myself bound by every tie of duty and honor to comply with his request to help him through the sea of difficulties.

Now to me that's what inspiring people to action is all about. To make them willingly go where they had not or would not go themselves but feel compelled to help the leader bring about amazing results.

Being a history lover and from New England I am enjoying this book for relating a leadership side of George Washington that I had not known or forgotten about, I also love the rich detail of events in my hometown of Watertown, MA or surrounding towns. Can't wait to read more this evening.

Best,

Barb, Leadership Lady

Leadership From a Women's Point of View

2005-07-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

In the July, 2005 WorldWIT Wisdom: Ten Tips Toolbox Lyn Turknett has an article on 10 Traits that Are Essential for Female Leaders.

I especially liked Tip #7 Get comfortable with power. Participants in my Power and Influencing training sessions talk a lot about this issue.

For myself, I still need to work on Tip #5 Give up perfectionism.

In reviewing your leadership character where are your strengths and areas for development ?

Check the article out. At the end there is a quiz on How Is Your Leadership Character? that could help you focus on your leadership character.

That's it for now,

Barb...LL

Leadership: Changing of the Guard

2005-07-14T10:15:00.000-05:00

When there is a leadership shift what do the employees, stockholders, or members think and feel?

In one company I worked at, no lie, there was thunderous clapping, a roar of cheers and an "about time" attitude from the employees. In another company where I was consulting there was an abrupt change of the CEO and this time there were tears of sadness and ensuing low morale by the employees.

I just returned from the National Speakers Association www.nsaspeaker.org annual convention in Atlanta, GA where there was a changing of the guard. Rick Jakle, CSP the new President began his year by announcing his theme "The Magic of Community" and then proceeded to lay out the vision for his year. Jakle's style is one of warmth, inclusiveness and making a difference.

Rick Jakle's style is very different from the previous President's, Scott Friedman, CSP who was about fun and making a difference. As members we will see in the next few months how Jakle's style and commitment to his vision plays out.

Leaders make a difference when they come into the position and when they leave. As a leader, what impact will your time spent be?

That's it for now,

Barb the Leadership Lady

Leadership: Growing Through Hardships

2005-06-29T16:18:00.000-05:00

When the High School valedictorian said " I felt like my parents had thrown me to the wolves when I came to this school..." I knew the speech was going to be a good one. It also could be that the graduate, Ben, was my husband's great-nephew. You decide.

It was unbearable weather on Sunday, June 26 at the Owen D. Young High School in Upper New York State. But Ben held our attention and made us think. He spoke about the trials of going from being home-schooled to public school. Not feeling like he fit in to now after his seven years at the school feeling as though they were a family.

Ben's being chosen to be valedictorian and receiving 11 awards that day as well as obtaining scholarships to college attest to his desire to excel even in adverse conditions, his ability to use his talents wisely and to serve his family.

It wasn't easy for Ben as it is not easy for leaders, who step into a new division, new department, or a new territory. But with determination, support of others and your desire to make your team a family...one that cares about each other, that knows each others talents and can work together to succeed, that is a sign of great leader.

Congrat's Ben for a job well done!

Barb...LL

Influencing: Lessons from a ten year old

2005-06-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

While shopping for a pair of flip flops this weekend I overheard a girl around ten years old using a great influencing tactic.

The young girl was also looking at flip flops and the woman with her, who I assumed was her mother, said "What size do you take?" The girl answered "I think a 2-3." But she had flip flops that were a size 5-6 in her hand and amazingly they fit. The woman told the young girl "They look good, you should get them."

The ten year old girl looked up at the woman as she took the flip flops off and said "You'll have to ask Mom because she already told me no."

Here's a girl who already thinks outside of the box when it comes to getting something she wants. What influencing tactic did she use? According to Todd Jick in his Managerial Influence Tactics she used Higher Authority. Auntie can step in and help Mom see that her child really wants and should have these flip flops.

Ah, the young and not so innocent.

Barb...LL

Leadership: Where was it?

2005-06-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

I attended what was supposed to be a joyous occasion on Sunday...the High School graduation of my niece.

It was absolutely amazing to see the lack of leadership by the Superintendent and Principal. Let me explain.

There were 300 students in the graduating class. 150 of them sat on one side of the aisle on the football field and the other 150 on the other side. Very organized.

When the first 150 students had graduated the presenters moved the podium to the other side to make it easier for the next 150 students to get their diplomas.

What happened next still irritates me. I guess, and I'm only guessing that some people thought the graduation was over for them. You see a lot of the parents and family members of the first 150 proceeded to get up and leave the stadium. Not only did they block the view of people trying to see their loved ones graduating but they also went out onto the football field to get closer to their student. Again blocking people's view.

My question is..What about the rest of the students? Why didn't anyone speak up and can you believe it..tell adults how to behave at a graduation ceremony?

Call me old fashion but I did really want to see my niece as she received her diploma. I had waited eighteen years. And I didn't appreciate having to try to see through people.

Again, I just keep wondering where were the leaders? Scary isn't it, when the town was graduating the leaders of the future and there were none to be found leading them.

Barb...LL

Land the Plane – Stop “Doing” and Start Succeeding in Project Management

2005-05-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

We all spend time on planning vacations. If it’s not you then it’s probably your significant other or travel agent. Think of the time we spend choosing the destination, getting the best airlines fares, the right clothes and the best sightseeing adventures for a great trip. I know for my trip to Hawaii I wanted to make sure that I did not want to miss anything so I talked with people who had been to Hawaii for their suggestions and read up on the islands we were going to visit. And many of my clients do the same thing. But yet when it comes to project management people live in what I call a “doing” mode. Given a project a team or an individual just jump in and do with little or no planning.

Here are ten tips on how to get out of the “doing” mode and into the succeeding mode of project management.

Tip One: Destination
Establish a destination for the project is the same as establishing a charter at the beginning of the project. What is a charter? Think of it as the compass that guides your project. It is the information you need to know to be successful. Who’s accountable and who’s responsible for the project (they are different), what are the resources available, what are the present constraints, support available, visibility or access for project?

Tip Two: Establish a pace; two cites in ten days or five cities in seven days
Set realistic expectations for the project. In our fast paced world when the mantra is “yesterday” I agree this can be hard to accomplish. But if you don’t set realistic expectations are you not setting your project and team up for failure? If getting a permit from the city now takes five weeks instead of three weeks why is that not plugged into the project plan instead of plugging in the “old” three weeks? It’s not realistic. You’re behind already without any unexpected hiccups in the project schedule.

Tip Three: Who’s Flying the Plane?
For a project to succeed it needs sponsorship from senior management. And that sponsorship needs to be visible to management and the project team. I remember working on a project where the senior manager stood up and told us in no uncertain terms that: “I don’t care if you install this new system in one store or 500 stores by Oct. 1. It will be done right and every store will be operational the morning after conversion. There will no impact on the stores”. His leadership, sponsorship and ownership of this project were clear to all.

Tip Four: Project language and customs
Set aside time before the project begins for the team to set groundrules or guidelines. How will you communicate with each other? How will the team make decisions, resolve conflict and work together?

Tip Five: Be an Air Traffic Controller
How and to whom do you communicate the project’s progress outside the project team is critical. This needs to done in a formal fashion in writing and maybe even by presentation. In addition what is said to people in the corridors or lunchrooms will build or destroy the confidence that management has in the project.

Tip Six: Setting an Itinerary
Just like the vacation up front detailed planning needs to be done for a project to succeed. The project plan can be a one-page sheet for a one-time event or 50 pages depending upon the complexity of the project. The key is to spend the time doing the detailed planning not rushing in “to do” the project. That’s when things are uncovered in the middle of a project that seriously impacts the results or outcome.

Tip Seven: What if it Rains?
Things are going to go wrong, so you might as well plan for it. Making a Plan B helps the project team members to know how to react immediately without having to make on the spot decisions during a potential crisis. The decisions have already been made and the whole team is confident in their ability to execute both Plan A and Plan B if necessary. I worked on one project that we had Plans A, B and C. These plans covered what we thought would be the most challenging scenarios.

Tip Eight: Let’s Do that on the Next Trip
This is a tough one but that is how the words enhancements and phases help a project come to reality. I bet you can think of a project or two that because of the change in requirements or adding of scope either doomed a project or made the project over budget and a year or more behind schedule. Avoid changing requirements or scope if at all possible.

Tip Nine: Utilize Early Warning Lights
Monitoring the project where issues or problems are surfaced early is a key ingredient to successful projects. The ability to be up front about issues and problems lies with the project leader and to a certain extent the project sponsor. Do they want to hear bad news? Are they open to changes based on facts? One project leader rode people so hard that they stopped giving information. In another instance several members of the project team went to the project leader and pointed out the impact of his behavior on the team and the project by being unyielding and not open to hearing people voice their concerns. If the guidelines are set in Tip Four then hopefully this will not be a problem.

Tip Ten: What Did We Learn on This Trip?
How many of us are guilty of not debriefing after a project? Or is we do not sharing the knowledge and making it part of the company’s knowledge system? Sure, it takes time and after all, the project is over and we are on to something else. This I feel is the most valuable leaning lab. Not only for future projects by the team but also for each project individual who will be on other projects and will some day lead their own project.
Land the Plane

So whether you are planning a vacation or working on a project use these tips to ensure your success. It just makes good sense, project management sense that is.

Barb - The Leadership Lady
© 2001-2005 Barbara Callan-Bogia All rights reserved.

Women and blogging

2005-05-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Attended a meeting last night for Women in technology (which I'm not) to learn more about the blogging phenomenon. Dr. Amanda Watlington was the guest speaker http://businessblogguide.com who entertained us with her knowledge, enthusiasm for the subject and her ability to relate to geeks and non-geeks.

Dr. Watlington believes that women have a unique proposition with blogs. She's expecting that the woman will lead the way and that their voices will be heard more at work due to the use of blogs. What do you think?

BTW: Did you happen to catch the interview last week on The Today Show with former president Bush and Clinton? Here two leaders of the most powerful nation in the world sit and talk about being friends and respecting each other. Is there a new role model for retired leaders of the world emerging?

Barb the Leadership Lady

How I got the name Leadership Lady

2005-05-06T15:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Leadership Lady blog. I was given this name by a participant who had attended an Advanced Leadership Program that I am an adjunct faculty member.

The person was trying to get my attention in a parking lot and couldn't remember my name so she yelled over to me "Hey, Leadership Lady". She had to yell this three times before I even looked her way. Who knew?

We had a nice talk and she told me what a positive effect the leadership course has made in her ability to lead. Things like: letting go, doing research and hiring someone to take over some of her travel duties, learning how not to micromanage. Great stuff.

That's it for today,

LL