Leaders: Born or Bred Jeanne Stuntz and Karen El-Tawil Synergy Conference October 1, 2014.

Leaders: Born or BredJeanne Stuntz and Karen El-Tawil

Synergy Conference October 1, 2014

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Career Backgrounds: Karen and Jeanne come from very different industries.

Skills needed to lead an organization regardless are universal.

Mentoring over the years.

Leadership Goes Beyond..

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Disclosure

Nothing that we are going to share with you today is new information. We have compiled the information from many published leadership theories and our own and other’s personal experiences. These principles apply to each and every leadership role you are privileged to serve in.

There is many resources available to supplement our time today and we suggest that you seek out resources continually to enhance your path to be an exceptional leader

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Management is something you do with things You manage a budget, your inventory, your

checkbook, your resources but you do not manage people

Leadership is something you do with people You lead a team or organization, you lead

others not things

Management vs. Leadership

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Leadership Defined:

The art of mobilizing others to want to

struggle for shared aspirations

- Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner “ The Leadership Challenge”

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Leadership Defined:

The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically towards

goals identified as being for the common good

A skill is simply a learned or acquired ability

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People in your organization are entrusted to your care

Employees spend approximately half their waking time working and living in the environment that you create

The employees are counting on you for financial security

To be successful at leadership is a personal decision to develop the skill of influencing people

Leadership is a Responsibility

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Leadership:The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically towards goals identified as being for the common good

How do we develop influence with people? How do we get people to do our will? How do we get people engaged in the vision of the

enterprise? How do we get their ideas, commitment, creativity and

excellence?

Leadership is About Influence

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To understand Influence you must understand the difference between Power and Authority

Power : The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position. Power can be bought and sold, given and taken away.

Authority : The skill of getting people to willingly do your will because of your personal influence . Authority can not be bought or sold, given or taken away. It is about who you are as a person, your character and influence that you have built with people.

Power vs. Authority

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Think of someone who has authority (not power) in your life!

Honest

Good Role Model

Trustworthy

Good listener

CaringHolds People Accountable

Positive

Encouraging

Respectful

Committed

Thankful Enthusiastic

Selfless

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All leaders have followers. Do you have followers? Are your followers good for the organization? Your responsibility as a leader is to interact

with the followers to ensure they’re working in the direction of the goals of the organization.

In any position in an organization you have both a leader and follower role.

Leaders Have Good Followers

Eight Lessons in Leadership

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Getting your drivers license was a major step in your life

But driving is a big responsibility and it changed the way that you travel

You were now responsible for others

Your actions could impact other lives

# 1 - Be a Driver Not a Passenger The transformation from Manager to Leader

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As a Leader you take on new responsibilities and lose some freedoms as well It is your responsibility to fix problems. Use all

resources available. You cannot openly complain about the company. You

will never earn the respect of your staff. You cannot blame others for a problem within your

group. You must take responsibility for everything that happens.

You lose the right to some of your time because you have to share your time with your staff.

You lose the right to be liked by everyone, instead you seek to be respected by everyone.

# 1 - Be a Driver

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# 2 - What is the Main thing?

The Main Thing is the mission of an individual group.

It should be as easy as 2 to 4 simple bullet points.

Teams/employees that underachieve often don’t know or focus on their main thing.

It is the leaders responsibility to get buy in from their boss on the groups main thing.

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How to determine “The Main Thing” Start with the goals of the group. If you don’t have

written goals then write some. Meet individually with your staff and solicit their input

to what is the main function of the group. Meet with your boss or superiors and get buy-in on

the Main Thing. Communicate the main thing with your group. Make

sure that you get total alignment . Use the main thing to prioritize and focus activities.

Help your staff prioritize their efforts to ensure success.

# 2 – What is the Main Thing?

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Remember

# 2 – What is the Main Thing?

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# 3 – Escaping from Management Land

Management Land is the overly political office place Simple things become complex Game playing is more

important than success Employees are rewarded for

telling the boss what he/she wants to hear

Egos are large Truth is hard to determine Problems are not dealt with

promptly

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# 3 – Escaping from Management Land

Many good companies have leadership with the will to succeed but that lacks modesty. This creates a culture where: Employees tend to feed the ego of the leader. Employees do not feel part of the success or

appreciated The company breeds a culture of individualism

To escape from Management Land: Strive to be a servant leader by focusing on the task

and not self Always be honest with your team – even when it is

hard Stay in close touch with your people to ensure you

are getting clear and honest input.

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# 3 – Escaping from Management Land

Managing For Performance Consider a team composed of:

Super Stars – knowledge, desire and experience Middle stars – adequate knowledge and reliable or

previous superstars who lost their motivation

Falling stars - doing as little as they can get away with

ASK YOURSELF What is the minimum acceptable level of performance

and Is falling star behavior acceptable to you? Are you rewarding falling stars by giving them less

work and letting them stay onboard? Falling Stars breed Falling Stars!!!

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# 4 – Do the Right Thing

Suppose your superstar violates the company code of conduct and no one knows but you. What do you do?

If you terminate the superstar the performance level will drop. Don’t we want to raise the performance level? A Leader must focus on raising the performance level for

long-term sustainable success

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# 4 – Do the Right Thing

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching - C.S. Lewis

Doing the right thing is always right, even when it is hard

Doing the right thing is always right, even if it causes short term problems

Doing the right thing is always right, even when you are the only one that knows

This sounds easy in theory but can be very difficult in reality

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# 4 – Do the Right Thing

Having contingency plans and conducting risk analysis before you get into trouble will help you stay on course It is healthy to ask “what if?” or “what could go

wrong?” Contingency plans help you do the right thing

when faced with a challenging situation Develop the plan before you get into crisis

Everything counts when it comes to Leadership You need to guard your personal integrity as if it is your most valuable leadership possession.

“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice” - Confucius

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# 4 – Do the Right Thing

Accountability If you as a leader have made a mistake then you

must recognize it and apologize for it Holding staff accountable for behaviors or actions

is difficult and must be handled properly Holding yourself and team accountable for their

behavior, actions, and performance is critical to create a culture of leadership

“It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one's acts.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

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# 4 – Do the Right Thing

Holding Each Other Accountable Each individual must be responsible to act in line

with the company code of conduct or value statement

Each employee should have clear and written goals of performance

Addressing accountability issues with staff should always be done promptly, privately and in a positive manner

If accountability issues persist then a written plan for improvement should be use and clear definitions of the potential consequences

Regular follow-up is imperative to correct the behavior

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# 5 – Hiring the Right People

The right people are your most important asset

Finding employees and putting them in the right roles is the most important job of a leader

Work diligently to get the right people on the Bus and the wrong people off the bus.

If you hire tough then managing gets easier and if you hire easy then managing gets tougher.

Getting the Right People on the Bus!

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# 5 – Hiring the Right People

What can we do to hire the right people? When you know in your heart that you need to

make a people change on your team – act promptly Be rigorous not ruthless in the selection process Never lower your standards just to fill a position

quickly, you may pay dearly for that later Be prepared for the interview Use your time to evaluate character (work ethic,

ego, energy) and intellect.

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# 5 – Hiring the Right People

The interview process

Don’t get hung up on looking for people with the exact experience the job requires

Look for people who can step up to the opportunity and grow. They will be a more satisfied employee

The “right person” usually has more to do with the character traits and intellect that previous experience

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# 6 – Do Less or Work Faster

Leaders can feel that their time is not their own

This can be a huge source of stress A leader must be able to set their

own agenda and take control of their time

Working harder can sometimes help but working smarter always helps

The trick is to look for small increments

Time management

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# 6 – Do Less or Work Faster

Do Less Think about lesson # 2 What is the main thing? Have the discipline to say NO when it is not part of

your main thing Work Faster Prioritizing and organizing :

Use the 80/20 rule to focus your team. Have a daily plan and prioritize what you want to

accomplish Question the value in department reports and only

produce what has value Control the e-mail vacuum Batch like activities

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# 6 – Do Less or Work Faster

Work FasterLimiting interruptions: Create strategies to mitigate interruptions

Stand during the interruption instead of sitting Schedule one on one sessions with team members

that habitually interrupt If there is something that needs quick attention get

all the right people involved at the beginning Communicate your time plan with others especially

when there are critical tasks pending Ask your staff what you do that wastes their time

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# 6 – Do Less or Work Faster

Work FasterManaging meetings effectively: Meetings should be productive and short with a

specified time period Beware of perpetual meetings Prioritize the agenda and cover the most important

items first Ensure appropriate attendees Do not stop and re-cap to bring the late attendees

up to date Summarize action items and the responsible

parties that arise from the meeting at the end and identify

Schedule a follow-up meeting before adjourning.

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# 7 – MotivationFilling Buckets

Imagine that each employee carries a bucket that holds their motivation We want all buckets full But some buckets leak and need to be

refilled Each employee also has a dipper and

can empty their own and others buckets

Dippers = cynicism, negativity, stress, confusion, complaining, doubt and fear

As a Leader you are the chief bucket filler

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# 7 – Motivation

The best way to fill buckets is with excellent communication Communicate the team score card Provide feedback – sincere, specific, and timely Provide recognition

Tailor recognition to the individual Involve them in making major decisions Take time to know them personally beyond the task at

hand Demonstrate compassion when they go the extra

mile. Provide hand written thank you notes Assign top performers to mentor junior people on the

team Make one on one time available to spend w/every

person on the team

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# 7 – Motivation

Bucket filling is contagious. The more you fill the more you will find that your own bucket is full. Create a culture of bucket filling – routine ways to

celebrate Ensure that there is a balance between fun and

intense effort Allow yourself to be apart of the fun as well as the

effort Support and celebrate individuals Provide opportunity for employees to connect with

each other – fill each other’s buckets Company events Newsletter acknowledging departments or individual

success Team lunches

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# 8 – Be the Servant

A leader removes the barriers so that their team can serve the customer or others.

A leader must respect and honor those that do the “doing”

A leader must provide the avenue for the team to meet the vision

A leader must SERVE the team

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# 8 – Be the Servant

A Servant Leader Believes that everyone has a deep human need to

contribute to a personally meaningful enterprise Listens, hears, provides feedback and takes action Is a life long learner – learning from everyone and

everything in their life Is committed to the growth of others Views leadership as being a host and not a hero I

they share the difficulty as well as the success. Is aware – general awareness and especially self

awareness Builds community

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Leaders…Born or Bred?

There’s a difference between management and leadership.

There’s a difference between Power and Authority Leadership defined: The art of mobilizing others

to want to struggle toward shared aspirations. Leaders exist in all parts of the organization.

Leaders have good followers.

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Leaders…Born or Bred?

Eight lessons: Be a Driver What’s the Main thing? Escaping Management land Do the Right thing Get the right people on the bus Do less or work faster Filling Buckets Be the SERVANT

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Born: Existing from the time of someone’s birth. Natural or instinctive.

Bred: To develop by training or education

[email protected]@columbus.rr.com

Leaders…Born or Bred?

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Resources

“Good to Great” by Jim Collins

“Built to Last” by Jim Collins

“Leadership” by Brian Tracy

“The Servant” by James C. Hunter

“Five Levels of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell

“The Right to Lead” by John C. Maxwell

“How Full is your Bucket?” by Tom Rath, Donald O. Clifton “Jesus, CEO” by Laurie Beth Jones 

“Servant Leadership” by Robert K. Greenleaf

“The Servant Leader” by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Phil Hodges, J. Countryman

“Accountability: Becoming People of Integrity” by Wayne Schmidt, Yvonne Prowant 

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Resources

“The Servant Leader” by James Autry

“The Leadership Challenge” by James Kouses and Barry Posner

“Principle-Centered Leadership” by Stephen Covey

“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

“The Transparent Leader” by Herb Baum

“First Things First” by Stephen Covey

“Built to Last?” by James Collins “Encouraging the Heart” by James Kouses and Barry Posner