#2 Movating People as a Leader - The What

I am currently reading a fascinating book called Reality-Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman.  This book has been a great tool to validate some of the key team empowerment and morale barriers, blunders, and behaviors that I have experienced in my career.

Think about  this statistic from a Gallup poll mentioned in the book.  71 percent of employees are disengaged to the point that they consider quitting their jobs about once a day.  So, how do you successfully lead a team in this environment?

In my experience, leaders today in the corporate environment spend more time talking to each other instead of talking to the people who are doing the work.  Leaders are forced to focus on how things need to be done instead of defining what needs to be done.  Leaders no longer lead; they manage day to day details and question decisions made by teams instead of letting those that were hired to do the job, do the job. 

Leaders must be able to communicate the vision and have a strong enough action plan to give the team the needed steps and path to make the vision happen.  The more time leaders spend managing instead of leading, the more it will result in disgruntled employees who feel they are not empowered or accountable for their own jobs and roles in making a difference by doing their jobs.

A good leader's job is to know and set the vision and then communicate and lead the implementation.  Remember the leader DOES NOT have to understand the details of every activity; the leader must trust the team to understand and take the right steps.  This does not mean that the leader disengages; it means that they have to stay on top of the progress through follow-up status meetings, redirect/focus the team as necessary, make sure deadlines are met, resolve conflict, make leadership needed decisions, and most importantly remove any roadblocks and issues.  Trust me, the more that leaders try to get into the details, the slower, less effective, a demoralized a team will become.

Stay tuned for the next post where I will share techniques that I have used in the past as both the leader as well as the one being led.

#1 - Leading with Integrity - The How

What does leading with INTEGRITY look like and how do you leverage it as a leader?  Think about the following question and how, as a leader, you would answer or handle.

1)  You need to fire a person on your team for an ethics violation.  It is very personal for the employee being fired.  How do you communicate it to your management team with INTEGITY?  How do you communicate it to the whole team with INTEGRITY?

• Management Team: It is absolutely critical to include the management team in the conversations regarding the termination and communication to the rest of the team.  If the reason for the termination is confidential, then it is up to you as a leader to ensure you can communicate to both the management team as well as the remaining without violating confidences.  In this instance, it is appropriate to tell the management team that this is a Human Resources specific issue and options have been reviewed and the decision is that the employee was released from the company.  Discuss with the management team ask their opinions regarding the contents of the message to convey to the rest of the team.  Your inclusion of the management team will ensure they support the company and the decision and they will understand their part in communicating to the staff.  The management team is also be closer to their teams and may add insight regarding the team's response.  Your management team will know the best way to communicate to the team; all together or as individual teams. All this information is necessary for you as a leader to guide the situation to a successful conclusion. This will build trust with you and your management team because you acted with INTEGRITY.
• Remaining Team Members:  If you have a management team, follow the pre-determined plan for communication and be supportive of your management team and the remaining team members as needed.  This builds trust across the team and shows them your INTEGRITY. If this team report to you directly, plan your communication and deliver it with honesty and the information that is permitted.  Assess their response and continue individual communication as needed.  Do not jeopardize your INTEGRITY by releasing confidential information or elaborating on details unnecessarily.  This will cause mistrust and will end your ability to lead with INTEGRITY.

There are several times in history where leaders have suffered due to decisions made without INTEGRITY.  To name just one, Watergate and President Nixon.  Because President Nixon was caught in lies and acted with lack of INTEGRITY, the nation lost trust in him and he was forced to resign. 

Leaders show their INTEGRITY through sound decisions, admitting their mistakes, and by putting what is best for their followers ahead of their personal agendas. 

#1 - Leading with Integrity - The What

The definition of leadership is  a person who guides or directs a group.  The definition of a leader is "a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal". As you can see by these definitions, this explains the "what" but not the "how". The next segments in this blog series is to provide insights regarding the "how". This is not an all inclusive list. It is meant to encourage you to increase the tools in your leadership tool box while exciting you to learn more.

This first post is about a key aspect of leadership - TRUST. It is a well known saying that TRUST is not given, it is earned. The key to earning TRUST is INTEGRITY. INTEGRITY is defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. In my experience, integrity is part of who you are; a foundation. People want to know what their leaders stand for and that they are consistent and unwavering. Before you ever lead people, you have to make sure you know what you stand for; what is the definition of your integrity. Integrity is something you own. As a leader, you may be put in a position that requires you to make a difficult decision. The team you are leading will need to know that you will make your decision based on your INTEGRITY. A classic mistake that leaders make is when they do not make an integrity bound decision, they have just given their integrity away - and all TRUST is lost as a leader. Once this happens, it is very rarely regained.

Stay tuned for next blog to learn more about the "how".

Pursuing a Dream

During recent conversations with an Executive Coach, we discussed pursuing a dream and gaging when is the "right" time to shift gears from employment to pursuing.  My dream has been to equip people to be great leaders while staying true to themselves; mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.


I have dabbled in this during my career through different kinds of speaking engagements, leading book clubs, mentoring, and setting an example through how I lead.  I have been using this blog site since 2006 however it was not a commitment due to my career priorities.


As I have mentioned in previous posts, my faith is a key component and compass to my leadership style.  I can honestly say it has served me well.  The techniques I use however can be used by anyone who is serious about being a great leader regardless of their faith.  When I reference my faith, please do not take offense, use it in a way that is meaningful to you.


The key to leadership is to maintain a virtual tool box that contains tools that can be used across multiple situations and decisions.  This is a growing process and there many tools that you need to have in the tool box.


Each of the subsequent blogs to this one will provide insights to a technique or tool that can equip you.  Topics will cover integrity, communication, mentoring, leading up, etc. 


As you read each blog, please ask questions or add your perspective.  One of the best techniques to improving your leadership skills is through experience; your own or others.


Let's take this trip together.