A brief on how to re-invent how you lead Thursday, Dec 30 2010

 

 

"Pondering re-invention"

Thoughts on how to re-invent and revolutionize how you lead.

Step 5 in my last blog talked about engaging others as a form of collaborative leadership.

Now that you have opened the door for innovation, creativity, and the flow of ideas from all stakeholders, what you do with the information and the ideas can make all the difference. Your leadership legacy is at stake.

 Most managers are not leaders because they are unwilling to take innovative risks.  They don’t want to rock the boat.  You have a chance to improve the way things are done that will increase sales, profits and move you and your team to the edge of greatness because you listened to the ideas from your stakeholders and decided to move on them.

“You can’t manage without knowledge.  You can’t lead without imagination.” Tribes-We want you to lead us by Seth Godin

Action speaks.  Test the ideas. Do a small market test of an innovation that came from your creativity team.  Transfer the “power” to run the test to your trusted high performance team.  Give them a fixed time frame to run the test.  After you experience its success, expand it.  Take the results of your test and determine its viability as a new process for the entire company.  You will be surprised when others begin to see you as a “revolutionary leader”…

What ways can you being to revolutionize the way things are done?

How do you intend to stand out and be counted?

Kathy Holdaway 

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Five Insights on Why Leadership is Everyone’s Business! Wednesday, Dec 22 2010

Collaborating...

 

1 – Input from every level of an organization is a key reason industries are known as movers and shaker’s.  To stand out and be noticed it takes a “nation”.  It isn’t only the people in your company that matter anymore. It is a collaborative view from your inner and outer tribe.  (“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea” – “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us” – Seth Godin)

2 – By transferring some of the leadership to the smaller players in your organization you begin to empower them to share their brilliance. Freeing up the creativity in unrelated departments invites participation, new ideas, and ownership of the “project” vision and desired outcome.  By creating openings for contribution you enrich as a leader and create people willing to follow dynamically.

3 – Your outer clients/customers have constantly shifting viewpoints, different priorities, and fleeting loyalty.  When you are working with a moving target leading becomes more challenging.  By engaging the thinkers, the idea people, and the creative artists in your organization, and on your teams, you begin to shift your mindset and become more open to making the swift changes that make a difference. Invite your follower’s to participate by listening to their input and ideas of how to keep them interested.

4 – It is especially important in product driven companies to find the sparks that fire up loyalty.  Why are they choosing you and your product over the competition?  Hone in on that, take it to your “creative team”, and see how to expand your reach.  You might be surprised at the ideas that come from someone in an unrelated part of your inner or outer organization. 

5 – Things to ask yourself as you make leadership everyone’s responsibility -

• Am I engaging the brilliance of everyone on my team, or just a few?
• How am I staying current with the changing dynamics and needs of our customers?
• How am I preparing the others in my organization or team to lead our outer tribe?
• What way is social media being utilized by the inner and outer influencers?

 

Let us know how you use collaborative leadership to inspire and influence!  How is it working?  What else is working for you?

Thank you!

 Kathy

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Managers – 5 Ways to Help Underperformer’s Wednesday, Dec 8 2010

The best way to move someone you know is destined for greatness from a mediocre player to performance excellence is often easier than you think.  Try these 5 ways as starters.  They are proven methods you can tweak to your leader style.

1. Begin by making sure this is the job they want.  Ask them what they think is not working for them.  Combine their answers with your observations and develop a strategy to assist using some of the following techniques, plus your already proven methods.
2. Using the information you gathered, review the top performers on your team, and match the developmental needs with one of the team members.  Send the person on a three-day field trip to work in the other person’s territory.  Set up the three days to include the developmental areas.  At the conclusion of the three days invite both people to report the results based on the criteria you initially set up.  What this does is provide leader development for the top performer, helps the person who needs the help realize the level of your commitment to his/her success and often delivers immediate improvement.
3. Depending on the needs, invite product managers, customer service representatives, or marketing to work in the territory of the person who is struggling to be their best.  I found that this works wonders when there is a disconnect between what goes on in the field and the home office.  This increased awareness for both parties facilitates a better working relationship, greater understanding of what transpires in each department and a willingness to collaborate on “sticky issues.”
4. Develop a mentor program and have that mentor work in the other person’s territory and make observations, suggestions and provide incentive for an ongoing exchange.  Include working in the person’s territory two days a month.  Again this increases the leader potential of the mentor and demonstrates willingness and commitment to bring out the best.
5. Increase your focus on the strengths of this person.  See if there are other areas they can contribute and boost their confidence by helping them use their strengths to assist other team members.  They may also have innovative ideas for better ways to do things that would make their job easier.  By utilizing their strengths and giving them an opportunity to help others will increase their field effectiveness.

 What other ways have you tried that work for you?  I’d love to hear your successes!

Thank you,

Kathy

 

 

 

 

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