Happy Thanksgiving!

We are taking a break this week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Remeber to count your blessings!

The Leadership Challenge

One of my favorite books is The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. It was written over 30 years ago and was updated in 2007. The book is a culmination of their ongoing research and demonstrates the five exemplary leadership practices. It is a must read for leaders at all levels of an organization. I highly recommend keeping a copy on your bookshelf.

The five practices are as follows:

1. Model the Way: Leaders create standards of excellence and then set an example for others to follow. They establish principles relating to the way people should be treated and goals pursued. Interim goals are set so people can achieve small wins on the way to larger objectives.
2. Inspire a Shared Vision: Leaders envision the future, creating an ideal of what the organization can become. They enlist others in their dreams, and get employees to see exciting possibilities.
3. Challenge the Process: Leaders look for ways to change the status quo. They experiment and take risks, and look for innovative ways to improve the organization. Leaders understand that risk taking involves mistakes and failures and are willing to use them as learning opportunities.
4. Enable Others to Act: Leaders build teams and foster collaboration. They understand the importance of mutual respect to achieve goals, and create an atmosphere of trust. Leaders involve and strengthen others.
5. Encourage the Heart: Leaders recognize and celebrate individual and team contributions. They make people feel like heroes.

Leadership is everyone's business. Practicing these five principles will lead to stronger more resilient organizations.

As you think about your situation, how well are these five practices demonstrated in your organization?

Change Management for Success

We currently are in a time of great change. How we perceive that change makes all the difference. Do we see it as an opportunity for greater growth and development moving us toward what we want, or is it something we repeatedly resist? The saying, "what I resist, persists" is so very true. In any given situation we have a choice.

Leaders in organizations are also faced with this choice. How she/he thinks about change sets the tone for the rest of the organization. Change management begins with mindset, and then the changes must be implemented in a smart, thoughtful way. Manning and Curtis in their book, The Art of Leadership provide seven guidelines (pp.306-307) for implementing change. They are as follows:

1. Have a good reason for making the change. Will it support the organization's vision, values, missions, goals and objectives?
2. Personalize the change. Explain your commitment to the change, and let people know where you stand.
3. Implement change thoughtfully. Involve the people who are affected, allow people time to adjust (when possible), communicate regularly, and be available to discuss it.
4. Put a respected person in charge of the change. Let that individual tap the collective wisdom of the group or team to plan, coordinate and implement the change.
5. Tell the truth. Give the facts and rationale, not sugar coated pep talks.
6. Wait patiently for results (this is probably the most challenging part).
7. Acknowledge and reward people. Take the time to recognize and appreciate.

As you focus on what you want, and clearly see and communicate the change, you will move forward in ways that will increase the organization's success!

Are You Listening?

Recently while sitting in a meeting I observed the cross talk, side conversations and individual's reading their email. It dawned on me, do we really listen to one another any more? My contention is that if leaders would REALLY listen to their employees and ask powerful questions, we could dramatically improve organizational effectiveness.

There are three levels at which we listen as follows (Madelyn Burley-Allen, 14):

Level I: Empathetic Listening- At this level the listener attempts to see things from the other's point of view. It is both listening for content and context.

Level II: At this level the listener is hearing words and unable to hear the deeper meaning of what is being said. The listener is more concerned about content than feeling.

Level III: The listener is tuning in and out. Have you ever been in conversation with someone and realized you did not hear what he/she just said? I certainly have. The listener is more interested in talking than listening.

So, how do we become a better listener? Here are some helpful tips

1.Make a commitment to become a better listener. Throughout our lives we take alot of communication courses. Have you ever taken a listening course?
2. Stay present! It is easy to let the mind wander and think about the multiple projects and tasks at hand. Level I listening requires being present in the here and now.
3. Keep an open mind. Avoid listening from judgement, biases and preconceived notions.
4. Resist external distractions. Stay focused on the conversation.
5.When appropriate take notes. Particularly with clients, it is imperative I take notes during the conversation to insure uderstanding.
6. Ask open-ended questions for clarification. These include what, how, when and where, or statements such as "tell me more". I avoid using "why" as it tends to put the speaker on the defensive.
7. Use the communication skills of paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting (repeat what was said using the listener's words). It takes practice to become a Level I listener. However, the benefits well outweigh the effort. What can you do to improve your listening skills?