dougdickerson – Page 14 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

The 3 R’s of Service-based Leadership

Posted October 13, 2012
by dougdickerson

You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service that you are now being paid for. – Napoleon Hill

In his book, Waking the American Dream, Don McCullough relates a story about Winston Churchill during World War II. England decided to increase its production of coal. Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, ‘And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’ And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, ‘We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.’”

Needed within the ranks of your organization are team members playing to their strengths to make your business thrive. These positions cover the spectrum from high visibility to those with their faces to the coal, but nonetheless are extremely valuable in the service they deliver.

Service-based leadership is the life-blood of your organization. In his best-selling book, The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn writes, “The best Freds are true artists at taking ordinary products or job responsibilities and services and making them extraordinary. They are real-world alchemists who practice the art and science of ‘value creation.’” He is right. Do you have a culture of service within your organization? Here are three tips to help you turn that picture of service-based leadership into a practice.

Re-create your culture. In a recent survey by Consumer Reports, consumers revealed their most irritating customer service gripes. Topping the list? Not being able to get a human on the phone, rude salespeople, many phone steps needed, long waits on hold, unhelpful solutions, and no apology for unsolved problems, just to name a few. What are yours?

If you are going to re-create your current culture and transform it into a service-based leadership culture, you must change your point of view. This is done when you quit your navel-gazing ways and look at your operation through the eyes of your customers. Solicit their feedback and audit their responses and see how you measure up. Re-creating the culture within your organization begins when you shift the focus off yourself and onto those you serve.

Refocus your priorities. Service-based leadership begins with fundamental shifts in attitudes and actions. This is characterized by making sure that your core values are clear to everyone within your organization and practiced with everyone outside of it. If your values are not clear internally they will not be known externally.

The responsibility for service-based leadership rests with the leader at the top of the organization. Ken Blanchard said, “True success in servant leadership depends on how clearly the values are defined, ordered, and lived by the leader.” How clear are your organizational values and how well have you communicated them?

Re-claim your purpose. What is the true meaning or purpose behind what you do? Billy Sunday said, “More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent.” He’s right. The secret of service-driven leadership is found in your purpose. When your purpose and passions are clear so is your mission.

Without purpose you may find yourself like Alice in the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. In a conversation between her and the Cheshire Cat, Alice asked, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat. “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,”
said the cat.

Which way you go matters. Service-based leadership is deliberate, focused, and is crucial to your success. Service-based leadership is simply servant leadership principles lived out in the marketplace. In order for it to work, you must, like Churchill, paint the picture for others to see and put a plan into action. In order to get ahead you must be willing to serve.

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted, is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogpsot.comtop order your copy today!

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A Prescription for Effective Teamwork

Posted October 6, 2012
by dougdickerson

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. – Babe Ruth

A recent Gallup report revealed what many have believed about teamwork for quite some time. The world’s top performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resource initiative-it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business.

The commitment of these top companies to a purposeful strategic plan that places an emphasis on employee engagement is not just lip-service but a fundamental component of its operation. The report highlights that in world-class organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is 9.57.1 whereas in average organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is 1.83.1

One shining example of an organization that understands the power of teamwork is the Mayo Clinic. Business Management Daily reports that after a diagnosis, patients at the clinic meet with a team of specialist who help them understand what’s happening so they can decide about their treatment together.

Asked why health care so often lacks collaboration that makes Mayo famous, president and CEO Denis Cortese traces the problem to medical schools, where he says students aren’t trained to work in teams. The problem is further complicated he says due to so many specialties and sub-specialties and that it’s difficult to take care of patients with five different conditions, and Cortese adds, “that requires teams.”

Is there a disconnect that exists in relation to our understanding of team concepts and the implementation of teamwork? Understanding the potential of teams and living out the reality of what successful teams can do is another. So how do we connect the dots and make sense of the power of teamwork. Here are three tips for consideration.

Personalize your definition of teamwork. The teamwork strategy for the Mayo Clinic may not be the best teamwork approach for your business. And while general principles such as communication may be standard, not all of the specific details will be the same. Simply put, find what works for you and do it.

It is important to remember what Gallup points out; employee engagement is the foundation of all top performing organizations. The key here is to personalize your definition of teamwork by including everyone, defining boundaries and objectives, and include routine performance assessments.

Promote a teamwork environment. The Gallup report sheds critical light on what happens when employees are actively disengaged in their organizations. It reveals that “disengaged employees erode an organization’s bottom line while breaking the spirits of colleagues in the process.” Gallup estimates this cost to be more than $300 billion in lost productivity alone.

World-class organizations have placed employee engagement at the foundation of their operation. The promotion of teamwork and employee engagement is not a guarantee of success, but world-class organizations did not attain that status without it. Smart leaders promote an environment where teamwork thrives and people willingly contribute.

Prioritize teamwork initiatives. A patient at the Mayo Clinic will meet with a team of specialist to formulate a treatment plan that is best for that person. Within your organization are people with certain skill sets that best formulate the chemistry needed to tackle the objectives you seek to accomplish. The pairing of these individuals is critical to the success of the team and to the organization as a whole.

The chemistry of the team, not to mention the egos involved, can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. When leaders empower teams to think creatively, seek unconventional solutions to uncommon problems, and not worry about who gets the credit, great things can happen. The secret to unleashing your potential is in releasing the genius and power of teamwork.

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted, is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today.

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Lead to Please?

Posted September 29, 2012
by dougdickerson

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody – Bill Cosby

Ask any Green Bay Packers fan and they will tell you without any hesitation that the infamous call at the end of the game against Seattle was blown and it cost them the game. Before the lockout with the regular NFL officiating crew was ended, the replacement referees were in an unenviable situation of trying to please the players, coaches, and fans. It was a daunting task.

It reminds me of the story of the boy who rode on a donkey as the old man walked. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked, “It’s a shame the old man is walking and the boy is riding.” The man and the boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.” They decided they both would walk. Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying, “How awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.” The boy and man said they were probably right so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story: If you try to please everyone, you will eventually lose your a_ _.

Jules Ormont said, “A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying out responsibilities.” And while he makes an excellent point it is worth bearing out that a leader’s greatest challenge is in trying to please everyone. Not only is it not possible, but it will stress you out in the process. So what is a leader to do? Here are three things to remember when it would appear you are about to lose you a _ _.

Be a leader of principle not of politics. One of the hardest things for new leaders to learn is how to stand on principle and not be swayed by the expediency of office politics. It is much harder to stand alone when making decisions that run counter to popular opinion. After all, who doesn’t want to be liked?

In their book, Winning: The Answers, Jack and Suzy Welch state, “Your number one priority is to win in the marketplace so that you can continue to grow and provide opportunities for your people. Of course, you want your employees to be happy. But their happiness needs to come from the company’s success, not from their every need being met.” That is excellent advice every leader must learn. Lead from your convictions and principles; not politics.

Be a leader of purpose not of power. This is where most in leadership slip up. Some make the mistake that it is the quest for power that matters most. But when the quest for power is your chief motivation then your purpose (mission and vision) tends to take a back seat.

“There seems to be two main paths for people to get ahead in organizations,” writes John Maxwell. “One way is to try to get ahead by doing the work. The other is to try to get ahead by working an angle. It’s the difference between production and politics.” He’s right. When your purpose is clear and everyone is committed to the vision, you will not have to worry about power. Be a leader of purpose, on purpose, and you will go far.

Be a leader for your people not your position. Whenevera leader thinks it is about his position and not about people he will not be a leader for long. In the process these naïve leaders fail to remember this simple rule of leadership: your position does not give you the advantage; leadership does. Positions come and go, but the leader who endures is the one who is committed to serving his people.

Leadership is tough enough without trying to please everyone. When you make it your practice to lead by your principles, lead on purpose, and lead your people then you will the leader who has earned the respect of the people.

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Shaping the Future of Leadership

Posted September 22, 2012
by dougdickerson

Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change – Thomas Hardy

In a recent USA Today feature (http://usat.ly/ROMSvv) leaders from various walks of life shared their insights as to what they believe world will look like in 30 years. It was a fascinating read. Here are a few highlights.

Bill Ford, executive chairman of the Ford Motor sees exciting developments in the future of ground transportation over the next three decades: a world in which cars will run on electricity, hydrogen or other energy alternatives and will be interconnected with smart phones in ways that make getting from one place to another more efficient and safer than ever. They have even begun tinkering with systems that monitor pollen counts for asthma suffers and heartbeats for heart patients.

British entrepreneur Richard Branson predicts space flight will be nearly as common for travelers as taking a plane trip. “In the past 30 years, only 500 people have been to space. I suspect in the next 30 years there may be like 5 million people who will have had the opportunity to become astronauts,” he said.

Sebastian Thrun, a Google vice president and Stanford research professor best known for his role in building Google’s driverless cars has some amazing predictions about the future of education. He believes that learning will be free and available to everyone who wants it while operating like a whimsical playground: No one is late for class, failure is not an option, and a lesson looks something like Angry Birds, the physics-based puzzle game.

While it is hard to imagine what life will be like in 30 years these predictions made for compelling reading and speculation. It also caused me to give consideration as to the future of leadership and what it too will look like. We can get a glimpse of what leadership will look like in 30 years by looking to the top companies for leadership development today.

Earlier this year, the Hay Group, the global management consulting firm, released its seventh annual Best Companies for Leadership Study and Top 20 list (http://bit.ly/gTOaLU). The study ranks the best companies for leadership around the world and examples of how those companies nurture talent and foster innovation. This year, General Electric topped the list, followed by Proctor & Gamble, IBM, Microsoft and Coca-Cola.

Key findings from the Hay Group include: 100% of the Best Companies let all employees behave like leaders. Only 54% of peers do likewise; leadership boosts the bottom line. Best companies outperform the S&P 500 almost 2x over 10 years; 90% of Best Companies let employees bypass the chain of command with an excellent idea; in Best Companies, 95% of senior leaders take time to actively develop others. Only 45% of leaders at peer companies do this.

Shaping the future of leadership is not as complicated as space travel nor does it require futuristic technology. Leadership in 2042 is being determined by our actions and beliefs today. Here are three reminders worth review as you consider the future of leadership.

Build a strong foundation. Your core values and principles are what define you, sustain you, and cause you to endure. The foundations of leadership are built on time-tested principles that include trust, loyalty, relationships, and servanthood to name a few. Re-package and market it any way you choose, but these will always be the underlying principles of whatever “new” leadership trend that emerges.

Invest in others. The succession of leadership and what it will look like in 2042 is being determined by the relationships and investments you make in others today. When you build the leadership potential in others (family, colleagues, students, etc.) you are securing the leadership of the next generation. As the Hay Group points out, those who are committed to building strong leadership in others are the leaders in their industry now and in the future.

Commitment to a personal growth plan. The shape and future of leadership depends on your personal growth plan. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones summed it up best when he said, “You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.” Personal growth does not happen by accident. It happens when you have a plan and execute it.

Shaping the future of leadership begins one leader at a time and it begins with you. Are you ready?

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Dodging Bricks

Posted September 15, 2012
by dougdickerson

A successful man is the one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him? – David Brinkley

The nation watched in horror when the video tape emerged showing the bullying of 68-year old school bus monitor Karen Klein. According to ABC News more than 32,000 people went online and donated more than $700,000 to her after they saw the inexcusable way in which she was bullied by middle school students in a suburban Rochester, N.Y. suburb.

In the months since that incident Klein has moved forward with the next chapter of her life in a most surprising way. Actually, what she has done is quite admirable. Klein took $100,000 of the money and has started The Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation. (http://bit.ly/PrLYmv)

If I have learned one thing about leadership over the years it is this: adversity brings out the best in leaders. It was Henry Ford who said, “Don’t find fault, find a remedy,” and that is what Klein is doing – finding a remedy. Klein’s actions compel me to look within my own heart and consider the way I would react if I were in her shoes. Could I have been so gracious as to do the same? How about you? What will you do with the bricks others have thrown at you? Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Let it go. Leaders often find themselves in unique and unenviable situations. Leaders are easy targets not because they are like the brick throwers but because they are bigger. And when people throw bricks it can be a challenge. Leaders set themselves apart not when they pick up the brick with revenge in mind but a purpose. Klein’s purpose was clear. What was meant to harm is now being used to heal. The choice and the possibilities are powerful. When you learn to let it go you can go to a higher level of leadership.

Be an example. When generous people from across the country reached out through their donations she easily could have taken the money and fled. Klein’s actions are characteristic of leaders who have, through the school of hard-knocks, learned that the best revenge is to take the bricks others have thrown and do something useful. Anger and resentment toward those who wronged her would have accomplished nothing. Now, through the work of her foundation, Klein can educate others and make a difference. Klein, like all smart leaders, are empowered by adversity and use it to demonstrate what makes them so special. With your bricks you can build or bash, what will you do with yours?

Live your values. By choice and for little pay, Karen Klein worked as a school bus monitor because she cared. The way in which she responded to the bullying is testament to her character. Adversity did not shape her values it merely revealed them. The fact that she would take $100,000 and start an anti-bullying foundation should come as no surprise.

Here is a leadership truth worth remembering: values do not change with your circumstances but give you clarity when they do. In good times and in adversity your values shape you as a leader and as an organization.

Let’s be clear—bricks hurt. We don’t like being attacked. But when you learn to let it go, lead by example, and live your values there is a satisfaction and peace that gives you the courage to lead.

*This column originally appeared in the International Business Times
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Is Your Customer Service Performance Sustainable?

Posted September 8, 2012
by dougdickerson

If the world is cold make it your business to build fires – Horace Traubel

In a recent Gallup Business Journal feature, Scott Simmons and Christie Fraser reported on the state of customer service in the hospital industry. Notable in their findings: hospitals try to deliver the best healthcare outcomes and good customer service, but many are falling short. They say that the key to turning things around is by improving service demands that truly has a focus on the patient.

Be it the hospital industry or any other business where customer service is essential to survival it is important to look at how customer service is delivered. But it is imperative to look at that service through the eyes of leadership to determine if your performance is sustainable. Leadership expert John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls on leadership. He’s right. So does customer service.

The findings in a recent Bellingham Biz Review article revealed that “Companies can lose business because of dissatisfied clients. Did you know that only two to four percent of dissatisfied customers ever complain to a business regarding a poor experience? Conversely, they tell upwards of 20 people about the bad experience.” Ouch! If the customer is the life blood of your business doesn’t it stand to reason that intentional service-based leadership skill is a priority? Simply put, you need to EQUIP your team. Here are my five principles that can help you chart the course going forward.

Educate everyone. An essential component of any successful service-based business is team members who are knowledgeable. To that end, your customer service team should undergo product training for the benefit of the customer; leadership training for theirs.

Peter Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Essential to good customer service is good management. Essential to outstanding customer service is good leadership. When you combine the two through intentional leadership education you have the making of a powerful team.

Question everything. The purpose here is not to foster skepticism but to constantly evaluate processes and outcomes and to be sure that every advantage you need is in play. Malcolm Forbes said, “The smart ones ask when they don’t know. And, sometimes, when they do.” To fully understand whether your service performance is sustainable and going in the right direction you have to ask.

Understand expectations. At the heart of the customer service experience is a set of expectations that are in play. The only way to know the expectations of your customers is to know the customer. Knowing that is the easy part. Staying informed and ahead of the curve is another creature. It is important that your team knows that your customers are not transactions; they are people. In his highly acclaimed book, The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn says, “Customers don’t have relationships with organizations; they form relationships with individuals.” He’s right. When you take care of customer expectations you will not have to worry about profits.

Insist on excellence. Great customer service is the by-product of a culture of excellence that flows out of leadership. If you want to know whether or not your customer service performance is sustainable then this is there you will make the discovery. Make it your practice to strive for excellence in all areas of service and your performance will soar.

Prioritize execution. In the end it is what you deliver that counts. Smart leaders know how to prioritize the daily demands that service-based performance requires. Consistency is a key component to your overall operation. When everyone knows how to prioritize and deliver with excellence then your potential is unlimited.

When you put these EQUIP principles into play within your organization you can position your team for great returns. One of the most meaningful long term benefits is that of customer loyalty. The Bellingham Biz Review article concluded with this insight: 20 percent of customers generate more than 80 percent of revenues and profits. Wouldn’t it be great to know what makes loyal customers return again and again?

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Are You a Difference Maker?

Posted September 1, 2012
by dougdickerson

Make a difference about something other than yourselves. – Toni Morrison

In an interview with Open Forum (http://amex.co/SDQOLd), Johnny Rocket’s CEO John Fuller offered some fascinating business insights. Fuller says that one of their guiding principles is to be a difference maker verses a care taker. He explained that he wants people to feel that they can influence the department they are running in a proactive way. By this he means that if they are just a care taker and doing what someone else did before, or just doing the same thing, then they are not thinking and are not passionate about making it better.

Now in 32 states and 16 countries, this key concept among others is part of the formula for the success of Johnny Rockets. But make no mistake; the principles Fuller shares are not exclusive to the restaurant industry. Johnny Rockets is successful because the principles Fuller lays out are grounded squarely in smart leadership.

The strength of your organization or business will be determined by how well your team members carry out the same philosophy. Do you want your team members to be difference makers or care takers? When you embrace the difference maker philosophy it will change the culture of your organization. Here are three reasons why it matters.

Difference makers go the extra-mile. Difference makers are not content to settle for mediocre service or performance. Difference makers have one goal in mind and that is to consistently deliver exceptional service without excuses.

The leadership characteristic that drives the difference maker here is passion. When your team members are passionate about delivering value, and when they care about the company’s reputation, then they will go the extra mile and see to it personally that excellence is never sacrificed.

Difference makers turn problems into possibilities. Be it the restaurant industry or any other service-based business, good customer service is the life blood of your operation. How many potential possibilities are wasted every day because someone could not see past the problem or act to correct it?

The leadership skill in play here is empowerment. Think for a moment of the positive impact that can be made when team members are empowered to resolve problems and act in good faith on behalf of the organization. Face it; we are human and we all make mistakes. Do not make matters worse by not empowering your team to do the right thing, the right way, and right now. When you empower your difference makers you are unleashing the power of leadership.

Difference makers are the future of your organization. When difference makers are trained and understand the vision and expectations of your organization it is the best long term investment you can make. People are the most appreciable asset you have in the operation of your business. When you invest in them they will deliver for you.

The leadership model here is legacy. Difference makers build your brand not just for the benefit of today but secure it for the future. When you commit to the expectation of team members being difference makers you send the message loud and clear – we are not here to be care takers.

Are you a difference maker?

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

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Are You Proud of Where You Work?

Posted August 25, 2012
by dougdickerson

They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations – Francis Bacon

According to a survey reported on in People Management (http://bit.ly/MmCPet) the number of employees who are ‘proud’ to work for their organization has fallen from almost half of workers at the start of 2012 to just two-fifths.

A survey of 1,114 office staff, by recruitment firm Hyphen, suggested that question marks over the reputations of some employers may have dampened employee engagement. The number of women disenchanted with their employer has grown to more than a quarter (27 percent) compared with only 17 percent who admitted they were not proud of their firm at the beginning of the year.

At a time when employee engagement is as critical as ever this survey sheds new light on the need for employers to be engaged with their employees and to step up in their leadership roles. It is simply not enough to be aware of employee disengagement. It is incumbent upon those in leadership to understand why.

Zain Wadee, managing director at Hyphen said the findings made a strong case for employers to invest in engagement, adding that organizations and managers must work hard to foster a strong culture of inclusivity at work in the coming months.

Engagement is critical to the life of your business or organization. When team members feel valued, respected, and included it goes a long way in creating a positive work environment. Here are three simple tips to help get leaders engaged with their employees and boost morale.

Walk among your people. It is when you get out from behind the desk and the safe confines of your office that you learn what is truly going on in your organization. The only way to build employee engagement is by personal engagement.

It is when your team sees that you are with them not just in words but with your presence that you can begin to turn around the engagement deficit. Your “open door” policy should not be designed for your team members to come in to your office, but for you to get out. Walk among them and get to know them.

Listen to your people. You have now taken the first steps to engagement by coming out of your office. Now is your opportunity to learn from your team. Engagement that will build the morale of your organization begins by listening to your people. It is when you demonstrate genuine interest in what they are doing that you can reclaim the pride of your people.

Listening to your people builds relationships. It shows that you place value in their opinions and builds the kind of relationships that will see you through good times and bad. Think of the positive benefits you can reap when you gather informally with a group of employees around the table in the break room and simply have a conversation? When you respect your employees enough to listen to them they will take pride in where they work because you have taken pride in them.

Respond to your people. When you walk among your people and listen to them, you are in better position to respond to their needs. It is easier because you have built relationships, placed value in their opinions, and have taken personal responsibility about the importance of engagement.

Having pride in where you work matters. Meaningful engagement is a matter of priority for those in leadership. You will never get to the next level of success in your business if your people have no pride in their work. When you have pride in your people they will have pride in you. This is the beginning of how you create a positive workplace culture.

Are you proud of where you work?

* This article originally appeared in the International Business Times where I am a contributor.

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

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The Language of Leadership

Posted August 19, 2012
by dougdickerson

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. – William Arthur Ward

An entry in Reader’s Digest relates the story of an individual calling for information about one of his credit cards. He stated, “I got the following prompt: ’Please enter your account number as it appears on your statement.’ Then the system said, ‘Please enter your five-digit zip code.’ After that, he got the third message, ‘If you would like your information in English, press one.’”

That story is a reminder of the barriers of communication and how language plays such a relevant role in our everyday lives. As a leader, the words we speak and the manner in which we convey them is a matter of importance. The way in which you and your team communicate with each other and your clients is a reflection of your leadership vocabulary.

This truth was recently brought home to me in two unique ways. The first experience was in a fast food restaurant chain where my family and I had dinner. The behind-the-counter staff was exceptionally friendly and greeted us with a warm smile. Throughout our stay the hospitable employees communicated a friendly and professional attitude that ensured that our decision to eat there was a good one.

The other experience occurred at an automotive service center. I was there with my father-in-law and when he went to pay for the services rendered he asked the representative if that was their best price for an eight-year customer. The young man replied, “Well, you paid me every time you came in didn’t you?” Even if the price was not going to change it was clearly not the answer either of us expected and it was not delivered in a tone that demonstrated appreciation toward a loyal customer.

Many comparisons have been made highlighting the differences between management and leadership. And while there are valid defenses and needs for both, I have come to realize this one truth: Good management needs good leadership just as much as good leadership needs good management. And the language of leadership is crucial to both.

As a leader you need to find your voice, but it is imperative to speak the language of leadership. When you and your team members speak the language of leadership it will change the culture of your organization. Not sure where to begin? Here is a primer to help you build your leadership vocabulary.

The language of leadership is positive. How well you communicate and what you communicate is a reflection of your core values. While organizational structures and operations vary from place to place, the ability of a leader to communicate in any environment is imperative. From the two examples I cited it’s obvious which one spoke the language of leadership.

Surround yourself with any successful leader or organization and you will find this common characteristic among each one; a positive outlook, a positive attitude, with positive outcomes. Negativity is easy enough to come by but when you make positive language a focal point of your leadership practice you can change hearts and minds one positive thought at a time.

The language of leadership is polite. William Feather said, “Politeness is an inexpensive way of making friends.” When you make it your practice as a leader to be polite you are expressing another degree of leadership competence that will always be in style.

When politeness is the centerpiece of your language as a leader, it will not make all of your problems go away nor will it eliminate the difficult decisions you have to make in order to run your organization. But when you speak with politeness towards others it then becomes the benchmark by which all language is measured.

The language of leadership is passionate. Most successful leaders I know are passionate. But not only that, they speak with passion. That is something you cannot fake or manufacture. The language of leadership is filled with passion and a desire to make that passion known.

Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion in playing small-in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” What a powerful truth. When you tap into your passions and begin to communicate them you are speaking the language of leadership.

The language of leadership – are you speaking it? What would you add to the list?

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Are You A Believer?

Posted August 11, 2012
by dougdickerson

It’s okay to let those you lead outshine you, for if they shine brightly enough, they reflect positively on you. – Billy Hornsby

Last year MarketTools, Inc. conducted a survey on employee satisfaction. The results revealed that most employees may not feel appreciated. Nearly 50 percent of employees surveyed have considered leaving their jobs. And 21 percent have applied for another job in the past six months.

According to the study, salary was by far the leading cause of employee dissatisfaction, cited by 47 percent of study participants. Other leading causes of dissatisfaction cited included workload, lack of opportunities for advancement, and the employee’s manager or supervisor. The study also found that 72 percent of surveyed employee’s companies do not have a formal program to regularly solicit feedback, or the study participants weren’t aware of such a program.

Exercising due diligence in hiring the best and brightest by companies is smart. But it is equally important that the same considerations be given to doing the right things that will keep them there. While there may be some dissatisfaction among the ranks over certain issues, the real difference maker is leadership. A strong leader sets the tone for the climate of the organization. When a leader believes in his people it can change that culture in a positive way. Here are four ways a leader can do it and why it matters.

Leaders are believers in the vision. One survey I read recently said that as many as 40 percent of employees do not know or understand their company’s mission. That is a disturbing percentage and it goes directly to the heart of leadership and why without it you are at a distinct disadvantage. If your vision is not known internally then it will be of no value to anyone externally. If your team is clueless then so are your customers.

When leaders believe in the vision of their organization and communicate it on a regular basis it gives your team the fuel they need to succeed. Sharing the vision of your organization is a necessary ingredient in establishing the right climate and is a minimizer of unnecessary negativity. Leaders not only believe in the vision of where they are going but willingly share it.

Leaders are believers in his people. The most appreciable asset you have as leader is your people. It’s a simple rule of leadership – loyalty to the leader always precedes loyalty to the vision. When you honor, respect, and empower your people you will have little worries about their loyalty to you.

Building your business or organization takes hard work and commitment. While it is important that your people buy-in to your vision it is equally important that as the leader you buy-in to them. Believe in your people and they will believe in you. Never miss an opportunity to express your confidence and to encourage your people. Where would you be without them?

Leaders are believers in your purpose. Similar in nature to vision; believing in your purpose goes deeper. In general, vision revolves around a shared set of goals and objectives for the organization. On the other hand, purpose has more to do with the dreams and aspirations of the people.

As a leader when you believe in the individual goals of each team member- goals that may transcend those of the company, you are exercising a high standard of leadership that few attain. The mark of leadership at this level signals your unselfish commitment to the purpose of investing long term in the life of others. Believing in the purpose of your people is the beginning of fulfilling your destiny.

Leaders are believers in destiny. The formula of V (vision) + P (people) + P (purpose) = D: destiny. As a leader you face many challenges as well as opportunities. Achieving your destiny is not by accident or happenstance. It is a combination of all parts of the formula working in harmony to see it come to pass.

I believe you can achieve your destiny. I believe when you apply this formula with your faith that your destiny is within reach. Your destiny awaits you. Are you a believer?

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Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today.

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