Uncategorized – Page 18 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: Use Everything You Have

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, but could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’ – Erma Bombeck

We know this to be true: it’s not what you have that maters; it’s what you use. The same goes for leadership. What gifts, talents, and skills are you using? What new ones are you acquiring? The best leaders are not content just to have skillsets and talents; they want to be using them to the fullest every day. The stewardship of your leadership skills is not just about perfecting your skills, but rather is found in the way you develop them in others. The legacy of your leadership is not about the wisdom you kept to yourself but in what you shared and transferred. Being spent as a leader is not about being worn out, it’s all about being fully invested in the lives of your people. Give freely.

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Leadership Minute: Be Careful Where You Sit

Posted June 16, 2014
by admin

The world is full of cactus, but we don’t have to sit on it. – Will Foley

As a leader you will encounter your fair share of prickly people. Sometimes there is no escaping them. But how the behaviors and actions of others affect you is your choice. It’s a given that we all can have a bad day now and then and be a little prickly ourselves. But then there are those “special” people- you know the ones, they are just not happy unless they are unhappy. When life handed them a lemon instead of making lemonade they planted more lemons. But that is their choice. You will run across these people now and then. My advice? As best you can, keep running. You don’t have to sit there with them. Your happiness and disposition is one of the most important leadership decisions you will make so don’t surrender it to anyone. Be careful where you sit.

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Six Ways to Enhance Organizational Structure – with guest co-author Elizabeth Stincelli

Posted June 13, 2014
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The productivity of a work group seems to depend on how the group members see their own goals in relation to the goals of the organization. – Ken Blanchard

When was the last time you took a hard look at the effectiveness of your organizational structure? While most organizations have one, do the people in your organization know it or understand it? The time may be ripe for you to take a fresh look at yours and consider these six ways to enhance it.

Empower your leaders

Regardless of what your present organizational structure looks like its functionality should empower its leaders. Successful leaders thrive in an organizational structure that fosters creativity, unleashes potential, and doesn’t stifle progress. This happens when less emphasis is placed on hierarchical structure and more emphasis is placed on empowering the right people in the right places. Empowerment elevates the performance of leaders and encourages behavior that earns the respect of followers. This respect allows leaders to build partnerships within the organization that encourage open, two-way communication and foster a sense of loyalty.

Give ownership

Ownership occurs within your organizational structure when there is buy-in from the bottom up and system wide. If ownership is not shared then the structure is self-serving and not empowering. People want ownership and sense of belonging to a great cause. Without ownership that can’t happen. Ownership holds everyone on the team accountable for their decisions and actions. In order for employees to take successful ownership of their work they must clearly understand expectations. They must also have milestones where progress is evaluated. Ensure that employees are serving in the right roles, give ownership, and celebrate their victories.

Expand borders

Organizational structures don’t define you, you define them. As such, your organizational structure should not be a document of containment but a blueprint of open boundaries to grow and succeed. It should not box people in but should free them to do what they do best. As your organization grows so should your structure but in a way that facilities your growth and not in ways that impede it. Provide employees with the opportunity to be more flexible about how, when, where, and with whom the work gets done. Employees want to be involved in designing and managing their work tasks. Offer employees choices and the ability to personalize work. Allow employees to share ideas and be involved in the implementation of these ideas. As you expand your borders, provide opportunities for employee growth and focus your energies on the results that really matter.

Think lateral

Employees need to have a level of control over their work tasks. A top-down organizational structure hinders the ability of decision-making at the lowest level possible. Decision making on the front-lines allows issues to be identified and addressed quickly. In a lateral structure, employees understand where they fit and how they impact the success of the organization. A flat organizational structure allows employees at all levels of the organization to be empowered and given autonomy over their work. This less rigid structure allows for flexibility and promotes a feeling of equality and inclusiveness. When lateral thinking is put into action it allows for swifter response times that can translate into happier customers, gratified clients, and a healthy bottom line. Lateral thinking is empowering, efficient, and very effective.

Build trust

The support needed to successfully achieve organizational goals is gained by developing relationships based on trust and commitment. The organizational structure can enhance or impede factors such as open communication, management follow-through, accountability, consistency, and concern for employee interests all of which foster a sense of trust. Therefore, building trust is a deliberate action, not something left to chance. It happens as relationships are given priority, it grows in an atmosphere of community, and it pays huge dividends when everyone is engaged. Without trust you have nothing. With it your potential is unlimited.

Find common ground

Employees prefer to work with others they see as similar to themselves. When the organizational structure provides an inclusive environment with common goals a sense of community is developed. Finding common ground helps in the successful pursuit of these shared goals. The organization must foster a shared purpose so that employees understand why the organization exists and why they do what they do. Finding common ground is a fundamental condition of your success. You need to define, share it, but most of all; your team needs to own it. Common ground is your path forward.

Does your organizational structure support the goals you trying to reach? The continued success of your organization is dependent on your ability to continually evaluate and enhance your organizational structure. You can enhance your effectiveness by taking these steps to ensure that your organization is ready to succeed in the 21st century.

* Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational structure. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership. Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her websites, www.stincelliadvisors.com and http://lizstincelli.wordpress.com/

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Leadership Minute: Do You Trust Your Instincts?

Instinct is the gift of experience. The first question you have to ask yourself is, ‘On what basis am I making a judgment?’… If you have no experience, then your instincts aren’t any good. – Malcolm Gladwell

For the leader there are few things as important as good instincts. Your instincts are those gut feelings or intuitions that can save you a lot of grief and heartache. Instincts can be a tremendous asset that helps you make great decisions. But instincts are not theoretical. They are born of experience. Experience is a great teacher. It’s through successful experiences that we appreciate the good times. It’s through our failures that we grow and where most of our learning takes place. There are no short cuts for experience and therefore no other tangible way to hone the skill. Experience is your teacher, present challenges are your tests, and sound judgment is your reward. Do you trust your instincts?

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Leadership Minute: Are People Moving Toward You?

Posted June 12, 2014
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People always move toward someone who increases them and away from anyone who decreases them. – John Maxwell

Are people attracted to you? I’m not talking about attraction based upon physical appearances, but rather something much deeper and of lasting value. Leaders who add value to others tend to draw people their way. They are the ones with a kind word who are willing to do whatever they can to help out. Negative people are not in short supply and their motives are self-revealing. But when you embrace the mindset of servant leadership then it’s really not academic at all. It’s a reflection of the heart. In short, people will move toward you when you move toward them with words and actions that give increase to their life. Don’t be stingy; give freely and give often.

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Leadership Minute: The Necessity of Discontentment

Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities for progress. – Thomas Edison

Progress comes about in many different ways. This would include and not be limited to restlessness and discontentment. There comes a time when the way things are should not be the way things remain. Making progress and moving forward will require discontented leaders to take action. In what areas of your life or business would you like to see progress? Are you discontent or restless? If so this might be a good sign that you are about to see some real areas of progress in your future. You will need to work on how to properly use that energy in a way that produces the progress you desire. Identify the areas where you are experiencing the most restlessness and why. From there you can put your plans into place and work toward your goals.

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Leadership Minute: Try Something New

Posted June 10, 2014
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Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. – Brian Tracy

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new? Was it awkward? That’s a normal feeling but one that you should get more acquainted with. When leaders learn to step out of predictable environments and dare to try new things such as reading books with differing views than your own or make new friends, it can open up whole new worlds to you. Your growth as a leader comes when you stop settling what is and dare to experience new possibilities. Be willing to be stretched in all areas of your life. Why settle for the ordinary when you can live the extraordinary? Go ahead, try something new. Step out. Take the risk. Your growth as a leader will only be as exciting as you make it.

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Leadership Minute: Channeling Your Anger

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. – Buddha

You’d be hard pressed to find a leader who hasn’t been angry or doesn’t get angry at some time or another. It’s part of the human emotion and therefore is something you will deal with. It’s not that you won’t get angry; it’s more about what you will do when you are. Anger, like any emotion, can be positive if channeled the right way. How you direct your anger is important. Are you in control of it? Vented the wrong way it can be mean, hurtful, and counterproductive. When you are in control of your anger you can direct that energy and those passions in a way that motivates and raises expectations. Don’t ever let anger get the best of you. Even when angry you can be in control, you can channel it the right way, and you’ll never have to worry about apologizing for doing something dumb when you were.

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Three Risks Every Leader Should Take

Posted June 7, 2014
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1 Comment on Three Risks Every Leader Should Take

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. – Muhammad Ali

A story is told of a lady the Midwest, Miss Jones, who had the distinction of being the oldest resident in her town. But when she died, the editor of the local newspaper had a terrible time coming up with anything to say about her.

Miss Jones had never done anything wrong. She had never spent a night in jail or had ever been drunk. On the other hand she had never done anything significant. In despair, the editor assigned the job of writing up a small article for both the paper and the tombstone to the first reporter he saw. For both the paper and the tombstone the reporter wrote: “Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones, for her life held no terrors. She lived an old maid. She died an old maid. No hits, no runs, no errors.”

While Miss Jones may have held the distinction of being the oldest resident in her town, she was otherwise a bland person. As a leader, if you are going to stand out among the crowd, realize your dreams, and fulfill your destiny then you will have to take some risks.

Many people have a love-hate relationship as it pertains to risk. They are content to admire risk-takers from a distance but are not willing to go there themselves. But if you want to make your mark as a leader then you will have to step out of your comfort zone and walk unfamiliar paths. What are some of the risks you will have to take? There are plenty, but here are three for your consideration.

The risk of being alone

Leadership for most is a lonely proposition. It’s not that you don’t have friends or that you are not among people, but the depth of your responsibilities runs deeper than what is seen on the surface. This at times will cause you to have to stand alone when making difficult decisions, when forging new paths, and pursuing your dream. Not everyone can go there with you, nor should they.

The risk of being alone will be measured against the comfort of the crowd, the accolades of admirers, and the security of your company. Are you willing to risk all of that at the price of being alone and realizing your dreams?

The risk of being misunderstood

For many leaders this is an all-too-common reality. Leaders who are risk-takers are often misunderstood. They are perceived as a little eccentric, unconventional in their approach, and they don’t always play by the rules. Not that they are reckless or unlawful but they like to challenge tradition and thrive on thinking outside the box. They are hard to figure out because they see the same world do but through a different lens. But if you are willing to be misunderstood there is a whole new world before you that is waiting to be unveiled and new heights of personal growth to attain.

If you are fine with being misread, mislabeled, and misunderstood then taking some risks is for you. Don’t let the fear of what others think keep you from fulfilling your destiny. When you are willing to ignore other people’s perceptions then you are free to become the person God created you to become.

The risk of not being like everyone else

Every leader’s journey is different. An environment in which one leader thrives might be disastrous for another. What motivates you in terms of dreams, life purpose, and goals may hold no appeal to even your closest of friends. But that is the beauty of the risk. Your aim is not about conforming to everyone around you but rather discovering what is true about yourself and chasing after it.

Ultimately, your ambitions and dreams will require action. As a leader you can live in fear and with regrets over what might have been or you can take your chances on being lonely and misunderstood. But at the end of the day you can hold onto a deep satisfaction that you are not like everyone else.

What do you say?

I welcome your feedback:

1. What are some risks that you are taking into consideration regarding a future goal or objective?

2. What challenges do you face in deciding what to do?

3. What risk(s) have you take that you wish you had done sooner?

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