HR – Page 11 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: Working Together

Posted March 13, 2014
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There is nothing wrong with competition. The problem for many leaders is that thy end up competing against their peers in their organization in a way that hurts the team and them. – John Maxwell

Hopefully within your organization are a group of committed individuals who have a strong desire to succeed. The energy they generate is vital to your future. The more of them you have the better positioned you are going forward. But be careful not to allow that energy to be used in a negative way. Healthy competition is good but it can be counterproductive when it turns friends into enemies or colleagues into adversaries. Don’t allow factions to emerge because of the actions of a few. Your team must be reminded that you are all working toward the same goals and everyone’s success must be celebrated. When you work together you can succeed together.

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Leadership Minute: Praise For The Front Line Staff

Never underestimate the wisdom and resources of your frontline staff – Lee Cockerell

Staff on the front lines have the initial point of contact with your clientele, are the face of your organization, and create the first impressions that make or break your business. As a leader, you should not just appreciate the service they deliver but see them as extensions of your leadership. As important as this role is, it is equally essential to understand why your front line staff is important to you. They add value by what they see, by what they hear, and what they deliver. They are your go-to team members who deliver for you and your organization time and again. Be sure to honor and thank them for their service. Where would you be without them?

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Five Ways to Protect Office Morale

Posted March 8, 2014
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Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room – Winston Churchill

The early American Indians, as the story goes, had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. He was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified.

Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of a path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all along.

Good leaders know a thing or two about protecting that which is important. The success of your business or organization is linked to the morale of its employees or volunteers. While everyone’s happiness is not the responsibility of the leader, it is in the best interest of the leader to see to it that strong morale in the work environment is maintained for maximum benefit.

Why does this matter to the leader and why should it be on his or her radar? Workplace morale seems to always be a challenge. The Daily News last year (http://nydn.us/1insfoc) cited a Gallup report showing that 70% of Americans polled either hate their job or are “disengaged” from their work, and even perks don’t work if they’re unhappy with management. Until you make the building and maintain of strong morale a priority it will continue to be a negative issue you contend with. Here are five ways you can work to protect it.

1.) Put others first.

This is a basic leadership principle but one that yields high returns when applied. System-wide, when people within your organization learn to put others first it sends the message that you are committed not only to your own success but to the success of those you work with. The all-in is a signal of your buy-in which makes coming to work much more pleasant. When you don’t have to question where others loyalties it’s like a breath of fresh air. You build and protect morale by putting others first.

2.) Have your people’s backs.

Nothing will promote strong morale among your people quicker than when they know you have their backs. You give your team the ability to excel and create when they know you support them and when they know you have their backs not just in the good times but in the down times. Loyalty cuts both ways and when you demonstrate it both in words and actions you are protecting your morale not just for today but for tomorrow. Having their backs is about trust and it is a much needed stabilizer when team members don’t have to second guess you.

3.) Keep your word.

Protecting morale is saying you will have their backs and then having it. Having the backs of your people is not giving them carte’ blanch for things that are not in keeping with your values and goals. But it is about you as the leader giving team members permission to use their creative powers to grow and produce. You keep your word by giving your support and equipping them with the necessary tools for their development. You keep your word by being their chief defender when they come under unfair attacks. Keep your word and you will protect morale. It’s an issue of respect.

4.) Be consistent

Nothing will undermine the morale in your office or organization quicker than the inconsistencies of the leadership. Sadly, petty turf wars, jealousies, and office politics can sabotage office morale when self-interests and the actions of a few create a climate that affects the whole. As the leader, this is on-going battle you must be on guard against. A strong leader will be consistent in their dealings with everyone.

5.) Effective communication

There is a difference between regular communication and effective communication. A smart leader will not take it for granted that just because they put forth information that it is enough. George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Effective leaders communicate, and protect morale, not by edict but by relationship. The burden is on you, not your people, for how well you communicate. Don’t leave it to chance. Protect morale by strong communication skills.

What do you say?

I invite your feedback!

1. What have been the biggest contributors to poor office morale that you have experienced?

2. Which one of these five tips would be most helpful in your office?

3. What would you add to the list?

4. What additional encouragement would you give to fellow leaders?

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Leadership Minute: Make The Connection

If you’re talking with your head, you’re going to speak to their heads. If you’re talking with your heart, you’re going to reach their hearts. If you talk with your life, you’re going to reach their lives. – Italo Magni

In many ways leadership is about making connections. It comes with the territory. But the depth of your connections is up to you. When you seek to only connect with others from an intellectual standpoint then your impact will be nominal. When you go a little deeper and lead with your heart then you can make a difference. Certainly your influence is increased. But when you lead with your life and connect on that more intimate level you can change the world. Do you desire to be a world-changing leader? Make the investment to lead with your life and then everything else will fall into place. It will not be easy and will require much from you. But it’s worth it. Make the connection.

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Leadership Minute: Team Unity

Posted March 4, 2014
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A house divided against itself cannot stand. – Abraham Lincoln

In leadership circles we hear a lot about teamwork and team building, but not as much about team unity. Unity of your team does not mean checking your individuality at the door and not having differing views and opinions. Team unity simply means that once all the views have been aired, differences expressed, and a consensus reached, then it’s time to move forward with a united front. Teams need diversity of thought, creative minds, and fresh eyes taking a look at things from every angle. Promoting team unity begins when the leader acknowledges and values everyone’s input. Unity breaks down when voices are squelched. Build unity by building relationships. Never underestimate the value that each person brings to the table.

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Three Boundary-Busters Every Leader Must Face

You’re the same today as you will be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read. – Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

About 350 years ago, as the story is told, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.

In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?

Here we had people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there but in a few short years were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision. They were unable to move beyond their current boundaries.

If not careful, we too can get stagnant where we are and not move forward with fresh thinking and ideas. Expanding your borders as a leader and as an organization is about growth. Will your current way of thinking cause you to move forward in a positive way? Are you placing limits on the possibilities that could be yours? Here are three boundary busters that I think held the people back 350 plus years ago that could be holding you back today.

Having a big vision without the big picture.

Initially the people knew what they were signing up for and went along. But the vision that took them 3,000 miles at the start would not take them five additional miles at the end. Buy-in at the beginning of your vision is imperative but if there is no big picture to motivate your people to its completion it’s tragic.

An unfulfilled vision will frustrate you as a leader and disillusion your people. If you want to expand your boundaries beyond where you are today then your people must see the big picture. Open it up to them. Let them see the steps in the process and why they are needed. Do your people know your ten year plan? How about a five year plan? Do you know it? When your vision is clear then the big picture will make sense but not until then. If you want your followers to know it then it’s up to you as the leader to share it.

Limitless possibilities constrained by limited accomplishment.

The first few years these new travelers did what was necessary. They established a town site and government. By all accounts they were making progress. But a shift happened. Their thinking changed. What do you suppose happened? My guess is that the urgency of the vision that brought them there has now settled and they have become comfortable.

Complacency is a threat to any organization and leader. When you allow yourself and those you lead to “auto-pilot” their work, goals, or expectations then you have become settled. You may not be losing ground but you are certainly not gaining any. The townspeople could not see the big picture because they were comfortable. Never mind that they could have expanded their borders and improved their way of life. So long as you are comfortable where you are you will never expand your borders.

Small thinking in the face of great possibility.

Surely there was more to the 3,000 mile journey than a cozy little township. Was not surviving the hardships of sea now worth greater exploration? Expanding your borders is not about settling. Do you not have new trails to blaze? Do you not have new discoveries to make? Sadly, in the face of such great opportunity were those who were ready to obstruct progress.

The lesson learned here is this: Not everyone who starts with you will finish with you. Not everyone will pay the price to go to the next level. The greater the sacrifice the fewer your numbers will be. Many will want to bask in your accomplishments but not all will help you get there. But leaders understand this and will not hold it against them. It is the point of separation. If you want to expand your boundaries as a leader you must be willing to pay the price. Sometimes you will travel alone. But your possibilities are there for the taking if you are willing to lead the way.

What do you say?

I invite your feedback!

1. What boundary-busters are you challenged with?

2. How can you more effectively share your vision and big-picture with those you lead?

3. In what ways can you encourage those you lead to take the journey with you?

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Leadership Minute: Searching for Answers

If you only do things where you know the answer in advance, your company goes away. – Jeff Bezos

An important lesson for leaders to learn is that it is okay to not have all the answers. I know it sounds counterintuitive from a leadership standpoint but you don’t always have to be the answer person. Sometimes the journey is going in a direction that is filled with uncertainty and unpredictable outcomes. While it’s smart to have a plan that gives you direction and purpose there is something to be said for new discoveries along the way. Embrace what is possible, be flexible enough to learn something new, and always be curious. Leadership is an exciting journey filled with many unexpected possibilities.

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Leadership Minute: Dodging Bricks

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. – Steve Jobs

All leaders know this. Life has a way at times of being harsh. Things don’t go the way you plan, a friend betrays you, the deal falls through. It’s called life. But leaders also know the power of resiliency and look for ways to move forward despite the hurt. When trials and setbacks come your way and it would seem you are being hit upside the head with bricks; don’t despair. Don’t give up. You will rise to fight another day; win another battle, and lead with your character intact. Fight through the discouragement. Don’t let your confidence be shaken. You can do this!

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Three Ways to Map Your Future

Posted February 16, 2014
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1 Comment on Three Ways to Map Your Future

Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet. – Victor Hugo

A story is told of an old map on display in the British Museum in London. It’s an old mariner’s chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored.

He wrote: “Here be giants,” “Here be fiery scorpions,” and “Here be dragons.” Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800’s. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map; “Here be God.”

Your rise as a leader is marked by a future you choose for yourself. Although it’s not a guarantee, you can take great strides to attaining it through big dreams, hard work, and a willingness to pay the price to achieve it. From the old mariner’s chart come three leadership lessons for your consideration as you map your future as a leader.

A future with a clean slate.

Regardless of how others may have labeled you in the past your future is yours to write. Have you made mistakes in the past? Have you been unfairly criticized? Have others tried to marginalize you or overlooked your potential? Well, let me encourage you to know that who you are today and where you are headed as a leader is not decided by what others think or believe but in the way you now choose to behave. It’s decided by the truth you choose to believe and accept about who you are now. Ignore the labels and refuse to be defined by your past. You have a clean slate with which to work. Now is your time to chart a new course.

A future with fresh thinking.

By embracing your future and working with a clean slate you can now go to work with fresh thinking that can propel you to a new level. Are you comfortable enough in your own skin to be made uncomfortable with new ideas? When you map your future you must do so with new and improved ways of thinking. Throw off the shackles of old thinking and stale ways of doing things. It won’t happen by chance. Moving forward with new disciplines will require an open mind and right attitudes. Fresh thinking deserves a chance but it will only work when you cross out the old inscriptions of the past and chart a new future.

A future with unlimited potential.

Mapping out your future has little to do with past labels. It has everything to do with what you believe about yourself, how you choose to act upon that belief, and what actions you are willing to take to go there. In as much as you don’t have to be defined by your past, only you can choose your future. You have all the makings of a strong leader when you believe the truth of today over the definitions of yesterday. Embrace your potential. What goals or dreams do you need to resurrect and dust off? What past inscription do you need to cross out? It’s time for a new entry on the map of your future and it needs to be the one you write. Dare to believe that you have unlimited potential and a future full of possibilities. Just remember, those who have tried to contain you in your past won’t be part of your success in the future. Your story is yours for the making. Dream big. Work hard. Don’t look back.

1. Which point hit home with you the most?

2. What are some tangible ways one can cross out the impressions of others in the past so that you can move forward with your future?

3. What goals and dreams are you inspired to pursue with a renewed passion?

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Leadership Minute: Change Happens

You must welcome change as the rule but not as your ruler. – Denis Waitley

Leaders are change agents. Change is not always popular but if you are going to grow and move forward you have to. To be sure, not all change is good. And not all resistance to change is necessary. Be open to opportunities to grow, learn and advance with change as the catalyst. Your ability to welcome change, inspire change, and lead change is going to be critical to your success as a leader. What change are you resisting? What change do you need to make? See change for what it is; a chance to move forward with a renewed purpose.

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