The Executive Coach

Have you heard the Leadership mantra, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.”?
This phrase was coined by Lee Iacocca, Leadership Guru, Business Author and Chrysler saviour.

Although it is important to study business history, we need to re-write the rules as the needs arise. It is time we replace one of the dominate Leadership mantras of the eighties with:
Lead, follow AND get out of the way.

You can not choose one style and stick with it. Do not think of leadership as a distinct leadership personality. Today’s leaders must be able to work cross-functionally, in truly global and matrixed organizations. Today’s leaders must collaborate effectively with customers, suppliers, competitors and other stakeholders.

Putting It Into Action:
Identify opportunities to take the lead, which you most likely do already. The next time someone offers you a viable suggestion, truly listen and follow their advice. Challenge them to come up with a marketable solution within your organizational and marketplace realities. Seek out opportunities to delegate some of your non essential tasks to staff who can take them on as a ‘stretch’ role. Clearly communicate your expectations, offer to help if required, then get out of their way. Provide positive feedback and encouragement.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph

Who is the worst manager you ever worked with?

The organizations that prosper are the ones that attract and retain great leaders at all levels of the organization. The majority of employee retention surveys indicated that most employees leave because of lack of recognition or lack of direction from their immediate supervisor.

Our leaders are far from perfect. What can you learn from both the effective and not so effective leaders? Does you organization share both types of leadership knowledge and reward effective leaders?

Putting It Into Action:
What have you learned from your worst boss? Are you practicing what you learned to not do from that person? Are you consistently applying the best attributes from your best leaders? Do you know how the people who report to you want to be lead? Have you ever asked your team how effective you are as a leader? Tell your boss what level of direction you require from him/her and communicate what are their best leadership attributes.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph

Do you know what the greatest gift is that you can give your organization?

Clarity is the greatest gift that you can give your organization. Clarity requires focused and concise communication. What needs to be communicated is:
-What is the organization trying to achieve?
-What are the organization’s non-negotiable values?
-What is expected of me and my unit?
-How does my organization add value/make a difference?
-What do our customers/stakeholders expect from us?

The organizations that prosper are the ones that synthesize and consistently communicate purpose and expectations at all levels of the organization. The reality is that in most organizations there exists a complete disconnect between the Boardroom and the front-line. Disconnection leads to disengagement. Disengagement leads to costly turnover or worse, disengaged workers that stay in our organizations. What makes matters worse is the lack of knowledge that a problem even exists or the lack of corrective action.

Putting It Into Action:
Do you know what your organization is trying to achieve? Are you aware how your unit contributes to the overall mission of the organization? Does your entire team or organization understand what your organization is trying to achieve and how they can impact its success? There is no such thing as too much clarity or too much communication. Provide clarity now; provide clarity often.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph

Do you know that your organization has the morale obligation to contribute positively to its community?

What was once the responsibility of only the large Multinational energy firms has now become the responsibility of every firm. I am talking about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Your organization has the morale and often legal responsibility to be accountable to the environment, its employees, its customers, its shareholders and society in general. It must act as a good corporate citizen and ensure that all of its employees, affiliates, suppliers and partners act responsibly on a global basis.

You, as a leader or team member, must also ensure that you and your team act responsibly on a global basis. Information can be found all over the internet about firms that act responsibly. Even more information can be found on websites, media articles and blogs of organizations or individuals that do not act responsibly. Consumers are increasingly basing their purchasing decisions on criteria such as CSR and are influencing buying decisions on a global basis.

The organizations that prosper are the ones that quickly realize that CSR is not for public relations purposes but instead just smart business. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index proves that corporations that ‘step up’ and practice effective stewardship over The Triple Bottom Line, over time, have consistently outperformed competing organizations.

Putting It Into Action:
If CSR is new to you, research and get up to speed quickly on the issues. Look for an area of the organization where others may interpret a lack of ethical behaviour. Take steps to communicate widely what you and your organization are doing, which should reverse those negative perceptions.

With you along the path towards success,
Joseph