Latest Leadership Articles

Mr. Obama's Magical Oratorical Stimulus

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:18:27 -0700

A couple of days ago, Mr. Obama addressed his fellow Democrats. He gave a speech which some in the media characterized as partisan and derisive to the Republicans who have opposed his stimulus plan all along. I have to admit, Mr. Obama is a good public speaker. Most politicians are. It's tough to obtain high office as an elected official if you're not. I listened to some of Mr. Obama's speech and I must say that he said a number of things that I agree with him about. There is a problem, however. Like most politicians, Mr. Obama has become very adept at the art of doublespeak. He says one thing while meaning the complete opposite. Since those in the mainstream media who sleep with the politicos and depend on them for their jobs are loathe to point this out, it becomes necessary for an outsider to state what should be obvious and challenge conventional wisdom.

In his speech the president claimed that Americans are not looking for Democratic or Republican solutions, they are looking for American solutions. While I do not claim to speak for all Americans, I agree wholeheartedly with the spirit of that statement. It was eloquently stated and sounds very patriotic and politically correct. Its purpose, in my humble opinion, was to try to make it sound like Republicans who are against the stimulus package that is being proposed are somehow un-American. But perhaps we should take a closer look at this statement and try to convince our president that he should follow through on it and propose some new policies and strategies to make it so.

A legitimate question would be "What exactly is an American solution?" Well, the nation of The United States of America was predicated in part on the premise that free individuals know best how to conduct their own business. Hence the Bill of Rights was included in the Constitution as an attempt, some would say a failed attempt, to limit the size and scope of our federal government and keep them out of our relationships be they private or business. So, in my humble opinion, an American solution would be one that honors those principles by allowing American citizens to exercise their inherent rights and their innovativeness without fear that these rights will be violated by government agents because they've failed to follow some draconian restriction or regulation. An American solution would be one that allows Americans to take personal responsibility for their own wealth creation and financial success.

On the other hand, one might ask "What is not an American solution?" Well, I certainly do not believe that wealth redistribution schemes are. I don't believe for a moment that giving money to people who didn't earn it is in any way uniquely American. In fact, it sounds to me like it is decidedly European. Worse still, when coupled with the fact that our government has already in effect nationalized the banks and some of the largest businesses operating in our country, it sounds like something right out of the old Soviet Union. While these programs may have good intentions and may be charitable, and while being charitable is a quality a great many Americans possess, forcing one to be charitable by stealing their money through taxation is not truly charity at all. In fact I've heard that Americans have historically been one of the most generous and charitable of people of all time. Perhaps President Obama and the Democrats don't believe this to be true.

Mr. Obama went on in his speech to claim that the American people voted for him and the Democrat majority in congress because they wanted change, they were tired of the status quo. I agree, to an extent. I believe the American people do want change, but not the kind of change Mr. Obama proposes. I don't believe the American people want their country more socialized. I don't believe the American people want to be told by the government how they should and shouldn't behave, how they should and shouldn't go about their business. I don't believe the American people want to be brainwashed by government propaganda and politicians who offer nothing but empty rhetoric and tired, old socialistic programs that have failed so miserably in other countries. That is not the change Americans seek. Unfortunately, most Americans were only exposed to Mr. Obama's or Mr. McCain's point of view during last year's presidential campaign and felt those were the only choices they had. Unfortunately, because of media bias and the complete societal saturation of the political duopoly, most Americans didn't realize that both former candidates were nothing more than different facets of the same status quo.

I, for one, didn't vote for you, Mr. Obama. I voted for no Democrat. I voted for no Republican, with the exception of Ron Paul, and I voted for him not because of his party, but because he has consistently demonstrated that he is a man of principle who votes in accordance to those principles and honors his oath to the constitution. I can make that claim about very few politicians, if any, besides him. Otherwise, when it comes to congress, I voted for third party candidates because I am sick and tired of the corruption and the nepotism and the flowery rhetoric spewing out of Washington DC that never translates into the changes I want to see. Where is my representation, Mr. Obama? I don't know about everyone else, but I am tired of constantly being ignored. In my opinion, Mr. Obama, you are the status quo.

So, Mr. Obama, did it ever occur to you that maybe these Republicans, and some of the Democrats who voted with them, voted against your "stimulus" bill because they were pressured to do so by their constituents and not because they were being partisan? Did it ever occur to you that maybe they were trying to represent the wishes of the majority of the people in their districts or their state? I doubt it. I doubt it because you never once listened to my pleas or my opinions when you were my senator from my state supposedly representing me. You ignored me and anyone else who may have agreed with me and consistently voted contrary to my principles. I ask again, where is my representation? Perhaps I wasn't in the majority at times, and perhaps I was at other times. It's difficult to say. But don't I deserve some form of representation? Don't all those who agree with my point of view? Don't these shared opinions merit some consideration? I don't believe you think they do.

Mr. Obama then went on in his speech to claim that the old ideas instituted by the Republicans haven't worked. He claimed that tax cuts alone have not worked. He claimed that it is time for new ideas to be tried. I agree. Let's try some new ideas, Mr. Obama. Tax cuts alone will not work. Tax cuts coupled with slashing government spending just might. Or how about totally eliminating at least the income tax and ridding this nation of the blight upon it known as the IRS. This might not be a new idea, but it certainly is one that has not been tried, at least since the creation of the IRS.

Bringing our occupation forces home from wherever they are stationed and stopping the administration of an empire we can no longer afford combined with tax cuts is another idea that might work. Again, this is perhaps not the newest idea, but one that was never implemented. How about eliminating some of the unnecessary departments of the federal government, departments the federal government was never supposed to have jurisdiction over anyway? Remember, the Republicans were put into power because they promised smaller, more efficient government and instead grew it. They also did not listen to their constituents and you have not even promised smaller government. Let's give these ideas a shot and see if they work, or are your words just empty rhetoric and you're really not willing to give new ideas (ideas which have never been tried) a chance?

Hey, here's another idea that's never been tried, let's try abolishing the Fed. It's been around since 1913 and has proved itself to be a dreadful failure. It was supposedly created to prevent the current financial mess and to stabilize the boom and bust cycles, which some claim are only created because of government interference in the free market, a school of thought I happen to agree with. In any case, the Federal Reserve certainly has not done what it claimed to be able to do upon its conception. In the ninety six years since it was created we've had the boom of the twenties, the great depression, the war years, the boom of the fifties and sixties, the stagnation of the seventies, the market crash of '87, the boom of the nineties and the current looming depression. That's not a very good track record. I'd say the Federal Reserve had its chances and failed. It's time to give something else a try.

The Presumptive Republican Nominee & That Other Guy

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:30:01 -0700

I’ve noticed lately that the media has taken to calling John McCain the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. It’s a strange sort of twist considering that a couple months ago they seemed so certain that McCain was the Republican presidential nominee. It wasn’t so long ago that the media was crowing that all other Republican candidates had dropped out. Yet today we suddenly hear again and again that McCain is the presumptive nominee. Why the change of heart? Why is the language suddenly so blatantly changed? Why do we need to “presume” McCain is the nominee when supposedly no one else is running? Perhaps it is time for the media to stop presuming and to start reporting on the reality of the situation.

There is another guy running to become the Republican nominee for president. The mass media seems almost frightened to speak his name. It’s like, to them, the man is Voldemort. His name must not be spoken for fear of what might happen. And yet why be so frightened of a name? Why not report on this mystery candidate who makes it necessary for them to presume McCain to be the Republican candidate for president rather than know it as a certainty?

Perhaps we can glean an answer by looking at the way the mass media reports on the Democrats who are still running for president. I think it would be fair to say that Barack Obama could be called the presumptive Democrat Party nominee. He has nearly enough delegates to take the primary. Instead, they keep harping on the battle between him and Hillary Clinton. They praise her for her tenacity or chastise her for splitting the party. They report that Hillary made a gaff when she spoke about this or that someone Barack Obama knows is spouting hateful remarks. They speak about nothing of any substance. The issues have a tendency to be put into the background. Mostly they report on personality traits. They dwell on Obama’s “flowery rhetoric” or Clinton’s extensive experience, none of which matters as we march in lock step toward bigger government, socialism and a complete loss of freedom.

It seems to me that Hillary and Obama more or less want to implement the same policies. They are both in favor of socialized medicine. They both want to take the power of medical decisions out of your hands and put it in the hands of the state. They both want to regulate the decisions doctors can make on your behalf. This seems to be their main issue. Neither one seems to have real solutions to the financial crisis we are undergoing. They both seem to want to raise taxes, albeit only on the rich. They both are trying to buy the votes of the poor by promising to increase the welfare state and institute government sanctioned wealth redistribution schemes. Both seem to think that government solutions are the only solutions and that we common folk would be unable to straighten things out on our own and so they don’t want to give us the chance.

Both Democrats are supported by corporate lobbyists and special interests. That is where most of their money in the form of campaign contributions comes from. It seems to me that when one has to depend on someone for their political survival, one has a tendency to cater to that someone. The mass media reports on Obama’s commercialized claim that he represents change as if that’s fact. In his speeches he praises himself as a bringer of change and unification. Yet the only changes he advocates are those that are contrary to the principles of freedom and liberty that made our nation great and prosperous. The only unification he offers is that of thoughtless, virulent personality worship that could lead to the persecution of those who would disagree with his programs.

John McCain really isn’t too different from Hillary and Obama. Issue for issue Mr. McCain almost seems as much a Democrat as either of the two presidential candidates still running for that party. The only issue on which he really differs much is the war issue. On that issue, Mr. McCain has chosen the losing side. The American public has grown weary of spending our children’s lives and our nation’s treasure on a regrettable war that seems to have only benefited those with political clout. Combine that with his admitted lack of knowledge in economics and you have a recipe for disaster for the Republican Party in November.

Once again with McCain it seems the mass media is reporting more on his personality traits than on anything of any real substance. The bulk of his campaign contributions come mainly from special interest groups and corporate backers just like his rivals in the Democrat Party. Some of these same entities have major investments in the mass media. It seems as if the powers that be don’t want any serious discussion of real solutions to our nation’s problems taking place where the majority of the public has easiest access to them. It appears that they wish the presidential elections to be a popularity contest between two corporate bought and paid for candidates rather than a platform where ideologies can be discussed and ideas for how to better the circumstances of all Americans can be presented. And so they have picked McCain to be the presidential representative from the Republican Party and they continue to hide another Republican who is still in the race by refusing to even mention his name.

Who is this other candidate? Who is this man who causes McCain to be referred to as the presumptive Republican nominee? Who is this man whose ideas have proven in the past to be the path to prosperity? Who is this man who dares to speak of freedom and personal responsibility rather than of government regulations and entitlements? Who is this man of principle who has never given up on the idea of smaller federal government? Who is this candidate who wishes to do away with the income tax? Who is this candidate who wishes to give money back to the people by doing away with the Federal Reserve and thus the hidden inflation tax, or at least bring sensibility beck to our monetary system by allowing competing currencies to exist? In case you haven’t guessed, this man is Dr. Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas who never withdrew from the Republican Party’s presidential nomination process. His popularity continues to grow despite the mass media’s attempts to marginalize and ignore him. His popularity continues to grow despite that the media does not report he is a war hero, or a polished orator, or a politician with a great many years of experience. His popularity continues to grow even though the media continuously has painted him as an unelectable candidate. Why do you suppose that is? Perhaps there is more to Ron Paul than meets the eye. Or perhaps it’s his ideas that are popular. Perhaps the people of this country are growing tired of the same old same old and want to try something different for a change, something that hasn’t been tried in this country for decades. Or, as Dr. Ron Paul would say, perhaps it’s because freedom is popular. The time has come for the people of this nation to start electing people of substance to lead instead of personalities. The time has come for the people of this nation to start looking seriously at that other guy, the one the media does not want you to notice.

Seven Tips To Becoming an Inspirational Leader

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:13:05 -0700

I was recently asked "What would you say is the one real key to finding and keeping people?" After thinking for a moment, I said "Leadership." The reason is that an inspirational leader in any field - business, sport, politics - draws in great people to work with them through their own magnetism. But what is it that these leaders do that makes them stand out? And how can this help you recruit and retain the right people?

Here are 7 tips given by people much wiser than myself on the subject of leadership:

1. "The Very Essence Of A Leader Is That You Must Have A Vision" (Theodore Heburgh) - Have you taken time to undertake some longer-term strategic thinking? - Yes, I am sure you can manage the day-to-day aspects of your work – but where do you see your business in 3 years, or 5 years? - What does this mean for your team over that time? The clearer and more exciting your vision, the easier it becomes to attract and retain the best people in your market

2. "Leaders don't force people to follow - they invite them on a journey" (Charles S. Lauer) - Once you have a powerful vision about where your business is going, you then need a map for that journey - This means developing a plan and articulating it to current and future employees: a plan to get people excited about where your business is going, where their careers could go and so inspiring them into joining you and then remaining with you

3. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" (John Quincy Adams) - It's all very well talking about a vision and planning, but "actions speak louder than words" - Leading by example demonstrates your commitment to building your business and developing a future for your staff as well as yourself

4. "I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers" (Ralph Nader) - Modern leaders focus on developing and growing people - people who will help to build the future of your business and help to lead it. - Not everyone has the potential to be a leader of people but, led in the right way, they will have the capability to help develop and grow your business. - Focus on developing and growing such people and you become a much more attractive employer.

5. "Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish" (Sam Walton) - Developing the confidence and capability of your people will raise their self-belief - Show them you believe in their potential, encourage them, praise them - Encourage them to take risks and try new things and help them to learn lessons when things go wrong - A leader who boosts the self-esteem of his/her people will always be more successful in recruiting and retaining people than one who doesn't

6. "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other" (John F. Kennedy) - Great leaders have the ability to gain knowledge, acquire skills and adapt behaviours to achieve their goals - The pace of modern business is such that this ability to ‘unlearn' old behaviours and skills and develop new ones is a fundamental requirement of leaders - Those leaders and businesses that have the ability to adapt to changing environments will be the winners when looking to attract and keep the best talent

7. "A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune" (Anon) - Great leaders have the courage to stand up when things go wrong - People accept that things change and things go wrong, but a leader who has the honesty to face up to it will always win greater trust and loyalty from his or her team. This is something that will always be attractive to potential employees.

So in summary, an inspirational leader:

1. Develops a vision
2. Has a plan to realise this vision
3. Leads by example
4. Develops and grows their people
5. Focuses on building the confidence of their people
6. Keeps on learning
7. Has the courage to stand up in adversity

So, look at this list above and ask yourself how well you stack up against these 7 points? What ONE thing could you start doing that will enhance you as a leader and help you in attracting and holding on to great people?

How to Motivate & Increase Your Employees' WANT-TO-COOPERATE Factor

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:34:14 -0700

Are you a leader trying to get your coworkers to change?

Then you need to be aware of a basic motivational, psychological truth.

People only change when they WANT to.

It's like the little prospector who walked into a saloon, wearing clean new shoes. A big Texan said to his friend standing at the bar, "Watch me make this dude dance." He walked over to the prospector and asked, "You're a foreigner, aren't you? From the East?"

"You might say that," the little prospector answered. "I'm from Boston, and I'm here prospecting for gold."

"Now tell me something. Can you dance?"

"No sir. I never did learn to dance."

"Well, I'm going to teach you. You'll be surprised how quickly you can learn."

With that, the Texan took out his gun and started shooting at the prospector's feet. Hopping, skipping, jumping, the little prospector was shaking like a leaf.

About an hour later the Texan left the saloon. As soon as he stepped outside the door, he heard a click. He looked around and there, four feet from his head, was a shotgun in the hands of the little prospector.

The prospector said, "Mr. Texan, have you ever kissed a mule?"

"No," said the quick-thinking Texan, "but I've always wanted to."

Obviously, the prospector knew how to pump up the Texan's WANT-TO cooperation factor. So what can you do to increase your employees' "WANT-TO" factor?

Leadership and Motivation Training Strategy # 1: Ask brave questions.

If you're not interested in your employees, you can't expect them to be interested in you and your organizational goals. But if you show a real interest, they'll move in your direction. As Dale Carnegie said, "You can make more friends in two weeks by showing interest in others than you can in two years trying to get others interested in you."

One of the best ways to show interest is to ask more "Brave Questions." Ask your employees:

What's most important to you when it comes to your job, your family, your goals, or your future?

If you were leading this team, what changes would you make?

What turns on your motivation, more than anything else?

Remember, superficiality does not communicate genuine interest or pump up another person's WANT-To factor. You've got to really care about the other person, and that comes through when you ask Brave Questions.

Leadership and Motivation Strategy # 2: Be likeable.

Simply put, people tend to follow people they like. And the more your employees like you, the more you pump up their WANT-TO factor.

Direct sales organizations have tapped into this principle with great success. Just think about the selling power of the Mary Kay or Tastefully Simple organizations. The home-party attendees aren't being sold a product by some anonymous salesperson. They're buying a product from a friend they know, like, and trust.
So ask yourself...

How likeable are you... really?

Would you like to do business with a person who acts just like you?

Do you use a warm, inviting tone and smile with ease? Or do you exhibit a hurried sense of impatience?

Do you listen with undivided attention, or do you glance at your desk and computer screen while a coworker is talking?

Leadership & Motivation Strategy #3: Exhibit authority

Before people can have a healthy want-to-cooperate factor, they've got to trust you and your integrity. In fact, from my 25 years of speaking experience in the corporate world, I discovered one of the most sought-after job perks today is integrity.
Here's how you can exhibit your integrity and your authority...

Let people know about your educational background, certifications, and legitimate titles, but let them know in subtle ways. No boasting, bragging, or arrogance. When your employees know these kinds of things about you, it increases their respect for what you say and what you are requesting.

Refer to what other colleagues and customers have to say about your work. Again, be subtle. It's a known truth that others can brag about your performance whereas you can't and still be liked.

Make a conscious effort to dress one or two levels above those you are trying to influence. If you dress higher than that, your employees may not think you can identify with them. And if you dress below your employees, they may not take you seriously.

Dress in clothing styles and colors typically associated with authority like black, navy, or white. Research shows it does make a difference.

There's just one caution. You can't exhibit so much authority that people are afraid to challenge you. That would violate the second principle of "being likeable." And that does happen.

Do you want someone to change?

To follow you?

To be more cooperative?

Then it all starts when they WANT-TO. And they will WANT-TO... if you follow these three simple leadership and motivation training practices.

Michael Phelps and the Power of a Smile

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:29:22 -0800

Yes it's true; Michael Phelps dominated the swimming events in the 2008 Olympics. He broke the record of Mark Spitz and established himself as the greatest swimmer in history- perhaps the greatest athlete in any sport. But do these accomplishments really explain the emotional outpouring, from not only the men women and children of the United States, but men women and children from around the world? I don't think so.

There's something that happens every time Michael Phelps is being interviewed- something that you have no doubt noticed-that creates the aura of irresistible charm that emanates from him. He smiles.

Facial coding expert, and the world's foremost authority on facial expressions, Dr. Paul Ekman, has written extensively about the impact of a smile. But recent research about the human brain has revealed the answer to why we can have such a strong emotional reaction to the emotions experienced by others.

Mirror neurons can be thought of as chemical and electrical processors in the brain that cause us to mimic what we see someone else doing. Monkeys that were simply watching other monkeys manipulate items with their hands, had the same areas of the brain lighting up and showing activity, as the monkeys that were actually doing the grabbing. As it turns out, the human brain does the same thing, just in a more sophisticated manner.

See, when we are watching Michael Phelps smile, our brain (whether we realize it or not) is causing a cascade of tiny neurological "firings" that literally cause the same nerve pathways to activate, as the ones called into play on Michael's face. The result? Even the grumpiest of people will be more likely to generate "good" or happy feelings when in the presence of people who are smiling. Even if we don't want it to "rub off", as long as we can see the smiling person, it will.

It's not just a smile, however, that can change how we feel with ease. Have you ever seen the near constant scowl of Vladimir Putin? This steely, "Slip up and I'll get you" look that he carries with him wherever he goes, causes the mirror neurons to activate just the same. Look at a room full of people with the "Putin face" all day, and I assure you, you'll feel less than optimistic about the future.

In the end, one of the best things you can do to increase your own happiness is to surround yourself with people who reflect the feelings you would like more access to; namely, people who smile a lot. Likewise, when you begin smiling more often, you'll find people naturally gravitating closer to you. They can't help it. Most people want to feel happy, and you will just be making it easier for them to do so.

Why Article Marketing Can Boost Your Web Ranking?

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:33:52 -0800

You probably know that a well-written article distributed to the most influential sites on the web will get you a lot of attention and drive visitors to your site. This is called article marketing, and it takes advantage of the fact that articles are central to information distribution on the internet. Here are two really great article marketing products:
Content Spooling Network - This service will help you write and distribute articles.
Unique Article Wizard - This service will distribute unique versions of your articles to hundreds of websites. Check out this Article Marketing Videos Article marketing caters to the thousands of websites on the internet that are looking for original content. Some of these are article sites or article directories, some are bogs, and many others are just websites that need articles on a wide range of topics. You can write articles and place them in thousands of places to put your name before millions of people, establish yourself as an expert on your subject matter, and drive traffic to your websites or go to www.writing-fast-cash.com But not everyone has the time to create articles, and many do not have the skills to put an article together correctly - so it sounds professional, and gets the right kind of attention both from human readers and search engines.

If you lack either the time or resources to do article marketing yourself you need a company with extensive article marketing experience. Article marketing is one of the very important services we can provide you with. We have years of experience writing and distributing articles, and you will be surprised how inexpensive a concentrated article writing campaign can be. Why Article Marketing Can Boost Your Web Ranking Most marketers now understand that an informative article distributed to the most influential spots on the web will get you a lot of attention and pull visitors to your site. But not everyone has the time to write articles, and many people do not have the experience to create articles correctly - so it generates the right kind of attention both from human readers and search engines. If you don't have the time, experience or motivation to do article marketing yourself you need a company with wide article marketing experience. They will be able to create correctly focused articles and distribute them in the most effective way. The best way is to either create or have a professional writer create an article for you that will focus on a topic so it emphasizes the correct keywords. Your article should be interesting, readable with a catchy title, and it should be search engine friendly. It should also have the right mixture of keywords placed in the most effective places. It is also necessary to distribute your article to as many different article sites as you can so you get the maximum exposure. There are many article sites and article archives that are eager to publish your article.

That will give you significant exposure and many inbound links to your web site. The object is to drive traffic to your website. If your websites are properly focused you can use articles to focus on exactly the keywords each of them is optimized for or visit www.article-writing-secret.com Remember, your web properties should not be viewed as a source of links to primary website. They should be seen as "traffic bait" - places to draw traffic from keywords that are easier to dominate. And article marketing is a great way to generate that traffic Inbound links also serves to strengthen the association of your websites with your targeted search phrases. So placing links within articles that are focused on the same subject matter as your websites is a perfect way to increase their authority in the eyes of the search engines. You should also make use of techniques that will help you avoid the duplicate content filter. This is a process used by the major search engines such as Yahoo, Google and MSN to determine if articles are just duplicate copies of each other. If the search engines find hundreds of duplicates of your articles you will not get credit for the links on most of the articles and this will severely limit the impact of your article marketing. The smartest advice you can get is to outsource your article marketing to an article marketing service where the impact of your article marketing efforts is maximized. For examples of articles see this article site.

What Qualities Of A Good Leader Should You Look For?

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When pursuing an online career, there are several programs and companies for you to look into. While it can be difficult to decipher one opportunity from the other, it is important you look for the qualities of a good leader. You will be amazed at how much of an impact the leader can have on your online success. One of the top reasons so many entrepreneurs fail on the internet is because of a lack of training and guidance. Companies cannot expect brand new people to jump into a new program and know exactly what they are doing. This is exactly why you want to take the time to find a program with a quality leader. The first of many qualities of a good leader is openness. You want to look for someone who is more than willing to answer any of your questions and be there for you. You should never feel uneasy about approaching your leader to ask for help or guidance. That is their job to make you feel assertive and confident. The next thing to look for in a good leader is someone who will provide you with training materials. You should be given movie tutorials, audio to listen to or e-books to read. The more materials you have, the better off you will be in the long-run. This way you have something to fall back on if you do not know the answer and cannot get a hole of your leader. Training and learning the program is a process. Part of being open is the leader contacting you to make sure you are progressing properly. They should contact you from time to time to make sure you are understanding everything proficiently and do not have any questions. This way if you do have questions and have just been nervous to ask, you can get them answered. One of the key qualities of a good leader is being loose and easy going. When first starting out, it can be nerve-racking and unsettling not knowing whether or not you have what it takes to succeed. Your leader should be confident in you and act as a motivational leader as well. They need to be there for you to let you know you can and will succeed. Lastly, your leader needs to have enough confidence in you to let you do your own thing once you understand the concept. The beauty of the internet is being able to work on your own without someone breathing down your neck. At first it is nice to have the support and guidance; but after awhile, it just becomes annoying. A good leader knows when to back up and trust you!

Get Commitment, not Submission, when you Manage Performance Problems

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Many managers do indeed talk straight. They identify problems, decide on solutions, allocate responsibilities, and communicate it all to their people with standards and deadlines. For many reasons however, things often do not turn out as planned. When that happens, managers react by talking even straighter, and often louder, with more instructions, clearer priorities, and more deadlines. But still the job is not done! Management would be easy if only people would do what they have been told to do. And they have been told: straight! Although managers say they want to obtain commitment from their people, the process they use to do so goes wrong right from the start, and before a single word is spoken. It is all about mindset. When you approach a problem with an employee with the intention of getting the person to solve the problem using your solution, you have already lessened any chance you had of obtaining commitment to that solution. With this mindset it is likely you will start by describing the problem, then jump into describing the solution you have decided will work, and when the other person obeys your instructions with a muttered, OK, you take it as a sign of commitment. When the issue is important and you know exactly how you want it to be resolved, you are even more likely to focus on the solution that YOU want, pushing harder and harder to persuade, convince and if necessary, bully the other person into submission. The problem is that when someone is not committed to a plan of action, then every obstacle, no matter how small, is an excuse for non-performance. If, as a manager, you do not obtain real commitment to action, it is more than likely you will find yourself facing the same problem some time later. However, when you obtain commitment from an employee, no problem is too big to prevent the goal being achieved. Submission is not commitment. Today, employees expect to be involved in decisions. They want to think and decide for themselves. They demand responsibility and they have career ambitions that involve their personal growth and development. Most managers recognise that developing their people is one of the most important roles they play, but often lack the communication skills to make it happen successfully. Managers need to focus on getting into dialogue around problems. They need to hear ideas from others. They need to work with their teams, helping each other think creatively through possible solutions before developing the best of them for implementation. What makes us believe that other people think better if they take on OUR thoughts without question? It can be difficult to hold back on offering ready made solutions to problems you have seen many times before, especially when you are under pressure to deliver against standards of quality, time and budget. Sometimes, it is the only thing you can do. At other times however, you need to slow the thinking process down and use every opportunity to encourage employees to think through problems and their solutions, for themselves. The more they are involved in generating solutions, the more they will be committed to ensuring their success. Resist the temptation to assume you have all the answers. Ask your people what they think; find out how they see the situation; and be prepared to consider views different from your own. Then step back and watch as new and creative solutions emerge. Talking straight does not mean doing all the talking.

Leadership - The Keys To 21st. Century Business Leadership

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage you'll ever have that will endure against all others. Are you then an effective, 21st Century leader? What would your people say about your leadership? Would they say that your leadership is the one key element that insures their long term success? And how much of your energy is being spent helping your subordinates become effective leaders? Would your employees say that you are giving it everything you've got - making a 100% contribution to your organization? Do you think you have what it takes to lead your organization in these very interesting times? From my observations excellent business leaders always turn out to be regular folks like you and me who are internally motivated to stretch themselves far beyond what even their in-laws expected of them. Is that you, does your mother-in-law think you are "playing over your head" always going the extra mile for your people? I think of my grandmother every day, not just because she was my inspiration, but because I am still striving to be the same sort of person she was - the one who is still revered by everyone she came in contact with. I still think about the kind of person she thought I could be when I grew up. What about you, did you think you would become a 21st. Century leader who is always plowing ahead - always happy to take responsibility for the results your organization achieves, while giving the credit for that achievement to the people who actually made it possible? No matter where you are in your personal career or the development of your organization - as long as you are breathing you can still be that person, that 21st. Century leader of uncommon followers. Start right now, right where you are and consider the characteristics of a successful business leader and take the actions required to address the changes you need to make to be that person. Develop a sense of mission that goes beyond the week to week. Recognize that you are here for a reason, you are running your organization in order to accomplish something special. What is it? It has to do with stewardship doesn't it? Don't you feel that you are here to make things better, for your family, your employees, and your organization? If so, act like it - someone has trusted you with the position you now hold. What should you be doing right now to make a difference to your people and your customers? I think that when you truly believe that you are here to make a difference that you are well on your way to being a true 21st. Century leader. Effective business leaders are results oriented. Don't let the turkeys get you down my grandmother always said. Don't be activity focused Wayne she'd say, stop majoring in minors. If you are an effective business leader you are not pushing papers from one side of your desk to the other. You are focused on doing only those things that represent bankable payoffs to the organization. You are 100% focused on the key result activities - those things that represent all that is important to your company's long term success. Do you have a burning desire to serve your customers? Effective leaders know that the customer, including their subordinates, is still king. Leaders know that it is the customer for whom they really work, that their customers are the only reason that they are on the payroll at all. A 21st Century leader, awaken from a dead sleep in the middle of a cold winter's night by their smallest most insignificant customer, is wide awake and focused on doing whatever they can to serve them, to make it right. Whether that customer is a new hire on the loading dock or one whose orders are so small they have to batch them to meet your shipping requirements - where are you? Are you in the car on the way to the office, heading to the freeway off ramp where their car broke down, or are you still in bed with the voicemail picking up? Your answer will tell a great deal about you as an effective leader. Do you require that every decision gets passed to you, or feeling self-satisfied, by you - before being made? Or do you grow your people, always looking for ways to release their power by delegating every decision that it is possible for someone else to make? Effective 21st Century leaders know that every decision is an opportunity to stretch their employees, enhance their judgement and willingness to takes the risks and assume the responsibilities of leadership. Building their employee's self-confidence at every opportunity, the effective leader never misses a chance to help their people grow today so they will be ready to make the decisions required tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Your employees are your greatest asset and effective leaders always look for ways to help those assets appreciate in value. Effective leaders always give their people the opportunities to achieve and then they recognize them and reward them. Effective leaders insist on excellence - from themselves first by example, and from the rest of the organization. They know that in these competitive times those who execute with excellence my be demonstrating the single competitive advantage they have, and the one that gets or loses the business every time. Effective leaders act like they own the place, especially if they don't. They spend the organization's money like it was coming right out of their pocket even when it isn't. And the decisions they make represent the kind of decisions that would make the organization's founders proud. I have met business owners striving daily to make their dad proud even though he had been dead for over twenty years. That's a good thing, it keeps us focused on what's important. Are you making decisions that would make them proud? These challenging times call upon each of us to be more effective leaders. We are called upon to make the tough decisions, have the courage of our convictions, and the character to see it through no matter what. Are you a 21st Century leader? Are you on your way toward becoming one?

How to Confront an Employee who has a History of Poor Performance

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is not unusual for a new manager to find that his or her predecessor has, maybe for years, tolerated performance from a team of a lower standard than they are willing to accept. Not only has the newcomer to deal with the normal problems of gaining acceptance from the team, he or she has to step up to some difficult conversations early on in their relationship with people who are probably going to be resistant to changing their behaviour. How do you convince a person to improve their performance when they have been paid, and maybe even promoted, for years, for what you consider to be sub-standard performance? This is a conversation that needs some careful planning or you could find yourself in a difficult and unpleasant conversation. There are three key points you should keep in mind. You need to start by looking to yourself. Is it just you? Are you the only one who is unhappy with the behaviour of this person? Are your expectations and standards realistic? Does the person contribute special skills in one area that compensates for poor performance in some other area? You need to first gather hard data on their performance and as far as you can, you need to check that your view of it is shared by others. If it is not, you may have to accept that the only realistic solution to the problem is that you change your expectations of the person. The second step is to look to the person. What are you telling yourself about them? Do you think that they are deliberately coming to work for a free ride? Do you think they have a malicious intent to pull down the performance of the department? Is it not just as likely that by withholding feedback, others have contributed to their lack of performance? Is it not possible that they have no idea they are underperforming? Giving the other person the benefit of the doubt is the most respectful and safe way to approach a difficult conversation like this. If you feel and show respectfulness toward the person, there is least likelihood that they will react defensively or with anger. Thirdly, do not drag up all the history. Start from where you are now. Use a few clear, specific facts to describe the current situation as you see it, even if this means putting off the conversation until you have first hand experience of the performance standard. Then explain the gap between what you expect and their current performance. Explain the implications of this level of performance. Then ask for input from the person and listen carefully to whatever they say. Only when you feel that the facts are out in the open and that you both share an understanding of the situation, should you ask for ideas on ways in which performance can be improved. Agree on a plan and set dates for follow up and feedback. It may take a little time, and may require some ongoing coaching and support, but it is quite likely that the person will be grateful for your honesty and will respond by trying their best to change their behaviour. This is a leadership issue. If you are seen to be confronting issues that have been side stepped in the past and are clearly not prepared to tolerate poor performance, you are sending a very positive signal about the leadership style your new team can expect from you in future.