Vision Works! make it work for you
Highlights from around the biz blogosphere
First, as a fan of Central Coast Roller Derby (yes, I grew up in Southern Cal in the 50's and still remember the T'Birds), this article appealed to me on multiple levels. It teaches good business and leadership principles coming from a perspective we don't expect. Roller Derby is VERY strategic - our businesses are even more so. As you read this jot down the principles somewhere that you can read them regularly.
Everything I Need to Know AboutBusiness I Learned from Roller DerbyPosted on Monday, June 28, 2010 by Shanna
Roller derby may seem like a crash-em, smash-em sport, but it isactually rather strategic. The mechanics are simple: 1 jammer and 4blockers for each team. Jammers try to score points, blockers try toprevent the opposing jammer from scoring. But the strategy andcommunication involved is paramount. Taking a number of competitivepeople and wrangling them into a functioning team is as hard as itsounds, but worth the effort when your team turns into a well-oiledderby machine. More.....
Trying times can make the workplace tense and unenjoyable. It's probably not intentional. Many of us tend to go inside our shells waiting for tough things to pass us by. But research shows that this leads to disengaged workers - not teams focused on achieving goals, both personal and professional. Having a good time at work (where we spend so much of our time) is beneficial to each of us. Read this...
From Mary Jo Asmus: 7 Ways to Enjoy Others at Work
"It may seem an odd thing to ask, but are you enjoying your employees, peers, clients, and manager at work? I have a feeling that if you are, your leadership and the work of your organization is effortless. Things are flowing as they should, there is some fun in the work you do, and your stakeholders are also enjoying each other (i.e. there isn’t the whining and complaining about each other that makes a workplace miserable)." More...
Many leaders have what Aristotle would have called a “tragic flaw”. Othello's jealousy and Hamlet's failure to act are two well known literary examples. This weak spot that can lead to a leader’s downfall is often one of the leader’s greatest strengths, which when stressed and overused, turns into destructive behavior.
I’ve always believed that most, if not all, leadership behavioral problems are a result of strengths that are over-used. I see it over and over when I review 360 assessments with managers. I can usually connect low scores for a problem behavior back to 1-2 high scores for overused skills. It’s one of the reasons I’m so concerned about the potential for misunderstanding and misuse of the whole “strength-based” leadership development movement. Only developing your strengths and not your weaknesses is a surefire recipe for leadership derailment. More...
Stregths-based leadership says only develop strengths - don't waste muchtime on your weaknesses. You probably can't make much headway thereanyway. But is that really good advice? Should we ignore one side ofour being? Are there ramifications to over-developing our strengths.
Finally, Michael Hyatt looks at a question many leaders have, especially when first learning to delegate. How do I know if this gets done? How can I avoid micromanaging, yet be sure I get the results I wanted from delegating. Here's what he says. What do you think?
How to Better Track the Tasks You Delegate to Others
Perhaps you may have heard the adage, “what gets measured gets improved.” I would propose a parallel principal: “what gets tracked, gets done.” This is especially true when it comes to delegation.
Early in my career, I had an experience that burned this into my psyche. As a first-time supervisor, I didn’t want to be guilty of micro-managing my staff. I had been managed this way, and found it to be incredibly demotivating. As a result, I went to the opposite extreme: I delegated tasks and never followed up.
One day I was sitting in a marketing meeting with one of my company’s authors. I was his assigned marketing director. In a previous meeting, I had committed to him that I would follow-up on a problem he had with a report we had sent him. I told him I didn’t know the answer, but that I would research it, and share what I learned at the next meeting. I delegated the task to one of my staff members—and forgot about it. More...
That's it for today. Any of these speak to you? Do you see yourself in these articles? Is there anything you want to change after reading them?
What makes her think she can do this, anyway?
On my way to a meeting early this morning, feeling a little sorry for myself (after all, business is a little down, it's taking longer to find the right new clients) when on my radio came a story to remind me of what's important - and what I'd forgotten.
Karen Rogers is an early 40's mother of two teenage boys from Tahoe City, CA. Her VISION is to make a solo swim from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco - a 30-mile, 15-hour challenge. When she accomplishes that, she will be the 1st woman, and only the 3rd person to have ever done so. The last man to make it all the way did so 40 years ago.
What makes her think she can do this, anyway? “I’m one tough cookie,” she says. “I’m the one with the guts to go out and accomplish this goal.”
Shoot! I’d forgotten how tough a cookie I am. I’ve survived cancer, been married 40 years, raised 4 wonderful children, been through all kinds of business ups and downs. We all have a core of strength that takes us through whatever is in front of us. So what was prompting me feeling this way this morning?
Then I heard Karen’s advice for people who are inspired to try something that is seemingly out of reach. “I think the most important thing is to set goals so you really have to reach for - but not so far out that you can’t attain them. Once you commit your brain to something your body’s going to follow.”
Oh, yeah. That old Napoleon Hill quote coming back again. How could I forget such a basic, basic tenet of success? But I also forgot what Walt Disney reminded us “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
So, what’s the message? I do have a dream. I am curious. Sometimes I simply wake up having forgotten where I’m headed. So I took out my VISION. I reviewed my goals. I saw that they were, indeed, challenging but attainable. The fog cleared, and I am again on track building the future for business and family.
Thanks, Karen, for the reminder of how it really works!
Have you forgotten just how tough you are? Are you ready to renew your VISION and head for what seems to be out of reach?
Why do leaders find VISION important anyway?
I was talking with a friend a few weeks back about his business. It’s been growing dramatically since late October – doubling in revenue since last summer. We both realize that’s really bucking the trend these days. He’s hiring, while companies around him have been letting good workers go.
His “problem” (if you could call it that) was that he couldn’t see where this thriving business would end up. What decisions should he be making NOW that will keep the company afloat into the future? Is this growth a good thing or a bad thing?
You see, he didn’t have a VISION, and this good fortune all seemed like magic. Since we mere mortals don’t understand magic, we think it can go away at a moment’s notice. What was great today could be snatched from our grasp by tomorrow.
What’s my friend to do? He must find the vision inside him and define where his company is going. He has to lead the business, not just manage it. He is responsible for spreading that vision to every person in the company.
Why? Because, without crystal clarity on where his business will be tomorrow, his employees’ attention on important work will wander. They’ll feel out of sync, their commitment eroding away. Barry Posner tells us "There's nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can't clearly articulate why we're doing what we're doing."
The good news here is that we began working together on his VISION. His employees have all said how glad they are that he and I spend time together each week refining and clarifying what he sees as the future of his company and creating a solid plan – one that they can all have a part in.
As Ken Blanchard writes, “…leadership is about going somewhere. If you and your people don’t know where you are going, your leadership doesn’t matter.”