Posted by David Grossman on Wed, Apr 24, 2013
With the passing of Margaret Thatcher earlier this month, the world has lost one of its great leaders and communicators. In reading about her journey, and all she accomplished, I thought about the amazing legacy she left.
Which leads me to the question for every leader: what will your legacy be?
You’ll have a legacy whether you want t or not; will it be the one you envision?
I regularly ask senior leaders about what they want their legacy to be, and often get a list of qualities. That’s important. People will remember who you were and how you made them feel. But there’s a second part.
What impact will you have had on your organization? Industry? World? You’ll be remembered as someone who did what?
This is a big question, but how will you get there if you don’t know where you’re going?
What will your legacy be?
- David Grossman
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Posted by David Grossman on Tue, Apr 23, 2013
I was watching Nightline recently and saw a clip about the difference between sharks and whales. There’s the obvious – Jaws vs. Free Willy, but really, it’s not that simple.
Both rule the seas naturally because of their size and strength, but also because of their ability to hunt.
And as I watched, I started to think of their respective hunting behaviors as ultimately, different leadership styles.
Whales: Social and work in stable units. Practice their hunting techniques, adapt to changing conditions and operate based on learned behaviors
Sharks: Solitary, less planful, known for surprise attacks and hunt on instinct
There certainly is no one leadership style, but my wish is we all try and lead a little bit more like the whales:
- Be planful
- Focus on outcomes
- Act deliberately
- Adapt to change over time
- Teach others
- Be team-oriented
If we avoid leading like the sharks–self-focused, work in a vacuum and making shot-in-the-dark decisions– we’ll save ourselves from a wave of repercussions making it that much easier to lead our teams to a swimming success.
Do you lead like a shark or a whale? And what could you do differently?
- David Grossman
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Posted by David Grossman on Fri, Apr 19, 2013
Welcome to my weekly round-up of top leadership and communication blog posts. Each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Fridays pull some of the best together here on my blog. So in case you’ve missed them, here is this week’s round-up of top posts.
They’ll provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.
2 Leadership Tips That Work
By: John Bossong
Successful leaders know that consistency and a positive environment are two keys to successful leadership. Here’s two things you can do immediately to be more consistent and create a positive work environment…
How Do You Show Up As A Leader In Your Organization?
By: Tanveer Naseer
Most of us understand that to be successful in leadership, we need to be aware of what and how we communicate. Of ensuring that we actively listen to what those around us are saying, and sometimes what they’re not saying…
Success and Asking For Help
By: Daniel Newman via The Millennial CEO Blog
Have you ever had the chance to sit down with someone that you consider really successful and asked them to describe the pivotal moment or moments that changed the course of their lives?...
What were some of the top leadership articles you read this week?
- David Grossman
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Want more on leadership? Download our Leadership Toolbox eBook, today!
Posted by David Grossman on Thu, Apr 18, 2013
Webster’s Dictionary defines an asset as an “advantage” or a “resource.” In today’s business world, the greatest asset of any organization is not the steel, cable, real estate or technology at its disposal.
People are the greatest asset.
Think about it this way – it’s through people that the best steel, the fastest cable, the most prime real estate and the greatest technology is able to actually benefit an organization.
- A vision is just a vision until someone acts on it
- A strategy is only a strategy until someone acts on it
- A goal is only a goal until someone acts on it
Companies that are good at building their brands know their real task is managing things people in the company do to help fulfill the brand promise.
Beyond that, employees play an increasingly important role as advocates for (or against) their organization, with a real impact on sales. Consider this:
According to the Journal of Marketing:
- 9% of customers are lured away by competition
- 68% are turned away by an employee’s indifferent attitude
In the coming years, we’ll see even more emphasis on the intangibles for employees and an increasing importance of the employee value proposition - set of tangible and intangible returns an employee receives from an organization in return for his or her contributions and work.
Take Zappos.com. Founder and CEO Tony Hsieh is becoming well known for his Delivering Happiness concepts which are all about customer service. The stated customer service goal is to “Wow” their customers. Zappos is typically in the Top 10 on the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work list but pay scales across the board are “just at or below the average pay scale,” according to Hsieh. So what makes it a great place to work?
Zappos invests a great deal in selecting employees who fit with the culture. They invest in recruitment, training and development – and the company promotes a work-hard, play-hard culture. Employees are known to parade through the office, engage in several-hours long customer service calls and spend weekends together.
The Zappos Culture Book is the 9th version in 9 years. As stated in the book, their #1 priority is the company culture. It reads, “Our belief is that if we get the culture right, then the other stuff, such as customer service or building a long-term brand, will happen naturally on its own.”
The organization creates a sense of belonging and companionship for employees. Their employees want to go to work…they get more out of their jobs than a salary.
Zappos has created a highly valued employee value proposition – and a successful company to boot.
How can you improve your employee value proposition – and your bottom line – today?
- David Grossman
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Feel like you're communicating but your employees don't always hear you? Download "Can You Hear Me Now? Make What You Say Matter And Increase Your Chance of Being Heard eBook", today!
Posted by David Grossman on Tue, Apr 16, 2013
There are very few things in this world that are neutral. Consider a gift that with special wrapping paper or bows – it says something about the thought, the meaning and the care in that present. It communicates something different than a brown paper grocery bag stapled shut.
Similarly, everything you do, and everything you say, communicates. And, importantly, everything you don’t do, and everything you don’t say, communicates.
It’s a reality for everyone in business and life. Yet being a leader, it’s critical because all eyes are on you.
Your employees, your leadership peers and everyone else read into your actions. Who do you talk to regularly? Who don’t you? Did you seem distracted in that meeting? How do you spend your time? Your actions are interpreted by others based on their own perceptions, experiences and biases.
You can’t not communicate. So, shouldn’t you get better at it?
The business of communication
In business, the leaders that understand their success often rests on their ability to communicate are those best able to get employees focused and moving in the right direction, to build engagement and motivation, to get teams moving more quickly, and to generate consistent, successful results from their reports.
They generate business results by communicating strategically and they do it well – they are what I call Leader-Communicators.
Real communication, with real meaning, can be a difference maker for leaders. With it, you can build understanding and increase efficiency. You can acknowledge people for their good work and make them feel energized. You can help an individual through a rough spot or lead an entire organization through change. You can inspire confidence in team members and offer advice – strengthening the work of an individual contributor, and your entire team.
With communication, you can spur success in your company, and you can build a legacy by developing a new strategic direction.
Communication can set you apart from everyone else – it’s a bona fide superpower in today’s business world.
Becoming a communication “superhero”
So, how can you get this superpower? Despite how difficult it seems to communicate at times, and how much easier it might seem to say nothing and move along (Warning! Remember not communicating actually is communicating), becoming a communication superhero is easier that you might think.
As with anything though, perfect practice makes perfect. Greats like Picasso, Michael Jordan, the Beatles and Wayne Gretzky all spent years learning, practicing and honing their skills. They didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be great. The best business leaders do the same thing – learning about new ways to tackle issues, reading about the lessons of others and continually improving. Great speakers learn the basics, and practice in front of mirrors and friends before moving crowds with their words.
Have faith. With practice, I know you can be a communication superhero.
So, now that you know you can’t not communicate, take a step back.
What is it you’re actually communicating today? What’s the first step you can take right now to improve the way you communicate?
- David Grossman
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Want more on communication? Download our Leadership Toolbox: Communicating Your Way To Great Leadership eBook today!
Posted by David Grossman on Fri, Apr 12, 2013
Welcome to my weekly round-up of top leadership and communication blog posts. Each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Fridays pull some of the best together here on my blog. So in case you’ve missed them, here is this week’s round-up of top posts.
They’ll provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.
9 Ways To Make Leadership Personal
By: John Bossong
Leaders need to make leadership personal. Here are nine things you can do to make your leadership personal and why it matters…
Leadership People Skills: When Tough Leaders Show Empathy
By: Kate Nasser
Picture Tough and Gruff Leaders. Their people skills are far from great. They tend to work on people instead of with people. Many people tolerate their non-empathetic style amid the hope of larger success…
Why Small Businesses Need Great Leadership
By: Megan Totka via the Tanveer Naseer Blog
Great leadership is a necessity for any business that is striving for great success, especially during trying times. Without leadership that is effective, it’s nearly impossible for businesses to grow and expand, as is necessary in an ever-changing market…
What were some of the top leadership articles you read this week?
- David Grossman
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Want more on leadership? Download our Leadership Toolbox eBook, today!
Posted by David Grossman on Wed, Apr 10, 2013
It’s never easy to communicate difficult information to a group of employees, but with these six essential steps, you can prepare for the toughest conversations:
1. Identify the problem. Are business results not where they should be? Do staffing changes need to be made? Are there undesired behaviors that need to change?
2. Identify your desired outcome. Are you trying to put business news in context for your employees? Do you need your team to understand changes that are underway? Do you need desired behaviors to become the norm among your staff?
3. Identify your audience. Do you need to inform your entire staff? Is it a small group of employees? Is it one employee? And should they all hear the message at the same time, or should some people hear it first?
4. Structure your key messages/conversation.
- What do you want your audience(s) to think, feel and/or do?
- What will you say (in a calm, constructive way) to employee(s) so that they understand the situation and your concerns.
- Consider how to start the conversation.
- Share your motivation and intent
- Identify the questions you will ask (to see input/check for understanding). For example, “Tell me how you feel about what I just said.”
- Have stories or examples to share to illustrate your main point.
- Outline specific actions being taken and/or that your employees need to take.
5. Consider how you will say your message. Select the right time and place to have a conversation with privacy and without distraction. Encourage dialogue so you can get real-time insight on how employees are receiving the information and if they understand what you are saying.
6. Follow up. Do your employees have questions? What’s on their minds?
How do you relay tough messages to your employees?
- David Grossman
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Are you a leader or communicator looking to master the art of messaging? Download our free eBook, today!
Posted by David Grossman on Mon, Apr 08, 2013
Nutritionists today urge parents to engage their children in the process of meal preparation and cooking with the notion that children are more likely to eat healthy food that they help to create.
By encouraging children to help with the shopping, unpacking the bags, writing the menu and the cooking itself, parents significantly increase the likelihood that a child will be vested in the final outcome and actually eat the meal.
The same principle applies to the strategy-development process in corporations. All leaders start down the same path to a strategy based on market research and customer preference data, but smart leaders quickly engage layers of leadership and employees throughout strategy conceptualization.
Use these five tips to get your employees on board early and to ensure their participation in the long run:
- Complete a SWOT analysis. As part of getting to a shared context, engage your leaders and employees to determine and then synthesize the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Develop and then test messages. Based on the SWOT, work with your leaders to develop or validate/update your vision, mission, values and goals. This comprises the Strategic Frame 1.0. Then, test messages with other layers of leadership for their feedback and to identify barriers. Use their input to develop the Strategic Frame 2.0 as part of your iterative message testing. You might use the same strategy with key influencers throughout the organization who will be critical players to activate employees. Their input will help you create the next version of the plan: the Strategic Frame 3.0.
- Do a reality check. Ask front-line employees who are the closest to customers how the strategy applies to them. If they can personalize it, and it makes sense to you, you’re articulating the strategy well.
- Leave the door open for feedback. Create a resource for employees to provide ongoing feedback directly to leadership. If their voice matters, they will ultimately use that voice to advocate in the future.
- Train employees and arm them with the tools they need. Give employees the opportunity to take ownership of the strategy in a methodical and fun way so that they feel empowered to be the brand ambassador you want them to be. Your goal is to ensure they can articulate how they fit in. If they can do that, they get the strategy and are in the best position to help move the organization forward.
The seed of a strategy idea conceived by a small group of 10 can successfully and rapidly grow throughout a multi-national, multi-million dollar company through systematic employee engagement.
Food for thought that means business.
How do you engage your employees on your strategy and other important topics?
- David Grossman
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Get more tips for senior-level leaders by downloading our ebook for CEOs: "What You Need to Know To Make Your Strategy A Reality"
Posted by David Grossman on Fri, Apr 05, 2013
Welcome to my weekly round-up of top leadership and communication blog posts. Each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Friday’s pull some of the best together here on my blog. So in case you’ve missed them, here is this week’s round-up of top posts.
They’ll provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.
The Power of Small Stories
By: Richard Andrews via The Todd Nielsen Blog
Small Stories are flying round every organization every minute of every day. Like mosquitoes over a lake in summer they get everywhere: in the corridors, the restrooms, the stockroom and the kitchen…
11 Reasons Why People Are Uncomfortable Leading
By: John Bossong
Here are 11 reasons people are uncomfortable leading. Do any of these look familiar to you? Are you comfortable where you are? Get uncomfortable and lead…
Coaching is Not Kleenex
By: Julie Winkle Giulioni via The Lead Change Group Blog
Have you noticed how frequently the word ‘coaching’ is used these days? You don’t read an article, attend a leadership workshop, or even speak with managers without ‘coaching’ being generously referenced. It’s used to describe the act of…
How A Culture of Appreciation Develops Engaged and Loyal Employees
By: Margy Bresslour via the Switch and Shift Blog
Do you look forward to going to work? Do you feel valued and appreciated by your employees or employer? If you work by yourself, do you feel seen by others? If you answered, “no” to any of the above, you’re not alone…
It Takes Leaders to Be a Community
By: Jon Mertz via The Lead Change Group Blog
Yes, it takes a community to be a leader. There is another side to the equation, too. It takes leaders to be a community, to empower a community…
7 Ways Transformational Leaders Are Different
By: Matt Monge
Some leaders are…different. They have this certain something that resonates with us, and that certain something may be hard to describe and will likely vary from person to person. They’re not perfect, but somehow that’s part of their charm…
What were some of the top articles you read this week?
- David Grossman
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Posted by David Grossman on Thu, Apr 04, 2013
I re-read the must-have book Primal Leadership recently and was reminded about the influence that leaders have, and specifically, that their mood can have. A leader’s emotional intelligence impacts their own performance, and also impacts everyone else’s moods and behaviors.
The authors call it mood contagion. I like to say that the boss makes the weather.
I used to work for a SVP who was known to be moody. I typically would check with his assistant before meeting with him to determine which way the wind was blowing so I then could adapt my style appropriately. All too often she told me it was cloudy with a chance of showers. On tornado days, she’d suggest re-scheduling.
Most managers don’t even begin to recognize the impact they have on their employees.
We’ve seen unprecedented natural disasters throughout the globe recently with little to be done except clean-up and reconstruction of infrastructure and lives. Many were caused by Mother Nature.
In the workplace, how we lead (both what we do and what we say) can prevent disasters, and even better, can create an environment where people do great work and feel terrific about what they’re accomplishing. As the song in the musical Hair celebrates, we can let the sunshine in.
I studied meteorology in college in addition to journalism, thinking I’d like to forecast the weather on television. I dabbled in morning radio, moving from “ripping and reading” the National Weather Service forecasts to beginning to understand the modeling and analysis needed to be a great meteorologist.
My conclusion was that weather forecasting was a crap-shoot. At the time, even with the best technology and a number of other smart, seasoned meteorologists at the station helping me, we were wrong about the forecast more often that we were right.
In the workplace, since we make the weather, we have a significant amount of control over what happens with our team. The choice is whether we learn to create great weather that’s conducive to an inspired and engaged team, or miss the opportunity and let the winds blow as they might.
Leading can be a crap-shoot, too if we’re not purposeful and open to learning what we’re doing well, and how we can be better.
Sometimes, we – as leaders – might be rained on, or it might feel like we’re getting poured on without an umbrella (and then hung out to dry!). In that case, it’s our job to dry off, reflect on what happened, and make great weather for our team as only we can.
Leaders, what kind of weather did you make this week?
- David Grossman
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Ensure you create the best weather forecast for your employees. Check out these CEO communication critiques to see how some leaders hit the mark and others missed.
