Linked 2 Leadership: The Leadership Collaboratory - Leadership Clarity: Can They See You Now?

Linked 2 Leadership: The Leadership Collaboratory         Leadership Clarity: Can They See You Now? July 22, 2011 at 12:03 AM   Though it seems a clichéd notion improving your company culture starts at the top, you have to lead by example. Is what you say what they see? To make sure, just lead by example to improve your organizational culture. Be Somebody Real If you're a leader who promotes a company culture of "do what I [...] Media Files ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96&r=G ClarityDiamondWater.jpg (JPEG Image) zemified_a.png?x-id=182e54b1-2d14-4743-9335-2ebef2cdb839 (PNG Image)         Leaders: Take Your Business Back! July 21, 2011 at 12:03 AM   I often hear from managers that employees have more power than their bosses. Studies have shown that the majority of workers in North America do not want to move into a management role. The trend toward servant leadership and participative management has created a lot of very good results, but in many cases it has also created chaos, [...] Media Files ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96&r=G BusinessCreditKey.png (PNG Image) zemified_a.png?x-id=bcd42b3f-796a-4a7d-9ec9-e92a1b5bbfbc (PNG Image)         Gaining Influence as a Leader July 20, 2011 at 12:03 AM   So, you decide that you want to build additional influence at work. What’s one to do? Maybe you want to gain greater influence with a particular group of people, such as your peer group or your team members, or even a group of more senior leaders.  Or maybe you want to exert greater influence over [...] Media Files ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96&r=G influence.jpg (JPEG Image) zemified_a.png?x-id=ee5c16ae-47c0-4855-af53-67d91e61b3ac (PNG Image)             This email was sent to rssfeed@bluepenstar.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here

Finding the Right Dose of Chocolate

A few months ago, I stumbled on to Sam Parker, writer of a blog with no fluff inspirational leadership messages (and services).

 

In a recent post, he writes about performing a professional value evaluation.  Huh?  I've never seen one so this picqued my interest.

 

In typical Sam Parker fashion, no fluff, he says ask yourself whether your work:

	"1.		creates a positive buzz about you and your work?
	2.		makes others want you as a part of their team?
	3.		makes your employer cringe at the thought of losing you?
	4.		makes your patients (or colleagues) excited about referring you to others?"   That's pithy.  His argument is that if your work loudly proclaims value, you are creating economic and job security in trying economic times.  While it's not something I consider daily or even weekly, I think his points are valid.   You can read more about Sam Parker at www.givemore.com   My view about external inspirational messaging like Sam Parker's is that each person needs to find how much they need in their "diet" to continue in a progressive, leadership balance.  It's like chocolate, for some people, a little goes a long way.  For others, daily consumption is just right.   With external leadership inspiration, you need to find the right dose of chocolate for you.  For me, a little bit now and then is what is useful.

Preparing Leaders in the Face of the Unknown

A recent editorial* in a healthcare trade magazine by National Center for Healthcare Leadership staffers posed the question whether our leaders today are being prepared for the future.

At first, I thought the piece called "Timeless Truths" would lead to a cheer-leading piece about helping those following in your footsteps and so on.  Garman and Harris Lemak who wrote the piece took a more challenging line.  They argued that lack of resources and the unknowns facing us are not excuses to fail to prepare tomorrow's leaders.

They challenge that if you as a manager don't have resources for development, identify where in your organization it's already taking place and support it becoming more effective.  "Our task is less to 'turn on the spigot' and more to guide the water that's already flowing in the directions that will be most effective."

As to preparing in the face of the unknown, Garman and Harris Lemak argue to work on the timeless basics, collaboration skills, performance improvement and relationship building as keys that will be essential ingredients of leadership success regardless of the face of the future later revealed.

I set down the piece determined to look again for where the leadership water is already flowing.

* "Timeless Truths" may be found in the May 2, 2011 edition of Modern Healthcare, page 25.

Did I Remember?

A recent radio story about a prominent national leader led me to remind myself that you never know when an encounter you have will have a powerful influence on another person.

 

Here is a case in point.  Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was recently asked what prompted her toward a life of striving that broke through barrier after barrier opposing the advancement and fulfillment of women.  She then became the first and only woman ever elected to be Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 

To the question, she responded that back in an early school debate class exercise, each student had to pull out a slip of paper from a bowl and then debate extemporaneously on the question written on the slip of paper. 

 

Nancy Pelosi's slip asked "Do women think?" and it has haunted, urged and propelled her since.  It is highly unlikely that the debate class teacher ever imagined the impact this exercise might have.

 

By the end of the radio story, I was left wondering how often I forget that any encounter I have as a leader can have a powerful impact on another person or, it can be just another forgettable encounter.

Lesson from the Coffee Pool on Being Right

I recalled an early life experience that reminded me of a lesson about managers and leaders.

One day as a young boy, I saw the local Scout Master jaywalking.  This was a man I admired greatly and here he was possibly breaking the law.  Each of us has similar examples of discovering that others we look up to aren't perfect.  As we grow older, we construct more sophisticated mental assemblies to hand these little contradictions and get over them.

Or do we?

Early in my professional career, our hospital got a new CEO.  Several months into his tenure, I was in the Executive Suite arranging meetings with his senior assistant,  She told me how very impressed she was with the new boss and it floored me.  It wasn't anything I expected from a seasoned, top of the line assistant.  She said he always chipped into the coffee pool.

The other day, when I saw a manager fill up their cup at the office coffee pool, I wondered they chipped into the pool.  The contradiction wasn't all worked out after all.


This recent manager who didn't pay didn't do anything wrong but arguable could have as I didn't see him pay. I simply hadn't seen him do it right.  If inclined toward the negative, I could have walked away from the experience assuming that he had as the conclusion was potentially open to interpretation.

For a manager seeking to also be a leader, it's not enough to be doing the right thing.  The leader must also be noticed being right.  At first, this seems trite.

Perceptions are very strong, particularly if negative.  If a manager is perceived not to be right, even in a small, seemingly insignificant area like the coffee fund, their standing as a leader drops.  If the right deed is done but not noticed at least sometimes, the perceptions in others may run to unfortunate and inaccurate negative views, sadly so, but true in my experience.

My attempts at being a more effective manager and leader include making deliberate actions that I would have taken anyway but now making them publicly at least part of the time.

I am seen at least some of the time, paying into the coffee pool.