7 Keys to Inspired Leadership

The word inspire has been with me for the past few years and I feel it is probably my “verb”. Today I read a list of 104 verbs and a second verb stopped me in my reading. That verb is, stimulate. Stimulate and inspire seem to have the same energy to me. This tells me what I love to do is to stimulate and inspire good in the world.

In my leadership program my goal is to inspire leaders to recognize what they can do and how much they can achieve. I want to recognize this within myself and step up to the plate to ensure that I am doing all I am capable of doing. In my first draft of this writing I put what I need to do; however, the bottom line is there’s not much that I need to do.  Instead let me re-think my thoughts and recognize I want to do many things that will move me forward in life. While moving myself forward I also inspire and stimulate others to reach for their best. 

This whole concept of what verb resonates with me comes from an article by Alex Mandossian on his blog. I recommend you read the article and then give consideration to your verb.  As I work with the whole philosophy of “what verb am I”, a new inspiration comes forward.  I like the thought that I stimulate people when I’m working with them.  After all, if you are stimulated to do something, you will go forward.  Does this mean inspiration has just a little bit less “do it “magic?

Hmmmm … what is my real verb?  Share your verb identification with us and as Alex says on his blog, put your verb in the René Descartes’ phrase, I think, therefore I am. Check out Alex blog. It will make sense.

I spent yesterday chasing a white ball around an Arizona golf course. It was great fun and I even beat my older brother by four strokes. However, before we ever got started I was left wondering why so many people believe “the rules”, whichever rules they are, are designed for the other people.

We got to the course early, and could have started early, if some of the golfers paid any attention to the Golf Club’s rules. Two in particular were ignored from the start: move at a good pace so you don’t hold up other golfers and the 90 degree rule.

The 90 degree rules requests that carts be driven on the fairways and off at right angles. I saw carts heading in all directions and, based on the waist lines of most of the golfers, a little walk wouldn’t have hurt any of the offending folks.

Ignoring the “keep a good pace” rule meant that there were several groups of golfers waiting at many holes while one group took its sweet time. While in the Pro Shop I heard the pro take a cell phone call from a golfer on the course complaining about those in front of him. The pro had to send someone out to move the group along. The backup of golfers also meant the club ran out of carts for new golfers.

Now, is the ignoring of either of these rules earth-shaking? Hardly, but I’ve seen the same mentality in dozens of companies when I’ve consulted or facilitated training sessions. The rules are for you and not for me. After all, I’m special, more intelligent and when I break the rules it really doesn’t hurt anyone. Don’t you dare inflict the same insensitivity on me!

I know there are rules that don’t seem to make sense in many organizations. If you come across ones that seem ridiculous, find out why they’re still there and if they should be changed, work to change them. We all know that many rules are out-of-date, so change them. As to the rules that make sense, they’re designed to protect and serve us all, not just some folks. Safety Co-ordinators can point to dozens of situations each year where lives are lost because someone defied just “one little rule”.

As a leader, you are expected to lead the change and lead by example. Do both for your organization. Lead when the changes are necessary and lead by example in all other situations. What example are you setting?

 Garth Roberts

Have you ever run into a 60-year-old who’s still trying to be a rock star? I don’t mean someone who’s in the music business and still making a living at sixty. I mean the person who’s never been in a particular business niche but is still trying with the same bravado of a twenty-year-old?

I’ve met a few people like that. I’d call them pretenders. They pretend, or believe, that they know what’s going on but really don’t have a clue. Not only do they not have a clue but they don’t accept the clues (advice) from others.

In the business world I continue to meet corporate rock stars. They are correct. They have the most brilliant plans. They know the “right” way to do things.

The frustrating thing for their co-workers is that these “rock stars” are frequently promoted way above their talent level. There doesn’t seem to be a Simon Cowell to bring them to a halt. Why is that?

Have you met any corporate rock stars who are out-of-tune with the rest of the band but still forge ahead in their careers? I’d love to hear your stories.

Garth Roberts

I sit in an airport, having just noticed that my flight is delayed two hours. It’s an interesting airport as my gate is blocked off while domestic flights land. The sign on the glass doors that hold us back from C43 says it will open at 9:30ish. The “ish” obviously has a lot of latitude as my question to an attendant at 9:50 garnered me an explanation of the sign’s purpose. The whole concourse was let in on the secret at 10:10. Many individual questions were asked before the attendant thought it was prudent to share this information via the intercom system.

Communication is very cheap so why is it we’re so reluctant to communicate? Two attendants were hovering around Gate 31 during the time travelling bodies began collecting at the closed doors. The available concourse seats were quickly filled. Both attendants chose to ignore the collecting masses and never shared information. The “ish” sign never got changed so “9:30ish” expanded to cover a lot of time. There was lots of chatting between attendants at the desk but little communication with the customers. All this inadequate communication came from an airline that prides itself on announcing that their staff members are owners and safety and service are their strongest desires.

How are you doing in your business? Are you communicating what you should, when you should? Information is an empowering commodity and it’s not to be horded because of lack of awareness or consideration. It took the attendant less than 30-seconds to make the clarifying announcement and she repeated it within five minutes. For another hour the line of people waited for the doors to open and no other announcement was made. I gather those already in line were expected to pass the information along.

Do you have standard announcements you make over intercoms or via other electronic devices? If you do, remember your audience isn’t necessarily familiar with your information, lingo, or jargon. The audience just may benefit from a slower, more pronounced way of speaking. The same two attendants rattled off their door and boarding announcements so quickly and so indistinctly they were hard to hear, let alone understand.

Be clear, concise and distinct with your communication. Your audience will love you for it. Well, they’ll at least appreciate you for it and they will know what is expected from them. Remember, when you communicate the listener is the most important partner in the conversation. If you doubt that and feel it’s what you have to say that is the most important, you’re wrong. You are communicating to get someone to learn, do or accept based on your information. It’s about what you want the other person to do, so the communication is about them, not you. Don’t be stingy with your information. Share it to those who need it. Share it often, clearly and concisely.

Remember; don’t announce how proud you are of your service and horde information from your customers—internal and external. Information is power that is meant to be shared!

Garth Roberts

In the past two weeks I’ve spent four days conducting Frontline Leadership sessions. The material is great. It’s been validated by hundreds of people and the feedback is 95% positive. The other 5% varies from luke warm to “these suggestions apply to everyone else, not me.”

 Of course, just like you, I’m sensitive to the 5% and study to see what I might have done differently to get buy-in. In some cases the disconnect is obvious while in others it’s just a disconnect.

Feedback from a disconnect and a connect in my sessions must be taken for what they are … someone’s comment at that moment. I’ve watched other speakers and trainers get totally bend out of shape by one or two negative comments. Pay attention, yes, but don’t put too much credence on the comments.

If you’ve done your homework and prepared properly for the given client, you’ll recognize that the 95% is what you should pay the most attention to and adjust accordingly.

The next time you receive feedback, listen and listen for the surface truth and the hidden truth. Respond to both in the appropriate fashion, as if the comments were directed at someone else and emotions weren’t involved. Then you’ll probably truly hear what was said to you.

Recently I heard some interesting bits of information regarding trust in the workplace from Professor John Haliwell at the University of British Columbia. I think most of us realize that trust can be a huge issue and whether you feel trusted can mean the difference between loving your work and hating it.

In work environments that are union or non-union, trust is about the same … if it’s between colleagues. If it’s relating to management, the union workers have less trust; however, both sets of workers can still be as happy with their overall life.

Trust also has an impact on your economic level. If you place yourself on a scale of 1 – 10, as to how happy you are at work, you can move up 1/3 in income, if you move up one level in happiness. That, apparently, is what the research shows. So, how happy are you at work? Maybe to get that raise you just need to be happier!

Back to my title for this note. Do you people trust you as a leader? On that same scale of 1 – 10 where would you rate your “trust ability”? Now be very courageous, give your employees the opportunity to give you anonymous feedback on what the real picture looks like.

Professor Haliwell suggests that trust comes when you don’t look over someone’s shoulder. A high trust environment offers flexible work schedules while the same flexibility doesn’t work in a non-trust environment. Leaders who are low on the trust scale tend not to pay attention to the human aspect of the job.

Keep that last statement in mind when you’re hiring. It impacts employee retention more than we care to admit.

The traditional month of resolutions has passed and by now most of those resolutions have disappeared. I’m not a big resolution maker so I don’t have to feel bad about not keeping resolutions. However, this year I have put a more solid plan in place to record what I start and how I progress.

In my seminars and keynotes I stress three items: plan, communicate and follow-up. It’s easy to tell everyone else take those three steps so this year I’ve been meticulous at recording my own adherence to  my three step process. While I like to think I’ve been consistent in the past, for the first month of 2008 I know I have. I have a chat each day with the guy I see in the mirror and those little pep talks are working.

The result is quite spectacular. My success may not be any better than it was in the past but this year I have solid data to back my “feelings” up. Two other positive results have shown up in January. I tackle my tasks in a much more organized manner and I feel less pressured to work extra hours. My stress level is down. Just as a good time manager records successes and short-comings, I’m recording what I’ve accomplished and what’s left to do.

A couple of years ago I was in an accountability group with two other individuals. Each day we e-mailed our list of tasks that we started and how far along we progressed. I was amazed at how much I could do each day and, more importantly, I was amazed at how much I accomplished that I really didn’t recognize. At the end of any day it’s easy to focus on the uncompleted tasks on your list or in your daytimer while ignoring what you truly accomplished.

So, right now I’m looking for colleagues who I can mastermind with and share my thoughts, challenges, progress, opportunities and, of course, who will help keep me on a postive track. How about you? Are you in a mastermind group? How’s it working? What tips do you have you could share with the rest of us?

Have a great February,

Garth Roberts

This blog has become the target of spam artists who seem to feel it’s their right to inflict their brand of internet “marketing” on the unsuspecting masses. Fortunately this is a moderated blog so I can eliminate the spam before it’s published. The one bright side of spam intrusion is it prompted me to look at the concept of ”spam leaders” in business.

Do you know of any leaders who toss out directions or advise with the same focus and accuracy as our spammers?

Unfortunately I’ve met too many leaders who “spam” their offices with mindless directions, advise, opinions and self-important pronouncements. None of which increase productivity or encourage empowerment of the rest of the office.

So, are you a leadership spammer? I certainly hope not. From my perspective the most effective way to ensure you aren’t viewed as spam is to do three little things: plan, communicate and follow-up.

In my presentations and when consulting I prod clients to spend time planning before doing anything else. I’ve had one frontline leader say, “But Garth, you don’t understand. We don’t have time to plan around here … but we do have time to do it over again tomorrow.” He had a smile on his face to suggest that he was joking, but planning wasn’t one of his leadership skills.

Think about it for a minute. If you stopped for 30-seconds to plan what you’re going to say to a boss, client or colleague, how much time would save? No confusion in what you wanted or what you expected. No other person wondering what you really meant. No repeat of a task or project. I’ve heard estimates that 1/3 to 2/3rds of what done in offices every day is redo. Even if it’s only 10%, that still a huge saving of time over a year and that time translates into money.

While it’s true that planning takes time, simple logic tells us it saves more time that it uses. So, what tools do you use to help you plan? I use Outlook to keep me on track and I supplement that with a paper daytimer for those times when my computer isn’t around. In the past few years I’ve been more consistent in my planning and have forced myself to stick to each plan, or justify to myself why I should change. Guess what, I’ve noticed a marked increase in my productivity and effectiveness.

As to the other two elements of my productivity trio - communication and follow-up - more on that in my next post.

The convention is over and everyone has gone home. How much follow-up is happening today? I spent five extra days in San Diego after the National Speakers Association (NSA) convention http://www.nsaspeaker.org/index.shtml. Part of my time was visiting old haunts as I graduated from San Diego State many years ago and part of the time was reflecting on the convention. To be fair, more time was spent recharging my soul than following-up on lessons learned. However, I did take the first tentative steps in moving forward and chucking unnecessary jobs on my To Do list.

Today I’m sitting in the airport waiting to catch a flight back to Calgary. You might say it’s my first real office day as I have a couple of hours before my flight. I’ve been very productive in these two hours and such a time always reminds me that short, dedicated work times are frequently better than long, drawn out work times. In just a short period I’ve put my plans in place for the rest of this week and next. I’ve also put some solid work into a session I’m conducting with a client on Monday. I’ve been productive and can see the positive results.

So how do you incorporate what you learn at conventions into your real world? For me it’s being smart and specific, if anything is going to work. Several years ago at my first NSA convention in New Orleans I attended all the sessions time allowed and took notes and more notes. Most got ignored because I was so confused when I got home that reality didn’t make way for anything new. After that experience I planned better before going to the conventions, primarily NSA and CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) http://www.canadianspeakers.org/ and I only attend sessions that will help move me forward. Overload is a dangerous roadblock to progression.

At the 2007 NSA convention one of my focus areas was the brain and how it works. Definitely something I can use in my work with emerging supervisors and managers. I attended two excellent sessions that provided me with new information and the tools and desire to research further on my own. The two presenters, Dr. John B. Molidor from Haslett, Michigan http://www.nsamichigan.org/pages/MemberPages/moli.html, and Rohit Talwar from London, England, www.rohittalwar.com, shared their wealth of knowledge in a manner than regular folks could understand. What a gift to all of us.

Four other sessions also expanded my world and I encourage everyone to become familiar with Simon T. Bailey from Windermere, Florida http://www.simontbailey.com/; Dr. Sue Morter, Indianapolis, Indiana http://www.dynamiclifetraining.com/sue_bio.php; Dan Burrus, CSP, CPAE from Hartland, Wisconsin http://www.burrus.com/; and Dr. Joe Vitale from Wimberley, Texas www.mrfire.com. If you’ve seen The Secret, you know Dr. Joe Vitale. When you wander away from this blog, check out all the people I’ve mentioned.

Garth Roberts

One of the biggest challenges for leaders (and everyone) is to juggle all the tasks that come our way. We’re all so busy, right? Or, are we? Being busy is a choice we all make and our own inability to say “no” leads us to be incredibly busy because someone else wants something from us.

We all have a choice!

I just finished a three-day seminar where I learned a whole bunch and got a dozen or so “assignments” from the speakers. Now it’s my choice to take on the assignments or put them aside. To make this decision I need to do what many leaders choice not to do. I will have to take time to plan and prioritize.

How many times have you said or heard someone say, “I don’t have time to stop and plan. We’re too busy keeping up with what our customers need.”? I’m currently working with a group of supervisors in the manufacturing sector. Their illusion is that they don’t have time to plan because they’d have to stop the assembly line to do the planning. First of all, planning does not have to take hours and it doesn’t have to be done at the expense of a critical operation.

I’ve set aside time over a few days to review my notes from the three-day seminar. This time will be a few minutes during the day, here and there, and some time during the evening or next weekend. Some of this planning will be done while I’m at the National Speakers Association convention in San Diego. And, I already know that at the convention sessions I’ll hear other new ideas that I just might want to work with. Potential overload for my brain, if I don’t strategize and plan how to select what I can use.

Based on my notes from both the seminar and the convention, I’ll make some decisions as to what I will tackle now and what I will tackle down the road. I will put some of the possible assignments in my “not to do” bin as they won’t match my business plan. While the ideas may be great, they aren’t for me.

There was a time when any assignment giving to me became a task that I felt obligated to complete. Guess what my success rate was and how it affected my confidence in my ability to complete projects. I’ve learned that I’m not responsible to everyone to complete everything.

Now I will take the new assignments, analyze them and determine which ones I should tackle. Next I’ll put a plan in place for each assignment - with a timeline for completion. If I don’t put the timeline in place I know my chances of following through are slim. You see, I know me and what I need to guarantee success. Once I have the plan in place I can put it into my schedule without interrupting my current workload. It’s not rocket science; it just takes planning.

How good is your planning? Add a comment with your suggestions for dealing with being busy. How do you keep a balance in your life?

 Garth Roberts