tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6724771532921616942024-03-06T02:22:45.681-06:00MyLEAD360 - Lessons on Leadership and FollowershipArticles related to growth in leadership and follwership. LEAD360: Leadership Evaluation, Assessment and Development by 360 degrees.
MyLEAD360: Helping individuals, teams and organizations improve productivity, communication and conflict management through personal leadership consulting and coaching.LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-52619904907889030402019-11-29T20:11:00.000-06:002019-11-29T20:19:57.537-06:00The Servant-Steward's Handbook<h2>
The Servant-Steward's Handbook</h2>
<i>The Servant-Steward's Handbook</i> is now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.<br />
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Many of the concepts that have appeared in this blog over the past few years have been updated and are now gathered into one collection with even more practical suggestions to help leaders effectively supervise the people in your organization. We hope this handbook becomes a handy desk reference or textbook for training supervisors in business or ministry settings. </div>
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Thanks to Max Greiner, Jr. for graciously granting permission to use the photo of his "Divine Servant" sculpture on the cover of the book. The setting with high-rise office buildings in the background perfectly illustrates the concept of <i>servant-stewardship </i>in the 21st Century<i>. </i>Christians in the marketplace today often feel we are swimming upstream, against the flow. At the same time, it appears to me that most people really want their supervisors to <i>act </i>like Christians without actually having to <i>be </i>followers of Jesus. Having the same attitude that Jesus had when He took the form of a <i>slave </i>is not a popular concept, but it is the way He expects us to act. (Mt.20:25-28; Jn.13:1-19; Ph.2:3-11) </div>
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And if we act like that, we might be as conspicuous as a near-naked CEO washing the feet of a worker in downtown Atlanta, Dallas, or New York. Others will notice and it will make a difference in how they respond and perform. </div>
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LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09152645240354506164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-1188581459660012932016-08-24T21:48:00.002-05:002016-08-24T21:53:34.062-05:00An Olympic Lesson on Teaming <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaxxylJop-twUqlma72hNxHeYiZqxNxX6GMqXCo9V9uxbaGoOrJJUdaMLxv95cQTvh94Xt6feqwBuhhsRoN3Hfy_Sujb8D0sDm-6d1asfB7J_X-I4jp2DIoMgAm0eQDML_yEQQN-Jre0/s1600/2016+Olympic%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaxxylJop-twUqlma72hNxHeYiZqxNxX6GMqXCo9V9uxbaGoOrJJUdaMLxv95cQTvh94Xt6feqwBuhhsRoN3Hfy_Sujb8D0sDm-6d1asfB7J_X-I4jp2DIoMgAm0eQDML_yEQQN-Jre0/s400/2016+Olympic%25283%2529.jpg" /></a><br />
The XXXI Summer Olympics are over and I am going through a bit of withdrawal. For the entire two weeks we were drawn to the television to watch whatever event the network producers decided to highlight. We especially enjoyed watching the swimming events, since I had coached my three grandchildren to meet their own individual swimming goals by the end of summer. Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky had us mesmerized with every race. Simone Biles caused our jaws to drop with her near flawless gymnastics and support of her teammates who dubbed themselves the "final five." And there were many exciting moments in a number of sports that we do not regularly follow. We saw much of what the old ABC Sports theme described, "The thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat." <br />
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Bicycle racing is one of the sports we do not follow. But we were fascinated with both the men's and the women's road races this year. Both races had us on the edges our seats for the final few kilometers and the last 200 meters had us absolutely glued to the set cheering them on. Both races saw a lone rider out front with a sizeable lead ahead of the nearest pack until the last few hundred meters when a pack of three riders overtook the leader and snatched away the gold, the silver and (in the women's race) the bronze medal. <br />
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For years I did not understand why they called cycling a team sport. It looked to me like a race of individuals. But this year I learned about the peloton, the group (from the French for "platoon"). Like geese who fly in formation taking turns drafting the leader, each rider takes a turn up front taking the full wind resistance, allowing the other teammates to exert less energy and increase their stamina. <br />
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Mara Abbott had stayed with her peloton up to the last hill in Rio. Hills are where Abbott is strongest, so she pulled way ahead of her teammates with them cheering her on, although she was still far behind the front leaders. Then there was a major accident on the last brutal curve with bikes descending at well over 50 miles per hour. As Mara passed the pile of spilled bikes and riders, she sped down the hill to take a 38 second lead ahead of the nearest pack of competitors. All the way up to the last 200 meters we were sure Mara Abbot would take the gold medal. But then the final drama began to unfold. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXvUA95WLe5HdcDWaWIDwIDaxAa8MoEHC9QjSVv6aUe10Nk7WpkQMLYAg6224v6-nSeMRIX7kyIGAQMt760OBBNtevR0CWywbv0Av55GhOeLMCRgW08E-wxkdV2_MmsjDHJCoePWzIoM/s1600/2016+Olympic%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXvUA95WLe5HdcDWaWIDwIDaxAa8MoEHC9QjSVv6aUe10Nk7WpkQMLYAg6224v6-nSeMRIX7kyIGAQMt760OBBNtevR0CWywbv0Av55GhOeLMCRgW08E-wxkdV2_MmsjDHJCoePWzIoM/s320/2016+Olympic%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Three riders working together as a peloton began gaining on her. I don't know when she became aware of how close they were coming and how fast, but when she tried to turn on the kick, the turbo chargers just weren't there. The pack of three passed her and Mara finished fourth--no medal. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiSTL8DGJQtqSnLy2CNv4WhodWtruDjbHBjV1440KnwVrMphIN1O_fsnvDl5OPkzy4aKssIhvVyDmVel3V-yKMHIIo55woDvbYkwUFp2x2vsL6Y91YLlsJ0_M-fSlKN8RaWD3NMaHlUg/s1600/2016+Olympic%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiSTL8DGJQtqSnLy2CNv4WhodWtruDjbHBjV1440KnwVrMphIN1O_fsnvDl5OPkzy4aKssIhvVyDmVel3V-yKMHIIo55woDvbYkwUFp2x2vsL6Y91YLlsJ0_M-fSlKN8RaWD3NMaHlUg/s320/2016+Olympic%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The really interesting part of this for me is the fact that the three riders in the championship pack were from three different competing countries: Anna Van Der Breggen of the Netherlands, Emma Johansson of Sweden, and E<span style="color: black;">lisa Longo Borghini of Italy. </span>Somehow the three managed to form not just a pack, but a pact. If they joined forces, each of them would increase their potential to win a medal. At the very end of the race, all three of them pedaled with all their might to go for the gold, but up until that final stretch they knew that they had to form a team and work together for any of them to possibly overtake the front rider. In the final seconds Mara Abbott saw the agony of defeat as Van Der Breggen won the gold, Johansson took silver and Borghini got bronze. Mara Abbott put in a magnificent individual performance, but at the end of the race she finished fourth, which in Olympic terms means she lost.<br />
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<strong>Hint to the Leader</strong>: <br />
Sometimes you have to team up with unexpected partners to overcome common challenges. Keep your eye on the big picture--not just your department or division, not just your own goals, but the ultimate goals of your company or organization. What can you do to motivate your followers to work together more as a team? <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Follower: </strong><br />
If you only work for number one, then you are likely to discover one is the loneliest number. We all need others with different strengths to help us reach our larger goals. Who do you need? Who might also need you and your strengths?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">© Dr. Larry N. Gay, August 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">LEAD360, LLC</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">MyLEAD360.com</span>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09152645240354506164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-41641337855039013252015-10-16T09:31:00.006-05:002015-10-16T09:31:49.210-05:00Feeling Valued at Work<br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"</span>Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." </em>Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV) </div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the last few days, I
have asked a number of people, “What makes you feel valued in your workplace?” It seems to come
down to three things: <strong>T</strong>rust, <strong>R</strong>espect and <strong>I</strong>nput. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Trust </b>–<b> </b>“assured reliance on the character,
ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” (Merriam-Webster) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Trust is<b> </b>the<b> </b>building block for <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/fw-your-roadmap-to-more-effective.html" target="_blank">transformational leadership</a>. Leaders want their followers to trust them, but to
gain trust one must first prove himself to be <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/fw-your-roadmap-to-more-effective.html" target="_blank">trustworthy</a>. One way to build
trustworthiness is to place trust in the other person. The more trust I show
you, the more I increase the likelihood that you will trust me. Delegation of
responsibility is a huge way to build<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/building-organizational-trust.html" target="_blank"> trust</a>. Sharing of information and sharing
personal prayer requests are also trust builders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Respect </b>–“a feeling of deep admiration for someone or
something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” (Oxford
Dictionary) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The simplest recognition of the other person’s experience,
contributions or individual accomplishments can go a very long way toward making
the person feel respected. Another simple way to show respect is to put down the smart-aleck phone and give the person your undivided attention. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Input</b> – “advice or opinions that help someone make a decision.”
(Merriam-Webster). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is about feeling you have the opportunity to share <b>Information</b> and <strong>Insights</strong>. Being given the opportunity to share these <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html" target="_blank">three I's</a> creates a feeling of <strong>empowerment. </strong> </span></div>
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Information x Input x Insight = Empowerment (<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html" target="_blank">I<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>3</sup> = E</span></a> ). <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div>
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The word “empowerment” is often
confused with delegation of authority. People do not necessarily have to
be given a delegated authority, however, to feel empowered. The opportunity to give
<b>input</b> up line with absolute confidence that they will be heard makes
people feel they actually make a difference. This is more than just having the
opportunity to influence decisions. It has to do with simply being heard, knowing that your manager has an open ear and will give
attention to what you have to share--even if your idea is not implemented. <br />
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The ability to give input also helps to build trust that leads to
respect. Of course, if a person's input is repeatedly rejected outright, then that becomes a trust-buster, making the person feel disrespected and devalued. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of this boils down to helping people feel that they are persons of worth, that they are known and valued for who they are and not just for what they do. Who you are amounts to
much more than just what you do in your job at work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hint to the Leader:</strong></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Imagine what your organization would look like if leaders would go out of
their way to demonstrate a genuine value for every worker at every level
throughout the organization. What could you do to start building such an organization right now? What could you do to show that you are genuinely <strong>TRI</strong>-ing?<strong> </strong>(Remember, <strong>T</strong>rust, <strong>R</strong>espect, <strong>I</strong>nput.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hint to the Follower:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even if you are not feeling valued at work, you can make others feel valued. Consider starting your own campaign by showing respect for your manager or supervisor. Offer your input with an attitude of helping. By the way, would your family members say they feel valued by you? Would they say you are <strong>TRI</strong>-ing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">© </span>Dr. Larry N. Gay, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">October 16, 2015</span><br />
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LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215023721713635938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-14094686153097091802015-01-30T12:38:00.001-06:002015-01-30T12:59:24.667-06:00Don’t Confuse Me with the Facts <br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“How
many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in
the name of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">LORD</span>?” …And the
king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not
prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(King Ahab, before he
rejected the counsel of Micaiah and was defeated and killed at Ramoth-gilead by
the king of Syria. <br />
[<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1 Kings 22:16-18, ESV])</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
her confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate, Attorney General nominee
Loretta Lynch was asked if she would be willing to say no to the president.
Concern was expressed over comments by the outgoing Attorney General, Eric
Holder, referring to himself as “the president's wingman.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lynch
responded, “I think I have to be willing to tell not just my friends but
colleagues 'no' if the law requires it. That would include the president of the
United States." When asked how she would be different than her predecessor,
she said, "I will be myself. Loretta Lynch."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are you looking for a
man or a “yes man”? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Great
leaders do not just take yes for an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some disagreement and low-level conflict can lead to better consensus
decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best leaders encourage
dialogue and welcome challenges to their decisions when there might truly be a
better idea. Then, once the decision is made, they can reasonably expect their
followers to follow through with commitment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While
attending the annual convention meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in
1987, I was introduced to a liaison from the Catholic Church. Our mutual friend
had recently been named to a position of leadership for what was then the FMB.
As he tried to equate that position to his own organization’s structure, he
commented that a bishop once told him, “Once you become a bishop, it marks the
last time two things will ever happen. It’s the last time you will ever be
served a bad meal and it’s the last time anyone will ever tell you the truth.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sadly,
the farther up the chain of leadership one moves, the more difficult it becomes
for subordinates to feel free to share bad news or facts that contradict the
leader’s stated position. Often, leaders say they want to know what is really
going on out there in the trenches or on the frontline, but they express their
preconceived conclusions in such a way that others receive the message, “Don’t
confuse me with the facts.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have a button on my desk with that inscription. It hangs in front of a yellow Tweety
Bird pen holder, a gift from my sons years ago. Together, the button and Tweety
remind me of at least five things outlined in the hints below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hints to the Leader <u>and</u>
to the Follower: <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember to Stop, Look and LISTEN to
others first, before expressing your own opinions (better yet, before FORMING
my own opinions). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t draw conclusions too quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t think too highly of your own
opinions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay open to the possibility of altering,
changing or perhaps even ditching what you thought was a “final” conclusion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">5)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t take yourself too seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOjELelug_RWGljQUKoBZ1cXBc2D3dB2-4mW4GgzQhXrz2w3F9-Zi9goq5ivs4Ok24C3x-Fyx0dDLXWqM0jjwKzlGUB_Otx3ofJF76UU5150n6Rt81wixylYnlvqZN3Wza_-7zaroqw/s1600/Tweety-Don't%2BConfuse%2BMe%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOjELelug_RWGljQUKoBZ1cXBc2D3dB2-4mW4GgzQhXrz2w3F9-Zi9goq5ivs4Ok24C3x-Fyx0dDLXWqM0jjwKzlGUB_Otx3ofJF76UU5150n6Rt81wixylYnlvqZN3Wza_-7zaroqw/s1600/Tweety-Don't%2BConfuse%2BMe%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOjELelug_RWGljQUKoBZ1cXBc2D3dB2-4mW4GgzQhXrz2w3F9-Zi9goq5ivs4Ok24C3x-Fyx0dDLXWqM0jjwKzlGUB_Otx3ofJF76UU5150n6Rt81wixylYnlvqZN3Wza_-7zaroqw/s1600/Tweety-Don't%2BConfuse%2BMe%2B.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(For
more hints, see also the earlier article “<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Leaders
Need Three I’s</span></a>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html</span></a>).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">© Dr. Larry N. Gay, January 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215023721713635938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-45424060848407311762014-08-04T05:40:00.000-05:002014-08-04T05:40:00.063-05:00A fine way to say hello<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. <br />
If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation.”</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
(Matthew 10:12-13, <em>The Message</em>)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Greetings can be interesting. In English, for example, instead of a simple “Hello” we are likely to say, “How are you?” or if we haven’t seen each other for a while, “How have you been?” In the southern United States one of the most common greetings is, “Hiya doin’?” In the southwest that might be pronounced, “Howdy do?” a compressed version of “How do you do?” That was shortened even more to become just “Howdy.” It’s not that people really want to hear about your physical or emotional health. They simply want to acknowledge your presence within proximity of their personal space, sight and sound.<br />
<br />
By the time we reach the age when the AARP corresponds with us more than our children, people don’t just ask “How are you?” because we might start telling them how we actually feel! They don’t really want to know about our chronic back pains or our depression over the fact that we just realized our retirement fund will probably be barely enough to buy a pup tent instead of the house on the lake that we had dreamed about. They don’t have time hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They just want to hear, “Fine, and how are you?” to which they can respond, “Fine.” <br />
<br />
Since I passed fifty, I have noticed how some people will greet me in the morning with “Did you sleep well last night?” Now that’s a simple, direct question that can be answered with a short, direct answer. I know they want a plain answer and I want to give them one. I also want to be honest in my answer since, by my definition, I might not have slept the entire evening in the restful, continuous, uninterrupted sleep of a ten-year-old child. So my answer is usually, “Yes, several times.” I might also answer truthfully, “I slept like a baby” which really means “<em>I woke up every two hours crying because I had bathroom issues</em>.” <br />
<br />
Whenever someone asks how you are doing, what they really want to hear is one simple word—“Fine.” That’s how most people respond. “Fine.” But what in the world does “fine” mean? Look the word up in a thesaurus and you will see such synonyms as: well, in good health, satisfactory, adequate, acceptable, excellent or superior. It can also mean delicate, dainty, slender, thin or <em>diaphanous</em> (that’s what my dad might have called a ten-dollar word for fine). <br />
<br />
You go to the doctor because you have fever, chills, diarrhea and nausea. The doctor comes into the examining room and asks, “How are you?” <br />
“Fine.” <br />
Come on! Why are you in the doctor’s office if you are really fine? So after the exam is over, he gives you the news that you have only three months to live because you have an aggressive cancer that has advanced beyond the possibility of any treatment. As you are coming out of the doctor’s office you run into a friend who greets you, “Hey! How are you?” <br />
“Fine, fine.” <br />
<br />
Yeah, sure. If fine means, “I am feeling the weight of my whole world crashing down on me right now”, then I suppose “fine” is an honest answer. Diaphanous might be more appropriate response in this case. Try it some time and see how people react:<br />
“How are you?” <br />
“Diaphanous. And you?” <br />
<br />
OK, maybe not. <br />
<br />
“Fine” doesn’t tell me a thing! When I ask someone “How are you?” and they respond, “Fine,” I usually follow up with something like, “In spite of everything and everybody?” If you are really doing fine, then it must be in spite of the bad things that are happening all around you and the way people are treating you. <br />
<br />
I was an Emergency Medical Technician with a volunteer fire and rescue department in Texas for three years. When we would arrive on the scene of an accident the natural thing to do was greet the patient and ask how they were doing. Can’t you just see it? The guy is laid out on the street, broken and bleeding having been thrown from a vehicle doing fifty miles an hour when it crashed into a barricade and the conversation goes something like this: <br />
<br />
“How you doin’ buddy?” <br />
“Fine.”<br />
“That’s good. Let’s see if we can get that arm stabilized so that bone sticking out won’t be too uncomfortable on the way to the hospital.” <br />
“Fine, thanks.”<br />
<br />
I rather prefer some of the Asian languages with more practical greetings that require a simple affirmative or negative answer. For example, in several East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures, the common greeting can be translated literally as “Have you had your rice yet?” That is a very subjective question that should be easy to answer honestly: yes or no. <br />
<br />
Granted, some people really are doing well, not just in spite of the bad things or difficult people around them, but <em>because</em> of the good things that surround them. I suppose some of us really are doing fine, but I doubt if most of us really feel all that fine. <br />
<br />
Instead of throwing around careless greetings and responses, what if we all decided to take our greetings seriously and showed a real interest in the people we meet and greet every day? What difference could such a small gesture make in your workplace? Then, after a brief word of encouragement, perhaps they could honestly say, "I feel fine, now."<br />
<br />
© Copyright Dr. Larry N. Gay, August 2014. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Lessons on Leadership and Followership”</span></div>
LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-82684599844069398062014-07-28T05:42:00.000-05:002014-07-28T15:38:58.112-05:00You Really Can Choose (Part 2)<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“…and again I say, ‘Rejoice!’”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> (Apostle Paul, Letter to the
Philippians 4:4)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I mentioned earlier how I have
tried to teach my grandchildren about choosing to be happy. My oldest grandson,
Andrew, became interested in Tae Kwon Do from about age six. I can see how the
discipline of the sport has helped to build character, self-control and growth
toward healthy self-confidence among other good things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At age eight Andrew has earned his
red belt and has been making progress toward completing the requirements for
his black belt. We have enjoyed attending some of the testing ceremonies as he would
advance to a new belt. It has been amazing to see this seven or eight year old
kid as he completed the complex forms and movements and then would break
through the reusable plastic boards that can be as tough as wood, but save the
expense and environmental impact of wasting so many trees. (Not to mention the
wonderful avoidance of having to dig splinters from the kids’ hands and feet!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently, we
accompanied my oldest son, Andrew’s dad, and his family to New Orleans for his
graduation from seminary where he was receiving his master’s degree. On the
morning of the day before graduation, we decided to enjoy walking along the
streets of the French Quarter. Andrew, however, was having a particularly difficult
day and needed an attitude check. He was making life pretty miserable for
everyone. Andrew and I walked together on the narrow sidewalk, ahead of the
group as we neared the restaurant where we planned to have lunch. I place my
hand on his shoulder and leaned down to say. “You’re having a pretty bad day
already, aren’t you?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Yep.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Well, I just want you know that
I’m going to find a way to break through that bad attitude. I’m going to break
right through it, like you break through one of your Tae Kwon Do boards,” I
boasted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Well,” he responded, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Don’t expect to get a new belt today</i>.” </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I immediately lost all control and
laughed out loud. “That was an absolutely great comeback, Andrew!” I said. “I
don’t think I could have thought of a better response to that and certainly not
that fast. After all,” I continued, “it is not a matter of me fixing your bad
attitude. It is a matter of YOU deciding how YOU will respond—even when the
world is not operating 100% the way YOU think it ought to go.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In a few minutes we were seated in
the restaurant, and he was doing better after getting some good food in his
belly and cooling off in the air conditioned dining room. I pulled him aside
and asked how he felt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Almost there,” was his reply as he
smiled sheepishly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I asked if I could share our
conversation with the rest of the family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Not yet,” he said, but then later
he said it would be ok if he were not present. So I do have permission to write
this record. I did not exactly break through his bad attitude that morning, but
at least I got a good story from it! </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hint to the Leader</b>:
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy workers are always more productive. You can’t fix
other individuals’ bad attitude, but you can do something about your own. You
can set the pace for others by showing up every day with a determination to kindle
a fire of joy, regardless of the circumstances. Don’t fake it. Find things to laugh
about… even if it is at your own expense. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hint to the Follower:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Even when the world is not operating 100% in agreement with
how you think it ought to be, you still have a choice. You can choose to have a
good attitude in spite of it all. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Having trouble finding something to
rejoice about? The Apostle Paul reported, “Five times I received… the forty
lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three
times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent
journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own
people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger
at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a
sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure…
At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus
in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the
wall and escaped his hands.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2 Corinthians 11:23-33) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of all that, this same person wrote
to his friends in Philippi from prison while in chains, “REJOICE! ...and again,
I say, REJOICE!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You really do have a
choice! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For more hints, w</span>rite
me at </span><a href="mailto:LEAD360@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">LEAD360@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>© Copyright Dr. Larry
Gay, July 2014</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></div>
LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215023721713635938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-8183208755958818372014-07-14T05:47:00.000-05:002014-07-25T08:43:01.084-05:00You Really Can Choose<br />
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</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (ESV) <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” (Abraham Lincoln)<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> When my oldest grandson was not quite two years old I would say, “Andrew, we can chose to be…” and he would respond by throwing his hands up in the air and shouting, “HAPPY!” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> “That’s right,” I would continue. “We can choose to be happy. So what do you choose to be today?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, he would shout, “HAPPY!” and we would laugh and laugh. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> My wife and others were convinced it was a purely Pavlovian response, but I never doubted that he knew exactly what he was saying. In fact, the first time he did it I promise I did not prompt him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> One day when he was not quite two, I was riding in the backseat with him as he was at near tantrum level and needed a serious attitude check. His mother was driving the car and he was about to drive her to distraction. I leaned over next to him and, as was our custom, I said, “Now Andrew, we can choose to be…?” to which he immediately responded, “Not today, Papaw. Not today.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> I could not just let it end there. So I pursued, “I guess that means you choose to be unhappy, right?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, if you choose to be unhappy, that must be what you want to be. So if being unhappy is what makes you happy, then go right ahead and be unhappy! Does that make you happy? That’s fine with me as long as it makes you happy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> It took about 15 seconds for him to ponder that idea before he began to break out in a reluctant grin that spread to full-blown laughter as we got silly with the idea of getting happy by choosing to be unhappy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> I admit that I am not always pleased with the way others act. The world does not always operate in compete accordance with my idea of perfection—the world according to me. I cannot control all the circumstances and events that come into my life. I can, however, control my response to what happens around me or to me. It is more than a conditioned or controlled reaction. It is a conscious decision to be in control of my emotional and mental health. I refuse to let someone else have that power over me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> (By the way, his younger sister and brother both gave the same response by the time they were two as well.) </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hint to the Leader:</b> You really can set the mood for your family, team, department or the whole organization by choosing to show a positive attitude. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hint to the Follower: </b>You might not be able to control your initial reaction to a negative circumstance, but you can choose how you will respond. Even if you feel powerless in the organizational structure where you live and work, you have the power of influence. By choosing a positive attitude, you can start a chain reaction of joy that is contagious and will influence an unlimited number of people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, July 2014</span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i><br />
<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<br />LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17215023721713635938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-58424276616940954902013-12-16T07:35:00.000-06:002013-12-16T07:35:00.157-06:00Don't Fixate on ONE Solution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walking on the beach I noticed a dedicated, hard-working egret who knew what he wanted and thought he knew how to get it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlS2LDqVlOoiY7YyU1PirM_hU3a9uigpJi4dYcF9voYkTcUjKj_MA2FL5Ew-K8fnpQtPqqTdttTdxKsZS6NXXE5o_maDyVAukquUP_ph5cMDAbE4z10_JdYwDc_mQWvzDLhzra7HuSY8/s1600/01ba189b871c0c69eb929fa51c33b8793df545965a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlS2LDqVlOoiY7YyU1PirM_hU3a9uigpJi4dYcF9voYkTcUjKj_MA2FL5Ew-K8fnpQtPqqTdttTdxKsZS6NXXE5o_maDyVAukquUP_ph5cMDAbE4z10_JdYwDc_mQWvzDLhzra7HuSY8/s320/01ba189b871c0c69eb929fa51c33b8793df545965a.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fish in a bucket should be easy pickings, right? The only problem was how to get them out of the bucket, because the fisherman had placed a weighted cover there... precisely to keep the egrets from eating his bait fish! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Throughout the morning other egrets smelled the fish in the bucket and came to check it out, but they quickly determined that there was a better way to get fish in the nearby surf. Not this guy, though. He was so fixated on this one solution to his hunger that he ignored the obvious solution that everyone else found. He was so convinced that this was an easier and better way, that he wasted the entire morning while all the other egrets got their fill of small fish in the surf. In fact, the fisherman told me this particular egret did the same thing every morning! Occasionally the fisherman would empty his bucket when he was through fishing, but he would never allow this particular egret to have any of the fish, because he was so fixated on this method of feeding that the fisherman knew he would never catch his own fish again if ever allowed to eat from the bucket. Even so, the egret still was determined that this was easier than catching fish in the water, so day after day he keeps dreaming of how to open the bucket and get at all those yummy fish that are just waiting to be eaten. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">He reminded me of that simple definition of insanity--continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting to get different results.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Hint to the Leader: </strong>Don't get so fixated on ONE solution to the problem. There might be another way. Be willing to think a new thought. <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Follower:</strong> Don't take rejection of your suggestion of a solution as rejection of the problem you are seeing. The resources to open the bucket might be beyond your reach. When you hit a wall of limitations, turn around and look at the ocean of other ideas that might also work, be willing to follow the example of others who are already getting results. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, December 2013</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #445566;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></div>
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LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09152645240354506164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-92125209625598902032011-04-10T20:05:00.038-05:002011-04-10T20:05:00.346-05:00Don't Be a Bonsai Leader<div class="WordSection1">
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“<i>So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(Paul’s Letter to the Romans 14:19, HCSB)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I once saw a demonstration of how to grow a bonsai tree. I was horrified to watch the professional horticulturist brutally hack away at a tree branch as he told how the tree, if left to its own nature, would grow to an unpredictable shape, large and reproductive. The goal of bonsai gardening, he explained, is to force the tree to grow small and remain small in a shape that is pleasing to the gardener and that will fit into the pot where the tree is intended to live. Bonsai trees do not reproduce. Later, I came across a website for “Bonsai Leadership” and I thought, “this must be a joke!” When I think of a “bonsai leader” I can only imagine someone who hacks away at people to force them into a cookie-cutter mold that can be controlled and micro-managed. Why would anyone <i>want </i>to be a bonsai leader? (I honestly do not intend to offend anyone who might be associated with that group or with bonsai gardening.) </span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Bonsai can be created from nearly any… tree or shrub species… its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Several times a year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth… and meet the artist's detailed design…. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-sized trees.” </span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bonsai leaders achieve conformity, uniformity and deformity </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aVldOFwCCCetZEpsYiVKi3BcM5VqNv9KHSXqfuBnu41Z-_ys9RINGu4w4UsDMsIYu-RzvlWw17kGJFmm9KZm1y9I8b2bEj2GsSMg2785x5HOn4YeBCr1xqPRxV1e1YU8HHvYWDv7qto/s1600/DSC00359%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">While bonsai leadership might achieve <i>conformity</i> and <i>uniformity</i>, its ultimate result is controlled <i>deformity</i>. The bonsai tree was not originally intended by its creator to be small and sterile. By forcing the plant to grow small, it becomes a deformed imitation of its original intended purpose. In the same way, individuals respond to bonsai leadership by becoming small imitations of what they were meant to be. By hacking away at any attempts to grow outside the box, the bonsai leader trains individuals, like a bonsai tree, to be ornamental instead of allowing them to grow to their maximum potential and multiplying their contribution to the organization’s purpose. “My way or the highway” is often the theme of such a leader. </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Leader-builders achieve diversity, variety and purpose</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The best leaders are not threatened by the leadership potential in the people they lead. To the contrary, they actually work at building up others and multiplying their own effectiveness as they celebrate the diverse gifts and abilities of others. The best leaders recognize that it is precisely this diversity that contributes to the organization fulfilling its purpose and reaching its objectives. While uniformity might be easier to control, it is variety that builds strength in the team. </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hint to the Leader </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Consider whether your leadership style is characterized by building up or tearing down. You could be doing a bonsai on your workers without realizing it. What can you do to encourage the people you lead to grow to their potential and use their unique gifts, talents and experience to contribute positively to the company’s goals and objectives? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If you feel like you are the bonsai, hang in there! Never forget that your were meant to grow and be productive. Start looking for ways to reproduce and multiply yourself by mentoring others. Learn from the mistakes of others. Determine now that you will not be a bonsai leader. <b></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">[See also “<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/04/stress-and-job-dissatisfaction.html">Stress and Job Dissatisfaction</a>”, April 4, 2010] </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, April 2011</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </span></div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-45172965462282419032011-04-03T20:01:00.016-05:002011-08-20T09:15:02.646-05:00Spring Cleaning for Business<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Spring cleaning is a time to clean out and throw away any old stuff that is no longer useful to make room for new stuff. Your business or organization needs a regular “spring cleaning.” Every department should look for things <i>not</i> to do. Ask yourselves, “What are we currently doing that we should <i>stop </i>doing?” You cannot keep adding new processes, procedures, or practices and also keep the <i>status quo </i>of old processes, procedures and practices going at their same rate… UNLESS, of course, you also add new personnel along with the new products or services you want to offer. Most managers will say, “This is all we have to work with. Make it work.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Make the best use of what you have </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I love a scene from the movie <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3csfLkMJT4">Apollo 13</a>. </i> The crew is in a critical situation with a damaged spacecraft trying to return to earth and needs to connect the air purification system from the Lunar Landing Module to the Command Module. The problem is, the ventilation hardware of the two systems does not match up. [<i>Several technicians come onto a conference room at ground control and dump boxes containing the same equipment and tools that the astronauts have with them onto a table</i>.] The technician then says to the engineering team, “<i>OK, Listen up folks! We've got to find a way to make this [square CSM LiOH canister] fit into the hole for this [round LEM canister] ... using nothing but that.</i> Now let’s get to work!” </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Somehow, they figured out a way to make it work using only what the crew had on board and they brought the crew safely back to earth. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Aim for higher performance</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The leadership team was sitting around the table looking at our job responsibilities and wondering how we could get to the next level of leadership and productivity. At one point, I asked the team, “What is your dream job?” As we went around the room, each team member affirmed that he had the best job in the region. “Alright,” I said. “But surely each of you has <i>something </i>in your list of responsibilities that<i> </i>you would rather not have to do—something that drags you down or you dread having to do, but is necessary because of the job. How could your job be even better?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> One teammate said, “Yeah. I absolutely <i>hate</i> having to write new job requests and job descriptions. I hate having to write all this stuff in the second person to someone I have never met and in such a way as to make the job appealing and with good grammar and good form.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Immediately, another teammate said, “Really? Oh, I just love doing that!” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> To which the first guy said, “Well, here then. You can have ‘em!” He reached down and grabbed a stack of requests that he flopped on the table in front of his teammate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> His teammate responded, “Great! Now I won’t have to spend nearly as much time rewriting and correcting your requests. Just tell me what you want and I’ll write the request from scratch.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Both of them said something like, “Oh, what a relief it is!” That afternoon we shifted a few more responsibilities around the room until everyone felt we had gotten to our maximum potential, given the tasks we had to perform as a team. That day we began to be a high performance team. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Look for things <i>not </i>to do </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Consider the stated values of the organization. What do we say is most important to us? Is there anything we currently do that might actually be contrary to these values? Next, look at all the processes, procedures, policies and practices in every department to see how these effectively contribute to the company’s objectives and support the company’s values. Some of these might have served a very good purpose in the past, but have now outlasted their benefit. Evaluate your products and consider if any of these has become less than productive. An unproductive product is not just oxymoronic—it is a drain on valuable resources that could be applied to more productive ones. <b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Consider the best use of personnel</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> After</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> completing your spring cleaning of products, processes, procedures, policies and practices, <i>now </i>consider the personnel. Ask yourself, “Do we have the right people in the right places doing the right things?” The “right things” includes what is right to contribute to the company’s success and it also includes what this individual is best suited to do. Often you will have exactly the right combination of people working together, but at less than their maximum effectiveness because some of them are not doing the right jobs to maximize their contribution. So what if their job description says they ought to be doing _____? Yeah, <i>so what?!</i> Don’t let a job description handcuff you and the organization and keep you from reaching your maximum productivity. Job descriptions are merely guidelines on paper and paper can be wadded up and recycled. <i>SO WHAT </i> if one person in a job has a different job description from another person in a similar role? <i>SO WHAT! </i>Your goal is not to serve a job description. Your goal is to be successful. Eliminate barriers and facilitate people being all they are meant to be. The result will be increased productivity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Spring cleaning also means rearranging, moving things around and getting a new look. Every time a team member leaves or a new team member comes on board, you need to consider if some responsibilities need to shift around the team. THEN, come back and write appropriate job descriptions that actually <i>describe </i>what the individual is supposed to be doing. Think outside the box. Again, don’t let antiquated job descriptions force your personnel into boxes of lower productivity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> So… are you ready to do some spring cleaning? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Don’t be afraid of change. Spring cleaning can be hard work, but it has the potential of actually making things better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, April 2011</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </span></div>
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LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-70635590137713489502011-03-27T20:07:00.003-05:002011-03-27T21:15:09.498-05:00Three New "R's" for Success<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This past week I caught a portion of a <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/03/25/134830408/why-japan-will-bounce-back">radio interview</a> with Arthur Alexander, an economist at Georgetown University, who stated that Japan will recover quickly from the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami. The reason, he said, is because Japan has three things that are built into advanced modern economies: <i>Redundancy, Resilience, </i>and<i> Robustness</i>. As Susan and I rode down the highway, we reflected on how important these three R’s are for success in any organization. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We usually think of a redundancy as something that is superfluous or unnecessary. In fact, the first definition in <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/redundancy">Dictionary.com</a> supports that concept: “<i>superfluous repetition or overlapping</i>.” Look farther down, however, and see another meaning: “<i>the provision of additional or duplicate systems, equipment, etc., that function in case an operating part or system fails, as in a spacecraft</i>.” Redundancy, in this light, is preparing for an emergency to ensure the seamless continuation of production even if essential parts or players are unexpectedly removed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Many businesses do themselves a huge disfavor by trying to avoid redundancies in an effort to reduce operating costs and increase profit margins. Whenever a major merger takes place, for example, redundant jobs are eliminated in an effort to streamline personnel costs. In difficult economic times, tenured workers (who, admittedly, usually have higher salaries and benefits) are offered early retirement incentives without taking into consideration the brain trust of experience they represent and without making sure someone else knows everything they knew before they leave. When the only person who knows how to do the job is suddenly unavailable, momentum is lost or production in that area comes to a screeching halt until the person returns or someone new learns to do the job. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Redundancy in your business or organization is not just a matter of having two people who do the same job. It is more a matter of contingency preparation. Redundancy might include such things as mentoring and preparing young leaders for succession. It could also be something as simple as keeping good backups of your essential files and correspondence. Redundancy, as Dr. Alexander pointed out, can be a good thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Again, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/resilience">Dictionary.com</a> comes to our aid in defining resilience: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“<i>1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The opposite of resilience is resistance or rigidity. When managers take an attitude of “ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die,” they usually lead people on a destructive path of resistance or resignation. (These are two R’s you probably would want to avoid!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Resilience is the ability to deal with unexpected change and adapt to the new reality. You build resilience by introducing change in increments and developing an ethos of embracing change for the better. In resilient organizations, frontline workers actually will introduce needed change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Robustness is associated with good health. <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/robustness">Dictionary.com</a>, what do you say? “<i>Strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous.</i>” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A robust organization will not suffer from a prolonged depressed morale. Even robust organizations will have setbacks when crises hit. The difference is, a robust organization will have built the resilience needed to recover and bounce back quickly. A sick organization, on the other hand, will have built up more resistance and rigidity that ultimately leads to another “R”: <i>Rigor mortis</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">To have a healthy and hardy organization, you need healthy and hardy personnel. Robustness is not only related to physical well-being. It also assumes emotional, spiritual, and psychological health. To be robust, the organization needs to build an ethos of its members caring for each other. That means coworkers looking out for each other. It also means supervisors taking a genuine interest in the welfare of their personnel. People throughout a robust organization will demonstrate their confidence that they are regarded as more than just expendable resources. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Regardless of your position, you can help develop redundancy, resilience and robustness in the people who look to you for leadership. What can you do right now to start building the three R’s into your organization? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The difference between building resistance or resilience starts with a personal decision. Decide right now to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Look for ways to make things better and find an appropriate way to share your thoughts with others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, March 2011</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </span></div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-68686135368574751732011-02-02T22:15:00.011-06:002011-02-13T22:26:25.782-06:00How do you spell "Success?"<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
"I want that guy out of here in 60 days!" The angry CEO made it clear he did not like the lower level manager, not necessarily because of poor job performance, he simply did not like the guy.</div>
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A major part of the problem, however, was the fact that from the beginning there was no standard of performance or clear expectation of how the manager would do his job. So he had rocked along for several months doing what he thought was a pretty good job. Then, "Wham!" Out of the blue he was blindsided with the fact that he had not been meeting the CE0's expectations and there was no opportunity to rectify the problem.</div>
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Sometimes even following a clearly written job description is not enough to guarantee successful job performance. Job descriptions often describe typical tasks that are to be performed while failing to define the most important item of all, which is how will success be defined?</div>
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Remember the old antacid commercial: "How do you spell relief?" Smiling men and women declared, "I spell relief R-O-L-A-I-D-S." They knew exactly what to do to get the desired outcome of relief from the pain of heartburn. </div>
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So how do you spell SUCCESS? A team can get along fabulously well, with no conflicts, everyone respecting each other and enjoying working together while they are effectively accomplishing absolutely NOTHING for the company. They might rate themselves an A+ team in spite of the fact that they have zero tangible results. They can even come up with a score card rating themselves on their performance while measuring the wrong things. <br />
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To head off this train wreck before it leaves the track, be sure the train is on the right track! Make sure you both spell SUCCESS the same way! <br />
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<strong>Hint to both the Leader and the Follower:</strong> <br />
Make sure the job description not only includes tasks to be completed, but also the main objective to be accomplished through this position. <br />
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Make sure you both know how you will measure success and agree on how and when success will be evaluated. <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Leader:</strong> <br />
Clarify what steps will be taken if success is not acheived. The first corrrective action should be to help the follower improve performance, increase their effectiveness and contribute more positively to the company's objectives. Don't just fire under-performers without first investing in them to help them become peak-performers. <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Follower:</strong> <br />
Ask how you are doing and if you are making a positive contribution to the company's objectives. If you have not received a performance review in over a year, ask for one. Let your boss know you want honest feedback so you can give the job your best effort. Show that you care for the company and want to help it be successful. To do that, you need to know how to spell SUCCESS. <br />
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(c) 2011 Dr. LarryN. Gay <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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"Lessons on Leadership and Follwership"</div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-62376987144603402622010-12-06T23:15:00.002-06:002010-12-06T23:19:45.061-06:00Do what is right because it is right<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">How often do you vote for someone who has a reputation for being corrupt? We try to elect people who we think will be men and women of integrity. Then we are often disappointed when our elected officials do not behave as we had expected. Politicians have no problem making promises about how they intend to make changes if they are elected to office. In fact, they probably really do believe they will behave differently than their predecessors when they come into office. All too often, however, something happens when they get to Washington, the state capital, or City Hall. They discover that the view from inside the office is not the same as it was from outside and, instead of changing things for the better, <i><u>they</u></i> seem to change. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But do they really change, or are they just acting like the person they really are? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 2010 mid-term elections in the USA saw a large number of turnovers in national, state and local elections. Many of the elected officials promised to clean up, make reforms or otherwise change things for the better. While that all sounds very good, I am waiting to see if a king-sized HOWEVER spoils their good intentions. I know some of them will do good things, but they could do so much more if they would be true to values on which they campaigned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the First and Second Books of Kings and the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel, history records how every few generations a king would come to the throne with very good intentions. He would make decrees and reestablish the order of law according to the principles and promises God had made to his ancestors. In a few cases, it looked as if a man of integrity had come to the throne. Sadly, there would always be a big “HOWEVER” following all the accomplishments of these kings who set out to be faithful and trustworthy leaders. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">What happened? Why do people who show such promise fail to follow through to the end? Because they reach the limits of their integrity. That’s when you can see the person’s true character. Even the great king Solomon failed the integrity test. He made some astute political allies by marrying many foreign wives, but did so in direct violation of clear restrictions God had established. Ultimately, he lost the majority of his kingdom for his descendants because of his lack of integrity and failure to be true to the values he originally espoused. (See <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%2011&version=NIV">1 Kings 11</a>) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leaders show their true colors when they come into position and power. Integrity is not something that can be ordered, regulated, regimented or legislated. It also is not something you can switch on or off. Either you have it, or you don’t. </span></div>
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Do what is right because it is right. Stand by your convictions, regardless of the political outcome. Someone is always watching and following your example. </div>
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Don’t fall into the trap of trying to climb the political ladder by compromising your values. Some hills are worth dying on. Some are not. Learn the difference. <br />
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© Copyright 2010, Dr. Larry N. Gay <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> <br />
“Lessons on Leadership and Followership”</div>
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(You can see some of the “Howevers” from the Kings in: <br />
1 Kings 3:2-3; 1 Kings 11:1-6; 1 Kings 22:41-43; 2 Kings 10:28-29; 2 Kings 12:1-3; 2 Kings 14:1-4; 2 Kings 15:1-4; 2 Kings 15:32-35) </div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-17184577717391624342010-11-17T17:03:00.002-06:002010-11-17T17:11:33.474-06:00Being Precedes Doing<div class="WordSection1">
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Recently, I have talked with several people who left their place of work because they were expected to do something that they considered to be unethical or in violation of their values. In one or two cases, the individual felt they were being asked to do something that they knew was illegal. At some point, you have to decide if your core values line up with the values and culture of the organization. You might decide you can live with some minor discrepancies because higher priority values are still being met, but when core values are being violated the time comes when ways must part. </div>
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When my sons were adolescents, whenever they would leave the house to go out with friends I would always say, “Remember who you are and whose you are.” They never asked what I meant by that. They knew that I was trusting them to remember their upbringing and to act according to the values my wife and I had tried to instill in them. </div>
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There was only one caveat to that. I assumed that my values had become their values when, in fact, they were in the process of deciding just what their own values were. So they acted according to their own sense of right and wrong which did not always line up with my sense of right and wrong. Naturally, we had a few clashes when our values were not in alignment with each other’s. </div>
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It would have been easy to say, “My way or the highway.” In fact, I did say a few times, “My roof, my rules,” but I valued the relationship, so we tried to come to terms. Frankly, some of my values needed to be put to the test. And then there were other values—core values—that were non-negotiable. Having teenagers forced me to prioritize some of my values and determine which were negotiable (and to what degree) and which were non-negotiable. </div>
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Our values determine who we are and how we will act. So <i><u>being</u></i> really does precede <i><u>doing</u></i>. If my values and the values of the organization are in alignment, I should not have much trouble keeping the rules and acting in accordance with the organization’s policies and practices. If, however, the organization allows rules and regulations to be put into place that are not in alignment with its own stated values, then all sorts of problems can result… and <i><u>will</u></i>. </div>
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The official rules and regulations are not the only source of problems. Consider a manager who is allowed (or even encouraged) to continue to practice actions that violate the values and/or rules and regulations that support those values. The people under this manager’s authority and influence will be conflicted with questions:</div>
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- Why is this person being allowed to act this way?</div>
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- Could it be that the company’s <i>real </i>values are not what they <i>say</i>? </div>
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- What should I do about this? </div>
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All too often, individuals and organizations fail to do the most loving thing of all, which is to take corrective action as soon as any behavior is detected which violates any known value. Dissatisfaction will grow until someone finally feels compelled to act—probably by leaving, being encouraged to leave, or flat out being fired. Either way the result will not be uplifting for anyone. </div>
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So how do we turn this around to a positive note?</div>
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<b>- </b>Take a hard, critical look at your organization’s core values and compare these to your current policies and regulations. Where do you see misalignment? What can you do to bring these back into alignment? </div>
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<b>-</b> What corrective action have you been putting off that should have been taken earlier? What values are being infringed upon by this behavior? What negative consequences are resulting because of your delay to act? What should you do about it? Do you have the will to do it? </div>
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<b>- </b>Know yourself. Determine your own core values.</div>
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<b>-</b> If you are unhappy or dissatisfied with your work, could it possibly be because some personal value is at odds with the policies or practices of your organization? </div>
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- If a manager is demanding something of you that you know to be contrary to the values and culture of the organization, what alternatives to leaving can you see? With whom should you share your concerns before taking action? </div>
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Previous articles on the subject of alignment: </div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/fw-your-roadmap-to-more-effective.html" target="_blank">Your Roadmap to More Effective Leadership (Jan 10, 2010)</a>; </div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/05/stewardship-factor.html" target="_blank">The Stewardship Factor (May 2, 2010)</a>; </div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/04/stress-and-job-dissatisfaction.html" target="_blank">Stress and Job Dissatisfaction (April 4, 2010)</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/p/vision-purpose-and-values-are-still.html">Why Vision, Purpose and Values are Still Important</a></span><br />
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© Copyright 2010, Dr. Larry N. Gay, <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> “Lessons on Leadership and Followership”</div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-85673705155063238422010-11-07T21:56:00.002-06:002010-11-07T22:17:45.295-06:00Don't Throw Training off the Train<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">When economic times get tough, one of the first things that goes out the window is the training budget. Such a knee-jerk reaction throws the organization into a downward spiral that is extremely difficult to reverse when the economy supposedly improves. Leaders often make the mistake of throwing training off the train, without realizing how important training really is. Training is not a benefit. It is not a luxury. Training is essential to any organization reaching its stated objectives, goals, mission and vision. Throwing training off the train is like getting rid of the fuel makes the train run efficiently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Think about it. Your organization begins downsizing, laying people off, firing people who are not top performers, or enticing people to take early retirement. Then you put a hiring freeze on to curb personnel costs. The remaining employees are expected to pick up the slack and take on the responsibilities of the people who have left, but they are told there will be no budget for training to help them learn how to do their jobs better or improve productivity. The predicted results of all this?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Stress levels go up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Productivity goes down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Layoffs increase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Morale declines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Some of the best performers start looking for other places of employment causing unwanted attrition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The downward spiral goes on and on… </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Looking for a Catchy Slogan? DON’T BOTHER! </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As the organization begins to decline, some leaders mistakenly think the answer is in rallying the troops around catchy slogans, like: “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” Or “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In response to that, the worker on the frontline is saying, “Yeah, right. The only problem is I now have twice the work with no more pay (or perhaps even a cut in pay) and there are still only so many hours in a day!” As Deming pointed out in point number 10 of his 14 points, slogans do not address the causes of low quality and low productivity. They don’t motivate us to do better work. In fact, they can actually become the cause of serious relational problems in the workforce. Slogans have their place, but they cannot take the place of training. People need to be given tools that will help them increase productivity, relieve stress, and give them a sense of accomplishment, a feeling that what they are doing really makes a positive difference in the world. Slogans alone can never do that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A few astute leaders know that training is not a luxury; it is a necessity—especially in difficult economic times. You might not be able to afford the cost of a large conference center with high-priced motivational speakers of great renown who come in to speak to large numbers of employees all gathered together in the same place, but that does not mean you cannot afford to continue to train your people. In this age of technology, it is possible to do more training than ever before at lower costs than ever before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Webinars, for example, allow people to sit in on a training session saving travel costs for the presenters and the participants. You can do a full two-day seminar with scheduled breaks for a minimal cost. Webinars can be presented one-on-one, to small groups or up to hundreds or thousands. And the sessions can be recorded for later viewing by other participants or reviewing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Skype is a great way to give or receive coaching one-on-one or in a very small group by conference call. And it’s free! If the coach is already someone employed by the same company, then you have no extra cost at all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Or what about training on the fly? You can send out snippets of training in small, bite-sized nuggets throughout the day or week via Twitter, Facebook, or old-fashioned email. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hey, here’s a novel idea. Remember libraries? They still have books, videos, and a number of resources available for loan. Why not encourage your people to use their public library or libraries at local schools and universities. Some universities and graduate schools will mail books on loan to alumni. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Assigning mentors or coaches can be another great way to carry out training. Assign every new personnel or new member of your organization to someone who will guide them in learning the ropes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It really does not require you to think that far outside the box to discover ways to increase training at a time when “logic” might indicate cutting the training budget. Don’t throw training off the train. Instead, go against the flow and train more to increase productivity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Be sure someone has the responsibility to coordinate all training, making sure your people are on track to get the right tools to do the right things that will help your organization to reach the right objectives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Think of three ways you can increase training opportunities for your team and others under your leadership. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Volunteer to mentor/coach new people joining your organization. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Start a discussion group with coworkers to share best practices or ideas for improving productivity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Think of three inexpensive or free training opportunities that you could suggest to your leader. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Volunteer to be a mentor/coach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">© Copyright 2010, Dr. Larry N. Gay <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a>, <a href="mailto:Mylead360@gmail.com">Mylead360@gmail.com</a> </span></div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-50873780220199802582010-10-17T20:04:00.002-05:002010-10-18T00:03:47.515-05:00Lead them Where No Man Has Gone Before<div class="WordSection1">
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An effective leader can lead people to go places where even the leader has not been before without coercing, convincing, manipulating, shaming, or in any other way trying to force the people to follow. This is especially important when launching any new project. </div>
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The story of Joshua leading his people across the Jordan River provides a great example of how to lead people to go where they have never been before. To read the story, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua%203&version=NIV">click here</a> (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua%203&version=NIV">Joshua 3</a>). Before launching any new project, strategy, or idea, leaders need to: </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Learn to follow</i>. The most effective leaders are also good followers. Joshua followed those who carried the Ark. He knew that the leader does not have to be in the limelight all the time. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Lead the people to prepare themselves.</i> Joshua gave clear instructions to the people to prepare themselves for the battle that was about to come; then he followed to the letter the plan he had been given as he led the people to begin the long-awaited conquest of the Promised Land. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Let go of your ego.</i> Joshua did not have to prove himself or defend his actions before the people. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Lead out in faith with confidence</i>. Imagine being the first person to step into the water. Only the leaders’ feet got wet. They stood in the middle of the river as the people crossed over.</div>
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Are you absolutely certain you are leading people in the right direction with the right plan? Are you courageous enough to lead your followers to commit to such a plan? What do you need to do to demonstrate that your own faith and confidence are well-placed?</div>
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Are you prepared and willing to follow? What do you need to do to get ready? <br />
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© Dr. Larry Gay, October 2010</div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogpsot.com/">http://mylead360.blogpsot.com/</a> </div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-23009186590791323212010-10-10T20:04:00.009-05:002010-10-10T20:04:00.761-05:00Effective Leaders Are Good Mobilizers<div class="WordSection1">
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The most effective leaders are good mobilizers. They know how to recruit the right people to do the right job and then release them to do it. For a great example of a leader who knew how to mobilize people, look at Joshua. As he was preparing to march on Jericho, Joshua sent two spies who would report directly to him. To read the story, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua%202&version=NIV">click here</a>. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua%202&version=NIV">Joshua 2:1‑24</a>) </div>
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<b>An Effective Strategy for Mobilization</b></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Select the right people</i>.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Choose people you know you can trust to do the job. Not everyone needs to know everyone else's business. Give specific assignments to specific persons for specific tasks. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Choose people who are already committed to the project.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Choose people who clearly understand the task when you give instructions. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Trust them to do their job</i>. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Although they used some unconventional methods to accomplish their task, they got the job done because they felt <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/07/cost-of-empowerment.html">empowered</a> by their leader.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>They were confident that their leader would back them up when they gave their word. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Clarify the limits of delegated authority</i>. </div>
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Joshua made it clear that the two would to report only to Joshua. They would give their report secretly to the final decision maker. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Value their influence</i>, from <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html">three "I's."</a></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Encourage their <i>input</i>.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Receive their <i>information. </i> </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Ask for their <i>insight.</i></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i>Wait for the right timing. </i></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>What a difference a generation can make! (Compare Numbers 13-14):</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>i.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Moses had sent out twelve spies who were already leaders among the tribes. They were chosen by the tribes, not by Moses.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>ii.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The twelve were sent to explore the land, not to decide if, how, or when to attack. That was a strategic decision that was never intended to be decided democratically or by consensus. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>iii.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The ten majority spies were afraid and used their power, position, and influence to turn the people against their leader.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>iv.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The people were predisposed to follow a negative leadership. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>v.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Only Caleb and Joshua saw that the decision was really the responsibility of a higher authority than their own. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Joshua must have learned from the negative experience of his mentor, Moses. He recognized that this was not a decision to be made by tribal representatives on a consensus basis, so he sent only two chosen and anonymous spies who reported only to him.</div>
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<b>Hint to Leaders </b></div>
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What can you learn from Joshua's example about <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/07/cost-of-empowerment.html">empowering</a> your followers and mobilizing them to complete the task you have been given?</div>
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<b> </b>What can you learn from Joshua's example about effective followership? How can you use your empowerment and influence to help your leader be even more effective? </div>
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© Dr. Larry Gay, revised October 2010</div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-68642347038080400442010-10-03T20:04:00.003-05:002015-01-29T15:28:16.027-06:00Five Principles of Leadership<div align="center" class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.3in;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Several years ago I began to analyze the principles on which I wanted to base my leadership. In my search for a personal definition of leadership, I discovered that spiritual leadership is defined by Jesus in one word—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">servanthood</i>. (Mt. 18:1-4; 19:30; 20: 8, 16, 20-28; Mk. 9:35.) Jesus’ model of leadership with His disciples demonstrated that the effective spiritual leader is not so much interested in climbing a corporate ladder as in providing himself as the step-support for others to grow in spiritual maturity. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>Spiritual leadership is helping people to become all that God wants them to be in Him so that He can accomplish all He wants to do through them. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Five guiding principles have influenced my leadership as I have tried to apply that definition. Although none of the five maxims is original, they have become such a part of my leadership philosophy that I can no longer remember some of their original sources. <b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Being precedes doing.<b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ask God to bless you with <i>His </i>plan, rather than asking Him to bless <i>your </i>plan.<b></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The effective leaders I have wanted to imitate, the people I would most willingly follow, all seem to share these common principles and characteristics, even if they might not express them in exactly the same way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">It all boils down to having the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he had positional rights in the eternal universal organization, he humbled himself and took a lower position as a servant in obedience to his Father’s plan, so that the ultimate purpose he desired to see fulfilled would be achieved by his followers, even after his death. (Phi. 2:5‑11)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus could do the things he did because he knew Who he was and Whose he was. He always demonstrated his desire to do his Father’s will, and not his own. His actions were not always popular or within the accepted practices and regulations of the authorities, but he acted based on what he knew was right in God’s eyes. He never lost sight of his purpose in coming to earth, to preach the good news of the kingdom. And he showed us the way to the top by such actions as wrapping a towel around his waist, washing his followers’ feet, and submitting to a criminal’s death on the cross. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Good supervision is dependent on good leadership. Applying all the best practices of leadership is no substitute for applying the <i>best </i>practice of servanthood as Jesus demonstrated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">© Larry Gay, September 2005 </span></div>
LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-11645055940088087102010-09-26T20:06:00.003-05:002010-09-26T22:18:35.476-05:00It Isn't What You Know... (Networking)<div class="WordSection1">
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Your mother probably told you “It isn’t what you know, but WHO you know that really counts.” You might think that you don’t know the right people to help you accomplish what you want to do, but all of us have networks of family, friends and acquaintances that can help us meet someone who could introduce us to someone else, putting us closer to the right people who can help us.</div>
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The importance of networking cannot be overemphasized. In career counseling we often repeat that this really is true. Brian Ray of the Crossroads Career Network affirms:</div>
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<i>Most employers first try to recruit people through their personal contacts before they advertise a position or list it on the Internet. Of all the jobs that get filled <b>(85%) </b>are part of this “hidden job market.”</i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">[1]</span></b></span></span></a> </div>
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So how do these jobs get filled? Through personal contacts. </div>
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<i>Another startling statistic came from a private corporate study that demonstrated that applicants who had been personally referred for a job were 42 times more likely to be selected than those without personal referrals. Let’s say that again. According to this study, your odds of being selected for a job are 42 times greater if you are personally referred. </i></div>
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<b><i>That’s a 4,200% better chance!</i></b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">[2]</span></span></span></a></div>
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Did I mention how important networking is in today’s job market? There are several reasons why this is true, but it all comes down to this: employers prefer not to hire someone who is “unknown.” </div>
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<b><i>Six or Seven Degrees of Separation <span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></i></b><br />
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Consider the phenomenon known as “Seven Degrees of Separation.” The theory was originated by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s and popularized by a game featuring actor Kevin Bacon in the 1990s. Until recently the concept was considered an urban myth by many, but a study by Microsoft has validated the idea that each of us is no more than seven steps from a direct link to everyone in the world.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><i><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">[3]</span></b></span></i></span></a><i></i></div>
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Just last week, as we were talking about this in a career transitions workshop, someone mentioned the “Six Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon” when another participant commented, “Hey, I know someone who knows someone who actually knows him!” I suppose that just gave all of us a “Bacon number” of four! Theoretically, I am only four phone calls from a personal conversation with him, so if I did want to meet him, I know exactly who I would call first. (<b>Note to Kevin</b>: don’t sit by the phone waiting for me to call. You are only four degrees from knowing me if you need to talk.) </div>
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<br /><strong><em>Another Illustration </em></strong><br />
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The most effective leaders are good networkers and they are not hesitant to work their contacts. </div>
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<i>Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida, and said, "Sir, we want to meet Jesus."<b><sup> </sup></b>Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.</i> (John 12:20-22)</div>
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In case I did not mention it earlier, your mother was right—WHAT you know is not nearly as important as WHO you know. (Thanks, Mom!)</div>
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<br /><strong><em>Hints to Leaders and Followers </em></strong><br />
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Start a list now of people who could be good resources to help with future projects or could provide a good recommendation. Maintain good relationships by staying in touch with old friends. Give someone a call this week.</div>
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© Dr. Larry N. Gay, September 2010</div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Brian Ray, <i>Maximize Your Career in the New World of Work</i>, Crossroads Career Network,<i> </i><a href="http://www.crossroadscareer.org/">http://www.crossroadscareer.org/</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[2]</span></span></span></a> Ibid. </div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=672477153292161694&postID=1164505594008808710#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[3]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1507844/seven_degrees_of_separation/">http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1507844/seven_degrees_of_separation/</a> , Posted on 3 August 2008. </div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-48535362009983436572010-09-19T20:25:00.019-05:002010-09-19T21:01:10.512-05:00Lead by Example, Not by Exemption<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In response to last week’s article, a reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) wrote:</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your observations about self-serving leaders (his words) are appropriate. Too many leaders…don't take seriously their responsibility to care for the people they are supposed to be leading.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A turning point for me personally was when I was a young military police lieutenant in the Army. During our training as officers we were told that if we ever had to take out a sniper in a building, we would be the first ones in and our soldiers would come in behind us. I was shocked. Number one, because I realized that in combat I probably would not live very long, and number two, because I realized that the Army expected me to value the lives of my people more than I valued my own. After my initial moment of being somewhat stunned, I internalized the lesson, and I have never forgotten it. “A leader gets paid to lead.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another illustration is that among Army paratroopers, it is a time-honored tradition that the highest ranking officer on the plane is the first one to jump. </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The older I get, the more I appreciate what Jesus did, and the more I appreciate the example that He gave us. </span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend is right. It is a dangerous thing when any leader begins to think of himself (or herself) as indispensible and exempt from the rules that govern the people he or she leads. The best leaders lead by example, not by exemption. Here is a simple formula for effective leadership from the Apostle Paul: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. <i>“Do not <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="31186x16"></a>think of yourself <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="31186x19"></a>more <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="31186x20"></a>highly than you ought, but rather <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="31186x26"></a>think of yourself with sober judgment.”</i> (Romans 12:3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <i>“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”</i> (Philippians 2:3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <i>“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”</i> (Philippians 2:4)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In summary, Paul says, the leader should have the same attitude that Jesus showed:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“(He) made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a slave.”</i> (Philippians 2:5-7)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you imagine how the atmosphere in your workplace might change if you started a new trend by adopting these simple principles? Simple, but very difficult to embrace because our natural tendency is to think of self first and others last (if at all). The most effective leaders demonstrate an attitude of service to others. In response, the people they lead tend to follow with loyalty and dedication to the task.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hint to the Leader</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What kind of example would people say you are setting for the people you lead? Try to think of one way you could begin to implement leadership by example instead of exemption. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Remember, your leader has needs too. Look for ways to serve without being asked. Even if your own leader does not set an example of servanthood, you can still exert your influence by being an example to others. Something as simple as giving up your place in line can make a difference. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© Dr. Larry N. Gay, September 2010</span></div>
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<a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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</div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-75740544894438460762010-09-14T22:04:00.004-05:002015-01-28T13:56:42.187-06:00React to the Crisis or Respond to the Opportunity<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> There is a difference between reacting and responding. We initially react to an emergency or crisis in an automatic self-protection mode. Responding, on the other hand, is intentional and requires thought, preparation and training.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In an emergency the people closest to the event initially <b><i>react</i></b> to the circumstance. For example, when a gunshot is fired unexpectedly close to you, you might immediately be startled and crouch down or let out an exclamation or run in the opposite direction. A friend from the past who had been a prisoner of war and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome would do all three in reaction to any sudden loud noise, even years after he was released. He would yell out “Hit it!” and jump to the ground or under a table faster than you could turn to see where the voice came from. That reaction was automatic in his case. Some would call that a conditioned response, but it was in fact an involuntary <i>reaction</i>. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> My wife’s first reaction to seeing a spider is to run and call out, “Larry, come quick!” That is also an automatic reaction. I suspect she does that even if I am not in the house at the time. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> When we call 911 for help in an emergency, the first people to arrive on the scene to provide help are called “<i>first responders</i>,” not first <i>reactors</i>. The first reactors were already present and are probably victims of the emergency. Even if they were only witnesses to the event, they are likely to have been traumatized by what they saw or heard. Calling 911 was the first planned response, although even that might often be an emotional reaction. I don’t know what to do, so I panic and call 911. A lot of calls to 911, like a lot of visits to the emergency room at the hospital, really do not require emergency medical personnel. Many calls for emergency help could be handled by people already on the scene if they were prepared to <i>respond</i> and not just <i>react</i>. First Aid and CPR training are designed to help people take control of the situation and respond in spite of their natural tendency to react by getting out of harm’s way or running from responsibility. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To respond is to act responsibly. In fact, the words <i>respond</i> and <i>responsible</i> have the same Latin root word. My first reaction to a crisis will probably not be the best response. Reactions tend to be emotional while responses are more controlled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">–<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Uncontrolled (at least initially)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> In the current economic downturn, most businesses have reacted to the crisis by drawing the bottom line too soon. Their reaction to the crisis has been to downsize and reduce costs by eliminating numbers of employees in an attempt to make their balance sheets look more positive for stockholders. With a good “bottom line” the corporate executive can look good and perhaps even be rewarded with a bonus from the savings. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> An alternative would be to count the human cost in the bottom line and consider the stewardship responsibility these businesses have for their employees and to the community they should be serving. As stewards of these resources, businesses should be looking for ways to not only keep the employees they have, but even how to add more jobs. What if the executives in an organization decided to forgo any bonuses and all the employees agreed to take a 10 percent cut in pay so no one would lose their job? What if, the executives looked at their own salaries and determined to downsize their own lifestyles to make resources available to add more employees and thereby increase the productivity of the business? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> That sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? Even so, as a leader you have been given a stewardship responsibility for the people you lead. Your personnel are not an expendable resource. When your employees see that you actually care about them as people, that you are looking at the new opportunities to respond and not just react to the circumstances and that you are trying to work with them to find appropriate responses, what do you think their response will be? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A crisis can become a new opportunity if leaders take time to respond responsibly. What opportunity is this unexpected situation presenting? How should you respond? How can you lead your people to seize the moment, take responsibility and act as responders and not just reactors? Be careful not to spend so much time, energy and resources preparing for future scenarios that you miss the opportunity to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How have you reacted to the most recent crises in your environment? How could you respond differently from your initial reaction? What opportunities might be presenting themselves for change, growth or improvement? What responsibility do you have as a result of this opportunity? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">P.S. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Consider the stories of Sarah (Genesis 18:1-15) and Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Both received astonishing news by a messenger from God. Both would give birth to a son. Both reacted initially with incredulity because this would be beyond the normal realm of logic—Sarah, because she was too old and beyond normal child-bearing years; and Mary, because she was unwed and had never had sexual relations with a man. The comparison ends there, however. Sarah continued in her reactionary attitude with an emotional (perhaps even sarcastic) laugh expressing her doubt. Mary had a different response. "<em>I am the Lord's servant</em>," Mary answered. "<i>May it be to me as you have said</i>." (Luke 1:38) <br />
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WOW! What different responses! </span></div>
LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-90445452176702089492010-07-11T19:50:00.010-05:002010-07-11T22:49:49.678-05:00The Cost of Empowerment I had never thought of empowerment as something I could choose to experience. Until I read the following paragraphs from Daryl R. Conner, I thought <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/need-for-empowerment-to-multiply_31.html">empowerment</a> was something that only leaders could give to followers. Conner, however, challenges us to think of empowerment as a two-way transaction wherein the follower must also make an investment before true empowerment takes effect. As you will see below, there is a price to be paid for receiving empowerment. <br />
[LNG]<br />
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<strong>EMPOWERMENT</strong><br />
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Exceprt from: Daryl R. Conner, <em>Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail.</em> New York: Villard Books, 1993, (194-7). <br />
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"Empowered employees are those who provide true value to the organization, influencing the outcome of management's decisions and actions. The antithesis of empowerment is victimization. Victims believe they are faced with a negative situation offering no alternatives. In actuality, most victims face alternatives they refuse to act on because they view them as too expensive.<br />
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"Victims resent feeling as if they are being used and tend to feel depleted by change. Therefore, they demonstrate little interest in contributing beyond what is necessary to protect their employment during unsettled times. Subsequently, the organization profits little, if any, from its investment in such people. For foxholes to form, employees must overcome their fear of victimization and engage management in an empowered fashion as key contributors to a team effort. The basis for this approach is not blind faith, but the knowledge that they hold management's bullets, which provides a healthy balance of power in the relationship.<br />
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<strong>Empowerment Should Not be Confused with Delegation, Courage, or Autonomy</strong><br />
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<strong>Empowerment Is Different from Delegation</strong><br />
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"Many organizations mistakenly refer to "empowering" the work force when they encourage people to make their own decisions about some aspect of their job. When someone has been assigned the right to make his or her own decisions, it is more appropriate to call this delegation. The term empowerment should be reserved for those situations where employees are not granted permission to take action on their own, but instead are asked to provide <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html">input</a> to management as decisions are being made. You are empowered when you are valuable enough to others to <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html">influence</a> their decisions--not when you are allowed to make your own.<br />
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"Even if your suggestion is not implemented, you are empowered if your ideas are genuinely considered before the final decision is made. Empowered peoplef do not always get what they want, but their <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html">input</a> is always considered important and it carries weight with those making decisions.<br />
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<strong>Empowerment Is Not the Same as Courage</strong><br />
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"It is possible to act on one's convictions, but not be really influential with others. The act of offering someone your ideas or thoughts does not constitute empowerment unless you are considered valuable by that person. Therefore, empowerment represents both a person's willingness to provide <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html">input</a> to decision makers and an environment where that input is valued.<br />
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"When someone chooses to express his or her opinion despite the fact that the decision makers do not seek nor value such input, the act is referred to as courageous, not empowered. The students at Tiananmen Square were courageous, but they lacked the value to be influential with their governmental leaders. Therefore, they were not empowered.<br />
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<strong>Empowerment Is Not Synonymous with Autonomy</strong><br />
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"It is possible to be independent yet still be incapable of generating a desired result. To be empowered is to believe that you can significantly influence your own destiny. Empowered people do not think they control all the elements of their lives, but they do believe that, most of the time, they are responsible for a great deal of what happens to them.<br />
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"In this context, responsibility implies neither blame nor acclaim, but rather the belief that most of the circumstances in which we find ourselves are the result of how we have defined the situations we face, the decisions we make, and the price we are willing to pay for what we want. So, the hallmarks of an empowered person are the creativity to frame the situation so success is possible, the capacity to face and make tough decisions. and the motivation to pay the price of success.<br />
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"An empowered person has the creativity to define a situation in such a way that the likelihood of success improves. There are three different ways to define and approach situations.<br />
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"1. Opportunities: Opportunities are potential benefits that require appropriate action to fully realize; opportunities can be exploited.<br />
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"2. Problems: Problems have solutions. They may be elusive. but they can be prevented or resolved if you pay the price.<br />
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"3. Dilemmas: Dilemmas have no solution. They are an inherent part of the situation at hand and, therefore, they must be accepted as inevitable. Sibling rivalry among young children is not a problem to be solved, but a dilemma to be managed.<br />
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"Empowered people do not try to fix unresolvable problems: they learn instead how to live with the dilemma, or they shift from viewing a situation only as a problem to seeing the opportunities they might exploit. People spend their careers in one of two ways: (1) as victims of missed opportunities, unsolved problems, and unaccepted dilemmas, or (2) as architectural managers affecting these situations through their own creative actions.<br />
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"The capacity to face and make tough decisions is the second essential component of empowerment. Either consciously or unconsciously, people are constantly making decisions that help determine the situations in which they later find themselves. For example, being unhappy in a marriage is, in part, the result of a prior decision regarding who to marry. Being successful in one's job is partially the result of a previous career decision. Since all decisions are made with insufficient data, once decisions are made, they can be sustained, modified, or reversed based on new information that is obtained over time. Sometimes, living an empowered life requires making tough decisions. The responsibility for what happens, or continues to happen, lies primarily with you.<br />
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"The motivation to pay the price for success is a third key aspect of empowerment. Empowered people approach life as if it were an expensive pastime. They believe that people either pay dearly for getting what they want, or they pay dearly for not doing so. Since both invoices are expensive, they choose the one that represents the least cost for the most gain. They always know, however, that a price will be paid. How much is paid and what is received for that payment are the only options.<br />
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"Although the organization must provide the appropriate environment, it also includes a self-concept earned through creative reframing, tough decisions, and expensive payments. This aspect of empowerment is not something that the organization grants employees and managers or transfers through training. Work environments can be established that attract empowered people And empowerment can be fostered, but it is not a quality that can be given to people simply because the organization has decided that it would be a good idea."<br />
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So, according to Conner, I must <em>choose</em> to be empowered. <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Leader</strong><br />
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What kind of environment are you creating for the people you lead? How can you let them know that you value their input and that you do not merely tolerate them expressing their views? <br />
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<strong>Hint to the Follower</strong><br />
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Have you been acting like a victim, or like an empowered manager? What price will be required of you to feel empowered? Are you willing to pay the price?<br />
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© Dr. Larry Gay, July 11, 2010 <a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> "Lessons on Leadership and Followership"LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-75102263378350003262010-06-20T23:20:00.003-05:002010-06-20T23:23:06.280-05:00The Art of Confronting for Change<br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“…Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”</span> </em>(1 Thessalonians 5:12-15)</div>
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After a year on the job, Jarod and his boss did not see eye to eye on everything. In fact, they probably saw most things differently. Even so, Jarod made a conscious effort not to speak negatively in public or with other workers when referring to his work situation. He was surprised that he had never had a performance evaluation, especially since he knew the company policy clearly stipulated that reviews should take place at six and twelve months after a new employee began work. Although he wasn’t completely happy in his new job, as far as Jarod could tell, he was adequately fulfilling his responsibilities. <br />
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That’s why it caught him completely by surprise on Friday morning when Alex stepped into his office and announced, “You know, this really is not working out well, so today is your last day here. Clean out your desk and turn in all your pending files by this afternoon.” <br />
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Unfortunately, Jarod’s story is not very unusual among many businesses. Some organizations act as if they believe leadership is a natural, innate ability that is automatically endued to anyone named to any management position. One of the first items to be cut during difficult financial times is training for leaders. Small businesses and non-profit organizations are often notorious for providing less than adequate training and skills upgrade for leaders. Cutting leadership training from the budget might appear to provide short-term budget savings, but the longer term results will be very costly. <br />
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<strong>1. Reduced productivity. </strong><br />
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How much productivity is lost by people talking about the problems caused by a weak or a dominating leader? People will always spend time talking around the actual or virtual “water cooler” (social networking sites). Poor leadership is likely to ensure that the conversation is negative and counterproductive. Much time and energy can be lost agonizing over the poor decisions and poor interpersonal skills of leaders.<br />
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<strong>2. Decline in Morale </strong><br />
Who wants to work in a place where you don’t know what’s expected and you never know when the axe might fall? Poor morale grows like mold in the darkness and is not easily turned around. <br />
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<strong>3. Erasure of loyalty</strong><br />
Loyalty has become a thing of the past. Employees do not demonstrate loyalty to the company because they do not feel loyalty from the company to its employees. Managers seem to forget that the organization cannot reach its objectives without the productive participation of its personnel. Loyalty is built on trust and trust is built on trustworthiness. Employees who do not trust their leader/supervisors will tend to adhere strictly to the rules, regulations and policies out of fear. One union worker once told me that the way to shut a company down is for the workers to apply the letter of the law and follow every policy to the letter. <br />
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<strong>4. Increased personnel costs</strong><br />
Often leaders draw the bottom line too soon when “counting the cost.” Consider the high cost of not confronting or dealing with the problem. Consider the cost of severance packages, searching for and hiring new personnel to fill vacancies and the cost of collateral losses when other people quit or become less productive because they can’t seem to get along with the individual who is causing problems.<br />
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<strong>Remember the Reason </strong><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”</span> </em>(Hebrews 12:11)<br />
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Confrontational meetings are always best done through personal and direct forms of communication, and followed up in writing. At every point along the way, remember that as a leader, you already have authority and a certain power that can easily be misused. You do not have to be mean as you exercise leadership to help someone become a more effective worker within the bounds of the organization’s vision, mission, objectives, and policies. You do not have to be “bossy” or use command language to get the person to change this specific behavior. It is important that the person confronted sense that their leader wants them to succeed and believes they can. The goal is to communicate clearly that this person is of value and can be a productive and effective team member by changing this specific behavior. If the other person can see your face and hear your voice of compassion as you communicate the difficult words, there is a better chance of achieving the goal of change. <br />
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<strong>So, What Can You Do?</strong><br />
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Years ago, Tom Peters suggested in Thriving on Chaos that policies should express positive expectations. Try to make policies that enable, empower and motivate people to respond with service. Limit negative policies to the absolute minimum. Avoid writing policies based on one or two negative experiences. <br />
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Most organizations or companies have written policies and procedures for how to carry out administrative actions with personnel who are not performing to management’s expectations. The mere publication of a policy and procedure, however, does not guarantee that managers know how to effectively administer personnel issues to the best benefit of the organization. Training is needed to help leaders learn how to administer policies in such a way that the productivity of their personnel actually improves.<br />
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Whether or not Jarod was performing his duties satisfactorily to Alex’s expectations, there are a few simple steps that Alex could have followed that could have resulted in a much happier ending to Jarod’s story for all concerned. The steps are simple, but they do require some effort. <br />
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<strong>Hints to the Leader:</strong><br />
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<strong>1. Clarify expectations.</strong><br />
If a worker is not meeting your expectations, confront early and make your expectations clear. Let them know what a good job should look like. <br />
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<strong>2. Offer assistance for improvement.</strong><br />
If the individual is not performing to the level of your expectations, assume the first responsibility and make sure they receive adequate instruction and training. Assign a mentor or coach. Make sure they have an accountability partner for progress. Ask questions and LISTEN CAREFULLY to be sure you understand what the problem is. <br />
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<strong>3. Give a warning—then offer more assistance</strong><br />
Many leaders want to skip this step and just go straight to the corrective administrative action—also known as “You’re fired!” Unless the failure is clearly a terminal offense, give a clear warning that this behavior is unacceptable and must be changed or there will be consequences. Ask if there is anything keeping the individual from being able to meet the expectation. Offer to provide additional help. KEEP LISTENING. <br />
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<strong>4. Outline consequences of failure to meet expectations.</strong><br />
All too often leaders wait until the problem becomes so unbearable that they suddenly turn into the Incredible Hulk and go ballistic without warning. They hold their complaints until they scream out like Popeye in the cartoons, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” You might think you are demonstrating patience by holding your comments, but you are really doing the person a disservice by not letting them know clearly what the consequences will be if your expectations are not met. <br />
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<strong>5. Get help for yourself, too. </strong><br />
Everyone needs a mentor, coach, advisor, counselor, accountability partner or friend who can offer a listening ear, ask questions, give an opinion or offer suggestions. Ask if you are being reasonable or if there might be an alternative that could possibly get better results. Consult up line with your own leader to be sure you are standing on solid ground and will have the support of your leader if corrective action is required. Your supervisor should always be given a “heads up” that a problem could be brewing. <br />
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<strong>6. Set a specific date for review. </strong><br />
Be sure the individual knows not only what is expected, but also when it is expected and when they will give you an accounting of progress. <br />
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<strong>7. Reward baby steps.</strong><br />
The reward can be very simple and very small. As in horse training, often the most effective reward is a very small positive stimulus to a very small movement in the right direction. The reward can be as simple as releasing the tension on the reins when the horse first makes even a slight nudge of the head in the right direction. In the beginning, reward or praise even the intent to correct the unacceptable behavior. Be careful, however, not to over-praise small steps of progress. <br />
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<strong>8. Redirect a thought.</strong><br />
Cowboys know that a cornered steer will cut its eyes in the direction of a perceived escape. An experienced rider will move to block that thought and make the escape route seem uninviting by waving a hand with a hat or a lasso or pulling the horse in the path of visibility to make the space seem smaller and less secure. As soon as you see an unacceptable behavior, find a way to redirect the person’s thinking to something positive and acceptable.<br />
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<strong>9. Follow up.</strong><br />
Even if the unacceptable behavior or performance is corrected, follow up to let them know you remember and truly expect a change to take place. Ask about progress along the way. Be sure they know you want them to succeed. (You do want them to succeed, don’t you?) Follow up a face-to-face meeting with an email confirming in writing what you talked about. Remind them of what you agreed upon and what your specific expectations. <br />
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<strong>10. Follow through.</strong><br />
Never give a warning unless you are fully prepared to follow through with action. Don’t be like the father who warned his son who was misbehaving: “I’m only going to warn you about this seventeen more times and then I’m really going to do something! (maybe).” Threats do not produce better results or more productive behavior. Be a person of integrity whose actions align with your words. Don’t threaten to do anything. Instead, let it be known what the consequences will be and then act exactly as you say you will. <br />
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<strong>11. Document, Document, Document</strong><br />
Be sure to keep accurate records.<br />
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<strong>Hints to the Follower:</strong><br />
What if my boss is not following these steps? How do I deal with an inconsiderate or incompetent boss? <br />
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<strong>1. Go the extra mile. </strong><br />
Show that you really are trying to do the best job possible with what you have been given. <br />
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<strong>2. Make suggestions instead of demands. </strong><br />
Let your boss know you really do want to help make things better, not just for yourself, but also for the benefit of the company. <br />
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<strong>3. Be careful not to develop an attitude of disdain or arrogance </strong><br />
Be respectful, even if you think your boss is not doing a good job, he or she is still the boss and deserves respect. <br />
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<strong>4. Model the behavior you want your boss to demonstrate toward you. </strong><br />
Be courteous. If you want more communication, communicate more. If you want more openness, be more open. <br />
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<strong>5. Recognize that not all personalities are created the same. </strong><br />
Some people are more people oriented, some are more task oriented. Some prefer more direct communication, while others prefer more indirect ways of communicating. Try to adapt to your boss’ way of doing things while also asking him or her to recognize your personality differences. <br />
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<strong>6. Ask for training. Ask for help. </strong><br />
Recognize your need for development. You might need to find your own mentor, coach and accountability partner. Don’t just use them to vent your frustrations. Ask them to help you set goals for real improvement and growth. <br />
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<strong>7. Ultimately, you are responsible for seeing that your needs are met. </strong><br />
Don’t expect someone else to be responsible for your personal development and growth. Take responsibility for your own career. <br />
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(<a href="http://docs.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wo&pli=1#all">Click here</a> to download a free copy of a more detailed document <em><a href="http://docs.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wo&pli=1#all">Confronting for Change: It’s the Loving Thing to Do</a></em>, outlining step by step how to administer positive corrective action.) <br />
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© Copyright Dr. Larry N. Gay, June 20, 2010<br />
<br />LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-75321975494185642162010-06-01T00:21:00.004-05:002010-06-01T00:30:20.808-05:00Lesson No. 2 on Sticking it Out - Finishing Well<div class="Section1"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="OLE_LINK1"></a><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.”</span></i></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(Apostle Paul, Second Epistle to Timothy 4:7)</span></div><br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> As I mentioned earlier, long-lasting marriages and long-lasting careers seem to have a lot in common. I was privileged to have two sets of grandparents who had long marriages. I started to say long and happy marriages. I would not pretend to suggest that they were always happy, but I think I could safely say that on the average both couples were happily married. Both lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s and saw some pretty difficult times. I often wondered how they managed to stick it out and stay together for so long—the Coffeys for over 60 years and the Coxes for over 70 years! Some of the gems of wisdom they shared with me have also influenced my views on leadership and followership. </span></div><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. Adapt and grow because change is inevitable. </span></b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I was fifteen years old when Grandmother and Granddaddy Coffey celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. As we stood near the table with the anniversary cake all decorated, I reflected with Granddaddy on some of the changes fifty years had brought: radio, television, jet aviation and space travel to name a few. They had been through some tough times, literally losing the farm once and yet they had stuck it out together for all those years. They had married when she was 15 and he was 21. By the few pictures I had seen of their youth, she was a thin and pretty blonde weighing in at perhaps 110 pounds—quite a catch! </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> By now, Grandmother Coffey was (how do I say this delicately?)… let’s just say there was a lot more of her to love than there had been at age 15. So I asked Granddaddy Coffey how a man could stay married to the same woman for fifty years. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close then gave me the same answer I read somewhere in a Reader’s Digest magazine: “Son, after fifty years she ain’t the same woman!” In fact, he had said on at least one occasion, “I ain’t legally married to two-thirds of that woman!” They had stuck it out through thick and thin, literally! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Ten years later, at their <b>60<sup>th</sup> </b>wedding anniversary, my wife and I stood across the table as they were about to cut the cake again. By this time Granddaddy Coffey had lost both legs to diabetes and had to be pushed in a wheelchair. He had two different bags hanging on the side to collect fluids from his body. It had been so long since he had hair on his head that he couldn’t remember when he had actually gone to the barbershop for something other than to visit with friends. And he had glasses so thick he could barely hold his head up. Grandmother Coffey pushed his wheelchair close to the table, took his feeble hand and held the knife to cut the cake together. She paused for a moment then laid the knife on the table. Looking across at me she said, “Young man, I recall that ten years ago to this day you asked your grandfather how a man could stay married to the same woman for fifty years and something was said about her not being the same woman after that long. Well, for ten years I have held my peace, but today I want to tell you—after <b>sixty years </b>he ain’t the same man either!” </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> There is something to be said for sticking it out through all the changes. During one of his lucid moments, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I asked Granddaddy Coffey if he didn’t agree that the first year of marriage is the toughest, with all the adjustments you have to go through learning to live with each other, putting up with each other’s personal habits and adjusting some of your own personal preferences. “Hmph!” he snorted, “The next fifty ain’t nothing easy either!” If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth nearly as much as it is with the extra effort staying together requires. I have to work at getting to know the person my wife is becoming over time as she also learns to live with the new me that I am becoming every day. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. Commitment—let your yes be yes and your no be no. </span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Granddaddy Cox loved to read the newspaper. One afternoon he read about a man who had killed his wife 25 years earlier and had just been released from prison, his sentence having been reduced for good behavior. “I could be a free man today!” he teased. “I wonder if I could get out early for good behavior too.” Although he joked about “freedom” and being released from the bondage of marriage, after Grandmother Cox suffered her first stroke in 1980, he pushed her wheelchair, lifted her in and out of bed and helped her bathe for at least 19 years before she finally had to go to the nursing home. He would tease her that he had been pushing her around for so long, wasn’t it time for her to get up and push him for a change? </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> So after they had been married almost <b>70 </b>years I asked him what’s the secret to such a long and faithful marriage? He thought for a few seconds. “Well,” he said, “when I said ‘I do’ I meant it.” Being a man of his word was important to Granddaddy Cox. Granddaddy Coffey would have agreed. The word “commitment” was not a dirty word to them. When they promised to love till death parted them, that’s exactly what they meant to do. When they said “in sickness or in health,” they fully intended to stick it out through the good times or the bad times. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> My wife and I looked at my grandparents as examples of how we wanted our marriage to be. We also joke about the commitment we made in our own wedding vows: “…till death separates us.” Sometimes she asks me if I want to be separated right now! </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> We signed a long-term contract that we fully intend to complete. We have had to learn to adjust to many changes and we are not the same persons we were when we started out on this journey together over 36 years ago. Instead of looking for a better deal to come along and chasing after some illusive dream, we have learned to appreciate the gift we have and determine to keep on loving each other in spite of anything that might work against us. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Your attitude toward commitment reveals a lot about your integrity, trustworthiness, team-building abilities and effectiveness. Some people think their personal lives and professional lives are two totally different things. I disagree. I would be much more interested in an individual’s character than their resume. Character is who you are when no one is watching, in marriage and at work. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. Learn to listen more and talk less. </span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Once, when I was in elementary school, I brought home a report card with all A’s and B’s. My mother suggested I show it to Granddaddy Cox for him to praise me. The very first grade at the top of the report was “Conduct” which was a “B.” I don’t think he even saw the other grades. “It seems to me that one thing anyone could learn to do is be quiet when they are supposed to be and behave themselves in class,” he commented. Even if I couldn’t make A’s in anything else, I could surely make an A in Conduct. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Everyone should <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="33493x10"></a>be <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="33493x11"></a>quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <br />
(James 1:19) </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> That lesson applies to marriage and leadership—learning to listen more and talk less, seeking to understand before seeking to be understood. All too often words are thrown around with careless abandon when it would have been prudent and wise to wait and hear the other person out before making a judgment. Both of my grandmothers certainly seemed to practice that. Grandmother Coffey waited ten years to respond to that comment about not being the same woman. (OK, maybe she waited ten years to get even! I don’t know.) I never once heard Grandmother Cox make a sarcastic comment and she never spoke a word of retort in haste. She held to that old saying, “If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Come to think of it, I noticed there were some people she simply did not talk about at all. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> What do you suppose life would be like in the workplace if we all took that advice? </span></div><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leadership Hints</span></b></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leaders need to keep growing and adapting. What are you doing to grow yourself and the people you lead? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do people see you as a person of integrity, whose “yes” means yes and “no” means no? What do you need to do to improve in this area? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How are you doing in the area of listening to those you lead? Are you quicker to speak or to listen? </span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Followership Hints </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What initiatives can you take to keep growing and improving? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To what or to whom are you committed? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leaders are people too. Do you need to change the way you talk about yours? </span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">© Dr. Larry N. Gay, May 2010</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">http://mylead360.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Lessons on Leadership and Followership”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-672477153292161694.post-77543569567661289622010-05-09T20:00:00.026-05:002010-05-10T12:58:35.036-05:00Lessons on Sticking it Out<div class="mobile-photo" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>"Tell me what it takes to make you leave </em><br />
<em>and I'll tell you how committed you are."</em></div><div style="text-align: right;">(Doug Sager) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”</em></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">(Hebrews 12:1) </div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Comedian Mrs. Hughes, says people ask her what's the secret to a long and happy marriage. "Well, I can tell you how to have a long one," she replies. "Children. Neither of us wanted custody."<br />
<br />
What about the happy part? Years ago I helped organize family life conferences where our main presenter would ask participants, "How many of you got married because you wanted to be unhappy?" Of course, no one raised their hands. </div><br />
Long marriages and long careers have a lot in common. So what makes the difference between a long and happy relationship or career and a short or dissatisfying one? <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> Over the last 30 years I have interviewed at least 100 retiring personnel who have completed 30, 40 or 45 years of service with the same organization. I always ask two questions: <br />
1) How did you stay so long? and <br />
2) If you had it all to do over again, what would you do exactly the same?" <br />
NOT what would you do differently. I wanted to learn what worked. What made for a long and successful career?<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>1. How did you stay so long? </strong><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Every long-term retiring person I have interviewed has mentioned the words "commitment" and "calling." They all expressed a strong sense of calling to their profession and recalled having made a commitment to follow that calling. Commitment seems to be a dirty word to many people today. When someone says, "I will," they really mean, "...if a better offer doesn't come along." In the case of these people, however, a commitment was something to be honored and fulfilled. For these people the old expression "My word is my bond" is not just an expression. It is a matter of integrity. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> All of the people I interviewed talked about moments when they felt like throwing in the towel. Many of them mentioned having to deal with difficult people, difficult changes, difficult supervisors, difficult circumstances, crises, discouragement, or even threats of danger. In such moments when doubt set in, they returned to their original sense of call and commitment and, having "stuck it out" through the difficult times, found fulfillment in realizing a sense of purpose and accomplishment. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>2. If you had it all to do over again, what would you do exactly the same? </strong><br />
<br />
On this question I have heard a variety of answers, but everyone I have interviewed who went the distance mentioned something about the relationships they built with the people with whom they worked. Sometimes they talk about pouring their lives into the next generation. Sometimes it has to do with friends they made along the way. Often they mention life-long relationships that began because of a shared crisis, or lives that were changed because they had stayed. One thing they all agree on: if they had it to do all over again, they would build relationships with the same people in the same places. </div><br />
Methods and programs come and go, but the relationships we build are what make a lasting difference in the world. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>How Committed Are You? </strong><br />
<br />
Lieutenant Norman A. Stapp was scheduled to retire from the Irondale(Alabama) Police Department in May 2010 after more than 40 years of service in law enforcement. When asked the best advice he had ever heard and from whom, he responded: "An older police officer told me, 'Don't ever let one man cause you to quit your job.' I ran into that one man many times, but I remembered what that older officer told me." (quoted by Victoria L. Coman in The Birmingham News) <br />
<br />
Whenever major organizational changes have come or whenever I have met "that one man" (or woman) who seemed to make my life miserable at work, I try to remember this: I never joined an organization because of the way it was organized and I never joined because of one person. So, why would l quit just because the organizational structure is changing or because I disagree with one person in the organization? Am I really willing to let them have that much power over me? <br />
<br />
<strong>Leadership Hints</strong><br />
• What are you doing to build up the next generation of leaders? <br />
• What legacy will you leave behind in your relationships?<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> • What kind of example are you setting in the way you honor your commitments? </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqxsI5j9ZERyYHL8PxKexov7Qg_f7VO5rRb641DWMr1-lYB2usPXDq3KmiDA2Wxh-F4_DffntAJnsEnLBdLZAwvzBhYGM2ld0eKBsQJO65TwbKG-YF2BhVd-X1HgHMcubDhmOjivFVIM/s1600/image002-717727.png" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468775489124688834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqxsI5j9ZERyYHL8PxKexov7Qg_f7VO5rRb641DWMr1-lYB2usPXDq3KmiDA2Wxh-F4_DffntAJnsEnLBdLZAwvzBhYGM2ld0eKBsQJO65TwbKG-YF2BhVd-X1HgHMcubDhmOjivFVIM/s320/image002-717727.png" /></a> </div><br />
<strong>Followership Hints</strong><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you are thinking about quitting, put things in the balance: </div></div></div> • Do the changes outweigh your commitment<br />
• Does one difficult relationship outweigh all the good ones?<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> • If you leave, are you running toward a new challenge or away from a current one? </div><br />
<br />
<div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
(c) Dr. Larry N. Gay, May 2010</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://mylead360.blogspot.com/">http://mylead360.blogspot.com/</a> "Lessons on Leadership and Followership"</div></div>LarryGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06664481854542318267noreply@blogger.com0