What do we really know about our leaders? We yearn to know enough to be confident in following them and, ideally, to emulate them. Perhaps you can name the leaders in the forefront of your industry or profession. Maybe you believe you could be more successful if you could be more like them, so you study their works, buy their books and perhaps even seek jobs in their organizations. Even when you’ve studied all you can about them and believe you understand the keys to their success, you don’t. There’s one more thing you must do.

Your quest for excellence is a noble journey. Unfortunately, the path often leads to insane frustration instead of triumphant success when seemingly little things are overlooked. Sometimes just one simple thing is the key to resolving the performance barriers that have been holding you back, allowing you to finally achieve your objectives with ease.

Show or Tell

It’s been decades since apprenticeship was the common road to mastery of a profession or craft. Today college is the conventional answer, with knowledge dispensed via lecture halls, online courses, and e-mail exchanges with professors. Connections are casual and not very close. Today we are more isolated from the people from whom we need to learn. Technology makes it easy for leaders to protect their personal space and keep learners at a distance. Yes, we’re learning, but we’re not learning enough. We are not learning the important piece.

No matter how intently we listen to what others say, no matter how closely we watch what they do, our mimicry will be imperfect because we really won’t understand why they do what they do. We must get close enough to understand the back-story. If we want to truly learn from another, we must get close enough to hear them breathe.

Nano Lessons

The leaders in our profession have made thousands of tiny choices which, in combination, have enabled them to perform at high levels. To perform similarly, we must understand their value system and how they came to make those choices. That’s how successful leaders of the past learned to succeed.

– Benjamin Franklin served as an apprentice to his brother James to learn the printing trade. Franklin’s success as a printer later funded his kite flying and political ventures.

– James Lick was the richest man in California when he died in 1876. He learned the piano making craft from his father, and Lick’s mastery of those skills was the cornerstone to building his fortune.

– Levi Strauss learned the clothing business working side-by-side with his older brothers Louis and Jonas in New York City. Six years later he moved to San Francisco to open up shop, and soon discovered an opportunity to apply what he knew to make rugged trousers for the gold miners.

Go to the Source

The words a leader uses and the acts they perform are only clues to how they think. Every person has an historical perspective and a point of view, or lens, they use to look at the world in which they perform. Unless you get close enough to hear a top performer breathe, you’ll never have the opportunity to learn and discern those things.

How a leader thinks is the key to understanding how they take in information, process it, and send it out, much like breath. Until you understand the source of what they say and do, you’re missing the key ingredient that will enable you to duplicate their successful performance.

The top performers in any area of expertise require years to acquire and apply what they know to perform at peak levels. Be patient. A need for speed defeats success. Invest the time to build relationships and learn from the best, and allow breathing to occur at its natural pace. Don’t rush it or you’ll hyperventilate and get dizzy. Set aside the e-mail and the Internet, and arrange to spend long periods of time working side-by-side with the leaders from whom you want to learn. Breathe the same air long enough and one day you’ll find others eager to duplicate your excellence as well.

Copyright 2008 Paul Johnson.

Paul Johnson the Trouble Breaker at http://TroubleBreaker.com works with organizations like ADP, AutoNation and Roller Skating Business Magazine to convert trouble into double and triple digit performance breakthroughs. Discover neglected markets with The Great Brand Rush at http:/NicheExpert.com.

In explaining success, some people are quick to assert that “It’s all in who you know.” But how many act on that observation to get to know more people?

Relatively few, I believe. More often, this statement serves merely as an excuse to explain why the speaker hasn’t accomplished more.

But should you seek out people just for what they can do for you in making you more successful? It doesn’t sound like a commendable idea, does it?

What should you do instead? Let’s look at lessons from how some leaders have approached starting and building relationships.

Many people believe that business leaders should focus on organizing employees to meet sales and profit goals that reward shareholders. In recent years, we’ve seen some terrible mistakes (mortgage brokers putting people into homes they couldn’t afford), business failures (investment banks that sold virtually worthless securities), and moral lapses (Enron, WorldCom, and RiteAid) while being that kind of leader.

As a result, leaders and those who followed and depended on them have often paid terrible prices (jail time, broken careers, lost jobs, and devastated savings).

Most people have had the opportunity to follow another kind of leader, one who helps them develop more than they otherwise would and who enriches their lives in many unexpected ways. After experiencing such a leader, people generally wish that this kind of constructive leadership was more available to them.

Let me give you an example of the kind of leader I mean. One of my college roommates, Jim Federico (whom I called “Fed”), had an amazing knack for meeting people who were much different from him, and he took great pleasure in their company. Just as soon as Fed met someone new, he wanted everyone he knew to meet his latest acquaintance. I was often the beneficiary of his relational largess and continue to enjoy spending time with people Fed introduced me to over 40 years ago.

You would think that after a few years of meeting great people from different backgrounds, all of Fed’s friends would have been delighted to follow his lead and reach out to others on their own. That was far from the truth because Fed was constantly expanding our horizons well beyond our comfort zones. In fact, we all resisted his desire to have us reach out as much as we could.

This stretching to get to know more and different kinds of people was very good for me, but I didn’t realize it at the time. I just knew that Fed would keep heckling, prodding, and cajoling me until I gave in and did what he wanted me to do. In a weak moment, I would eventually give in and head off with Fed to meet someone new and start another interesting relationship.

In the process, he broke me out of the comfortable intellectual cocoon of college life. I was usually meeting people who had little or nothing to do with our college such as Mike, the barber, would lecture us on how to run our lives and cut our hair for free if we couldn’t afford his services. Joe, the bartender at blue-collar Whitney’s, regaled us with funny stories that kept us humble and would lend us money whenever we were between parental checks.

Through Fed, I also met waiters who wanted to know about my family, ditch diggers who were philosophers, and caring small business proprietors who taught me about serving the public.

It was like joining an extended family filled with loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. What we had in common was our connection to Fed. He was like an ambassador who could bring peaceful relations to any two feuding nations.

When Fed’s friends and acquaintances were together and Fed wasn’t around, we would shake our heads and say things like, “That Fed is quite a guy, isn’t he?”
I wasn’t surprised when Fed later became a state senator and represented his district faithfully to make many important reforms.

I learned that his success was tied to an unusual political base that included owners of Chinese restaurants, labor leaders, municipal employees, and graduates of our college and his old high school. In a state better known for illegal payoffs than public good, he was a shining example of what a public official should do.

I was reminded of Fed recently while watching videos of Dr. Graeme Codrington, a Ph.D. graduate of Rushmore University who also serves as an associate professor at the online school. Dr. Codrington likes to ask “Why not?” when considering whether people who appear to have little in common should connect to one another.

He sees the potential for all of us to draw closer to others who aren’t like us and to accomplish more. He brings three powerful perspectives to his kind of constructive leadership:

1. He explains different generations to each another and points out what each has to gain from the others.

2. He describes how working relationships could be changed in ways that would benefit everyone and all would be treated with respect and consideration.

3. He shares his young daughter’s concerns for the environment and follows her leadership in a one-family boycott that attempts to reform company practices through e-mails and letters. In his speaking and consulting, he encourages companies’ leaders to understand that they must be concerned about more than sales and profits this quarter.

Listening to Dr. Codrington, I sensed his deep love for everyone and his instinct for finding common ground and developing the potential for helpful collaborations among those with disparate backgrounds. In the videos of his audiences, I saw a profound appreciation for his caring about them and his helpful ways of championing views that are hard for employees to bring up with bosses.

These are messages that many people are sharing in a variety of forums. What’s different about Dr. Codrington? People strongly resonate to him and his way of sharing information. Using an approach that is at once powerful and playful, he laces his presentations, books and resources with dry humor and deep insights.

His message not only is inspiring and memorable, but also has lasting influence. As examples of his appeal, Dr. Codrington is often recognized as the best speaker at a conference and was acclaimed as Speaker of the Year 2007 by the Academy for Chief Executives (UK).

His passions for helping people and doing things better are contagious. Students relate well to his vision and enthusiasm. He teaches business subjects at four different universities. Imagine how much better his students will perform as business leaders by learning from his perspective.

Why does he enjoy his work?

“The ability to interact with other cultures and learn from people around the world is a great privilege. I love that I need to keep learning, and that everything I read and learn gets immediately tested by some of the cleverest businesspeople around the world, and I get instant feedback by helping them implement — or critique — what I present to them.”

Where do his insights come from?

“A white man, born in Africa, living in London, working on every continent with people from almost every country . . . this is a recipe for a global worldview. I am tremendously grateful for my background and the experiences that have shaped me.

“I have a diverse academic background which includes my Rushmore business doctorate and four other degrees in faculties as diverse as Commerce and Sociology. A near-photographic memory allows me to speed read about 10 books a month and as many magazines a week. But, above all, I love trying to understand what makes people tick, and am fascinated by people who see the world in different ways.”

We can all learn from Fed and Dr. Codrington. The immediate benefit is that we will learn more. The lasting benefit is that we will accomplish more . . . and be more pleased because of the caring and compassion that infused our leadership activities.

What are the lessons for you?

1. Seek out people who are as little like you as possible in culture, education, age, experience, and outlook.

2. Set a good example by treating others with respect, interest, and enthusiasm.

3. Listen to and learn from other people’s perspectives. Do your best to see the world through their eyes, understanding that they feel just as “normal” as you do.

4. Do not merely treat people the way you would like to be treated — rather, spend time listening to them and understanding how they would like to be treated.

I wish you well on you journey to greater connection.

Donald W. Mitchell is a professor at Rushmore University, an online school, where he teaches how to be a constructive leader for businesses and nonprofit organizations. For more information about ways to engage in fruitful lifelong learning at Rushmore to increase your effectiveness and improve your career, visit

http://www.rushmore.edu

Organizations who have adopted Six Sigma have learned that if they do not design for Six Sigma, they will not achieve it. DFSS is a rigorous approach to designing products and services and their enabling processes to ensure that they meet customer expectations. As the organization evolves in Six Sigma, we will learn more about the importance of DFSS, and apply the tools more frequently.

The classical or traditional approach to product/service and process design generally involves several functional departments working in series.

This classical approach tends to lengthen the development process and increases the opportunities for defect at each step of the process. Communication between groups has little impact on the overall definition due to the serial nature of the process engineering, drawing rework is the accepted norm and as schedule pressures mount in manufacturing firefighters emerge as the heroes of the day. Each manufacturing challenge must then be quickly resolved with short-term fixes and root causes are either difficult to identify or expensive to fix at this point and are therefore not pursued.

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) on the other hand, is a parallel (concurrent) activity where all applicable disciplines are represented within a cross-functional team. There is a vast psychological difference between performing a task within a functional group performing it as a cross-functional team member. Furthermore, all relevant knowledge, information, and data is made available to the teams so that decisions are data based versus the traditional judgmental basis. Product service designs and manufacturing transactional processes can therefore, be developed together; meaning that the product and process can be made optimal relative to each other, resulting in fewer design changes, lower manufacturing cycle times, enhanced product quality and reliability, and reduced total cost.

Although each of the DFSS tools can be applied to the design process in and of itself the true ‘”global”‘ benefit can only be realized through an integrated application across the board.

Knowledge of each applicable long-term process shift and drift is crucial to the selection of appropriate processes that meet the CT based design tolerance to a Six Sigma quality level.

Utilization of reverse error propagation allows for driving down of system design specifications that are based on elemental capabilities making up the whole.

Product and process complexities have a direct effect on DPMOs. The more complex the process or product is the larger the number of opportunities for defect will be. In fact the notion of manufacturability has product simplification as its cornerstone. Rigorous methods are used to drive down process steps, parts count, fastener count, special tooling, reorientation, forms, and so on.

Simulation & DOE can be effectively used to identify leverage variables, establish sensitivities of the response variable, and define tolerances through the deliberate arrangement of competing settings among one or more independent variables. The goal here is to provide the most efficient and economical means for arriving at valid and relevant conclusions and resulting in reduction of variation at minimal cost.

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Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

six sigma online Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

six sigma online training Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

green belt certification Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

green belt certification Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

lean six sigma certification Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, PMP

six sigma online Special offer to help you gain six sigma lean certification. http://www.greenbelt6sigma.com

Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

Most organizations find it useful to have a way to evaluate the capacity of products, services, and processes. This step provides them with an idea of where they are on the Six Sigma map, where to focus improvement projects, as well as point out areas where data is available or needs to be collected in the future. It is important to note that there may be different approaches used to apply these concepts because each situation is different.

There are three types of analysis that can be done to estimate capability; product benchmarking, process baselining, and capability analysis. With product benchmarking, metrics are calculated for products and services to compare them to each other and to the best in class. With process baselining, we develop metrics to compare key processes and identify improvement areas. Capability analysis is done at the CT level and is usually the focus of a Black Belt’s Six Sigma improvement project.

The ultimate goal is to compare things with a common metric, the Sigma value. Product benchmarking can be done at both the macro and micro level. The focus of macro-level product benchmarking is to obtain an overall Sigma value for selected products. Micro-level product benchmarking is used to evaluate the capability of several products or services (deliverables) for a functional area using more detailed data, such as the number of opportunities for defect.

For process baselining, we focus on key processes that have leverage, such as processes which run across many products. Existing data must be gathered on key processes to determine metrics. At this point, we are not interested in organizing a big data collection. We are simply interested in estimating the current situation. If there is no existing data, this is an opportunity for a Six Sigma project.

For key processes, process maps will help identify data collection points for a particular process. At each step of the process, it is important to determine the CTs that are being measured. Data that is available for these CTs will enable us to determine the process baseline for particular processes. At this point, it is usually discrete data that is used for process baselining, since it is more available in most organizations.

Calculating metrics will help identify improvement opportunities for Six Sigma projects. Eventually, when there is continuous data available for these CTs, we will be able to roll temp up to obtain an overall Sigma capability for the organization.

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Jacquelyn Donner, Master Six Sigma Black Belt

A successful leader is engaged in their business and they stay engaged by practicing the art of intentional inquiry. Learning how to ask the right questions that require your team to think instead of simply responding, is an art that requires experience and practice.

It’s also the basis for good coaching. Most leaders don’t know how to ask questions that encourage employees to speak their minds.

Each time a leader has an opportunity to force an employee to think, to discover, to search for answers and solutions they are helping their company push knowledge into the depths of the organization.

Knowing how to ask questions that get to the heart of a potentially troubling situations or that encourages people to open up and share their ideas and concerns is what I refer to as the art of intentional inquiry and will improve your leadership skills.

Ask yourself this question: As a leader in my organization, am I tuned in to how people are really feeling? Getting leaders to ask questions that relate to feelings, not ideas or attitudes doesn’t come easy. It’s much easier for a leader to ask: how is that project coming along — to which an employee may answer in one syllable, Fine.

If the question asked was: how are you feeling about the progress of your project? I believe the answer will be much more expansive and tell the leader a whole lot more about the project and even more importantly about the employee.

Why do people find it hard to ask questions? Could be several things:

– Fear of looking stupid

– Fear of confrontation

– Failure to distinguish between arguing and asking

– Fear of too much information

In some organizations the culture is such that asking questions gets you a stern rebuke from a manager. Or asking questions may appear to challenge a leader’s knowledge. Even worse, the person asking questions is made to feel like they don’t have experience.

The art of intentional inquiry begins with a genuine curiosity. Intentional inquiry also must be planned and practiced. And the objective of the person who is asking questions should be to learn.

The outcome for the person who is being asked is that they will enthusiastically engage because they understand you are there to learn.

What’s so hard about asking a question? I don’t know. You tell me. Have you ever found yourself asking questions like this?

– What are you doing?

– Why in the world did you think that?

– Don’t you know what the answer is?

– What, are you crazy?

– Didn’t you think before you did that?

– Why didn’t you do ___________?

– Why didn’t you ask me first?

My guess is we are all guilty at times. We are either in a hurry. Or we are frustrated. Or we want to put ourselves in a position of control.

Sometimes these reasons are subconscious, sometimes they are intentional. Here are some ideas to consider when you are looking to provide that opportunity to learn and ultimately to engage.

– Think before you talk

– Ask with genuine curiosity in order to learn, not preach

– Change your facial expression

– Change your voice inflection

– Be accountable for your question

– Practice — know what you want the outcome to be

It gets a bit more complicated because asking is only half the equation — listening and learning is your job.

Does the employee seem to be able to communicate freely with you?

Do they establish good eye contact?

Are they relaxed?

Do their answers reflect the goals of the organization?

Do they enjoy the interaction?

Are they willing to tell you when things aren’t so good.

Becoming better at the art of inquiry will help you become a high performance leader. Take the time to really think about what your goal is with each interaction, whether it’s with a direct report or an employee in your organization.

Your ability to connect with the people in your organization at a level that encourages honest and open dialogue will ultimately impact your bottom line.

Here are some ideas on questions you can ask in different situations.

Walk Around the Office Questions

What have you done today that had an impact on the company?

What activity today gave you the greatest challenge?

What did you feel the most successful about today?

Feedback Questions with Direct Reports

What is working?

What isn’t working?

Where do you need help?

What do you suggest?

Performance Questions with Direct Reports

What did you accomplish?

What would you like to accomplish?

What do you suggest?

How can I help?

Employee Development Questions with Direct Reports

What did you learn?

What do you need to learn?

What do you suggest?

How can I help?

Impact your ability as a leader to connect to your employees through the art of intentional inquiry and you will positively impact the ability of your company to grow and thrive in good times and bad.

Laurie Taylor is President of FlashPoint! and is a buisness growth specialist. Laurie works with CEOs with fewer than 500 employees to help them successfully navigate their growth curve. Visit FlashPoint! at http://www.igniteyourbiz.com

It is not unusual for a new manager to find that his or her predecessor has, maybe for years, tolerated performance from a team of a lower standard than they are willing to accept. Not only has the newcomer to deal with the normal problems of gaining acceptance from the team, he or she has to step up to some difficult conversations early on in their relationship with people who are probably going to be resistant to changing their behaviour.

How do you convince a person to improve their performance when they have been paid, and maybe even promoted, for years, for what you consider to be sub-standard performance? This is a conversation that needs some careful planning or you could find yourself in a difficult and unpleasant conversation. There are three key points you should keep in mind.

You need to start by looking to yourself.

Is it just you? Are you the only one who is unhappy with the behaviour of this person? Are your expectations and standards realistic? Does the person contribute special skills in one area that compensates for poor performance in some other area? You need to first gather hard data on their performance and as far as you can, you need to check that your view of it is shared by others. If it is not, you may have to accept that the only realistic solution to the problem is that you change your expectations of the person.

The second step is to look to the person.

What are you telling yourself about them? Do you think that they are deliberately coming to work for a free ride? Do you think they have a malicious intent to pull down the performance of the department? Is it not just as likely that by withholding feedback, others have contributed to their lack of performance? Is it not possible that they have no idea they are underperforming? Giving the other person the benefit of the doubt is the most respectful and safe way to approach a difficult conversation like this. If you feel and show respectfulness toward the person, there is least likelihood that they will react defensively or with anger.

Thirdly, do not drag up all the history. Start from where you are now. Use a few clear, specific facts to describe the current situation as you see it, even if this means putting off the conversation until you have first hand experience of the performance standard. Then explain the gap between what you expect and their current performance. Explain the implications of this level of performance. Then ask for input from the person and listen carefully to whatever they say.

Only when you feel that the facts are out in the open and that you both share an understanding of the situation, should you ask for ideas on ways in which performance can be improved. Agree on a plan and set dates for follow up and feedback. It may take a little time, and may require some ongoing coaching and support, but it is quite likely that the person will be grateful for your honesty and will respond by trying their best to change their behaviour.

This is a leadership issue. If you are seen to be confronting issues that have been side stepped in the past and are clearly not prepared to tolerate poor performance, you are sending a very positive signal about the leadership style your new team can expect from you in future.

Maureen Collins has a B.Sc. degree in Psychology from Edinburgh University and over 25 years of consulting experience. She specialises in communication skills in the business world. In Straight Talk, she trains people how to handle difficult conversations, on difficult topics, with difficult people.
Get your own free Straight Talk Tips.
http://www.straight-talk.co.za

Podcasts are the latest trend in educational literature these days, with webcasts not far behind. Now, people are using webcasts to do everything from market their own products to educate on a huge variety of topics. CEO webcasts are one of the most advanced educational opportunities of the technology age, and they are an opportunity you as a leader in the business world definitely do not want to let pass you by.

The question is, what can you learn from CEO webcasts? As a business leader you have probably spent huge amounts of time in the past attending seminars and conferences given by some of the biggest names in the CEO business. At these conferences leaders in the business industry who have been in the business for years speak over bad turkey surprise about their experiences, the problems they have faced and what they did to overcome them.

The information you can learn at these conferences and seminars will prove invaluable to your career farther down the road. Regardless of your industry there are certain truths to being a CEO, truths that are universal and are vital to your success. These truths involve the way you deal with clients, the way you deal with suppliers, the way you negotiate deals and the way you handle conflict. Regardless of what niche your business falls in there are certain problems that every CEO is going to face at some point or another.

With CEO webcasts you have the opportunity to enjoy the wisdom and benefit from the experience of these individuals without ever having to leave the comfort of your home or office. Simply set aside an hour or two of your already busy day (or night), click on the webcast, and you can either listen to it in your office or pipe it over your speakers at home while making dinner.

CEO webcasts give CEOs like you the chance to learn from the best without having to take three or four days out of your schedule. You can have all of the resources you would have at these conferences (minus the turkey surprise) and you can capitalize on them without having to completely disrupt your personal schedule. Simply set aside an hour or two of your day aside each day to listen to these CEO webcasts, an hour or two that can be spent while getting ready in the morning, eating lunch in the afternoon or sipping a glass of Merlot in the evening, and you can exponentially increase your education without having to exponentially increase the mileage on your car.

CEO webcasts are a great tool for CEOs all over the world, offering a frank, honest look at businesses of today and the role that leaders are going to have to play in their future. The beauty of CEO webcasts is that they are designed by CEOs, for CEOs, so they are not just another clever marketing ploy designed to waste an hour or two of your day.

Set aside some time out of your day each day and discover how CEO webcasts can help your company prepare for the future.

Ron Subs is a public relations specialist working with N2Growth, a leader in business solutions. For more information about how they can help you build your business and strengthen your leadership skills, visit http://www.n2growth.com

Every time you walk into a bookstore it seems as though the self help section grows exponentially. There is a reason for that. Self help and leadership books are fantastic resources to help people learn how to cope on a variety of levels with a large variety of different situations throughout the course of their life. As a business leader you have probably spent hours over the years bent over leadership books, learning from experts in the industry.

If you have not, it is never too late to start.

As a leader in the business world you have a tremendous amount of responsibility laid on your shoulders every day. You personally are responsible for the future of both your company and of every single employee on your payroll. Your decisions are going to affect their lives long after you have moved on to the next deal, the next merger or the next negotiation, so it is essential that you have the skills you need to make sure those decisions are the right ones.

When you were growing up, who would you say that you learned the most from? Very few people believe that they learned the lessons they needed to learn to make their lives a success in school. Most have a specific individual or group of individuals that they credit with giving them the knowledge and inspiration they needed to move forward. A teacher, a family member, a friend, a team. Whoever that someone is, they played an invaluable role in helping them prepare for the future.

Leadership books do exactly that. They provide up and coming business leaders with the knowledge and inspiration they need to prepare for their future, and they do it using the wit and wisdom of the biggest names in the business industry. Leadership books are not written by writers sitting around trying to think up ideas that will change the face of industry. They are written by real leaders of real companies that are really out there doing business every day.

As a business leader you probably make it a point to spend at least a small amount of time each year attending conferences and luncheons given by major players in the business world, and it probably is NOT because you like the food. (The food at these events is actually universally quite uninspiring.) You go because you want to hear what the speakers have to say and, perhaps most importantly, because you are looking for a small glimmer of information that you can use to increase your success in your own business.

When you read leadership books you are gleaning information from the best in the same way you do when you attend a conference or seminar, you just happen to be doing it without the conference or seminar. Through leadership books you can learn how to handle conflict, negotiate deals, overcome the turbulence you are going to face along the way, discover the universal truths to being a great business leader and find the inspiration you need to become a major player in your industry.

Ron Subs is a public relations specialist working with N2Growth, a leader in business solutions. For more information about how they can help you build your business and strengthen your leadership skills, visit http://www.n2growth.com

Many managers do indeed talk straight. They identify problems, decide on solutions, allocate responsibilities, and communicate it all to their people with standards and deadlines. For many reasons however, things often do not turn out as planned. When that happens, managers react by talking even straighter, and often louder, with more instructions, clearer priorities, and more deadlines. But still the job is not done! Management would be easy if only people would do what they have been told to do. And they have been told: straight!

Although managers say they want to obtain commitment from their people, the process they use to do so goes wrong right from the start, and before a single word is spoken. It is all about mindset. When you approach a problem with an employee with the intention of getting the person to solve the problem using your solution, you have already lessened any chance you had of obtaining commitment to that solution.

With this mindset it is likely you will start by describing the problem, then jump into describing the solution you have decided will work, and when the other person obeys your instructions with a muttered, OK, you take it as a sign of commitment. When the issue is important and you know exactly how you want it to be resolved, you are even more likely to focus on the solution that YOU want, pushing harder and harder to persuade, convince and if necessary, bully the other person into submission.

The problem is that when someone is not committed to a plan of action, then every obstacle, no matter how small, is an excuse for non-performance. If, as a manager, you do not obtain real commitment to action, it is more than likely you will find yourself facing the same problem some time later. However, when you obtain commitment from an employee, no problem is too big to prevent the goal being achieved.

Submission is not commitment. Today, employees expect to be involved in decisions. They want to think and decide for themselves. They demand responsibility and they have career ambitions that involve their personal growth and development. Most managers recognise that developing their people is one of the most important roles they play, but often lack the communication skills to make it happen successfully.

Managers need to focus on getting into dialogue around problems. They need to hear ideas from others. They need to work with their teams, helping each other think creatively through possible solutions before developing the best of them for implementation. What makes us believe that other people think better if they take on OUR thoughts without question?

It can be difficult to hold back on offering ready made solutions to problems you have seen many times before, especially when you are under pressure to deliver against standards of quality, time and budget. Sometimes, it is the only thing you can do. At other times however, you need to slow the thinking process down and use every opportunity to encourage employees to think through problems and their solutions, for themselves. The more they are involved in generating solutions, the more they will be committed to ensuring their success.

Resist the temptation to assume you have all the answers. Ask your people what they think; find out how they see the situation; and be prepared to consider views different from your own. Then step back and watch as new and creative solutions emerge.

Talking straight does not mean doing all the talking.

Maureen Collins has a B.Sc. degree in Psychology from Edinburgh University and over 25 years of consulting experience. She specialises in communication skills in the business world. In Straight Talk, she trains people how to handle difficult conversations, on difficult topics, with difficult people.
Get free Straight Talk Tips.
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Team building comes in many shapes and sizes and sometimes gets dismissed as cliche but the fact remains it delivers real benefits in terms of staff motivation, performance and retention. Big business realised this in the 90’s and we saw an upsurge in businesses adopting this into their HR strategy and similarly businesses offering team building and team development activities and courses also became prevalent.

Despite the popularity of team building among larger companies many small businesses- particularly in traditional industries were reluctant to adopt team building, seeing it as an unnecessary expense based on what is typically a small or non-existent training and staff development budget. Teambuilding days for example not only involve the cost of a trainer or training centre or an activity for the team to do together but also the expense incurred of leaving the office for a day or afternoon- in an office of 5 people or less this can mean the close of business for an entire day which is undoubtedly costly.

However, there are real benefits to be gained from good team building activities which far outweigh the costs incurred in the process. Benefits companies who adopt team building often report include- improved morale among staff, higher staff retention rates/ lower staff turnover, improved efficiency measured in terms of meeting project deadlines, higher productivity per capita of staff resulting in higher profitability, lower absence through sickness.

It may be argued that all these benefits touch on key areas which are actually more business critical to the world of small business than large organisations where profitability is usually driven from the organisational mechanic as a whole rather than individual performance (although this still undoubtedly plays a part in the mechanic, it is less measurable).

For the cash conscious small business however there are alternatives to expensive team building which can deliver the same benefits to you business. If you want to run your own team building activity make sure you first understand the principles of what makes good professional team building so successful. Here are some basic guidelines.

-Do it outdoors- it doesn’t have to be on the other side of the world but its good to get out of town.
-Make it active but inclusive- you may be into your extreme sports but that doesn’t mean your team will share your enjoyment of all things dangerous. Make it something people will look forward to rather than dread.
-Look at and address the problems in your team- if there’s a divide, don’t ignore this, choose activities which will force your team to face up to their differences.

John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including team building and development. Visit JSI International for more about professional team development training

Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage you’ll ever have that will endure against all others. Are you then an effective, 21st Century leader? What would your people say about your leadership? Would they say that your leadership is the one key element that insures their long term success? And how much of your energy is being spent helping your subordinates become effective leaders?

Would your employees say that you are giving it everything you’ve got – making a 100% contribution to your organization? Do you think you have what it takes to lead your organization in these very interesting times?

From my observations excellent business leaders always turn out to be regular folks like you and me who are internally motivated to stretch themselves far beyond what even their in-laws expected of them. Is that you, does your mother-in-law think you are “playing over your head” always going the extra mile for your people?

I think of my grandmother every day, not just because she was my inspiration, but because I am still striving to be the same sort of person she was – the one who is still revered by everyone she came in contact with. I still think about the kind of person she thought I could be when I grew up. What about you, did you think you would become a 21st. Century leader who is always plowing ahead – always happy to take responsibility for the results your organization achieves, while giving the credit for that achievement to the people who actually made it possible?

No matter where you are in your personal career or the development of your organization – as long as you are breathing you can still be that person, that 21st. Century leader of uncommon followers.

Start right now, right where you are and consider the characteristics of a successful business leader and take the actions required to address the changes you need to make to be that person.

Develop a sense of mission that goes beyond the week to week. Recognize that you are here for a reason, you are running your organization in order to accomplish something special. What is it? It has to do with stewardship doesn’t it? Don’t you feel that you are here to make things better, for your family, your employees, and your organization? If so, act like it – someone has trusted you with the position you now hold.

What should you be doing right now to make a difference to your people and your customers? I think that when you truly believe that you are here to make a difference that you are well on your way to being a true 21st. Century leader.

Effective business leaders are results oriented. Don’t let the turkeys get you down my grandmother always said. Don’t be activity focused Wayne she’d say, stop majoring in minors. If you are an effective business leader you are not pushing papers from one side of your desk to the other. You are focused on doing only those things that represent bankable payoffs to the organization. You are 100% focused on the key result activities – those things that represent all that is important to your company’s long term success.

Do you have a burning desire to serve your customers? Effective leaders know that the customer, including their subordinates, is still king. Leaders know that it is the customer for whom they really work, that their customers are the only reason that they are on the payroll at all.

A 21st Century leader, awaken from a dead sleep in the middle of a cold winter’s night by their smallest most insignificant customer, is wide awake and focused on doing whatever they can to serve them, to make it right. Whether that customer is a new hire on the loading dock or one whose orders are so small they have to batch them to meet your shipping requirements – where are you? Are you in the car on the way to the office, heading to the freeway off ramp where their car broke down, or are you still in bed with the voicemail picking up? Your answer will tell a great deal about you as an effective leader.

Do you require that every decision gets passed to you, or feeling self-satisfied, by you – before being made? Or do you grow your people, always looking for ways to release their power by delegating every decision that it is possible for someone else to make? Effective 21st Century leaders know that every decision is an opportunity to stretch their employees, enhance their judgement and willingness to takes the risks and assume the responsibilities of leadership.

Building their employee’s self-confidence at every opportunity, the effective leader never misses a chance to help their people grow today so they will be ready to make the decisions required tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Your employees are your greatest asset and effective leaders always look for ways to help those assets appreciate in value. Effective leaders always give their people the opportunities to achieve and then they recognize them and reward them.

Effective leaders insist on excellence – from themselves first by example, and from the rest of the organization. They know that in these competitive times those who execute with excellence my be demonstrating the single competitive advantage they have, and the one that gets or loses the business every time.

Effective leaders act like they own the place, especially if they don’t. They spend the organization’s money like it was coming right out of their pocket even when it isn’t. And the decisions they make represent the kind of decisions that would make the organization’s founders proud.

I have met business owners striving daily to make their dad proud even though he had been dead for over twenty years. That’s a good thing, it keeps us focused on what’s important. Are you making decisions that would make them proud?

These challenging times call upon each of us to be more effective leaders. We are called upon to make the tough decisions, have the courage of our convictions, and the character to see it through no matter what.

Are you a 21st Century leader? Are you on your way toward becoming one?

If you are determined to realize your organization’s potential, join our free email monthly announcement series at http://www.iBizResources.com/announcements.html

Professional solution providers, lawyers, accountants, financial planners and business coaches are invited to visit http://www.iBizResources.com where they can join the brand new directory of professionals.

Leadership books are some of the best resources on the market for helping business leaders prepare to meet the challenges that their industry is going to be throwing their way. As an expert business leader with the experience under your belt to guide young minds, you too could take the lessons you have learned along the way and put them to good use helping prepare incoming business leaders to face the future.

Why are Leadership Books Important?

When you were young you probably learned ninety percent of the things you needed to learn through watching and imitating your parents. That was how you learned how to talk, to walk, to run, to jump, to swim, to eat and to drink-the basics, the fundamentals that would influence your ability to perform these tasks for the rest of your life.

That is what leadership books do for up and coming executives. They are an invaluable resource that helps shape and mold the fundamental principles that they will use when running their companies for years to come. Leadership books, written by experienced business leaders, offer an invaluable insight into the daily struggles of running a company and priceless advice on how to deal with the ins and outs of doing business without losing their minds.

Writing Your Own Leadership Books

As a leader in the business industry you have a lot to share with the next generation. Think about it. How many successful deals have you been involved in? How many contracts have you actively helped to secure? How often have you had to step in and help resolve a conflict for the good of your company?

These are all stumbling blocks for young executives, complicated facets of the business industry that they are going to have to learn through trial and error and that are going to throw road blocks in their way as often as not. It can be difficult to handle an unfamiliar situation, particularly if you have no experience in that area and have never had the opportunity to watch someone else handle a similar situation as well.

When you write a leadership book you are offering young executives the benefits of your own experience in the business world. Through your writing you will have the chance to share with them the conflicts you have faced over the years, the adversity you have overcome and the ways those conflicts and adversities have shaped you as a person and your company as a whole.

What Do I Write About?

Writing a leadership book is easy, because unlike writing fiction you will never have to dig around in your head for interesting plot twists or new ways to jazz up your storyline. All you have to do is be honest. Share pieces of your life both in and out of the office. Tell them how you deal with difficult employees, what bulldozer tactics you use to get your way in the boardroom, what skills you have developed over the years that were not there in the beginning and, perhaps most importantly, how you have managed to become a driving force in the business world without losing touch of who you are outside the office.

You have a tremendous amount to offer up and coming executives, and leadership books are a great way to reach out and share that experience to shape the world of tomorrow.

Ron Subs is a public relations specialist working with N2Growth, a leader in business solutions. For more information about how they can help you build your business and strengthen your leadership skills, visit http://www.n2growth.com

Some concepts, when efficiently executed, can change any organization in a successful team. Every step must be supported and verified by company leaders, these keys must also become essential factors in purpose of raises, bonus, as well as promotions. In call centers, we get what we return. If we desire to establish effectual teamwork, we are willing to distinguish and reward excellent teamwork.

First key to effectual teamwork in call center is culture that rewards the team goals in front of individual goals. We all are instructed to put up with one another’s troubles if salary reviews are based mainly on person performance, we will see little real teamwork. When precedence clashes, employees will concentrate on their personal workload and their priorities, and will pay no attention to others.

Second key to establishing effectual teamwork is rewarding the workers who volunteer to assist others to achieve their aim. When we observe that wind is against the colleague, we should be ready to help, and field in before being asked for help. One call center struggled with wide variation in call volume. Sometimes, they would get banged with too many calls, and at times it was quiet. Accounting manager recommended cross training accounting employees to handle the telephone orders during the peak times, as well as teaching order takers to do accounting tasks when phones were quiet. Each time somebody crossed over to help, they were cheered. As productivity and consumer service improved, both accounting staff plus order takers received increment in their salary. Accounting manager and the call supervisor as well received increased bonus consequently.

Interacting efficiently with others is a third key in establishing real teamwork. Effectual interaction begins with availability for sessions, and return to the phone calls and email messages. Solving problems earlier itself, rather than making do, endorse a culture, which enhances effectual interaction. When matters arise, colleagues should let down their lines and concentrate on what went wrong, and why. The teamwork results when group members pay attention with respect to one another and no one is suspicious. When leaders actually listen and reveal that all matters are open to conversation, others on team will go after their example.

Treating all employee and colleague with esteem is fourth necessary component in establishing effectual teamwork. Listening cautiously to feedback is important component of respect. Ignoring or else dismissing advice kills teamwork and worker confidence. Cutting explanation or public scolding as well weaken teamwork, while bestowing real public honor builds people up. Respect comprises of giving encouragement, treating each task and work attempt as significant, and working on servant leadership, rather than simply barking orders.

Call Center Trainings , Read More Call Center articles

What are the characteristics of organizational excellence, the attributes that must be present for your company to survive and prosper in the 21st. Century?

Your company’s long term success depends on where you are in the mind of your customers, whether you think they have the right impression of your organization or not. When your customers and potential customers measure you, based on their perception of what makes a company worthy of their patronage – you had better measure up or you will be left out.

Each of the attributes of successful companies must be present, to one degree or another, if you expect to succeed. Some organizations by their nature or the nature of their industry and products will find one characteristic more important than another but they all must be present to win.

The quality of your products and services is always a critical element. Companies in rural Nebraska compete with their counterparts in Hong Kong. UPS and FedEx level the playing field when it comes to the products you make or distribute. The Internet means you have a competitor open doing business every hour of every day.

If you can’t deliver or if your product is inferior you will lose the business. Maybe you won’t lose the first order, but you will lose the second, third, and so on. What is the reputation of your products in the eyes of the marketplace? Are they seen as good, better, or best? For the vast majority of companies, it is the quality of your products and services that gives you your competitive edge.

Offering world class value to your customers doesn’t mean that you are necessarily the cheapest, fastest, or best alternative. It does mean that the face, the attitude, your employees display to your prospects and customers must project that you care about them and about their business. When people know their business is appreciated they will give you the benefit of the doubt.

Always be innovating. Product, service, and marketing innovation that sets you apart from your competition is a key element of success. Advertising experts say that for a product to be “new and improved” it only has to be 10% different than it was before. We all know of situations where the 10% was 100% perception.

Innovation doesn’t mean you have to reinvent your product or your service as long as you create the impression that you are making it better – different than it was. Often innovative marketing is all you need. Marketing ideas that cast your products, your services, and your organization in a new light – as innovators.

One of the most effective ways to innovate is to spend time talking to your industry peers, those far outside your traditional marketing area – at an association event of via your regularly scheduled peer group meetings. The giant companies call this competitive intelligence gathering but we know it’s just common sense to speak regularly with other successful business owners in and out of our industry to see what they are doing that’s working and consider how it just might work for us.

Every member of your organization should be speaking regularly with their counterparts for innovation at every level. The beauty of association meetings is that there are sessions for everyone, ever functional area is represented by leaders and experts. The brainstorming at these meetings by everyone from the Board Room to the shipping department will provide fresh innovative perspectives to take home and to continue to discuss in the mastermind peer groups throughout your organization.

Customers are looking at your financial soundness. In the rarefied world of public companies, where financial information is broadcast far and wide to attract investors, it’s easy to see if the company you’re considering doing business with has the financial staying power that assures you they will be around after the warranty runs out. But what about the 99% of the companies on the earth that are privately held or family owned?

Companies like yours do not and should not broadcast your financial information to outsiders. Nevertheless you must provide your prospects and customers with the feeling that you will be around. How do you do that? By using your corporate assets and your good will for the genuine benefit of your customers. By showing them that the investments you make are those that make your company better, more responsive to the needs of your customers. In short it’s by projecting your confidence in the future of your business so your customers will feel better about choosing you.

Are you committed to your community and demonstrating local environmental responsibility? The more companies and their products and services change the more equal everybody seems. Your objective should be to appear to be first among those equals. There is an old saying that all things being equal, people do business with their friends, but we all know from experience that things being unequal, people still do business with their friends.

Does your community and industry see your company as their friend? Do you go out of your way to do good and help others, always on the lookout for things you can do to benefit the community, the people in your marketplace? Does your company’s name mean “reliable” to all the people in the areas you serve?

No matter where you are today, your future will be determined to a great extent on your ability to attract and keep talented people – on the loading dock, in the plant, and in your executive offices. Your potential customers are looking for consistency. Will you be able, in the long run, to keep the promises your people are making today?

Building your company’s management bridge to the future means hiring the right people in the first place, training them to do their jobs and eventually they will be able to teach others what they’ve been taught.Hiring the right people is not as tough as it may seem. Try to remember how inept you were when you started there. Would the person you’ve become hire the person you were with the skills you had?

What new hires need is a roadmap, dependable procedures to follow, and they need mentors. Mentors inside the company and perhaps industry mentors from organizations like yours, perhaps in another state. Mentors they meet with regularly, people they can reach out to when they are facing something for the first time and everyone is watching to see how they handle it.

It’s been interesting to observe that for many companies their keys to success were defined by them years before. It was how they pictured themselves and their company as being in the future. It was how they wanted to be seen by their suppliers, bankers, community, customers, and competitors.

What did you want people to think when they thought about your company? Is that what they think now, really? If it’s not, today would be a good day to start again, to return your focus to what you intended in the first place.

Wayne Messick reports on how Main St. businesses are poised to succeed in the 21st Century on his blog
www.WayneMessick.com His updated peer-to-peer collaboration report can be found at
www.SelfDirecterPeerGroups.com