The Mentoring Effect

Have you ever had a mentor? Someone you could turn to when you had questions, when you needed advice, or just simply to bounce ideas off of? In short, someone you could rely on to tell you the truth. I have had the pleasure of both having great mentors as well as serving as a mentor for others. I highly recommend both.

As leaders, it is an obligation we have to serve in a mentoring capacity. Leadership is about development, both our own as well as our influence on others. We cannot be content in simply serving in a leadership capacity, we must be willing to put ourselves out there in service to others; we must be willing to take on the responsibility of leadership mentoring.

Below are seven tips for effective leadership mentoring:

Maintain regular contact: It is easy in the busy hustle of life to forget that we have someone relying on us. Mentors should assume they are the givers in this relationship. Consistent contact models dependability and builds trust.

Always be honest: To truly be effective and to be a part of your protégé’s leadership development, you must tell them the truth. Trust and respect are the foundations on which leadership development occurs.

Don’t expect to have all the answers: Despite your level of self-confidence, you are not the perfect leader. Sometimes, you won’t have the answer or know just what to do. That’s okay, sometimes just listening is all people need.

Be willing to share: You are in this relationship to share your knowledge, skills, expertise, and even personal contacts to help your protégé develop new leadership skills and grow as a leader. Don’t be selfish in sharing your successes.

Be clear about expectations: Most effective mentoring relationships start with a clear understanding of the expectations. This can include how often you will meet, the goals of the relationship, and other important details to ensure the relationship is effective and enjoyable for both parties.

Respect confidentiality: Good friends do… and good mentors do as well. Again, trust is the foundation of leadership and you will do more harm than good if you violate this confidence.

Have fun: Leadership is fun and our participating in the development of other leaders should be fun as well. While the professional nature of leadership mentoring is important, find ways to make it personal and fun as well.

A mentor is someone who has knowledge and experience that can be beneficial to the growth and development of others. The mentoring effect occurs when we share our wisdom and know-how in support of the professional growth and development of an emerging leader. In the words of Oliver Goldsmith, "People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy."

For whom are you modeling great leadership? I would love to hear about your mentoring relationships.

Leadership Shift

I’m not sure what made me think about an article I read more than 10 years ago… but here I was Googling to find the story about the attributes necessary to achieve a leadership turnaround.  The story about Continental Airlines appeared in the December 2001 issue of Fast Company magazine. While the original ideas are not my own, I am expanding the concept in terms of how we need to experience a shift in our leadership.

Shift is generally understood to mean change. So, when we think about the need for leadership shift… we are simply thinking about change. Or, are we? Maybe shift refers to the idea of replacement; substituting old ways of thinking about leadership with new ideas. Likewise, shift could be directional suggesting that the leader reconsider long-held beliefs and positions. Regardless of our definition, the concept eventually directs change in the leader.And change is a commodity that leaders often trade in.

Relying on the ideas in the original article as the foundation, our personal leadership shift can be accomplished through specific attributes. While none of the attributes are new to leadership, the idea that we change as a result of implementing these deserves special attention.  Below are the seven attributes, each presented with an opening quote from Bonnie Reitz, then senior vice president at Continental.

Listening. “Listening is the key to knowing if what we are doing is right.”Too often we hear others without really listening. We recognize a noise coming from the vicinity of the other person, but our mind is racing to what we are going to say. Effective leadership requires us to slow down our thinking and speed up our listening. Listening is comprehension of what the other person is telling us before formulating a reply. Only through the experience of others can we really understand our leadership.

Focus. “Focus on what will make the biggest impact.” Similar to listening is focus. Paying attention to others and their ideas is critical to leadership. We too often spend energy on issues that are irrelevant or ultimately inconsequential; the squeaky wheel. Instead, by focusing on the important we can shape the future, one vision at a time.  As John Maxwell so eloquently states, “A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

Action. “If it’s worth doing, do it.”How often do you see leaders paralyzed by analysis; always waiting for more data to make a decision? Sometimes the best data is simply what we know is right. Warren Bennis knew this when he suggested that “Managers do things right and leaders do the right thing.” When deciding on a course of action, our head is important, but our heart should not be ignored. Good leadership is knowing which one to rely on to get things done.

Measurement. “What gets measured gets done.” It’s hard to ignore the irony of this attribute after I write about leading from the heart. But leadership is often a balance between estimation and quantification. Leaders too often infer what others need without investing time in true assessment or understanding. However, if we spend the time accurately appraising the situation, our leadership takes on an increased urgency.

No Surprises. “If something’s not going well, speak up.” I have two guiding principles that have served me well over many years as a leader: own my mistakes and always be truthful. This manifests in certain behaviors, one of which is I try never to surprise my boss or my team. Through proactive communication and honesty, I share what’s going well and what is not. Rowan Williams states is this way, “Bad human communication leaves us less room to grow.” And leaders should always be seeking to grow.

Strength. “Have strength of character in good times and in bad.”A true test of our leadership is how we react when things are not going our way. Our resilience to persevere through challenge is what separates leaders from others. Sometimes our limitations are just strengths waiting to happen.But strength implies more than just a resolute nature; it suggests a level of self-discipline and poise that guides decision making. It is living a life of leadership without pretense.

Integrity. “Do the best you can do.”Up to this point, I have agreed with Ms. Reitz. But simply doing our best seems to leave room for more. It implies reaching a point where we can stop trying. Leaders are called to be better than that; to never stop seeking improvement in ourselves and others. While we often think of this in terms of our principles, I see integrity more as a state of our being.  As leaders we should strive for some perfect condition or unbreachable nature, like that of a ship’s hull.

While there can be as many attributes of leadership as there are leaders, I found these seven to be particularly interesting in terms of change. Like many leaders, I think change is inevitable and our success at it is dependent on our reaction to it. By being open to a shift in our leadership, we can evolve with the change instead of being consumed by it.

How is your leadership shifting?

Time for a New Approach to Leadership - Part II

Andy Warhol once said, “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” This is especially true in leadership. We cannot afford to wait for times to change and instead have to be the change we want and expect. Leadership is personal and therefore any change we seek must first start with us.

In a recent post, I proposed five fresh ways to think about leadership development. This new dialogue is intended to explore how we think about leadership and the language we use to describe leadership. Again, my attempt is not to abandon what we know to be excellent leadership traits, instead I seek a continuing conversation, an exploration into what leadership can and should be in our current environment. What follows is the continuation of this dialogue.

Passion. Leadership often fosters in us an intense emotion or enthusiasm for the work we do. This is revealed in the passion we have for people, for living and for doing what is right.  Manifest in this passion is empathy and positive thinking; an ability to accomplish the task set before us. Nelson Mandela, someone who understands what is required of passionate leaders,

Stated, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” There is no substitute for the passion we have for leadership.

Talent. People will follow leaders they believe have the talent to lead them. The talent you posses and the respect others have for it can be a powerful leadership tool. But as John Wooden warned, “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” As we increase our knowledge base, we too can increase our talent. Experience, opportunity, and a little hard work can create a talented leader… but we must be careful to always remember the leadership is about others, not ourselves.

Heart. Leadership is about fostering relationships and developing others. Heart is what allows us to give great meaning to this work. Heart is leading through emotional intelligence and helps to define who we are as leaders. As Christina Baldwin states, “To work in the world lovingly means that we are defining what we will be for, rather than reacting to what we are against.” Our actions are dictated by the beliefs of our head and our heart. But heart is a necessary leadership skill that is central to everything we do as leaders.

Tempo. In music, tempo is measured in beats per minute. Too often leadership is a label bestowed on those who get things done quickly and efficiently. But a more contemporary concept is the idea of quality outcomes. Our beats per minute are now measured in the energetic quality of our work instead of the speed with which we get it done. Manolo Blahnik offers some unintended advice, “People walk differently in high heels. Your body sways to a different kind of tempo.” For leaders, this means being dynamic and agile while focusing on quality.

Legacy Thinking. Vision has always been an important leadership skill and one that most experts would agree is critical to leadership success. By nature, vision is always thinking about some future state. Legacy thinking moves us beyond vision to considering how our actions impact this future state. Henry R. Luce, founder of the Time-Life Magazine empire, once said that leadership “is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight.” The legacy we will leave as a leader begins with our actions today.

Our new look at old leadership is now updated with five additional contemporary ideas. While leadership is certainly more complex than the simple labels applied here, the idea that these skills are observable, and therefore may be modeled by others, is important. There are many more to share over the next several months as this dialogue continues.

I would love to hear how you are thinking about leadership differently.

There is no Band Aid for Bad Leadership

As a child, I was always very active. I remember my family moved into a new neighborhood when I was about ten years of age. A few days in this new place, I saw some other kids riding their bikes and I wanted desperately to make friends so I jumped on my bike and took off down the street. In my haste I didn’t put on shoes and about the time I caught up with the others, I stubbed my toe.

This was no ordinary stubbing… I was on the verge of death. But what could I do? I couldn’t cry in front of others. So in the spirit of every brave boy, I acted like I meant to do it and rode back home. But I couldn’t keep the tears back as I stumbled into the house crying for my mother. And what did my mother do… she put a Band Aid on my toe and gave me a big hug.

Don’t you wish it was that easy to fix bad leadership?

But, what is bad leadership? Is it unethical or immoral? Is it incompetence or chaos? Or is it something else entirely? We may have a hard time defining bad leadership, but we certainly know it when we experience it. Some could argue that if you are not a competent leader then you are not a leader at all. But this seems too simple. Certainly there are leaders who do some things well but are not as capable as they could be. Maybe the line in the sand is ethics. Clearly someone who is unethical is not a leader… right? But, leadership, while generally considered a set of positive traits, certainly has a dark side. When considering examples of “bad” leaders, we invariably mention evil leaders like Hitler, Saddam Hussein, or that manager we once had who wouldn’t let us take a cigarette break. But, too often these leaders were in fact good at the act of leadership. After all, leadership is influence it just happens that not all influence is benevolent.

But my purpose here is not to debate good and bad leaders and leadership. Instead, my intent is to convey that effective leadership is not something that is easy to accomplish or achieve. And in those times when we do fail to be effective leaders, there is often no easy fix. Consequently it is better to avoid bad leadership in the first place. Below are a few thoughts on being an effective leader so you can avert the need for a Band Aid.

Adapt Quickly

Leadership is about flexibility and a willingness to change. If we stick to long to one way of doing things, we not only become stale, we become ineffective. With apologies to Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the leaders that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Act Decisively

“Make a decision and stick to it.” This was some of the best advice I ever received as a novice leader. My mentor was not suggesting I avoid the input of others or to make decisions in isolation. By all means seek the counsel and contributions of others, but when it comes time to make a decision… do it!

Connect Seamlessly

Consider those around you… what aspirations, passions, and goals do you share? As social beings, connecting with others may be the single most important thing we do for our happiness and our success. Althea Gibson was correct when she stated "No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you."

Communicate Relentlessly

Communication is like cheese in a casserole, when you think you have enough, add more. James Hume tells us that “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” Shared information and transparency in your leadership style leads to open communication.

Reward Generously

Hard work and outstanding performance should be rewarded handsomely. This may be money, it may be time, or it may be something else like responsibility, empowerment, or trust. The reward matters less than the act of giving it. Winston Churchill said it best, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

How do you maintain your effectiveness as a leader?

The Second International Leadership Blogathon Preview

On March 1st, I am pleased to be a part of a large conglomerate of leadership experts, coaches, speakers, authors, and leaders will come together for the 2nd Annual International Leadership Blogathon on ToddNielsen.com. For 31 days we will read amazing stories, unparalleled experiences, and leadership wisdom oozing from every crevice of the Internet. There are a total of 41 writers for the blogathon, gathered from countries the world over. Last year's blogathon brought an amazing source of wisdom, much of which would be hard to come by collectively on any single blog or book. This year's articles raise the bar so much higher. Below are the 41 writers for the blogathon. I invite you to read more about them and make sure to sign-up for updates to receive the articles in your inbox every day. Plus there will be some prizes and contests, here and there, throughout the month to win books and some other leadership products.

DATE	AUTHOR	COUNTRY
March 1st	Lolly Daskal	USA
March 2nd	Kate Nasser	USA
March 2nd	Susan Bagyura	USA
March 3rd	Dan Forbes	USA
March 3rd	Chris Lema	USA
March 4th	Brendan Howe	Canada
March 5th	Dave Bradley	UK
March 6th	Scott Span	USA
March 7th	Joan De Winne	Belgium
March 8th	Kai Roer	Norway
March 9th	Ali Paskun	USA
March 9th	Susan Thorn	USA
March 10th	Susan Mazza	USA
March 10th	Andy Phillips	Colombia
March 11th	Heidi Alexandra Pollard	Australia
March 12th	Lora Crestan	Canada
March 13th	Ogwo David Emenike	Nigeria
March 14th	Steve Nichols	UK
March 15th	John Thurlbeck	UK
March 16th	T. Hampton Hopkins	USA
March 16th	Barry Smith	USA
March 17th	Coleen Jolly	USA/UK
March 17th	Ray Attiyah	USA
March 18th	Janine Garner	Australia
March 19th	Alli Polin	Austrailia
March 20th	Frode Heimen	Norway
March 21st	Kimunya Mugo	Kenya
March 22nd	Maria Gardner	UK
March 23rd	Tanvi Bhatt	India
March 23rd	Rob Ryan	USA
March 24th	Chris Young	USA
March 24th	Jonathan Creaghan	Canada
March 25th	Peter Sterlacci	Japan
March 26th	William Powell	Finland
March 27th	David Hain	UK
March 28th	Sandro De Silva	Netherlands
March 29th	Paul Jolicoeur	Canada
March 30th	Allison Macintoshwright	UK
March 30th	Richard Andrews	UK
March 31st	Tom Shulte	USA
March 31st	Todd Nielsen	USA

I can't wait to take part with all of these great minds, as well as the thousands of readers to create a fantastic leadership event that helps enhance the world of leadership acumen.

Eleven Ways to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done

According to some reports, more than 20 percent of us chronically look for distractions to avoid doing the work in front of us. I don’t know about you, but that seems chronically low. I work with many people who have taken procrastination to an art form - putting off doing something, anything until a future time. However, putting off certain things can make you a better time manager! By focusing energy and effort on the tasks of most importance, you can procrastinate and still get things done.

As Vincent T. Foss suggested, “One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow.” So, in the spirit of Mr. Foss, below are 11 ways to procrastinate effectively:

Remove the urgency from trivia: Commit to a deadline. Deadlines create a sense of urgency. Setting a deadline and sticking to it allows you to focus attention on matters of higher importance first allowing more trivial things to wait.

Do one thing at a time: Take complicated tasks requiring attention one at a time and see them through to completion. Many of us float from one task to another, never bringing anything to completion. Ultimately, the unresolved tasks take their toll creating in us an urgent frenzy.

Occupy the mind: When bogged down, take a break and rejuvenate. Even though it’s important to stick to a task once it’s started, if you reach a point of diminishing returns, take a break (don’t abandon it) and focus on some other task.

There’s always tomorrow: A prioritized daily action list is great for managing time and for procrastinating efficiently. Those tasks not completed today can be carried over to the next day’s list and reprioritized.

Use empty spaces of time: Every one of us has spare time. Properly used, this time can be of considerable value to a creative procrastinator. Always have a constructive task that needs completing with you for these spare moments – a chapter that needs to be read or a paper that needs to be written. Sometimes, however, the spare times are good for just relaxing.

Front and center: As you are wrapping up work for the day, place your next highest priority task in the middle of your desk for tomorrow. This assumes you have a dedicated work space for work – which is also critical to time management!

Select the best time of day: What is your best time of day? If you are a morning person, put off your critical tasks until that time of day. You will be more refreshed and eager to accomplish all that needs to be done.

Adapt to the day: It is a good idea to block out time to accomplish your high priority tasks. But blocking out full days and planning precisely what you will do during those times is often pointless. Be prepared to handle unexpected interruptions.

Be persistent: Stick with each task through to completion. Following the old adage that “behavior persists when it is rewarded,” make yourself stick to the task with the promise that upon completion, you will spend time on something is fun.

Dislike it? Do it!: Simply put, get the hard tasks and those you like least out of the way first.

Post-it: Instead of a list, consider post-it notes. Try using a these handy notes to capture important tasks and priorities. It feels great to throw them away when the task is done.

The next time you feel the urge to procrastinate… do it. And let me know how it works out for you.

Building a Leadership Attitude

Attitude. Webster defines it as “a mental feeling…,” others suggest it is our manner, disposition, or thoughts about something. I suggest that there is no more important word for those of us who think of ourselves as leaders.

Have you ever known someone who is almost always happy and confident? Someone who sees the glass as half full? We all have. How about the opposite kind of person – someone who is angry and cynical? Which of these people would you rather have on your team? Which one would you rather be?

The answer is obvious… below are five thoughts about becoming more confident and positive by building a leadership attitude.

Make yourself a priority

We live in a busy world. We all have family, friends, work, and other commitments that keep us active on a daily basis. Perhaps time is a luxury you feel you just can’t afford. But if you want to build a leadership attitude, you must find time for yourself.

Did you know that the average person spends 26 years sleeping, 12 years in meetings, nine years watching TV, seven years driving, six years eating, five years waiting in lines, four years doing housework, and two years returning phone calls? With an average life expectancy of 78 years, you have only seven years to do things solely for you… you better get busy.

For the next 30 days set aside time during the day to focus on you and your leadership attitude. Spend time in the morning strengthening and preparing yourself for the day by listing what you want to accomplish, catching up on your reading list, or simply spending time in thought about your upcoming day. Use time in the middle of the day to reaffirm your priorities and to make sure you are on track for the day. Finally, spend time in the evening reviewing the positive events of the day and reflecting on what you could do differently. The key is to make yourself a priority.

Set realistic goals

I’m sure you will agree that those of us who have identified goals are often more successful than those who have not. This reminds me of a survey that was conducted of graduates of Yale University in the 1950s. One of the questions asked “Do you have written goals?” It is said that only three percent of the class responded in the affirmative. A follow-up survey of these same graduates twenty years later revealed that those with written goals had incomes greater than the other 97 percent of the class combined.

Setting goals is not a new idea for leaders. But doing so in a realistic manner is what’s important. This requires that you know what you want to accomplish, when you want to accomplish it, and how you will measure your success. It take more than simply stating the goals, you must refer to them regularly to ensure that you are working towards successful completion. Remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goals, not it reaching them.”

Pay attention to your health

Well-being and physical health are important aspects of one’s leadership attitude. This encompasses three areas of particular importance: diet, exercise, and nurturing.

As for your diet, what you choose to put in your body is your business. However, the old adage holds true that “You are what you eat.” By eating healthy and avoiding the excesses afforded by this world, you are more likely to have a healthy attitude.

Exercise is good for your leadership attitude. If you have ever been involved in any type of regular exercise program, you know how much physical effort can make you feel better and provide you more energy for doing all that needs to be done in a day. The next time you are feeling angry or cynical, try exercising… exhaust yourself in a good workout. You will be amazed at how that bad attitude is flushed away from your system.

If you are like most people, nurturing is an area that is suffering some neglect. You must nurture yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Take time to slow down enough to savor a sensory experience. For instance, take the time to eat a really great meal slowly – savoring every taste and texture. Maybe leave work early one beautiful afternoon and spend some time walking in the woods to clear your head. Whatever you do, enjoy life and life’s little pleasures.

Know your strengths

Too often we spend time thinking about those areas in our life where we are unsuccessful… where we could use some improvement. We all have weaknesses and sometimes these are abundantly clear. However, we all have strengths as well. What you focus on in your mind is what you give power to. Maybe focus some of that energy on what you do well.

Take a few moments right now to write down your strengths. How many did you come up with? Did you get stuck after listing only a few strengths? Many of us do get stuck after a few because we are trained to be humble. We are more adept at thinking about those areas in which we can improve. It’s time to stop being humble and to begin to be honest with ourselves and focus on our strengths. Try it!

Be positive

There are those of us who believe the world is out to get them. Don’t let yourself fall into this deception. The world is not out to get you. Despite what happens, it is important to see the positive side of the events happening in your life. As the maxim suggests, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

If the lemon in your life is that you just lost your job, the lemonade is that you can now find something you really want to do. It is turning the negative into a positive. Think about something negative that has recently happened… now, think about how this can be a positive event in your life. The positive is there, it just may be hard to see at the moment. Keep trying until you master the idea of seeing the positive side of every event.

One of my favorite films for teaching leadership lessons is Remember the Titans. One particular scene I especially like is when the two stars of the team are talking about attitude and Julius says “attitude reflects leadership.” What I have listed are a few simple attitude adjustments that we can make to better reflect the leaders we want to be. As 2013 gets underway, it’s up to you to build a better leadership attitude. I leave you with the words of Martin Luther King quoting a Georgia preacher, “Them that’s going, get on the wagon. Them that ain’t, get out of the way.”