A CEO says “If I Could Do it Again …”

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One high performance department is miserable and oppressive another is joyful and liberating. One leader has fun while another leader …

All leaders get things done but the way they do things matters.

John Bell, former CEO of Jacobs Suchard (Nabob, Kraft), suggested he would not do different things as much as he would do things differently, if he could do it again.

Doing things and the way things are done are two different things.

If I could do it again:

Bell said he had no regrets about business strategies. But, if he could do it again he would:

1. Make it more fun. I was too serious.
2. Be just as competitive.
3. Not be as intense. The desire to enjoy continued success along with the pressure to make the numbers, which was intense, pushed us.
4. Mentor more. I would spend more time with individuals.
5. Treat people they way they needed to be treated. Don’t treat everyone the same.

John’s wisdom for leaders:

1. Deal with politics but don’t be political.
2. The way you treat the people who report to you impacts the way they treat others.
3. Build organizational culture. The right culture (integrity, excellence, and customers first) helps CEOs make the right decisions.
4. Never survive at the expense of others.
5. Connect strengths with weakness.
6. When it comes to the board, over deliver. The worst thing to hear from your board is, “Let us help you.”
7. Don’t do more with less which means cutting people – Do less better – prioritize. Pick one mountain and get to the top first. Climb the next one, later.
8. Get people out of the office by 6:00 p.m. We didn’t want our people working late.
9. Connect personally with those around you.
10. Achieve goals and be helpful at the same time.

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If you could do it over again, what would be different?

What piece of John’s wisdom can you take with you today?

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The Leadership Shift toward Exponential Success

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The fringes of leadership are populated with problem-centric leaders.

Leaders are born when they shift from self to others. Leaders begin leading when they shift toward solutions. The first is a beginning - the second represents success.

The problem with problems:

Seeing problems places you on the fringes of leadership. Somehow it feels important to point out deficiencies; in one sense it is.

The problem with problems is seeing them is an easy beginning to an arduous journey.

The second shift:

Courageous leaders shift from problem-centric to solution-centric leadership. It’s the difference between floundering and success. Seeing problems is like falling off logs – Crafting solutions is climbing mountains.

Shifting toward solutions:

1. Courageously identify challenges, problems, and failures. “If there is an elephant in the room, introduce him.” Anonymous. If you can’t admit where you are, you’ll never get where you want to be.
2. Name problems without distracting, self-affirming condemnations; it’s not who’s right but what’s right.
3. Reject leader as savior models. Never take responsibility to fix someone else’s problem. You degrade them and inflate yourself when you become a fixer.
4. Affirm the vision of others while protecting your own. Jim Collins suggests, “Embrace the genius of ‘and’.” Everyone has a vision for you and your organization. At best, you’ll get lost following someone else’s plan. At worst, you’ll feel pushed around.
5. Help others own their own solutions. If others aren’t willing to get skin in the game, don’t waste your time. Be polite but let it go.

Bonus: Develop small steps not perfect solutions. Perfect solutions are myths, progress is real. Solution-centric leaders move forward while problem-centric leaders hide behind perfection.

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How can leaders become solution-centric in a problem filled world?

How can leaders be realistic about problems and hopeful about solutions?

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 Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

How to Enhance Authority Without Being Bossy

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“Managing up” means you’re thinking like those over you and adapting. Those who adapt survive and thrive. You’re asking things like:

1. What’s the leader’s style?
2. Where should I fit in and how can I stand out?
3. What’s the big picture, not simply tasks?
4. What makes the leader feel supported?
5. How much information do they need?

Leading from the bottom:

Managing up suggests typical top down organizational structure. Leaders look down from the top while everyone else looks up. Try shifting your view of leadership. See leading from underneath not above. Lower yourself and lift others.

You enhance your authority by leading from the bottom.

Important not self-important:

Admit it, importance easily morphs into self-importance. Leaders are important, even central to organizational success. Reject self-importance, however. Don’t walk around puffed up like all knowing gods. Don’t look down on the little people.

Authority and responsibility from the bottom:

Enhance and extend your authority by using it less. Use your authority to give authority.

You’ll always make decisions that please some and displease others. That’s leadership. Reserve your authority for the tough calls. The more authority you give others the more they appreciate yours. Weak leaders make all the calls. Strong leaders step back.

Never jettison responsibility. Leading from the bottom is delegating authority but maintaining responsibility.

View decisions from the bottom not the top:

1. Ask front line employees, “What do you think?”
2. Maintain responsibility but push decision making down.
3. Overcome the need to be all knowing. You come off like a know-it-all if you can’t learn or be wrong.

View people from the bottom not the top. Ask:

1. What makes them feel supported?
2. What’s their style?
3. Where can they stand out?
4. How much information do they need?
5. What are their dreams and aspirations?

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What prevents leaders from leading from the bottom?

What does leading from the bottom look like?

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

Sweet 16 Potent Leadership Quotes – You Decide

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It’s easy to confuse and difficult to clarify. Confusion drives us toward clarity. Clarity allows us to act.

I’m looking for your perspective and insights on this set of Leadership Freak quotes. Will you grab one or more and expand, correct, clarify, and/or modify it.

The Sweet 16:

1. Don’t let the stupid things others do be the reason you do stupid things.
2. When we believe that we matter and what we do matters, we lead from within.
3. Dream, imagine, think, and plan all you want. Nothing happens until you take the first step.
4. Fearing failure is a sure way to fail.
5. If you plan to grow a business, plan to grow people.
6. Don’t narrow the dream, expand the team. From: “Dream Builders”
7. It’s amazing how a good word motivates better than a criticism. See the bad, say the good.
8. The advantage of a poor memory is I’m constantly coming up with new ideas!
9. Hey give yourself permission to make a difference. If not you, who?
10. If you hide your failures, you’ll fail. From: “Open Leadership – The Failure Imperative”
11. If you can reach your vision with your current resources, you need a bigger vision!
12. You don’t see you like others see you. From: “Spotting Blind Spots”
13. Enjoying approval is healthy. Needing it is sick.
14. What’s worse than failure? Succeeding at what doesn’t matter.
15. The more leaders focus on “what” the more effective they are.
16. People that can’t decide what they like end up liking nothing.

Expand:

“Don’t let the stupid things others do be the reason you do stupid things.”

Self-sabotage includes short-sighted behaviors excused by our frustration with irritants like failed systems and incompetent people. Unmanaged frustration seldom succeeds.

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What do these leadership quotes make you think? (Expand, correct, clarify, modify)

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

Tell Your Critics to Take a Hike

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Alternate title: “Critics: Thank’em or Spank’em”

Receiving personal criticism stands apart from criticizing products, services, or organizations.

My leadership was first criticized when I was in my early 20’s. It stunned me. I still remember the sting. People who say personal criticism doesn’t hurt, lie. If you enjoy it, you’re weird or sick.

If you can’t deal with criticism, you can’t lead.

“Any fool can condemn, criticize, and complain – and most do.” Dale Carnegie

Friends propel you – enemies obstruct you:

Friends know where you’re going and help you get there. Critical-critics always want their way; correcting-friends help you find yours. Friends pull oars – enemies swing clubs.

Correction faces forward; criticism looks back.

Listen when someone says they can accelerate your success, even when it stings. Critics, however, always serve themselves not you. Critics judge you by their values not yours.

Friends correct privately – enemies criticize publicly:

Cowardly enemies criticize you when you aren’t present. They pretend to help while causing damage. They destroy relationships, question motives, and deflate morale. Friends, on the other hand, know you and secretly call you aside.

Friends sharpen – enemies dull:

Correction builds on strengths. It strengthens strengths. Criticism fixates on weaknesses while minimizing strengths. Many naturally tend to see weaknesses to fix. Fix less and sharpen more. Train yourself and your friends to sharpen your strengths and soften your weaknesses.

Beware the sweetness:

Skillful enemies pretend they care about you. The first organization I led had a sweet smiling backstabber. They seemed noble. They’ll seduce you unless you keep their goals in mind. Deal with sweet-enemies by asking, “Where does listening to you take me?” (That’s a useful question whenever you receive suggestions.)

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What distinctions between criticizing-enemies and correcting-friends can you add?

What behaviors and attitudes do correcting-friends display?

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

10 Power Tips for Leaders who Talk too Much

All the interesting things you say make you uninteresting to others. A rare few enthrall listeners. Don’t think of yourself as one.

You know too much and have too much to say. Passion sets your tongue on fire. You can’t wait to create enthusiasm, solve problems, and share transformative insights.

In a busy world brevity matters.

Indicator:

You’ve talked too much when people move on after you’re done speaking; there’s no follow up or comeback. I’ve inspired the glazed-eye-look. Have you? Ouch!

10 Power Tips for Talkers:

1. Speak only as long as the other person spoke. Conversation equity is reached sooner than you think. This is true because you’re more interesting, for you. Stop talking sooner.
2. Think communication not talking. Talking isn’t communicating.
3. Avoid fire hoses when people want sips. Short simple questions call for short simple answers.
4. Keep background information to yourself. Don’t give the whole picture. Have you ever heard the whole story when all you wanted was chapter one? Ugh!
5. Clarify problems before giving solutions or explanations. If you don’t, you’ll end up solving the wrong problem.
6. Always ask questions before making suggestions, always.
7. Invite more conversations by emphasizing what you ask and minimizing what you say.
8. Fall in love with silence. Just let it hang there for a bit. The need to fill silence indicates a self-centered focus.
9. Give short answers and ask if you answered their question. You can always say more but you can never take back.
10. Wait for people to invite you to say more. Scary isn’t it?

Bonus: Stop interrupting.

Stop talking before others stop listening. The less you say the more interesting and inviting you become.

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What talking tips can you add?

When is it appropriate to capitalize a conversation?

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

8 Power Tips for Building Your Reputation

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Your reputation is built on being noticed for the right things in the right way by the right people. Reputation is about credibility, trust, and influence. Reputations create or destroy opportunities.

Danger:

Good reputations are earned slowly and lost quickly. One major blunder outweighs many contributions.

Building your reputation:

1. Focus on results even though the environment isn’t perfect. If the only power you have is pointing out deficiencies, you are weak.
2. Transform complaints to solutions or you’ll be a weak whiner.
3. Work hard and do the dirty work.
4. Listen before you speak.
5. Frequently ask, “Am I being who I want to be?”
6. Frequently ask, “What am I known for?”
7. Align with meaningful initiatives. Align…align…align…
8. Connect with mentors.

Choosing mentors:

Doug Conant, recently retired CEO of Campbell’s Soup explains finding mentors.

1. Look at or near the C-Suite.
2. Choose people you admire.
3. Consider someone you can learn from.

Approaching mentors:

1. Approach them directly.
2. Go through HR.
3. Consider leaders in other related organizations.
4. Explore individuals in trade associations.
5. Tap into business organizations like Chambers of Commerce or S.C.O.R.E.

Doug’s life includes many mentors. His advice is, “Just ask. You’ll be amazed at the people who will say yes. In my experience the success rate is 3 to 1.”

Doug told me this personal story. “When I was a junior junior guy, mid-level manager, I saw an article about the CEO of Reader’s Digest and thought I’d like the opportunity to talk with him. I called his office and ended up spending an hour over lunch listening to him talk about his career.”

Tips:

Building a reputation includes intention but requires contribution. Mentors improve your ability to contribute.

Don’t impose on your mentor’s time. A visit every six months with someone in the C-Suite is a treat.

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How have mentors helped your ability to contribute?

Where can emerging leaders find mentors?

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Graphic by Larry Coppenrath (click to enlarge)

This post is based on several interviews: (Listed in order of their interview):

Doug Conant
John Bell
Steve Farber
John Spence
Mike Myatt
Facebook contributors
John Bernard
Dr. John Snyder
Jesse Lyn Stoner

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

The World’s Cheapest Simplest Leadership Development System

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We’ve all been there. We get fired up at a conference only to run out of steam a few days later. Regardless of how good, training won’t stick on its own.

Leaders aren’t developed with occasional seminars and sporadic  training. But, who has the time and who can afford it?

Free simple option:

Jeffery Norris, the Director of Admission & Data Services at Rhodes College sent me this note:

“At Rhodes our VP of Enrollment and Communications, Carey Thompson, has us (his four directors) subscribe and read your blog daily. This has proven to be very valuable to the way in which we lead our respective offices. We now bring our insights to our weekly directors meeting and each week a different director presents the “Freak of the Week.” We have the opportunity to talk about which of your posts taught us the most in the previous week. We have only been doing this for a few weeks, but it has already helped me learn more about how my peers lead differently than me. This has opened up insightful conversations that were never there prior to this.” (Used with permission)

Thanks Jeffery for a great note!

Freak of the Week:

I love Freak of the Week. Successful systems are simple; complexity fails. There’s deep value in persistent focus and systematic conversation.

Surprising:

Jeffery’s note suggests the surprising benefit of learning how fellow team members lead.

Would this work for volunteer boards of community or religious organizations?

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What simple system or free tools are you using to develop your leaders?

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

10 Power Tips for Connecting with Powerful People

Image source: Pat Buntrock

Nothing trumps great work but abilities aren’t enough. Ignorance and insensitivity destroy opportunities.

You embarrass yourself and short circuit your career by expecting everyone to adapt to you. Talent gets you in the door; sensitivity to corporate culture and personalities propels you up stairs.

Embarrassment:

John Bernard shared, “I remember a young top-tier MBA asked the CEO to go out after work for a beer. Bad call! If he knew the CEO he would have known that level of informality was inappropriate.”

Well-worn path:

Great ideas irritate when they aren’t presented “properly.”

Use established protocols and procedures. “In some corporate cultures,” Jesse Lyn Stoner adds, “Bosses are deeply offended if you talk over them.” Circumventing the well-worn path reflects ignorance and insensitivity.

Jesse Lyn Stoner’s 10 power tips for connecting with powerful people:

1. Connect now. Don’t wait till you have a great idea.
2. Align with corporate culture.
3. Put yourself in the right place.
4. Don’t eat while you work. Eat where they eat. If executives eat in a public cafeteria, grab a tray.
5. Engage on social media. Friend on facebook. Comment on their blog. Follow on twitter.
6. Arrive at work when they do.
7. Connect with leaders in other departments.
8. Contribute to the company newsletter.
9. Include board members.
10. Never connect for personal gain. Disingenuous behaviors offend.

Bonus: You owe it to your company to get your idea heard.

During our interview, Jesse mentioned restroom conversations. She’s too polite to add them to her tips but I will. Don’t waste a restroom moment. People talk when they wash their hands. Warning! I’m not suggesting you become a lavatory stalker.

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Where’s the balance between fitting into corporate culture and standing out?

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More on connecting with the C-Suite, Monday. Thanks to the following leaders for their interviews. (Listed in order of their interview):

Doug Conant
John Bell
Steve Farber
John Spence
Mike Myatt
Facebook contributors
John Bernard
Dr. John Snyder
Jesse Lyn Stoner 

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.

Top 10 Ways to Tick Off CEOs

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If you aren’t concerned about ticking off the CEO, you should be. It’s easy to irritate high level leaders who operate in high pressure environments, especially if you aren’t part of the inner circle.

Senior leaders expect mid-levels to prove their value and earn their place; they did. They can smell a sense of entitlement and it makes them sick.

Mike Myatt’s top 10 ways to tick off CEOs:

1. Waste their time.
2. Present spin and half-truths.
3. Serve up opinions as facts.
4. Promote yourself, blatantly.
5. Offer ideas and initiatives not in alignment with corporate values and vision.
6. Disregard corporate culture.
7. Overlook resourcing realities.
8. Poor timing.
9. Lack of impact awareness across the enterprise.
10. Propose all strategy and no tactics and vice-versa.

The number one CEO irritant is time wasters. “Waste their time twice and you’re done.” John Spence.

Time wasters aren’t prepared.

Hone your idea and your presentation. Warning! Your ideas sound great until you present them in the CEOs office.

John Spence’s top 10 tips for presenting to CEOs:

1. Great ideas are easily communicated.
2. Simplify complexity.
3. Offer clear bullet points.
4. Explain impact.
5. Describe differentiation.
6. Highlight return on investment.
7. Define profits.
8. Outline savings.
9. Speak briefly; nothing more than three minutes, initially.
10. Pull out the full version after the short version flies.

Time wasters can’t explain compelling value.

Dr. John Snyder said, “Be prepared to clearly explain the compelling value your idea creates for customers. I’m looking for data driven value generation.”

Organizational values define compelling value.

“The second most important value is greater employee engagement.” Snyder obviously values engagement. Wise mid-levels speak to values.

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What ticks senior leaders off?

What’s convincing to senior leadership?

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More on connecting with the C-Suite, tomorrow. Thanks to the following leaders for their interviews. (Listed in order of their interview):

Doug Conant
John Bell
Steve Farber
John Spence
Mike Myatt
Facebook contributors
John Bernard
Dr. John Snyder

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Subscribe to Leadership Freak today. It’s free, practical, and brief. The subscribe button is in the upper right of the home page. I’ll never sell your email address, promise.