Burn your job description

Burn your job description and create a vision description

Traditional job descriptions are a relic of a past age when jobs didn’t evolve, society seemed stable, economies seemed predictable, and people were more inclined to do what they were told.

Here’s a dynamic alternative to a traditional job description.

Create vision descriptions.  A vision description describes a preferred future for the organization and the individual being hired.  Hiring procedures transform into vision alignment activities.  Leadership, management, colleagues, and subordinates should participate in the alignment process.

Replacing traditional job descriptions with vision descriptions revolutionizes the hiring process.

Creating a vision description leverages strengths and captures opportunities.

Vision descriptions infuse job responsibilities and tasks with higher meaning.

Broader application:

Parents – Begin crafting a vision description with your sons and daughters.

Families – Describe your preferred future.

Spouses – Craft a vision description for your marriage.

How many times have you heard someone say, “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it.”  Creating a vision description; creates targets, fuels motivation, and transforms employment into a forward facing passion-driven activity.

I think organizations and individuals would reach higher
and go further focusing on vision rather than tasks.

What does a vision description look like to you?  What’s wrong with job descriptions?  How would performance reviews change?  How would hiring and firing change?  What are the legal ramifications?  Other questions?

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

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Go with average Joe

 

The Joe's strike back

 

Average people think they are above average.

People tend to overestimate their positive qualities and underestimate their negative ones.  It’s called illusory superiority.  In ratings of leadership ability 70% of students put themselves above the median.  In ability to get along well with others 85% put themselves above the median while a whopping  25% rated themselves in the top 1%.  And of course, everyone’s children are above average.

Average isn’t desirable and it isn’t in demand.

Consider this.  The greatest pool of untapped human resources is people who don’t stand-out in the crowd.  They don’t have charisma, they aren’t exceptionally good looking, and they aren’t bubbling with talent.  They aren’t Stars. They are average Joe’s.

When should you go with average Joe?

I’d rather have a passionate average Joe than a dispassionate star on my team any day.  In my experience, average Joe’s are more reliable, more dedicated, more loyal, and frequently harder working than Stars.

Choose passion over talent.

This may not work in highly technical fields.  But it works for nonprofits that frequently need volunteers working behind the scenes.  You may choose a star to be your front-man because Stars crave and shine in the spot light.  But Stars aren’t the reason a project is completed on time.  Hard working, selfless, dedicated average Joe’s  are the reason jobs get done.

Have you been burned by a star?  Do you have a story about an average Joe who got the Job done?

*****

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A summary of 5 leadership books

Here’s a hearty Leadership Freak welcome to Norm Smallwood and Dave Ulrich co-founders of the RBL Group,  guest bloggers for Leadership Freak.   What follows is a tight, information packed, synopsis of five leadership books they have written.  Thanks guys and everyone fasten your seat belts!

Norm Smallwood

1.  Leadership is more than individual, psychological competencies; it’s delivering results. When we ask people “what makes an effective leader?” Their responses include: sets a vision, has emotional intelligence, exercises judgment, makes thing happen, communicates well, and so forth. However, attributes are only half of what makes an effective leader.  An effective leadership formula is leadership = attributes * results.

2.  Leaders create value for employees, investors, customers, and communities. Here’s an example.  The value of gift giving comes from the bond of appreciation created between recipient and giver. Furthermore, the power of leadership enhances market value by bolstering investor confidence. This means two firms in the same industry with the similar earnings may have vastly different market value because investors have more confidence in the future opportunities of well led firms.

3.  Sustainable leadership development starts with business cases. During this last recession, we have learned (again) the difference between fair weather leadership development efforts and leadership development efforts that sustain. Leadership efforts starting and ending with individual leader competencies are not funded in deep recessions. Sustainable leadership development begins by asking, “If we had better leaders, what would happen?”

Dave Ulrich

4. Individual leaders matter; but organizational leadership matters more. We focus on, write about, and emulate celebrity leaders.  However, organizational success depends on an organization’s overall leadership capability and not celebrity leaders. The next time you read about a celebrity leader, ask yourself if this person has a successor.

5. Leadership “brand competencies” consist of leadership fundamentals and unique leadership differentiators. Leadership brand includes:  doing the basics well and differentiating yourself from others.  We’ve identified five basics called the “leadership code.” Read more at: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2009/09/decoding_leadership.html.  Additionally, “brand competencies” include differentiators that connect customers and employees in ways leading to customers paying a premium. Read more at http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/169413777.html

Thanks again to Norm and Dave!  Visit Amazon.com and search for their work.

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email. It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email.

The power of progress

Making progress!

Money is an external carrot-motivator.  It hangs out there offering a prize for a job well done.  On the other hand, fear of staying late to complete a project is an external stick-motivator.  Its dark voice grumbles, you better get this done or you’ll be here all night.

“Carrot and stick” motivators are powerful forces that trigger hard work.  However, I’m thinking of something more powerful than carrots or sticks.

A sense of making progress is the greatest motivator of all. So says Daniel Pink in, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”

Every list-maker knows the power of making progress.  Checking off another item on the list energizes them to attack the next task. Conversely, your worst days at work are days when you don’t make progress. No or slow progress DEmotivates.  Feeling stuck discourages us.

Let’s apply Pink’s research to leadership.

You have the power to motivate
others by highlighting their progress.

Make progress by making “progress” the topic
of your feedback to others.

Check out See it say it for a concise explanation of giving feedback.

1. Make positive comparisons between the present and the past
2. Joyfully use the expression, “you’re making progress”
3. Remind someone of a skill they recently developed
4. Say, “we’ve come a long way in a short time”

Your sons or daughters need a good word.  The people over you need a good word.  Your colleagues and employees need a good word.  Highlighting progress is a good word.

Leaders reach higher by highlighting progress.

Warning:  Heavily focusing on the past while talking about the present may come off as a backhanded compliment.

*****

Can you think of other ways to celebrate progress?

*****

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email. It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email.

The power of calm

Calm says you care

My heart races on Monday mornings.  There’s a mountain of work to do.  It feels like I’m being punished for relaxing Sunday afternoon.  I should have logged in and answered email but I didn’t.  I should have finished that report, or jump started some of this week’s projects.  But I didn’t.  All of this translates into feeling rushed.  Or to say it with a positive connotation, I’m “eager” to get to work.

Have you ever tried to talk with someone who was in a hurry?  How did it feel? Did you feel like they listened?  Did you feel like they cared?  Did it feel like your message was important?  Did it feel like you were important?  No it didn’t.

Calmness communicates interest in others and their message.  On the other hand, hurry says I’m not interested and you’re not important.

You can express calmness by:

1. Standing still
2. Smiling
3. Speaking slowly
4. Small hand movements rather than huge gestures
5. Removing that pained look from your face
6. Sitting with someone
7. Writing down what the speaker is saying
8. Asking a follow up question

If you don’t have time to listen, tell them,  “I’m interested in what you’re saying but I have a meeting in five minutes.  When can we touch base later?”

Leadership is influence. Listening opens the door of influence.  In other words, when others feel you have listened, they’re more likely to respect you and accept your decisions even if they aren’t what I like.

Leaders reach higher with calmness

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email. It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation emai

A taste of Friday

Give yourself a taste of Friday

Have you ever had one of those weeks from hell?  I know – it’s a dumb question. Everyone’s had a week when Tuesday felt like you’d already worked a week and Friday was only a glimmer on the horizon.  I’ve got good news.  Grab a party horn, its Friday.

I think you need a taste of Friday every day.  Here’s how to get it.

Let’s be real, deadlines and time pressure are normal.  Many projects aren’t completed until the eleventh hour or later.  However, occasionally projects are completed sooner than expected.  Don’t you love it when that happens?

Here’s your problem.

After completing a project early, without thinking, you simply grab the next job and go at it.  After all, there are always more projects than time.  Let me offer an alternative to “grab and go.”

Here’s a suggestion.

When you finish a job an hour sooner than you expected, shave off 15 minutes for yourself.  Stretch your legs, find a private spot and breathe easy, read a chapter in a book, or get a latte.

You don’t have to feel guilty.  You work hard every day.

Give yourself a taste of Friday.

For all the pragmatists in the room, there’s benefit to rewarding yourself.  You’ll get more done.  The author of, “Happy hour is 9 to 5” says, “The single most efficient way to increase your productivity is to be happy at work.”

Finally, a note to the type “A” folks in the room, do this before you blow a heart valve!

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email. It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation emai

The world stinks

The whole world stinks

Here’s my first attempt at telling a parable.

Once upon a time, a teetering, bushy gray-bearded man started toward the market.  Hobbling along he realized something wasn’t right.  The spring air felt right but it didn’t smell right.  It smelled sour.  He paused, shrugged, and then dutifully trudged along.

He happened upon a purple lilac bush in full bloom.  He thought, “This sweet lilac will help me escape the sour.”  So he stopped and inhaled deeply.  In horror he jerked away.  It reeked!  And the deeper he inhaled the more disgusting it smelled.  Having found no relief, he dejectedly shuffled along.

A whistling stranger passed the teetering, confused, gray-bearded man.  “How anyone can whistle in this sour air is beyond me?” he thought.  Further along, a fellow townsman waved, calling “Good day,” to the gray-bearded man.  He stopped and in frustration called back, “Do you smell that?”  The townsman joyfully called back, “Yes, isn’t the spring air lovely!”  “Humph” the confused gray-beard said as he tottered toward the market.

It was the same everywhere he went.  Finally, produce in hand, the frustrated, confused, dreary, gray-beard turned toward home.  Dejected, he thought to himself, “The whole world stinks.”

The sun slipped below the horizon while he sadly sat in a sour filled room.  Discouraged and confused, the bushy gray-beard hoped for the relief of sleep.  While washing his face, rancid white bits of cottage cheese fell from under his mustache.  They’d clung there since dinner the night before.

Straightening himself and inhaling deeply, spring fragrances danced in his nose.  Suddenly, the world didn’t stink anymore.

The moral of the story is:  If the whole world stinks, maybe the problem isn’t the world.  Maybe it’s you.

The good news: If you are the problem, then you are the solution.

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email. It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation emai

Leadership lessons from dancing guy

Leadership lessons from dancing guy

Follow this youtube link and experience the most creative three minute leadership lesson I’ve ever seen.  When you’re done come on back and share what you learned with other leadership freaks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email.  It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation emai

A world of mini-me’s

 

Mini me's are redundant

 

The leadership team of the nonprofit I lead just had lunch at our house.  It’s an eclectic group of individuals who range from a driven extrovert to a quiet introvert.  After everyone left, I said to my wife, “The Smith’s (not their real name) sure are quiet, aren’t they.”  Then I went on to say, “They would be more effective if they were like me.”  We gave each other that knowing look and cracked up.

If we aren’t careful, we might believe the most effective people are people with our qualities.

Great leaders have diverse strength-sets.  The following list comes from http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/famous-people/.

1. Abraham Lincoln – Engineer
2. Theodore Roosevelt – Originator
3. John F. Kennedy – Dreamer
4. Thomas Jefferson – Strategist

The accuracy of the list is not the point.  The diversity is.  Great leaders aren’t punched out with cookie cutters.

I’m thankful for the leadership team I work with.  They correct me, compliment me, challenge me, enrich me, teach me, and more. Without them, I would fail.

Here is the danger. Those with strong personalities may pressure children, spouse, co-workers, employees, or colleagues into becoming mini-me’s.  After all, our qualities work!

Your greatest strength is most likely your weakness.

Pressuring others to be like us rejects them and impoverishes us.

If you’re a visionary, call the detail person on your team who drives you crazy and thank them for protecting you from yourself!  If you’re an organizer, call the creative person on your team and say, “thanks for keeping me fresh.”  If you’re son is your opposite, hug and honor him.

Leaders reach higher by leveraging diverse strength sets.

You’ll reach higher if you take a walk or pick up the phone and extend honor to someone who’s expanding your potential.

Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email.  It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email

Face dragger

Hold your head up

 

Mom always told me to stand up straight and for the most part I think I do.  I can still hear her saying, “stand up straight Danny.”  Did your mom do that? 

Things are different today.  Mom’s not around and I have a problem. 

The problem is, when I’m thinking, I lower my head.  I’ll be walking somewhere and thinking at the same time.  That’s normal for me.  Then it hits me.  My head is hanging down and I’m walking like the hunch back of Notre Dame.  Frankly, I’m lucky I’m tall.  If I was short, I’d be a face dragger.  

The cares of life, urgent needs, and deadlines can weigh us down. Beyond that, everyone is constantly engaged in an internal conversation that isn’t always pleasant. 

Here’s the profound lesson of the day.  

Hold your head up.

Your breathing changes and you’ll feel better if you just hold your head up.  Now don’t get all cocky and take on an arrogant strut.  Just lift your eyes from the ground, raise your head, and breathe. 

Doesn’t that feel better? 

What simple things do you do that make your day go better? 

Leadership Freak 

Dan Rockwell 

You can receive Leadership Freak in your email.  It’s free.  It’s private.  Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the red banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email