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New Leader Top Five

2 Min read

 I recently hired a new leader for a regional area of our large sales type organization.  During our initial meeting he and I discussed my expectations, talked about the vision for the organization, my leadership philosphy, and near term goals for his area.  I also provided him with a concise list of the top five things he could do to get off to a good start with his subordinate leaders:

  1. Be clear on what you expect and recognize those who meet or miss it
  2. Be available when and where it matters most
  3. Be an advocate for your subordinates without being an enabler of bad behavior/excuses.  Be prepared to say “no” when “no” is warranted.
  4. Be informed.  Track details two levels down
  5. Be a leader.  Don’t expect subordinates to adjust to the leadership style you’re comfortable with, adapt your leadership techniques to gain the most influence.

Of course leadership is more complex than just five things,  but when taking over a new position it’s easy to get disctacted with all of the information and decisions required.  These five things provide the new leader with a framework to build on future success as operations start to syncronize and get into a rythmn enabling them to build on what they initially established.

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Daniel Pink on Motivation

1 Min read

In this 2009 TED Conference presentation Daniel Pink examines motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most leaders don’t: Traditional rewards aren’t always as effective as we think.

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Motivation 3.0 for the Christian Leader

4 Min read

I grew up in a time when church frequently included special gospel meetings that featured a guest preacher imploring nightly over the course of a week to get right and reap the rewards of heaven or certainly go to hell. We were encouraged to invite our friends and neighbors where every night the message and volume would escalate until a satisfactory number had responded to avoid the punishment of hell. Unfortunately, the fear motivated responses rarely resulted in life-long change, many left the church quickly never to return.

As I read Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us it struck me that we have built a church, family, and work culture based on an inferior motivational model. In a sense, our churches are stuck in a 20th century when such practices were the norm, but fall short with today’s generation. Because we were raised in this environment most of today’s leaders are just modeling what we know.

Pink presents a compelling case for a deeper method of personal, peer, and subordinate motivation. He contends that human motivation has evolved from a basic needs model, to a “carrot and stick” model, and as he proposes, a more stable intrinsic motivation model. In modern vernacular he labels these models in the style of a progressive human operating system upgrade: Motivation 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.

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Arpey on Diversity

1 Min read

Our challenges are too big to let a single employee’s ideas or energy go to waste, so sustaining an environment of dignity, respect, and collaboration – where different perspectives are not only welcome but sought out – is critical.

Gerard J. Arpey Chairman and CEO of American Airlines in American Way magazine January 2010

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Drucker Leadership Definition

1 Min read

A Leader is someone [anyone] who has followers

Drucker’s views on leadership were summarized by Cohen.  According to Drucker, leaders should:

– be strategic planners [vision]
– model business ethics and personal integrity [values]
– use the military leadership model [culture]
– correctly use motivation [inspiration]
– market the organization [communication]

Drucker on Leadership: New Lessons from the Father of Modern Management by William A. Cohen PhD (Author)

A fresh look at vital lessons from “The Father of Modern Management”–exploring Peter Drucker’s teachings on leadership

As we approach what would have been his 100th birthday, the late Peter Drucker’s management principles continue to be studied and applied by managers all over the world. Though many seek his lessons on the central element of management-leadership-he in fact wrote relatively little under this actual subject heading. Now, for the first time, William A. Cohen, a former student of Drucker’s and a leadership expert and author in his own right, brings together Drucker’s reflections on leadership, culled from his 40 books and hundreds of articles. Explaining why there is so little know about Drucker’s ideas on leadership, this book is a must-read for students and fans alike looking to lead better in today’s world.

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Leadership Definition

1 Min read

Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, and ignited by a purpose.

As defined at a Diversity Champions Workshop by Guardian Quest

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Julius Erving Quotes

1 Min read

“Being a professional is doing the things you love on the days you don’t feel like doing them.”

“If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.”

“The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.”

“To be great we need to win games we aren’t supposed to win.”

“I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.”

“Goals determine what you’re going to be.”

“I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Erving

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List of Ten Things We Want Most in Life

1 Min read
  1. Opportunity to succeed (43%)
  2. The good life (37%)
  3. The pursuit of happiness (34%)
  4. The American dream (22%)
  5. A fair shake (17%)
  6. To be left alone (13%)
  7. A fresh start (9%)
  8. Everything I can get (9%)
  9. A fighting chance (8%)
  10. A new beginning (8%)

The American dream has been dropping on the list because young people don’t think they will ever achieve it.  Wanting the good life has moved up in its place.

Source:  Dr Frank Luntz, Luntz-Malansky Strategic Research 2009

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