CoachingA Secret Ingredient for Effective Leadership

Coaching-A Secret Ingredient for Effective Leadership
By Rick Johnson

Coaching is the frontline to improved employee performance. Mentoring is a skill required for selected employee long term development. We are going to focus on coaching in this article. Coaching is proven to work when these two factors are present. First, the employee is willing and wants to grow, second, there is a gap between where they are now and where they want to be. These two basic factors are absolutely essential for you and the employee to solve problems, create a new life, turn a business around, to increase sales and profitability, and design and implement a plan of action.

Ultimately humans consistently do only that which they naturally and effortlessly love to do. Finding that passion again and determining what you really want for yourself and your business is your first task. Coaching will help distinguish between what the employee should want and have to want from what they truly want for themselves. Once you help them develop their vision, they are much more likely to naturally and consistently proceed in that direction.

Very few people ever learn the skills of how to think. In our schools, families, and social structures, we learn how and what to do and we learn what to think. Our world is full of individuals who have chosen dependent, me first, excuse ridden attitudes. It has become a way of life. This type of attitude is a dead end for employees. It is unwanted, unproductive, and unprofitable. Possibility thinking through coaching opens the door to a whole new way of seeing and interacting within the environment of the business world we find ourselves in.

The old saying No Pain, No Gain is exactly the same as the scientific principle of cause and effect. The employees you select to coach and mentor will learn to produce more with less effort. They become more productive and more valuable to the organization. Coaching can help employees eliminate roadblocks and help identify if not eliminate critical constraints that prevent success. Coaching helps employees intensify their focus and become more visionary and productive. Supportive and mutually beneficial relationships are what business and a friendly family culture are all about. Unfortunately, few people learn the communication, decision-making, and perception skills needed to nurture these incredible skills. It is amazing how simple they are to understand and how difficult they are to implement. Coaching can increase the skill level in each of these areas.

The Five Key Objectives of Coaching

1.Identifying the obstacles to success and helping the employee overcome them. Personal and professional success comes much more easily when you have a strong coach or mentor.

2.Better decisions are a result of the willingness to discuss ideas and concerns. Winners are always seeking feedback from others.

3.Expand the self imposed horizon and boundaries the employee has created for themselves

4.Setting individual goals and objectives

5.Identifying and working on individual weaknesses that can impede success

The Umbrella Principles

Think of coaching like an umbrella. There are several principles that fall under this umbrella that support the five key objectives of coaching, these include:

Observing Behavior

Effective listening

Providing Feedback

Recognizing performance

Training

The Five Steps in the Coaching Process

An effective coaching process requires that goals and expectations are clearly understood. It is essential that the employee being coached receive all the appropriate training based on his job responsibilities and future developmental needs. Behavior observation, communication and finally behavior modification are essential to success at coaching. This includes feedback and positive reinforcement.

1.Set clear goals & expectations. Setting goals and objectives is no easy task. They must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. (SMART) Goals and objectives are the very first step in effective coaching. The employee should participate in this process. After all, the goals should be specific to that individual and they must take ownership. As goals or expectations change, it is your job as coach to communicate these changes to your employees. The goal should be negotiated, not dictated.

2. Training. To be an effective coach, you need to understand the employees strengths and weaknesses. This includes a thorough understanding of their training needs and accomplishments. Do they have the necessary skills and knowledge to accomplish the goals and objectives that have been set? Making sure that the employee has the opportunity to get the required training to develop their skill set is a prerequisite to effective coaching. One of your basic challenging responsibilities as a coach is to identify the skills and knowledge the employee needs and then arrange for the appropriate training.

3. Behavior Observation. How does the employee react to a crisis? How do they handle themselves when they are placed in leadership situations? How do they react to peer pressure? As a coach observing the employees behavior and noting specifics that need attention and discussion is a primary responsibility. It is important that you collect and record both positive and negative performance along the way to add credibility to your feedback.

4. Feedback. Meeting with the employee regularly to discuss performance and other issues is absolutely critical to their development. The key is not in telling the employee what to do but it is helping the employee find the answers on their own. This can be done by asking very specific thought provoking questions. Make sure you give the employee kudos for all the positive behavior you have observed.

5. Positive Reinforcement.

Believe it or not, employees want to be held accountable. If we re going to hold employees accountable, they have to know how they are performing. Specifically we should emphasize the positive aspects of their performance. Focusing on the good things an employee accomplishes will motivate them to continue to do good work, and in turn will ensure repeat performance.

Its About Leadership

Make no mistake, coaching and mentoring is about leadership. It is difficult to be a coach or a mentor without leadership skills. Coaching and mentoring is all about the development of others. It requires effective development activities and projects related to current and future performance expectations. It requires the unique ability to recognize potential skill and ability in others that is worthy of development. A good coach or mentor possesses an innate ability to motivate and inspire others to achieve stretch goals. They have the ability, the knowledge and the sensitivity to generate an adaptive style according to the individual and circumstances at hand earning respect and trust. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for a list of the key characteristics of a good coach or mentor and a questionnaire to help define personal goals.

http://www.ceostrategist.com Sign up to receive The Howl a fre*e monthly newsletter and get your choice of CEO Strategist's Hiring and Interview Guide or The Guide to Effective Training Sessions, valuable resources for all levels of management. The Howl addresses real world industry issues. Straight talk about todays issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distributions Leadership Strategist, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Dr. Eric Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in Distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com.

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Charismatic Leadership

Charismatic Leadership
By Frank Salisbury

What motivates people to work and to achieve? What circumstances create an environment in which some people achieve and others do not? Does motivation come from within or does it come from others - from leaders or managers? Can you motivate the un-motivated? Does it have to involve money? Why is it that some work teams achieve and others do not? Is it that the better work unit has better people? If this is so, then does that mean that the better work unit would succeed whether they were led or not? Is leadership the same as management or is leadership a part of management? Are managers and leaders the same?

When I was researching the subject of success in the middle eighties I proposed the question 'What makes this sales team perform better than that one'? I was met with 'The difference is the manager'. It should not have been a surprise. Yet for my own part, having been part of various working groups throughout a successful commercial career, I felt uncomfortable that my exertions might likewise be explained away to some researcher as being the result of some managerial intervention rather than my own skill. It begs the question - 'Does a team, whether successful or not, have a separate distinct motivational entity, or does a team owe its success to a manager?' Indeed, if a team of workers relies upon its success to the sum total of the individual driving forces within it, does it need managing at all? Clearly, the responses I got to the question 'What makes this team more successful than that team' left me in little doubt that senior managers believe success to be determined by successful managers - but then they would say that wouldn't they?

I have conducted research with a number of top performers operating in teams. These top performers exist in all teams and whilst representing only 10-15% of the working population, they are in many cases responsible for 60% to 80% of results. It appeared to me that the PARETO principle of the 80/20 split was not just merely a theoretical statistic but a valid reality. I found that in teams where around only 10-15% of that team was successful, and the rest were not, most of that 10-15% were unequivocal in their condemnation of the team leader. Top performers it would appear have little time for average performing managers, or indeed for average performing colleagues. What I also found was that these top performers represented to their lesser performing colleagues a focus, which I found, replicated in Charismatic Leaders, in that they displayed in the eyes of their peers a set of values and behaviours missing from their team leaders. Seemingly, people want leadership, and when it is missing, they bestow the qualities associated with good leaders on anyone close enough to wear the mantle.

In sport it is held that managers are responsible for the teams performance, and whether the other team has better players or not, there is an implicit expectation that a good manager will produce a good team. Despite the introduction of Premier Leagues in all types of sport, which bring with it vast sums of sponsorship and corresponding transfer fees and marketing opportunities, good managers are still believed to deliver 'David' style punches to 'Goliath' challenges. In many ways, it can appear a reasonable assumption that where certain professions rely upon physical exertion and face to face confrontation with others, elements such as belief, confidence, commitment, positive attitude, and the inspiration of a leader, can and do play an important part in the eventual results of the team. It is not unusual for business teams to also adopt these trait descriptors as being a requisite for achievement of business goals. Yet whether these traits are relevant or not, or how to measure them, or even to instil them, is open to considerable debate.

What is it that managers do that affect performance? When I explored the reasons that people gave for successful managers and what was the special quality that they possessed, the word 'Charisma' emerged time and time again. Successful managers, those who extract successful performance from others, it is said, have Charisma. Closer questioning of what Charisma is leads you nowhere. The sorts of responses I got were - 'Some people have just got it; 'Its feeling you get about someone else; 'I haven't got a clue but I know it when I see it'. Clearly there are those people whose behaviour is an inspiration to others.

There is a significant weight of evidence that point to the existence of Charismatic Leadership and its effect on followers. Margaret Thatcher had charisma, but John Major and latterly Ian Duncan Smith lacked it. It might be argued that Neil Kinnock had charisma - but failed, and perversely that Blair with less charisma succeeded. But then the opposition was different. On the other hand, insofar as Thatcher is concerned, it could be said that she did not have any charisma until appointed leader of the Conservative Party, after which, the fact that she was the first female Prime Minister, invested her with charisma. Its also important to remember that having charisma does not necessarily guarantee positive achievement. The sword of charisma can be wielded on behalf good and evil. It has a double edge. It is the dark side of charismatic influence that has probably been publicised most. Jack Kennedy was said to be charismatic, as was Churchill, but then so was Mussolini, and no doubt latterly Saddam Hussein. Charismatic qualities can be used for good and evil.

In 1932 Max Weber said that 'Charisma can only be 'awakened' and 'tested'; it cannot be 'learned' or 'taught'. However, more than 40 years later Robert House said 'It is entirely possible that charismatic leaders present themselves as highly confident and as having a strong conviction in the moral righteousness of their beliefs but do not indeed believe in either themselves or their beliefs. Some leaders may have charismatic effects because of their ability to act as though they have such confidence and convictions'.

This means that charismatic behaviours can be taught, which was proven by research undertaken in 1989. By 1992 I was able to identify those behaviours and have been able to develop them into training events for all those who dreamed of being charismatic, and for those who have it but cannot quantify it.

Frank Salisbury is a motivational an inspiring business coach and trainer. He has designed and delivered a range of personal development programmes for individuals and organisations aimed at helping people achieve their potential. He has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars where his style has received acclaim from those who hear him speak with a passion for life and achievement.

In 2006 Frank was elected a Lifetime Honorary Fellow of the Sales Institute of Ireland. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Commercial Management; a member of the Institute of Leadership & Development; a member of the Association for Coaching, and a Council Member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Business Services Council.

http://www.btsolutions.ie

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Business Process Consulting Leadership Skills Development

Business Process Consulting - Leadership Skills Development
By Peter McLean

Every successful business owner wants his or her business to be number one. Being out in front or being the first to market with a product or a service or being the winner of a race all have the common characteristic of leading or of being in the lead. If you want your business to be a leader in its field, it makes perfect sense to have Leadership Skill Development as one of the top items on your organizational strategic agenda. This is why it is such a critical area of Business Process Consulting.

The reason that highly successful companies value high performing leaders is because they consistently deliver outstanding results, they concentrate their effort on developing value-based cultures, and they develop and bring along the people around them.

Successful leaders are clear about their personal mission, vision and values and they love what they do. This is what makes them champions in their fields of endeavor they always ensure that their goals are aligned with those of their organization.

Leadership Skill Development is critical because it drives the leadership mindset into every part of the organization. Leadership is one of those abilities and gifts that is evoked or called forth from that part of the organization or from that person who can step up to the plate in a specific and particular way to lead at a given point in time based on their situational maturity or their specific knowledge base.

Sometimes this is a part played by the business owner or manager, from within their span of control, but equally, it can be a staff member or another manager who can show the way in a specific circumstance.

When we talk about leading people, it is not something we do to them, but something that we engage with and through them by way of conversation, discussion, debate, disagreement and resolution. This notion of leadership has the obvious counterpoint of followership. This interaction and dynamic is part of an ongoing dialogue within an organization, and it has both its formal and informal elements. This style of leadership delivers innovation and adaptive behavior, and it creates flexible and responsive companies.

Everything that is done in organizational life is undertaken and accomplished by people. Leadership Skill Development, in that sense, is everyones business and everybodys responsibility.

My assumptions, analysis and experience bear witness to the fact that the kind of organizational environment we design and create is fundamental in calling forth and developing leadership. The formal organizational structure must be built in a manner that nurtures and facilitates the development of leadership within its confines. Also, shared leadership must be exercised within the framework of Mission, Vision and Values and Strategy Formulation.

Successful business owners see the investment in Leadership Skill Development as being an imperative because it is building the bench strength of their organization both for today and for tomorrow in terms of succession, ongoing profitability and the legacy that they will leave long after they have gone.

Peter McLean is a highly experienced Coach, Senior Manager, Consultant, Business Owner and Company Director. He successfully coaches top Executives in some of Australias leading multi-national companies. One such Senior Executive recently won an International Award for Excellence within his particular field. In addition, Peter works extensively in the Public, Private, Commercial and Not-for-Profit sectors, delivering outstanding results for his clients. To learn more of how you can benefit from Peters experience, visit the Essential Business Coach web site!

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FullContact Leadership

Full-Contact Leadership
By Wally Adamchik

Much has been written about the leadership (or lack of leadership) crisis in America today. No business is immune to this crisis, and some are even more susceptible to it than others. Real leaders today are few and far between. We have great technicians and great managers, but few great leaders.

To truly succeed as a leader today, we cannot simply go through the motions. We must charge ahead at full speed. In this hyper-competitive world, its not enough just to show up and look good. Leadership is a full-contact, sometimes risky position with no hazardous duty pay.

The term full-contact generally brings to mind the image of physical contact. But it presents itself in other ways as well.

First, as leaders, we must be fully in contact with ourselves. This is not the natural state of things for many of us, and its far easier to be out of touch with our thoughts, moods, and biases.

As leaders, we must also be in full contact with our own purpose. Our purpose is our vision of the future, our values and mission. The importance of purpose cannot be overstated. Our role as leaders is to change the status quo. We must always keep one eye trained on that future that we want to create. And we must have a fundamental sense of the actions needed to arrive at that future--to achieve that vision.

Next, we leaders must be in full contact with others in our organization. This includes peers, subordinates, and senior management. Leadership is about change but it is also about behaviors. Leadership involves a great deal of soft skills and interaction with people. These interactions cannot be casual if the leader is to be respected and to make an impact.

The leader must be in full contact with the values of the organization. Ultimately, the rest of the organization will live up to, or down to, the level set by the leader. In the absence of corporate values, that level is open for discussion and can vary. With firm corporate values, the people in the organization have sound principles by which to guide their behavior. Enron had values written on paper, but the leadership of the organization lost contact with those values.

Today, it is also essential to be in full contact with customers. They are demanding and have high expectations. Ultimately, they pay our salary. Yet, far too often, businesses operate in a vacuum and are blind to the customers needs. This data is borne out in many image surveys that indicate businesses are, in a word, unresponsive. The leader who is in full contact with his or her customers actively seeks them out and engages them in conversationreal talk about more than just the product at hand.

Finally, full-contact leaders are aware that the being in a position of leadership involves some risk. Like athletes engaged in full-contact sports, these leaders know they may take some hits (and give some out, too), but they dont shy away from the impact. They recognize it as an integral part of a full-contact position.

Full-contact leaders must merge all these contact points into a single, unified effort. They set direction, articulate the vision, and know just where they want to bring the organization. They can visualize it in their mind, smell it, taste it, feel it. They are able to balance multiple perspectives because of their grounded perspective.

2006 FireStarter Speaking and Consulting

Wally Adamchik is President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. His new book is NO YELLING: The Nine Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You MUST Know TO WIN In Business. Visit him online at http://www.beafirestarter.com. He can be reached at 919-673-9499 or wally@beafirestarter.com.

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The Leadership Factor

The Leadership Factor
By Valarie Washington

What is the last leadership opportunity that you passed up?

When I posed this question to a group of employees who had been singled out for their leadership potential:

• 50% named the title/position they failed to apply for or had not been offered.
• 10%said they hadn't been offered an internal position but had passed up aleadership position in an outside organization or a chance to leadtheir extracurricular sports.
• 40% said that they hadn't been offered any leadership position and therefore had passed up no opportunities.

I was certain that every one of them had missed a prime leadershipopportunity that they were not even aware of. Ask yourself if yourdepartment, team or organization is the best that it can possibly be? Are you giving your best to make the situation better?

If there is one project in your department that is delayed, if your group is challenged to do more work with less budget, or if you have yet to exhaust all of your talent to move the group forwardyou have passed up a powerful opportunity to step out in front and establish yourself as a leader. Leadership is not about the title you have but the decisions you make and the actions you take.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Becominga leader is about developing a reputation for producing value-addedresults. It's taking a position when a project is off track. Leadersdon't wait for permission of position. They look for thepossibilities and suggest what can be done rather than why somethingcan't be done. Look for what you can do to impact a situation versuswhy you can't be the one to do it. When you have ability to influenceyour environment and the people around you toward positive result youhave the leadership factor.

The leadership factor is ameasured combination of vision, determination, skills, actions andresults. It is a conscious decision to step up to the plate and do whatneeds to be done in a time of uncertainty or chaos. Here are ten stepsto help you plot your course, engage others along the way and keepfocused on the end result.

Look for leadership opportunities.

Leadership opportunities are present whenever there are unresolvedbusiness problems or issues. Within your organization, department,workgroup, or team identify an opportunity or issue that needs to besolved. Think about the questions that continue to come up but no onehas found an answer for. Consider the feedback that you get frominternal or external customers about what they need or would like moreof. If your organization is like most you shouldn't have to lookfarmore unresolved problems equals more chances for you to stepforward as a leader.

Find the GAP and build a bridge.

There is an old proverb that says a leader must be a bridge. The personwho emerges as the leader of the group is the one who is adapt atseeing the option between the two seemingly opposite positions. Toraise your visibility and develop a reputation of leadership look forthe two unconnected shores that you can bridge. A bridge might bebetween the old way and the new way, the past and the future, themajority group and the minority group, between company policy andcustomer needs, between what is available and what is needed. Lead byfinding the critical link between today's challenge and tomorrow'sopportunity.

Do your homework.

Examine the problem from all sides. Ask a series of why questions.Why is this happening? Why have we not been able to solve this beforenow? Why is it important to solve this issue? Why have previousattempts failed? Why are other departments resisting the changes?Asking why? without judging the answers helps you develop a deeperunderstanding of the situation. When you can see the problem from manyangles and as viewed through different eyes you gain the wisdom ofmultiple perspectives.

Clarify the GOAL.

It's the goal. It's the goal. It's the goal. Determine what your groupneeds more of. Communicate clearly how tackling this issue will helpthe group recoup lost time, maximize limited resources, reduce costs,speed up processes and/or improve return on investment. You will gainthe attention of those around you when you can effectively tell themwhat they will gain for their efforts. You will benefit by tying yourwork directly to the improved results.

Develop a list of viable options.

Excellence is said to come from having many options. Once you haveothers focused on the goal, ask for their input on how it might beachieved. As a leader you don't need to have all of the answers. You dohave to set the direction, suggest paths for getting there andstimulate the thinking of others in development of creative solutions.It is important that you continually test any proposed suggestionsagainst the desired result. Ask yourself and others, Will this help usreach the goal?

Select the best option(s).Given enough money, people, time and resources almost any problem canbe resolved. Leadership is about determining how the goals will bereached within the time allowed, the budget given and the availablephysical and human resources. As a leader look for ways to leveragewhat you have readily available. The best option is the one that getsyou to the goal with the least overall costs.

Identify roles and tasks.

As a leader of the effort you may not have the authority to assignspecific people but you will have to clearly define roles required. Toooften we assign tasks simply out of habit and not because they arenecessary for goal achievement. Constantly check the progress and don'tbe afraid to throw out any unnecessary tasks. There should be NO taskson your project list that you can not show are absolutely required toreach the end goal.

Track and report your success.

Report what you and/or your team accomplished. Quantify the results asmuch as you can. If your goal was to increase productivity by 25% andyou only gained a 15% increase, report it! Make sure to link yourresults to the organizational goals. While you may not have hit your25% target 15% may still represent a considerable savings or gain tothe company.

Report your learnings.As important as it is to report your success you must also report whatyou learned from the process. Focus on what you learned personally.Consider what you learned about the business, your customers, teaming,and your own decision making ability. Ask for feedback. Include grouplearnings. Leave a record of the pro's and con's for others who mayface the same challenges.

Look for the next opportunity.

Don't take too long celebrating your last win. For as good as thingsseem success is a moving target. Keep your eyes and ears open, yournext opportunity may be right around the corner.

Valarie is CEO of Think 6 Results -- a knowledge broker passionate about learning and improving performance in organizations. Shes a writer, presenter, and executive coach on a mission to get every employee and organization focused on and thinking about the SIX business driving goals that matter.

We want you to share this article with others. Feel free to copy this article when you include the copyright and contact information listed below.

Contact Valarie at washington@think6results.com or by calling 630-705-1189. Visit us at http://www.Think6Results.com.

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Entelechy Speaks to Bill George about Authentic Leadership

Entelechy Speaks to Bill George about Authentic Leadership
By Terence Traut

Ive had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the worlds greatest leaders and leadership gurus, from Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, and Tom Peters.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Bill George, former chairman and chief executive of Medtronic, Inc., the worlds leading medical technology company, and author of the best-selling book, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value.

Bill George speaks boldly against the shareholders are king philosophy that has created many of the problems facing businesses today. With corporate accounting scandals rampant and CEOs being handsomely rewarded even while their companies are rushing headlong to failure, George believes that leaders must reexamine their values and principles and refocus their companies on the things that create true sustainable value: satisfied customers serviced through valued employees.

In the pursuit of shareholder not customer value, CEOs have been driven to pursue quick riches almost always at the expense of long-term growth and customer service. Worse, this misguided pursuit of shareholder profits has led some as evident in Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and others to create the illusion of profitability and growth.

Wheres the leadership? In many cases, the leadership is as vaporous as the long-term profits.

Bill George calls on all of us to demonstrate authentic leadership, to return to the core values of sound business. He argues that taking good care of employees and customers will result in a higher stock price than focusing on shareholder value. And his arguments are persuasive. During his tenure as CEO at Medtronic, revenues grew from $750 million in 1989 to $5 billion in 2001. The companys market capitalization rose from around $1 billion to more than $60 billion a 37.5% growth rate compounded annually.

Bill George has faced many of the same pressures all leaders face: the CEO cult of personality, the 24/7 workday, the passionate pursuit of earnings, the excesses of ego, and the breach of trust by far too many corporate leaders in the 1990s. In his book, Mr. George draws from his rich experiences as well as from those of leaders he admires and disdains to illustrate his five dimensions of authentic leaders:

Understanding why you want to lead
Practicing solid values
Leading with a heart
Establishing connected relationships
Showing self-discipline

Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com

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Maximize Leadership Performance: An Exploration of Agrarian Values Nu Leadership Series

Maximize Leadership Performance: An Exploration of Agrarian Values - Nu Leadership Series
By Daryl Green

Summary: Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.John F. Kennedy

Dont you hate it when people talk about the good old days? Everything was perfect, and there were no problems. Im not taking you on that path, but organizations can learn from the past. Life hasnt always been hectic for people. Life was once very simple. Lets explore how this experience can help our contemporary organizations. Leaders must return to agrarian values to maximize success. First, technology doesnt automatically improve society. In over 50 years, America has gone from rural to city and from national to international market. Critchfield, author of Trees, Why Do You Wait, argues that these advancements have weakened our core values such as family tradition and work ethic. Secondly, the disintegration of the agrarian code has destroyed our moral stability. Davidson, author of Broken Heartlands, suggests that technology and the economic prestige of the agricultural system brought a host of social ills such as poverty, depopulation, and soil erosion.

Conversely, organizational leaders can use our agrarian heritage as a competitive advantage. Mayo postulated that this could happen in a modern society if society rebuilds social solidarity and promotes small working groups; he argued that a society vastly removed from nature would lose sight of its meaning. Critchfield advocates using an agrarian model as the ideal cultural blueprint. Why? Agrarian values promote teamwork while maintaining individual independence.

Finally, I would suggest that the farther humanity moves away from its agrarian calling (viz., information-gathering, technology-focused), the harder it will be to lead our Emergent Workforce. Undeveloped countries are embracing Western technologies while abandoning the land. Leader, you dont need to till the land to gain credibility, but it helps when you dont treat your followers like dirt, either. Celebrate the simple things in life like the agrarians. Start today!

References:Critchfield, R. (1991). Trees, Why Do You Wait. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

Davidson, O. (1990). Broken Heartland: The Rise of Americas Rural Ghetto. New York, NY: The Free Press.

Wren, D. (2005). The Evolution of Management Thought. Hooboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

2006 by Daryl D. Green

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information, visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

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The Seven Faces of Servant Leadership

The Seven Faces of Servant Leadership
By Kenneth Rice

The 7 Faces of Leadership

Most people can manage when things go well, but true leadership is how we cope with people when times are tough. Our expectations are often unrealistic and not centered on what leadership is really about. Too often people confuse a strong-willed personality as an effective leader. Leadership is not being strong-willed, rather having a strong sense of purpose and compassion. Too many organizations substitute strong-willed people for ethical leaders and see no distinction, because the people who put them in power dont know the difference. Effective Leadership involves equipping people to live competently and confidently.

Effective leadership traits are as varied and numerous, not to mention subtle, as the human mind and heart themselves. No list will ever be complete, nor will it be the best suited for each individual reader. The bible gives some insight of the essential characteristics of effective leadership in I Corinthians, Ephesians, and 2 Timothy such as humility, integrity, focus, courage, discipline, compassion, and encouragement. The following paragraphs will place those characteristics into an organizational context.

The Humble Leader

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

Humility is not just about our relationship with God but its also about our relationship with other people. Relationships are built on listening, to Gods Word and to each other. The relationship between a leader and follower is only as good as their ability to listen. The effective leader will not be a force of just personality and power plays but relationship oriented, centered on building and mentoring.

From and organizational context humble leaders invite feedback and turn lessons into failures. The leader that is poor in spirit recognizes that many people know more than he or she does and, as such, shows respect to everyone. (Winston 2002) Humility is acceptance of our human limitations coupled with the resolve to do something about it I cant do it alone so I will enlist the help of others. This is the essence of leadership.

The Honest Leader

Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)

Honesty is achieved through Discretion and truthfulness. Discretion keeps our minds and focus on sound judgment, giving serious attention and thought to what is going on. It will carefully choose our words, attitudes, and actions to be right for any given situation, thus avoiding words and actions that could result in adverse consequences. Truthfulness means being straight with others and doing what is right.

Its after we have contemplated our own actions, measuring how they align with our values, intentions, and words, that we are most likely to make a contribution of integrity to the world. (Sherman, 2003) Discretion and truthfulness allow leaders to earn trust by being accurate with facts and situations. This doesnt simply mean honesty, or acting in accordance with a consistent set of values. This also means integrity in the sense of soundness, completeness, and unity. Aligning our personality with our values and not compromising ourselves is the spirit of leadership.

The Focused Leader

Leaders must be willing to carefully explore their values and how they can move their organization in the direction of a vision that is unwavering. Effective Leaders lead with a purpose rather than run like a man running aimlessly (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). From the biblical sense this means that we live for His purpose, not ours. As Christians, we recognize that our need for Christ will bring us beyond our failures so we can grow increasingly effective for our Lord. As we grow in Christ, we will become aware of our futility and inadequacy as human beings.

From an organizational perspective, leaders need to continually put the vision and mission (related to the purpose) in front of followers. (Winston, 2002) Followers must understand the organizations vision and know their role in support of the mission. They must know their purpose and how it contributes to organizational success, this is the soul of leadership.

The Courageous & Disciplined Leader

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)

The goal of the servant leader must be to do Gods will. Otherwise we will be too afraid to go beyond our comfort zones to do anything of significance. When we are dependent on the Holy Spirit; then our self-confidence becomes rooted and dependent in Christ working through us. So we are not self-driven but Christ driven; resulting in our will to be in total surrender to Gods will as the driving force for our existence. When were aware that we are not responsible for the results of our leadership, but only the obedience to His call, only then can we persevere to press on to serve Him without the fear of failure.

Malphurs (2003) refers to courage as the strength to lead in these difficult circumstances, meaning that courageous leaders are strong and unlikely to quit. This kind of courage displays itself in an organization when a leader is willing to admit his mistake, when she is willing to stand up for her beliefs, or when he must challenge others.

Courageous leaders routinely get extraordinary results from their followers because they arent afraid to do whats right. This is evident in Pauls letter regarding discipline in 1 Corinthians 8:13, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. Conveying who you are, your goals and what you stand for can have a significant impact on follower performance and attitudes. Controlled discipline, according to Winston (2002), draws people closer to you, whereas uncontrolled discipline drives them away. Leaders and followers are two sides of a single coin and the actions of one impact the other. Courage and discipline are the armor of leadership.

The Compassionate Leader

The compassionate leader is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of faith. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:11). With the power of the Holy Spirit and the conviction of faith in Christ, when we are modeling His image with love, we become a strong building with the foundation of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who gives the realization to be our best for Gods glory.

Loyalty and devotion to task and grow out of trust and the knowledge of protection that comes from the employment relationship. (Winston, 2002) Compassionate leadership is acting in the interest of your followers, your peers, and your organization. This is the boss for whom the employees are willing to work their hardest. The employees can feel her support for them and are compelled to give their full support in return. This manager brings out the best in her subordinates by her own example. There is often a line of people waiting to join this department. This is the heart of leadership.

The Encouraging Leader

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spiritjust as you were called to one hope when you were called. (Ephesians 4:3-4)

The effective leader will not be a force of just personality and power plays. Servant Leaders cannot be power seeking controllers of others lives, when it is the Lord who is in control. Effective leaders must be relationship oriented, centered on building and mentoring others.

In an organizational framework, an encouraging leader is a motivator. Leadership is being able to both motivate and administrate. (Miller, 1995) A leaders ability to motivate revolves around his or her ability to leverage power and influence within the organization, among peers, and over followers. Influence involves moving people to change their thinking and ultimately their behavior. Power is the ability to exert control over another person, thing, or event. Power and influence are intertwined in the leadership process. Most often leaders use both depending on the situation and the people involved. (Malphurs, 2003) Leaders will sometimes use power to influence followers. Power itself is amoral. However, the use power (abuse or neglect) determines how leaders influence others. The proper use of that power is encouragement, which is the igniter of leadership.

The Call to Servant Leadership

In Matthew 5 Jesus makes us aware of what God expects from not just Christian leaders, but from all Christians. Effective leaders are expected to lead by example. If our actions cause our followers to fail because they followed our example as in 1 Corinthians 8:13 then we should avoid such things because those who indulge will become more and more ungodly. (2 Timothy 2:15) Everything that we do as leaders is under scrutiny by our followers. In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives very specific characteristics: humility, compassion, gentleness, righteousness, mercy, honesty, and perseverance.

In organizations, just as in the Christian community, there are times when leaders fall away from these characteristics through personal loss or personal sin. Building and developing these characteristics is not something we just learn from a book or hear from a sermon. It does not sneak up on us in the middle of the night. It does not come automatically, accidentally, or suddenly. It is a process that comes from living in it. It is a slow process. Many fail to realize they have it until others point it out. Effective leadership is not permanent once it is formed. It requires our continual appreciation and practice.

References

Fields, Bea (2005). The Ten Pillars of Leadership and Business Development. Retrieved electronically. http://www.art-of-leadership.com/index.html

Holy Bible (1985). King James Version Study Bible. Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan

Malphurs, Aubrey (2003) Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership. Baker Books. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Miller, Calvin (1995). The Empowered Leader: 10 Keys to Servant Leadership. Broadman & Holman Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee.

Sherman, Stratford (2003). Rethinking Integrity. Leader to Leader, No. 28

Winston, Bruce (2002). Be a Leader for Gods Sake. Regent University, School of Leadership Studies. Virginia Beach, Virginia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lieutenant Kenneth Rice is an Active Duty Naval Officer stationed in Norfolk VA. Lieutenant Rice is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where he received a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and an Education & Training Management Subspecialty. He is currently enrolled in the Naval War College completing the Joint Professional Military Education Phase I and at Regent University working towards a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership.

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Building a Christian Institution Strategically Nu Leadership Series

Building a Christian Institution Strategically - Nu Leadership Series
By Daryl Green

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.Corinthians 3: 9

As I scramble to meet the next church deadline, I understand that organizations can get sidetracked while dealing with todays problems. Therefore, leaders need to constantly stay focus and think strategically. Some leaders make decisions for short-term results. However, good planning doesnt always equate to strategic planning.

Strategic thinking involves recognizing and focusing on issues and events that are significant in decision-making. If you work a day job and build your dreams at night, you are more than a moonlighter. You are operating in duality. Wacker, Taylor, and Means, management experts, maintain that successful companies exist in duality while maneuvering in the present and future.

Likewise, if you want to be a different breed of religious leader, you must focus on the long-term objectives, not short-term gains. I hope that this knowledge brings me closer to my God-given calling. The Apostle Paul existed in duality. However, Paul had his priorities in order. Corinthians 3:9 explains, For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

From Pauls background, he could have excelled as a scholar, a master debater, or even a highly skilled tentmaker. Yet, Paul wasnt deceived by these earthly recognitions. Similarly, we shouldnt be either. Therefore, a church leader should operate in duality, therefore receiving a place not made by earthly hands.

References:

Mitchell, R. (2005). Strategic Thinking. Received on June 6, 2006 from http://www.csun.edu/~hfmgt001/st-thinking.htm.

Wacker, W., Taylor, J., & Means, H. (2000). New York: HarperBusiness.

2006 by Daryl D. Green

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

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Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths

Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths
By Susan Schutz

Have you noticed that across the business world people are recognizing that we are fast outgrowing the thinking and language of hierarchy, but we're also struggling to create a new, more collaborative future? The challenge for all is to figure out how to operate in this emerging paradigmthe one that our own efforts are helping to shape.

As I work with top leaders in organizations and then, independently, the staff they lead, Im frequently struck by the gulf that occurs between the two in the early stages of change. Typically what the leaders are trying to offer employees is very different than whats being received by them. While a significant number of leaders begin with optimism about their efforts to engage everyones greatest wisdom, staff members can be slow to recognize and trust the intent of initiatives undertaken to empower them.

Many employees simply dont believe that their insights and decisions will really be valued so they continue to hold back. Some may be unwilling or feel unprepared to share in responsibility for what the group creates. In their hesitancy they actually work against the changes and make it more difficult to include them in creative and decision-making roles.

When members of either group become frustrated during the creation of a new working order its easy to resort to what they know bestthe behaviors of the boss-subordinate relationship. Those with formal authority may again feel compelled to take up too much space (by using commanding words and actions), and followers too little space (by silencing their voices or talking only in whispers amongst themselves). When this occurs, leaders once more feel all the weight of responsibility on their shoulders, as well as the exhaustion that comes with constant staff resistancea resistance they can no longer understand.

What accounts for the tension and the different perceptions that exist between two groups who must rely upon each other to maximize success?

Unfortunately, many myths and old truths about leadership linger and keep us caught in the snare of hierarchy. At every level of an organization these beliefs undermine a companys potential greatness and cause unnecessary stress and dissatisfaction. These myths must be ferreted out and talked about in order for businesses to successfully, and more effortlessly, create a collaborative and effective culture.

** 3 MYTHS OF LEADERSHIP **

1. LEADERS MUST HAVE FORMAL AUTHORITY.

What happens when people throughout the organization believe leaders must have formal authority? People see leadership as a position, rather than as an action or behavior accessible to everyone. It invites those with formal authority to value their own opinions over others, and it keeps people who dont have it from stepping to the plate and sharing in responsibility for the success of the organization. It divides the powerful from the powerless, and creates the tendency for the people in these two camps to lob blame back and forth across the fence that separates them. Each group holds the other responsible for the dynamics between them, and for bringing about the needed change.

2. LEADERS MUST HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

Do leaders need to have all the answers? People tend to answer this question with a resounding no, but in everyday business the myth creeps subtly in to do its damage. Many leaders secretly harbor feelings of inadequacy and incompetence as they try to speak with unconvincing expertise and authority on every aspect of their complex business. At the same time, front line workers fault their leaders for lacking their own particular brand of genius and, consequently, ridicule or work against their efforts. Employees may almost arrogantly wait for a leaders plan to fail, and take no responsibility for failures when they do occur.

3. LEADERS SHOULD KNOW HOW TO ACHIEVE THEIR VISIONS.

Although at first blush it makes sense that leaders ought to know how they are going to achieve their visions, the speed of change in todays world makes it prudent to reassess the rightness of the organizations direction after each step taken and to make regular course corrections. Equally important, as things become increasingly complex, and people place value on contributing in meaningful ways to accomplishing a shared vision, it is crucial to consistently include the wisdom that exists everywhere in the organization.

Sadly, efforts to create this agile, responsive and inclusive workplace can be misunderstood by many employees if they are not given the chance to really understand why and how things unfold as they do. Rather than seeing themselves as co-creators of the organizations success, many feed upon the idea that management already has all the answers and is holding out on them in some important and harmful ways, or that leadership is inept for not fully charting the course before beginning a new initiative.

** 10 SIMPLE CONVERSATION STARTERS **

At Highest Vision we believe that leadership today is less about having the right answers and more about having the right questions. The next time you see an opportunity for a meaningful dialogue in your organization, consider posing one of these questions to get the conversation started. Include everyone you can in the process. (In large organizations it helps to host groups that are comprised of both participants who have and do not have formal authority, and to keep each group small enough for genuine dialogue to occur.)

1.What stories about leadership are told within our organization? What different perspectives exist?

2.How can we ensure that everyone feels like a valued contributor to our shared success?

3.How can we invite people to act upon their right and their responsibility to be a fully participating member of the organization?

4.What will entice people to contribute their own knowledge and experience?

5.How can leadership be exhibited by every person in our organization?

6.What will it take to create relationships where people ask for your ideas and offer you theirs?

7.How can we make sure that information and ideas are flowing freely?

8.What is needed to ensure that decisions are able to be made as close to the front line as possible?

9.What can leaders do to challenge the myths and invite forth everyones full participation?

10.What can staff members do to challenge the myths and invite forth everyones full participation?

** CONCLUSION **

As our organizations increase in size and complexity, quality of life issues gain attention, and our businesses continue to shape the world in ever greater ways, successful companies must actively engage every member of their teams in both formal and informal ways.

So what can you do to move beyond the myths of leadership discussed here? Begin by recognizing that if you wait for someone else to take the first stepno steps are taken. With or without formal authority, find your voice and use it well. Ask provocative questions that invite open discussion and the sharing of ideas. Risk joining the conversation and shouldering the responsibility for what we create together.

SUSAN J. SCHUTZ FOUNDED HIGHEST VISION IN 1999. Highest Vision services executive coaching, leadership development, and team building -- reflect her deep conviction that professionals can be attentive to their bottom lines while also creating lives worth living and businesses that contribute to the good of all.

For a free subscription to VantagePoint, Highest Visions free E-zine for trailblazers in life and business, go to http://www.highest-vision.com

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Difficult People or Hell Raisers II Nu Leadership Series

Difficult People or Hell Raisers II - Nu Leadership Series
By Daryl Green

If people have a basic understanding of right from wrong, possess a strong desire to better themselves and persist in there cause, they can break the chain of any negative environment. Dave Pelzer

Lets examine the world of difficult people in an organization. As the leader, you think you are in control. However, you interact daily with difficult people. You want to be nice, but you know these people are only Hell Raisers. They stir up problems and create a negative attitude in the organization.

Is conflict good or bad? I wouldnt conclude that conflict was good or bad. It depends on the persons perspective. If you are the target for this conflict, its probably not good (at least in the short-term). Organizational conflict is natural, however. You can find conflict anywherewell, even in a religious institution. The Apostle Paul had to chastise the Corinth church for its division. Organ and Bateman, organizational behavior gurus, give three causes for organizational conflict which are: a) need for joint decision-making, b) goal differences, and c) differences in perceptions.

Thats a great question. Jesus Christ is the head, and the church is the body. The body parts are interdependent. We dont always agree. Christians should expect conflict. God rewards His people after these tests. James 1:12 reads, Blessed is a man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life I accept the conflict (good or bad). William James was quoted as saying, Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude. As a leader, maintain a positive attitude but remember congenitally belligerents love to fight. Miller argues however that congenitally belligerent people must be stopped and not take over the organization. Ive seen people make personal threats. Let me state this group is small but noisy. God causes us to love each other. My pastor is long-suffering about the matter. Its a difficult situation for most leaders, however. Have you given up the fight with difficult people? Gain courage and save your organization today!

References
Miller, C. (1995). The Empowered Leader. United States of America: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Organ, D. & Bateman, T. (1991). Organizational Behavior. Homewood, IL and Boston, MA: Irwin.

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information, please email Mr. Green at pmla@att.net or visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org.

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Leadership and Overcoming Adversity

Leadership and Overcoming Adversity
By Dr Howard Edward Haller

This groundbreaking leadership research by has received extensive endorsements and enthusiastic reviews from well-known prominent business, political, and academic leaders who either participated in the study or reviewed the research findings. You will discover the proven success habits and secrets of people who, in spite of difficult or life threatening challenges shaped their own destiny to become successful, effective leaders. The full results of this research will be presented in the upcoming book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller which is titled Leadership: View from the Shoulders of Giants.

The nine initial prominent successful leaders who overcame adversity that were interviewed included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry Pino, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

The data from these nine research participants was materially augmented by seven more successful leaders who overcame adversity interviews including: Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence Lanni, Angelo Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and Dr. John Sperling.

Additionally, five internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews of the leadership research findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Dr. John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

This is a short biography of one of the principal participants who generously contributed their time and insight for this important research into the phenomenon of how prominent successful leaders overcome adversity and obstacles. This Blendas story:

Blenda Wilson grew up in a small New Jersey town in the 1950s. Most people believed that the best Blenda could hope for was a low-paying office job, and that college was unrealistic and beyond her economic reach.

Blendas family had experienced racial discrimination. Her mother was a bright black woman who had graduated from normal school in the racially segregated deep south of America, during the Depression. According to Blenda, her mother was a very, very intelligent woman, [with a powerful mind and fortitude. She said, My mother moved from Georgia . . . the north didnt accept normal school [teaching credentials, and so she became, throughout her working career . . . a white-collar worker, [a salesperson at Sears, an elevator operator . . . [and a girls supervisor in a juvenile detention home.

Blendas father went to technical vocational school . . . completed the [electrician certificate, and in those days, to become an electrician, you had to be apprenticed. He was black and he could never get an apprenticeship, so he could never be an electrician. He became a laborer instead of an electrician.

Blenda shared that her mother, who had experienced racial discrimination, insisted that her children didnt go out of the house dirty and slovenly . . . because she [had lived in a really segregated south. Her mother shared stories where, if they were in town, and a white person was walking down the street, black people stepped off into the curb. Blenda then described her own experiences with racial, gender and age discrimination.

Despite her membership in the National Honor Society at her high school in Woodbridge, New Jersey, her guidance counselor refused even to talk to her about going to college. Blendas comment was, She was really mean to me. She never, ever gave me any counseling about college; she never invited me to college prep stuff. Wilson said that on the contrary, Actually, she told me to take a typing class . . . then said, Youre nice looking, and you might be able to become a secretary. Now thats supposed to be a compliment.

Wilson recalled, Fortunately, I was riding a bus and heard some women talk about college opportunities, and how they had heard that womens colleges were providing scholarships for smart black students. I thought, Thatd be me. Their conversation convinced Blenda that she could find such a college for herself and a way to pay for tuition, books, food, and housing.

Wilson wrote many colleges, seeking more information, applied for admission, and asked for full scholarships. I got admitted to all of the colleges I applied to, and these were the colleges you know, they were the seven sisters. She received scholarship offers from several major colleges, but initially they offered only one-year scholarships with a series of renewals.

Blenda commented, I would just write them [the college back and say, Id really love to come, but you have to give me more money! She continued, I was determined to get a full four-year scholarship, to ensure that I could get completely through college, since I knew my parents could not afford to pay for me to go.

Ultimately, Cedar Crest guaranteed me four years tuition, [a travel budget, and a job. She graduated from Cedar Crest College with a major in English and Secondary Education. She went on to earn a Masters degree in Education from Seton Hall, and then a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Boston College.

Early in her career she experienced gender and age discrimination from African American males, both in the community and within her organization. Though she was more qualified and more educated than her competition, some people were vocal in their opposition to her getting the job as Executive Director of the Middlesex County Economic Opportunity Corporation. Blenda said, The African American men in the community were pissed off that a woman would get this role. . . . One of the criteria was that they wanted someone with a Masters degree. I had one. None of the African American men did.

Blenda said she experienced several kinds of prejudice: Theres prejudice from men, theres prejudice from black men, theres prejudice from white people.

Wilson said taking a leave from her local high school teaching position to become the Executive Director of the Middlesex County Economic Opportunity Corporation actually changed my life. I started doing the Head Start program. There was political turmoil. This was all in the 60s, with the war on poverty, the Office of Economic Opportunity. I was going to change the world.

Blenda was youngest Senior Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard, and once again she encountered age discrimination. Wilson shared that she had worked with and was tutored by Dr. John Gardner after leaving Harvard. After she left Harvard she became Chancellor of the University of Michigan. After that she became the President of California State University, Northridge for seven years, from 1992 to 1997, and led the universitys recovery from the Northridge earthquake in January of 1994.

In addition to having served as a Getty Foundation Trustee for over a decade, Dr. Wilson is the President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation in Quincy, Massachusetts. She is also a past chair of the American Association of Higher Education. Dr. Wilson serves as a trustee of the College Board, and she is Deputy Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Dr. Blenda Wilson still takes time out of her busy schedule to mentor and coach select prospective female prospective leaders.

Copyright 2006 Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.

About the Author:

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. is the Chief Enlightenment Officer of the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho based The Leadership Success Institute. His Doctoral dissertation in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga Univ. included interviews with prominent US leaders in business, politics & education.

The nine initial prominent leaders who overcame adversity included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry Pino, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

Then seven more leaders, who overcame adversity, were interviewed including: Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence Lanni, Angelo Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and Dr. John Sperling.

Five internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews of the leadership research findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Dr. John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

www.TheLeaderInstitute.com

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Qualities Of Leadership

Qualities Of Leadership
By Jonathan Farrington

Although there are many qualities necessary to be a genuine leader in a specific situation, these qualities should be common to all.

Good Memory:

To enable them to recall peoples names, and the few essential factsthat are pertinent to a wide range of problems.

A Genuine Interest In People:

Those that you are responsible for leading will know at once if you are genuinely interested in them and particularly in their development. Show this and you create that personal bond that is essential to the success of your team. You cannot fake an interest in people, they always find you out. A leader can only be successful by ensuring the success of every individual in the team.

Integrity:

If the team has cause to doubt the integrity of its leader, then it will fail when the team is exposed to stress or a risk. If a person is capable of minor lapses in their personal integrity, they fail to keep faith, then they could let their own team members down when they are under pressure. Once the team doubt the leader, that doubt greatly limits their chances of the fullest success.

The Ability To Communicate Effectively:

A good leader must be able to talk and write simply, clearly and persuasively. They must also listen and digest information intently. Communication is a two way process.

Decisiveness:There is a time when a decision must be made and a risk taken, even though the facts may be incomplete. A leader must recognise when further analysis is unprofitable and action is needed. It helps if the cost of changing the decision is known. If the cost is low, the risk is low.

The Ability To Relax:

If the team is kept tense and under pressure, irritation arises and performance fails. This is overcome by deliberately introducing a break just a light remark or opportunity for laughter. The importance lays in the frequency and the need for the break to be related to the task or the people not a funny story. The break should be brief, even momentary. It should also come at an opportune moment.

Genuine Enthusiasm:

Inner conviction, belief in the team and the objectives before it, gives rise to enthusiasm. This must be visible to the members of the team. It provides the motive power they use to tackle their jobs with courage and hope. If the leader has no belief in the task, why should their team even attempt it?

Copyright 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved

Jonathan Farrington is the Managing Partner of The jfa Group. To find out more about the author, read his latest articles, or to subscribe to his newsletter for dedicated sales professionals, visit =>http://www.jonathanfarrington.com You can also now visit Jonathan's Blog at =>http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk

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The Keys to Successful Leadership

The Keys to Successful Leadership
By George F Franks III

The best leaders I have met over the years have had several traits in common. Those aspiring to become leaders in business, government or other organizations would be well served to review these and take them to heart.

As quaint as it sounds, there is no substitute for hard work. The most successful leaders I have encountered worked hard at the beginning, middle and ends of their careers. They got in early. They left late. They took on additional responsibilities. They welcomed special assignments and task forces. They did not look for the easy jobs or to pass off the challenging tasks to others. Hard work is the foundation for success in leadership.

There are lots of generalists in all professions. The difference is when the generalists have built up their general knowledge of their profession as a result of being experts in whatever area they were working in at the time. Great leaders learn everything they need to know to do their current job and more. As they move on to the next job they do the same thing. They do not stay put for the most part. They build a portfolio of being expert in many areas within their profession. While it may be possible to get by through just knowing enough, the true leaders who are successful learn all they can in each job.

There are many egomaniacs in the world of business, government and other professions. While they may get most of the headlines and other media coverage, they are not the great leaders of our time (or any time). The greatest and most successful leaders are selfless. They approach problems for the best solutions. They do not care who gets the credit. In most cases, they direct the credit and the attention away from themselves and to others. This process serves to make teams and organizations more effective and more successful in turn.

Leaders young and not-so-young need mentors. A mentor is not just someone who can pull the leaders along by way of their coattails. It is someone who listens, provides advice, points out the landmines along the way and can tell the bad along with the good. Every great leader has had a mentor. Many have several mentors throughout their professional lives. The mentor a leader has at the beginning of their career may not be the mentor they have at mid-careers or as a successful senior executive or professional. The key is to find someone who one respects and who is willing to take the time to build a mentor relationship.

Everyone makes mistakes and has disappointments. Successful leaders in business, government and the professions accept their shortcomings, learn from their mistakes and move on. Those who dwell on mistakes or are so cautious as to rarely have missteps are unlikely to become great leaders.

The topic of personal balance has been overdone by the media and in professional literature. Most successful people are, at face value, hyper focused on their career goals or their profession. But once this is pealed back, most of them are people with varieties of interests. They take time to exercise and participate in sports. And their families and friends are quite important to them, even if the time they have to spend with them is limited. Those who can have it all are rare, but the most successful leaders to find ways to balance their professional lives with their personal interests, their health and fitness plus the role of family and friends.

The model of the successful leader is a dilemma today. Do we look to political leaders? Do we look to CEOs? The industrial titans of the past? The great leaders from military history? By reading biographies of the great people past and present, future and current leaders can gain insights into how they can become better and more successful leaders. Readers see time and again the roles played by hard work, expertise, humility, mentors, resilience from failures and balance.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. George can be contacted at:gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:http://franksconsultinggroup.com

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Leadership Development Training

Leadership Development Training
By Thomas Morva

Any leadership development training should take into account some of the basic facts, which ought to be made available to the individual concerned for developing his leadership skill and techniques.

The training or program must adequately deal with deliberations on leadership, and not limit the understanding of the term to its limited sense. Any reference to conventional typecast leadership should be shunned. The training should also incorporate a comprehensive understanding of leadership virtues as applicable to individual requirements, and highlight the subtle differences between leadership and management.

The program should also take into account the attitude of people towards the individual qualities of the leader. It is imperative that leadership development training should be ideally structured in relation to the advancement of the individuals concerned, instead of looking for strengths in personal qualities.

It is important to remember that any individual if he desires to do so can nurture his capability to show the way forward to others.

Ideal leaders seldom stick to a particular pattern, and it is often observed that quality leaders have a way of their own and do not get unnecessarily bogged down by standard rules and regulations imposed by others. Leadership development training tries to forcefully inculcate this spirit of independence in them.

The leadership development training also tries to make it clear that that collective requirements are of greater importance than individual necessities. Leadership development training tries to develop the quality of an individual to see a vision and look into the future, and develop his ambitions and aspirations.

One crucial virtue that such training emphasizes is that potential leaders should have the capability to see how details fit into the big picture. Such training also stresses the need to have the attitude that helps one to view things from the point of view of other individuals, and also able to comprehend in the proper manner the most suitable approach towards them.

Leadership Training provides detailed information on Leadership Training, Leadership Development Training, Corporate Leadership Training, Leadership Skill Training and more. Leadership Training is affiliated with Leadership Development.

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The Voice Of Leadership

The Voice Of Leadership
By Joe Love

Have you ever attended a seminar or a speaking event where the speaker was polished and pulled out all the stops and really fired up the audience? And then, when it was over, you rushed out the door in an excited buzz with the rest of the audience, but realized that what the speaker said compelled you to do nothing?

These days, technique and entertainment in public speaking seem to be valued over substance. It is rare that a speaker who truly engages people can also compel them to change some aspect of their lives. Speakers today emphasize entertainment and cosmetics over substance. They usually present a simplistic view of reality that is often at odds with the complicated lives of their audience.

True leadership, however, is the ability to move people to change. Based on this criterion, few public speakers are leaders. Yet powerful speaking skills are essential for leaders, at any level, to gain the enthusiastic commitment from their followers for their ideas or new programs.

The ability to lead comes from inside a person and great leaders, those with whom people connect with on an emotional level and who can inspire change, emerge only after experiencing things as they are in the real world. That is why Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan, among others could inspire. It was their core beliefs and personal experiences, together with a meaningful message, moved people to act.

Its the same in business. Those who experience and articulate reality as it really is, gain the commitment of their followers. People dont follow such authentic leaders because they possess all the right answers, rather, people follow them because they see them as having felt the same confusion and contradictions they have. Leaders address questions that are important to the workforce.

With the traditional business structure changing in the Information Age, stable or secure employment has disappeared. People are no longer asked to do better, rather, they are asked to do different. Because of this dramatic change in the business world people need leaders that they can trust, now more than ever.

What does it mean to be a true leader? It means you have to have a vision and you have to live that vision with integrity. Your vision must come from the deepest parts of your inner system of beliefs.

True leaders inspire commitment first by looking inward, becoming aware of what they want to say, and communicating a personal vision of the future. This vision is based on a personal knowledge of the past and realistic and relevant experience of the present.

For a public speaker to be a leader he or she must be able to bridge between vision and action. What the speaker says has to be able to move people to action and therefore requires the speaker to uncover and clarify his or her personal values.

If you are trying to lead people in a particular direction and want them to take action, it is your personal values that will support the changes that you are trying to lead. Knowing them helps you weave your convictions into what you are trying to say that let others know who you are and what you stand for.

You wont find your personal vision of what change is necessary in books or from other people. To have an effect on others, the change you propose must come from your values. These values are vital, to you and those you are trying to reach, because you have experienced them to be true. That is why your self-knowledge is so important, because if you are original then your point of view will also be original.

Here are three questions that will help you to uncover your values:

1.What single value is so important that you would teach it to your children as the most important foundation for a happy life?

2.What condition in your industry would you change? How?

3.What is the most important social problem we have to deal with? How would you make it right?

A leadership speech must have a structure. You must tell your audience where youve been, where you are, and where you are going. Each element tells part of your story and is an opportunity to connect with the audience. Its an opportunity to give people a sense that things are moving forward and that they can contribute to the new future that you describe.

In the beginning of your speech, you must establish your credibility and prepare people to listen with open minds. Here are the beginning elements that an effective leadership speech should have:

Introduction of the speaker.

Acknowledgment of the audience.

A concise statement of the purpose of the speech.

Acknowledgment of resistance.

A clear statement of the benefit of change and the price of maintaining the status quo.

After youve covered each of these elements, then you need to tell the story of change. You need to relate the context and reasons for the change, the steps needed to reach it, and the obstacles to it. To accomplish this you have to appeal to the hearts and minds of your audience.

The end of your speech is the most important part because youve been successful in offering compelling evidence and tapping your own enthusiasm, the audience has become more and more interested in what you have to say. At this point you are the closest to your audience, so now is when you have the best opportunity to reinforce supporters and diffuse opponents.

For your leadership speech to end memorably it must have these elements:

A conclusion.

A call for action.

A question-and-answer session.

A fresh statement of the major point of the speech.

Cynicism and distrust are on the rise today and people can detect pure showmanship and entertainment that are disguised as leadership. This is why true, value-based leadership is needed more today than ever before. People who have vision and live their vision with integrity will have the respectful commitment of their followers and thats what is needed to meet todays competitive challenges of the 21st century.

Copyright2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

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Leadership and Student Excellence

Leadership and Student Excellence
By RJ Braxton

Every student is a leader. Most do not realize this because they spend very little time identifying the qualities that go into leadership. It is not a characteristic only some people have. Rather, leadership is intrinsic and everyone has the capacity to lead.

Intrinsic motivation is the true measure of a leader. There is a big difference between someone who takes a role of leadership, and a leader. Most people associate leadership with a title rather than with specific characteristics and actions. Many students are called leaders, e.g. the student body president and various student government leaders. Do they really fit the criteria?

1.A good leader leads by example and:
oIs willing to take risks;
oHas an idea of where he/she wants to go;
oTakes responsibility for own actions;
oIs willing to resolve conflicts;
oIs a good listener;
oIs a person of integrity;
oHas a sense of service to something greater than themselves;
oTeaches others how to fish;
oUnderstands how to apply book knowledge;
oHas the ability to communicate something complex in a simple way;
oHas a sense of empathy coupled with a strong desire to do things honestly and respectfully;
oHas the ability to share ideas and experiences;
oHas a sense of self-appreciation and can celebrate personal victories no matter how small or large;
oIs humble without being subservient;
oHas faith in him- or herself while acknowledging a greater power outside the self;
oHas a positive mental attitude;
oIs a person who sees an opportunity when others do not or can not;
oIs someone who can make rational decisions rather than emotional ones;
oIs a free thinker;
oIs understanding of boundaries;
oHonors family, culture and tradition;
oCan see another persons perspective;
oSeeks mutual understanding without insisting on agreement;
oCan say no in difficult situations;
oIs honest in most, if not all, transactions

Dr. R.J. Braxton graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001 with a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, specializing in evaluation and planning. He also holds an M.S. degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Oregon and an M.P.A. degree in Organizational Theory and Management from the University of Washington. For the past 10 years he has been involved in educational development and human resource management. Dr. Braxton is a compassionate and fun loving person with top notch educational, motivational and leadership experience. Certifications Include:
Franklin Covey Coaching
Certified Neuro Linguistic Programmer
Leadership
Expertise
Leadership
Team building
Peak Performance
Coaching
Interviewing and Networking
Most Requested Trainings
Employee Coaching
Workplace Diversity
Interviewing and Networking
Creating A Shared Vision
Student Leadership
Individual Coaching

contact me: http://www.braxtoncoaching.com

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Transforming Your Organization with 21st Century Leadership Nu Leadership Series

Transforming Your Organization with 21st Century Leadership - Nu Leadership Series
By Daryl Green

A good leader is one who can tell another how to reach his or her potential; a great leader is one who can help another discover this potential for him or herself. Bo Bennett

Do you want to inspire the next generation of employees? You need to start today, Leader! Employees are looking to follow a special type of leader in the future. In the 21st century, leaders who have the capacity for caring become an inspirational magnet to employees. Most managers dont care about the personal welfare of their workers.

Unfortunately, many managers forget about managing with love. Im not talking about sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct. Im talking about a leader having a great relationship with his followers. Contemporary organizations simply do not have genuine affection for their employees.

Managers view their staff as a business commodity (like a computer, fax, or cell phone). Pfeffer, author of the Human Equation, notes that todays conventional wisdom holds that the way to economic success is to cut costs. This simply means cutting people. A company may be concerned on a very superficial level as in how are you doing today, but dont feel a sense of caring for its employees.

Winston, author and leadership guru, advocates the need for more caring leaders. Leadership is about giving, not taking. Its more than just being the boss. Hoyle, author of Leadership and Futuring, maintains three characteristics of this new type of leader. These characteristics are (a) ability to communicate with followers, especially the organizational vision; (b) a capacity for caring and concern; and (c) a persistent attitude. Many leaders operate under a very authoritarian mode.

Sadly, the lack of concern for people is a growing issue for effective organizations. It also creates an unproductive work environment for employee development. What America needs is more people-focused leaders. If leaders are truly concerned about their employees, then the workforce will be transformed into a 21st century organization, thereby changing the world. However, it must start with a visionary, concerned leader.

References:

Hoyle, J. (1995). Leadership and Futuring. New York: Corwin Press, Inc.

Pfeffer, J. (1998). The Human Equation. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press Company.

Winston, B. (2002). Be A Leader for God's Sake. Virginia Beach, VA. Regent University.

(c) 2006 by Daryl D. Green

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

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Become A Magnetic Leader Attract A Successful Organization Nu Leadership Series

Become A Magnetic Leader, Attract A Successful Organization - Nu Leadership Series
By Daryl Green

'Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets.' -Henry A. Kissinger

What does it take to become a leader anyway? Some would say money, good looks, or plain good fortune. Great leaders are born. Good leaders keep working on it, explains Herman Cain, talk show host and former executive of Godfathers Pizza. I pondered Hermans words during his presentation at a leadership seminar at the Regent University. His inspirational words were more than a sermon. It was a practical application of textbook theories. Analyzing Mr. Cains speech, I concluded that his leadership philosophy was consistent with contemporary leadership theories. Youve heard the argument about leaders being born and not made. Some people believe that you cant train people to be leaders.

Lets explore this theory. Hackman and Johnson, management gurus, explain that the trait approach of leadership advocates that nature plays a key role in determining leadership potential. Some leaders have an uncanny way of connecting with people and inspiring them. Are you one of these people?

Before you run with this concept, I would suggest that this concept is one leadership theory among many others. Fortunately, you dont need to go to plastic surgery to become a more attractive leader. Although genetics may assist a leader in supporting his/her calling, our own DNA does not trap us. Tall, attractive, and charismatic leaders may be media magnets in America, but you dont need to concern yourself with that fact. Certainly, not! Our environment plays a part in leadership development. Leaders can learn how to be more effective; however, this desire must come from the leader. The heart of a leader comes from within. A leader does need to possess a positive charisma so that he/she can demonstrate confidence to followers. Start displaying the right attitude and showcase your attractive leadership!

(c) 2006 by Daryl D. Green

Reference:

Johnson, C. & Hackman, M. (2000). Leadership: A Communication Perspective. Waveland Press.

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information, please email Mr. Green at pmla@att.net or visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

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Trust The Most Vital Component in Leadership

Trust - The Most Vital Component in Leadership
By Guy Harris

Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.

- Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus

If you dont believe in the messenger, you wont believe the message.

- James Kouzes and Barry Posner

I see it all the time - leaders who blame followers for breakdowns in the organization. I often hear complaints like these:

- If those people would just do what I tell them.

- You just cant find good workers today.

- Why wont these people get onboard with what needs to be done?

- Why do they complain all the time?

Each of these leadership laments focuses on whats wrong with the follower. Each concern excludes leadership responsibility as a source of or contributor to the breakdown.

I see employees who wont do what needs to be done, or, at best, perform at a bare minimum level. I see team members who drag their feet on new procedures or work practices. I see workers who do just enough to get by.

I see these behaviors and I ask myself - whats the problem?

When I get the opportunity to discuss the issue, I usually hear at least some component of violated trust. I hear people say that they want to perform at a higher level, but they dont trust that they will be recognized or rewarded. I hear people concerned that theyll be penalized if they speak the truth and identify the real problems in the organization. I hear people who have been beaten-up by current or previous leadership. All signs of violated trust.

Creating an environment of trust is a tricky issue. People carry past hurts with them. Some people expect more from their leaders than they are willing to give themselves. Leaders do things that unintentionally confuse or scare people. Some people just dont want to trust organizational leaders. But, regardless of the past or current situation, the responsibility to build trust lies first, and foremost, with the leader. Its not always fair, and its not always easy. But it is always the leaders responsibility.

Trust is the foundation for every successful leaders accomplishments. When people dont trust the leader, they wont follow very far.

How do you, the leader, address the issue of trust?

Entire books have been written about trust, but, for the purpose of this article, Ill stick with two quick tips.

The first comes from the book, The Leadership Challenge. In their survey of leadership behaviors, James Kouzes and Barry Posner asked the question, What do you look for in a credible (i.e. trustworthy) person? The number one response They do what they say they are going to do. So, trust building tip number one do what you say youre going to do.

The second idea comes from the world of social psychology. Social science researchers have identified a key behavioral principle that affects the development of trust. This principle is known as the Principle of Reciprocity. The Principle of Reciprocity states that we tend to feel obligated to repay in kind what someone else has given to us. In a nutshell, it says that if you want trust, you must first give trust. Trust building tip number two show people you trust them if you want them to trust you.

Trust issues almost always come back to the leader. Its possible that you can have isolated trust issues with just a few people. In this case, it may be just their personal problem. If you find yourself or if you hear someone else asking the questions at the top of this page - look out. You may have a systemic trust problem. If thats the case, your team is either in trouble or its about to be in trouble. Carefully evaluate what might have happened or might be happening to damage trust and immediately start applying the two tips above to begin the repair.

You may use this article for electronic distribution if you will include all contact information with live links back to the author. Notification of use is not required, but I would appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in printed media.

Copyright 2005, Guy Harris

Guy Harris is a Relationship Repairman and People-Process Integrator. His background includes service as a US Navy Submarine Officer, functional management with major multi-national corporations, and senior management in an international chemical business. As the owner of Principle Driven Consulting, he helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders improve team performance by applying the principles of human behavior.

Guy co-authored The Behavior Bucks System(tm) to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children by effectively applying behavioral principles in the home. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com

Learn more about Guy at http://www.principledriven.com

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