Champion Leadership #2 - Even an 8-Year-Old Knows It’s About “Belief”

James, an 8-year-old boy, was sitting in the front row of a small class room in which he and 15 other Martial Arts students were listening to my workshop on becoming a Champion Leader.

A few minutes into an exercise in which I asked the students to list people whom they knew that they believed were great leaders, James raised his hand to ask a question. When I recognized him, he asked, “can I put ‘me’?

To which I said, “James, that is an outstanding question and one I’m glad you asked because that may be the most important lesson I am going to teach tonight. Yes, you should put ‘me’ on your list because if you want to be a great leader you must believe you are a great leader.”

As the old saying goes, “from the mouths of babes…”

Do you believe you are a great leader?

You may feel uncomfortable proclaiming yourself a great leader as being braggadocious, or feel you just don’t have the experience to make such a claim.

Get over it!

To become a great leader you must believe you have great leadership tendencies within you, and you do. Own it, take responsibility for it, and look for ways to develop the outstanding leader within.

Believing you are an emerging great leader will give you the empetus to take the steps necessary to develop the skills necessary.

Champion Leadership Tip #2 - Exercise:

Before you move on to the next task of the day upon completing reading this post, write down three experiences you have had in your life that are positive references that you either, a) are a great leader, or b) have the potential to be a great leader.

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Champion Leadership Tip #1 - Leadership Defined

Ten years ago I heard U.S. Army General and first Gulf War Commander Norman Schwartzkopf speak at a leadership conference. He told us that day that defining leadership was similar to the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity, “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.” He proceeded to try to define it anyway with, “getting others to do things they ordinarilly wouldn’t do because they want to do it.”

In preparing for a leadership keynote address I was asked to deliver recently at a regional martial arts school I decided I needed a definition that rang true for me.

I sat down this week to craft my own and in reviewing not just my 27 years in business, 20 years in minor league professional baseball management, and now 10 years studying business success and successful leadership I reflected on the role those I respect as the best leaders I’ve experienced in my life played in making me who I am today.

What I realized was they inspired me to go for something that I was not even aware of was something I could enjoy achieving or being a part of. They usually did so by being a role model in how they went after the same or similar thing. Additionally, they took responsibility for their role in inspiring me to go for it and continued to me by coaching and guiding me to perform at the level necessary to achieve success at it.

Based on my experiences as identified above, here’s what I came up with:

“Inspiring others to do something they ordinarilly would not do, and/or coaching them to perform at an even higher level than they ordinarilly would perform, if left on their own.”

What do you think? Does it ring true for you? What would you add or change about it? Or, what is your definition of leadership and what specific references do you have that have directed you to define leadership in the way you do?
I look forward to your comments and contributions.

(you can find a complete list of my Weekly Champion Leadership Tips here, beginning Monday, October 26, 2009)

“Little” Things Make a “Big” Difference in Customer Service

Often times when I walk into a company for a meeting, whether it be a marketing call on my behalf or a client consulting session I am usually offered a beverage by someone in the company. Sometimes the offer doesn’t come until I meet with my party, other times it comes when I am greeted by reception and I am waiting for my party to arrive.

Today, with regards to customer service I experienced something completely new, different and most importantly - exceptional and memorable

The company is one of the largest and most prestigious CPA firms in the Hudson Valley Region of New York - Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni and Weddell.

After the “Director of First Impressions” greeted me from behind her open window at the reception counter, she promptly called my party to let him know I had arrived, she handed me a menu of beverages. This menu was presented to me as if it were a wine list at a fine restaurant. The options included soft drinks, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and regular water. I chose plain water.

A few moments later she walked out to the waiting area and handed me a real glass full of water. Usually I am proferred a paper or plastic cup, or a coffee mug with water. This was an impressive drinking glass.

In my business consulting I encourage my clients to focus on the “fundamentals” to achieve market differentiation. In football they call it “blocking and tackling,” in ice hockey its skating and stickhandling, in basketball its the free-throws and blocking out under the basket. Every sport has them and all businesses have them.

My musical hero Bruce Springsteen wrote a song a long time ago which is rarely, if ever played, called “It’s the Little Things That Count.” It relates to personal relationships but is just as pertinent in the business setting.

So, today, my vote for a “Champion Business” goes to Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni and Weddell based in Newburgh, NY for the presentation of a beverage “menu” to its guests, offered by their “Director of First Impressions.” Great job!

What are the “little things” in your business that for little or no cost and little additional effort, you could easily raise the bar on the impression you make on your clients, prospects and competitors? Pick one today and start working on it.

It Is Time to Forget About Your Company’s “Mission”

CEOs Are “Wusses?” I Agree With Pat Lencioni

In Tuesday’s Wall St. Journal Pat Lencioni wrote an article proclaiming that many CEOs are “wusses,” meaning they are weak when it comes to proactively managing performance. I have one thing to say:

ABSOLUTELY!

I couldn’t agree more.

As many of you know my coaching practice began by helping business owners breakthrough the habit of procrastination. I continue to do workshops where I get uncomfortable, squirming in the seats of business owners and CEOs when the subject of procrastination is broached.

Why are CEOs “wusses” and what do they procrastinate on? You’d be surprised to learn a myriad of things, including as Lencioni points out confronting behavior issues that negatively impact individual and organizational performance. Other procrastination items include marketing, sales, accounts receivables, delivering bad news to employees and customers, and the list can go on.

Not to be flip here but one of the big issues CEOs procrastinate on is the procrastination of their employees. Instead of confronting performance issues, they hope they get better, they hope they get better, they hope they get better. Then, they blow wreaking havoc on the individual and ripple affects are felt throughout the organization impacting the culture for months, if not years.

Here are some resources with more specific articles on some of these issues, if you want to learn more and go a little deeper into this issue. Thank you to Mr. Lencioni for bringing the issue to the fore, I’ll do my part to help CEOs build the skills they need to more positively influence individual and organizational performance and improve workplace morale:

Manage Workplace Conflict to Improve Employee Morale

Stop Procrastination Before It Kills Your Business

Specific Communication the Key to High Employee Morale

Ever notice how communication in the workplace sometimes is confusing or so non-specific that it forces stressful mind-reading scenarios?

Well, two client incidents this week reinforced in me the belief that one of the most important keys to creating and maintaining a high morale work environment and company culture is the simple concept of “specific communication.”

From frontline employees at a companywide workshop, some of whom were hired as recently as two weeks ago, to a business owner in a leadership position for 25 years, I experienced non-specific communication doing damage to employee morale.

In one instance a new hire was asked by the company owner to finalize a report, the conversation went like this:

New employee: When do you need this? (he said holding up the unfinished report)

Company Owner: NOW!

New employee: Well, I have some questions for you before I can move forward on putting this information together. If we sit down after your meeting this afternoon would by noon tomorrow be soon enough?

Company owner: Oh, sure that’s fine, I don’t need those items to be delivered until late next week.

Had the new employee not stood up for himself and asked for clarification to an unrealistic and unnecessary demand, it would have created tremendous stress and anxiety trying to meet an unrealistic demand. It would also have begun to develop low-trust and low-morale in the new employee.

For more examples of non-specific communication and how they can negatively impact employee morale and sabotage the desire to create a high-performance work environment read my latest article “How to Improve Employee Morale by Improving Organizational Communication” here.

Champion Organization Defined, Does Yours Stack Up?

This morning at a client meeting I was challenged to define a Championship Organization so the company leadership could get a grasp on the concept. That was unusual for me. Usually I’m the one asking the question of the client to get them to focus on what they want to create that is different, better and/or special from where they are at.

The question challenged me to come back to my office and define it for myself sothat I can better articulate it to my clients, here is what I came up with.

Championship Organization Defined:

A Championship Organization is one that stands out from the rest by continually striving to achieve something unique and special from others in its field. A Champion Organization is one that is exceptional in the way it operates, exceptional in the way it treats its employees, exceptional in the way it serves it customers, and exceptional in the way it interacts with its community, and doing it all with a high level of integrity.

The Championship Organization does it in a way in which all stake holders are:

• Enthused to participate,
• Empowered to contribute in their own unique way, and are
• Engaged in contributing to fulfilling the Vision & Purpose of the organization by consistently interacting with other stakeholders according to agreed upon values and behaviors.

Is that the type of organization or company culture that can thrive? If an organization were to fulfill that definition would it or could it be considered operating at a Championship level?

I think so, what about you? Feel free to leave a comment about what you would add or subtract to make my definition even better.

To read about five key traits that Champion Organizations should require of individuals they hire and retain read this article at www.SkipWeisman.com titled - How a Champion Culture Can Give You a Competitive Advantage

How a Champion Culture Gives Your Company a Competitive Advantage

Differentiation in the marketplace is key to sustaining long-term business growth and success. How and where to accomplish that market differentiation so that a company gains a competitive advantage is a question I consistently get from my clients.

There are three primary areas through which a company can gain a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace. It can be done via a company’s products, its service offerings and the relationships it builds with its ideal customers.

To develop and maintain this elusive market differentiation takes a consistent and comprehensive effort throughout a company. It requires a corporate culture in which creativity, innovation and motivation thrive.

There are five areas on which company leaders must focus to create this culture; what I call a Champion Culture:

C = Commitment
Athletic teams become champions because their athletes are committed to the compelling Vision, Strategy and Purpose of getting to the championship game. In business, companies can create a similar commitment by creating and communicating a compelling Vision, Strategy and Purpose to their team members.

Are your employees committed or just complying with their job descriptions to collect a paycheck?

H = Humility
Athletes become champions because they continually improve as they face tougher competition every step of the way. This means they must be open to regular feedback and continually look for ways to get better.

Does your company culture espouse an environment where learning from mistakes is encouraged and asking for help is seen as a strength?

A = Accountability
There are two components to accountability that create champions, setting clear performance expectations and measuring job performance against those expectations. It works in athletics. But most companies fall short in managing specific job performance accountabilities in order to maintain consistent progress toward agreed upon objectives.

What is your company’s process for communicating specific upfront performance expectations and managing accountability to the desired performance?

M = Motivation
Champions are action oriented. When obstacles arise champions find a way through, over, around or under to stay on track. Procrastination (the opposite of motivation) is not in their mindset or habits. I’m amazed at how many business owners, CEOs and other business professionals have significant challenges with the habit of procrastination.

How motivated is your team? How are procrastination and avoidance issues negatively impacting your company’s bottom line?

P = Preparation
Champions show up prepared. They practice almost every day in-season when not playing games. They review films of their opponents to learn the tendencies, strengths and weaknesses they can exploit. Yet in business, you’ve probably experienced far too many team members showing up ill-prepared. Not enough time is invested in preparing for the work week, the workday, key meetings, and sales presentations.

How can your company raise the bar on preparation to begin functioning as a CHAMP?

Focus on raising the bar in these five strategic areas to create a Champion Culture at your company. Doing so will increase the level of creativity, innovation and motivation applied to differentiating your products, your services and your customer relationships in the marketplace. Thus, giving you the competitive advantage you are looking for.

Does Your Company Have a CYA Culture?

I realized yesterday while facilitating a clients’ senior leadership team meeting that they were stuck in the old style CYA culture. You know, “Cover Your A##.”

I asked if they ever went on a construction job site and just gave out praise to the workers and the site supervisor pointing out specific areas where they were excelling or ahead of schedule. In return there was a blank stare, then a comment:

“Well, in our business if the work is done and done well, its a waste of time to rehash that stuff. We need to keep moving forward and make sure the things that aren’t done to spec need to be addressed while focusing on the next phase of the project. Looking back acknowledging things already done never had any value before.”

I could tell a light bulb had gone off in this individual’s mind while another team member chimed in, “you know we’re always looking for pictures of the good work we do and we can never find them because all we take pictures of are the problem areas so we can make sure we don’t get blamed for them or to show our sub-contractors what they need to fix. I sure wish we had some nice, photos of finished projects so we can use ‘em in our newsletter, and on our website and stuff!”

Again, more CYA. So much time is spent in corporate America covering rear-ends that the good work everyone is doing goes unnoticed and un-appreciated.

I’d like to propose a new CYA culture - “Celebrate Your Achievements!”

There is not enough of it!

This does not mean to get soft and open your company to lawsuits, lost revenue, re-doing jobs that eat into profit margins because of a lack of identifying areas that need to be addressed. What it means is taking some time throughout the day, week, month to be open to looking for, and acknowledging and recognizing, the individuals who are doing good work.

It can be as simple as a private pat on the back, or a public recognition at a monthly team breakfast or lunch with a gift certificate as a reward. You can determine what is most appropriate for your situation and budget.

I believe this type of CYA Culture will improve morale and productivity while gradually breaking down the cynicism and lack of trust in most organizations as workers begin to feel appreciated for their contribution.

Focus on Teamwork Is Misguided, Needs Paradigm Shift

There is much focus today on teamwork in the workplace. It’s about building more effective teams, working more effectively with each other in teams, supporting your teammates, etc. It’s become almost like muzak on an elevator ride to nowhere.

Focusing on teamwork in the workplace is misguided. It is misguided because most employees are rewarded for serving customers through direct sales or service, and/or manufacturing a product at a margin that leads to profitability, not for working as a team. Even if individuals are hired with “teamwork” in their job description or expectations it is a nebulous concept at best.

Many times working as a team means having to support a team member whom, a) they may not like and b) whom they may see as threat to their job security. Also, there is usually is no direct incentive for working as good team player. Company’s rarely reward based on the results of “teamwork” because it is hard to quantify, unless a specific team is brought together to achieve a specific outcome.

I believe we need to shift our thinking. We need to shift our paradigm on the concept of “teamwork” in the workplace. Let’s forget about it!

Instead let’s focus on customer service. “Internal” customer service.

Internal customer service takes a back seat to “real” or “external” customer service, which is servicing the end user of our product or service. Yet, its the internal interactions between team members (teamwork) that can drastically impact how your external customer service is applied.

Whereas many companies promote teamwork to the cynicism of the masses few encourage their workers to see their “teammates” as true customers, customers of their internal product/service delivery. What would happen if they did?

Most employees understand the value of servicing a customer and will do backflips to make the customer happy (many times to the detriment of company profits and building value in the eyes of the customer, but that’s a post for another day) while “internal” customer service and the treatment of co-workers is deplorable in many companies. As such I believe making this shift will help tremendously in raising the bar on performance for three reasons:

1) Employees understand the importance of “customer service” and adding to the definition of who their “customers” are should be an easy adjustment;

2) It is much easier to hold individuals accountable to customer service metrics than “teamwork” metrics;

3) It is easier to define in the workplace a “customer service” situation than a “teamwork” scenario thus allowing for the sharing of resources to be more easily facilitated. This alleviates the instance of those who hold back on resources in a teamwork setting due to uncertainty of the relationships necessary to achieve desired results (helps to break down the silo mentality that is ingrained in so many company cultures).

My entire shift in addressing issues of company culture and improving performance results is going to focus on “internal” customer service. As such I believe outstanding teamwork will become an easy and natural by-product of of this approach.

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