by Deborah Leverett | Apr 7, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
Sitting in a meeting of 15 people, I noticed the atmosphere was stuffy, to say the least. As I looked around the table, I was dumbfounded at the non-verbals being communicated: blank stares body agitation impatient “I’m too busy to be here” looks pouty “I don’t want to be here and I’m mad” looks eye-rolling angry glares no response to questions being asked This is the kind of behavior one expects from a 15-year-old at a family reunion, not a management meeting. Some might say this is a reflection of poor leadership. I say it is a reflection of people who are unprofessional and behaving poorly. The words self-absorbed and immature come to mind. At the very least, this reflects poor listening skills; the more glaring truth is that it is about character. Integrity and trust are entry-level behaviors for team members. Lack of self-awareness and self-control are poor habits which get all of us into trouble and certainly do not promote a strong team much less achieve the mission. Too many of us simply don’t know the impact of our behavior and have no idea of how we come across. Your body language is easily read by others who know exactly what you are saying – make sure that you...
by Deborah Leverett | Mar 25, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
In a previous blog post (3/18/13), I identified the attitude of leadership as being the pivotal trait for leading a successful change initiative. But there is another reason why change does not produce the positive results that are expected and it has to do with focus. There is either no focus and allowing every situation to become a crisis; or having a focus but on the wrong target. The complex and often chaotic conditions of change that are now a way of life for most organizations e.g., global competition, economic volatility, new technology, and a diverse workforce all present enormous distractions for leaders and managers to maintain focus and manage employee performance. However, even when leadership and management do focus, the tendency is not to focus on employees, but to zero in only on systems and the bottom line. But, let’s face it: change affects people. Even during positive change, a person will sense loss, fear, and disruptions to daily routines and relationships. These can all play havoc with individual mental and emotional processes that can bring about a dip in performance and productivity. And, yet, often managers and leaders do not see their main concern being about the people. I have worked with leaders who have taken the lack of enthusiasm on the part of employees as a personal affront because they did not understand the process and impact of change from the employee’s point of view. So when dealing with change as a leader there are two important points that will bring you through successfully: Know yourself: have an accurate understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and...
by Deborah Leverett | Mar 22, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
Do you know what it is like to work for you? It’s fairly evident by those on your team as well as backed up by research that most managers have a highly distorted notion of how they are seen by staff. One of the most vital traits needed to be a successful boss requires a high level of self-awareness. A boss can no longer depend only on his/her understanding of what life is like as a member of the team. That’s why 360s are both valuable and uncomfortable for everyone. It finally gives us a picture of how others see us. But why is it so important for people to be more self-aware? Because the role of the 21st century boss is much different than the 20th century top-down, controlling boss. The 2oth century manager didn’t have to worry about how they were seen – they were the boss and the employees just had to do as they were told. Doesn’t work any more – today’s managers have to play the role of a coach, a partner, a developer of others and a willing participant in two-way communication. These require continual growth and personal learning. 21st century organizations will gain competitive advantage, be adept at innovation and able to challenge the status quo by creating a more equal balance of power throughout the...
by Deborah Leverett | Mar 19, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
More than any other skill, the ability of an executive team to lead and manage change in the workplace makes the difference between an organization’s success and failure. Consider the following: Forty-three percent of the companies listed as the best of the best in the book Search for Excellence no longer exist because of an inability to manage change. In Fortune 1000 companies trying to accomplish change, success rates are less than 50%. The lack of this competency is the number one factor that causes bright, talented and hard-working individuals to derail their careers, according to the Center for Creative Leadership in Greenville North Carolina. In my experience, there are two major factors in the success or failure of a change initiative: the attitudes of leadership and the focus of their attention during the change process. How can leadership cause a change process to fail? Being a successful change leader means the leader must go first! Leaders can be as resistant to doing things differently as any other employee. I often hear from leaders who want to run a workshop to ‘change our employees.’ The truth is that it always starts at the top. Even if it were possible to change employees with a magic wand, if the leadership does not begin to think differently and do things differently, the change will be minimal and short-term. If the employees are told to be more people focused, goal-driven and take responsibility for solving problems, but the management remains task-driven, managed from the top-down and crisis oriented, the results will be disappointing at best. The key point is that leadership sets...
by Deborah Leverett | Feb 15, 2013 | Blog, Uncategorized
Are you confronting your toughest problems? What about when someone tells you that you could have done a better job? Do you find yourself in a defensive mindset? What about the executive team? Organizational excellence is tough to achieve. At the forefront there must be a great leader and a savvy executive team. At the core must be accountability: the willingness to do what is needed to get the job done. Everyone agrees accountability is key, but too many executives can’t discern when accountability is being replaced by blaming and complaining. By listening to what is being said, you can determine if your group is on the downhill slide into defensive excuse-making before it chokes high performance and productivity. The essence of accountability is personal responsibility: what can I do to make it happen? No matter what the circumstance, no matter who is not stepping up, the mindset must be I will do what I can to make it happen. The opposite attitude builds an insidious blame and complain culture. Even the sharpest leaders and teams can fall into the trap of accepting reasons why objectives are not and cannot be achieved. Excuses and a victim mindset can get the best of us. I have sat in many executive board rooms where conversations were filled with phrases such as: “I don’t understand why (sales, operations, etc.) department can’t get it together. Every month they repeat the same mistakes as last month.” “We can’t make our numbers as long as he/she leads the team.” “I think we should wait a bit and see if there is a change. I’m sure...
by Deborah Leverett | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
Everyone can learn to influence others – but great leaders have paid the price to become. If you are in a leadership role, then your superiors decided that you should be there because of what you have done, what you are doing, and what they see you doing in the future: Your Potential. There has been a lot of research on leader behavior. Leadership has been studied from the historical point of view (studying leaders of the past), psychological point of view (studying traits and personality types) and behavioral point of view (studying what leaders do). I have found it is as important to discover who leaders are: their character, attitudes, beliefs and levels of commitment. Leadership is intensely human, and it does not easily fit into categories or boxes. Leaders have nothing but themselves to work with – they rise to the top in spite of their weaknesses and circumstances. They are their own raw material. You have to know what you are made of and what you want to make of yourself. In order to do that, you have to engage in some kind of reflection. By doing that, your developmental needs will be clear and you can then decide on what learning choices you need to set into motion. In the next blog, I’ll cover some of the big detailers that are still causing high potential individuals to crash and burn in their career. What areas are you pursuing in personal growth? What about your...
Recent Comments