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...
by Deborah Leverett | Dec 3, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
You’ve heard the sayings ‘change what you are doing and you will change the results’ and ‘change your beliefs and change your life’. These are powerful principles that work in individuals who will apply them. Did you know that these truths can be applied to your organizational culture? I define culture as the product of how things are done, what people believe and how people are treated. If you want to improve or change your culture, you have to change what you are doing, what you believe and how people are treated. The prevalent culture I see in large and small organizations are wrapped in one of these attitudes: complacency, compromise or competition (the internal kind). When leaders, managers, employees have grown complacent, they are still working; but they are not taking responsibility for solving problems or making improvements. You hear the same problems year after year, and the response is always a blame game. Always the fault of the customers, the vendors, the leadership, the other department, the manager, or the economy. It is an insidious attitude and everyone, even leadership, can succumb. Compromise is when you accept standards that are less than desirable, or even more dangerous is when you accept behaviors or attitudes that fall short of principled and ethical behavior. This mindset also continues in a gradual and subtle way, and you many not see the collateral damage until the culture implodes. Enron being a classic case. Organizations that promote internal competition to create a sense of urgency walk a dangerous line because this typically results in building silos, distrust and hidden agendas. Pogo’s famous...
by Deborah Leverett | Jan 10, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
significant: adjective 1. sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy Leadership that is significant, that challenges, changes and improves the status quo, is leadership that is trustworthy, built on a foundation of strong virtues, character and vision. It is the leadership that brings solutions to impossible problems, that care for the less fortunate, that bring dreams to life. This is the leadership that our families, cities, states and nation need right now. It is a role that anyone can assume if they are willing to step up: take responsibility. One of the greatest deceptions of our lifetime is that personal freedom has morphed into irresponsibility because self has become the idol du jour. On January 28, 2011 Entera+Partners presents the first of 4 leadership development seminars for women of faith: Significant Leadership. The 4 seminars are: 1. The Call of Leadership 2. The Process of Leadership 3. The Work of Leadership 4. The The Measure of Leadership Intended for women who sense a call to impact their spheres of influence, it will be a place to learn, connect with other like-minded individuals and to clarify direction. For details and to register: bit.ly/yNWxTV You can email me at dleverett@enterapartners.com or call 512.873.8500 if you have...
by Deborah Leverett | Dec 14, 2011 | Blog, Uncategorized
Surely, by now you have felt the effects of the season and you are either finding yourself distracted, unorganized, frantic and overwhelmed; or, you have made a plan, prioritized your time and are living with order in your days, enjoying all the activities and extras that the holidays bring and spending your time with those who count most in your life. If you are overwhelmed, you can begin a change today by practicing habits of order and organization. In order to recapture your time and sanity, try these 5 tips to avoid frantic days, missed appointments and frazzled nerves. 1. Decide on the top 3 priorities for the next 3 weeks. Someone once said if you have more than 3 priorities you don’t have any priorities at all. Identifying the most important will help you budget your time, and you will immediately sense peace of mind. Measure the use of your time with those priorities, and place the ‘big rocks'(i.e priorities) in your calendar first. These are the non-negotiables that you are not willing to forgo. 2.Know your personal limits: physical, mental and spiritual. You can’t live off cookies, coffee, cocktails and 4 hours sleep without paying a price: take care of yourself especially during high stress times. 3. Take 20 minutes and do a brain dump: write down everything you have to do, then prioritize, delegate, and, if your budget allows, hire help. 4. Throw perfection out: expect delays, misplaced orders and cancelled flights. This is just one frame of your life’s entire movie – get a little perspective and elevate your sense of humor. Others will be...
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