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Leading the Way for All Generations!
Tuesday 09/21/2010
You may have seen the article that is circulating again, Bill Gates 11 Rules for Life That Kids Won’t Learn in School. The article was actually written by a contributing editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune in the mid 90’s, a fact I learned by checking the www.urbanlegends.com. The rules are a list of generational differences that makes us Baby Boomers look like the most fabulous workers ever created while anyone under 35 is painted as an entitled brat with all the negative characteristics and behavior that implies. As a person with many friends in the Gen X or under age range, I take exception to the wide ranging implications and want to offer a few countering thoughts.
First, yes. I have run into Gen X’ers who don’t understand why they are not making $75,000+ right out of college (the list used $40,000 but I am accounting for the salary inflations I have witnessed in the last 14 years); and I’ve run into those who won’t do certain tasks that they feel are beneath them; and those who think their boss is picking on them. Yet in my experience these behaviors are not limited to that generation. For years, I have witnessed managers pacify Boomer employees based on attitudes of entitlement and over-inflated egos, particularly if the individual had painted themselves as a star, a stellar perform, a strategic employee that cannot be lost. Really, what did Traditionalists think of our behavior as we insisted on new ways of engaging with the work and our co-workers?
I believe it would be a mistake for employers to set cultural attitudes or workforce policies based on viewing the worse characteristics of a generation. Each generation brings new ideas—often exciting, thought-provoking, and challenging—to the workplace. Yet organizations adapt and even thrive on the energy and results generated by these ideas. The technology industry would not be where it is if not for new ideas generated by younger employees who are not tied into our set systems of thinking or the specific cultural norms of an organization.
I encourage employers to embrace the change and energy that comes with younger employees. Listen with an open mind. Learn their values and understand where your values mesh. Implement policy changes regarding work hours and childcare and where the work actually gets done. Maintain your focus on the bottom line and the fact that the work does get done and goals are met. Isn’t that really what it is all about?
As someone who’s career is focused on the effectiveness of organizations, I must, however, comment on the Rules that state that no one cares about your self-esteem, and work is not a place to find yourself. Current data tells us that organizations that value career development and life balance, that have employees who feel they have a voice in the decisions around their work, and maintain a focus on outcomes, have more highly engaged employees—meaning employees more committed to your organization and more likely to remain in their jobs. I believe that is because they have found some piece of who they are at their job. They have learned new thinking, tested new skills, gained some footing in finding their niche in life. That is what makes them good employees. Organizations must—and many do—care about people’s self-esteem and their personal growth. That is one key to maintaining an organization’s long-term success.
So, let’s welcome those next generations with open arms! Encourage learning at all ages, model balance for all generations, and support self-understanding in finding one’s niche in life. Let’s model the way for all generations!
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The Job Interview: Demonstrating Leadership
Monday 08/23/2010
Did you catch the Parade article yesterday about Natalie Randolph? It’s exciting to read the story about a woman coaching a high school football team. It shows just how far our world has come in recognizing the value of good leadership.
What really captured my interest in Natalie’s story is the part about her interview for the coach’s position. Up against candidates such as two former NFL players and a retired Army brigadier general, the interview committee selected Natalie hands-down as their best choice. Why? I believe a significant reason is that in her interview Natalie was the only candidate who spoke about the students and what she would do for them. In the committee’s mind, that made her the real deal.
Natalie wasn’t focused on selling herself, she was focused on sharing the ways she could contribute to the advancement of the school and the individuals she would be impacting. She understands that leadership isn’t about her ego or a big office or making a name for herself. Leadership is about caring for others, seeing a better future, sharing that future with your followers, and implementing strategies to move everyone forward. That’s what won Natalie the job and that is what she is doing every day on the field with her team.
If you are someone who is seeking a job in these difficult economic times, give thought to how you present your leadership style in the interview process. It might just be the thing that differentiates you from a wide field of candidates.
No Comments »More From the Global Leadership Summit
Thursday 08/12/2010
Summit participants were again delighted by Jim Collins as he spoke on his latest book How The Might Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In. Just hearing Jim Collins makes every cent of the conference fee worthwhile! His latest book, a follow up to Good to Great, identifies 5 stages of the decline of a company and describes the leadership-team dynamics that are evident on the up and downward paths. The thesis of Collins’ presentation is that organization decline is more about what you do to yourself, than it is about what happens to you. His message is really one about the need for accountability and alignment around a shared purpose that is rooted in the core values of the organization.
Collins provided a list of 10 things a leader must do to preserve the core and stimulate progress to keep a company on the path toward greatness, or to reduce negative patterns and flourish anew. Here is the list:
1. Do diagnostics. Use the Good to Great diagnostic tools available on his website.
2. Count your blessings – in a spreadsheet.
3. Double your questions to statements ratio.
4. Ask how many key seats we have on the bus, and how many are filled with the right people?
5. Use the team diagnostic in How The Mighty Fall.
6. With your team, create an inventory of the brutal facts.
7. Ask what you need to stop doing, and stop doing it.
8. Define results and focus effort on that.
9. Double your reach to young people by changing your practices without changing your core values!
10. Set a BHAG!
Remember: Greatness is a cumulative process, so never, ever, give up!
No Comments »The Global Leadership Summit
Monday 08/09/2010
For two days last week, I attended the Global Leadership Summit, a renewal event for those who lead in business and in the local church. Each time I attend this conference, I come away fired up with new ideas on coaching and advising leaders; and I just plain feel inspired from listening to the wisdom of seasoned leaders such as Bill Hybels, Jim Collins, Jack Welch, Tony Dungy and one of my favorites from this year’s summit, Blake Mycoskie, Chief Shoe Giver at Toms Shoes. I will be sharing some of my learning with you over the next few weeks beginning today with Bill Hybels teaching.
As the conference leader and pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, Bill opened this year by reminding us of the basics of what leaders do. From my perspective, we can never hear this often enough.
1. Leaders take people from HERE to THERE. A leader must continually tell his followers why HERE is so bad and why THERE is so good. This is all about casting vision and continuing to communicate it over and over and over again.
2. Leaders find fantastic people and draw them into leadership roles. The three C’s Bill seeks in potential leaders are character, competence and chemistry. To this he has added a fourth C - Culture. Is the person you are considering hiring for a leadership role a good fit for your organization?
3. Leaders are the masters of Milestones and Celebrations! Whether you lead a business, a church, or a non-profit organization, people must be rewarded for the progress made toward getting to THERE! And leaders are responsible for recognizing that progress and creating celebration around it!
4. Leaders must practice listening to whispers from God. Or perhaps your higher power. It is critical that leaders lower the ambient noise in their lives and listen to the voice that is pushing them to move from HERE to THERE.
I’m fired up! And I hope you get a word or two of inspiration to be a better leader as I share with you these next few weeks!
No Comments »A Time Management Success!
Monday 07/26/2010
I had coffee last week with Tamara, a 26-year dynamo! We met a year ago in a networking group and I soon shared with her Covey’s Time Management tool – the 4 quadrants for prioritizing activities, are you familiar with it? This was new information to Tamara and in this past year she has learned to use it with purpose as well as teach it to her associates. Tamara is a woman who knows what she wants and is going after it. She recently joined a new company in the VP track, is relocating to a new city, parents her children and runs a MLM business on the side. That’s a schedule that requires active time management!
I offer this quick review of the 4 quadrants and encourage you to think about where you spend most of your time.
Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important – crises, pressing problems, deadline driven projects and meetings
Quadrant 2: Important, Not Urgent – preparation, prevention, values clarification, planning, relationship building, empowerment
Quadrant 3: Urgent, Not Important – interruptions, some phone calls, some mail or reports, some meetings
Quadrant 4: Not Important, Not Urgent – trivia, busywork, junk mail, some phone calls, time wasters, “escape” activities
In which quadrant do you find yourself most of the time? Where would you like to be?
No Comments » Back to my blog.