you can't build a reputation on what you are going to do

This quote by Henry Ford reminds us that we need to 'get doing'. Today's message is about taking action about becoming a better leader.

You want to be a better leader. You want to achieve more for yourself and your organisation. You want to inspire more people to better levels of performance. But something is getting in the way. You need to overcome the inertia that has become your current self. You need to change, but who's got time and even if you did, how?

Here are some real, practical leadership development opportunities that you can take now, before 2013 is over. It's not too late to make a change and start to build your leadership capability.

Click the logo for the intro video. Our first ever online leadership development program - 7 video modules, a downloadable workbook, unlimited access for 49 days, all at incredible value. Coming soon!

There are two more opportunities in 2013 to do this great one day workshop. It's an ideal way to kickstart your leadership development journey. Click the logo for more information and to book tickets.

2 things more important than sex and chocolate

Praise and recognition cost nothing, but are the keys to productive relationships and good leading.

Research evidence from Kaisen Consulting* shows that a sense of achievement and recognition for good work are far more powerful motivating factors than money. It is not always possible to increase financial rewards for your team, but what is stopping you taking the time and effort to recognise their efforts?

Without praise and recognition people can feel taken for granted and undervalued. You can greatly increase the level of engagement of your people by providing them with regular and genuine feedback on their progress as well as providing opportunities for them to tell you what's going on for them.

Invest a little time and effort and reap the returns.

Cheers

Greg

* A copy of the research can be found at www.licencetolead.com.au/free-downloads

it's only six weeks until 2013 is over

What? Surely that must be a typo? A quick look at your calendar will reveal that there are actually 14 weeks until the last day of 2013.

But if you want to get a significant project off the ground in 2013, there are actually only 6 weeks. Exactly 6 weeks from today, the race that stops a national, the Melbourne Cup will take place. Years ago a mate of mine told me that you don't start anything new after Melbourne Cup "The year is shot," he said.

Think about it. The weather is warm, if not hot. The days and longer and winter is a long distant memory. In fact, what most people are starting to think about is summer holidays and the silly season known as Christmas.

For some reason, my mate reckoned that Melbourne Cup, the day that many of us do things that we would not normally do, symbolises the end of the year for getting things done.

So if you are a little bit complacent about getting a major project under way (like changing your organisation's culture or developing your future leaders), your window for getting going is only 8 short weeks, not 16.

They're in the starter's hands!

Cheers

Greg

another leadership lesson from wayne bennett

Those of you who have been reading my blogs for a while will know that I am unashamedly a fan of Wayne Bennett. For the uninitiated, Bennett is the most successful Rugby League coach of all time. While I am a big fan of the game, he impresses me more by what he does to change people than by his coaching of winning footy teams.

Apart from the technical aspects of the game that Bennett brings to a side, the number one thing that he does is to help people believe in themselves. In modern professional sport there is hardly any difference in strength, speed, strategy and skill between the athletes and the teams. The way that he makes a difference is to lift the performance of his players and teams by focusing on their thinking, particularly their self belief and their belief in each other.

Bennett is famous for treating his players like people first and footballers second, building character and purpose foremost, then skill and fitness next.

Taking the lesson from the change room to the boardroom, you can help the individuals in your team, and the team as a whole, achieve far greater than they normally would by building their confidence and self belief. Investing in the relationship you have with them by seeking to understand them better and building their self belief means that they will rise to levels of performance they thought weren't possible.

Another leadership guru I admire is Jim Rohn, who puts it this way. "Managers help people to see themselves as they are. Leaders help people to see themselves better than they are".

What are you doing to build self belief in your people? Focus on building character and purpose first, and enjoy winning!

Cheers

Greg

a physics lesson for culture change

This is a bit of a physics lesson for those of you thinking about improving your organisation's culture.

The stone is the problem. It is the current state of your culture. It has built up over many years and is engrained and entrenched in you and your people. It has substantial inertia (the tendency of a body to remain at rest). You need to overcome the inertia and roll the stone towards the desired state of your culture.
 
The fulcrum is the strategy. It is the pivot point around which a lever turns. It represents what you have decided to do to change culture. By itself, nothing happens, as no force has been transferred.

The lever is the commitment. A lever is a rigid bar which pivots around a point to transfer force to a load. It is a means of gaining mechanical advantage. 

It's OK to decide what to do to change your culture, but nothing happens until you are committed to, and take action. (tweet this)

Many people are doing nothing to change their culture because the stone seems immovable.

Others have put their shoulder to it and are busting a gut but getting nowhere - they have no mechanical advantage.

The key is to decide what it is that you need to do (the fulcrum), gain commitment of your team (the lever) and take action (apply force to the lever).

And one last piece of scientific mumbo jumbo - the longer the lever (ie the stronger your commitment), the less force you will have to apply to move the stone.

Smart leaders gain their team's commitment for action before they bust a gut. Let me know if we can help.

Cheers

Greg