Change - friend or foe?

There are three constants in life. Death, taxes and change. Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, said "nothing endures but change". If we accept that change keeps happening, why then do so many of us avoid it, ignore it and turn our back on it, sort of like how we would treat someone that we really didn't like?

What would happen if you treated change like an old, welcomed friend? Life would be different for us if we expected change to drop in at any time.  And when it did we would embrace it and work out how to deal with it. This change in attitude might just be life changing for us.

Change is a key concept in leadership. Leading is all about change. Leaders look at what they have in front of them, imagine a vision of a better future, develop a plan for moving towards that future, then act. They make change happen.

The next time change knocks on your front door, are you going to shoo it away, telling it it's not welcome here, or are you going to embrace it, ask it in and then work out how to deal with it?

Ding, dong - sorry, gotta go, someone's at the front door.
Cheers

Greg

The number 1 priority if you want to lead - take responsibility for culture

The number one priority for a leader is to take ultimate responsibility for the culture of their organisation.
 
It doesn't matter if it's a multi-national, a footy club, a university or a small business. Culture develops over time and it is the cumulative result of what goes on inside the organisation.

A poor culture will be characterised by ineffective communication, tension, poor performance and unhappy people. A strong culture will be typified by collaboration, pride, loyalty and excellence.

These things, good and bad, don't happen overnight. They are the result of what the leader does and says. Poor culture develops when a leader is either unaware of the bad stuff happening or doesn't act to stop it. The good stuff that leads to a strong positive culture is the result of the standards that the leader sets and demands.

Either way, whatever happens is the responsibility of the leader. Not fair? Suck it up, the responsibility is what comes with leadership.

Aspiring leaders who know they don't have all the answers take action to increase their leadership capability.

Cheers

Greg

PS: Even if you are not the leader of your organisation, you can still take responsibility for the culture of your team, group or those people around you.

Leadership is about creating ripples of influence

You are standing on a river bank. The water is still and calm. There is no wind. You take a rock, throw it high in the air and it lands in the middle with a loud plop.

This single action results in a series of ripples radiating out from where the rock entered the water. They continue to travel outwards, changing the surface of the water, influencing the surroundings.

One simple action resulting in significant influence.

Leading is about influence.

Who are you changing by your actions? Your work mates? Your friends? Members of your family?

Who is feeling the ripples of your influence?

If the answer is no one, perhaps it's time to increase your leadership capability?

Cheers

Greg

Having more fun at work

I was reminded recently of a story that I used to use in my training about a company that placed a great emphasis on having fun in the workplace. It led to high levels of staff engagement, loyal customers and a worldwide reputation.

The story is about a fish shop in Seattle called Pike Place Fish. The shop became more famous when a book and video was made about it and used internationally to encourage us to create environments where people had fun at work. At Pike Place Fish the staff yell out the orders and literally throw your fish across the shop to be wrapped. Customers go there partly for the fish and partly for the experience.

Why is having fun at work so rare? If you consider that many of us spend half our waking hours at work, it strikes me as even more important that we like it and have fun. What can you do to create an environment that is more conducive to people enjoying themselves? The website below will give you some ideas.

You might be wondering what having fun has to do with leadership? I believe it is the responsibility of the leader to create an environment that gets the best out of people, and that is more likely to happen if they are having fun.

Cheers

Greg

PS: Go to www.fishphilosophy.com for more info on Pike Place Fish. The above photo was taken by my client and friend Richard Tonkin from Bulbeck EnviroSolutions when he visited Seattle, especially to experience Pike Place Fish, which I had told him about years before!

how delegating makes you a better leader

I must admit that at one time during my career I was a terrible delegator. One reason was that I thought that the job would not be done as well as I could do it. Arrogant, I know. Another is, I thought by the time I showed someone else how to do it or I explained what I wanted done, I could have done it myself. Sound familiar?

I now believe that delegating is a key to effective leadership and here's why.

1. It gets stuff off your plate. Every leader I know is time poor. You are currently tied up doing things that others could do for you.  Delegate and use your time for things only you can do.

2. You get to share your wisdom. If you are in a key position you possess valuable information, so through the process of delegating you are passing on your corporate knowledge.

3. It gives others opportunities to grow. People will gladly accept an opportunity to learn something new, particularly if it gives them an opportunity to shine.

4. You will identify future leaders in your organisation. A great way to identify talent in your organisation is to hand out responsibility. Those who step up and exceed your expectations can be on your leadership radar.

5. You can use the time you gain to invest in leadership activities. The time you gain by effectively delegating can be used to think about, and do leading. As we all know, leading well takes time.

Having a fully engaged, busy, productive team enables you, the leader, the time and head space to lead more effectively.

Cheers

Greg