Pssst... someone's watching you.

In fact, if you're a manager or leader, it's likely that everyone is watching you. Every day. Every decision. Every conversation. Watching and judging.

You see, just like an elite sportsperson who, by nature of their profile is in the spotlight of the media, a leader is a role model for behaviour in his or her organisation, like it or not. You set the standard for behaviour - good and bad. If you lose your cool, behave unethically, or by contrast demonstrate true leadership, people are observing and learning.  The tone of an organisation's culture is largely set by the actions of it leaders.

It's a heavy responsibility but one that every leader should be aware of. For some of us, it's why we love to lead, but if we are either new to leadership or struggling to rise to the challenges of leading, it can be daunting knowing that you are on stage,  24/7. How's your performance?

Cheers

Greg

Need to light a fire under someone?

Some of us think that we need to light a fire under people to motivate them. Big mistake. I don't believe we can motivate others. Motivation comes from within. This quote from Prof Frederick Hertzberg will help to explain.

"Our job is not to light the fire of motivation, but to create an environment to let each person's spark of motivation blaze".

This means as leaders, if we want to have a motivated team, we need to take the time to understand what makes each person tick, understand what lights them up and try to create an environment where they are not only satisfied but bursting with energy.

Leaders invest time in getting to know their people and letting them know they care.  Don't light fires, build relationships.

Cheers

Greg

Vladimir Putin - Action Man. You?

A couple of years ago Russian President Vladimir Putin had just served his second term as Russian President. He wanted to keep going as an influential political figure in Russia, so undertook an image campaign to position himself to the Russian people as a man of action. There are well publicised photos of him doing unbelievable stuff - driving a Formula 1 car, harpooning a whale, piloting a fire fighting plane and many others - click here for photos.
 
The point is this - actions speak louder than words. While you may not need to put on a Putin-like show for the people that follow you in your organisation, you do need to be action-oriented. Your action, and your inaction will say more about you as a leader than your words. Leaders need to walk the talk.

I find the thing that stops most of us taking action is indecision - not knowing if we are doing the best thing? Indecision that leads to inaction erodes our image as an effective leader. When you are not sure what to do, do something. It's a whole lot better than doing nothing.

Cheers

Greg

Culture eats strategy for breakfast!

Those of you who know me will back up that I am a stickler for sound strategic planning for any organisation. I believe that for an organisation to be successful there should be a clear vision, several key result areas, KPI's and an action plan to pull it all together and make it happen.

But I recently heard 'culture eats strategy for breakfast', and it stopped me in my tracks. It simply means that the best plans will come unstuck if there is not a strong, positive culture to support them. I think many of us over emphasise the need for strategy and take our eye off the culture ball. Both are essential but time spent planning will be a waste if we don't spend time on the people stuff.

Whose responsibility is it to create a strong positive culture? No prizes for guessing - the leader! The leader has the responsibility to create an environment where people are happy, get on well with each other, are fully engaged and want to follow. Balance your future planning efforts by joining the culture club.

Cheers

Greg

Are you the real deal or a cheap fake?

I want to talk about the importance of authenticity for a leader.

Being authentic means that you are the real deal. You are who you say you are. You do what you say you will do. You are a straight talker and a straight shooter. People like and respect these things in leaders.

What's the alternative? Leaders who lack authenticity are like a cheap, fake watch from Bali - shiny and new on the outside, lacking integrity on the inside. I remember being offered a 'real' Rolex for about $10AUD. I thought about it for a millisecond, then I realised what message I would be sending to everyone who admired it - that I am happy to deceive you. If you want people to follow you then you have to be the real deal. You have to be clear about your values and principles and you must apply them consistently to how you lead your life.

Some people have some success in leading others, despite being less than authentic, but you can only fool some of the people some of the time. Most get found out and once you have lost the trust of others, it's a long way back.

Be true, be real. Authenticity matters.

Cheers

Greg