Business Leadership 21: In Summary

This concludes our series on leadership roles and traits that will improve your business

Our series sought to highlight leadership roles and traits you want to emulate to improve your business. The previous posts shared ideas from leadership experts, other business men, and my own ideas. We’ve also highlighted links, books, and articles to help you understand sound principles and practices of leadership. We discussed a lot of information and analyzed many concepts. This post summarizes them and outlines next steps to help you improve your leadership skills.

Pulling it All Together

We outlined the roles of leadership. Leaders:

• Establish a clear vision for the organization
• Align staff, clients, suppliers and others to the common vision
• Empower the people outlined above to achieve the vision
• Implement changes to the organization to move towards the vision
• Ensure employees access skills, tools, & resources required to succeed
• Protect and defend the organization from internal and external threats

We also described the traits of a leader. A leader must be a:

• Creative and symbolic visionary
• Effective influencer
• Confident, optimistic, and a strong pillar
• Empowering motivator
• Facilitating mediator
• Moral and ethical compass
• Change agent

To these traditional roles and traits we added that leaders must:

• Make it fun to work (Like Old Fezziwig)
• Trust—not mistrust—their workforce
• Lead, but not micromanage, their staff
• Delegate outcomes and management
• Respect and manage fear and doubt

Practice Until it Comes Naturally

Researchers discovered that while some people seem to naturally possess these skills. You may also learn and acquire them. The best methods for learning these skills include:

• Read, study, and practice them from books, articles, and studies
• Ask a mentor to help you develop and practice the skills. You may find mentors at
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Small Business Development Centers
  • Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
  • Centers for Entrepreneurship at colleges or universities
  • Paid leadership consultants
  • Friends and family that possess leadership skills
• Practice 1 skill for a month until that skill becomes a habit, then begin another
• Remember to use each skill

Tuesday we will share some business successes to inspire you to grow your business

Business Leadership 20: Fear & Doubt Leadership’s Companions

This continues our series outlining the leadership roles and traits to improve your business

All leaders encounter fear and doubt multiple times in their career. Lee Iacocca encountered them when Ford fired him. Business leaders face it when new products sales do not meet expectations. Most business owners and employees face fear and doubt about the future of the economy and their ability to provide for their family.

Respecting Fear and Doubt

Leaders learn to respect doubt and fear. Doubt prevents leaders from assuming they can do nothing wrong. Doubt tempers arrogance and enhances a sense of humility. Doubt may push a leader to reevaluate or reanalyze a poor decision one more time. A little fear of risk whispers caution over a possibly disastrous deal.

Cath Duncan posted four reasons why fear can be a friend. She wrote “But fear isn’t bad at all. All emotions have a positive purpose that serves us. Have you ever thought about the positive purpose of your fear?”

• “Fear alerts us to threats”
• “Fear is a signal you’re learning”
• “Fear let’s you know what’s important”
• “Fear holds creative tension”

Leaders respect fear and doubt without allowing it to paralyze them or rob their confidence. They let it temper them into stronger tools to move business forward with wisdom and courage.

Overcoming Fear and Doubt

Grant Cardone shared in Entrepreneur six ideas to overcome fear and doubt. He offered links to suggestions for each idea. I suggest you read the article and follow the links:

• “Don’t forget that fear is normal”
• “Fill  your calendar—staying busy banishes doubt and fear”
• “Embrace your fear”
• “Go beyond your comfort zone”
• “Take ‘10X’ action”

Max Simon gives four ideas for overcoming fear and managing doubt:

• “Write down what actually would happen if your biggest nightmare in business came true”
• “List out the more probable outcome if you really go for it”
• “List out what is most important to you”
• “Fail fast so that you can get up, learn from your mistakes quickly, and move forward”

Saturday we conclude our series on leadership roles and traits to improve your business

Business Leadership 19: Managing and Delegating

This continues our series on the roles and traits of leadership that improve your business

An early mentor defined management as “the accomplishment of predefined objectives through others”. In time, I added “Leaders determine the objectives, and then inspire others to accomplish them on their own”. Leaders set predetermined objectives and inspire. Managers accomplish. Both do it through others.

Leading and Managing

Corporations separate leadership (CEO) and management (COO). As you start your business, you fulfill the roles of technician, manager, and leader. Unfortunately, you may focus on your technician role and hesitantly manage, while ignoring leading. This stagnates your business. Leadership develops the vision and moves the business forward.

You must delegate for your company to grow. As the leader/manager you:

• Establish the vision for the company and see that others share the vision and make it happen.
• Create the processes that produce, market, sell, deliver, and account for your product or service and ensure that others fulfill those processes
• Establish and monitor the key metrics that inform you of progress towards your vision, praise your staff for good work, and help people improve as needed
• Analyze market trends, new technology, competition, and your clients to improve your product and service; then direct others to implement the changes

How much of the technical work can you do and still fulfill all of these responsibilities?

Delegating Management

Eventually, you must delegate even the management of your business to someone else so that you can lead. Hold your general manager or COO accountable for the outcomes or results of the work.

You need to focus on the vision, improvements, and growth of the company. A friend owns a 50 year old business. Two years ago, he saw a vision that will expand his business by millions of dollars. Managing the business, his comfort zone, stalled the progress on the newer vision. He wrestles to release day-to-day management, and consequently delays moving the company to greater revenues.

Hanging onto the familiar can cost the growth of your business.

Thursday we tackle the issue of how fear and self-doubt frequently affects leadership

Business Leadership 18: Micromanagement & Leadership

This continues our series describing leadership roles and traits that improve your business

Technology provides managers and business owners with more information than anytime in history. Technology tells how many calls or transactions each employee handles, how long it took, and sales results. Owners can monitor private emails sent on company equipment and on company time. Software tracks wasted material, wasted time, and wasted effort. Too many managers use the information to micromanage their employees.

Examples of Micromanaging

Micromanagement includes exacting definitions of the tasks performed by an employee including exactly when and where they will perform the tasks. Let me share a few examples:

• My first boss out of college told me that as manager with sale responsibilities, I did not have to open or close the office. Yet, he called me at the office at 8am and 5pm every day.
• Another manager of multiple locations timed exactly how long it took to drive between each location. If staff took 10 minutes longer than his estimate, they had to report why it took longer.
• Another manager asked his employees to record what they did each 15 minutes so he could monitor their activity. Production dropped by 20%.

Pros of Micromanaging

Both of these managers justified their behavior

• Their employees could not deceive or take advantage of them
• They felt a sense of control over the lives of their workers
• They pushed their employees to perform better
• They enjoyed a sense of satisfaction that they managed well

Cons of Micromanaging

They also experienced negative consequences. Their employees

• Reciprocated the lack of trust and felt no loyalty to their supervisor
• Performed worse than empowered employees in other divisions
• Complained about their supervisor to other workers, clients, and suppliers
• Did exactly what they were told and nothing more
• Left the negative environment as soon as possible

In addition, micromanaging requires an inordinate amount of time and attention by the manager. He or she must keep everyone busy, because they robbed the employees of initiative or proactivity.

Monday we explore the pros & cons of leading employees with clear expectations & rewards

Business Leadership 17: Leaders Trust—Not Mistrust—Their Workforce

This continues our series on roles and traits of leadership that will benefit your business

I know I will sound old-fashioned in this post. I will advocate an old-fashioned thought that seems to find no place in today’s workplace. I speak of trusting your workforce. In spite of such great books as In the Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey (son of the late Stephen R. Covey who wrote 7 Habits of Highly Successful People), most workers report they feel management does not trust them. Most workers report more oppressive and hostile work places with more restrictions and punishments. Very few report a trusting and rewarding relationship with management.

Trusting Your Employees

The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) stated “Do employees who feel trusted have a greater sense of responsibility and give a better performance? A recent study finds compelling evidence that—at least in many cases—the answer is yes.”

True leaders not only trust their workers, but ensure the workers know they trust them. SHRM cited that many times managers said they trusted workers, but communicated the opposite—thus reducing performance, productivity, and profits.

Read Ken Blanchard’s thoughts in his article from Forbes. He uses Southwest Airlines and Chic-fil-A as examples of companies who built trust with employees on transparency and democratic decision making.

Consequences of Mistrust

SHRM also shared “Mistrust essentially equates to fear, Habermacher explained, which leads the brain to categorize people as ‘enemy.’ Trust, on the other hand, is tied to feelings of safety and viewing people as ‘friends.’ Given the way the brain functions, it’s not at all surprising that trust is imperative for high sales figures. ‘Trust gives you better brain functioning, and better feeling equals better performance,’ he said.”

Cultures of mistrust lose energy and profits as workers spend more time protecting themselves and trying to prevent management’s punitive consequences, rather than performing and producing profit.

Hidden agendas provide another example of mistrust. Companies lose precious time and performance while workers read between every line given by management.

Saturday we discuss that leaders inspire and manage—but do not micromanage their staff

Business Leadership 16: Make It Fun to Work Like Old Fezziwig

This continues our series on leadership traits and roles that will improve your business

I intended to summarize and end this series on business leadership today. Previously, I shared ideas, thoughts, and theories from others. I linked you to their articles. I focused on their work, not my own thoughts. As a result, some of my previous posts seemed aloof, even distant, from my own thoughts. I still support and advocate the previous posts. I want, however, to add some of my personal ideas on leadership that will improve your business. Today’s thought, make it fun to work. I wish to contrast the crushing, fear-based leadership style found in too many businesses today; with the contagious joy exemplified by Old Mr. Fezziwig from A Christmas Carol.

Frank Waturi: Leveling Nihilism

Frank Waturi  was Tom Hanks’ and Meg Ryan’s boss in the film Joe Versus the Volcano. Frank inspired his staff with threats, micromanagement, and insults. He encouraged them to adopt a flexible mindset while personally exhibiting a solid close-mindedness

Patrick Loughlin describes Waturi’s workplace:

• “Complete drudgery
• All dreary earth tones leading to the numbing [flickering] greens emitted by the fluorescent factory lights, setting the tone for misery.
• Individualism and free thinking are crushed beneath industry's bottom line
• Not-putting-the-value-on-the-individual’s-feelings way
• Zombie lights sucking the juice out of eyeballs.
• Selling life for three hundred dollars a week”

Old Fezziwig: Contagious Joy

Scrooge describes Old Fezziwig from A Christmas Carol “He has the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ‘em up; what then’ The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”

Who do You Emulate?

• Does your leadership style lean towards Waturi or Fezziwig?
• What are you doing with your power to make employees happy or unhappy, to make their work light or burdensome, a pleasure or a toil?

Thursday we explore pros and cons of trusting and distrusting your employees

Business Leadership 15: Traits of a Change Agent

This continues our series on leadership traits that can help you improve your business

Businesses, companies, and organizations must change and evolve to continue. Change may affect products or services. Technology may change the business. Employee turnover changes the business. You may determine the changes you wish to make. Some changes result without a plan or expectation. You may neglect the changes that occur and suffer consequences for doing so. You will act as either an agent or victim of change.

Traits of a Change Agent

Dennis Stevenson (no relation) posted

“The goal of a change agent is obviously to make changes that stick. The result of change agent activity is to enable people to do more, or find a new and better perspective on life. Sometimes this latter idea is the foundation for future change which achieves outcomes that were previously not attainable…Change agent is as much about identity and character as it is any definitions.”

He continues “I offer the following explanation for how it feels to be a change agent:

• A change agent lives in the future, not the present.
• A change agent is fueled by passion, and inspires passion in others
• A change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate
• A change agent must understand people”

10 Questions Every Change Agent Must Answer

Bill Taylor wrote

• “Do you see opportunities the competition doesn’t see?
• Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?
• Are you the most of anything?
• If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would miss you and why?
• Have you figured out how your organization’s history can help to share its future?
• Can your customers live without you?
• Do you treat different customers differently?
• Are you getting the best contributions from the most people?
• Are you consistent in your commitment to change?
• Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?”

5 Reasons Change Programs Fail

Jim Clemmer lists

• "Priority Overload
• Partial and Piecemeal
• No Improvement/Change Infrastructure or Process
• Fuzzy Focus
• Leadership Lip Service”

Monday we summarize and conclude our series on business leadership roles & traits

Business Leadership 14: Represent the Moral & Ethical Compass

This continues our series examining leadership traits you demonstrate for your business

You represent the moral and ethical compass for your company. You set the standard for moral and ethical behavior that you want your employees to follow. You set the standard your company will follow with vendors, suppliers, and clients. Small-businesses cannot hide improprieties that may pass in large or global firms. Fortunately, your staff and clients also closely observe good moral examples and high ethical standards.

Business Ethics and Morals

Changing Minds states “Morals have a greater social element to values and tend to have a very broad social acceptance. Morals are more about good and bad than other values.”

“You can have professional ethics, but you seldom hear about professional morals. Ethics tend to be codified into a formal system or set of rules which are explicitly adopted by a group of people.” Many businesses publish a code of ethics.

Test Your Morals and Ethics

Various tests or toolkits exist to measure the ethics of a decision or course of action:

• Utilitarian Test: choose the course of action that produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected
• Rights Test: deals with ethics based on human, legal, moral, or natural rights derived from by the community
• Duties Test: asks “To whom do I owe a duty and what duty do I owe?”
• Reversibility Test: considers if the decision would be ethical if the roles were reversed
• Universality Test: holds all decisions up to the test whether everyone would receive the same benefit or the same consequences
• Justice Test: assess your own sense of fairness by determining whether you would treat others the same in this situation or if you did not, your position in the outcome
• Disclosure Test: asks if you would make the same decision if you knew that your course of action would be broadcast on the evening news
• Virtue Test: attempts to make decisions based on the personal virtue or character of the person making the decision

Saturday we will analyze the leadership trait of required to act as a change agent

Business Leadership 13: Trait as a Facilitating Mediator

This continues our series on roles & traits of business leaders that improve your business

Even small-businesses encounter disagreement, differing viewpoints, contention and even fights. In addition, business owners frequently mediate problems with clients, suppliers, and government or regulatory agencies. As a result, successful business leaders must possess the trait of a facilitating mediator. 

Facilitators “Make Things Easier”

Janice M. Fleischer and Zena D. Zumeta state in their article Preventing Conflict through Facilitation “So, what is facilitation? According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, "facilitate" means "to make easier."

That is what facilitators do: We make it easier for people to accomplish whatever goal their meeting may have been called for. More specifically, we help people think in terms of interests, not positions. According to common definitions, by statute or otherwise, "facilitation" is: The use of a third party neutral to help multi-party work groups accomplish the content of their work by providing process leadership and process expertise.” 

You will notice the emphasis on the concepts of “making it easier”, “neutral”, and providing “process leadership and process expertise”. Facilitating leaders

• Prevent situations from escalating
• Focus on helping groups or opposing sides listen to one another
• Help people walk towards common solutions rather than digging their feet
• Establish processes for people to express themselves without retaliation
• Create environments where the parties involved find successful win-win solutions

Traits of a Good Mediator

Where facilitating involves helping the group find a solution, mediators listen to both sides and then decide. Jeff Merrick reviewed five articles outlining What Makes a Good Mediator? He identified the following:

• “Humanity encompasses the ability to ‘respect the parties, listen carefully, and identify and relate to the deeper emotions that underlie spoken words.’
• Hard working includes devoting time, persevering, or relentless during mediation
• Trusted means being acceptable to both parties, demonstrating neutrality, honesty, reliability, and impartiality.
• Intelligent involves grasping issues and dynamics quickly and problem solvers with substantive knowledge of the issues
• Professional encompasses preparation, controlled feelings, dignity, works to expand and practice skills ”

Thursday we review the trait of providing the moral and ethical compass to the business

Business Leadership 12: Trait of Being An Empowering Motivator

This continues our series on leadership traits that empower and motivate  others

Effective leaders act as empowering motivators to their staff. I hope you notice both parts of that statement. They empower their staff to act. They motivate people to achieve predetermined objectives. Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeon wrote the book Multipliers after researching great leaders who both empowered and motivated those under them. You, as a small-business owner, may use the same techniques.

Multipliers versus Diminishers

Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeon wrote “We’ve all had experience with two dramatically different types of leaders.

• The first type drains intelligence, energy, and capability from the people around them and always needs to be the smartest person in the room. These are the idea killers, the energy sappers, the diminishers of talent and commitment.
• On the other side of the spectrum are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, light bulbs go off over people’s heads; ideas flow and problems get solved. These are the leaders who inspire employees to stretch themselves to deliver results that surpass expectations. These are the Multipliers. And the world needs more of them, especially now when leaders are expected to do more with less. ”

Tools on Liz Wiseman’s Web Site

Multipliers web site contains assessments to determine if you are a multiplier or diminisher.

Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeon provide wonderful resources on their web site:

In the resources section of the web site you find:

• Multipliers: Chapter One (an excerpt from the book)
• Accidental Diminisher Quiz (5 minutes from the site)
• Multipliers model (downloadable PDF)
• Multipliers Discussion Page (questions for discussion)
• 30 Day Multipliers Challenge (change from diminisher to multiplier in 30 days)
• Multiplier Workshops (find workshops in your area)
• Speaking Engagements (Hear Liz or Greg speak)

The media section of the web site features articles and stories about Multipliers on

• The Wall Street Journal
• CNBC.com
• Live Mint
• The National
• Gulf Business
• Podcasts
• BMF: The Business Radio Station

Tuesday we will examine how leaders act as facilitating mediators

Business Leadership 11: Confident, Optimistic, & Pillars of Strength

This continues our series describing leadership traits that will improve your small-business

Heroic leaders seem to belong to the past. Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow must seem flawed, unsure, and hesitant for today’s audiences. Business leaders, however, must prove confident, optimistic, and pillars of strength. Subordinates and employees need leaders to inspire them to follow. Today’s cult of personality seeks likeability, fast talk, and pats on the back as leadership. However, charisma will not suffice.

Confident

Francisco Dao wrote for Inc. Magazine that Without Confidence, There is No Leadership. He outlines the following ideas:

“Self-confidence is the fundamental basis from which leadership grows. Do you have it?”

• “Confidence is the one particular component of leadership that is so important, so necessary, that without it, leadership cannot exist.”
• “Self-confidence is the fundamental basis from which leadership grows.”
• “Leadership is about having the confidence to make decisions.”
• “Wrapping ourselves in a cocoon of safe decisions is the antithesis of bold leadership.”
• “Not only does confidence allow you to make the tough decisions that people expect from a strong leader but it's reassuring to your employees.”

Optimistic

Leading insight said in Leading With Optimism “Optimism or pessimism is not about the reality of the situation, it is conscious choice that has a huge impact on your ability to succeed.

Here are ten ways to become more optimistic and to energize your organization.

• Seek positive perspectives and evidence
• Practice possibility thinking
• Build a compelling vision that inspires
• Surround yourself with positive people
• Be aware of the shadow you cast in your organization
• Encourage open dialog
• Build resilience through wellness
• Build personal mastery
• Believe in the capabilities of your team or organization
• Stay focused and track accomplishments”

Pillars of Strength

Master Class Management outlines Five Key Points to Strong Leadership (thus a Great Manager)

• Develop trust and credibility
• Share the vision with absolute clarity
• Be there to help them succeed—Coaching, mentoring, communicating, and listening
• Make the decisions and be held accountable
• Keep it under control and headed in the right direction

Saturday we will explore how true leaders are empowering motivators for all around them

Business Leadership 10: 2nd Trait of a Leader—Effective Influencer

This continues our series about traits of an effective leader to improve your business

We’ve discussed influencing people in your business in previous posts. We explored its role as a part of business strategy, role of leadership, and in your career. We introduced our readers to experts on change like Jim Collins, Kerry Patterson and the authors at VitalSmarts, Stephen R. Covey, and Clayton Christensen. Leaders must influence their staff and others to change.

Necessary to Be An Influencer

The University of Nebraska published Influence: The Essence of Leadership. They wrote “To be an effective leader, it is necessary to influence others to support and implement decisions that the leader and group members perceive are necessary. Without influence, leadership does not occur. In other words, leadership is the act of influencing outcomes.

Influence can be with people, things or events. Strength and effectiveness of influence can vary. The process the leader uses to influence someone can take a variety of forms.

Influence is defined as “a force one person (the agent) exerts on someone else (the target) to induce a change in the target, including changes in behaviors, opinions, attitudes, goals, needs and values” and “the ability to affect the behavior of others in a particular direction.” To influence, “a leader uses strategies or tactics, actual behaviors designed to change another person’s attitudes, beliefs, values or actions.”

Trait of an Influencer

Glenn Llopis outlined 6 Personal Traits Will Accelerate Your Influence at Work on Forbes:

• Your Goals and Aspirations
• Your Heritage
• Your Passion
• Your Adversities/Struggles
• Your Family/Childhood
• Your Hobbies

Learn More About Influencing

You can learn more about influencing others:

• Leadership and Influence Blog lists links to blogs by several leadership experts
• Cap Officers provides a course on leadership traits and styles
• WiNfluence-The WiN (Women in Nuclear)-Canada Blog outlines influence as a leadership trait
• Russell C. Barnes wrote Leading=Influencing: A Simple Equation
• Bloomberg Business Week published Leadership: Intentional Influence
• Head Start shared Influencing Organizational Culture
• Influencer by VitalSmarts
• Patricia Knight wrote The Art of Influential Leadership

Thursday we will highlight how leaders must inspire confidence, optimism, and strength

Business Leadership 9: Trait of Creative and Symbolic Visionary

This continues our series on business leadership by exploring the traits of a leader

Leadership traits help you fill the roles of leadership more effectively. We already examined several outstanding books on excellence in previous posts. I still recommend Built to Last, Good to Great, True North, Principle-Centered Leadership, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Outliers, and others. They outline traits and habits of leaders. In the next few posts we will also highlight several traits of leaders. We begin, today, with the trait of creative and symbolic visionary.

Traits of a Visionary

Several authors outline the traits of a visionary:

• Corinne McLaughlin says visionary leaders provide
  • A commitment to core spiritual values
  • A clear, inspirational vision
  • Respectful, empowering relationships
  • Innovative, courageous action

Ivy Sea answers What Does it Take to Be a Truly Visionary Leader?

• Real vision lifts us out of the muck and mire into higher realms of human potential and possibility
• A visionary helps awaken and direct the inner strength of the people
• A visionary envisions another possibility and hope
• The visionary is a conduit between higher thought and our physical reality

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership

The International Association of Business and Management Professionals’ The Advantages of Visionary Leadership in Organizations outlines the advantages of visionary leadership:

• Visionary leaders integrate the task orientation style and people orientation style of leadership in a qualitatively new level of performance
• Visionary leadership brings out the best in people and makes them perform beyond their imagined limitations
• Visionary leadership empowers all the members to be strong to face all challenges despite the odds

Iris Mote listed one disadvantage: Visionary Leaders with Purposes are Not Easy to Replace. How Many Can you Name Out There?

Paul Weisenfeld wrote Economic Development: A Case for Visionary Leadership.

Shelley Frost of Demand Media lists The Disadvantages of Charismatic Leadership:

• Reliance on the Leader
• Perception about the Leader
• Lack of Clarity
• Lack of Successors and Visionaries

Analyze the elements of this trait that you possess and those you may want to acquire.

Tuesday we will visit how effective influencers improve businesses