XLR8 The Passionate Leader: (G + L + F = JOY!!!)

Weekly Inspiration: You Can Do It! (click) Affirmation by Louise Hay from her 2010 calendar:

• “I watch what I think and what I eat and my life improves.”
• First of all, I hope you had a Happy Easter if you celebrate this Holiday. We had a big family gathering with waaaay too much food, and I certainly ate too much. Not as much as I would have in the past, I might add, since my renewed focus on fitness. I made sure I did my exercising and thought about eating smaller amounts of the many wonderful dishes and sweets available. So how about you? More importantly, what are you going to do tomorrow?
• Well, as I’ve stated in the past, I’ll read the #1 item my happiness list tonight and again in the morning – “I weigh myself, eat a healthy breakfast and exercise at home and it motivates me.” I know what I weighed this morning, it will be more tomorrow, but I will be motivated to not let up next week until it is back to today’s number. Join me!

Team Zebra: How 1500 Partners Revitalized Eastman Kodak's Black & White Film-Making Flow

I recommended this book to a client recently. It was written by a friend and mentor of mine - Steve Frangos. He is retired now, but Steve was one of my “believe in you” people. He always said that I’d do great in this business. He’d tell me and I wasn’t sure I believed him. How could he know that?! It turned out he was a very wise man. Thanks, Steve.

Anyway, I’m not sure why I asked my client to read it, but it seemed to fit his situation. His area had been the “dark hole” you were sent to and often never emerged out of. However, several years of new leadership and hard work and numerous changes had changed that. The only problem now is that the next wave of changes is making the previous changes look small.

Well, Steve Frangos faced the challenge that if Black & White Film didn’t turn around, Kodak was going to sell that division. While there were many lessons in Steve’s book, my client took these three as being most important is his situation:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate and then communicate some more. He felt this was particularly important beforehand. After what was considered massive changes, we often get a little timid to say there is more on the way. However this time, there needs to be everyone’s involvement before and during the changes.

2. Values-driven, not rules-driven, because it’s the right thing to do. Several policies had recently been changed giving people more responsibility and opportunity to do the right thing according to the company values rather than punish them for breaking the rules. If the changes are to be successful, this trend needs to continue.

3. Measurement: Scoreboard with reasonable expectations. He liked the sports analogy about watching any type of sporting event without the scoreboard working. If you don’t know what you expect from your people, you are sure to get it. A much higher degree of process and outcome measures will be visible to everyone in the future.

So even though Team Zebra was written in 1996 about what happened in Kodak’s Black & White film divisions in the early 90’s, it’s lessons are timeless. Just thought I’d let you know that, Steve. Thanks again!

XLR8 The Passionate Leader: (G + L + F = JOY!!!)

Weekly Inspiration: You Can Do It! (click) Affirmation by Louise Hay from her 2010 calendar:

• “My work is deeply fulfilling for me. I follow my higher instincts and listen to my heart in all that I do.”
• Of course this has to do with the “L” in my formula for happiness – “loving yourself by doing what you love in service of those who love what you do.” We are coaching several people who are stuck in jobs they don’t love mainly for financial security. All I can say is … I left a six-figure job in 1996 with three kids - 17, 14, & 8 - to do what I love. I would hate to think how I would see my life now if I hadn’t done it. At 63, I am now ready to do it again! Don’t play it safe, you are playing small!!!
• Another great example was today’s CBS Sunday Morning. Joy Behar, at 68, says she is at the pinnacle of her career. I don’t care what you think about her “views”, but at forty, she knew many things she wasn’t good at. She finally had the courage to do what she always knew she was meant to do, stand-up comedy. You must believe it, then you’ll see it. Once you do, the world of opportunity opens up. This is best described by a quote from one of our new clients who noted that our leadership retreat was one of “the best weeks of my life.” He went on to say that “if you don’t go within, you’ll go without.” Brilliant!

How do I do better? XLR8Forward

We are now catching up to those participants from our last leadership retreat week from early March. A few weeks ago, I spoke of the question that ranks lowest from the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360⁰ assessment.

#16. (He or she) asks for feedback on how his/her actions affect other people’s performance.

One of the ways to get feedback fast worked great at the retreat. It is based on Marshall Goldsmith’s “Feedforward.” (Click to see 4 minute video) One of the participants said it was like “speed dating”. After reviewing the DISC self-assessment, each participant chose one area that they would like to improve on and followed Marshall’s process. In 2 – 3 minutes, they received a few ideas as well as helped their partner with a few ideas. In 10 – 15 minutes, they had multiple perspectives and a handful of great ideas.

The second way is a little more involved. We call it XLR8Forward. First, you pick a particular issue from the 360⁰ assessment that you’d like more insight on. Second, you write a short paragraph (preamble) saying why this is important to your leadership development. Third, you think of a time when you actually did it and detail why it was a memorable experience. It is now very easy to think of more ways you could demonstrate this particular behavior or action. (If you’d like a template, e-mail me.).

Lastly, when you share your 360⁰ data with your raters, you share your story and hand out an XLR8Forward so they can fill out in the future. One new client just did so around the LPI question “supports decisions other people make on their own.” When reviewing this with one of his direct reports, his direct report said he does it sometimes - but not enough. This led to a very open discussion about what both of them needed to do in order for this to happen more. My client said that without XLR8Forward, his direct report would not have had the courage to open up to him. Over the next several months, he will have a new story ready for each monthly leadership meeting and encourage his folks to do the same, while offering ideas for him to do better so that every day he can give his best.

XLR8 The Passionate Leader: (G + L + F = JOY!!!)

Weekly Inspiration: You Can Do It! (click) Affirmation by Louise Hay from her 2010 calendar:

• “Life is simple. What I give out comes back to me.”
• At our kick-off Leadership Retreat for the XLR8 YOU!! Leadership Excellence process, we read a book summary: Napoleon Hill’s Golden Rules – The Lost Writings. He was most known for his book: Think and Grow Rich, which was one of the first audio-book sets I purchased. He is the first and foremost motivational author of all time, whose books have sold over 60 million copies worldwide.
• He interviewed hundreds of successful people in the early years of the twentieth century to distill the rules of success that still apply today. One was that Law of Reciprocation will cause people to treat you as well, or as poorly, as you treat them. We are all trying to get people to do what we wish them to do. If you want them to dislike you, you can treat them badly. If you want their respect, their friendship and their cooperation, you can extend them your own respect, friendship and cooperation.

The Law of Reciprocation & The Leadership Challenge:

In The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, Model the Way is the first leadership dimension addressed. If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message. So this begs the question, who do the people who report to you think is the most important leader in your organization? YOU!!! When asked, people would like to work in an average organization with a great boss, rather than in a great organization with a lousy boss ~ unless, of course, they can transfer out!

You are more likely than any other leader to influence whether people will stay, perform at their best, wow customers, or be motivated to share the organization’s vision and values. Lots of evidence supports this claim.

1. According to Kouzes and Posner, longitudinal studies of corporate executives reveal that the single best predictor of career success is the relationship they had with their very first supervisor. The character and quality of that relationship – for example, the expectations that your first supervisor had about your work potential – are more important than where you went to school, what grades you got, what your studied, who your parents were, what field or industry you were in, and the like.

2. When asked what contributes to the ethical behavior in your organization, the most frequent response from employees – managers and individual contributors at every level – is “the behavior of the boss.” When asked what contributes most to the unethical behavior in your organization, the most frequent response is identical – “the behavior of my boss.”

So, if you are not getting what you want from your employees, first look in the mirror. They are just giving you what they are getting! The Law of Reciprocation never lies.

XLR8 The Passionate Leader: (G + L + F = JOY!!!)

Weekly Inspiration: You Can Do It! (click) Affirmation by Louise Hay from her 2010 calendar:

• “I drift off to sleep at night expressing appreciation and gratitude for my life.” Wayne Dyer referred to this as letting positive thoughts marinate all night long.
• We completed another XLR8 YOU!!! Leadership Excellence kick-off retreat last week at Bristol Harbour. Over the next month, each participant will be completing their “happiness list” which is read right before going to sleep. I mentioned this about a month ago and listed several of the items on my list.
• Where do the ideas for your list come from?
• From the everyday success exercise – focusing on “the present”
• One of your passions that you’d like more of in your life
• Positive behaviors you are trying to make a habit
• A leadership practice your people would like to see more of
• Behaviors supporting a value that is important to the leadership character you are trying to demonstrate
• Going over them each morning is a great way to set up your expectations for the day as well.

How do I do better?

Last week, we were reminded again on how hard it is to get ongoing feedback from the people around us. According to Chapter Three in A Leaders Legacy by Kouzes & Posner, the best-selling authors of The Leadership Challenge, “We all Need Loving Critics”. They found in their study of more than seventy thousand individuals who completed the Leadership Practices Inventory 360⁰ assessment, that the statement that ranks the lowest from the observers’ perspective is:

16. (He or she) asks for feedback on how his/her actions affect other people’s performance.

It is also our experience in nearly every leader we have worked with.

During our Leadership Challenge Jeopardy game, one of the answers developed referred to a once-a-month dialogue you could have with each of your direct reports. Have a two-way conversation answering these six key questions:

1. Where are we going?
2. Where are you going?
3. What are you doing well?
4. What suggestions do you have to do better?
5. How can I help you?
6. What suggestions do you have for me to do better?

The key is to exchange information about one another. Remember, coaching is not a once-a-year process. Do this at least every month, and you’ll be sure to notice continuous improvements as people become stronger and more capable as a result of being encouraged to learn from their experiences.

Next week: Using XLR8Forward