First of all, thanks to everyone that sent me gentle reminders on where is your next post? I am glad to know that a number of folks find these blog posts interesting and useful!

Today I am writing about an aspect of decision making. Making decisions and executing to these decisions is a critical component to  driving improved change and making forward progress towards your objectives. However, too often companies and people struggle trying to make “the right” decisions. Elements of a good decision often include the decision quality, implementation effectiveness, and timeliness. Recently I attended a webinar on making better decisions faster. There were a couple of ideas that really resonated with me and the experiences I have had when trying to drive decision making and executing to the decisions made. The ideas presented below really speak to the implementation effectiveness aspect of decision making.

1) Treat decisions as a project not a process. While a decision making process such as Kepner-Tregoe Decision Making can be useful in providing a framework for making balanced decisions, the key is to use the process to help you make the decision. When you treat a decision as a project it will have a beginning and an end.

2) Don’t reopen a decision unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Any decision will run into bumps in the road as you execute it. When you make the decision, also specify what would need to change to cause you to reopen the decision. The military uses the Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) to deal with this issue. Once the decision has been made take time to talk about what are the 4-5 critical points that would trigger a conversation about changing a decision? If none of the CCIR’s change, the operation goes ahead as planned. This is extremely valuable for teams to be able to know when they should escalate or engage in further discussion as they are taking action on the decision.

3) The presenter did not mention this directly, but I think it is absolutely critical that once a decision is made that you define the next step of action – the action should be an activity that drives you closer to achieving the results of the decision made. I once worked at a place that really excelled at making decisions, however, they did not always define the next set of actions and as a result we kept re-visiting the decision. A word to the wise, keep the momentum of the decision making moving forward and define the next action step.

There are obviously many other factors that play in to making good decisions faster, but the above 3 are not always mentioned and I think they are important components.

Since the school session has recently started again, it made me think about  how I have always marveled at students that are involved in extra-curricular activities. It takes dedication, focus, persistent, passion, along with many other attributes to successfully balance the demands of studies and dedication to your sport or activity. (Along with having a social life ). I was always grateful that my children participated in multiple activities in High School and college. Being involved in extracurricular activities  offers the opportunities for some of life’s greatest lessons.

1^st – Time Management   These student athletes learn how to balance the demands on their schedule between practice, game time, studies, work, family, faith,  and friends.

2^nd – Hard work    Extra-curricular activities teaches them that achievements are not always easy and quick. It takes hard work and much time to achieve our goals. We earn them piece by piece and step by step. In the sport of football you can gain 8 yards and then loose 2. But as long as you don’t give up, the effort and patience can indeed pay off!

3^rd – Choices   They learned that with every choice there are consequences. This skill will help prepare them to make choices that will have a positive consequence on their lives.

4^th – Winning and losing with grace   How you win is as important as the win itself. Players represent their school, community, and family. The integrity they show in their actions and how they play the game – win or lose – shapes their character.  We always had a saying in our house; don’t get too high and don’t get too low.

5^th – Have fun  You have to be able to enjoy and have fun with what you do. Hard work can be fun! In fact, often times the things that we have to work the hardest at are the things that bring us a great deal of joy.

6^th – The power of teams   Many extra-curricular activities  are team sports, so is life. It takes all players each with different talents and skills willing to work hard and work as a team. Even the player who scores the touchdown didn’t get there by himself. Each person has different gifts and talents. Even when we achieve our greatest goals, it’s not alone. There are people supporting us in various ways all along the way. Life is a team effort.

7^th – The power of support The game is not played in isolation. The crowd cheering on the sidelines is a significant part of the game. It’s family and friends encouraging you to do your best, consoling you when you fail and celebrating when you succeed. We all need those voices of encouragement on the sidelines. We need someone to cheer us up when things don’t go well and friends to celebrate with when things go great.

8^{th –} Friendship While they share a mutual interest in the same activity they also develop a sense of loyalty, respect, and caring for each other. In many cases these friendships will last a lifetime. As a parent of kids involved in extra-curricular activities we were fortunate to have developed lifelong friendships with other parents, how fortunate we were to have that opportunity! 

Yes, these lessons are valuable indeed, in fact, they could be applied to many of life’s situations!

As the economy starts to recover and companies position themselves for the upside opportunities of the recovery, it is imperative that Managers and Leaders of organization focus on what is needed to attract and retain key talent. Many years ago I ran across a book by Buckingham and Coffman titled First Break All The Rules. The ideas and concepts have stuck with me and I believe many of them are very relevant for today’s environment.

The book presents the findings of in-depth interviews studied by the Gallup organization. The Managers who ultimately became the focus of Gallup’s research were those who excelled at turning each employee’s talent into performance. The Gallup poll searched for those special questions where the most engaged employees – those who were loyal and productive answered positively, and everyone else – the average performers – answered neutrally or negatively. Furthermore, the surveyed analyzed employee feedback with business unit outcomes – productivity, profit, retention, customer service. It provides a link between employee opinions, business results, and employee retention. The concepts are tools that can be used to elevate performance.

Following is an excerpt that I hope you find useful. They use an analogy of a mountain climb to describe the critical focus needed to turn talents into performance.

So Where to Start

Think about what it would take to climb a mountain. You know the climb will vary, sometimes steep, sometimes gradual. You know there will be gullies to negotiate, terrain that will force you to descend before you can resume your climb. But the you think of the summit and how you will feel and you start to climb.

Base Camp

When you first start a new role, your needs are fairly basic. At this stage you are asking What do I get?

These two questions measure Base Camp

• Do I know what is expected of me at work?
• Do I have the right materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

Camp 1

At this stage you are focused on your individual contribution and other people’s perceptions of it – you are asking What do I give?

These questions measure Camp 1:

• At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
• In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
• Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care?
• Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

If these questions remain unanswered, all of your yearnings to belong, to become part of a team, to learn and to innovate, will be undermined

Camp 2

At this stage of the climb you really want to know if you fit – you are asking Do I belong here?

These questions measure Camp 2:

• At work, do my opinions seem to count?
• Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
• Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
• Do I have a best friend at work?

Camp 3

This is the most advanced stage of the climb. At this stage you are impatient for everyone to improve, asking, How can I grow?

These questions measure Camp 3

• In the last 6 months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
• This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

At this stage, people can innovate effectively (Invention is novelty, innovation is novelty that can be applied)

You can innovate and apply your own ideas only if you are focused on the right expectations (Base Camp), you have confidence in your own expertise (Camp 1), and you are aware of how your new ideas will be accepted or rejected by people around you (Camp 2)

Summary of Camps

The longer your lower level needs remain unmet, the more likely it is that you will burn out, become unproductive, and leave. Inexperienced climbers might suggest that if you have lots of money and not much time, you could helicopter to Camp 3 and race to the summit. Experienced guides know that you would never make it. Mountain sickness would sap your energy and slow your progress to a crawl. During your ascent you have to spend a great deal of time acclimating between the various levels. The more time you spend at these lower levels, the more stamina you will have in the thin air near the top of the summit.

Focus your time and energy on Base Camp and Camp 1. If your employee’s lower level needs remain unaddressed, then everything you do for them further along the journey is almost irrelevant

In Conclusion

If you are uncertain as to the current state of your team, I would suggest the following:

• If you have a company survey that has been done recently. Try to map the company survey questions to the 12 questions identified in the various camps. Typically, most company surveys will include  a close variation to these questions.
• If you don’t have recent company survey data or the questions don’t map, then take the time to initiate the survey. It is important that people understand the purpose of the survey and what they can expect from the results. Therefore, if you really don’t plan on taking action based on the results of the survey then I would not ask people to take the time to give you their perspective.

Remember, the more individuals you can move up the mountain place, the stronger the workplace.

Good Luck and enjoy the journey!

There have been a lot of terrific comments and perspectives offered in the post on Leadership Definitions. If all the comments provided were put together it may say something like:

• Leadership is developing a vision, establishing direction, and guiding and aligning people to meet that vision. Leadership is motivating and inspiring others to be the best they can be. Leadership is about being aware of your surroundings and understanding the climate of your team, your customers, and your company. Leadership is knowing how and when to initiate change that enables the company to remain competitive and profitable while providing customers with innovative, high-quality products and services.

Following are some of the attributes I think are important with great leadership. I tried to keep this to a top 10 list. It was not easy to do and in some cases I may have merged a couple of like ideas.

 I have tried to embody these in my approach to leading teams and organizations. Sometimes I hit a home run and sometimes I strike out, but these are some of the things I strive to incorporate into my approach, in a way they are my compass. I also believe that leadership happens and should happen across all levels of people in an organization.

1. Know your customer – understand their needs and expectations. It is not enough to do things right, you must also do the right thing. Understanding your customers needs and expectations is a foundation for doing the right thing.
2. Know your team – take a genuine interest in the issues and concerns of your team. Listen and ensure that people feel listened to. Make time for people when they need you no matter how busy you are. Display confidence and trust in people to make the right decisions.
3. Lead with vision – let people know expectations, priorities, and objectives. It is not enough though to just have a vision. It needs to be underpinned by a plan, there needs to be clarity in goals and metrics so that people can take action towards the vision and see how their day to day contributions fits in with attaining the overall objective.
4. Invest in your employees – develop the best talent, and put the right people in the right jobs (this is casting). Casting is everything – Draw upon the strengths of others – Don’t bring out the best in employees by focusing on fixing their “weaknesses”. Focus on each person’s strengths and manage around their weakness.  By developing talent within your team you really elevate the performance of the individuals and the collective team.
5. Invest in yourself – Know what you don’t know – continually keep learning, but leverage the talents and knowledge of others. Share the wisdom – pass your knowledge on to others.
6. Integrity & character – How you accomplish something is as important as what you accomplish.
7. Be decisive and flexible – make decisions, but be willing to admit when you are wrong. Honor your commitments – keep your promises.
8. Let others shine – need I say more.
9. Work with passion, energy, and enthusiasm – Attitudes are contagious.
10. Be agile and adapt to the environment – respond to new opportunities quickly.

I thought this video captured someone who is a great leader along with just being incredibly inspirational. It is a story of Don Meyers and his acceptance speech on winning the Jimmy V award at the 2009 ESPY awards. The video is ~10 minutes long, so grab a cup of coffee and be prepared to be touched by his message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGSCalTjpU

 I am not an expert in the area of Leadership, but I do have a genuine passion for Leadership. I read books about leadership. I take classes. I attend seminars and conferences. I teach others about leadership. I volunteer for activities that will utilize my current capabilities and also stretch me to grow. I ask for feedback. I do self reflection. In a nut shell, I do a lot of different things so that I can become a better person and a better leader. I feel as if I have learned a lot and yet I also feel that I have so much more to learn. I thought blogging would be a good way to share my perspectives and learn from others.

Just for fun, I thought I would look up the definition of Leader. To my surprise, the source I used had 56 different definitions.

You have the noun definition which includes:

• a person or thing that leads.
• a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
• a horse harnessed at the front of a team.

Then you have the definitions that are verbs (used with objects)

• to go before or with to show the way
• to influence or induce
• to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc

And you have the definitions that are verbs (used without objects)

• to act as a guide; show the way
• to go first; be in advance
• to result in; tend toward
• to make the first play.

There are a few things that jumped out at me.  Leadership is about being out in front. Leaders guide, take action and they get results!

But what makes some leaders, great leaders, that we want to follow and others feel more like you’re looking at the horses behind? (Recall the one definition of “a horse harnessed at the front of a team”)

If you are reading this, I’d love to hear what you think about it.