3 Phrases That Will Get You Noticed

When these phrases are used appropriately and wisely in group and team situations, they will put you in a natural leadership position.

I spend a lot of time helping leaders with succession planning--essentially, helping them develop other leaders.

What's interesting is what happens just before the developing begins.

Truth is, leaders aren't developed from scratch. What happens instead is that someone is first recognized as a potential leader and then the development begins.

So what is it that leaders look for in those they think might have the potential for leadership? How are future leaders recognized? By a lot of things, obviously, many of them idiosyncratic to the corporate environment within which they will work.

However, when I help senior executives make this decision, one thing comes up frequently: How the leadership candidate conducts themselves in group situations--and specifically, how they contribute to group discussions.

There are three phrases in particular, variants of which I hear remarked upon time and again when they're used appropriately and wisely in group and team situations:

1. "I have nothing to add."
You know the person who simply has to contribute to every single item under discussion, irrespective of whether or not they have anything of note to contribute? Don't be that person.

Doing so shows only fear (that you might be outshone by someone else if you don't speak to every point) or bumptiousness (you believe you actually do know something about everything under discussion, however esoteric).

Be confident in your own potential leadership abilities to simply state you have nothing to add when, um, you have nothing to add.

2. "I don't understand what you mean by..."
Don't want to seem stupid in front of colleagues? Fearful that if you don't know the meaning of every acronym thrown around that you'll be dismissed as not "with it"? Get to the back of the succession line.


Potential leaders talk like 6-year-olds when necessary. "I've never heard that phrase in this context before--could you help me understand what you mean by it?" won't get you laughed at (unless you work with jerks, in which case, you have deeper problems), it'll get you recognized as genuine and trustworthy.

3. "I recommend that we..." 
There's a type of team member who will avoid making any statement that involves some risk on their part. Whether it's being asked to express an opinion or make a recommendation, they'll wiggle like a trapped squirrel rather than be definite about their own views.

This usually comes out of a fear of being wrong (sometimes its genuine shyness, but that's rarer than you'd think), and people who are afraid of ever being wrong don't make good leaders.

I don't suggest that you start throwing around your opinions on every matter under the sun (see point 1 above), but if you want to be considered for future leadership, I do recommend you fully think through those issues in which you are involved, and make your recommendations clearly and without vacillation (opinions can come later; share them if and when you're asked).

Want your leadership potential to be recognized? Try using these three phrases--or whatever version of them you're comfortable with--next time you're working in a group or team.

http://www.inc.com/les-mckeown/3-phrases-that-will-get-you-noticed.html

10 Things Really Amazing Bosses Do

Are you truly an amazing boss or just a good one? See how many of these 10 traits are natural for you.

Recently, I had overwhelming response to my column on 10 things Really Amazing Employees Do. In it, I also gave tips for being a better boss. Better is great, but amazing bosses didn't need the tips because they already knew what to do.

Being a boss is hard. People don't naturally wish to have one. And not everyone aspires to be one. But most people are anxious to follow a good leader, and most organizations live and die on the quality of the leaders who run them. See how you stack up with these 10 traits. I have given a reference point for good bosses as well so you can assess if you are truly hitting the mark or if perhaps your people are just being nice when they say you're amazing.

1. Good Bosses maintain control and get things done.
Amazing Bosses know efficiency can be the enemy of efficacy in the long run and so they work to create an atmosphere of expansive thinking. They empower their team with time, resources and techniques, to solve big issues with big ideas instead of Band-Aids and checklists.

2. Good Bosses foster a sense of community, making room for everyone.
Amazing Bosses form an internal culture by design rather than default, making sure they attract the right people to get on the bus and then get them in the right seats. They also make sure that the wrong people never get on the bus, or if they do, they get off quickly.

3. Good Bosses invite creative thinking.
Amazing Bosses know how to integrate creativity into daily conversation and procedures so that every employee feels natural about being creative and facilitating productive creativity when interacting with others in the company.

4. Good Bosses create an open environment for voicing concern and frustration.
Amazing Bosses create an environment where people are empowered to make change on their own to improve product, process, and procedures. They integrate open communication to the point where the expression of honest concerns is expected, required, and desired by everyone involved to achieve the highest levels of team performance.

5. Good Bosses encourage career development for their employees.
Amazing Bosses integrate individual learning and development into every job description so that personal growth is required and rewarded. They know companies that do this thrive thanks to new leaders rising from the inside. They make sure the company apportions time and dollars toward personal growth so that everyone shares reasonable expectations of commitment and success.

6. Good Bosses run effective and efficient meetings.
Amazing Bosses make sure that everyone on the team understands the difference between a valuable meeting and a waste of time and resources. They educate the team on facilitation techniques and give each person consistent practice at structuring and leading effective meetings with postmortem feedback.

7.  Good Bosses build trust so people feel safe.

Amazing Bosses encourage constant interaction and high performance within the team so they succeed or fail together, creating tight bonds of loyalty to the company and each other. Successes are met with equal high praise and rewards, while failures are met with encouraging acceptance and postmortem learning discussions yielding next-step improvements. (Of course amazing bosses know how to make sure people and teams fail safely in the first place.)

8. Good Bosses generate happiness in the workplace.
Amazing Bosses constantly seek and execute ways to help employees gain deep personal satisfaction from their responsibilities so they are inspired and excited to come to work and perform well every day.

9. Good Bosses make sure people are responsible for their roles and actions.
Amazing Bosses promote personal accountability by providing clear communication and buy-in as to the culture, vision, and goals for the company. They know how to effectively and efficiently align the team, communicate in rhythm, and measure progress so they can adjust quickly with minimal risk.

10. Good Bosses know how to praise and show gratitude.
Amazing Bosses know how to instill a deep sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment in individual team members. They help employees develop a strong sense of self-confidence and self-praise that outweighs any pat-on-the-back or award provided.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/10-things-really-amazing-bosses-do.html

7 Things Confident Leaders Don't Do

In a world full of wannabe entrepreneurs and leaders, don't try to be what you're not.


If you've been around long enough, you begin to realize that success is just as much about what you don't do as what you do. Any CEO, entrepreneur, or venture capitalist will tell you that lack of focus is one of their most insidious enemies.

It's always been true, but the temptation to try to do more or give in to distraction has never been greater than it is today.

Don't get me wrong. Some people do manage to find ways to capitalize on their natural tendency to get easily sidetracked. I should know. I'm one of them. Still, it's a constant battle that I fight to this day. No kidding.

In my experience, and I've worked with hundreds of successful executives and business leaders, there are certain things they simply don't do. I don't know if they're instinctive or cognitive, but I've noted seven things they rarely, if ever, do.

1. What everyone else is doing.
Quite the contrary, they tend to have a natural tendency to question conventional wisdom and challenge the status quo. Fads, cultural norms, groupthink, forget it. They don't worry about their personal brands, personal productivity, or social media.

That is, unless that's their competency, their passion, who they are. I'm sure Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey manage to update their Facebook and Twitter pages from time to time.

2. Worry about weaknesses.
Maybe they should. For all I know, maybe that's the difference between successful people and really successful people. All I know is, they're usually confident and comfortable with who they are. They're not plagued by the fear and self-doubt that derails so many people. They don't fixate on what they're not. They accept it.

Don't get me wrong. They are human. They have fear. But one of the key reasons why they're so successful at what they do is because it is their passion. They've found their true path. When they're doing what they love, they're comfortable with it, not fearful of it. And it shows in their work.

3. Waste a lot of time.
It's not that they're concerned with productivity or time management. They don't waste a lot of time because they have a vision--a mission. They truly want to spend their lives on whatever it is they love doing, so that's what they do. Period.

They don't indulge activities that so many people waste their lives on. They don't try to get inside other people's heads. They don't ask why things happen or why people do the things they do. That is, unless it's a problem they really want to solve.

They don't wish for things to be different. They make things different.

4. Try to be successful.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying they're not savvy business people. What I am saying is they're usually just trying to accomplish something. Then they're trying to accomplish another thing. Then another. Most successful people are driven to do, to accomplish, to win. It's one thing at a time. Success just comes with the territory.

5. Breathe their own fumes.
There is a downside to being too indoctrinated with your own vision. You can become blinded by it. That's what ultimately takes down lots of people who are initially successful but can't sustain it. They stop asking questions, succumb to their own status quo, stick with flawed ideas.

Highly accomplished people do not surround themselves with yes-men, give in to group think, or accept anything other than the genuine unfiltered truth. Sure, they might bite your head off at first. But that doesn't mean they're not listening. What can I say; that's how it is.

6. Fear competition.
They understand competition, know their competition, are comfortable with competition. They're generally confident in their abilities and courageous in the face of competitive battle.

That said, they're not fools. They're not sure they'll prevail. It's just that, the question doesn't usually enter their minds. They just do what they do best and give it all they've got. After the fact they may look back and see that they've won, but only briefly. By then, they're usually on to the next battle.

7. Try to be what they're not.
Not a single successful executive, VC, entrepreneur, or business owner that I've ever known has ever gotten to where he is by being something he's not. Not a single one. Anyone who tells you to focus on self-promotion instead of doing whatever it is you love to do just doesn't get it.

It sounds so simple, but this is the big takeaway that will set you apart. In a world full of wannabe entrepreneurs and leaders, where everyone's a CEO of their own little world, don't try to be what you're not. Just be you.

http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/7-things-successful-people-dont-do.html

Most Important Task You're Ignoring

Answering emails, putting out fires--those are important. But one founder suggests something else should take up at least 25 percent of your day.

Businesses are built on a few key pillars: the idea, the team, the plan, and the execution. However, one pillar that is often neglected in the fast-paced world of email and social media is good old-fashioned relationships--with employees, investors, suppliers, customers, the press, and probably many more people involved in your business. For me, this is what holds everything together.

Too many founders I've met speed through their days on autopilot, putting out fires to keep all the balls in the air. You know the drill: get into the office, check calendar, respond to urgent emails, drink too much coffee, avert crisis... and repeat! Maybe you squeeze in some relationship building at the end of the day. It’s an easy trap to fall into, but in my experience, relationship building should trump all of these things. In fact, I'd say founders should spend 25 percent of their time building, fostering, and growing relationships.

It’s actually quite easy when you break it down. Here is how I look at it:

Step 1: Write down your list.
Pick five people in each category above who are critical to your success. Make a list. Refer to it weekly.

Step 2: Make (genuine) contact.
Pick up the phone and see how things are going. Be sincere. Get to know them. Use your commute to knock this one out, so you won't be distracted with other work.

Step 3: Date.
Plan dinners, break bread, go to happy hours, go skiing. Build a friendship. People like to do business with people they like--full stop. (Note: If you truly don’t like a person, don't force it.)

Step 4: Repeat. Frequently.
A few years ago, Yes To hit a bump in the road (well, HUGE obstacle might be more accurate). After two years of phenomenal growth, we faced a major production issue with a key retailer that had the possibility to cripple the company. Our supply chain was clearly at fault and we admitted so to the retailer. Upon learning of this issue, I immediately left my family vacation and flew with my entire executive team to the visit the retailer. We rolled up our sleeves and worked with them until we found a solution. We apologized. Profusely. And together, we successfully brought this account back from the brink.

A year after this debacle, Lance (my business partner) and I sat with the CEO of this company. He leaned over and said with a smile "if it wasn't for me, you guys would have been long gone." He emphasized to us that because he gotten to know us as people, he truly wanted to be part of our success rather than our failure. This was someone with whom we spent years building a true friendship, someone we trusted, and someone who truly changed our lives. The four easy steps came through for us that day.

http://www.inc.com/ido-leffler/relationships-make-break-your-business.html

3 Keys to Business Excellence

Excelling in business isn't necessarily rocket science. In fact you just have to master these three things.

I was recently fascinated by an intriguing video of author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman giving a commencement speech to the 2012 University of the Arts graduating class. There were several marvelous insights in the speech, which you can see here. About three quarters of the way through, Gaiman eloquently articulates the path to business excellence for freelancers. It applies very nicely to business across the board.
Entrepreneurs, managers, and employees alike take heed, if you want to be considered excellent at business, you need to master these three simple things.

1. Be Efficient --Turn in work on time.
2. Be Effective--Do great work.
3. Be Congenial--Be a pleasure to work with.

Of course this makes perfect sense. But Gaiman goes on to point out that even any two of these will keep you in business if you can't master all three. Here is why:

• If you do great work and are a pleasure to deal with, then most people will put up with a deliverable arriving a little late.

• If you turn in work on time and you are a pleasure to deal with, then most people will put up with your work being a little less than perfect.

• And if you turn in great work and you turn it in on time then people are more willing to put up with you being unpleasant.

Now I agree wholeheartedly that two out of three may be enough to keep you limping along in the business world, but it also leaves the door wide open for those really amazing people in business who strive to achieve a hat trick.

Gaiman has done an excellent job of identifying the typical approach to business: Two out of three ain't bad. That means those of you who are diligent enough to be efficient, effective, and congenial, can achieve excellence and roar past your mediocre competition with ease.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/3-keys-to-business-excellence.html

3 Leadership Skills That Trump All Others

Leadership doesn't necessarily come from being the best at your trade. These three skills can make all the difference.

The first job I accepted after college was with a large home builder in Phoenix. In my first year, the company had been taken private, carved up, and the pieces sold off. During this span of time, I worked for three different companies all while sitting at the same desk.

I stopped buying business cards for a while.

When the dust finally settled, I had managed to tag on with a small group of people who made up the Phoenix office for a California home builder entering the Arizona market.  None of us had the experience to become the division president or CEO, so the "higher-ups" brought in someone from the outside.
They brought in an accountant.

Given this was a construction company, I was a little confused why we would hire someone who didn't understand the intricacies of construction. On top of that, in an industry that consisted mostly of rough, coarse and hammer wielding men, our new leader was a woman.

A female CPA named Kathy, running a construction company.  This was not what I was expecting.
Also disconcerting to me was that, in an era when technology was creeping its way into every aspect of business, Kathy's time management system consisted of sticky notes placed in an "accordion styles" folder that, when a specific day was opened, reminded her of specific deadlines that were due. In contrast, I was methodical with time management, often keeping spreadsheets to manage my to-do's and being an early adopter of PDAs, as evidenced by my expensive Palm VII paperweight.

I had serious reservations about how her background and management style could lead such a complex business.

As time wore on, however, I became better acquainted with Kathy, as did everyone in the office and in the field. That's because while she was at the top of the organization, she made it an early priority to spend a great deal of time with everyone in the company.  From the office purchasing staff to the accountants to the dusty field personnel. She was personable and outgoing, and had an air of confidence that was contagious. Over the years, she went on to lead the company to amazing growth, and we became one of the top home builders in Phoenix.

Kathy was able to lead our team and achieve this success by having a set of skills that trumped any specific skill needed to build a home or develop a piece of property. She created cohesion and motivated her team by being:

1. Engaging
Kathy may not have known the fine details of post tension slabs or H-25 framing ties, but she knew how to manage the people who did. Weekly manager meetings, which she oversaw and facilitated, were some of the most efficient I have seen. She would maneuver around difficult construction issues by simply engaging all of the managers at the table and getting to a solution. She knew everyone's strengths and weaknesses, and she allocated "us" accordingly. Maybe more important, she did everything in a manner that was personable and often humorous, but never disrespectful or derogatory.

2. Encouraging

Kathy was great at encouragement. Over my years with the company, I had been recruited a few times by other companies. When this happened, I would always discuss it with her, both to get  an understanding of where I stood with the company as well as emphasize my desire for more responsibility. Somehow, she always managed to encourage me to stay and did so without ever promising anything (including, unfortunately, any pay bump). Eventually, the ultimate encouragement came when she promoted me to director of purchasing.

3. Enforcing
At some point in time, a sticky note with your name would end up surfacing in Kathy's filing system. That meant you had a deliverable or task due. If you had not completed it, you waited nervously for the phone call or the casual visit to your desk. If you missed your deliverable around the time of a manager meeting, you were undoubtedly going to be on the hot seat. Somehow, she had a way to instill fear for missed deadlines, which always motivated us to get things done. She also took a great deal of responsibility herself, and we never wanted to let her down. I have no idea how she did all of this, which is probably why she was so good at it.

We had an amazing team during my early years with this home builder. I was incredibly fortunate to have had a few mentors during this time, but I perhaps remember Kathy most profoundly because while she was the least likely person I would have pegged as a role model, her management style was most influential to mine.
I haven't spoken with Kathy in years, and I understand she has retired at the top of her game and is enjoying much deserved time with her family. I suppose it's time to follow up with her ... so I suppose I'll paste a sticky note in my planner to remind me soon.

http://www.inc.com/peter-gasca/3-leadership-skills-that-trump-all-others.html

Want to Change the World? Be Resilient.

What's the difference between someone with a good idea and a person who can transform their ideas into real impact? To tackle the world's biggest problems, we need to be able to identify and support the people who are capable of creating lasting change. At Acumen Fund, we spend a lot of time trying to find and train aspiring and established leaders from around the world who have the right mix of talent, ideas, and passion.
And what we've found time and again is: Resilience matters most.
 
Resilient leaders have three key characteristics:

1. Grit: Short-term focus on tasks at hand, a willingness to slog through broken systems with limited resources, and pragmatic problem-solving skills.
2. Courage: Action in the face of fear and embracing the unknown.
3. Commitment: Long-term optimism and focus on big-picture goals.

I see these qualities in the Global Fellows who are selected to work with Acumen's investee companies across Africa and South Asia during a 12-month fellowship. These individuals bring exceptional skills and business expertise to their work. But that is not enough. It's their ability to dig deep, roll up their sleeves and immerse themselves in the unglamorous trenches of seemingly intractable problems while remaining focused on long-term goals that allows them to buck the status quo and deliver meaningful change.

Grit: Natalie Grillon, a former Peace Corps volunteer and recent MBA graduate, embodies grit. She's working in a remote area of war-torn Northern Uganda to develop an organic sesame business as part of Gulu Agricultural Development Company, which provides more than 40,000 smallholder farmers with access to international markets.

Overseeing a staff of 35 and a network of 50 buyers, Natalie wakes up each day determined to grow the business by training more farmers and improving their product quality. Some days she's holed up analyzing financials and others she's loading trucks for shipment. She has to be both an empathetic listener and stern director, often at the cost of not always being "liked" — a tradeoff she's accepted. She works 12-14 hours seven days a week and pushes through daily challenges and physical fatigue.

The sesame business is new to this part of Uganda and is already increasing the yields of more than 10,000 farmers, providing them with new income that can go to school fees or production tools. Farmers, who until recently lived in IDP-camps, now live lives of freedom, dignity and choice. For Natalie, the unrelenting pace of work and many headaches are worth it.

Courage: I recently visited with current fellow Jay Jaboneta, a social entrepreneur from the Philippines who is embracing the unknown in Pakistan. He's working with Pharmagen Healthcare Limited, a water-supply company that provides up to two million liters of clean, affordable water each month to low-income customers through water purification shops in Lahore.

By design, fellows are often pushed out of their comfort zone — required to live and work in regions or sectors that are unfamiliar. This was the case with Jay and, prior to his arrival in Pakistan, he was admittedly anxious about his safety as a foreigner in Lahore, his ability to integrate into a new culture without speaking the language, and stepping into a role that required him to learn how to market water products to BOP customers.

Jay has been able to excel in an environment filled with unknowns. He's currently launching a rebranding and marketing campaign to make clean water more accessible to low income consumers. Now part of the community, he's also learning Urdu one phrase at a time and speaks of dear friends and the doodh pati chai he's learned to make with them.

Commitment: Abbas Akhtar, an entrepreneur and software engineer originally from Pakistan, is fulfilling a promise he made to himself long ago: to return to Pakistan, after years in the US, and contribute to the country's long-term development. Abbas now works at Ansaar Management Company (AMC), a low-cost housing and management company that provides affordable housing to more than 30,000 people outside of Lahore.

Equipped with several years work experience at Apple, Google and an advanced degree from Johns Hopkins, Abbas could choose from any number of developed markets in which to live and work. But he chose his country of origin to fulfill his personal commitment. He readily admits it hasn't been easy to adjust to the frequent power outages, cold days and nights without reliable heat, and long road trips between projects, but he's more committed than ever to apply all that he can to AMC this year and Pakistan for years to come. And his commitment is already contributing to the growth and sustainability of AMC with the potential launch of two new community sites, which could provide 200 new homes to 1,000 BOP-customers.

While still early in their careers, Natalie, Jay, and Abbas exemplify the resilience it takes to drive lasting change on the ground. Above all, their experiences highlight not only what's needed to build new systems, but also, what's needed most to be a social impact leader.

And resilience can be trained. At Acumen, we focus on building not only the fellows' financial and operational skills, but also what we call "moral imagination", which requires balancing opposing values — humility and audacity — to see the world as it is and to imagine the world for what it could be. During their two-month training in New York, fellows spend time in the shoes of low-income customers accessing goods and services, honing their empathy skills; they prototype human-centered design projects with IDEO.org and create business model canvases, building strong listening skills to understand customers' needs. They develop deep self-awareness by challenging their perceptions about leadership and authority by using Cambridge Leadership Associates' Adaptive Leadership framework. Fellows draw on these experiential exercises to strengthen their resolve when facing challenges on the ground.

Too often we confuse management skills with leadership. We need to remain focused on building leaders who have the resilience to face stubborn problems head on for lasting social impact. The more we collectively define what it takes, the better we'll be able to identify and train this next generation.

 http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/02/want_to_change_the_world_be_resilient.html

Great Leaders Know When to Forgive

Leaders must be firm and foster accountability, but they also must know when to forgive past wrongs in the service of building a brighter future. One of the most courageous acts of leadership is to forgo the temptation to take revenge on those on the other side of an issue or those who opposed the leader's rise to power.
Instead of settling scores, great leaders make gestures of reconciliation that heal wounds and get on with business. This is essential for turnarounds or to prevent mergers from turning into rebellions against acquirers who act like conquering armies.

Nelson Mandela famously forgave his oppressors. After the end of apartheid, which had fostered racial separation and kept blacks impoverished, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected President. Some in his political party clamored for revenge against members of the previous regime or perhaps even all privileged white people. Instead, to avoid violence, stabilize and unite the nation, and attract investment in the economy, Mandela appointed a racially integrated cabinet, visited the widow of one of the top apartheid leaders, and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that would clear the air and permit moving forward.

Forgiveness can be costly, like the massive amounts of debt forgiveness toward countries like Greece to help create a stable foundation for restoring growth to Europe. Forgiveness can sometimes mean investing in groups that have done something negative — a counterintuitive but often very effective strategy. A striking example, which I recount in my book SuperCorp, occurred in South Korea, not a country known for being kinder and gentler, and yet forgiveness and seeking harmony were at the heart of a major business success.
Shinhan Bank, a fairly new entrepreneurial bank, was set to acquire Chohung Bank, a larger, much older establishment-oriented bank that had hit hard times, when Chohung employees staged an embarrassing action. To protest the takeover, 3,500 men shaved their heads and piled the hair in front of Shinhan's headquarters in downtown Seoul. Shinhan signed an agreement with Chohung's union that astonished some observers. Far from taking revenge for the protest (or walking away from the deal), Shinhan agreed to raise wages, promise no layoffs, have equal representation of both banks on key committees, and wait three years for full integration. These and other investments in the future generated a significant payoff. Within a year, shareholder value had increased (it decreases in a majority of mergers) and employees from both banks were informally integrating, with the union neutralized. Within three years, Shinhan Financial Group was outperforming not only the industry but the entire South Korean stock market.

"Revenge is not justice," says General Douglas MacArthur, as played by Tommy Lee Jones in Emperor, an engrossing new feature film about the surrender of the Japanese to American troops at the end of World War II. Like the hit movie Lincoln, the movie Emperor dramatizes a turning point in history replete with leadership lessons. (The movie will be released March 8; I saw an early screening thanks to producer Gary Foster, a personal friend.) The question requiring leadership judgment is whether to hang Japan's Emperor Hirohito for war crimes. There's pressure from Washington and his fellow officers to punish the emperor, but General MacArthur, seeing that Japan teeters on civil unrest and reveres its emperor, refuses to give in. He instead uses his power for reconciliation. The emperor remains in place, though stripped of his divinity. In a gesture of contrition, Hirohito leaves the palace to go to American headquarters for the first time. In the mesmerizing final scene, MacArthur and Hirohito pose side by side for a photograph. As we know from history, the rebuilding of war-torn Japan was an economic and social triumph.

If revenge is not justice, it is not strategy either. The founder of a second-tier computer company was pushed out a few years after the company went public. I watched him gather investors and regain control with something to prove — that they were wrong to push him out. Once back at the helm, he had no clear alternative direction. The company foundered and was sold at a low valuation. Let's hope that revenge against critics isn't the motivation for Michael Dell to take Dell private or the founder of Best Buy to attempt a takeover.

Anger and blame are unproductive emotions that tie up energy in destroying rather than creating. People who want to save a marriage, for example, must let go of the desire to hurt a partner the way they think the partner has hurt them and instead make a gesture of reconciliation.
Those whose main motivation is to settle scores and get payback — to obstruct rather than construct — are on the wrong side of history. Their legacy is not rebuilding, but rubble. From (ahem) members of Congress to leaders in any turnaround situation, it's a lesson worth remembering: Taking revenge can destroy countries, companies, and relationships. Forgiveness can rebuild them.

http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2013/02/great-leaders-know-when-to.html

How to Create a Positive Attitude

A positive attitude is never automatic. You have to work at it! Here's how to become a master of the mind.

A positive attitude--optimism, expectancy, and enthusiasm--makes everything in business easier. A positive attitude boosts you up when you're down and supercharges you when you're already "on a roll."
Here's how to cultivate a positive attitude, regardless of what's happening at work, based upon a conversation with Jeff Keller, author of the bestseller Attitude Is Everything:

1. Remember that YOU control your attitude.
Attitude does not emerge from what happens to you, but instead from how you decide to interpret what happens to you.

Take, for example, receiving the unexpected gift of an old automobile. One person might think: "It's a piece of junk!" a second might think: "It's cheap transportation," and a third might think: "It's a real classic!"
In each case, the person is deciding how to interpret the event and therefore controlling how he or she feels about it (i.e. attitude).

2. Adopt beliefs that frame events in a positive way.
Your beliefs and rules about life and work determine how you interpret events and therefore your attitude. Decide to adopt "strong" beliefs that create a good attitude rather than beliefs that create a bad attitude. To use sales as an example:

• Situation: The first sales call of the day goes poorly.
• Weak: A lousy first call means that I'm off my game and today will suck.
• Strong: Every sales call is different, so the next will probably be better.

• Situation: A customer reduces the amount of an order at the last minute!
• Weak: Customers who change orders can't be trusted.
• Strong: Customers who change orders are more likely to be satisfied!

• Situation: A big sales win comes seemingly "out of nowhere."
• Weak: Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.
• Strong: You never know when something wonderful will happen!

3. Create a "library" of positive thoughts.
Spend at least 15 minutes every morning to read, view, or listen to something inspirational or motivational. If you do this regularly, you'll have those thoughts and feelings ready at hand (or rather, ready to mind) when events don't go exactly the way you'd prefer.

4. Avoid angry or negative media.
Unfortunately, the media is full of hateful people who make money by goading listeners to be paranoid, unhappy, and frightened. The resulting flood of negativity doesn't just destroy your ability to maintain a positive attitude; it actively inserts you into a state of misery, pique, and umbrage. Rather than suck up the spew, limit your "informational" media consumption to business and industry news.

5. Ignore whiners and complainers.

Whiners and complainers see the world through crap-colored glasses. They'd rather talk about what's irreparably wrong, rather than make things better. More importantly, complainers can't bear to see somebody else happy and satisfied.

If you tell a complainer about a success that you've experienced, they'll congratulate them, but their words ring hollow. You can sense they'd just as soon you told them about what's making you miserable. What a drag (figuratively and literally)!

6. Use a more positive vocabulary.
I've written about this before, but the point is worth making again. The words that come out of your mouth aren't just a reflection of what's in your brain--they're programming your brain how to think. Therefore, if you want to have a positive attitude, your vocabulary must be consistently positive. Therefore:

• Stop using negative phrases such as "I can't," "It's impossible," or "This won't work." These statements program you for negative results.
• Whenever anyone asks "How are you?" rather than "Hangin' in there," or "Okay, I guess..." respond with "Terrific!" or "Never felt better!" And mean it.
• When you're feeling angry or upset, substitute neutral words for emotionally loaded ones. Rather than saying "I'm enraged!" say "I'm a bit annoyed..."

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-create-a-positive-attitude.html

Top 10 Traits of an Exceptional Boss

The first lesson in business is figuring out who you should listen to and who you shouldn't.

Let me ask you something. Would you trust a surgeon who’s never performed an actual procedure? How about a litigation attorney who’s never seen the inside of a courtroom? Of course not.

How about if they got good grades in school and could write really well on the subject? Would you let the doctor use a scalpel on you? Trust the attorney to litigate a big intellectual property suit? Probably not.

Likewise, you shouldn’t waste your time with so-called leadership experts and management academics who have never successfully led a company or run an organization -- emphasis on the word “successfully.”

The first lesson in business is figuring out who you should listen to and who you shouldn’t.
To me, it’s a no-brainer. If you have a choice, you should learn from those who’ve actually accomplished what you’re trying to do. That’s what I’ve always done and it hasn’t failed me yet.
Looking back on a long and eventful career as a high-tech executive and strategy consultant, of all the managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs I’ve worked with, certain management qualities stand out. These are the characteristics that achieve results in the real world.

They hold themselves and others accountable. There are no absolutes in business. You make commitments, put your butt on the line, then see how you did. Unless you complete that feedback loop and hold everyone’s feet to the fire, nothing really counts. Some managers are fearless in the way they accept responsibility and hold themselves and others accountable.  

They’re not full of surprises. An often overlooked but incredibly important aspect of management is the simple fact that we’ve all got issues, some more than others. Sure, we’re all different, but if you’re overly dysfunctional, if everything’s got to be about you, if you create more problems than you solve, if you have a disruptive or abusive management style, you’d better have an awful lot of great qualities under the hood to compensate, that’s for sure.

They fix things. A big part of running a business or an organization is troubleshooting and problem solving. One CEO I’ve worked with for years says that’s what he loves most about his job. Whether it’s a product, a customer, or an employee, every day brings new challenges and problems to solve. Every great manager I’ve ever known is a born troubleshooter and problem solver.

They have a feel for the business. Most managers just put their heads down and try to be good at their specific function. But the best managers have a solid understanding of all the key aspects of the business they’re in. They understand the products, the technology, market share, sales channels, and how to read an income statement. Those well-rounded managers make the best executives and business leaders.

They get the job done. Some people just make things happen. You give them the big picture, turn them loose and stand back. They’re like machines that are programmed to do whatever it takes to get things done. And they’ll find a way, no matter what. Those are the kind of people you want running things. 

They manage up and sideways effectively. Lots of managers are good at what they do, but put them in an organization of any size and they flop. More often than not, that’s because they’re good technicians who just want to put their heads down, get things done, and go home. The best managers know how to communicate and work effectively with their bosses and peers, how to give them what they need to be successful and get the same in return.  

They’re awesome decision-makers. More than anything, management is about decision-making. That’s where the rubber meets the road. The most effective way I know to do that is to ask the right people the right questions, listen to what they tell you, then trust your gut and make the call. If you’re right a lot more than you’re wrong, you’re in good shape.

They’re effective, not productive. We live and work in a fast-paced, ever-changing, highly competitive world. Maybe there was a time when process and productivity ruled, but these days, management needs to be flexible and adaptive. Sure, you’ve got to prioritize, but once you figure out what needs to be done, it’s generally more important to be effective than to squeeze every last iota of productivity out of yourself and your people.

They live for their jobs. The big management fad these days is employee engagement. But it’s even more important for managers and business leaders to be engaged, empowered, driven, and motivated. In my experience, that’s not a given. The best bosses I’ve known all live for their jobs, so to speak.

They have a sense of humor, humility, and empathy. When we’re young, we tend to be full of all the self-importance of youth. After all, children are completely egocentric and none of us grow up overnight. But time and experience usually teaches us lessons in our own limitations and fallibility. That tends to infuse a sense of humor, humility, and empathy, at least in some well-balanced adults who just so happen to make great bosses.

The thing about lists like these is they tend to be composites of all the best qualities we’ve seen in ourselves and others. That’s certainly the case here so, if you’ve got five or six of these qualities, you’re probably doing fine. But make no mistake. It’s a competitive world out there. If you want to make it, skip all the inspirational feel-good fluff and focus on what it takes to succeed -- in the real world.

http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/10-traits-of-exceptional-bosses.html

Top 5 Skills Every Leader Must Have

A few years ago, I saw a video by a Harvard professor on competences for adapting to a changing world. Frankly, it was embarrassing. It was the biggest load of pseudo-intellectual garbage I’d ever heard.
Still, the world is changing. It’s becoming a more complex place. I guess that’s always been the case, but the rate of change appears to be accelerating. Given that’s the case, then what are the real capabilities will people need to distinguish themselves--to become the leaders, the innovators, the success stories of a new age?

Fortunately, as a veteran of the high-tech industry, I’ve known and worked with some of the most capable and accomplished folks around. Here are five competences that not only set them apart, but are becoming more and more important all the time. No, they’re not new-age business school jargon. Some aren’t even new. But what’s important is that they work.

1. Drown out the noise.
We live and work in a world that’s so overloaded with information, communication, and gadgets that fighting that irresistible and constant tug to text, tweet, and check our email is becoming harder and harder all the time. That trend is not likely to change anytime soon.

Ability to focus and prioritize has always been critical to success in just about any field, but these days, managing distraction and not succumbing to its addictive qualities has become remarkably challenging for even the most disciplined among us.

Make no mistake. If you can’t focus, you can’t get things done. And if you can’t get things done, somebody else will.

2. Recognize the bullsh*t.
When you question assumptions, claims, and viewpoints instead of just accepting them as gospel, as in "I saw it on the internet so it must be true," that's called critical thinking. It’s fundamental for smart decision-making. And that, in turn, is key to being successful at just about anything.

The concept dates back thousands of years to Socrates and Buddha's teachings. If you question conventional wisdom, challenge the status quo, and avoid collectivism and groupthink, you’re in good company. They’re all facets of the same concept.

Here’s the thing. There’s so much garbage out there in the cloud, in social media, in blogs, on TV, in self-help books -- you name it -- that your ability to question what’s real and what isn’t, to reason logically and not generalize from a single data point, is more critical today than ever before.

And, in time, the world is only going to become more and more complex and, that’s right, full of stuff.  

3. Be more than an avatar. 
It’s ironic that, with all the hoopla over personal branding, self-expression, and the “Me” generation, I find that people are becoming more and more like internet avatars every day. In other words, there’s a tendency to hide behind our own social media creations. To become sound bites personified.

More than ever, we need a sense of humility and self-awareness to remind us that we're flesh and blood humans. That we’re not always the insanely great business leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, partners, parents, whatever, that we hold ourselves out to be.

Not only that, but the sheer volume of noise and time we waste on mindless distraction makes it that much harder to stay in touch with ourselves, to be quiet and reflect on what’s going on inside, to understand what our emotions are trying to tell us.

And don’t even get me started on political correctness, that insidious worldwide trend that dumbs us all down to the lowest common denominator so no single individual is ever left out or made to feel uncomfortable or, God forbid, offended.

In a world of indistinguishable lemmings, where everyone tries to be different and, in so doing, ends up behaving exactly like everyone else, those who are genuine and self-aware will have a big advantage.

4. Truly connect with people.
Communication has always been the means by which great leaders achieve great things. But these days, communication occurs in sound bites, status updates, text messages, and tweets of 140 characters or less. More and more, communication is one-to-many, not one-to-one.

The problem with that is it’s mostly superficial and nobody’s got time to pay attention to even a tiny fraction of all the gigabytes being blasted at them every day.

As for all the online social networking we do, none of it’s even fractionally effective when compared with a simple real-time discussion or meeting.

Sure, the ability to write and speak effectively is perhaps more important today than ever before. But if you have that unique ability to listen and really hear what people are saying, to empathize, to really relate and truly connect with folks, then chances are you’ll be writing tomorrow’s success stories.


5. Get things done.
The idea that successful executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders are typically driven by high aspirations is nothing but a popular myth. Most of those people didn't get to where they are by walking around with their heads in the clouds. They got there by putting one foot in front of the other and getting stuff done.

If they’re not motivated by grandiose dreams, then what does drive successful people? It’s usually one of three things: their job and a strong sense of personal responsibility, out of necessity to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads, or to bring a product to market they think is cool and that people might actually want or need.

Regardless of the reason, they get people working toward a common goal. They deliver the goods. They get the job done. They satisfy the needs of their customers. And in so doing, they take care of their families and stakeholders. That’s how things work in the real world.

These days we have more rhetoric, debate, analysis, studies, theories and research than ever before. We have more grandiose ideals than ever before. We have more rules and regulations than ever before. The challenge to get things done has never been greater and the need for leaders with that capability has never been more imperative.

That’s what I think you and your children will need to adapt to a changing world. Now, what do you think?

http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/5-leadership-skills-you-must-have.html

Can You Manage and Lead?

As an academic I love dichotomies. They stretch the imagination, help us avoid subtlety, and enhance focused debate.

The problem with dichotomies, however fun, is that they are overt and sometimes misleading oversimplifications. But in the real world tidy constructs become messes, and dichotomies become continuums. The real question is: Where are you on the continuum?

And the answer is: It depends on the situation. You may be a transactional leader one day and a transformative leader the next. You may be internally directed one day and externally directed a week from Tuesday.

And then there is what I consider to be the ultimate knee-jerk dichotomy:

Are you a manager or a leader?
I understand how we in academia can afford this little luxury. It’s aesthetically pleasing and makes for a clean little world. What amazes me is that this particular dichotomy is often given quite a bit of credence out in the real world.

In reference to a particular open position, one HR director told me, “We’re looking for a leader.” On the same day, in the same organization, referring to the same position, another HR officer told me, “What we’re looking for is a manager.”

Many times I’ve heard chief learning officers talk about their organization’s training needs and use the distinction of not needing a “leadership training program” but instead needing a “managerial training program”-;or the inverse!

The confusion between “leadership” and “managerial” training programs becomes more apparent when dealing with high potential employees.  High potentials clearly have the necessary technical skills and background in the business, but what do they need once they are given responsibility for others? Leadership skills or managerial skills?

They need both. They need to be leaders who can manage, and managers who can lead. The knee-jerk dichotomy has to end.

The ideal is for leaders and managers to be able to inspire others and implement ideas; innovate and create; and figure out how to manage the process of maneuvering from ideas to results.

The very notion that this knee-jerk dichotomy continues to have currency in a world that demands agile, flexible, and solution-based companies-;and in a world where these companies want to retain talent and stimulate commitment-;is perplexing.

This dichotomy between leading and managing is an indulgence in simplicity that we can no longer afford, especially when organizations are evaluating what core competencies they need their high potentials to develop as they move ahead.

The lesson is to train your managers to lead and your leaders to manage.

 http://www.inc.com/sam-bacharach/are-you-a-leader-or-manager.html

Top 5 Skills Every Leader Must Have

A few years ago, I saw a video by a Harvard professor on competences for adapting to a changing world. Frankly, it was embarrassing. It was the biggest load of pseudo-intellectual garbage I’d ever heard.
Still, the world is changing. It’s becoming a more complex place. I guess that’s always been the case, but the rate of change appears to be accelerating. Given that’s the case, then what are the real capabilities will people need to distinguish themselves--to become the leaders, the innovators, the success stories of a new age?

Fortunately, as a veteran of the high-tech industry, I’ve known and worked with some of the most capable and accomplished folks around. Here are five competences that not only set them apart, but are becoming more and more important all the time. No, they’re not new-age business school jargon. Some aren’t even new. But what’s important is that they work.

1. Drown out the noise.
We live and work in a world that’s so overloaded with information, communication, and gadgets that fighting that irresistible and constant tug to text, tweet, and check our email is becoming harder and harder all the time. That trend is not likely to change anytime soon.
Ability to focus and prioritize has always been critical to success in just about any field, but these days, managing distraction and not succumbing to its addictive qualities has become remarkably challenging for even the most disciplined among us.
Make no mistake. If you can’t focus, you can’t get things done. And if you can’t get things done, somebody else will.

2. Recognize the bullsh*t.
When you question assumptions, claims, and viewpoints instead of just accepting them as gospel, as in "I saw it on the internet so it must be true," that's called critical thinking. It’s fundamental for smart decision-making. And that, in turn, is key to being successful at just about anything.
The concept dates back thousands of years to Socrates and Buddha's teachings. If you question conventional wisdom, challenge the status quo, and avoid collectivism and groupthink, you’re in good company. They’re all facets of the same concept.
Here’s the thing. There’s so much garbage out there in the cloud, in social media, in blogs, on TV, in self-help books -- you name it -- that your ability to question what’s real and what isn’t, to reason logically and not generalize from a single data point, is more critical today than ever before.
And, in time, the world is only going to become more and more complex and, that’s right, full of stuff.  

3. Be more than an avatar. 
It’s ironic that, with all the hoopla over personal branding, self-expression, and the “Me” generation, I find that people are becoming more and more like internet avatars every day. In other words, there’s a tendency to hide behind our own social media creations. To become sound bites personified.
More than ever, we need a sense of humility and self-awareness to remind us that we're flesh and blood humans. That we’re not always the insanely great business leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, partners, parents, whatever, that we hold ourselves out to be.
Not only that, but the sheer volume of noise and time we waste on mindless distraction makes it that much harder to stay in touch with ourselves, to be quiet and reflect on what’s going on inside, to understand what our emotions are trying to tell us.
And don’t even get me started on political correctness, that insidious worldwide trend that dumbs us all down to the lowest common denominator so no single individual is ever left out or made to feel uncomfortable or, God forbid, offended.
In a world of indistinguishable lemmings, where everyone tries to be different and, in so doing, ends up behaving exactly like everyone else, those who are genuine and self-aware will have a big advantage.

4. Truly connect with people.
Communication has always been the means by which great leaders achieve great things. But these days, communication occurs in sound bites, status updates, text messages, and tweets of 140 characters or less. More and more, communication is one-to-many, not one-to-one.
The problem with that is it’s mostly superficial and nobody’s got time to pay attention to even a tiny fraction of all the gigabytes being blasted at them every day.
As for all the online social networking we do, none of it’s even fractionally effective when compared with a simple real-time discussion or meeting.
Sure, the ability to write and speak effectively is perhaps more important today than ever before. But if you have that unique ability to listen and really hear what people are saying, to empathize, to really relate and truly connect with folks, then chances are you’ll be writing tomorrow’s success stories.

5. Get things done.
The idea that successful executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders are typically driven by high aspirations is nothing but a popular myth. Most of those people didn't get to where they are by walking around with their heads in the clouds. They got there by putting one foot in front of the other and getting stuff done.
If they’re not motivated by grandiose dreams, then what does drive successful people? It’s usually one of three things: their job and a strong sense of personal responsibility, out of necessity to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s heads, or to bring a product to market they think is cool and that people might actually want or need.
Regardless of the reason, they get people working toward a common goal. They deliver the goods. They get the job done. They satisfy the needs of their customers. And in so doing, they take care of their families and stakeholders. That’s how things work in the real world.
These days we have more rhetoric, debate, analysis, studies, theories and research than ever before. We have more grandiose ideals than ever before. We have more rules and regulations than ever before. The challenge to get things done has never been greater and the need for leaders with that capability has never been more imperative.
That’s what I think you and your children will need to adapt to a changing world. Now, what do you think?

http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/5-leadership-skills-you-must-have.html

Top 12 Development Goals for Leaders

I help a lot of leaders create individual development plans using some variation of this process. This time of year (January) is always especially busy.

Although every leader I work with is unique, it seems like the development goals end up being somewhat common from year to year.

To help you get a head start on your 2010 leadership development plan, here’s a list of development goals that may apply to you too. I’d recommend picking no more than one and really working at it for at least 6 months. Do not attempt to work on all 12, just because there are 12 months in a year.

For 2010, I’d like to improve my:

1. Strategic thinking. Improve my ability to see the big picture and take a longer range, broader business perspective. Learn to step back from the day-to-day tactical details of my business and focus on the “why”, not just the “what” and “how”.

2. Listening. Learn to pay attention and demonstrate to others that that I value what they have to say. Use active listening, open-ended questions, body language, and eliminate distractions that get in the way of my ability to listen.

3. Coaching. Shift my leadership style away from always directing and telling and learn to guide and develop my direct reports. Work with each of my direct reports to create their own individual development plans.

4. Financial acumen. Learn how to understand, interpret, and use “the numbers” to improve my business.

5. Cross-functional knowledge and perspective. Learn about other aspects of the business other than my own functional silo.

6. Industry, competitive, and customer knowledge. Improve my understanding of our industry and our competitors. Get closer to our customers and find out what they need and value.

7. Leadership presence. Improve my ability to “command a room” and communicate in an authentic way that inspires others.

8. Change leadership. Be more of a change catalyst, a champion of change. Learn to implement and sustain change in my organization.

9. Remote management. Improve my ability to manage my remote direct reports and organization. Make better use of technology to plan, communicate, and collaborate virtually.

10. Collaboration. Improve relationships with my peers. Be a better partner, understand their goals and needs, and learn to work together to help achieve each others goals.

11. Talent management. Improve my ability to assess, hire, promote, and develop. Fill all open positions with nothing but “A” players and replace chronic underperformers. Develop a “virtual bench” for all key positions and a succession plan for my own position.

12. Time management. Get a handle on where I’m wasting time and shift my focus to more value-added activities. Learn ways to work more efficiently and prioritize.

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/01/top-12-development-goals-for-leaders.html

Are You Leading Your People, or Just Running a Company?

Best-selling leadership author Simon Sinek explains 5 ways to really look after your employees.

After safely leading 22 members of the Air Force through combat in 2002, Lieutenant Colonel Mike "Johnny Bravo" Drowley, an airman in the United States Air Force, told best-selling leadership author Simon Sinek that there are fates worse than death: accidentally killing one of your own men, or going home alive when one or more of your men does not.

That mindset--total devotion to your people--translates into a crucial leadership lesson to those individuals who are in charge of different kinds of "troops:" entrepreneurs.
"Johnny Bravo commands the kind of loyalty the rest of us couldn't buy," says Sinek, in remarks that kicked off the Inc. 500|5000 conference Thursday morning. "Without a doubt, he will be there for them. This is how trust is formed."

Sinek, the author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, challenges entrepreneurs to build similar loyalty and trust with employees.

"Because you own the company, you're the boss," said Sinek. "But you're not a leader until you make it your job to look after others."

To begin truly looking after your team (to do more than just run your company), ask yourself two questions: "Why are you building a business in the first place?" and, "At the end of your life, what do you want to be the reason you built your business?"

Here's five ways Sinek says you can turn your answer to this question into day-to-day action:

Roam the halls.

Talk with your employees. In person. Don't hide behind technology. If you're sending out e-mails to find out how people are doing, you're not listening.

Recognize good work publicly.
Sure, sometimes you need to discipline employees, but--when they do a nice job--let them, and the whole team, know it. Small acts of kindness go a long way.

Tell the personal story of how you got started--often.
Sinek points out that the best businesses are founded to address real human problems--problems entrepreneurs have passion for. Let your employees know how the original idea came to be, and all the challenges you faced plowing ahead in spite of them. Create lore.

Mark what you represent.
Sinek is a big believer in symbolism. The more you stand for something, the more your logo--and other markers--serve as a symbol to employees of who you are. For this reason, also consider the power of your company's color theme, and, for example, the clothes you choose to wear.

Give employees responsibility.
Next time an employee asks you a question, respond with a question: "What do you think we should do?" Don't just dictate the course of action. Train employees and give them the skills they need to be decision makers, and then give them the ability--and responsibility--to fail. Start by doing this in circumstances when a failure's consequences won't be so detrimental.

"Your company exists not to make money," says Sinek. "Your company exists to advance something, to do something more--and it should be for other human beings."

http://www.inc.com/allison-fass/leadership-simon-sinek-on-truly-leading-employees.html

7 Ways to Earn Respect as a Leader

Are you feeling disrespected by your employees? It may be that you're failing in one of these seven areas.

Do you wonder why some people naturally gain respect, while others have to command or, worse, demand it?

Earning respect is in direct correlation to treating others with the same. Showing respect sounds like a basic skill, and yet somehow complaints about being disrespected run rampant around coffee rooms and bathrooms in companies around the country.

Are parents and teachers shirking their responsibility for turning everyone into good little citizens that can play well with others? Perhaps, but more likely, cultural norms have changed. Families allow for greater familiarity, and schools are more focused on test scores and class sizes than they are on teaching little Johnny and Susie to stand out as leaders.

But whether you are the executive in charge or a contributing team member, your ability to earn respect will impact your emotional happiness and ultimate career trajectory. Some people in authority believe they are entitled to respect simply due to their position or experience, but this sort of respect diminishes over time and can ultimately hurt the company culture.

Here are seven tips to help you be the leader who earns respect rather than just demands it.

1. Be consistent.
If you find you lack credibility, it's probably because you are saying one thing and doing another. People do pay attention to what you say until you give them reason not to by doing the opposite. You don't have to be predictable, just don't be a hypocrite.

2. Be punctual.
Nothing makes me lose respect for someone more then being made to wait. Time is the most valuable commodity for successful people. Missing appointments or being late demonstrates a total disregard for the lives and needs of others. Get control of your calendar.

3. Be responsive.
The challenge with contact management today is there are too many ways to communicate. Between Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, text, phone, Skype, and Facetime, people are in a quandary to know what is the best way to reach you. And even with all the channels, some people still don't respond in a timely manner, leaving colleagues hanging or chasing them. Limit your channels and respond within 24 hours if you want to appear communication worthy.

4.  Be right much of the time, but be comfortable being wrong.
The simple way to be right is to do your homework and state facts that are well thought out. Still, you may have to make a best guess now and then even when information is too scarce to know for sure. Take it as a qualified risk, manage expectations, and if you're wrong, smile and be happy you learned something that day.

5. Forgive others and yourself for mistakes.
If you're not erring, you're not trying. Healthy leaders encourage experimentation and create environments of safe failure. Encourage people to take mitigated risks, and set an example for how to shake off a failure and bounce back.

6. Show respect to others when they are wrong and right.
Disparaging people who make errors will reflect worse on you than those who err. On the flip side, any jealous tendencies toward those who succeed will surely be noticed by those around. Live as if in a glass body. Assume all can see inside your heart.

7. Help those who are holding you back, but not too much.
Good leaders help those around them succeed by overcoming weakness. But respect is lost quickly for the boss who placates habitual troublemakers at the expense of the group's success. Know when to support weak players, and cut them loose when they clearly hamper the result.
Too many people today assume leadership positions without consideration for their impact on others. The leadership vacuum in business today allows them to stay as long they manage acceptable results. Ultimately, your personal leadership legacy will not be remembered for your M.B.A., your sales numbers, or the toys you acquired. Most likely, it will be the positive, personal impact you created, one follower at a time.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-ways-to-earn-respect-as-a-leader.html

Motivate Your Core Performers to Become Star Performers

No sales force consists entirely of stars; sales staffs are usually made up mainly of solid performers, with smaller groups of laggards and rainmakers. Though most compensation plans approach these three groups as if they were the same, research shows that each is motivated by something different.

As the largest cadre, core performers typically represent the greatest opportunity, but they're often ignored by incentive plans. At the same time, they're the group most likely to move the needle — if they're given the proper incentives.

Why does this valuable group tend to be off the radar screen? One reason is that sales managers don't identify with them. At many companies the managers are former rainmakers, so they pay the current rainmakers an undue amount of attention. As a consequence, core performers are often passed over for promotion and neglected at annual sales meetings. But this is not in the best interest of the company. Core performers usually represent the largest part of the sales force, and companies cannot make their numbers if they're not in the game. Here are some proven strategies for keeping them there.

Multi-tier targets. A project that Mike recently worked on with a national financial services company shows that such targets help motivate core performers. At the company a major proportion of the salespeople fell into this category. In bearish months they almost always found a way to hit their targets, but in bullish months they seldom exceeded their numbers substantially. In an effort to nudge them upward, the company experimented with tiered targets.

The first-tier target was set at a point that a majority of the company's sales agents had historically attained, the second-tier target at a point reached by a smaller percentage of the sales force, and the third-tier target at a point hit only by the company's elite. All the firm's agents were divided into two groups: The first was given targets at tiers one and three, and the second group got targets at all three tiers. The hypothesis was that tiers would act as stepping stones to guide core performers up the curve.

The tiered structure indeed had a profound impact. Core performers striving to achieve triple-tier targets significantly outsold core performers given only two tiers. By contrast, multi-tier targets did not motivate stars and laggards as much: No significant differences in performance were found for those segments.

These results suggest that core performers exert more effort if given additional tiers. Stars are presumably unaffected by the extra stepping stone because they view the top tier as attainable regardless of the number of targets. And the inattentiveness that laggards show suggests that they typically aim for and are satisfied with achieving the first-tier target.

Prizes. A research project that we're both currently working on investigates how prize structures in sales contests can engage core performers. The problem with contests is that stars usually win them. Knowing this, core performers don't bump up their own efforts. You can handicap contestants on the basis of their prior performance, which alleviates the problem to a certain degree. But that creates its own problem: What's fair about core performers' and laggards' taking home the top prizes, if stars are left with lesser prizes or no prize at all?

Ideally, sales executives would design contests so that both stars and core performers would go home satisfied. This isn't easy to do, but if you keep in mind that people are hardwired to adapt to their position in a social hierarchy, it is possible. The key is to offer gifts (not cash) for the lower-level prizes that can be seen as equal, or even superior, to the top-level prizes on some dimension. Suppose a prestigious golf vacation is awarded as a top prize and a local family getaway is awarded as a lower prize. The family getaway has a lower market value than the golf vacation, but core performers can adapt to their central position on the performance curve by shifting their preferences. They can rationalize their prize by saying, "I've golfed plenty lately — what's important to me is spending time with my family." We consistently find that core performers work harder and perform better in contests of this kind than they do in contests with cash prizes.
Furthermore, their increased effort does not come at the cost of decreased effort from stars or laggards.
However, this approach won't work if the gifts offered at lower performance tiers are simply lower-grade versions of those at the top tier. Core performers will never perceive 18 holes at a run-of-the-mill golf course as more desirable than 18 holes at a prestigious course. The lower-level prize must have some quality that the higher-level one does not. In this example, it was the local getaway's family appeal that allowed core performers to remain engaged in the contest.

You will be able to coax better performance from your team by treating your sales force like a portfolio of investments that require different levels and kinds of attention. Sales compensation plans that take into account the different needs of different salespeople — and that are based on real evidence rather than assumptions — will ensure that your sales department gets a significantly higher return on its investments.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/incentivize_your_core_performe.html

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.
To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong — abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime, and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking .... well, there's no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching, try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother — don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur ("If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

8. Don't tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it (like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time). And don't put yourself in harm's way — many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want to change your ways, ask yourself, What will I do instead? For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember, you don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/nine_things_successful_people.html

10 Habits of Remarkably Charismatic People

Charisma isn't something you have. It's something you earn. Here's how.

Some people instantly make us feel important. Some people instantly make us feel special. Some people light up a room just by walking in.
We can't always define it, but some people have it: They're naturally charismatic.
Unfortunately, natural charisma quickly loses its impact. Familiarity breeds, well, familiarity.
But some people are remarkably charismatic: They build and maintain great relationships, consistently influence (in a good way) the people around them, consistently make people feel better about themselves--they're the kind of people everyone wants to be around...and wants to be.
Fortunately we can, because being remarkably charismatic isn't about our level of success or our presentation skills or how we dress or the image we project--it's about what we do.
Here are the 10 habits of remarkably charismatic people:

1. They listen way more than they talk.
Ask questions. Maintain eye contact. Smile. Frown. Nod. Respond--not so much verbally, but nonverbally.
That's all it takes to show the other person they're important.
Then when you do speak, don't offer advice unless you're asked. Listening shows you care a lot more than offering advice, because when you offer advice in most cases you make the conversation about you, not them.
Don't believe me? Who is "Here's what I would do..." about: you or the other person?
Only speak when you have something important to say--and always define important as what matters to the other person, not to you.

2. They don't practice selective hearing.
Some people--I guarantee you know people like this--are incapable of hearing anything said by the people they feel are somehow beneath them.
Sure, you speak to them, but that particular falling tree doesn't make a sound in the forest, because there's no one actually listening.
Remarkably charismatic people listen closely to everyone, and they make all of us, regardless of our position or social status or "level," feel like we have something in common with them.
Because we do: We're all people.

3. They put their stuff away.
Don't check your phone. Don't glance at your monitor. Don't focus on anything else, even for a moment.
You can never connect with others if you're busy connecting with your stuff, too.
Give the gift of your full attention. That's a gift few people give. That gift alone will make others want to be around you and remember you.

4. They give before they receive--and often they never receive.
Never think about what you can get. Focus on what you can provide. Giving is the only way to establish a real connection and relationship.
Focus, even in part and even for a moment, on what you can get out of the other person, and you show that the only person who really matters is you.

5. They don't act self-important…
The only people who are impressed by your stuffy, pretentious, self-important self are other stuffy, pretentious, self-important people.
The rest of us aren't impressed. We're irritated, put off, and uncomfortable.
And we hate when you walk in the room.

6. …Because they realize other people are more important.
You already know what you know. You know your opinions. You know your perspectives and points of view.
That stuff isn't important, because it's already yours. You can't learn anything from yourself.
But you don't know what other people know, and everyone, no matter who they are, knows things you don't know.
That makes them a lot more important than you--because they're people you can learn from.

7. They shine the spotlight on others.
No one receives enough praise. No one. Tell people what they did well.
Wait, you say you don't know what they did well?
Shame on you--it's your job to know. It's your job to find out ahead of time.
Not only will people appreciate your praise, they'll appreciate the fact you care enough to pay attention to what they're doing.
Then they'll feel a little more accomplished and a lot more important.

8. They choose their words.
The words you use impact the attitude of others.
For example, you don't have to go to a meeting; you get to go meet with other people. You don't have to create a presentation for a new client; you get to share cool stuff with other people. You don't have to go to the gym; you get to work out and improve your health and fitness.

You don't have to interview job candidates; you get to select a great person to join your team.
We all want to associate with happy, enthusiastic, fulfilled people. The words you choose can help other people feel better about themselves--and make you feel better about yourself, too.

9. They don't discuss the failings of others...
Granted, we all like hearing a little gossip. We all like hearing a little dirt.
The problem is, we don't necessarily like--and we definitely don't respect--the people who dish that dirt.
Don't laugh at other people. When you do, the people around you wonder if you sometimes laugh at them.

10. ...But they readily admit their failings.
Incredibly successful people are often assumed to have charisma simply because they're successful. Their success seems to create a halo effect, almost like a glow.
Keyword is seem.
You don't have to be incredibly successful to be remarkably charismatic. Scratch the shiny surface, and many successful people have all the charisma of a rock.
But you do have to be incredibly genuine to be remarkably charismatic.
Be humble. Share your screwups. Admit your mistakes. Be the cautionary tale. And laugh at yourself.
While you should never laugh at other people, you should always laugh at yourself.
People won't laugh at you. People will laugh laugh with you.
They'll like you better for it--and they'll want to be around you a lot more.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-habits-of-remarkably-charismatic-people.html

9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People

I'm fortunate enough to know a number of remarkably successful people. Regardless of industry or profession, they all share the same perspectives and beliefs.

The most successful people in business approach their work differently than most. See how they think--and why it works.

And they act on those beliefs:
1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time.
Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks.
Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take. Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your "free" time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively.
Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time.

2. The people around me are the people I chose.
Some of your employees drive you nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your friends are selfish, all-about-me jerks.
You chose them. If the people around you make you unhappy it's not their fault. It's your fault. They're in your professional or personal life because you drew them to you--and you let them remain.
Think about the type of people you want to work with. Think about the types of customers you would enjoy serving. Think about the friends you want to have.
Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Hardworking people want to work with hardworking people. Kind people like to associate with kind people. Remarkable employees want to work for remarkable bosses.
Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people.

3. I have never paid my dues.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the tangible contribution you make on a daily basis.
No matter what you've done or accomplished in the past, you're never too good to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and do the grunt work.  No job is ever too menial, no task ever too unskilled or boring.
Remarkably successful people never feel entitled--except to the fruits of their labor.

4. Experience is irrelevant. Accomplishments are everything.
You have "10 years in the Web design business." Whoopee. I don't care how long you've been doing what you do. Years of service indicate nothing; you could be the worst 10-year programmer in the world.
I care about what you've done: how many sites you've created, how many back-end systems you've installed, how many customer-specific applications you've developed (and what kind)... all that matters is what you've done.
Successful people don't need to describe themselves using hyperbolic adjectives like passionate, innovative, driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they've done.

5. Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me.
Ask people why they have been successful. Their answers will be filled with personal pronouns: I, me, and the sometimes too occasional we.
Ask them why they failed. Most will revert to childhood and instinctively distance themselves, like the kid who says, "My toy got broken..." instead of, "I broke my toy."
They'll say the economy tanked. They'll say the market wasn't ready. They'll say their suppliers couldn't keep up.
They'll say it was someone or something else.
And by distancing themselves, they don't learn from their failures.
Occasionally something completely outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time, though, it's you. And that's okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. That's why they're successful now.
Embrace every failure: Own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently.

6. Volunteers always win.
Whenever you raise your hand you wind up being asked to do more.
That's great. Doing more is an opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new relationships--to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do.
Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities.
Remarkably successful people sprint forward.

7. As long as I'm paid well, it's all good.
Specialization is good. Focus is good. Finding a niche is good.
Generating revenue is great.
Anything a customer will pay you a reasonable price to do--as long as it isn't unethical, immoral, or illegal--is something you should do. Your customers want you to deliver outside your normal territory? If they'll pay you for it, fine. They want you to add services you don't normally include? If they'll pay you for it, fine. The customer wants you to perform some relatively manual labor and you're a high-tech shop? Shut up, roll 'em up, do the work, and get paid.
Only do what you want to do and you might build an okay business. Be willing to do what customers want you to do and you can build a successful business.
Be willing to do even more and you can build a remarkable business.
And speaking of customers...

8. People who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do.
Get over your cocky, pretentious, I-must-be-free-to-express-my-individuality self. Be that way on your own time.
The people who pay you, whether customers or employers, earn the right to dictate what you do and how you do it--sometimes down to the last detail.
Instead of complaining, work to align what you like to do with what the people who pay you want you to do.
Then you turn issues like control and micro-management into non-issues.

9. The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland.
Everyone says they go the extra mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who go there think, "Wait... no one else is here... why am I doing this?" and leave, never to return.
That's why the extra mile is such a lonely place.
That's also why the extra mile is a place filled with opportunities.
Be early. Stay late. Make the extra phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload or unpack a shipment. Don't wait to be asked; offer. Don't just tell employees what to do--show them what to do and work beside them.
Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do--especially if other people aren't doing that one thing. Sure, it's hard.
But that's what will make you different.
And over time, that's what will make you incredibly successful.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/9-beliefs-of-remarkably-successful-people.html