The Leadership Coaching Blog

I’ve been re-reading an article from People Management magazine which was basically posing the question - “Given the general hunger for good Leadership, why are leaders in such short supply?” The writers (Rob Goffe and Gareth Jones) put forward 2 main reasons:

1. Organisations desire leaders but structure themselves in ways that kill leadership - they encourage conformists or role players with little sense of who they are and what they stand for.
2. People’s understanding of leadership is blinkered - they focus on the characteristics of leaders and what they do to others, rather than seeing it as something they do ‘with others.’

What I believe they are saying here is that leadership should always be viewed as a relationship between the leader and the led. That there is no set recipe to follow, and that attempting to imitate other successful leaders is doomed to fail - this is because what will work for one leader will not necessarily work for another.

In many ways I agree with this - as aspiring leaders need to discover what it is about themselves that they can mobilise in a leadership context, and not purely rely on trying to ‘do’ what others do.

On the other hand, I do think that this can be a useful way of testing your effectiveness as a leader and coming to terms with your true self - in terms of what feels comfortable and natural, and what feels forced.

Anyway, there was more to this article than I have time to get down here, so will try to come back to it shortly

I heard recently that if you have a pet fish that’s sick you treat the water not the fish….

What’s that got to do with me and my environment you might ask?  Well, maybe a lot.

Your success depends to a significant degree on your environment, so in that respect you’re just like the fish!  Therefore it’s extremely important that you create a supportive environment for yourself.

You’ll notice I said that you “create” it for yourself, rather than it just automatically “being there.”  Because we might be doing a lot of the right things, but still not be succeeding, as a result of the environment we’re
operating in.

You need to pay attention to your environment now and check out whether it’s supporting you or hindering you.  By environment I mean your physical, emotional and your intellectual environment.

• Is your work place, your office or your home somewhere you love to be?  If not what can you do about
  it?
• Do you have supportive family, friends and work colleagues?  If not what do you need?  Start asking for it!
• Are you feeding your brain protein every day, or just sweets or candy?  Are you being stimulated or
  are you stuck in your comfort zone?  What can you learn, think about or plan today that will stimulate your brain?

Remember, you need to create an environment that supports you; an environment that supports you at the level you want to be, rather than at the level you are now!

I found this piece on a site while surfing - I think it’s from a Success magazine interview with Colin Powell at the end of 2005.  Powell’s 12 Leadership tips are taken from the article “Leadership – From the battlefields to the boardroom: Colin powell explains how to be a leader worth following.”  It makes interesting reading.

1. Never be afraid to make people mad -  Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group.  Some decisions you make may upset certain individuals; this is inevitable. Trying to be nice to everybody will only invite mediocrity and compromise your goals as leader.
2. The day the soldiers stop bringing their problems is the day you have stopped leading them - Make yourself accessible and available.  Too often, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness, which leads to cover-ups and poor performance.  Show your concern for the people below you.
3. Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites - Always question what the experts say if you don’t understand.  Don’t assume that they know more than you, and certainly don’t be cowed into accepting something that you don’t fully understand.
4. Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard - Learn from the pros; seek them out as mentors and partners.   But if you don’t agree with what they’re saying, let them know.  Reputations shouldn’t be a hindrance to progress.
5. Never neglect the details. When everyone’s mind is distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant.   All the ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can’t be implemented rapidly and efficiently.  Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to
   the details every day.
6. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try - Don’t wait for permission—just get things done.  If you ask too many people, one of them will say no. So don’t ask.
7. Keep looking below surface appearances - Don’t assume that today’s realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear, and predictable fashion.  Take steps to solve problems as—or, if possible, before—they emerge.
8. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds - Surround yourself with the brightest and the best. It will make the difference between organization and  achievement.
9. Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it - Change is stifled by people who cling to their turf.  Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and new  responsibilities.
10. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier - Leaders who cast blame or whine engender those same behaviours among their staff.  Have an attitude that says, ‘We can change things here, we can achieve our goals, we can be the best.’
11. Have fun in your command. Take leave when you’ve earned it.  Spend time with your family - Finding the right balance is essential; a happy home life means greater productivity in the workplace.
12. Command is lonely - The buck stops here.  The essence of leadership is the willingness to make the tough decisions.  Prepare to be lonely.

What do you think of when you hear the word momentum? I think of movement, motion, action, progress.  In fact the dictionary definition of momentum is “impetus gained by movement.” 

I believe that one of the biggest things missing in many people’s lives today is momentum - that impetus you need to keep moving forward. Once you gain momentum, continued movement becomes easier.  But it doesn’t happen all by itself, and it doesn’t happen overnight!

It needs you to start taking actions, to take the small steps that put you in motion. These small steps initially lead to small gains; but these small gains in turn eventually lead to bigger gains, because you’re using the power of momentum.

So, where do you need to gain momentum?   And what’s stopping you?

In the words of one of my mentors - “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going!”

Gain momentum and watch your life, your leadership role, your business, even your world change.

I’ve just rediscovered a short piece summarising the presentation given by Robin Sieger, Success Strategist, at the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnal & Development) Scottish conference in the past year.

He talked of influencing not being just a matter of words and actions, but about how you make people feel.

He challenged delegates to think about one of their school teachers and remember what they said or did….

I’ve just done this and my History teacher immediately sprang to mind - I can’t really remember her actual words or specific actions, but what I did capture so well was her presence.

She was always extrememly animated and passionate about her subject and the pupils she was teaching, and certainly succeeded in making me feel totally involved in the life and times of the people we were studying.

She made history alive, real and highly relevant to me.  She captivated my interest and made me feel connected, important, special, even privileged.

What a great lesson that is to the way we should think about ‘winning friends and influencing people’ for those of us in leadership positions; whether we’re parents, managers or leaders of a social group.  The way we influence best is by making the other person feel special, good, happy, enthused or inspired.

So, maybe we shouldn’t be focusing so much on what we want to say or do, bur rather on how we want people to feel.  That way we might have a much better chance of success!

One of the things I try to do in my Coaching Programmes is to get you to explore the idea of success.

What does it mean to you?  Not what you think it means, or what society generally holds up as its idea of success.  Not even what your peers, your friends or partner think of success!  But rather what success looks like, feels like, and sounds like to you.

Until you’ve really considered this in terms of what would make you happiest and feel most fulfilled in life, you’ll always be striving for someone else’s version of success…

Consider this - who was more successful?   

Mother Theresa, who had very few worldly possessions? or, Bill Gates, the multi billionaire?

Viewed in the sense of success being the realisation of your personal goals (based on your knowledge or feelings of what would make you feel most successful) then quite obviously, both are successful.

But viewed from the current norm of success meaning lots of money, and the visible signs of your wealth, then you would arrive at a completely different conclusion.

Remember, it’s your life, and only you can determine and then reach for success on your own terms.

Good Luck!