One of my clients is regularly abrasive with his staff members. As we discussed it a few weeks back, he shared that he really hated this aspect of his behavior. He only acted this way because he felt it was the only way to keep things on track. He then asked for my advice on how to stop it. “Before we try to stop your current behavior,” I said, “let me ask you a question”…
Passion is easy when you’re young. You don’t yet understand all the reasons why your dreams are so tough to pursue. Everything seems possible. As you get older, harsh realities set in. You realize it takes a hell of a lot of effort to achieve them. Roadblocks to your plans are everywhere and it becomes tougher to stay passionate.
This week a client asked me what I felt was the most important quality of a successful leader. My response was authenticity because, like a knife, it can cut through undiscussed issues, opening up conversations and making a lot of other problems solvable. Many leaders unfortunately pervert the concept of authenticity, using it as justification to rip into people and ideas without making themselves vulnerable.
At a recent dinner with a long standing client she reflected on the pride she felt for what her team had been able to achieve over the last year. Under her stewardship they had realized a market leading position in a very competitive niche. I asked her what she felt drove their strong performance. I loved her answer.
In any endeavor, you get bombarded with more information than you can handle. If you try to focus on too much you’ll scatter your energy – and lose your effectiveness. To succeed, sort out major issues from minor ones. A client of mine uses a powerful tool to get at this idea.
The title is a quote by William McKnight, former CEO of 3M. It’s a powerful statement regarding the responsibility of leadership. However, it doesn’t go far enough in describing what great leaders do. There should be a second sentence. “If you don’t help people TEAR DOWN fences, regardless of how they got there, you also get sheep.”
One of my clients runs a fast-paced technology business. A frequent struggle of his is staying on course throughout the day. One process we implemented to help him is called “3 Things”. Each morning he uses it to determine the 3 significant tasks he’s committed to completing that day. If he strays, he uses it to pull himself back.
One of my clients, a successful 40-year veteran in the insurance business, is a master at using confusion to his advantage. 75% of what comes out of his mouth are questions to clarify something. It’s like watching an episode of Columbo. When we chatted about his style, he explained it this way . . .
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