March Madness

March Madness is almost over and we are about to embark on the Final Four in NCAA Basketball. As I watch the games and see the young men and women play their hearts out in hopes of being the national champion, I am reminded of leadership.

“What?” you may be thinking. “How is leadership similar to basketball?”

Well I’ll tell you…

I am not thinking about the game itself but what comes afterwards. The NBA Draft is really where the similarities lie. As I think of how scouts are watching the talents of the young athletes, I think of the way leaders should analyze their prospects.

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to develop those around you into great leaders. How are you going to do that if you have not selected the right candidates?

If we think of it in terms of basketball, it is essential that we select the right players for our team. If we pick the right people, the possibilities are endless, but if we choose poorly we may live to regret it.

As a leader, you must have the forethought and insight to identify candidates that are not only intelligent but also have a sense of character and integrity. Remember, this person will have to be a team player first and must be seen as a leader by the other players.

If they have the natural talent to lead and sincere concern for the development of their teammates, you may have found a winner. But if the player you selected is a “ball hog” and likes to take credit for the team’s work, you may be in for trouble.

So the next time you are looking for candidates for your team, remember March Madness and select wisely. You just may be selecting the next champion of your company. Whether it turns out to be the case or not, it’s YOUR responsibility to organize the draft and make the pick(s) you can coach for the next few seasons.

Fear of Change

Most people who have been through difficult and very bad change efforts tend to draw bad conclusions when the first thought of change comes to mind. They become really suspicious of the motives of those calling for the change and worry about the repercussions (i.e., jobs loss and new management). Of course, this is not always the case but it is normal to feel that way. Actually all change is not bad and will not turn an organization upside down. Honestly, it could help significantly. Some people would like to believe that their company couldn’t be changed. Wrong! John P. Kotter of Leading Change states that change usually is associated with a multi-step process that creates power and motivation sufficient enough to take over all sources of inertia. This process is not executed effectively unless “high-quality leadership, not just excellent management”, drives it. Leadership is about motivation and communication with others, which is exactly what is needed to drive a major change within an organization. Today things are changing with the economy so rapidly that companies seem to not have the time to catch up. The secret to staying ahead of the learning curve is to prepare your team for the change and give them as much information as possible. Do not allow many surprises. Nothing can kill the morale of a team more than them coming to work to find lay-offs taking effect and they did not hear it from you-the leader first. It is natural to be a little fearful of change, but as a leader you must embrace the change and see it as an opportunity to grow. Not just grow individually, but as a team.

Leadership Assault

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership”. Many managers like to use assault tactics in their office to get people to do what they want. This technique could not be farther away from true leadership. In actuality people want to trust their managers, they want to be part of something special and they want to be led by someone with great, fresh and bright ideas. The problem is most managers are so busy stroking their own egos that they have forgotten the true reason why they are in the position. I read someplace a quote that said, “Leaders are servants of people”. I believe that most managers today do not believe nor do they understand this concept. A true leader not only understands but s/he carries that thought in their day-to-day dealings with their team. A leader makes the team feel valued and actually includes them in the decision making process. “This is so simple”, you may say. Yes, simple. So simple that most managers believe that treating their staff as equals will diminish their credibility as a manager. They could not be more wrong. It will grow them and make them better, but I guess they would know that if they were true leaders instead of managers.

Leading and Listening

I heard about a study that said we hear half of what is being said, listen to half of what we hear, understand half of it, believe half of that, and remember only half of that. That says one thing to me: we need to work harder at listening. As leaders, we should make it our goal to be a more effective listener. In order to lead people, one must first understand them. You can’t possibly connect with someone if you don’t try to listen to and understand him or her. If you want to be more effective connecting with people, make it your goal to understand them. It is no coincidence that we have one mouth and two ears. That means we should listen twice as much as we talk. When we fail to listen, we shut off much of our learning potential. Good listeners pay attention to the small details. They also pay attention to what is not said. To be an effective leader, you need to let others tell you what you need to near, not necessarily what you want to hear. The truth is the higher people go in leadership, the more authority they have and the less they are forced to listen to others. However their need to listen becomes greater. “If they have not formed the habit of listening, they are not going to get the facts they need. When a leader stays in the dark, whatever problems the organization is having will only get worse”. John Maxwell is right.

We as leaders should force ourselves to listen more than we talk and try our best to understand those we are fortunate enough to lead. Those people have placed a trust in us that should not be taken for granted. They want us to listen to their goals and help them to achieve those goals. We would be doing them and ourselves a tremendous disservice if we did not listen. After all, we are judged by what others think and say of us, not what we think of ourselves. So why not do yourself a favor and help yourself by helping others.

Finding Your Voice

In today's world, it is imperative that we have a voice. I am not talking about the sounds that come out of our mouth when we speak, but a true voice. Something that we each believe and hold true. Something that resonates so deep within us that we can't help but talk about it. do you have a voice? We all do and it deserves to be heard. Some people may choose not to listen to our voice, but that is their loss. :) It is natural to want everyone to get It. We want them to understand our voice and receive our message, but that does not happen all of the time. This last presidential election was a prime example of delivering a message that some received and some did not. I watched both the Democratic and Republican Conventions in an effort to study the speakers. I found that how they delivered their message was just as important as what they said. Were they passionate? Were they strong? Did it make sense? These are all the things I asked myself. Finding your voice is just the first step. After you find your voice, what will you do with it next? I guess the question is not what will you do with it, but what you surely cannot do with it. You most definitely can not have your voice silenced. Many people intentionally or unintentionally try to silence our voices with their actions and words (especially in the workplace). Regardless of the situation, be sure you are heard.

As leaders, it is our job to assert our voice and help others find theirs. We do not want to be the type of so-called leaders that only enjoys hearing the sound of his/her own voice. If that were the case, we would not be leaders would we? People enjoy being heard. It is one of the key aspects of true leadership. Listening to others as they tell you who they are and what they are passionate about is paramount. The important question is: What are you going to do once that information is given to you? The answer is value that information and help your followers to cultivate their voice. If you do that, you will not only be seen as a leader, but you will be giving as as leader as well. Whether you are leading the meeting or simply a member of the team, remember we all have a voice and it deserves to be heard.