Lee Ellis's Blog, page 110

Coaching Article – How Leaders Are Boosting Their Team Productivity

You have to be honest yet respectful, so what do you say? And how do you say it? Or just leave it alone and say nothing? In a previous article, guest Tom Crawford stressed that communication is the essential ingredient for organizational success. As former Chairman and CEO in three major companies and current member and principle Crawford Corporate Coaching, his record of leadership success is almost unparalleled in terms of better communication for team productivity. When he shares his experience, wise leaders bend an ear to listen and learn.

The Elmer’s Glue of organizational development

Earlier, Tom highlighted communications (not Elmer’s) as being the critical glue that aligns senior leaders and all staff people in the organizational culture with mission, vision, values, and strategies.

“Clear communication strengthens a team’s bond and allows them to collaborate better, bringing the best ideas and efforts into focus toward accomplishing goals.” [Tweet This]

Then, he spoke about clarity—the critical next step in the communication bond.

Clarify to align expectations and goals

It takes work to gain clarity by communicating and over-communicating to get alignment. In my 30 years of work in the art and science of natural behavioral assessment, it’s a distinct characteristic that clarity doesn’t come naturally for many leaders not to mention the variety of behavioral profile types on your team that hear and process information differently.

In my book, Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability, I list five reasons why we don’t clarify. The barriers are so strong that we all must be intentional and push ourselves, or in the words of my military staff college training, “Fight for Clarity.”

The one revolutionary habit 

In this article, Tom shares another gold nugget that also connects us back to communications. But this time, the bottom line is more about listening. Here is the way Tom expressed it:

Knowledge is powerful.Knowledge shared is more powerful.Knowledge from the people in the company who touch it every day is the most powerful of all. [Tweet This]

Wow! Tom is saying that senior leaders need to be listening to the ideas and insights from people at the lower levels. On the surface that seems logical and practical, and it’s so obvious and simple that you would think it’s a “no brainer.” But the higher you go in the organization, the harder it is to “lean down” and listen (especially for specific LBDNA Profile Types). It is a consistent consulting point in the work that I do with organizations.

Strategic listening is not a natural, common practice among busy senior leaders because it requires time and patience and a positive belief in the power and capacity of others. And like all the other great leadership attributes, it also requires the rare leadership combination of confidence and humility that few of us naturally have.

Choose to learn new behaviors  

Much of the problem is that we’re fighting nature, and our natural tilt is either results-oriented or relationship-oriented.

Results-Oriented Leaders

For Results-oriented leaders, strategic listening is typically a big challenge. It is contrary to their strengths and emphasizes their struggles.Strengths – Quick to grasp big picture; initiating, want to move quickly to get resultsStruggles – Can be over-confident in their own opinions and reject others ideas; not naturally good listeners, impatient

Relationship-Oriented Leaders

For Relationship-oriented leaders, strategic listening is also a challenge but for different reasons.Strengths – Optimistic, like new ideas; Trusting and supportive of othersStruggles – Too optimistic and take on too much, try to do everything at once; too trusting, strong need for approval, may be taken advantage of by others

Know yourself and get going  

This month’s nugget is that great leaders know and proactively get input from their people.

We’ve discussed some common reasons why this is not easy, but you should reflect objectively on your own personal situation. The bottom line is that leaders need a plan to understand yourself and your natural strengths and struggles, and we use the Leadership Behavior DNA behavioral assessment in our training and consulting for this purpose.

LE [Tweet This Article]

Understanding Your Team’s Natural Talent Mix is Critical   

Everyday, our clients use the Leadership Behavior DNA Assessment to calculate their personal and team scores on behavior strengths and struggles, communication style, and leadership balance for awareness and growth. Client surveys reveal the impact that LBDNA has on organizational performance, unity, and culture.

Read Some Survey ResultsRequest a Customized Training ProposalBecome Certified to Administer LBDNA

 

 

[1] Tom Crawford began as an insurance clerk and worked his way up to the executive suite and boardroom. He has served as Chairman and CEO of three major insurance companies. He now serves on several boards and heads Crawford Corporate Coaching, where he helps executive teams create clarity and systems for greater success.

 

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, June 18, 2021

“Education without direction is a one-sided social value. Direct action without education is a meaningless expression of pure energy.” – Martin Luther King

 

 

 

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Giving Back – Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF)

Based in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. Leading with Honor supports this worthwhile organization.

Visit their website for more information

 

 

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2 Important Points for Next Gen Leaders

We have the unique power and responsibility to choose our direction. As we watch our young people stepping out into the world, one of the greatest gifts we can give them is an appreciation and methodology for making good choices—choices that will bring rewards and fulfillment in their life and career.

I like to call this two-part approach a person’s “operating system” for living. Let’s unpack these two concepts as though you’re speaking to your next generation leader –

Make choices based on your uniqueness (a micro focus).

This is the starting point. There is no one else in the world like you; therefore, what works for others may not work for you. To understand your unique design, learn your natural talents, passions and interests, skills, and values. The earlier that you can confirm your design, the more time you’ll have to fulfill your purpose.

Make choices based on the wisdom of human design (a macro focus).

Choices based your unique design are crucial, but so are the choices that come from wisdom that applies to all people. These are the principles and mindsets that have existed through the ages to guide and protect people of all cultures. These are not unique but apply to all.

What interferes with your making wise choices? It could be your ignorance, upbringing, lack of opportunities, or doubts and fears. What’s the solution to making wise choices? You must stay connected to others who can help you gain wisdom.

Why not take the time now to help your next generation leaders understand their uniqueness and gain wisdom for their futures?  I’m glad they have an honorable leader like you to help them.

Read and watch the entire Leading with Honor Coaching on this topic – “Here’s a Two-Part Success Plan for Next Gen Leaders”

 

 

 

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Leadership History Lesson for June 13th

On this day in leadership history in 1920, the U.S. Post Office Department ruled that children may not be sent by parcel post.

What’s the leadership lesson? Thank you USPS for your past leadership in this regard! Honorable leaders know not to ship children via USPS.

 

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, June 11, 2021

“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy

 

 

 

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Coaching Clip – How to Help Next Gen Leaders Make Good Choices

In this season of next generation leaders either graduating or starting a new career, there are some important choices that need to be made. What are the most important choices to consider as a future leader? And how can veteran leaders advise them?

Lee offers his valuable advice based on his past experience assessing, training, and teaching them, and then he answers two popular FAQs that we receive on this leadership topic. Please watch and share with others –

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Assessment

This 19-page report provides accurate, personalized results on Insights on Leadership DNA Traits (based on the eight factors of behavior), Natural Leadership Strengths and Struggles, Natural Communication Style, Results vs. Relationships Balance, and includes a personal development plan in the report for applying the results.

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Book

Understanding Natural Behavior is Today’s Hidden Competitive Advantage – Grounded in statistical research and supported by data from millions of clients and more than 45 years of workplace experience, Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie reveal their personal stories on how they’ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

Career Direct – Purchase the Assessment

Originally developed by Lee Ellis more than 20 years ago, the Career Direct assessment examines four critical components of career selection to help you discover what you were made to do. Learn more at the link above with the organization that continues to use this assessment.

Crush Your Career book – Purchase the Book

Another excellent resource to consider is Dee Ann Turner’s book, Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job, and Launch Your Future. After more than three decades leading teams and coaching staff members at Chick-fil-A, she knows what it takes to build a fulfilling career.

 

 

 

 

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Coaching Article – Here’s a Two-Part Success Plan for Next Gen Leaders

As I look back on my life’s journey, one of the things that stands out most is that our happiness and success depend on our choices. Choose the wrong path and you’re virtually guaranteed to arrive at a destination that is less than your potential and may, in fact, bring discouragement and heartache.

My focus on this concept of choices hasn’t been a casual one. For over 30 years, I’ve led development teams that researched, developed, and validated several behavioral and career assessments that have been used worldwide by more than 300,000 individuals, including Fortune 500 companies and nationally recognized non-profits. So, my point of view is framed by my extensive research and experience in the assessment and development of human behavior.

Choosing Our Direction

Choices occur in both our work and our personal lives. Several wise and famous leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries have commented on this fact –

“Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy [Tweet This]

“Education without direction is a one-sided social value. Direct action without education is a meaningless expression of pure energy.” – Martin Luther King [Tweet This]

“Direction not intention determines your destination.” – Andy Stanley [Tweet This]

These three quotes are slightly different, but they all highlight the importance of direction.

What is implied is that we have the unique power and responsibility to choose our direction. As we watch our young people stepping out into the world, one of the greatest gifts we can give them is an appreciation and methodology for making good choices—choices that will bring rewards and fulfillment in their life and career.

In this month’s 5-minute coaching clip, I describe these choices in more detail as well as answer a couple of popular FAQs on this topic. Please watch below –

How can we help them see that those choices will depend both on their unique personal design and the common wisdom that guides and protects all humankind? I like to call this two-part approach a person’s “operating system” for living.

Let’s unpack these two concepts as though you’re speaking to your next generation leader –

Make choices based on your uniqueness (a micro focus).

This is the starting point. There is no one else in the world like you; therefore, what works for others may not work for you. To understand your unique design, there are several key knowledge points that are important to choose your direction.

Your natural talents. Much of my work and past experience in career guidance hinges on our “go to” natural behaviors (talents). They are collectively called one’s DNA Behavior , and you can never be both successful and happy unless you’re using your best talents. Some people work best alone and with details of facts and data. Other people work best with lots of people interaction and operate better with general concepts. Both are critical in the workplace, but most of us are more one than the other.Your passions and interests. What excites you, gets your attention, and draws you in? For me it was adventure, aviation, sports, and variety. For my brother, it was more in teaching and coaching and helping others develop. And none of our children’s passions and interests were exactly like ours. But as a career coach, I learned that you should go with the flow of your passions, or you will likely be swimming upstream struggling against the current. Choose to do what you love, and you’ll always enjoy working.Your skills. These are important, but generally are learned and developed as you go along, and typically, they are the places where your talents and interests overlap.Your values. Values are assessed from several areas.Life Values focus on those character and related standards that are most important to you. What are your values that define how you will live your life?Work Outcome Values help you identify if money, fame, helping people, or conquering big challenges will be most important for you.Work Environment Values help you define the type of workplace that suits you best. Do you prefer inside or outside, high risk or low risk, etc.?

“The earlier that you can confirm your unique design as an individual, the more time you’ll have to fulfill your purpose.” [Tweet This]

When we launched a career assessment for high school students, it was designed and intended for teens. But the minute it went public, the demand came from adults who were not happy in their work. Over the next few years, the demand from adults was 2 to 1 over teens. Choose to intentionally understand your unique design now rather than just “let it happen” over time.

Make choices based on the wisdom of human design (a macro focus).

Choices based your unique design are crucial, but so are the choices that come from wisdom that applies to all people. These are the principles and mindsets that have existed through the ages to guide and protect people of all cultures. These are not unique but apply to all.

What interferes with your making wise choices? It could be your ignorance, upbringing, lack of opportunities, or doubts and fears. What’s the solution to making wise choices? You must stay connected to others who can help you gain wisdom.

Gaining wisdom is the sharpening tool for consistently operating with good judgment. You can master your understanding of your unique design, but bad choices in wisdom can take you off course very quickly with potentially painful consequences.

Through others, you learn wisdom for critical situations that enable you to courageously choose the wise path and perfect your personal “operating system”. As evidenced by these verses from the Bible, wisdom isn’t a new concept, but it’s been proven to work for those who seek it –

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” – Proverbs 1:5 ESV“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.” – Proverbs 3:13 ESV

Why not take the time now to help your next generation leaders understand their uniqueness and gain wisdom for their futures?  I’m glad they have an honorable leader like you to help them.

LE [Tweet This Article]

3 Resources to Help Guide Your Career Journey

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Assessment

This 19-page report provides accurate, personalized results on Insights on Leadership DNA Traits (based on the eight factors of behavior), Natural Leadership Strengths and Struggles, Natural Communication Style, Results vs. Relationships Balance, and includes a personal development plan in the report for applying the results.

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Book

Understanding Natural Behavior is Today’s Hidden Competitive Advantage – Grounded in statistical research and supported by data from millions of clients and more than 45 years of workplace experience, Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie reveal their personal stories on how they’ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

Career Direct – Purchase the Assessment

Originally developed by Lee Ellis more than 20 years ago, the Career Direct assessment examines four critical components of career selection to help you discover what you were made to do. Learn more at the link above with the organization that continues to use this assessment.

 

 

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A Mentor for Life – Business Mentoring Success Story

Check out this inspirational story from Jennifer Benyard, an Executive MBA student at Kennesaw State University, on her recent experience of being mentored by a seasoned businessperson.

You will read about her lessons learned as well as the importance of long-term relationships.

Please read on the CEO Netweavers website, and be encouraged!

 

 

 

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Check out the Leading with Honor Store

Have you ever visited the Leading with Honor Online Store? From audio to books to training guides, we have solutions for your team’s leadership development. Savings packages are available too, for bulk purchases.

Visit the Leading with Honor Store

 

 

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