Mark Miller's Blog, page 3

The 5 Levers of Change (Part 3) Resources

This post may seem like a blinding flash of the obvious – if you want to drive change, you must resource change. There isn’t a leader in the world who would disagree with this statement. However, many leaders fail to act on this fundamental principle. To desire change without resources is a fragile hope.

This is not to say change can’t happen without resources; it is just a long, slow process; one which often ends in disappointment. The gravitational pull of the status quo is strong. This seri...

Today’s Challenge: Recruiting Talent

Selecting employees is not the same as recruiting talent. The difference between the two is profound. Today’s Challenge question is one more leaders should consider: How do you recruit talent?

First, I think the distinction in the opening paragraph is significant. Unfortunately, many leaders do not recruit talent, they select people. To select is to sort through applicants and choose the best one. To recruit is different; recruiting is…

The process of identifying the most appropriate people for...

Will You Help Me Title My New Book?

The last time I asked for your help, the response was amazing! It was about 18 months ago, I sent out a post very similar to this one. Hundreds of readers responded and you overwhelmingly selected The Heart of Leadership as the title for my last book. Thanks for your assistance in the process and your support of the book since its release! Today, I’m delighted to tell you, I’m working diligently on my next book. Here’s a quick overview…

Leadership has never been easy. The growing complexity in...

Must Wins

Have you started working on your 2015 plans for your organization? If not, it’s probably time. Where should you begin? One approach is to determine what’s most critical for your organization to accomplish in the coming years.

I attended a meeting recently in which someone shared the “Must Wins” for their department. After listening for a few minutes, I realized, he was describing what I’ve historically called organizational priorities. His language is far better than mine. To describe somethin...

Today’s Challenge: Closing the Revolving Door

Have you ever considered the cost of turnover in your organization? To recruit, select, orient and train new staff can be extremely expensive. Not to mention the opportunity cost associated with having staff in place with no organizational memory. Today’s Challenge: How do you reduce turnover?

I’ve been asked this question more than any other over the years. The reason may be our retention rate – we have historically hovered around 94 – 95%.

My answer to the question is simple – but it is not e...

The 5 Levers of Change (Part 2) Measurement

I remember a leadership challenge I faced years ago. We had a goal to be ranked #1 by our customers in 25 markets around the country. We had been pursuing this for several years and we knew we were close. When we received our scorecard, we had met our goal in 23 of the 25 markets. The two markets in which we were lagging were my accountability.

What would you have done? We changed our behavior – we invested more resources in the markets in question. We doubled our efforts. The next time we che...

Today’s Challenge: Leadership Complacency

The cost of complacency in the workforce is staggering. The cost of complacency in leadership ranks is beyond calculation – it multiplies! That’s the issue for Today’s Challenge this week: What do you do with leaders who are not fully engaged?

I’ll start by stating my answer as succinctly as possible…

You either change leaders or you change leaders.

This is some of the best advice I’ve ever heard for dealing with leaders who, for whatever reason, are not bringing their best to work.

How do you “c...

There’s Always a Way

Have you ever flown in a 1967 Piper Comanche? Until recently, I had not. Here’s the story… We were scheduled on a flight from Atlanta to Birmingham. We boarded the plane; they shut the door and about three minutes later, the pilot said, “This plane is not flying today.” What would you do in that situation?

My traveling companion said, “Follow me.” We left the airport and drove about 20 minutes south. We pulled into a driveway and a just a minute later the plane you see in the photo was pulled...

Today’s Challenge: Developing Leaders

One of the most strategic opportunities you and I have is to help other leaders grow. Our Today’s Challenge question is the second one from my recent trip to Birmingham – What’s most important for a leader to keep in mind when investing in an emerging leader?

“Most important” is a challenging qualifier. When you and I attempt to help an emerging leader, we must be mindful of many factors… What are his/her strengths? Weaknesses? What experience does the person already have? Does he or she under...

The 5 Levers of Change (Part 1) Communications

I’ve written several posts over the last few years about change. Based on the enormity of the task we face as leaders, I probably have not written enough on this important topic. So, I’ve decided to devote five posts to the primary levers of change.

I love the idea of a lever as it relates to change. As you may remember from physics, a lever creates mechanical advantage. Translated, a lever allows you to move or lift a significantly greater load than you could without it. After discovering the...