Lolly Daskal's Blog, page 78
June 27, 2019
6 Things Bad Managers Will Fear but Great Leader Will Do
Recently one of my clients, a leader of his own company, saw that one of his teams was not as enthusiastic as they used to be about their work and things were starting to slack. The team’s manager just shrugged and said they were a lazy bunch. That’s when my client called me in to help.
A recent survey sheds some light on employee dissatisfaction: 69 percent of the people surveyed said they would be more satisfied if their employers better utilized their skills and abilities, and 59 percent felt their company viewed profits or revenue as more important than how people are treated.
What this survey illustrates so profoundly—and what I’ve found to be true with my client’s team and in other companies I work with—is that people most often lose their passion for work because of how they are treated.
Here are the suggestions I made to my client:
Cut back on bureaucracy. Sometimes people lose enthusiasm because they’re so caught up in processes and procedures that feel like they spend their days just feeding the bureaucracy. When you can free them from unnecessary tracking and authorizations, they have the time and energy to connect with the work you hired them to do. Let them know they can lead where they are, with maximum empowerment and minimal red tape.
Treat everyone as an owner. When you get rid of bureaucracy, you have to replace it with something—and the ideal solution is an entrepreneurial culture, a workplace where people feel they have a say in what is happening now as well as future directions. Get people to start feeling and thinking like owners. Many of my client’s managers objected to this suggestion—they had a lot of investment in the bureaucratic model—but he moved forward anyway. He held a town hall meeting and told each of his employees how important they were to him and that from that point on they should think of themselves as owners. “If you were running this business, what would you do, what ideas would you have?” he asked them—and then let him know that he genuinely wanted to hear their answers.
Make information fully transparent. One of the biggest complaints employees have is being in the dark with decisions being made behind closed doors. If you expect people to act like owners, they need full access to information, with a clear understanding of the big picture, strategic goals, changes of direction, and what’s going on in the minds of management. They need to be brought to the table for input and be included in important conversations; they need to be invited into meetings and decision-making discussions.
Let their voices be counted. It’s one thing to say you can drive and make decisions, but it’s another to listen and hear what someone has to say. Great leaders should always grant people a place to express themselves, a way for their voices to be heard and their questions to be asked, and then—this is the tough part—seriously address the issues that they bring up. When you allow people’s voices to count, you increase trust and bring back enthusiasm and drive.
Follow their lead. If a team member comes up with a great new idea, get behind it and help them find the right people with the right skills to make it happen. Guide them and assist them when they need it but let them lead their own initiative. They’ll learn planning, delegation and management, and you’ll have a more valuable employee.
Reward effort as well as progress. Everyone wants to be recognized for the work they do. It doesn’t matter what step of the ladder they’re on. As leaders and owners, we sometimes forget to acknowledge the hard work and the long hours, but those are things we should never take for granted.
Many managers feel threatened by an entrepreneurial culture because they feel their authority has been limited. But leaders with the courage to take the leap soon learn that the more you empower your people the more powerful things can happen.
Lead from within: Fearful managers restrict power; bold leaders empower people whenever they can.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post 6 Things Bad Managers Will Fear but Great Leader Will Do appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 25, 2019
How to Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor
We all know how valuable a mentor can be. They can change your career, open up new perspectives, and help you reach the next level. But many people never take advantage of the benefits of a mentor, even though they really want one, for the simple reason that they don’t know how to ask.
If you’re considering a mentor or working up your nerve to ask, here are some tips that can help:
Start by thinking it through. Before you start selecting a prospective mentor, give some thought to what you want to accomplish and what kind of help you can use.
Find a candidate. Identify a mentor who can help you with what you want to achieve. The ideal candidate is someone who has done something similar themselves, who has the expertise and knowledge you need. Think of the people you already know, and talk to colleagues who may be able to connect you with a wider network of candidates. As you think about possible mentors, consider their values and their style of leadership and communication to make sure they’re compatible with yours. And keep your options realistic: the CEO of a large corporation may be the person who feels like the best fit, but it’s not likely that they have time to devote to mentorship.
Make the ask. Once you’ve identified the best candidate, it’s time to approach them. Don’t just walk up to someone and ask, “Will you be my mentor?” It might work, but it’s awkward and not the best path to a yes. Instead, try this technique, which has always worked for me: Say, “I really admire [something that stands out to you about their work] and was wondering if I could ask for your advice and guidance from time to time as a mentor as I [what you want to accomplish].
Express gratitude. Once you have a response, whether it’s yes or no, express gratitude for their time and effort. You never know why they might be saying yes, and you can never judge the reasons why they may have said no. Whatever their answer and their reasons, a gracious response from you will build goodwill.
Set up expectations. If the person does say yes, follow up to work through the details. Be sure that you and your mentor have a clear understanding of exactly what you want from the relationship, how much time it will take, and how often you will meet.
Lead from within: A mentor can be immensely helpful. It’s important to find the right person and, once you do, to get the relationship off to a good start by asking in the right way.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 20, 2019
How Do You Know a Great Leader When You See One?
As a speaker who talks on the subject of leadership to large groups and all kinds of different audiences, I am often asked if it’s possible to spot a great leader when you see one. And my answer is always the same: yes, it is.
A truly great leader will stand out from a crowd—not because they have authority, and not because they have a title, but because of the quality of their character.
For some reason, many of us have lost sight of character. It’s rarely an area of focus in books and classes on the subject of leadership. It’s often treated as an old-fashioned concept, maybe because we are surrounded by so many examples of poor character.
But character will always be the central element of leadership, one that cannot be ignored or dismissed. It’s the foundation of greatness, because character is how we engage, how we choose, how we act, how we decide.
Here are five important ways that character reveals itself in leadership:
Integrity. A leader stands out from the rest when they lead with integrity, because integrity means they are honest and have a strong moral inner compass. It means that every word, every promise is backed by accountability.
Humanity. Humanity reminds us that people are at the heart of leadership. It means leading with empathy and fairness, and it makes all the difference in building sustainable success for leaders and teams.
Courage. A courageous leader—one who’s unafraid to challenge the status quo, who’s willing to take on discomfort and risk on behalf of their team—is able to lead people confidently into new territory and heights of success.
Humility. Someone who leads with humility sees their role as allowing others to shine. Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less, and it’s the hallmark of the very best leaders.
Transcendence. When a leader is equipped with transcendence they lead with optimism and purpose, which encourages others to see the bigger picture, to think in new and imaginative ways and produce excellence.
If you aren’t consistently working to keep your character at the center of your leadership and your life, you risk losing a foundational element of genuine success. Guard your character always.
Lead from within: Without character running through your veins as the source of your leadership, and without integrity as the internal GPS for navigating your life, you cut yourself off from the possibility of greatness.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How Do You Know a Great Leader When You See One? appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 18, 2019
Learn to Master the Skills You Need to Lead
As a leadership coach, I have found that leaders are usually measured more by who they are than what they do. Skills and reputation is incredibly important in leadership. And, as Warren Buffet once said, it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.
No matter what great things you do, your leadership will be impaired if you’re not the person you should be and you are not doing what you should be doing. So what skills and attributes should a leader cultivate to build and to master their leadership? Here are the 10 that matter most.
Self-awareness. The most respected leaders know who they are and what they are capable of achieving. Self-awareness allows you to see your own patterns and consider whether they’re serving you well. It helps keep you honest with yourself so you can lead from within.
Integrity. Admired leaders don’t only talk about doing the right thing. Their actions match their words, and they do what is right, not what is easy. When they make a statement or decision, everyone believes that they will follow through. Integrity is the foundation of great leadership.
Emotional intelligence. Intelligence and technical skills can take you so far, but it’s emotional intelligence that allows you to reach the top. Emotionally fit leaders are able to manage their stress levels without taking their emotions out on their team. They’re also more empathetic and understand what makes other people tick, which in turn makes them better able to motivate and inspire them.
Communication. A respected leader is one who communicates well by email, on the phone, and face-to-face. People need to be able to grasp the purpose, the directions, and the end goal of any project in order for it to be completed successfully. Excellent communication skills are essential in establishing and maintaining a productive work environment.
Decisiveness. A big part of being a leader is decisiveness. That means the ability to apply your knowledge and instincts to make sound decisions on the fly. It also means that once you’ve made up their mind, you don’t hesitate to commit. Leaders who are consistent in their decisions, who rarely second-guess or change their minds, generate trust—not only from their team but from everyone around them.
Optimism. At the core of great leadership, leaders need to be champions for their organization and its mission, staying positive even in the face of setbacks. Leaders are most effective when they can stay motivated in tough times and remain positive when things go wrong, keeping their team’s spirits up and motivating them to keep achieving their best in any climate.
Humility. There is no more powerful leader than one who shows humility in their character. Great leaders admit when they are wrong and take criticism as an opportunity for growth. They are able to show how grateful they are to be where they are, and they treat leadership as an opportunity for service, not an excuse for privilege.
Delegation. Many leaders are perfectionists and have a hard time delegating, especially when they have a particular vision and are passionate about its execution. But the most effective leaders—those who truly understand what leadership is about—recognize that by delegating tasks to others, the workload is shared and team spirit thrives. They take care to assign the right task to the right person so that it can be completed correctly, effectively, and on schedule.
Flexibility. When a leader understands that everyone is different, they can be agile and adaptable when needed. An essential skill for great leaders is having the ability to adapt their leadership style to diverse situations and needs, maintaining a focus on their team as well as the bottom line. Staying at the cutting edge of any industry requires flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly to all kinds of changes, within and outside the organization.
Willingness to grow. I cannot stress this skill enough. Far too many leaders think the skills that got them there are the ones that are going to keep them there. But that is never the case. The best leaders are always coachable and teachable. They know they need support to stay on top and they need to grow to stay relevant as the world around them changes. Businesses want leaders with diversity and agility.
Lead from within. Leaders must master many skills, those that keep your reputation intact are among the most important—not only for yourself but those you lead.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post Learn to Master the Skills You Need to Lead appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 17, 2019
How to Tell Your Boss to Stop Texting You on the Weekend
She was the sixth executive assistant to leave in the past year, and her boss—my coaching client—had no clue why he was losing so many employees. He kept telling me what a great leader he was. But as you’ve likely heard me say before, people don’t leave jobs, they leave leaders. To get to the bottom of the situation, I got permission from my client to talk with the six assistants who had left him.
They didn’t need much encouragement—they were all eager to speak. And each of them cited the same issue: getting work texts on the weekend. Not just as an occasional thing in the face of a crisis or deadline, but constantly, as an extension of the work week.
They all had similar responses:
“If my boss is texting me, I need to reply immediately.”
“If my boss is texting me, it makes me nervous and puts me on edge.”
“If my boss is texting me, I feel I have to get the task done right away, because it must be important.”
Before sharing the news with my client, I offered his former employees some coaching in case the situation came up again. Here are the strategies I shared them for dealing with a text-happy boss:
Communicate up front. When you get hired, tell your boss, “I am available while at work, but once I am home, I value my time with my family, so unless it’s an emergency please don’t text me on weekends.”
State expectations. As another approach, you can say “If you have a need to text me on the weekends, know that I probably won’t be able to respond right away, because the weekend is my time to regroup and reset.”
Reinforce the message. If your boss doesn’t get the message and persists in texting you on the weekend, remind them of your policy with your actions—in other words, don’t answer until you’re back in the office on Monday.
Manage the context. If the texts persist, respond with a simple message: “I will get to this on Monday.” Unless it’s an emergency, treat it as an opportunity to learn about managing relationships and maintaining boundaries.
Train your boss. Work with your boss to establish such great communication during the week that they don’t feel the need to try to reach you on the weekends.
Lead from within: Any boss will want to get the most of their employees. It’s the employees who need to draw appropriate boundaries and speak up when it’s too much.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Tell Your Boss to Stop Texting You on the Weekend appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 13, 2019
You Need to Have a Leadership Mindset if You Want to Succeed
If you’re in a leadership position, you got there because of a set of skills and abilities. You did great work and got promoted, or you took off with an entrepreneurial idea, and at some point you became the leader, the boss, the manager, the one in charge.
But as the old saying goes, what got you here isn’t going to keep you here. If you are in any leadership position, it’s essential that you learn and adopt a leadership mindset if you want to succeed. Here are the six key components for developing a leadership mindset:
A leader is only a leader if they have followers: Remember, you’re only a leader if you have followers, and to be a successful leader means getting others to buy into your vision and mission. If people don’t feel motivated or inspired by what you’re doing, they’re not likely to follow you or trust you. Make sure to connect and engage those you lead, and help them find meaning in what you are doing.
Even if you are in charge, you are not the authority: You may be the person in charge, but that doesn’t mean you should try to do everything yourself and make it happen on your own. A successful leadership mindset is about delegating authority—not just tasks—to the right people to get the job done.
Navigate people instead of trying to fix them. Most new leaders think they have to come and immediately begin solving problems and fixing situations. Instead, consider it your job to make sure the people on your team have everything they need to do their job. The mindset of successful leaders is to navigate people, not to try to fix them.
Stand with your people, don’t lead them from the front: Many leaders think they need to stay ahead of their people. But a leader’s proper place is standing right beside them, supporting them. Be in the foxhole with those you lead and they will follow you through the trenches.
Coach and praise people publicly but criticize privately. In the moment, it’s easy to unthinkingly criticize people in front of others, but the effects are detrimental—and lasting. Successful leaders know they need to serve as a coach or guide, to praise people out loud and reserve critical feedback for a private talk.
Communicate with clarity so people aren’t in obscurity. Communication is at the heart of great leadership. Some leaders are unnecessarily secretive, and others think they’re doing a great job of communicating in spite of evidence to the contrary. The best leaders cultivate the skills and the mindset they need to ensure clear, constant, consistent communication, because they know it’s the key to getting the results they want and building the trust that makes a strong team.
Lead from within: A leader with the right mindset can go far and achieve great success. Do you have a leadership mindset?
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post You Need to Have a Leadership Mindset if You Want to Succeed appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 11, 2019
How to Ask for Help When You Need It
I am not sure how it began, but there is a definite belief among many people that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In my work as a leadership coach, I see it again and again in all kinds of organizations, companies and teams: very smart people need help but don’t ask for it, and their refusal ends up keeping them from being as productive and effective as they could be otherwise.
If you’re reluctant to let anyone know you need assistance—whether it’s because of pride, fear of being judged or just not wanting to draw attention to yourself—it’s time to get over it. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re learning to ask for help:
Demonstrate you’ve tried. When you encounter a roadblock, try to get around it by yourself before reaching out. People are more inclined to help those who have tried to help themselves first. Explain what you’ve tried on your own and what went wrong before asking for advice.
Seek collaboration. Once you’re ready to ask for help, propose it as a partnership between you and your helper. You don’t want to dump everything on them but to put your heads together to look for solutions as a team. Let them know you’re willing to do your part.
Be specific. Make sure the person you’re asking knows how they can be most valuable to you. Tell them exactly what kind of help you need, and why, to make sure the assistance you get is what you actually need.
Stay engaged. It’s important to stay engaged with the person who’s helping you. Learn from them, watch them, listen to them—ask questions and take notes. If you pay close attention to how your colleague is handling the problem, you should be able to tackle it on your own in the future. You’ll even be able to help the next person who faces the same issue.
Know that most people enjoy helping. If you’re scared to approach someone to ask for help, remember that most people love to help others. In return, make sure you let them know that their assistance will have a meaningful impact. People like to know their actions matter.
Ask privately, praise publicly. The best way to ask for help is do it privately. Pick one or two people you think are best suited to help you. Ask for what you need—don’t forget to be specific—and when you’ve cleared the hurdle, praise them publicly for the help they’ve given you.
Give help to get help. When the time comes to ask for help, you’ll have a big point in your favor if you have a reputation of being someone who’s willing to give help. When your turn comes to ask, you’ll know how good it feels to give. And when your turn comes to help, you’ll know what a relief it is to the person in need.
The next time you find yourself needing help, remember that how you ask is almost as important as what you ask, that people are willing to give much more often than not, and that there’s no better way to reward them than by letting them know, in public, how important their help was.
Lead from within: Asking for help isn’t easy, but it is necessary if you want to be as effective and productive as you know you can be.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Ask for Help When You Need It appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 6, 2019
How to Avoid Being a Pushover at Work
In any group of people, some will be more assertive than others. Many of those who aren’t assertive by nature face a constant battle to avoid crossing the line into passivity. Even the most laid-back people don’t want to be a pushover.
If your lack of assertiveness has become unhealthy—or is starting to take a turn in that direction—start by asking yourself where the issues are coming from. Maybe you feel you need to please people, or you want to be liked, or you think silence shows your strengths.
Whatever your reasons, being a pushover won’t raise you in anyone’s estimation. It means you’re being taken advantage of. And when you’re tired of it, here are some smart steps you can take as you learn to stand up for yourself with confidence:
Get to know your triggers. What situations freeze you up the most? What people or areas do you associate with problems? The more you understand what’s going on, the better you can combat it. Becoming mindful of self is the first step to making a change.
Learn to prioritize. If you’re saying yes to too many things, spend more time thinking through priorities. Start with the things that are most central to your role and responsibility. When you focus on your priorities, it’s easier to say no to the things that will interfere with them.
Practice saying no. The best way to change your responses is to learn a new behavior, and at the core of not being a pushover is mastering the art of respectfully but firmly saying no. A good starting place is my blog post “17 Different Ways to Say No.” Remember that the best way of getting good at anything is to keep practicing, and that learning to say no gives you more room to say yes to the things you really want to do.
Offer solutions. If you find yourself presented with impossible requests, try to present a solution or an alternative resolution that will help achieve fill the need without making it your responsibility. Learn to be part of the solution without taking over ownership of someone else’s problem.
Stop saying you’re sorry. If you have a tendency to be a pushover, you likely find yourself apologizing often. Try to eliminate “sorry” from your vocabulary except in situations where you’ve actually made an error or caused harm. The next time someone wants to dump something on your lap, just say no and let it go. Offer an alternative if you’re able, but don’t apologize for not taking on something that wasn’t yours to begin with.
Enlist the help of others. It’s hard to change behavior on your own, so enlist a group of people to support you. Find friends, colleagues or a coach who can keep you assertive and accountable. Create yourself an inner circle of people you can count on to help you set appropriate limits.
Keep practicing. Like everything else in life, learning to stand up for yourself takes practice. Remind yourself daily to be confident and firm. It may be difficult at first, but you’ll be happier in the long run.
If you’re among the pleasers, the sacrificers, the doers, the martyrs, remember that being a pushover is not a sign of strength but a gap in your leadership.
Strength will come from standing up for yourself, learning to say no, coming up with solutions and being confident. When you stop sacrificing yourself to please others, you can showcase your strengths.
Lead from within: The worst way to lead is to try to please everyone, because you end up pleasing no one—least of all yourself.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Avoid Being a Pushover at Work appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
June 4, 2019
This is What Keeps Most CEO’s Up at Night
A lot of people in leadership dream about becoming the CEO of a company. The opportunity to lead people from the top, develop strategies, and make an impact in the world is an exciting prospect for many people.
As an executive leadership coach, I have the privilege of working with numerous CEOs. I know their enthusiasm and passion firsthand, but I also know what keeps many of them up at night. Here is a little insight into the things that trouble CEOs:
The human reality of leadership. Many CEOs are excited about processes and development and strategy, but they struggle with the human factor of leadership. People want to work with a leader they resonate with, and building close ties to people at every level is one of the most important parts of leadership. CEOs need to be able to talk about their values and let people know who they are if they want to attract and keep the best people. It comes naturally to some, but for those who are more private or introverted it can be a worrisome prospect.
Talent management. When I talk with CEOs, talent-related issues almost always come up as an area of concern. Once the province of the human resources department, talent management—establishing corporate structures for recruiting, hiring, and retaining the very best people in their field—has grown in importance and can take as much as 20 percent of a CEO’s time. Top people have plenty of opportunities, and to be competitive in recruiting and retaining them means creating a work experience keyed to the factors that drive them.
Creating new business models in light of disruptive technologies. CEOs work within an ever-shifting landscape of business and technology, and they’re expected to constantly be finding new ways of getting things done while maintaining output and efficiencies. Staying in front of rapid changes on multiple fronts takes ingenuity and creativity, and it’s a common source of stress among CEOs.
Building a strong management team. Even the greatest leader needs a strong management team, and as companies grow they often outpace their management expertise. CEOs are concerned with identifying the right managers inside and outside the organization, getting them in the right places, and leading them with a consistent focus on strategic initiatives and problem solving. It’s not an easy task.
The flux of the world. Faced with a complex balance of global power centers, shifting economies, and geopolitical threats, a growing number of CEOs find themselves dealing with multiple value systems and multidimensional frameworks. A majority—58 percent—said they find it difficult to balance global competition and protectionist tendencies. Many CEOs are required to set their organization’s purpose within a context of worldwide changes and opportunities.
Building and maintaining trust. The days are gone when the CEO of a company was rarely accessible to the customer, when consumers had little knowledge of how a product is produced and a supply chain is crafted. Today’s CEOs are held to a very high standard in a public conversation carried out over traditional or social media. They know they will be scrutinized and their decisions evaluated not only within their organization but also by the public. In the face of such transparency, building and maintaining trust is more important than ever.
Staying ahead of the competition. CEOs think and analyze and debate and converse about how best to stay competitive in a crowded marketplace. The smartest have figured out that instead of just attending to their competitors, they have to focus on their organization’s unique differentiators and value proposition to stay ahead of the curve. It’s a stressful balance, especially when the livelihoods of people are on the line.
Any great CEO has a lot on their plate, and that lends itself to worry and sleepless nights. But it’s the leader who can take it all in stride—and even find joy in the complexity—who is the most successful.
Lead from within: The best thing leaders can do when they are worried is to slow down within themselves so they can catch up to what is happening on the outside.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post This is What Keeps Most CEO’s Up at Night appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
May 30, 2019
How to Delegate Effectively and Be A Successful Leader
If you are good at your job most likely you pride yourself on being capable and competent in what you do, and most likely you like to do things on your own, to make sure that things get done correctly. But that is old school leadership. The new school of leadership is, if you want the job done right, you have to learn how to delegate it properly so that it can be done to the proper standard. Here are ways successful ways to delegate to get the job done effectively.
Pick the right person: The first thing to do when you want to delegate a task is to match the right person to the right job. One of the biggest time wasters in business is delegating to the wrong person. Often a task is delegated to a person who isn’t capable of getting the job done right. Be sure that the person you delegate the task to is capable of doing the job.
Create requirements for agreements: Once you have selected the right person for the job, take the time discuss the requirements of task to make sure, that you and the person agree on what will get done. The more time you take to discuss and agree upon the end result or objective, and achieve absolute clarity, the more efficient the person can be.
Specify preferences: if you like a job to be done a certain way, make sure to explain how you want the job to be done. it cuts down on confusion and it creates clarity of expectations.
Create clear outcomes: Make the delegation task measurable. Explain what is to be done, how you think it should be done, and the reasons for doing this job in the first place, because if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
Forward feedback: Ask the person to actively feed back to you the instructions you have given them and have agreements on how to move forward. This is the only way that you can be sure that the other person actually understands what the expectations are and what requirements entail for the delegated to accomplished.
Invite questions: Make yourself available for the person being delegated to ask as many questions as they need to. Invite questions and be open to suggestions, tell people to come back to you only if they have a problem. There is a direct relationship between how much people are invited to talk about the job and how much they understand it, accept it, and become committed to it. You need to delegate in such a way that people walk away feeling, I can do this job and I can do it well.
Manage time: Set a deadline and a schedule for completion of the task. At the same time, arrange for regular reporting and for periodic inspection. Invite feedback and questions if there are any delays or problems that may occur and most likely will happen.
Assign ownership: allow the person that you have delegated to take responsibility for the task or job to be done. this leads to confidence and competence. Let them take one hundred percent responsibility this can be a major performance motivator. The more often you assign responsibilities to the right people, the more competent they will become.
Lead from within: As a leader, the more you delegate effectively, the greater the time you will have to do the things that only you can do.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
How to Succeed as A New Leader
12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: iStockPhotos
The post How to Delegate Effectively and Be A Successful Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.
