Executive & Leadership Development: Do You Lead From Your Values?

Executive & Leadership Development: Do You Lead From Your Values?: As an executive and leadership coach the topic of values is always discussed, whether they are in context to individual values, team ...

Do You Lead From Your Values?

As an executive and leadership coach the topic of values is always discussed, whether they are in context to individual values, team values, and/or organizational values. Values and understanding those that are important play a huge role in behavior and results. Because values are personal, and not always clearly defined, they remain an important but under-discussed and under-appreciated part of who you are as a person and as a leader.

It is very important to explore your values so you have a basis to understand what motivates you and makes you tick. There are two types of values: conscious based and fear based values. Conscious values allow you to take positive action. Think of these as "want to's." Values based on fear are one that cause you to take action to avoid something. They are "have to's." So, as you can see it is important for you to realize if you are choosing from passion or fear; or consciously or not. Understanding your values also has a huge impact on your level of energy and leading with positive or negative energy (see previous post, "What Does Energy Have To Do With Leadership?)

This post is meant to get you thinking about your values and understand why investing that time and thought will be of great benefit to you and to others. We all have values, and they become far more valuable when they are clearly understood and defined. Let me say that again. Your values are most valuable when they are clearly understood and defined.

In order to get the most benefit from what follows, your best first step would be to outline your values and write down the top five most important to you (if you need help, email me and I will send you a simple one page value assessment). Then rate those top five on a scale between 1 - 10 on how effectively you are living those values. What do you see? What patterns, if any, are emerging? How does this make you feel? What are your intentions after this exercise?

Here are 5 reasons to define and clearly understand your values:

1. Values guide your decisions.
As a leader you have many decisions to make - those that impact just you, and those that impact many others. Decisions, big or small, can be made faster, easier and with greater confidence when you start with your values. Run your decisions against your values. It is the best place to start. Companies have values too. Make sure your working for one that aligns with yours.

2. Values strengthen your ability to influence.
When you communicate from your values you connect to your passions. When you speak with passion, people are drawn to you, are more likely to hear your message and you will be more successful in persuading and influencing. As a leader it should be self-evident why your values matter in this way.

3. Values create clarity.
In so many ways when you are clearer your life becomes easier. Clarity helps you focus, be more productive and so much more. One of the quickest ways to gain clarity in your life is by first being clear about your values. When you work from this starting point, all the other benefits of clarity will follow.

4. Values reduce stress.
Most people I know would like less stress in their lives. As a leader it is doubly important because your stress is contagious - it infects those around you. When your decisions are clear, communication is easier and you will have less stress! You may not have thought about values in this way in the past; however, it is completely true that living from your values is a wonderful way to reduce stress.

5. Values guide your actions.
It is one thing to know and understand your values. It is another thing to behave in accordance with them. This fact impacts all of the ideas shared so far because it is when you understand and then act on your values that all the benefits are gained. This is the most important of these benefits. Your values guide your intentions and actions.

What do you think of these conclusions? How would you begin to break through your behaviors and intentions to find your leadership aligned with your values? We would love to hear from you with comments or questions. Send me a note via email at brad@aperiocoaching.net or on Twitter @bparcells.

In Latin, Aperio means to reveal, uncover, to make clear. Coaching is a powerful process that enables the client to reveal and illuminate their authentic style via a sharp focus on who they are at their core.

What Is Authentic Leadership?

 

It continues to surprise me how many leaders attempt to be one way at work, while their "true" personality emerges outside of work. Once a CEO said to me, "Leadership is acting."  I thought that was a very interesting perspective and asked, "how is that working for you?"  He said, he knew no other way that effectively got him through his day.  I wondered what his associates would say.  It should not surprise us when these same leaders seem shocked or confused when their employees don't trust them, don't like them, and can't really wait to work elsewhere.

Authenticity has been explored throughout history, from Greek philosophers to the work of Shakespeare ("To thy own self be true." - Polonius, Hamlet). Authentic leadership has been explored as part of modern management science, but found its highest levels of acceptance since Bill George's 2003 book, Authentic Leadership, as well as his 2007 book, True North. 

In True North, his premise is "just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership.  When you follow your internal compass, your leadership will be authentic, and people will naturally want to associate with you.  Although others may guide or influence you, your truth is derived from your life story and only you can determine what it should be."

While different theorists have different slants on the concept, most agree that:

1. Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine.

Authentic leaders are self-actualized individuals who are aware of their strengths, their limitations, and their emotions. They also show their real selves to their followers. They do not act one way in private and another in public; they don't hide their mistakes or weaknesses out of fear of looking weak. They also realize that being self-actualized is an endless journey, never complete.

2. Authentic leaders are mission driven and focused on results.

They are able to put the mission and the goals of the organization ahead of their own self-interest. They do the job in pursuit of results, not for their own power, money or ego.

3. Authentic leaders lead with their values.

First they understand their values and what are the most important to them. Next, they communicate these values clearly and without an attitude. They walk the talk and do so without flinching or compromising.

4. Authentic leaders lead with their heart, not just their minds.

They are not afraid to show their emotions, their vulnerability and to connect with their employees. This does not mean authentic leaders are "soft." In fact communicating in a direct manner is critical to successful outcomes, but it's done with empathy; directness without empathy is cruel.

5. Authentic leaders focus on the long-term.

A key tenet in Bill George's model is the company leaders are focused on long-term shareholder value, not in just beating quarterly estimates. Just as George did as CEO of Medtronic, leaders realize that to nurture individuals and to nurture a company requires hard work and patience, but the approach pays large dividends over time.

What do you think of these five conclusions? How would you begin to break through your behaviors and intentions to find your True North, your authentic self?  We would love to hear from you with comments or questions.  Send me a note via email at brad@aperiocoaching.net or on Twitter @bparcells.

In Latin, Aperio means to reveal, uncover, to make clear.  Coaching is a powerful process that enables the client to reveal and illuminate their authentic style via a sharp focus on who they are at their core.

We Have An Engagement Crisis!

The way we’re working is not working.  Even if you are lucky enough to have a job, you’re probably not very excited to get to the office in the morning, you don’t feel much appreciated while you’re there, you find it difficult to get your most important work accomplished, amid all the distractions, and you don’t believe that what you’re doing make much of a difference anyway.  By the time you get home, you’re pretty much running on empty, and yet you’re still answering emails until you fall asleep.

Increasingly, this experience is more common than you think and it’s not just with middle mangers, but also to with top executives. There is a huge problem facing many organizations today.  That problem is the lack of engagement.

Just 30 percent of employees in America feel engaged at work, according to a 2103 Gallup report.  Around the world, across 142 countries, the proportion of employees who feel engaged at work is just 13 percent.  For most of us, in short, work is a depleting, dispiriting experience, and it’s getting worse.  Think about that! Organizations are spending huge amounts of money to support employees who are going through the motions or just want to quit. Lost productivity, lost revenue, lost opportunities, lost individuals.

Demand for our time is increasing exceeding our capacity – draining us of the energy we need to bring our skill and talents fully to life.  Increased competitiveness and a leaner, post-recession work force add to the pressures.  The rise of digital technology is perhaps the biggest influence, exposing us to an unprecedented flood of information and requests that we feel compelled to read and respond to at all hours of the day and night.  The problem also stems from managers who are diffused and have no idea on how to engage their teams, as well as top leadership who are consumed with quarterly returns and not the success and livelihood of their most valued asset their people.

These problems are not simple to solve.  I get that.  Let me offer some thoughts on ways to begin to move forward.  The CEO needs to become the Chief Engagement Officer daily, being authentic and true to their values, setting the vision and the culture that moves the company to an employee centric organization.  Middle managers need to be trained with new skill sets to assist this movement down into the company.  In fact, we all need to take responsibility to learn new skills and lead.

Here might be a another starting point and I offer the following.  In First Break All The Rules, business consultants Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman drew from Gallup Organization interviews with more than a million employees over a 25 year period to come up with 12 questions that  “measure the core elements needed to attract, focus and keep the most talented employees.” The questions are as follows:

1.      Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2.     Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3.     At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4.     In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5.     Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6.    Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7.     At work, do my opinions seem to count?

8.    Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?

9.    Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10.  Do I have a best friend at work?

11.    In the last 6 months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12.   This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

By paying attention to questions such as these, astute managers and leaders can look through their performers’ window and better help them improve engagement and performance. As Buckingham and Coffman discovered, “those employees who responded more positively to the 12 questions also worked in business units with higher levels of productivity, profit, retention and customer satisfaction.”

What do you think of these questions?  What one step can you take or how would you begin to break through your behaviors to begin addressing your team and individuals with intention, purpose and determined emotion?  We would love to hear from you with questions or comments. Send me a note via email at brad@aperiocoaching.net or on Twitter @bparcells.

In Latin, Aperio means to reveal, uncover, to make clear. Coaching is a powerful process that enables the client to reveal and illuminate their authentic style via a sharp focus on who they are at their core that includes their faith, fire and focus.

6 Drivers for Better Leadership

No one tells you how to be a good leader. Sure, some of us are hard wired differently, but leadership is not something one is born with. It takes understanding and working on your skills consistently and learning from your mistakes. How does one become a leader? What is a leader? Robin Sharma’s book, You Don’t Need A Title To Lead, is a good place to start about effective leadership principals.

For now, here are 6 drivers for better leadership.

1. Be Authentic.

Understand your strengths, limitations and your emotions and do not act one way in private and another in public. Authentic leaders do not hide their mistakes or weaknesses out of fear of looking weak. They understand that being self-actualized is an endless journey. You will establish a culture where people understand it is ok to try and fail, rather than always playing it safe and never achieving anything.

2. Set The Culture.

A leader must set and drive the culture.  Whether you are a leader of a team or an organization, it is critical to define your culture, communicate that culture and live that culture each and every day.

3. Be Decisive.

A leader makes effective decisions and sticks with the decisions they have made, no matter how tough or unpleasant they are. As soon as you have enough information to make a sensible, informed decision, do it and move on to the next one. Equally as important is understanding the lessons learned from these decisions.

4. Be Committed.

To yourself, your colleagues, your suppliers, your vendors, your business, etc. If you are committed, show it by being authentic, positive and optimistic and present. 4. Allow employees to think for themselves and find their own way of doing things. Set the task, but then let them get on with it.

5. Praise Effort and Reward Achievement.

An important part of your job is to support your team, customers, vendors and show them their efforts are not going unnoticed, otherwise they will wonder why they are bothering.

6. Reverse Mentor.

Being a good leader is not just about training and developing your staff; it is about training and developing yourself too. Whatever age you are or experience you have, if you are concerned that your age or experience means you are in danger of getting out of touch with a younger or older generation of employees and customers, try reverse mentoring, in which a younger or older employee teaches you about stuff you don't know.

We would love to hear from you with questions or comments. Send me a note via email at brad@aperiocoaching.net or on Twitter @bparcells.

In Latin, Aperio means to reveal, uncover, to make clear. Coaching is a powerful process that enables the client to reveal and illuminate their authentic style via a sharp focus on who they are at their core that includes their faith, fire and focus.