This past weekend HTS celebrated our 2010 successes with our annual company retreat. We met in Lenexa Kansas, a suberb in the SW KC area, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with our entire staff. That has been our habit since the mid 90's - to gather the troops and celebrate the past year and prepare for the next one. The venue was very good and excitement was high as we gathered to get acquainted with new team members and review things.
Friday afternoon the teams were in training. Our engineering and sales teams learning about Mitel, SonicWALL and Microsoft. Our dispatchers spent time working on processes to improve service delivery. Our admin team was together working on things from their perspective. How much do you invest in training your people? Hosting a multiday retreat for a staff of 80 plus is not inexpensive - in fact it is really quite a cost - but you can't look at it as an expense but rather an investment. So often owners are short sighted in how they approach their people - the biggest cost on the P&L - but the biggest resource the company has to succeed too. And that is what we have to focus on - equipping our resources with more knowledge and skill so they are able to continue to grow and excel even more in the years ahead.
That is particularly true of leadership teams. Often companies will spend money for sales or technical certifications. After all, they are required to keep vendors happy and to remain authorized to sell their products or qualify for their programs. But how many companies are investing more in their leadership team? This group of people has the largest impact on the direction and success of a company and yet often has little or no investment in getting better. We don't spend money on the leadership - somehow they are supposed to figure it out by osmosis. It doesn't really work that way I am afraid. We need to continue to sharpen our skills as leaders and invest in ourselves as a leadership team. Without that we become stagnant and come to a point where we are no longer equipped to continue leading the charge.
Friday night we did two things - we had fun and mixed and mingled and enjoyed getting connected with each other. There were a number of our team that I had never met face to face before. Hard to imagine isn't it - but long gone are the days where I am involved in every interview and hiring decision. This is the one time we try and connect all the dots for everyone from our 7 locations. Unfortunately the ice in Oklahoma prevented that team from attending, but most all the others were with us. People are able to work more closely and effectively when they can put a face to a name. They can relate better and feel more confident when they have shaken the hand of their teammate. It just makes for better working conditions even with all the across the wire collaboration tools we have today. There is nothing quite like a face to face connection!
The other part of our Friday night event was our annual awards presentation. Each year we honor a number of our team for their exceptional work during the past twelve months. We realize that it is the team that makes a successful company - not just the leadership. We recognize the top sales and service producers and rookies of the year. We hand out go-giver awards to those who embody our company vision and mission and reach out to help others. We honor those who are leading the way in driving our business, and those who embrace the spirit of HTS. It is a fun time of recognizing those who go above and beyond to make it happen every day. Team is what makes HTS successful and we want to make sure those who really help us succeed are given their just rewards.
Saturday we did a review of the past year - not spending a lot of time dwelling on the past - but looking at areas we can improve in. While it is important to learn what we can from past performance - we can't drive effectively by looking in the rear view mirror. Far too many leaders spend all their time dissecting the past and far too little planning for and executing for the future. So we spent much more time looking at the plans for 2011 than our performance in 2010. We also broke the group into smaller groups to talk about our personality traits and how we can work better together with those who might think a bit differently or be wired in a different way.
We closed the day with some motivational comments from our President - Connie Arentson - and then I did a Q&A session for the team answering the proverbial question of when our next M&A will occur. I shared my perspective on the market, on China and other big picture items and focused the team on our big rock for 2011 - getting our processes and customer experience consistent for every interaction we have.
So was the investment worthwhile? I definitely think it was and the feedback from the team indicates they enjoyed it much as well. We have to take time to celebrate our successes and share our vision for the future if we want to succeed. Our teams don't read our minds. We have to be intentional about how we lead. And by the way - as I shook each employees hand on the way out we gave them their bonus for 2010 which always leaves a smile on their face as they head home. Sharing our success with them is our way of saying thanks for a job well done. We are blessed to have the team we do - and want them to know we really appreciate all the hard work. Have you been intentional in leading and investing in your team? If not, now is the time to start. They will take you to the next level!
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
CEO Forum III
This past week HTG hosted our CEO Forum III in sunny Tampa Florida. We had 20 company principals join us for a day and a half of lively discussion about what it means to become a CEO in an SMB IT company today. We are grateful to ConnectWise for hosting our first day, and enabling us to have a discussion around what the role is, and how to create a structure around the CEO in the form of a leadership team. We discussed selection, compensation, evaluation and all things leadership team.
One of our featured sessions involved Arnie Bellini, CEO at ConnectWise, sharing his vision around what role a CEO fulfills. You can catch the presentation on ConnectWise University, but he really simplified it into two key areas (which I believe are right on the money):
The second area is all about the people. We will go nowhere that our people don't go. It is the role of the CEO to lead people down that path. We have to focus on helping them work at the level they are capable which is often more than they believe possible. At times we need to help them play nicely together in the sandbox. But always we have to remember that people are the main job of all we do - at every level. My experience is that every minute invested in meaningful relationships will always be a good investment.
Day two was focused on people and how we interact with each other. Dr Larry Little was with us - author of the book "Make a Difference" (which is available on LuLu.com) - and he led us through great learnings on how we are wired and more importantly how different personalities relate to each other. We learned that each of us are some combination of lion, monkey, camel or turtle - each with unique qualities and characteristics that make us who we are. The magic was not so much in the animal labels as in the communication it enabled. We were able to relate the different personality types to each other and talk freely about things that occur between them. It truly was an eye opening experience for the group.
This year HTG is focused on the fourth pillar in our trek toward excellence as IT companies. We are working on the top of the pyramid - the most challenging area - people. We identified this as a core area of competency we all need to achieve to be able to truly lead best in class organizations. We will be continuing our quest to learn more about leadership, management and people skills this year. Dr Little gave us a great starting point - it is essential we understand what makes people tick - and then learn to manage the interactions that will occur between folks who are not wired quite the same - or maybe are wired too much the same - or maybe are just plain wired. We have a ways to go - so let the journey begin.......
One of our featured sessions involved Arnie Bellini, CEO at ConnectWise, sharing his vision around what role a CEO fulfills. You can catch the presentation on ConnectWise University, but he really simplified it into two key areas (which I believe are right on the money):
- Strategy/Vision/Dreaming
- People/Counseling/Leading
The second area is all about the people. We will go nowhere that our people don't go. It is the role of the CEO to lead people down that path. We have to focus on helping them work at the level they are capable which is often more than they believe possible. At times we need to help them play nicely together in the sandbox. But always we have to remember that people are the main job of all we do - at every level. My experience is that every minute invested in meaningful relationships will always be a good investment.
Day two was focused on people and how we interact with each other. Dr Larry Little was with us - author of the book "Make a Difference" (which is available on LuLu.com) - and he led us through great learnings on how we are wired and more importantly how different personalities relate to each other. We learned that each of us are some combination of lion, monkey, camel or turtle - each with unique qualities and characteristics that make us who we are. The magic was not so much in the animal labels as in the communication it enabled. We were able to relate the different personality types to each other and talk freely about things that occur between them. It truly was an eye opening experience for the group.
This year HTG is focused on the fourth pillar in our trek toward excellence as IT companies. We are working on the top of the pyramid - the most challenging area - people. We identified this as a core area of competency we all need to achieve to be able to truly lead best in class organizations. We will be continuing our quest to learn more about leadership, management and people skills this year. Dr Little gave us a great starting point - it is essential we understand what makes people tick - and then learn to manage the interactions that will occur between folks who are not wired quite the same - or maybe are wired too much the same - or maybe are just plain wired. We have a ways to go - so let the journey begin.......
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Leadership Matters
This is the third blog post regarding the 10 Things I Accidentally Learned on the Path to Growth and is a topic many of us as small business owners take for granted. After 25 years in this business, it has become more apparent than ever that leadership is a key to success. As I work with small businesses both inside the IT channel and in the marketplace at large, leadership seems to be a missing link for many organizations today. There seems to be a tendency to believe that investments in tools and processes will make businesses successful. My experience says that just ain’t so.
Leadership is required to have ongoing success. People don’t “just get it” by some sort of osmosis. They need, and quite frankly, want to be led. The problem with leadership is not so much the followers as it is those who are supposed to be the leaders. Owning a business is more than just filing the needed paperwork. It doesn’t make you a leader any more than just giving birth makes a woman a good mother. Leadership requires focus and hard work. It means we have to invest in ourselves – now that is a new concept for many – because we have to be able to grow if we want to lead our company.
The Law of the Lid
John Maxwell talks about the “Law of the Lid” which unfortunately describes the place many small businesses are today. This law says that you can’t lead your company beyond your personal leadership level. The company can’t pass you up. You are the lid – and if you are not continually investing in yourself and growing in your leadership and management skills – your company will get stuck and not be able to continue moving forward. Often owners want to blame their staff for these periods of stagnation when they need to look in the mirror and realize the problem starts with themselves.
Level 5 Leadership
One of the best descriptions of the way leadership growth occurs comes from the 5 levels of leadership. Most of us in IT began our companies as highly competent contributors – we were very good at what we did and decided to start a company. Problem is – that is level one leadership – and it doesn’t take a company very far. If we don’t invest in learning and growing our leadership skills we will remain leading company of ourselves and maybe one or two others. We can’t grow beyond that as we are the limiting factor. We must move up the leadership ladder and work toward becoming a level five leader. At that point we will have opened the doors to leading our company as far as we wish – leadership won’t be the issue – and we can grow and take our team toward that strategy and planning we have put in place.
Discipline
Another aspect of leadership is that it always is focused on people. But beyond people, good-to-great organizations have three forms of discipline:
• Disciplined people – you don’t need hierarchy,
• Disciplined thought – you don’t need bureaucracy
• Disciplined action – you don’t need excessive controls
When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, it results in great performance. But this culture has to be caught, not just taught, and it requires leadership from the top. The culture of discipline will happen as your team observes what and how you live. As the owner, you set the tone and the culture. It is up to you to create the discipline your company needs to succeed. It comes through leadership.
A hard question
Verne Harnish wrote that A-Player execs read 24 books per year. How do you measure up with those facts which were gathered by Brad Smart, father of the Topgrading concept, who researched 6500 top executives? So what is the difference between the A-players and the C-players? The A-players were continuous learners, reading on average 24 books per year (12 fiction and 12 non-fiction). That is how we become better leaders. We have to be learners. It must be continual, focused and intentional as we build our leadership toolbox and skills. If we don’t, we really have to ask ourselves whether we belong on our own bus or not. As the research showed - those who don't read barely have an advantage over those who can't!! That is a sobering reality. We must dig in and learn.
My story
I led for many years believing I had all the skill I needed to take us forward. I even bragged that I hadn’t read a book since high school – I managed to graduate college without reading any books at all – just love those Cliff notes and study aids. But we stalled and I was frustrated and then one day I looked in the mirror and realized that the problem was me. I had gone about as far as I could take us and realized it was time to wake up and become a leader. So I began reading and getting involved with peers and attending seminars and just learning all I could. I was the cap. Too often that is how small business goes. The owner just doesn’t make the needed investment in self and team to keep growing the business. Don’t make that mistake. You truly can’t lead your company past your own ability. Leadership matters – become a continual learner and take your company to new heights.
Leadership is required to have ongoing success. People don’t “just get it” by some sort of osmosis. They need, and quite frankly, want to be led. The problem with leadership is not so much the followers as it is those who are supposed to be the leaders. Owning a business is more than just filing the needed paperwork. It doesn’t make you a leader any more than just giving birth makes a woman a good mother. Leadership requires focus and hard work. It means we have to invest in ourselves – now that is a new concept for many – because we have to be able to grow if we want to lead our company.
The Law of the Lid
John Maxwell talks about the “Law of the Lid” which unfortunately describes the place many small businesses are today. This law says that you can’t lead your company beyond your personal leadership level. The company can’t pass you up. You are the lid – and if you are not continually investing in yourself and growing in your leadership and management skills – your company will get stuck and not be able to continue moving forward. Often owners want to blame their staff for these periods of stagnation when they need to look in the mirror and realize the problem starts with themselves.
Level 5 Leadership
One of the best descriptions of the way leadership growth occurs comes from the 5 levels of leadership. Most of us in IT began our companies as highly competent contributors – we were very good at what we did and decided to start a company. Problem is – that is level one leadership – and it doesn’t take a company very far. If we don’t invest in learning and growing our leadership skills we will remain leading company of ourselves and maybe one or two others. We can’t grow beyond that as we are the limiting factor. We must move up the leadership ladder and work toward becoming a level five leader. At that point we will have opened the doors to leading our company as far as we wish – leadership won’t be the issue – and we can grow and take our team toward that strategy and planning we have put in place.
Discipline
Another aspect of leadership is that it always is focused on people. But beyond people, good-to-great organizations have three forms of discipline:
• Disciplined people – you don’t need hierarchy,
• Disciplined thought – you don’t need bureaucracy
• Disciplined action – you don’t need excessive controls
When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, it results in great performance. But this culture has to be caught, not just taught, and it requires leadership from the top. The culture of discipline will happen as your team observes what and how you live. As the owner, you set the tone and the culture. It is up to you to create the discipline your company needs to succeed. It comes through leadership.
A hard question
Verne Harnish wrote that A-Player execs read 24 books per year. How do you measure up with those facts which were gathered by Brad Smart, father of the Topgrading concept, who researched 6500 top executives? So what is the difference between the A-players and the C-players? The A-players were continuous learners, reading on average 24 books per year (12 fiction and 12 non-fiction). That is how we become better leaders. We have to be learners. It must be continual, focused and intentional as we build our leadership toolbox and skills. If we don’t, we really have to ask ourselves whether we belong on our own bus or not. As the research showed - those who don't read barely have an advantage over those who can't!! That is a sobering reality. We must dig in and learn.
My story
I led for many years believing I had all the skill I needed to take us forward. I even bragged that I hadn’t read a book since high school – I managed to graduate college without reading any books at all – just love those Cliff notes and study aids. But we stalled and I was frustrated and then one day I looked in the mirror and realized that the problem was me. I had gone about as far as I could take us and realized it was time to wake up and become a leader. So I began reading and getting involved with peers and attending seminars and just learning all I could. I was the cap. Too often that is how small business goes. The owner just doesn’t make the needed investment in self and team to keep growing the business. Don’t make that mistake. You truly can’t lead your company past your own ability. Leadership matters – become a continual learner and take your company to new heights.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Do You Need A Digital Fast?
There have been a lot of discussions lately about the addiction that many of us have to our email, PDA’s, Ipads and the like. Let’s face it – for many of us it is true – we need to learn a little about balance. My bride calls my PDA my binky because I don’t really go many places without it and am constantly getting some sort of validation from pulling it out and reading the lines that appear on it. We all struggle with life/work balance – but the “always on, always connected” world we live in makes it a real temptation for us to deal with.
So there are a few new wrinkles being talked about today. The “staycation” is the first – just stay home rather than go on vacation and truly get away. Somehow we have convinced ourselves that staying home and pretending that we are not working is the same as truly leaving home with our family to enjoy the sights of God’s creation in this unbelievable world we live in. Let’s call it what it is – a staycation is an excuse to not take the family somewhere – save some coin – catch up on all the honey do jobs we have made excuses about for months or years – and somehow deceive ourselves into thinking it is just as good as an Alaskan cruise or a trip to Mount Rushmore with a couple screaming kids in the back seat asking “are we there yet” a few hundred times. It just isn’t the same – certainly not for everyone except you.
The latest craze is a “digital fast”. We just unplug from it all – from the PDA, social media, the Internet as a whole – thinking somehow that will set us free. Here’s a news flash – what a digital fast does is pile up all the information into a bunch of places so when you come off the cleansing you are completely overwhelmed. This isn’t like a fast from eating where you don’t go back and have to eat all the food you avoided during the fast once you end it. Somehow it doesn’t quite work the same digitally. If people would quit sending emails, updating Facebook, stop Tweeting etc. this concept might have a chance at working. But they don’t – in fact – it always seems to me the intensity of the sending and updates ratchets up a notch when I am offline. No one seems to deal with all the electronic accumulation while I am away or fasting digitally. It just doesn’t work the same.
Alexandra Samuels wrote a great article on the digital fast on Harvard Business Review the other day. Check out her post and consider these things she wrote:
The real answer to all of this is still the same basic principle – balance. We will never return to the days of old where we are not connected everywhere we go. At least not without significant planning and effort. It is the mission of all the wireless companies to make sure that doesn’t happen. Can you hear me now? So it comes down to CHOICE. We have to make a conscious effort to put our digital connectivity where it belongs – getting our focus and attention when appropriate – or remaining in our pocket or turned off completely when it is not. Up to this point at least, we still have to interact with the device to have it communicate to us. We can’t blame anyone other than ourselves. It is a matter of self-control and discipline – like most things that matter in life. If you need some help figuring that out – check your PDA in with your spouse when you walk through the door. My guess is they won’t struggle to make the choices for you at all!
So there are a few new wrinkles being talked about today. The “staycation” is the first – just stay home rather than go on vacation and truly get away. Somehow we have convinced ourselves that staying home and pretending that we are not working is the same as truly leaving home with our family to enjoy the sights of God’s creation in this unbelievable world we live in. Let’s call it what it is – a staycation is an excuse to not take the family somewhere – save some coin – catch up on all the honey do jobs we have made excuses about for months or years – and somehow deceive ourselves into thinking it is just as good as an Alaskan cruise or a trip to Mount Rushmore with a couple screaming kids in the back seat asking “are we there yet” a few hundred times. It just isn’t the same – certainly not for everyone except you.
The latest craze is a “digital fast”. We just unplug from it all – from the PDA, social media, the Internet as a whole – thinking somehow that will set us free. Here’s a news flash – what a digital fast does is pile up all the information into a bunch of places so when you come off the cleansing you are completely overwhelmed. This isn’t like a fast from eating where you don’t go back and have to eat all the food you avoided during the fast once you end it. Somehow it doesn’t quite work the same digitally. If people would quit sending emails, updating Facebook, stop Tweeting etc. this concept might have a chance at working. But they don’t – in fact – it always seems to me the intensity of the sending and updates ratchets up a notch when I am offline. No one seems to deal with all the electronic accumulation while I am away or fasting digitally. It just doesn’t work the same.
Alexandra Samuels wrote a great article on the digital fast on Harvard Business Review the other day. Check out her post and consider these things she wrote:
“I'm troubled by the underlying narrative, that our ability to unplug is necessary to prove that we're not Internet addicts. We're supposed to demonstrate our grasp of human relationships by our ability to relate face-to-face, as well as online. We're supposed to show that we can be present by being absent from the web.
The very idea of a digital "cleanse" implies that our time online makes us dirty; the idea of a digital "fast" suggests that there's a virtue in going without.
We plug in because we like it.
When we're online, participating in social media -- we're meeting some of our most basic human needs. Needs like creative expression. The need to connect with other people. The need to be part of a community. Most of all, the need to be seen.
It's the very fact that the Internet can meet so many fundamental needs, significantly if not completely, that gets people nervous. We are accustomed to defining our human experience in terms of what happens face-to-face:
We can have meaningful emotional or intellectual contact with people that we rarely or never encounter in person.
We're not sure, or we're reluctant to admit that it feels real, because we are trained on connection inherently requiring physical presence.
But what most digital fasters describe the experience to be like is a realization of how online and offline lives are integrated.
If unplugging needs to be a part of our approach to living and working digitally, it's through the daily practice of taking downtime, of opting for reflection rather than distraction.“
The real answer to all of this is still the same basic principle – balance. We will never return to the days of old where we are not connected everywhere we go. At least not without significant planning and effort. It is the mission of all the wireless companies to make sure that doesn’t happen. Can you hear me now? So it comes down to CHOICE. We have to make a conscious effort to put our digital connectivity where it belongs – getting our focus and attention when appropriate – or remaining in our pocket or turned off completely when it is not. Up to this point at least, we still have to interact with the device to have it communicate to us. We can’t blame anyone other than ourselves. It is a matter of self-control and discipline – like most things that matter in life. If you need some help figuring that out – check your PDA in with your spouse when you walk through the door. My guess is they won’t struggle to make the choices for you at all!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Management or Leadership
This week there was a great post in Harvard Business Review by Robert Sutton entitled “True Leaders Are Also Managers”. This is an age old discussion – what the role is of a CEO vs. President or manager vs. leader. The article includes these comments:
“In my reviews of the writings and research, I kept bumping into an old and popular distinction that has always bugged me: leading versus managing. The brilliant and charming Warren Bennis has likely done more to popularize this distinction than anyone else. He wrote in "Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader" that "There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial." And in one of his most famous lines, he added, "Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing."”
Sutton continues with these words: “Although this distinction is more or less correct, and is useful to a degree, it has unintended negative effects on how some leaders view and do their work. Some leaders now see their job as just coming up with big and vague ideas, and they treat implementing them, or even engaging in conversation and planning about the details of them, as mere "management" work.
Worse still, this distinction seems to be used as a reason for leaders to avoid the hard work of learning about the people that they lead, the technologies their companies use, and the customers they serve. "Big picture only" leaders often make decisions without considering the constraints that affect the cost and time required to implement them, and even when evidence begins mounting that it is impossible or unwise to implement their grand ideas, they often choose to push forward anyway.”
He is right on the money. There has to be balance between the two. Robert Sutton goes on to close with these words: “I am not rejecting the distinction between leadership and management, but I am saying that the best leaders do something that might properly be called a mix of leadership and management. At a minimum, they lead in a way that constantly takes into account the importance of management. Meanwhile, the worst use the distinction between leadership and management as an excuse to avoid the details they really have to master to see the big picture and select the right strategies. Therefore, harking back to the Bennis theorem I quoted above, let me propose a corollary: To do the right thing, a leader needs to understand what it takes to do things right, and to make sure they actually get done. When we glorify leadership too much, and management too little, there is great risk of failing to act on this obvious but powerful message”.
So when we boil down the whole leadership versus management debate – there are a few things that need to be considered:
1. Every company needs someone focused on doing both. There must be someone serving the role of CEO (big picture thinker) and someone filling the role of President/GM (get it executed)
2. These are not mutually exclusive nor do they have to be at odds with each other
3. It is difficult for one person to effectively do both roles consistently
4. Much of the success that can happen when done right centers around effective communication between the roles and with the entire team
5. Execution is still the only thing that truly matters – big pictures that are not executed are just hallucination!
So the guidance is clear. Make sure your company is practicing both roles. Balance them through continual open communication. Lead by assuring execution so you don’t spend your time spinning your wheels and hallucinating about what could be and should be. Determine the course and just get er done!
“In my reviews of the writings and research, I kept bumping into an old and popular distinction that has always bugged me: leading versus managing. The brilliant and charming Warren Bennis has likely done more to popularize this distinction than anyone else. He wrote in "Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader" that "There is a profound difference between management and leadership, and both are important. To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct. Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial." And in one of his most famous lines, he added, "Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing."”
Sutton continues with these words: “Although this distinction is more or less correct, and is useful to a degree, it has unintended negative effects on how some leaders view and do their work. Some leaders now see their job as just coming up with big and vague ideas, and they treat implementing them, or even engaging in conversation and planning about the details of them, as mere "management" work.
Worse still, this distinction seems to be used as a reason for leaders to avoid the hard work of learning about the people that they lead, the technologies their companies use, and the customers they serve. "Big picture only" leaders often make decisions without considering the constraints that affect the cost and time required to implement them, and even when evidence begins mounting that it is impossible or unwise to implement their grand ideas, they often choose to push forward anyway.”
He is right on the money. There has to be balance between the two. Robert Sutton goes on to close with these words: “I am not rejecting the distinction between leadership and management, but I am saying that the best leaders do something that might properly be called a mix of leadership and management. At a minimum, they lead in a way that constantly takes into account the importance of management. Meanwhile, the worst use the distinction between leadership and management as an excuse to avoid the details they really have to master to see the big picture and select the right strategies. Therefore, harking back to the Bennis theorem I quoted above, let me propose a corollary: To do the right thing, a leader needs to understand what it takes to do things right, and to make sure they actually get done. When we glorify leadership too much, and management too little, there is great risk of failing to act on this obvious but powerful message”.
So when we boil down the whole leadership versus management debate – there are a few things that need to be considered:
1. Every company needs someone focused on doing both. There must be someone serving the role of CEO (big picture thinker) and someone filling the role of President/GM (get it executed)
2. These are not mutually exclusive nor do they have to be at odds with each other
3. It is difficult for one person to effectively do both roles consistently
4. Much of the success that can happen when done right centers around effective communication between the roles and with the entire team
5. Execution is still the only thing that truly matters – big pictures that are not executed are just hallucination!
So the guidance is clear. Make sure your company is practicing both roles. Balance them through continual open communication. Lead by assuring execution so you don’t spend your time spinning your wheels and hallucinating about what could be and should be. Determine the course and just get er done!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
CEO and Entrepreneurship
This blog post is based on some great information shared on Harvard Business Review written by Stever Robbins. You can find the original post here. Mr. Robbins gives some great thoughts on the role of a CEO and particularly on success in that role as it relates to entrepreneurship. He focuses on the reality that most CEO's likely began their journey as an entrepreneur, and as such, need to do some things differently as they grow in their leadership responsibilities. Here are some of his thoughts:
"The CEO entrepreneur sets a company's vision and strategy. The vision is why the company exists in the first place. The strategy is how the company plans to do that, given the reality of the marketplace, the competitors, regulation, technology trends, etc. Strategy includes everything from designing the organizational structure to defining the business model to choosing partners for the venture.
Great entrepreneurs make strategic opportunities. Great entrepreneurs use research, prediction, and detailed plans. But rather than hope to discover an opportunity, they make their opportunities. They build an ecosystem of customers, employees, suppliers, and partners who all have a vested interest in the company doing well. They experiment and learn, continuously altering their strategy — and indeed, their entire vision — as needed for success.
CEOs need to spend regular time on strategy. Furthermore, great entrepreneurs regularly assess their resources, relationships, and partnerships. Rather than simply trying to align around a single long-term opportunity, they should think in terms of creating a market and altering their vision with them to build an ecosystem that's greater than the sum of its parts".
So boiling it all down I see it this way. Many of us began our companies as entrepreneurs. We went to market with a product or service. We built an ecosystem of customers, suppliers, employees etc. We started without a lot of planning in many cases. We have built something based on hard work and pure will power. But that only goes so far. It runs out of steam and we have to move to the next level as leaders - to become CEO's that focus on strategy and planning. We have to focus on relationships and the people so our ecosystem takes us to the next level. We basically have to grow up in our leadership style. How much time have you spent being CEO this week? It is important work. Are you making and taking time to fill that role?
"The CEO entrepreneur sets a company's vision and strategy. The vision is why the company exists in the first place. The strategy is how the company plans to do that, given the reality of the marketplace, the competitors, regulation, technology trends, etc. Strategy includes everything from designing the organizational structure to defining the business model to choosing partners for the venture.
Great entrepreneurs make strategic opportunities. Great entrepreneurs use research, prediction, and detailed plans. But rather than hope to discover an opportunity, they make their opportunities. They build an ecosystem of customers, employees, suppliers, and partners who all have a vested interest in the company doing well. They experiment and learn, continuously altering their strategy — and indeed, their entire vision — as needed for success.
CEOs need to spend regular time on strategy. Furthermore, great entrepreneurs regularly assess their resources, relationships, and partnerships. Rather than simply trying to align around a single long-term opportunity, they should think in terms of creating a market and altering their vision with them to build an ecosystem that's greater than the sum of its parts".
So boiling it all down I see it this way. Many of us began our companies as entrepreneurs. We went to market with a product or service. We built an ecosystem of customers, suppliers, employees etc. We started without a lot of planning in many cases. We have built something based on hard work and pure will power. But that only goes so far. It runs out of steam and we have to move to the next level as leaders - to become CEO's that focus on strategy and planning. We have to focus on relationships and the people so our ecosystem takes us to the next level. We basically have to grow up in our leadership style. How much time have you spent being CEO this week? It is important work. Are you making and taking time to fill that role?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Weekend on the Farm III
This was first sent out in the July 1 HTG newsletter - but it is such an important topic I wanted to share it broader.....
On June 25-27, Nancy and I hosted our third annual Weekend on the Farm which is a leadership training session with a spiritual bent. We do this event for people that get my daily email update each morning on life and my study of scripture. (If you want to be added to that list just send me an email requesting addition to the distribution list) Our first event focused on the book "The Go Giver" and last year we studied "Lead Like Jesus". This year – our instruction came from the pages of the Bible as we learned lessons on leadership from Nehemiah. He may have lived nearly 2500 years ago, but as is often the case, there are a lot of similarities to what he dealt with when compared to being a business leader today.
We had several HTG members who served as teachers this weekend, and we covered topics around preparing to lead, planning, motivating people, organizing a project, handling opposition, dealing with conflict, achieving and maintaining success and a few other areas. There were many gems from the weekend teaching that hit me right between the eyes, but I want to share a couple that I think really are worth considering.
Steve Bender, who runs InHouse IT in Orange County, a company of about 70 employees that delivers managed services to their clients, was the guy we had tasked with putting a bow on all the things we had heard. He shared a couple very insightful thoughts:
Lesson #1 – nothing happens until somebody steps up to lead
Think about that. It is really the way things are. A lot of people have great ideas, can dream big plans, come up with fantastic ways to do marvelous things – but until someone steps up and leads – it is just theory and empty words. It really defines our motto that "Vision without execution is hallucination". Ideas without leadership are simply that – hallucination. You see it all around your patch every day. On community boards, church committees, school events – we have lots of people with ideas and very few who step up to do something about them. And sometimes we have that disease in our own company. We attend conference after conference and feverishly take notes to bring back and simply put them in a file or maybe even talk about them with our staff, but we don't step up to lead and make sure they get done. Do you ever have that happen in your world?
We may go the next step and dump them on someone else's plate to do for us. Often we give them some cryptic idea we jotted down and say "just do it" without investing the time to explain the "why" to them. That creates a bit of a dilemma for our people, because they didn't hear the presentation we got the idea from so have no context. They are supposed to figure it out via some form of osmosis since we passed it to them. Leadership doesn't dump and run on anyone. It means we clearly define the "why" and then lay out the how, what, when, where and who. If you simply drop it on their laps – well no wonder they don't like you going to HTG meetings. There is no way they can succeed. That is a very good reason to bring a key leader with you – so they understand the context of the ideas and best practices before they are asked to execute.
Lesson #2 – leadership doesn't stop when we go out the door from the office
So I am about to stomp on your toes here. Mine are currently all broken after Steve jumped on them this weekend. For some strange reason we are able to lead effectively in the office but once we leave – we go on autopilot and stop providing that leadership. A leader does one thing continually – they lead. That skill is not tied to your desk at work. It is a gift that you have been wired with that needs to follow you in every interaction and relationship you have. I know all the excuses – heck I use them myself. Too tired, just want to get away from dealing with people, somebody else should do it for a change, I need some space, and my calendar is too full and on it goes. I am currently throwing the BS flag at you. Leadership does not stop at the door. In fact, there is always a need for leaders to lead.
The first place we should lead is at home. Life-work balance requires leadership. Things will take over our time and destroy our balance unless we lead. That is a fact you can see just by looking in the mirror. If you don't prepare and plan – you will be overwhelmed by work and feel like you have no options other than spending 18 hours a day doing a job you can never finish. Your spouse and kids need a leader. Families disintegrate because leaders don't lead. This isn't about being the "boss" at home. Real leadership is about serving others. Real leaders put other people's needs first. Your family needs you to be that kind of a leader. No one else is going to do it. If you don't lead, nothing happens. So start at home.
The world is filled with committees and groups that waste tens of thousands or millions of man hours floundering around because leaders are content to just sit there and watch it happen. It would be too much to take responsibility to lead this group or that committee is what we think. After all, I am worn out from my leadership at work. BS! We don't lead because we get lazy. We aren't willing to make a commitment to the mission of the project or group, but we are willing to waste our time being part of a non-functional team. C'mon – if you have time to be part of something you need to step up and lead. Nothing happens until someone provides leadership.
Churches – like many groups – today often flounder around because members aren’t willing to make commitments. Most are filled with successful people that get up Monday through Friday and go to work and lead successful businesses. But when they walk through the doors of their local church or synagogue, somehow they forgot everything they know and use all week. This is not how you make a true difference. We need to put the effort into leading at church at least equal to what we do in the workplace.
Organizations like HTG struggle with leadership too. We are comprised of 250 successful entrepreneurial leaders. You would think we would never lack for a willing leader to step up . . . but we do. Members cut corners in getting their preparations ready for the meetings and posted so the group can be effective. We struggle to get members to step up to be part of a champ program for our platinum vendors. Members cut out of their group meetings early for personal convenience leaving the rest of their group hampered by their lack of input. If there is anyplace I would expect there to be an abundance of leaders – well it would be HTG. We need to set that standard high and hold each other to it. One area all leaders need to be is accountable. That example is critical if we are going to lead effectively.
Are you really a leader – because leadership is a full time gig. Not just 8-5 Monday through Friday. Leaders lead in life and community too. Don't miss that very important lesson. There is no question that by being a leader 24/7/365 you will be part of a very elite club. Few do it that way, but it is the only way to truly be effective. People want to follow someone who leads all the time, not just when they are watching. Don't make the mistake of being a part time leader. It will only disappoint your followers, and soon you will look back and wonder where they all went!
On June 25-27, Nancy and I hosted our third annual Weekend on the Farm which is a leadership training session with a spiritual bent. We do this event for people that get my daily email update each morning on life and my study of scripture. (If you want to be added to that list just send me an email requesting addition to the distribution list) Our first event focused on the book "The Go Giver" and last year we studied "Lead Like Jesus". This year – our instruction came from the pages of the Bible as we learned lessons on leadership from Nehemiah. He may have lived nearly 2500 years ago, but as is often the case, there are a lot of similarities to what he dealt with when compared to being a business leader today.
We had several HTG members who served as teachers this weekend, and we covered topics around preparing to lead, planning, motivating people, organizing a project, handling opposition, dealing with conflict, achieving and maintaining success and a few other areas. There were many gems from the weekend teaching that hit me right between the eyes, but I want to share a couple that I think really are worth considering.
Steve Bender, who runs InHouse IT in Orange County, a company of about 70 employees that delivers managed services to their clients, was the guy we had tasked with putting a bow on all the things we had heard. He shared a couple very insightful thoughts:
Lesson #1 – nothing happens until somebody steps up to lead
Think about that. It is really the way things are. A lot of people have great ideas, can dream big plans, come up with fantastic ways to do marvelous things – but until someone steps up and leads – it is just theory and empty words. It really defines our motto that "Vision without execution is hallucination". Ideas without leadership are simply that – hallucination. You see it all around your patch every day. On community boards, church committees, school events – we have lots of people with ideas and very few who step up to do something about them. And sometimes we have that disease in our own company. We attend conference after conference and feverishly take notes to bring back and simply put them in a file or maybe even talk about them with our staff, but we don't step up to lead and make sure they get done. Do you ever have that happen in your world?
We may go the next step and dump them on someone else's plate to do for us. Often we give them some cryptic idea we jotted down and say "just do it" without investing the time to explain the "why" to them. That creates a bit of a dilemma for our people, because they didn't hear the presentation we got the idea from so have no context. They are supposed to figure it out via some form of osmosis since we passed it to them. Leadership doesn't dump and run on anyone. It means we clearly define the "why" and then lay out the how, what, when, where and who. If you simply drop it on their laps – well no wonder they don't like you going to HTG meetings. There is no way they can succeed. That is a very good reason to bring a key leader with you – so they understand the context of the ideas and best practices before they are asked to execute.
Lesson #2 – leadership doesn't stop when we go out the door from the office
So I am about to stomp on your toes here. Mine are currently all broken after Steve jumped on them this weekend. For some strange reason we are able to lead effectively in the office but once we leave – we go on autopilot and stop providing that leadership. A leader does one thing continually – they lead. That skill is not tied to your desk at work. It is a gift that you have been wired with that needs to follow you in every interaction and relationship you have. I know all the excuses – heck I use them myself. Too tired, just want to get away from dealing with people, somebody else should do it for a change, I need some space, and my calendar is too full and on it goes. I am currently throwing the BS flag at you. Leadership does not stop at the door. In fact, there is always a need for leaders to lead.
The first place we should lead is at home. Life-work balance requires leadership. Things will take over our time and destroy our balance unless we lead. That is a fact you can see just by looking in the mirror. If you don't prepare and plan – you will be overwhelmed by work and feel like you have no options other than spending 18 hours a day doing a job you can never finish. Your spouse and kids need a leader. Families disintegrate because leaders don't lead. This isn't about being the "boss" at home. Real leadership is about serving others. Real leaders put other people's needs first. Your family needs you to be that kind of a leader. No one else is going to do it. If you don't lead, nothing happens. So start at home.
The world is filled with committees and groups that waste tens of thousands or millions of man hours floundering around because leaders are content to just sit there and watch it happen. It would be too much to take responsibility to lead this group or that committee is what we think. After all, I am worn out from my leadership at work. BS! We don't lead because we get lazy. We aren't willing to make a commitment to the mission of the project or group, but we are willing to waste our time being part of a non-functional team. C'mon – if you have time to be part of something you need to step up and lead. Nothing happens until someone provides leadership.
Churches – like many groups – today often flounder around because members aren’t willing to make commitments. Most are filled with successful people that get up Monday through Friday and go to work and lead successful businesses. But when they walk through the doors of their local church or synagogue, somehow they forgot everything they know and use all week. This is not how you make a true difference. We need to put the effort into leading at church at least equal to what we do in the workplace.
Organizations like HTG struggle with leadership too. We are comprised of 250 successful entrepreneurial leaders. You would think we would never lack for a willing leader to step up . . . but we do. Members cut corners in getting their preparations ready for the meetings and posted so the group can be effective. We struggle to get members to step up to be part of a champ program for our platinum vendors. Members cut out of their group meetings early for personal convenience leaving the rest of their group hampered by their lack of input. If there is anyplace I would expect there to be an abundance of leaders – well it would be HTG. We need to set that standard high and hold each other to it. One area all leaders need to be is accountable. That example is critical if we are going to lead effectively.
Are you really a leader – because leadership is a full time gig. Not just 8-5 Monday through Friday. Leaders lead in life and community too. Don't miss that very important lesson. There is no question that by being a leader 24/7/365 you will be part of a very elite club. Few do it that way, but it is the only way to truly be effective. People want to follow someone who leads all the time, not just when they are watching. Don't make the mistake of being a part time leader. It will only disappoint your followers, and soon you will look back and wonder where they all went!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
An Upcoming Live Meeting Opportunity
Arlin Sorensen, CEO and founder of Heartland Technology Solutions and HTG peer groups, will be hosting a live meeting on March 24th for Microsoft as part of the 5W25 series on four plans to provide a well rounded look at life and business.
The plans we will discuss are:
- Business plan
- Leadership plan
- Life plan
- Legacy plan
Joining for the live meeting will be Jamison West from JWCS and Brad Schow from Compudyne. The event is code WES36PAL and it will be held at 9:00 AM Pacific that day. The session is titled Four Plans That Can Change Everything and that is exactly the potential outcome from the session.
If you learn to use these plans, you can change the result of your life and business. Without planning, you leave things up to chance and quite honestly have far less opportunity to achieve your dreams or succeed. We often spend a lot of time focused on our business plan but neglect the things that may be more important. Never forget your life will leave a record, a history and a legacy. Planning can help make sure those turn out as you would like.
Invest an hour and join me for this webcast. To register go to www.mssmallbiz.com/training and select the appropriate session. There are many other great sessions available as well. Hope to meet with you online that day!
The plans we will discuss are:
- Business plan
- Leadership plan
- Life plan
- Legacy plan
Joining for the live meeting will be Jamison West from JWCS and Brad Schow from Compudyne. The event is code WES36PAL and it will be held at 9:00 AM Pacific that day. The session is titled Four Plans That Can Change Everything and that is exactly the potential outcome from the session.
If you learn to use these plans, you can change the result of your life and business. Without planning, you leave things up to chance and quite honestly have far less opportunity to achieve your dreams or succeed. We often spend a lot of time focused on our business plan but neglect the things that may be more important. Never forget your life will leave a record, a history and a legacy. Planning can help make sure those turn out as you would like.
Invest an hour and join me for this webcast. To register go to www.mssmallbiz.com/training and select the appropriate session. There are many other great sessions available as well. Hope to meet with you online that day!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Some Thoughts and Follow Up
On Monday of this week, Zenith Infotech, one of our key partners at HTS, released a video they produced on HTS and my life called "A Day in the Life of Arlin Sorensen". It was broadcast on MSPtv. Produced by CommCentric Solutions, it really does a great job of capturing the essence of what we do at HTS and HTG. If you missed it and have any interest in checking out the recording you can find it at:
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=166400&s=1&k=5E5A9DA343FF1E010F60B700EBAD2E0D
Also this week, another article was released called "Passing the Torch" in the RCP November issue. I believe this topic is one of the most important things we need to be talking about in the channel today. How we effectively pass leadership to the next set of leaders in an organization is so vital to a smooth and seamless transition. Things will change, and there needs to be a lot of thought and preparation done to make sure that happens well. You can read the article at:
http://rcpmag.com/Articles/2009/11/01/Passing-the-Torch.aspx?Page=2
I will be sharing two presentations in Orlando at the ConnectWise Summit the first week of November on this topic as well as growth. Thursday afternoon my topic will be on "Making the Handoff" which will focus on options for exit and leadership transistion
On Friday afternoon, my breakout will focus on "Steps Along the Way" which will identify key areas of decision in the growth cycle of a business. There are so many blockers and plateaus that have to be overcome in order to keep a company growing. We will identify and talk about how to work through those things during this session.
I look forward to seeing many of you at HTG Q4 in Orlando, and at the ConnectWise Summit there as well.
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=166400&s=1&k=5E5A9DA343FF1E010F60B700EBAD2E0D
Also this week, another article was released called "Passing the Torch" in the RCP November issue. I believe this topic is one of the most important things we need to be talking about in the channel today. How we effectively pass leadership to the next set of leaders in an organization is so vital to a smooth and seamless transition. Things will change, and there needs to be a lot of thought and preparation done to make sure that happens well. You can read the article at:
http://rcpmag.com/Articles/2009/11/01/Passing-the-Torch.aspx?Page=2
I will be sharing two presentations in Orlando at the ConnectWise Summit the first week of November on this topic as well as growth. Thursday afternoon my topic will be on "Making the Handoff" which will focus on options for exit and leadership transistion
On Friday afternoon, my breakout will focus on "Steps Along the Way" which will identify key areas of decision in the growth cycle of a business. There are so many blockers and plateaus that have to be overcome in order to keep a company growing. We will identify and talk about how to work through those things during this session.
I look forward to seeing many of you at HTG Q4 in Orlando, and at the ConnectWise Summit there as well.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Be Memorable in Meetings
This is an excerpt from a recent newsletter from David Russell (david@managetowin.com). I found his thoughts very valuable as he addresses doing things to set yourself apart as a leader and creating memorable moments.
You are a leader. Why not be a memorable one?
An important part of being memorable as a leader is listening well, making certain your people feel valued and having meetings that are productively interactive. However there are some little things you can do to increase your memorability in meetings also. Here are some ideas:
1. Bring gifts. I often bring hard-cover copies of my books to meetings as a gift. It helps them get to know me and our work better. It is thoughtful because the book retails for $29.95 and can be helpful. Yes, it also is a great business card. $10-$15 gift cards are an alternative that can be effective, especially if you match them to the interests of each meeting participant.
2. Bring treats. Consider bringing high quality treats such as See's Candies chocolate (high quality, not some cheap brand), brownies or other treats from a classy bakery, or anything that is classy but not too expensive. No doughnuts!
3. Bring examples. For instance, if you are talking about the importance of branding then bring some samples of great brands to give away after you explain why they are unique. (You don't have to bring a Macintosh computer, just an iTunes card...) Maybe give the examples as prizes for people who have innovative ideas or answers to your questions.
4. Tell great stories. If you are on a tight budget then be prepared with one or more great stories to tell. If you think others tell stories better than you, work with your storytellers before the meeting and weave their participation into your agenda.
Life is way too short! Be memorable.
Thanks for the great thoughts David. If you are looking for software to help with people management, check out his product at http://www.successwithpeople.com/.
You are a leader. Why not be a memorable one?
An important part of being memorable as a leader is listening well, making certain your people feel valued and having meetings that are productively interactive. However there are some little things you can do to increase your memorability in meetings also. Here are some ideas:
1. Bring gifts. I often bring hard-cover copies of my books to meetings as a gift. It helps them get to know me and our work better. It is thoughtful because the book retails for $29.95 and can be helpful. Yes, it also is a great business card. $10-$15 gift cards are an alternative that can be effective, especially if you match them to the interests of each meeting participant.
2. Bring treats. Consider bringing high quality treats such as See's Candies chocolate (high quality, not some cheap brand), brownies or other treats from a classy bakery, or anything that is classy but not too expensive. No doughnuts!
3. Bring examples. For instance, if you are talking about the importance of branding then bring some samples of great brands to give away after you explain why they are unique. (You don't have to bring a Macintosh computer, just an iTunes card...) Maybe give the examples as prizes for people who have innovative ideas or answers to your questions.
4. Tell great stories. If you are on a tight budget then be prepared with one or more great stories to tell. If you think others tell stories better than you, work with your storytellers before the meeting and weave their participation into your agenda.
Life is way too short! Be memorable.
Thanks for the great thoughts David. If you are looking for software to help with people management, check out his product at http://www.successwithpeople.com/.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The HTG Way Part IV - Leadership Plans
Zig Ziglar said “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” Creating a business plan is foundational, but next we move to planning that will assure those who are required to perform in order to achieve the business plan are aligned. This requires personal commitments from those in leadership as well as those who will do the day to day activity required for success of the company plan. We call this personal commitment plan a leadership plan.
Far too often owners and managers create job descriptions and commitments for their staff or team, but seldom have written anything in regard to their involvement in achieving the success of the company business plan. We know from experience that as the owner or manager goes, often so goes the business. If the leadership in a company is not disciplined and dedicated to following a plan, or leading the execution of the company plan, it often falls by the wayside and becomes little more than a piece of paper with some words on it. The leadership plan is the document that allows the owner or manager to put a stake in the ground saying “I am going to do these things to assure we reach our goals”. The leadership plan should clearly define his priorities for how time is used on the job and should provide the team with clarity in what role will be fulfilled. Of course successfully using this plan means a willingness to be evaluated about how well it has been executed. That level of accountability to the team sets a standard and creates an environment that leads to growth and success of people and the organization as a whole.
HTG uses a simple worksheet to capture leadership commitments. These consist of three areas around each topic:
1. Commitments – specific areas of focus that aligns job performance goals and objectives with the company business plan and goals. Answers the question “What areas of my job align directly with the company business plan and goals?”
2. Execution Plan – how you will achieve your commitments. This should include key milestones, priorities and dependencies for success. Answers the question “What will you specifically do?”
3. Accountabilities – define how you will measure success and what metrics you will use to evaluate the realization of your commitments. These will be KPI’s and metrics related to measuring success. Answers the question “How will you know you have achieved success?”
Far too often owners and managers create job descriptions and commitments for their staff or team, but seldom have written anything in regard to their involvement in achieving the success of the company business plan. We know from experience that as the owner or manager goes, often so goes the business. If the leadership in a company is not disciplined and dedicated to following a plan, or leading the execution of the company plan, it often falls by the wayside and becomes little more than a piece of paper with some words on it. The leadership plan is the document that allows the owner or manager to put a stake in the ground saying “I am going to do these things to assure we reach our goals”. The leadership plan should clearly define his priorities for how time is used on the job and should provide the team with clarity in what role will be fulfilled. Of course successfully using this plan means a willingness to be evaluated about how well it has been executed. That level of accountability to the team sets a standard and creates an environment that leads to growth and success of people and the organization as a whole.
HTG uses a simple worksheet to capture leadership commitments. These consist of three areas around each topic:
1. Commitments – specific areas of focus that aligns job performance goals and objectives with the company business plan and goals. Answers the question “What areas of my job align directly with the company business plan and goals?”
2. Execution Plan – how you will achieve your commitments. This should include key milestones, priorities and dependencies for success. Answers the question “What will you specifically do?”
3. Accountabilities – define how you will measure success and what metrics you will use to evaluate the realization of your commitments. These will be KPI’s and metrics related to measuring success. Answers the question “How will you know you have achieved success?”
You can select a number of areas that align directly with the company business plan, but here are a few that may be good to consider:
- Revenue/Financial/Profitability Objectives
- Personal Growth and Training Objectives
- Customer Relationships and Satisfaction/Loyalty Objectives
- Company Culture/Fellow Employee/Process Improvement Objectives
- Business and Career Objectives
There likely will be other areas you can include. This is not the same as a job description, but should include the reality that many items on this personal leadership commitment plan need to align with the job description as well as the company business plan. Just make sure you are able to identify what role you play in achieving company success and then identify the things you need to do to achieve those, and how you can measure and assess your work along that path.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The HTG Way Part II
S.M.A.R.T. goals are widely used across all types of environments. Setting goals that are not set against these guidelines give us little to really measure or achieve. So as members set their goals, we encourage them to use these guidelines:
Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the joy of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.
Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.
Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the joy of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.
Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Are You Taking Personal Accountability?
One of my favorite websites is Simple Truths. Mac Anderson has some very motivational and challenging work there - in the form of books and video's. One of his latest works deals with change and the reality that so many of us try to avoid change and blame others when it doesn't go well. The reality is that if we want to lead, we have to be accountable. In HTG it is a core principle that owners/managers are responsible to lead change. It doesn't happen any other way. Check out these thoughts - they are right on the money.
Authors B.J. Gallagher and Steve Ventura wrote a great little book about achieving success through personal accountability titled: Who Are "They" Anyway? I like their list showing how each individual in the company can benefit by adopting a "personal accountability attitude":
- You have more control over your destiny
- You become an active contributor rather than a passive observer
- Others look to you for leadership
- You gain the reputation as a problem solver
- You enhance your career opportunities
- You enjoy the satisfaction that comes from getting things done...the power of positive doing
- You experience less anger, frustration and helplessness - all leading to better physical health
- You realize a positive spillover effect into your personal life at home
According to Gallagher and Ventura, the most important words of personal responsibility are as follows:
The 10 most important words:I won't wait for others to take the first step.
The 9 most important words:If it is to be, it's up to me.
The 8 most important words:If not me, who? If not now, when?
The 7 most important words:Let me take a shot at it.
The 6 most important words:I will not pass the buck.
The 5 most important words:You can count on me.
The 4 most important words:It IS my job!
The 3 most important words:Just do it!
The 2 most important words:I will.
The most important word:Me
When we look at the last statement above - in most cases it is not "me" but rather "you" and we have to get over ourselves and focus on others. But when it comes to personal accountability - then the most important person is "me" and "I" have to take responsibility for what I do or don't do. I cannot point fingers at you or anyone else. It is up to "ME" to get it done and quit blaming someone else. Are you taking charge of your personal accountabilty or looking for someone else to blame. That is what separates true leaders from the rest of the pack!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Servant Leadership
My buddy Stuart Crawford writes in his morning blog today about the leadership triangle. It has been a while since I read, studied and taught the lessons on leadership that are brought to light by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges in their book "Lead Like Jesus". I taught their material to several groups a couple years ago and found it to be very valuable and so very true. Our church has hosted their simulcast a couple times and they have announced the event for the fall of 2008 to be held on October 17 and broadcast all over the country. I would encourage you to mark that day and try to join a simulcast somewhere in your region. Ken Blanchard teaches much about the concept of servant leadership. I had the discussion yesterday with one of my sales people as he shared the success he was having by serving customers rather than trying to first see what he can get from them. He shared a story of how he followed the principles of giving (as I shared a few weeks ago from the great little book called "Go Giver") and made sure he provided far more value to a former customer (who had decided to purchase a solution from a competitor who failed to implement it correctly) than this customer deserved. We have won back this customer and will make far more money cleaning up the mess than our original proposal, plus we will have them for life now. When we serve and give to people, we will succeed. Sure some will take advantage of us and take all they can. But most will appreciate our honest desire to serve and give, and they will then become customers or actually transform to be clients for life. My definition of a client is one who no longer is looking around to be sure he is being treated well. Servant leadership and living the giving principle will make that transformation happen sooner than later. It always works. We will succeed based on how well we learn to serve others and give what we have been given. Life is not at all about how much we can accumulate. It is about how well we take care of what we have recieved and then give it away. Are you a servant leader? Are your customers and clients at the top of your upside down triangle. Believe it or not, life is not about you or me. It is about others. We need to lead and live like that!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Stengthfinder
I am in the Caribbean leading HTG2 this week and had some time on a plane so read the book "Strengthfinder 2.0". This book is one that we are using at HTS among our management team to help us learn about each others strengths and to help us relate better as we go through the leading of our company. There are 34 different key strengths that are identified. Part of the purchase of the book is a key you can use to go online and take an assessment test which will then identify your top five strengths. It is 170+ questions and takes about 30 minutes max. It is a timed test because they don' t want you being too analytical - they want first responses. My top five came out pretty much as I see myself:
1. Activator
2. Futuristic
3. Belief
4. Maximizer
5. Arranger
Once identified, there is a profile created that explains what these areas entail. Mine were spot on. To give you an idea - here is what the profile says about my main strenght.
“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. Others may worry that “there are still some things we don’t know,” but this doesn’t seem to slow you. If the decision has been made to go across town, you know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. You are not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in your view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. This learning informs your next action and your next. How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can’t. You must put yourself out there. You must take the next step. It is the only way to keep your thinking fresh and informed. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.
If you know me then you understand just how accurate this is. My focus is about making things happen and getting them done. The feedback is personalized with a lot of other resources that show how to manage the different areas, how to motivate people etc. It creates a list of action items that are suggested based on your strengths. The book has lots of good info as well. The original book was called "Now discover your strengths" by Marcus Buckingham. The research is based on Gallup's work on hundreds of thousands of surveys. It is good stuff. If you are looking for a way to understand your people (or wife or kids although I am not saying this will help you understand women) - then check this book out. I believe it can be a great tool to help develop leadership and collaboration in any team - or just better understand yourself and what makes you tick.
1. Activator
2. Futuristic
3. Belief
4. Maximizer
5. Arranger
Once identified, there is a profile created that explains what these areas entail. Mine were spot on. To give you an idea - here is what the profile says about my main strenght.
“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. Others may worry that “there are still some things we don’t know,” but this doesn’t seem to slow you. If the decision has been made to go across town, you know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. You are not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in your view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. This learning informs your next action and your next. How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can’t. You must put yourself out there. You must take the next step. It is the only way to keep your thinking fresh and informed. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.
If you know me then you understand just how accurate this is. My focus is about making things happen and getting them done. The feedback is personalized with a lot of other resources that show how to manage the different areas, how to motivate people etc. It creates a list of action items that are suggested based on your strengths. The book has lots of good info as well. The original book was called "Now discover your strengths" by Marcus Buckingham. The research is based on Gallup's work on hundreds of thousands of surveys. It is good stuff. If you are looking for a way to understand your people (or wife or kids although I am not saying this will help you understand women) - then check this book out. I believe it can be a great tool to help develop leadership and collaboration in any team - or just better understand yourself and what makes you tick.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Leading Change
I finally got time to read one of those great books that sometimes gets bought and sits on the shelf a while. John Kotter's book called "Leading Change" is one I have had a few years but never got it along on the plane to read. I did on my recent trip and managed to finish the entire book over a couple days. It was a read well worth it.
I believe that managing change is the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity we have ahead of us. Change happens. We can deny it, try to ignore it, run from it - handle it any way you wish - but the train has left the station and change will happen. My opinion is that to really succeed we have to learn how to handle change. It starts in our own minds and our attitude toward it. Are you a change embracer or do you resist at every corner? It flows to our employees and families - they follow based on how we lead. But inevitably the real opportunity is for us to help our customers adapt to change. We are change agents as we serve our clients. We bring change constantly into their lives. We have to help them feel good about that change and adapt to it. That is our job. How well we do it will determine much of our success.
Kotter gives us great examples and methods to help lead change. At the core of the book, is a eight-step process:
Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating the guiding coalition
Developing a vision and strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad-based action
Generating short-term wins
Consolidating gains and producing more change
Anchoring new approaches in the culture
The opportunity is here today. We need to become leaders of change. We need to start with ourselves and then lead those in our circle to embrace change and make it part of their daily lifestyle. Change happens. What are you doing to help lead people there.
I believe that managing change is the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity we have ahead of us. Change happens. We can deny it, try to ignore it, run from it - handle it any way you wish - but the train has left the station and change will happen. My opinion is that to really succeed we have to learn how to handle change. It starts in our own minds and our attitude toward it. Are you a change embracer or do you resist at every corner? It flows to our employees and families - they follow based on how we lead. But inevitably the real opportunity is for us to help our customers adapt to change. We are change agents as we serve our clients. We bring change constantly into their lives. We have to help them feel good about that change and adapt to it. That is our job. How well we do it will determine much of our success.
Kotter gives us great examples and methods to help lead change. At the core of the book, is a eight-step process:
Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating the guiding coalition
Developing a vision and strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad-based action
Generating short-term wins
Consolidating gains and producing more change
Anchoring new approaches in the culture
The opportunity is here today. We need to become leaders of change. We need to start with ourselves and then lead those in our circle to embrace change and make it part of their daily lifestyle. Change happens. What are you doing to help lead people there.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Bringing in the new year
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Here is comes! 2008 has rolled into town and we are now given the opportunity to start fresh. The score is 0-0 today. All of us are on the same level. Are you determined to be more successful in 2008? One of the ways that happens is by planning. Are your plans written yet for 2008? HTS has completed our company business plan and now we are in the second stage which will be to map employee committments to the company plan. I call that a personal leadership plan. It is simply a list of goals and objectives with action steps and accountabilities that describe how you will fulfill your role in your company this year. If you are a business owner you may think you are exempt. WRONG! As the leader you need to set the standard in how to plan and be accountable. You set the standard for all others to follow. Too many owners feel they are given a pass because they pay the bills. That is a very poor way to lead. Put on paper how you will lead your company to achieve the business plan goals you set. Don't take the easy way out. Put a line in the sand, write down your committments, and then EXECUTE agains them. That will change how your employees think and act. This first few weeks of the new year is the perfect opportunity to really LEAD and to take your company to a new place in 2008. Remember that if you do what you did last year, you will likely get what you got last year. I hope you will set your sights on something greater and get after it now, not later.
Here is comes! 2008 has rolled into town and we are now given the opportunity to start fresh. The score is 0-0 today. All of us are on the same level. Are you determined to be more successful in 2008? One of the ways that happens is by planning. Are your plans written yet for 2008? HTS has completed our company business plan and now we are in the second stage which will be to map employee committments to the company plan. I call that a personal leadership plan. It is simply a list of goals and objectives with action steps and accountabilities that describe how you will fulfill your role in your company this year. If you are a business owner you may think you are exempt. WRONG! As the leader you need to set the standard in how to plan and be accountable. You set the standard for all others to follow. Too many owners feel they are given a pass because they pay the bills. That is a very poor way to lead. Put on paper how you will lead your company to achieve the business plan goals you set. Don't take the easy way out. Put a line in the sand, write down your committments, and then EXECUTE agains them. That will change how your employees think and act. This first few weeks of the new year is the perfect opportunity to really LEAD and to take your company to a new place in 2008. Remember that if you do what you did last year, you will likely get what you got last year. I hope you will set your sights on something greater and get after it now, not later.
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