Category Archives: Leadership

Leadership Focus

November 6, 2014 Liz Stincelli 3 Comments

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” —Tony Robbins

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

What’s Important?

With so many priorities fighting for our attention, how do we know where to direct our leadership focus? While many situations require temporary focus, there are some areas that warrant consistent focus. You must focus on your people and your vision for your organization. You must also focus on yourself and your personal mission. As a leader, how do you know if you’re focusing on the right things? How would you answer the following questions?

Are you leading with you head and your heart?

Are you contributing to the personal and professional growth of your employees?

Are you including others in your leadership?

Are you encouraging your employees to challenge the status quo?

What do you want your legacy to be?

How will you impact the world?

Do you know what your goals are?

Can you see the route for achieving them?

Are you developing and maintaining a strong character?

Once you can see where you need to focus you will be less distracted by day-to-day busy work. You will experience less stress and frustration. You and your employees will be able to maintain a better work/life balance. Focus keeps you from drifting off course. It allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of your organization and your life. Make the commitment to focus on what’s important.

Your people

Sabrina Bryan explained, “You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support.” Sabrina Bryan’s quote is a two-way street. As a leader, you need passion, drive, focus, and the support of your people to succeed. Your people also need you to inspire passion and drive, they need you to guide their focus, and they need your support. Only when your people receive what they need from you will they give you what you need in return. Focusing on your people is an investment in mutual success.

Get out on the floor and really connect with your people. Engage them in participating in leading the organization and developing solutions to real problems. Encourage the creativity and collaboration that builds strong teams that can work together to achieve mutually beneficial goals. Celebrate accomplishments. Align the individual goals of employees with organizational goals. Focus on making sure every employee knows how their decisions and actions contribute to achieving organizational goals and give them the skills and tools necessary to be successful.

Yourself

Venus Williams said, “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.” It is easy to get distracted from what’s important by the chaos that surrounds us. Concentrate on goals that guide you toward making a positive impact on the world. Develop a plan; when you have a plan to focus on you can respond rather than react to situations as they arise. Focus on pushing yourself to think and act differently and to seek opportunities where others see only obstacles. Always consider the “what ifs?” to ensure that your focus doesn’t become an excuse to put on blinders.

Focusing on yourself is not about what you do, it’s about the type of person you want to be. To be that person you must be authentic and consistent in both your professional and personal life. Remember to always keep a picture in the back of your mind of the impact you want to make. Knowing where to keep your focus will help prevent you from straying off course.

Leadership Focus

Denis Waitley suggested, “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” As a leader, develop a plan; know which direction you are going and what your objectives are. Then, focus on supporting and developing your employees and developing goals that will have a lasting impact. Focus will help you remember why you’re doing what you’re doing and will keep you heading in the right direction. Minimize distractions and maximize your leadership focus.

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

Empathy, Leadership

Empathy-The Leadership Big Picture

October 30, 2014 Liz Stincelli 5 Comments

“Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.” —Daniel H. Pink

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

The Big Picture

Harper Lee reminded us, “You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Empathy is the social and emotional skill that helps us understand and feel the emotions, experiences, intentions, thoughts, and needs of others. It is not a superficial understanding but an understanding at a level that allows us to offer sensitive, insightful, and appropriate support. It is at the core of developing trusting relationships by helping others feel safe and comfortable.

Empathy may be the most important characteristic of a successful leader. As a leader, you must learn to understand and acknowledge how others are thinking and feeling. You can’t give people what they want and need if you don’t know what they want and need. It’s about taking the interests of others as well as your own into consideration. You must be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective. Empathy is about being we-focused rather than I-focused and understanding that, collectively, we are better off when we step outside of our silos. It is easy to get buried in the layers of management and overwhelming amounts of data within our organizations. We get caught up in fighting for our individual needs and forget to look at the bigger picture and true purpose of what we are doing. Empathy directs our focus back to what’s important in the big picture.

Internal organizational empathy

Stephen Covey said, “When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That’s when you can get more creative in solving problems.” Why is empathizing with employees and colleagues so important? People want to work with and be led by someone they trust has an understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. If you want to be successful as a leader, you must become a reflection of the people you are leading and that requires empathy.

If you really want to get in touch with others, you must learn to actually listen to them. This means more than just hearing the words they say, you must also pay close attention to the signals they are sending. Empathy requires a new level of collaboration, a level that is close and personal. As a leader, you must emphasize value, not just transactions; people, not just processes. Studies show that organizations with happy employees, good organizational culture, and empathetic leaders perform better.

External organizational empathy

David M. Kelley explained, “The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for. Leadership is exactly the same thing – building empathy for the people that you’re entrusted to help.” Why is it important to have empathy for stakeholders external to your organization? You have to know and understand others before you can truly be of service to them. Having empathy for the wants and needs of your stakeholders isn’t just a superficial exercise; it should be the foundation of your entire business strategy.

Empathy is simple, it’s about understanding and respecting the choices of your clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders so that you can respond to their needs better. You must develop a deep understanding of their motivations; get familiar with what their lives are like on a daily basis. Empathy is about having firsthand knowledge of similar experiences and emotions and using that knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of the world through the eyes of others. It is this understanding that allows you to provide the service that is of the most value.

Reaping the Benefits

What difference would empathy make? For your colleagues? For your clients? For your community? Empathy matters, it lays the foundation for relationships, teamwork, leadership, and innovation. Ben Parr said, “Entrepreneurs may be brutally honest, but fostering relationships with partners and building enduring communities requires empathy, self-sacrifice, and a willingness to help others without expecting anything in return.” Empathy is our ability to identify with what someone else is thinking and feeling and then to respond with the emotion and action that is appropriate. It takes a commitment to really becoming tuned-in to the experiences, thoughts, and emotions of others. Leadership is about making a positive difference and empathy is the tool that brings people together for the benefit of self and others both internal and external to your organization. Empathy brings the big picture into focus.

Habits, Leadership, Organizational Culture

Developing Healthy Habits in Your Organization

October 23, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.” —Steven Pressfield

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Why Develop Healthy Habits?

Do you want your organization to play the role of amateur or the role of professional? Bertrand Russell explained, “Right discipline consists, not in external compulsion, but in the habits of mind which lead spontaneously to desirable rather than undesirable activities.” Habits give your brain a rest by putting some things on autopilot. Why not develop the habits within your organization that lead to right decisions and action on an almost unconscious level?

When you develop a habit, you create a connection between a specific situation and a resulting action. Why not make it easier for your employees and management to do the right things and make good decisions and harder to do the wrong things? Because habits become instinct, they eliminate the tendency to over think. Your values drive your culture and set the priorities that provide a framework for decisions and actions. Why not use habits as a tool for achieving the behavior you want within your organization?

Consistency

Stephen Covey explained, “Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” What character has your organization developed? When you develop healthy habits throughout your organization, you improve consistency in your behaviors. These healthy habits improve the character and reputation of your organization. The consistency created by the habits you develop makes it much easier to predict where you are going and how you will get there.

When you develop a positive culture, your employees love what they do, they love their clients, and they work together toward the same, shared vision. With healthy organizational habits you can empower your employees to act, knowing their actions and decisions will be consistent with the vision of the organization. The consistency which results from these habits increases the ability to accelerate problem solving and decision-making. Use habits to establish consistent core principles that reinforce organizational knowledge and clarify beliefs. This will allow you to streamline your business operations. Make sure your culture and habits mirror your mission and cultivate strength in your core beliefs.

Free up energy

Ralph W. Sockman said, “Good habits, which bring our lower passions and appetites under automatic control, leave our natures free to explore the larger experiences of life. Too many of us divide and dissipate our energies in debating actions which should be taken for granted.” How much energy can you free up in your organization by developing healthy habits? When your employees have healthy habits to operate by it frees up energy to be put towards their passion and gives life to creativity and innovation. Use the extra energy to ask the silly questions and perform the crazy experiments that may lead to incredible break-throughs.

Increase energy by developing and nurturing a culture and habits where employees are trained, equipped, and encouraged to think for themselves. When you instill good habits in your organization you can feel confident allowing employees the leeway to explore new ideas and expand thinking. Make sure the healthy habits you develop are all inclusive where everyone feels they are part of the greater whole. Use your extra energy to rally your people around a big idea but leave space for inspiration and the opportunity to think differently. Use habits to create a culture of gratitude where employees are energized and excited about the work they do.

How Do We Do It?

Culture is a deeply held and widely shared set of beliefs, norms, and assumptions that work together to make specific behaviors and outcomes more likely. Organizational culture starts with shared beliefs which influence the habits employees develop. These habits will play a big role in how employees think and act. The habits you develop should be clearly based on what you believe since they will be the foundation for behaviors, actions, and decision-making.

Culture has to be continually managed, refreshed, and refocused to maintain healthy habits. Success is no longer guaranteed by just attracting the best people and investing in innovative ideas; your culture must emphasize and reward healthy habits. Promote a positive and opportunity focused attitude at all levels of the organization. Develop habits that inspire people, focus them on a shared mission, and give them a sense of purpose. With the right support and habits, your people will be willing to move mountains to achieve a shared vision.

The process

As A. P. J. Abdul Kalam explained, “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.” If you want to develop healthy habits in your organization, you will have to devote conscious effort to it. In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg lists the three step process that plays into the phenomena of human habits. First, there is a prompt that triggers a specific behavior. Second, there is a behavior routine that is triggered. And third, there is a psychological reward for performing the behavior.

If you want to change habits you must introduce a different routine. You must first identify the prompts that lead to the unwanted behaviors. Then, discover which rewards are associated with those behaviors. Finally, you can implement alternative routines which offer similar rewards. While the process listed here is generic, it applies to all habits. If you look closely, you will see it at work in your organization. With a little planning, you can use this process to your advantage in developing the healthy habits that bring about the desired behaviors in your organization.

Behaviors

Margaret Mead said, “Our humanity rests upon a series of learned behaviors, woven together into patterns that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited.” The actions and decisions of your employees within the boundaries of your organization are based on the behaviors they have learned over time. These behaviors create patterns of action, which represent habits, in your organization and must be deliberately created if you want any influence over the behaviors and actions of your employees.

Design a culture that develops habits which are aligned with team, organizational, and individual values so that behaviors are predictable and consistent. Develop a shared meaning for success to ensure all decisions and actions are directed towards the same goal. Create a supportive environment where both individuals and the organization benefit. Once you have the right values and habits in place you can rally employees around a shared sense of purpose and mission. To get the behaviors you are seeking, develop habits that put your people before your strategy. Listen to the voice of your employees, build your team, play to their strengths, and then learn to get out of the way and let them run with it.

Don’t approach the development of healthy habits by asking yourself how you can repair what you’re doing wrong. Instead, start asking yourself how you can build on what you’re already doing right. Take a long-term perspective to identifying the habits that will serve your organization best. Trust that your healthy habits will turn obstacles into opportunities to innovate and grow. Use your culture and organizational habits as tools to reinforce skills and clarify knowledge. Habits are based on action not just words, so lead by example. Remember to celebrate the little successes. If you want to transform your organization, you must set your sights on a higher purpose and place a priority focusing on the health of the habits in your organization.

What Habits Will You Choose?

Benjamin Franklin explained, “Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” Do the healthy habits in your organization outweigh the bad? If you want to get new behavior from your employees you must change their habits. What beliefs and habits will produce the behaviors that will cause your organization to thrive?

Cultivate a culture that allows employees to play an important role in something big and meaningful. Then, develop the healthy habits that will produce the desired decisions and actions. Brian Tracy said, “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” What habits will you choose?

Create Meaning, Leadership, Leadership Development, Organizational Culture, Thrive, Trust

Don’t Just Survive as a Leader, Thrive as a Leader

October 16, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.” —Liberty Hyde Bailey

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Leadership

Liberty Hyde Bailey’s quote does not just apply to gardening; it applies to leadership as well. You may manage to survive as a leader as a result of good intentions, but to thrive and grow as a leader you must expend purposeful effort. As a leader, you might survive by doing the bare minimum. But, thriving is about being connected, being engaged, giving of yourself, and promoting a positive environment. You must invest in yourself and in your people, in your relationships, and in your culture. You must devote energy to finding and sharing the meaning behind your work.

Relationships

Angela Ahrendts explained, “Everyone talks about building relationships with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first.” Building strong relationships with your employees based on trust and respect should be you first order of business as a leader. Leadership is not about you, it’s about others. You need to surround yourself with talented, passionate, and dedicated people and then focus your energy on supporting and engaging them. It’s your responsibility as a leader to help the people you serve to grow and prosper. Spend time with them and get to know them on a personal basis. Who are they? What are their aspirations? Learn to listen without judgment. Find out where their strengths lie and then give them the opportunity to focus on their interests. Take chances on them, it sends a great message of your trust and confidence throughout your organization.

If you want to thrive as a leader, be open, honest, and authentic in your words and actions so your people will trust you. Ensure that the relationships you develop are not one-sided, but are mutually beneficial. Focus on building a sense of community and belonging throughout your organization. And remember, relationships are all about communication so, communicate, communicate, and communicate some more.

Culture

Tariq Ramadan said, “Cultures are never merely intellectual constructs. They take form through the collective intelligence and memory, through a commonly held psychology and emotions, through spiritual and artistic communion.” This applies inside organizations as well as across cultures. Your organizational culture is not a set of policies or procedures; it’s not words in some handbook; it’s deeply ingrained in the behaviors and emotions of our employees. Your culture should illustrate the respect and value you have for the contributions and abilities of others. Develop a reputation for hiring great people, providing great training, and offering great opportunities. Create a culture where everyone thrives. Help those you work with find their voice and confidence. Encourage and value the contribution that diversity offers throughout your organization. Set an example of the collaboration and cooperation that will lead to success team building. Create a safe environment where employees can gain knowledge from failure without fear of judgment.

As within, so without; as you treat your employees, so your employees will treat your customers. If you want to thrive as a leader, exceed employee expectations and they will exceed customers’ expectations. Ensure that employees get face time with customers so they understand their needs. Teach employees, by the example that you set, to aim at improving the lives of customers not just making the sale. Encourage empowerment and autonomy, not conformity. Make the inclusion of employees in the decision making process a priority. Make yourself available to those you lead. Make sure your culture is constantly evolving in positive direction.

Meaning

Antoine de Saint-Exupery told us, “The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.” Everyone is looking for meaning and purpose. People thrive when they find their work meaningful. It’s not the work itself; it is the relationship between the individual and the work they are doing. This is where attitude and perspective come in. Make sure every employee understands how truly important their job is. Help them connect the work they are doing to what is important to them and the organization. Employees will be more engaged when they are excited about the work they are doing.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to help those who follow you find meaning and align their work with their values. This makes achieving goals more satisfying. If you want to thrive as a leader, help them construct a positive way to view the world. This provides energy, focus, and fulfillment. Your employees will be more loyal and committed if they feel their work has meaning. Share your passion with them; build and maintain excitement about the journey you are on. Share a purpose that is inspiring at every level of the organization.

It’s Time to Thrive

We thrive and find strength by finding meaning and an inspiring purpose. As a leader, you must not only find meaning and an inspiring purpose for yourself and your work, you must also create meaning and inspire a sense of purpose in those who follow you. If you want to thrive as a leader, you must take an active role in developing yourself and your employees. Built strong relationships, develop an engaging and inclusive culture, and help those around you find meaning in their work. It’s time to stop merely surviving in your role as a leader. Step up to the plate, put forth the effort, and thrive as a leader.

Collaboration, Leadership, Teamwork

Not an Army of One

September 25, 2014 Liz Stincelli 2 Comments

“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” —Amy Poehler

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Are You Going it Alone?

It’s easy to think that you will be better off if you just do everything yourself. Many times it is fear that prevents you from asking for help. You may fear that you will give more than you get, or that you will share more about yourself than you would like. You may fear having to share your success with someone else. The problem is, you can’t possibly know everything or see situations from every angle. The more you learn, the more you realize there is so much you don’t know. Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” You are limiting your chance of success when you insist on going it alone. So where should you start?

Great ideas

Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I welcome and seek your ideas, but do not bring me small ideas; bring me big ideas to match our future.” The best ideas come from sharing and combining ideas from a diverse, variety of sources. Use technology to access the information and expertise you need from individuals from around the world. Develop a supportive atmosphere that encourages the sharing of ideas without fear of judgment. Ask the question “what if?”. Give everyone the chance to share; you never know where the next great idea will come from.

Relationships

Build relationships. Joyce Meyer explained, “We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.” Much of your success is dependent on developing strong, authentic relationships. Get to know those you work with on a personal basis. Always be forthcoming and respectful in your interactions. Use the relationships you develop to foster the spirit of cooperation, encouragement, and support that leads uncovering great ideas.

Collaboration

Antony Starr told us, “Collaboration is the best way to work. It’s the only way to work, really. Everyone’s there because they have a set of skills to offer across the board.” Without collaboration, you can get stuck. You need skills and expertise beyond your own to continue to move forward. You have experts from around the world accessible right at your fingertips. The sky is the limit when you learn how to connect and collaborate with others. This collaboration is not about competing against each other, but innovating together to co-create something far beyond your individual capabilities. Identify a need, and then focus on who you need to help you find a solution.

Common ground

Improve your ability to collaborate successfully by finding common ground. Madeleine Albright recognized, “No matter what message you are about to deliver somewhere, whether it is holding out a hand of friendship, or making clear that you disapprove of something, is the fact that the person sitting across the table is a human being, so the goal is to always establish common ground.” People want to work with other people who they know and feel comfortable with. Find commonalities between you and your team members. Collaboration is not self-serving; think about the well-being of the whole not just the few. Create a shared vision where everyone wins. Finding common ground helps you break down interpersonal barriers and reduce the fears that prevent collaboration and block creativity. Learn to embrace the diversity that builds a strong team and encourages the discovery of great ideas.

Not an Army of One

Stephen Covey reminded us, “Synergy is what happens when one plus one equals ten, or a hundred, or even a thousand! It’s the profound result when two or more respectful human beings determine to go beyond their preconceived ideas to meet a great challenge.” Great challenges require great partnering. There is extraordinary power in people working together toward the same goal. Use diverse perspectives to change the way you view the need and the goal. Develop relationships with others; find common ground where you can share your expertise for mutual benefit and discover great ideas together. You never know where the next great idea might be found. You are not an army of one; build a network of experts to share in your exploration new ideas and great possibilities.

Change Management, Leadership, Opportunity, Success

Challenging the Status Quo

September 4, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo.” —Bob Iger

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

The Status Quo

As Marshall Goldsmith said, “What got you here won’t get you there.” What is sufficient for success today will not be sufficient tomorrow. You must learn to be agile. Evaluate where you are today and where you want to go. Will continuing on your current route get you there? If you are seeking long-term success you must constantly challenge the status quo.

What is your mission?

Your purpose should provide a clear mission. Who needs you? What do they need and why? What must you do to meet those needs? When you have a reasoned mission, you have a clear picture of where you are going and how you will behave on your journey. This clarity allows you to remain calm during times of adversity. It helps you view the lessons of past experiences with an eye for the future. With a clear mission you will find it easier to stay true to your values. Colin Powell reminds us, “Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.” Continually challenge the status quo in light of your mission.

Innovation

John Emmerling tells us, “Innovation is creativity with a job to do.” Innovation allows you to create something new that meets an unmet need and provides value. The ability to innovate requires that you overcome our fear of challenging the status quo. When you take all of your small ideas and combine them, you often come up with one, great idea. Focus on looking for ways to innovate everywhere. Listen to the needs of your customers, employees, and stakeholders as you consider challenging the status quo.

Opportunity

When you challenge the status quo you open yourself to seeing opportunity where you least expect it. Ask questions. What is working and what isn’t? How can I make it or do it better? Milton Berle said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” Constantly step outside your comfort zone. Take on challenging situations. Be willing to look at situations from a new perspective. Welcome opportunities to collaborate in new and creative ways. Look to the work of others for inspiration and opportunity to reevaluate the status quo.

Change

Change is a necessity; we must change or we become obsolete. William Pollard said, “Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.”Learn to question the status quo and then embrace the change that is required to achieve success today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Howard Schultz believes that, “Any business today that embraces the status quo as an operating principle is going to be on a death march.” It would be foolish to think that you can continue to be successful by doing the same things tomorrow that you did yesterday. You must learn to adapt your thinking to embrace new challenges, strategies, and ways of approaching your work. Clarify your mission, pursue innovation, seek opportunity, and embrace change. Challenge the status quo and move your business forward.

Leadership, Leadership Brand, Leadership Development

Do You Need a Leadership Brand?

August 21, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”—John Quincy Adams

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Do You Need a Leadership Brand?

Whether to are the CEO of a large corporation or an employee working on the floor, in the trenches, you have the ability to inspire and influence others. This ability places you in a position to serve as a leader, with or without formal authority. Have you thought about your leadership brand? Do you know what leadership means to you? Can you define your leadership style?

As Malcolm X said, “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. “ Your leadership must stand for something. When you are purposefully developing your leadership brand you are deciding what you stand for. This is represented by your values and principles. And, these values and principles guide your attitude and behaviors as a leader. Take a good look at yourself in the following areas. How are these areas influencing your leadership brand?

Values

Your values embody what you find important in life. They represent what you truly believe in. Your leadership brand starts with your values. You need to really give some thought to what matters most to you. How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be?

Principles

Your principles provide the rules for your behavior. These rules are based on your values. As you develop your leadership brand, evaluate yourself honestly. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? What do you need to improve on? Your principles should inspire you to become a better leader. Are you setting the leadership example you want others to follow?

Attitude

What does your attitude say about your leadership brand? How do you treat those your leadership serves? What experience do you want your leadership to provide? Your attitude will exemplify your values. Is your attitude towards leadership authoritative? A servant? Do you believe in allowing employees to participate in leadership? As a leader you must keep an eye on your attitude because you can guarantee that your followers will be.

Behaviors

As you are developing your leadership brand, keep in mind that your leadership behaviors should be consistent; others should know what to expect from you. They should also have a clear understanding of what you expect from them. Be conscious of your behaviors, you are setting the example for others to follow.

Your Leadership Brand

Be purposeful about your leadership brand. Your values, purpose, attitude, and behaviors provide a good starting point for developing a purposeful leadership brand. Be conscientious of your words and actions; make sure they represent what you truly stand for. Ask yourself if you are being the kind of leader you would want to follow.

Collaboration, Empowerment, Engagement, Innovation, Leadership, Organizational Culture

Growing New Leaders

August 14, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“Growing other leaders from the ranks isn’t just the duty of the leader, it’s an obligation.” —Warren Bennis

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Why Grow New Leaders?

Developing leaders throughout your organization places you in a position to conquer new leadership challenges where innovation and flexibility are the keys to success. When you build on the expertise within the ranks of your organization you improve efficiency and effectiveness. Growing new leaders allows you to tap into the talent and potential of your team members. Let’s look at three of the factors that promote the growing and nurturing of new leaders.

Environment

You must start by creating an environment where others have the opportunity and are encouraged to lead. Develop a culture where employees embrace collaboration and open communication. Value the diversity that offers a continual flow of new perspectives. Provide employees with an environment that challenges them in a way that engages and inspires. Encourage the sharing of ideas by asking great questions and valuing the answers you receive. Provide work that employees can feel passionate about. Network and relationship building are important factors in leadership. Help and encourage employees to build their network and develop strong relationships built on trust and respect. Implement programs where new leaders can be mentored.

Opportunity

If you want to grow new leaders you must provide them with experiences that help them understand who they are, what they stand for, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Give them the opportunity to participate in solving difficult problems. Allow them to make mistakes and help them learn how to grow from the lesson these mistakes teach. Encourage them to share their ideas and allow them to participate in planning and implementation of new ideas. Every employee has valuable ideas, insights, and perspectives; engage them in productive conversations. When employees feel like they are an integral part of the organization they will be more motivated and engaged in growing as a leader.

Aptitude

Give employees the training and experiences they need to develop leadership skills. These skills will enable them to have a positive influence on colleagues, make informed decisions, and contribute new ideas. Help them develop an understanding of their own biases and how these biases can impact decision making. Teach them to appreciate the benefits of obtaining diverse points of view. Help them develop the ability to ask the right questions so they can make sense of overwhelming amounts of information. Teach them the value of networking. Create in them an ownership mentality. And, most importantly, serve as a role-model of good leadership and show them how to bring out the best in others.

Everyone Wins

Everyone wins when you grow new leaders and develop the leadership pipeline throughout your organization. When you have individuals with leadership ability at every level of your organization you increase the speed at which you can respond to change, your ability to be flexible, and your ability to respond to uncertainty. When you become more involved in the leadership development of your employees you will experience improved employee and customer satisfaction. By growing new leaders, your organization becomes more nimble and innovative, able to respond more quickly to customer needs and changes in the business environment.

Change Management, Collaboration, Communication, Engagement, Leadership, Organizational Culture, Planning, Team Building

How Are You Managing Change?

August 7, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” —Arnold Bennett

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Why Change

Fight it all you want, change is inevitable. When we fail to embrace change we cause ourselves undue stress and waste valuable time and resources. Why change? Change becomes necessary when the needs of our organization, customers, or employees change.

How We Change

Once we realize that needs have changed, and therefore we need to evolve; we must set a realistic change goal. Every level of management must roll-up their sleeves and get involved. Employees must understand and believe the reason for the change and the benefit to them personally. The organization must be committed to pursuing the long-term vision and the change requirements associated with it. Here are four factors that will help you manage change.

Purpose

Have a clear purpose. How will this change influence, improve, and impact others? What problem are you solving or what are you improving on? How will it benefit you customers? How will employees benefit? How does this change fit into the overall organizational objectives? People’s main concern is their own well-being; your employees need a clear understanding of your purpose and how they will be impacted by the change.

Plan

Create a proper plan for implementing change. Spend extra time formulating a good plan. Build flexibility in the plan. Set clear goals, identify milestones, and outline the timeframe. Ensure that goals are ambitious, yet attainable. What scope does the plan cover and what are the deliverables? Identify what success looks like. Determine what relationships and resources you will need to accomplish your goals. Do your plans for change fit with the vision of the organization? You must determine a budget for the plan. Specifically identify who will be accountable for each task. Then, bring the right team of people together to implement the plan. Check results early and often to ensure you are not veering off course.

Culture

Develop an organizational culture that embraces change. Your culture should encourage a sense of responsibility, camaraderie, and generosity. Encourage the development of strong relationships throughout your organization. Let employees share in the leadership responsibility. Make sure you have the right people serving in the right roles. Provide engaging work for your employees and allow every employee to use their expertise in achieving shared goals. Build loyalty by promoting a positive culture that encourages employee participation. You should encourage innovation and allow for mistakes. Help employees develop collaborative and decision-making skills. Promote transparency. Create an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect where teams are motivated and engaged.

Communication

Successful change management is more dependent on communication than on strategy. Make sure you are clearly communicating with your employees early and often. Set an example of the level of communication that is expected. Talk truthfully about change. Be genuine in both your words and actions. Clearly outline ownership and accountability. Promote a common understanding of the long-term vision of the organization as well as the immediate goal. Listen more than you speak and ensure that you understand what’s being said. Communication is the only way to succeed. If your communication isn’t reaching your team, you won’t be successful at managing change.

Take-Away

Change is inherently uncomfortable, but the fact is we must change or we become obsolete. Failing to recognize the need for change can result in wasted time, energy, and resources. You can minimize the fear and resistance associated with change by defining and sharing a clear purpose for the change; by setting realistic goals; and evaluating who and how others with be affected by the change. Communicate the purpose, goals, and benefits to all parties that will be impacted. Always be transparent and open in your communication. Develop a culture within your organization that is agile and embraces change. Create a plan for the implementation of change and outline how success will be measured. Engage employees in the process of identifying the need for change, formulating a plan, and implementing the change. When employees are invested in the change process managing change can be a positive, transforming experience.

Collaboration, Communication, Conflict Management, Leadership, Team Building

Resolving Conflict-It’s Not about Winning

July 31, 2014 Liz Stincelli

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” —Ronald Reagan

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

What Causes Conflict and How Do We Resolve It?

Conflict is the mental struggle that arises when our ideas, needs, wishes, or demands are in opposition to those of others. Conflict is inevitable when you bring people together from different beliefs and backgrounds. When we spend time in conflict with each other we are wasting energy and destroying any sense of camaraderie. Conflict does not resolve itself and only escalates if not addressed. Unresolved conflict can result in the loss of productivity, cooperation, collaboration, and creativity. Let’s look a little deeper at some of the factors that cause conflict and how we can resolve them.

Cognitive bias

Cognitive biases are thinking errors that impact how we interpret the world around us. These biases often occur when we try to over-simplify how we process information. Biases cause irrational thinking and affect our ability to make sound decisions.

Biases can influence in simple ways such allowing the way you currently feel to color the way you interpret the world around you. They can permit your judgment to become dependent on previously provided evidence with little regard for new evidence. You may have the tendency to listen only to information that confirms your preconceived beliefs or to interpret information in a way that confirms these beliefs. Your expectations could be unconsciously influencing how you perceive the outcome of interactions. It is also easy to let ourselves get caught up in group think and adopt the beliefs of others without proper evaluation.

When we experience a cognitive bias it impairs our ability to rationally interpret information and experiences. It is easy to fail to recognize and compensate for our own biases. We must be aware of these biases and how they impact our thinking in order to prevent and resolve the conflict they may cause.

Ambiguity

Conflict often arises when we assume all parties are talking about the same thing. Often we find that each participant to a conversation has their own definitions and meanings which are not in agreement with each other. In order to eliminate ambiguity we must come to the same understanding, with the same definitions and meanings by asking open-ended questions which you do not have preconceived answers for. Listen with the intent of gaining an understanding of how other parties perceive the situation.

Many times conflict involves the perception we have of the role we play in a group differing from how others see it. Conflict becomes more likely when we are operating under different assumptions about our roles and responsibilities than those we work with. Clear, written communication can be effective at keeping ambiguity to a minimum. Make sure you know what the conflict you are experiencing is really about. Work together to assign clear roles, define reality, and eliminate ambiguity.

Communication

The most successful approach to resolving conflict is open, two-way communication. In order to communicate effectively you must learn to listen without passing judgment. Each party to the communication will apply their own definitions and meanings; therefore, you can’t just listen to the facts. You have to ask probing questions and come to a consensus on the definition and meaning of the facts. Also, don’t just listen to others to figure out how you can get them to agree with your point of view. Listen to really understand and appreciate their reality so you can understand where they are coming from.

Be clear and consistent with communication from the very beginning of the relationship. Ask questions and keep an open mind. Talk through and test the feasibility of proposed solutions together. Prepare in advance for difficult conversations. Define how you see the problem. What points do you think are important? Come prepared to propose possible solutions. Make sure your message is clear and concise. When working to resolve conflict, watch the tone and language that you use and keep your emotions out of the discussion. Be an active listener and show yourself to be transparent and trustworthy. Focus on mending relationships before turning your focus to tasks.

Spanning boundaries

To resolve conflict we must learn to build bridges between management, employees, suppliers, and customers. We must develop strong relationships between people with differing beliefs, experience, and knowledge. By clarifying the role that each individual plays and the purpose of the team you can capitalize on the power that individual differences bring to the table.

Establish commonality by creating a shared vision, building trust, and coming together to achieve a higher purpose. Co-create something greater than could be achieved individually by combining a shared vision and strategy with the expertise, resources, and experiences of each individual. Span boundaries by accepting and appreciating the diversity that builds a great team.

It’s Not about Winning

Conflict is inevitable. It’s usually rooted in poor communication and the inability to control our emotions. When working to resolve conflict, listen with the intent of developing a connection, not to merely respond. Don’t communicate with the goal of getting the other person to agree with your point of view; communicate to bring differing points of view together to co-create something that is new.

When dealing with conflict, keep your emotions in check and maintain moral high ground. You do not have the power to change others so you may have to look at ways you can change your approach to managing relationships to avoid and resolve conflict. Conflict can be about bringing differing opinions together and co-creating something fantastic. Don’t think of resolving conflict in terms of winning. It’s not about seeking to defeat an enemy but about finding common ground for cooperation, compromise, and collaboration.

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

Employee Advocate | Leadership Consultant | Author | Speaker