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"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." ~ Lao-Tzu
Do you notice what is done right or just focus on what is wrong? If you think something good about someone, do you tell them?
Do you think good thoughts about yourself, even in the face of mistakes? Make a practice of looking for the positive in any situation. Like the lessons from your leadership journey!
Today's Tuesday Reading is "Not Achieving Your Goals? 5 Common Mistakes" which appeared in the CBS business blog recently. Kelly Goldsmith is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. Marshall Goldsmith is one of the world's leading leadership thinkers. He is author or editor of some 30 books on leadership and management.
Each of us sets goals all the times. Sometimes the goals are very good goals. Say, for example, SMART goals:
Sometimes we start work on our goals with good intentions. But, even with the best of intentions, often we abandon our work on them. The Goldsmith's have identified five reasons for this:
The goal is harder to achieve than we expect. In reality, most meaningful goals take a lot of hard work to ahieve. Estimate the work required carefully and schedule time for it.
It's not your goal. It's someone else's - e.g., your manager's. If you are going to meet it, you have to make it your own goal. Be motivated and committed.
You don't know when you're there; when you have reached your goal. For example, your goal is too general - increase customer satisfaction. Make goals measurable so you'll know when they are reached.
Interim "rewards" are modest. You've put in the time but progress is slow. If the goal is right, keep doing the work to move it forward.
You tried to do it alone. Share your goals with those around you. They will encourage you. And, if you give them permission, they will help you hold yourself accountable.
So, the next time you set a goal, make it SMART and look out for these pitfalls.
Have a great week. . . . jim
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but our aim is to low and we reach it." ~ Michelangelo
Does your comfort zone get you what you want? Do you aim for goals, improvements and growth or just think about it? Do you translate what you aim for into actions?
Reflect on your greatest accomplishments and how they stretched and challenged you beyond what you knew you could do. Set your goals, take action and experience the success!
Research by Bradley Owens from the University of Buffalo's School of Management and David Hekman from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Luber School of Business has shown that "Leaders of all ranks view admitting mistakes, spot lighting follower strengths and modeling teachability as being at the core of humble leadership." "And, they view these three behaviors as being powerful predictors of their own as well as the organization's growth."
This research was reported in the December 8, 2011 issue of Science Daily as well as in the Atlantic - "Humble Leaders Are Better Liked and More Effective".
Humble leaders who were experienced white males were reported as reaping large benefits from humbly admitting mistakes, praising followers, and trying to learn. In contrast, humble leaders who were young, non-white, or female were reported as having to constantly prove their competence to followers, making their humble behaviors more expected and less valued.
Participants in the study were drawn from very different organizations and all agreed that the essence of leader humility involves modeling to show followers how to grow. "Leaders who want to grow signal to followers that learning, growth, mistakes, uncertainty and false starts are normal and expected in the workplace, and this produces followers and entire organizations that constantly keep growing and improving."
So, more work to do: lead by example, admit your mistakes, and recognize the strengths of your team members.
. . . . jim
Today's Tuesday Reading is "What to do when you're stuck" is from Margaret Heffernan's blog at CBS News. Heffernan has been CEO of five businesses in the United States and United Kingdom. A speaker and writer, her most recent book Willful Blindness was shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book 2011.
Heffernan begins by noting that leaders always face difficult, sometimes intransigent problems, and sometimes get stuck. She suggests several ways to get unstuck:
Stop working - our natural tendency when we get stuck is to keep working on it. Stop! Finding a new approach means you have to do something new.
Do something completely different - spend time looking out your window, take a walk; even a slight physical movement can get you unstuck.
Have a conversation (not a meeting) - talking about the problem, articulating what you are actually working on can actually change the problem.
Ask for help - seek out additional ideas.
Go to sleep - get a good night's sleep, give your mind an opportunity to work on it, and wake up alert and ready to continue.
Remember - don't panic. You've been here before . Rember your past successes and the confidence they generated. And, keep up your nerve and keep going!
All good advice that we can begin to practice right now.
I hope that I will see you in Chicago at the IT Leaders Conference this June. I'd love to talk with you about how you apply the Tuesday Readings to your work. . . . . jim