Built with Passion

If you asked me to rank the things that I love about what I get to do for a living, working on and providing resources for professional and leadership development to those within our organization would be at the top of my list. Building our organization from within is our goal. Effective developmental programs and succession planning will afford us the opportunity to make this a reality, while constructing a solid organizational foundation of leadership.

Building an organization that has strong leadership requires daily involvement through active mentoring and coaching as well as structured developmental programs. The leadership within your organization has to be devoted to the practice for it to become ingrained within the organization's culture. Those of us in a leadership role know that it can be a battle to find the time to make this commitment. My opinion is that leadership's involvement in the developmental process is so critical that organizations can only become successful at the practice when their leader's routinely demonstrate their passion for the process. I know I have written the following statement in previous blog entries, but people truly do "emulate their leaders." A leader's actions, or lack thereof, will create cultural drivers that will lead to a business having strong leadership and good succession planning or not.

From my perspective, it is of great joy to reflect on the times I have had the opportunity to be directly involved in an individual's professional development process. It should be a great source of pride when those that you work with on development embrace the principals that they are taught and utilize those skills to achieve higher levels of success and responsibility. I am exceptionally proud when these folks are recognized and rewarded for their contributions. One of the best feelings in the world is to watch individuals with whom you share your own personal thoughts and lessons, which you have learned from experience and mentors, achieve his or her professional goals. That is how you build and leave your professional legacy. Pretty cool stuff!

What has been your most rewarding experience when serving in a mentoring role?

A Leadership Must

There are certain things leaders need to remain mindful of on an ongoing basis that impact the mental well being and culture within their operation. Subtle and common sense things that at times can prove to be very elusive including...

• Always saying "thank you."
  
• Always using the word "please" when asking someone else to do something.
  
• Not playing the "boss card" unless it is absolutely necessary.
  
• Giving recognition for a job well done.
  
• Treating everyone fairly even in the most difficult of situations. (This particular item is of just as much importance to the folks that are in your office and not directly related to the issue at hand because they know however you treat the current situation could be reflective of how you might handle any future situations including theirs.)
  
• Never using unprofessional language.
  
• Being honest with people even if it means telling someone something they do not want to hear but communicating it in a tactful manner.
  
• Stopping whatever you are doing to actually listen to what someone is telling you.
  
• Summarizing back to someone what they just told you to ensure you fully understand what they are saying.
  
• Introducing people by name to your superiors.
  
• Always following through on what you tell someone you are going to do.
  
• Catch folks doing something right, verses something wrong.
  
• "Coach" your people into becoming the winners you perceive them to be.
  

People emulate their leaders. Follow these guidelines and you will improve the morale, culture and effectiveness of your entire organization. A business is only as effective as the mindset of its greatest resources, its people.

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment." - John Wooden

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions." - Harold S. Geneen

What are you currently doing that could be added to the above list?

Open Exchange

Strong leaders have a way of creating an environment that allows for honest and open exchanges with employees no matter how extreme the circumstances. A lot of this responsibility also falls on the shoulders of the employee, but the development of the environment that allows for opening up about extreme circumstances falls directly on the shoulders of the leader.

The creation of an open-exchange environment aids a leader's ability to avoid surprises. I personally have let the individuals who make up my team of direct reports know that I am not a fan of surprises. They have a clear understanding that I would much rather be made aware of a negative situation directly from them verses through the inevitable grapevine. I also let it be known that they will not be met with negativity but with concern and a strong desire to offer assistance in finding a proper solution. Surprises can come in all shapes and sizes. One particular example is when a leader finds out that one of his or her employees is looking for or has been interviewing for another position. This is a tough situation to effectively manage and can be a subject that very few employees would feel comfortable talking about with their direct supervisor or hiring manager. Nonetheless, if a leader has paved the road of open exchanges and invested in building strong enough professional and trusting relationships, employees will have enough repect to make sure the leader is informed of other job offers, discontent with his or her position or environment, etc. Better yet, this can create an opportunity for you, as the leader, to build greater equity in a solid performer to the point that the employee feels better about his or her job and future opportunities within your organization, as opposed to continuing to foster a negative "grass is always greener" state-of-mind.

Make sure your folks know that you care about their professional, personal and mental well-being. This will go a long way in putting you, as their leader, in a position to avoid major surprises because their level of respect for you will not allow it to happen.

What was the situation surrounding your last surprise from a leadership standpoint and how did you deal with the issue?

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. - Colin Powell