Change Leadership

by Eileen M. Russo, PhD
Re-printed from Executive Excellence Magazine for the convenience of our readers.

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Are you a change leader? Can you become one? The answers to these questions are not found in your title or your position. They are found in your behavior. Those everyday actions steer change to its ultimate destination - success or failure.

How can you model the change? Like everyone else involved in the change you will be learning new behaviors. But because you are leading the change, what you do will be watched more closely and given more meaning.

Actions you take that support the change will send a strong message that you mean business. Actions you take that contradict the change will be seized upon by others as a compelling excuse for not taking the change seriously. Your goal in modeling the change is never to have others accuse you of pulling a "Do as I say, not as I do" move.

Communicating about the change is a constant and never-ending requirement for a change leader. The key to communicating is being proactive. It's your responsibility as a change leader to get out the word. After all, you can't assume that just because you know what's going on, everyone else does, too. And you can't assume that because you told everyone once, they got the message, or believe it's for real. That translates into a requirement for a lot of patience and perseverance on your part. You can't delay communicating until everything about the change is known. If you wait for certainty, you may never communicate.

If you want to involve others in the change, you need the mind-set that change is something everyone helps bring about rather than something that is "done" to others. You can't keep the change all to yourself. Rather, you need to be out and about, pulling others into the change by soliciting their ideas and concerns. Once they start opening up, you'll want to reinforce their involvement with active listening. As others take part in shaping the change, they naturally develop a vested interest in its outcome. This sense of ownership is the fuel that helps change efforts take off.

One of the greatest challenges you will face in leading change is helping others break free from the present way of doing things. People have many motives for defending the status quo. So you need to be a mental pry bar, pulling others from their attachment to the way things are.

When others cling to comfort, you need to introduce an opposing view or point out problems with the current, familiar way of working. And when others complain that it's just too hard to blaze fresh trails, you need to be the guardian of possibilities, repeatedly asking "why?" and "why not?" You have to champion the ideas that have never been tried before or that everyone thinks won't work.

As a change leader, your job is to create an environment where the learning process is openly acknowledged and accepted as a necessary part of change. Part of that is making it okay to admit you don't know something, rather than just faking it. People often don't have a firm grasp of new tasks. And if they fear embarrassment, they will never try anything new, out of their comfort zone.

Creating a supportive learning environment is also about taking unexpected problems in stride. Delays and "do-overs" are natural, so focus attention on what can be learned from a mistake to do better the next time. People who try out new ideas and succeed become people who move the entire organization forward by example.

Eileen M. Russo, Ph.D. is the author of The Change Leadership Journey from which this article is adapted. This book is a great read for both veteran and aspiring leaders! Buy it today online or at your local bookstore.

The New Ways Of Connecting

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D. Last week while President Barack Obama was delivering his first and historic address to the United States Congress, one prominent congress-woman was busy reporting to her own audience. The unique thing is that she was in the chamber, listening to the President, while reporting her thoughts to her own lowyal group of friends and supporters. How did she do this? She was typing on her cell-phone (probably a Blackberry) and sending her thoughts out through Twitter. Thousands of people were likely to have been receiving her notes.

Twitter is a service that allows people to communicate and connect to each other while sharing thoughts and information. It is one of many social networking and micro-blogging services that have become the new ways of connecting.

Other forms of the new ways of connecting includes blogging - like this blog - where just about anyone who has access to a computer and the internet can become a journalist, a reporter or a social charlatan.

Other forms of micro-blogging like Twitter include Jaiku, Pownce and Plurk. Then there are sites and forums where people can connect, form friendships and post information about themselves. These include Hi5, MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Orkut, Skyrock, Avatars United, Bebo.

Other sites like Last.fm, YouTube, Ustream.tv, Justin,tv, imeem, Digg, Reddit, Meetup.com, Second Life, Flickr and Google Groups have more specificied areas of focus. So for example, YouTube is a social networking site that features videos. However, many companies and professionals are using YouTube to market themselves and their products and services.

If you are going to be successful in the new era of social networking you and your company must learn to use these new tools. I have been sending this message to one company that uses my services. They have been slow to respond primarily because the decision-makers are not clued in to the new wave of social connecting and they don't see the tremendous potential for their company. For example, their company has a channel on the local cable TV service. Yes, they have their own channel... have their own programming and control their own content. I have suggested to them that they put this channel on the world wide web. Nope... they don't see the relevance. I have suggested that they take snippets of their TV programming and put them on YouTube. Nope... no can do... no relevance. Who is going to watch? How will we benefit?

Well, this is a company that has a regional and international presence. The local cable TV channel is only seen... well... locally. What about their audience in other parts of the region? what about their clients and customers in other countries? Use YouTube! Place a web-TV snippet on your website so that visitors to the site can see the same information on the local channel without visiting the local town! Do some podcasts of the chairman or managing director or marketing manager as they describe new products and services... and place them so that the world can see and hear! Can you imagine the powerful responses they would have received from this simple form of marketing utilizing the new media and the new technology?

One of the reasons for some objections to the new forms of media and new ways of connecting is that the power of the tradional media and marketing experts have diminished. And to the extent that those people are still in control is to the extent that their companies and their other executives are missing out on the revolution... a revolution that is less costly and much more powerful than the status quo of TV and newspaper ads, flyers and community sponsorships!

Hundreds of millions of people are tuning in and joining the various sorts of new media. How about you... I mean you as an individual!

At the very least I invite you to take a closer look at and explore how you might benefit from a social networking group like LinkedIn which is mainly used by professionals to network and connect with each other. Find colleagues in the same industry, job search, find solutions to common problems, get advice, and build your own network - worldwide!

For those of you who are still asleep using old media - email and IM - wake up - there is another revolution going on!

Pull Yourself Forward

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

As we look at the world around us we can make a claim that the nature of life is to grow. We see that in nature’s most basic living things. We also see this in more complex plants and animals.

Certainly, one could make the argument that the nature of life is also to deteriorate and die. However, such deterioration and death usually comes after a long and sustained period of growth and development.

Thus, if we focus on the growth and developmental factors we might ask what is it that drives us. Of course there is the element of DNA and cellular growth that emerges as the biological phenomenon of physical growth and development.

But what about other types of growth which include educational, career, social and spiritual development? I propose that these are propelled much less by the propulsions from our DNA which are unconscious to us and more by individual conscious decisions to grow.

If you analyze the lives of ultra successful people, you find that their successes came from their own internal decisions to push beyond the limits of their personal and social status quo. They decide on their vision, draw up their plans and take massive and unrelenting actions until they achieve success.

What about you? I propose that you need to to do the same. Let your purpose, vision and mission push and pull you towards what you decide will determine your success.

This push and pull comes from inside your head. It is conscious. It is a reality that you focus on every minute of your day. It is your road map and blue print. It mimics the behaviors of you DNA: unrelenting, purposeful, decisive, focused, determined, persistent, powerful… no stopping it until mission accomplished.

Pull yourself – Push yourself – Forward!

What's Your Company's Story?

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

In his book, "Generating Buy-In", Mark Walton proposes that companies and their leaders who are successful at generating their staff's buy-in, are also successful at telling strategic stories. Not only do they tell these stories to their staff, they tell them to the public also in order to generate consumer or customer buy-in.

Today, as I was discussing this with an executive who is in my Coaching Program, it dawned on me that she was not clear on the importance of capturing and articulating her company's story. As I thought about this, I reflected on many of the other executives whom I am currently coaching. I could probably count on one hand the number of those individuals who recognize the critical nature of this issue.

Arguably, the most powerful story that is being told today is that of the historic individual who has had the 'best brand' for two thousand years: Jesus Christ. Every Sunday... and throughout the week... in villages, suburbs, towns and cities across the world... his story is the one which predominates from the pulpit to the airwaves, from the street corners to the world-wide web.

And so it has been with successful individuals and companies in every field of endeavor.

When Barack Obama decided that he was going to run for the Presidency of the United States, he realized that he was just another 'wanna-be'... but he was an unknown 'wanna be'. So he wrote three books to introduce himself to the American electorate and to the world: Dreams of My Father; The Audacity of Hope; and, Change We Can Believe In. In these books, he told his story. And the rest is, well... his-story.

In his story, he branded himself to the words 'hope' and 'change' as he told the story of his life and of his dreams. These are forever etched in our memories and in our psyche. What did the American public do? What did the world do? We bought in! We elevated him!

So as I reflected on the people in my coaching program, I recognized that each of them worked for companies that had very powerful elements in their stories: how they started on a shoe string budget; the vision of the entrepreneurs who started the company; the struggle for survival and the great challenges along the way; the various ways that the company is successful today; how the company is positioning itself today - to deal with the challenges tomorrow; the types of leaders that the company is looking for today in order to carry on the legacy of the founders... These are themes that are common to all of these executives' companies.

And yet, if I ask some of these leaders or aspiring leaders, I know that many would not be able to respond because they are not clear about their company's story.

So, how can they be clear about the future story of their company... the one that they should be working to design and build? How will they fit the future into the past? What are they building on?

One of the critical factors highlighted by Walton in his book, is the fact that successful leaders use their company's compelling stories to inspire, uplift and motivate their staff to do more - and do more better - to beat the competition and leave them in the dust!

Therefore, if executives don't know the history... or the company's story, and if they know it but don't use it, they are missing or neglecting a crucial tool in their leadership tool box.

Starting today, I am tasking all of the executives that I coach in thinking about, developing and writing down their company's story! They will do so in a form that is inspiring and uplifting, highlighting all the elements noted above.

How about you? Do you know your company's story? Can you tell it in ninety seconds or less? And, when you tell it... will I yawn or will I feel inspired, excited and driven to say... "Wow"? "Tell me more! I want to be a part of this!"

Responding to 360 Degree Feedback

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

360 Degree feedback methods help employees receive performance feedback from supervisors, direct reports, peers and in some cases, customers. According to some experts, the most helpful feedback comes from observers who focus on the behaviors and skills of the person seeking the feedback.

The general purpose of the 360 Degree feedback is to help each individual gain insights of how he or she is perceived by others regarding their strengths and weakness. The goal of course is not just to have many different persons rate another person’s performance… but for that person to use the information to increase their performance, productivity and overall effectiveness.

For the past several years, I have coached many executives through this process and have seen a variety of responses to the feedback they receive. In a significant number of cases, individuals receiving such feedback have problems handling the difficult and sometimes unflattering responses that are offered by colleagues and others.

I was recently asked by someone who is going through this process to advise them on how to handle this difficulty. In response, I have developed a list of guiding perspectives and suggestions.

Perspectives & Suggestions:

• Do not look at the feedback as criticism. These comments are another person’s perceptions about you.
• These are how other people see, hear, smell taste and experience you as you interact with them.
• Do not engage in trying to guess who said what and why they said it.
• You do not have to be defensive. You do not have to explain. Just take it in.
• Do not see the feedback as malicious remarks from people who do not like you.
• Irrespective of their intentions, they have done you a great service. They have told you what you did not know or what you may have avoided knowing or facing.
• They have revealed their inner reactions to your personality, to your communication and to your interactions with them.
• Understand that what one person has revealed… there may be many others who privately agree. Now you know what has been hidden from you.
• They have educated you and opened your eyes. Now you must open your ears. And, you must open your heart.
• You can never again be in denial with regards to how these persons are impacted by you or how they perceive you. You can never again say that you did not know.
• The key is this: What will you do with their gift to you?
• Will you be defensive? Will you draw a line in the sand and say, “I did so and so… because…. I am like this… because you don’t really understand me… because you were not really listening to me… because I did not mean so and so… you really misunderstood me… blah blah blah…”
• Or will you say… “Well, I have a lot of work to do – to change how am perceived… to make my intensions more clear.”
• “I will communicate more effectively to reduce how I ‘rub people the wrong way.’” “I will reduce my abrasiveness…”
• “I will enhance my ability to lead, to motivate, to influence and inspire.”
• “I will demonstrate more of my ability to listen and understand others.”
• “I will demonstrate that I can take advantage of these insights… this information and that I can change in positive ways.”
• “I will not hold onto ‘who I thought I was’ or ‘what I thought I was doing’.”
• “I will now set goals in order to change me first.”
• “I have the capacity, the ability and desire to change to be better… not bitter; to grow, learn and develop – not defend!”

Those are my thoughts on the attitude that is needed to derive the greatest benefit from critical feedback of others.

What are your thoughts? Give me some feedback: mpowerme@speaktrain.com

Do You Have High Blood Pressure?

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

There are times when we turn a blind eye to the realities of what’s happening in our lives. We consciously or unconsciously avoid asking the key questions that we should. We become comfortable with personal and professional conditions that are much less than optimal. As things decline, rather than make small adjustments, we accept the deteriorating situations and do nothing. We allow things to get worse and to move slowly towards disaster until it is almost too late to make a comeback.

This was the case with an executive who I was coaching. He had just turned 50 years old and ‘suddenly’ realized that his blood pressure was 140/90. Five years ago, his blood pressure was 125/83 and apparently had ‘quietly’ increased steadily. Over the years, he had resisted exercising and changing his diet. According to him he was ‘too busy’ and too focused on ‘living life’ and fulfilling his career dream. He had put on 29 pounds in five years… and those pounds were in the wrong places!

These were subtle, gradual, creeping changes which now, five years later, were still not enough to persuade him to be overly concerned. That is, until I got him to project and track these changes five years into the future. I got him to understand his life backwards and forwards so that he would have a life – today and tomorrow.

And so I asked him, “If you continued to do the things that you have done over the past five years, and based on the rate of progression over that time period, what might your weight and blood pressure (and health) be five years from now into the future?”

Though he was resistant and slow to respond, the answers to that question gradually shook him awake, and he began to look more closely at his past and current activities. Those answers jerked him (still somewhat reluctantly) into planning and implementing (minor) lifestyle changes which he could easily and painlessly integrate.

Once we recognize that negative shifts have taken place in our lives, it behooves us to decide how we will respond. Ask yourself: If I continue to do the things that I have been doing, what will life be like in one year? Two years? Five years?

Ask questions. Hear the answers. Take action! Those are the three keys of personal and professional transformation.

View Change as Challenge!

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

Are you experiencing troubling or difficult changes on your job, at home, in your social life or in your community?

Do you see these changes as tragedies, trials or tribulations? Or do you see them as calamities, catastrophes, or unnecessary complications?

What is your response to these changes in your life or circumstances? Are you reacting in anger, fear or hostility? Or are you only irritated, frustrated, or mildly upset? Are you stressed out and threatened by the changes which you are anticipating or those which have already occurred?

In one of my keynotes on how to successfully deal with change: Change Your Life & Keep The Changes You Desire – One critically important strategy that I share is that we should "View Change as Challenge!"

Here are a few steps on how to do reframe “Change” into “Challenge”

First, remember this too shall pass. Think clearly about what this means. I regularly tell myself that “It is night now. Yes, it is dark. Yet, morning will come. Light will come.” That does not mean that I only wait for the morning. Yes, I will bring my own light to the issue… And, I know – that eventually – things will change. For the better!

Ask yourself... What can I change in myself? What can I do, now, that will allow for me to have a different reaction to this change? What about me can I change or adjust so that I can empower myself.

Rephrase the “the problem” into a “challenge” and then into a positive opportunity.

“There is in the worst of fortunes the best of chances for a happy change.” Euripides.
“Some men see things as they are and say ‘why?’
I dream things that never were, and say, ‘Why not?’” Robert Kennedy

Convert fear, anger and other limiting emotions such as worry, anxiety, despondency, denial or avoidance into positive energy. Energy means action. Action means doing something positive that will help to alleviate your stress and empower you to act purposefully – moving you toward a well-defined goal.

Analyze the situation. What is the problem? Look at solutions....What can you do now? What can you do later? Who can you turn to for assistance? Who has had a similar situation like this? What can you learn from them?

Act calmly and persistently. What ever you do – take decisive and relentless action! Do not stop until you have successfully handled the situation.

Don’t stop! Do not stop after you have successfully deal with the challenge! Now you must take action to fortify yourself to prevent this particular issue from becoming a “problem”! This may mean: keeping your resume updated; starting your job search today; establishing a home-based, part time business; building new and more supportive relationships; getting rid of the toxic relationships in your life; starting an exercise program, changing your nutritional habits, and supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals; Examining your “Globe of Life” and developing a personal vision and mission for specific areas.

Whenever you are faced with “change” you must view it as a “challenge” – an opportunity to do something different that will lead to you having more personal power.

Ask yourself empowering questions. Seek creative solutions. Knock and take decisive and relentless action.

Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D. is a speaker, executive coach and clinical psychologist. He is the author of Ask, Seek, Knock – an inspirational masterpiece which focuses on how individuals can achieve success by asking the right questions and taking decisive actions. He can be reached through his website: www.SpeakTrain.com or e-mail at mpowerme@SpeakTrain.com

Giving Up Too Soon!

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

Have there been times in your life when you felt like you wanted to give up – thinking that you had tried everything – exhausted your energy, your resources, or even your patience? You may have even postponed, or put on the back burner, projects that you did not quite achieve in the time allotted or to the degree of success that you had desired.

No… I am not talking about dreams and goals that you have had, or unfulfilled New Year resolutions. I am speaking about projects and tasks that you had actually started.

I had always wanted to publish a book. No… not write… publish. You see, I had already written several books over the years, but could not get over the hurdle of getting someone – anyone – to publish any of my books.

Yet, I had met several authors, most of whom had the same story… They spent years writing their book. Then, they spent several frustrating years trying to find a publisher. Yep. That was my story.

But their story had a different ending. They found a publisher. How? Everyone had a different solution for finding a publisher. Yet, they all shared one thing in common… perseverance. They never gave up.

Such perseverance is particularly common among famous and very successful authors:

• Louis L’Amour, successful author of more than 100 western novels with more than 200 million copies in print, received more than 350 rejections before he found a publisher.
• British writer John Creasy received 774 rejections before he was able to publish his first story. He went on to write 564 books – using 14 different names.
• Dr. Seuss’ first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 27 publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher Vanguard Press sold 6 million copies of the book. All of his books went on to sell a total of more than 100 million copies.
• The first Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected by 123 (33 in New York, and 90 in Anaheim) publishers. Eight million copies of that book has since been sold, and 53 million copies (and counting) of the thirty-three title series have been sold world wide.
• Early in his career, Alex Haley, author of Roots, received one rejection letter every week for four years.

One of the authors whom I interviewed on the way to my first published book, Ask, Seek, Knock - shared the following story with me. I hope that it will inspire you or someone to whom you will have passed this newsletter to.

A man meets a guru in the road. The man asks the guru, "Which way is success?"
The bearded sage does not speak, but points to a place off in the distance.
The man, thrilled by the prospect of quick and easy success, rushes off in the appropriate direction. Suddenly, there comes a loud "splat."
Eventually, the man limps back, tattered and stunned, assuming he must have misinterpreted the message. He repeats his question to the guru, who again points silently in the same direction.

The man obediently walks off once more. This time the splat is deafening, and when the man crawls back, he is bloody, broken, tattered, and irate. "I asked you which way is success," he screams at the guru. "I followed the direction you indicated. And all I got was splatted! No more of this pointing! Talk!"

Only then does the guru speak, and what he says is this: "Success is that way. Just a little past splat."

Whether your project involves writing, building your career, or improving your performance and productivity… success lies just beyond the point at which you felt like giving up… or just beyond the place where you fell down… or just beyond the next bend in the road…. Just a little past splat!

Success is that way. Keep going.

Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D. is a speaker, executive coach and clinical psychologist. He is the author of Ask, Seek, Knock – an inspirational masterpiece which focuses on how individuals can achieve success by asking the right questions and taking decisive actions. He can be reached through his website: www.SpeakTrain.com or e-mail at mpowerme@SpeakTrain.com

In Search of.... "Greater Productivity"

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.
www.SpeakTrain.com

This is an article that I wrote in the Antigua & Barbuda Workers’ Voice on December 11th, 1982. It was written under my column, “In Search of Other Things”. The title of the article is “Greater Productivity”.


Productivity has been defined as the relationship between the physical and mental output of a person, company or nation and the input of skills, know-how, labor, capital and materials. In simple word, it is the relationship between input and output!

When we look at our periodicals today (1982), we find that the headlines reveal high levels of unemployment, sluggish economies and high numbers of high school dropouts. These problems undoubtedly lie in the sphere of low productivity.

Productivity must be seen from an individual and personal standpoint. For example, when a school is highly rated, it means that the individuals in the school produce. The class teacher produces and as a result the student produces high academic performance, good behavior and success in extra-curricular activities. The same production ration can be used with any institution, company industry or… nation.

Of course there are many factors which affect one’s productiveness. Some of these are: educational and cultural background, personal interests, aptitudes and abilities, experience, age, skill and expertise, financial conditions, physical and material resources, health, family life and the national and international environment.

Of these factors, I think that educational and cultural backgrounds play the key roles. It is during our childhood years at home and at school that we learn valuable qualities such as self-discipline, respect and good behavior. It is also at this time that we practice punctuality, effective communication, good decision-making, logical reasoning, and proper attitudes towards assignments. We also learn to adopt high performance habits.

At least, it is at this time, that we should learn these things. But the facts belie this situation. Let us examine our schools for example. The high level of absenteeism and lateness, the lack of total involvement in activities (or lack of opportunities for involvement), the low levels of discipline, the erosion of traditional standards of behavior, the large amount of dropouts, the low performance levels in school and poor achievement results at exams, and the generally unwilling attitude towards assignments (homework).

Let me hasten to add that at this time, I am not blaming anyone… yet. However, if the child does not do his homework and is not motivated to produce in school what will his work attitude be like as an adult? If at 16 (sixteen) years of age he has developed a negative outlook or even an indifferent approach to punctuality and attendance, do you think he will be a changed person 10 (ten) years later?

Although productivity must be seen from an individual view point, this does not relieve our institutions of their responsibilities. Adequate steps must be taken immediately on a national front to motivate individuals in our society to change their attitudes towards productivity. This must involve a scientific approach in education, career guidance, personal development programs and vocational training, and community development projects.

Whatever is done must have a three pronged approach: (1) Home and the family; (2) School and community; (3) Jobs or professions. Also of equal importance are styles and methods of teaching and management; incentives for increase production; more opportunities for local and other training; seminars for adult groups on topics such as personal development, parenting and developing self-help projects.

As an individual, are you satisfied with your performance at school? At work? As a spouse? As a parent? Are you satisfied that what you are putting in on the job is on par with what you are getting out? Do you think too much is asked of you for the too little reward you are given at month’s end? Does this thought affect your attitude and behavior – thereby affecting your performance and productivity?

Only you can really answer these questions. Be honest with yourself; reflect on your skills, know-how, attitudes, attendance and punctuality. Make high performance a personal issue in all spheres of your life. Do everything in your power to improve and progress, and to develop your inputs and outputs.

Remember, “As you sow, so shall thou reap!”

Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.
mpowerme@speaktrain.com
www.SpeakTrain.com

In Case of Rain

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.
www.SpeakTrain.com

Recent events in my life have served to re-emphasize to me the importance of constantly demonstrating faith and belief. I want to emphasize the action word ‘demonstrating’.

There have been many occasions when I have sought divine intervention, many instances when I have asked for celestial inspiration, and countless times when I have just plain prayed for help and assistance.

And in many of those instances when my prayers were answered I was caught unprepared and unready to take advantage of the very help that I had sought.

If this seems a somewhat philosophical, I hope the following story sheds some light and has the same effect on you that it had on me.

The fields were parched and brown from lack of rain, and the crops lay wilting from thirst. People were anxious and irritable as they searched the sky for any sign of relief. Days turned into arid weeks. No rain came.

The ministers of the local churches called for an hour of prayer on the town square the following Saturday. They requested that everyone bring an object of faith for inspiration.

At high noon on the appointed Saturday the townspeople turned out en masse, filling the square with anxious faces and hopeful hearts. The ministers were touched to see the variety of objects clutched in prayerful hands ... holy books, crosses, prayer beads and various other symbols of religious faith.

When the hour ended, as if on magical command, a soft rain began to fall steadily. Cheers swept the crowd as they held their treasured objects high in gratitude and praise. From the middle of the crowd one faith symbol seemed to overshadow all the others.

A small nine-year old child had brought an umbrella.

Are you ready for what may happen when your prayers are answered and divine intervention brings opportunity knocking at your door steps? For example, if you are seeking to be interviewed for that job of a lifetime, have you dusted off your resume, brushed up on the new jargon in your field, read the latest books and developed some new skills? Have you talked to other experts in the field and gained insights into what’s new and what’s old? And, have you practiced formulating answers to the tough questions that will likely be asked at your interview?

Are you ready for rain?

Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.
mpowerme@speaktrain.com
www.SpeakTrain.com

Do You Have “An Attitude of Gratitude”?

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

“I am thankful to God for each story, each idea, each word… each day!” Isaac Bashevis

As I reflect on my personal journey of growth and development, I am ever mindful that I owe much to others. I stand on the shoulders of family members, teachers, friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers. Small gifts of kindness, advice or support at critical times helped to keep me journeying onwards. Such gifts are still powering the winds that help to keep me uplifted each and every day.

As I reflect on these small gifts – I know in my heart – that today would have been totally different without those gifts of yesterday, and tomorrow will be positively different from today: A tit-bit of advice that put me in sync with my internal desire to be a teacher; A one sentence comment that reframed worry into positive wonder and curiosity to take up my spiritual journey; A small envelope with less than $100 that – at the time – was a fortune because it came at the right time. That small gift was the ‘tipping’ point that helped me decide that I should “go for it”, “take the plunge”, leave home and attend college.

G. B. Stern says that, “Silent gratitude is not much help to anyone.” And, so I have been on a mission of finding all of my benefactors and thanking them for their help. Many have responded to me that they didn’t know and wasn’t aware of the impact of their assistance on me. Truth be told – I am only now coming to the fullest awareness of that myself.

And, it feels good to be sharing this with them.

What about you? Are you harboring “silent gratitude” in your heart?

According to Shakespeare, “Ingratitude is monstrous.” Several of my benefactors are persons whom I can very easily find great fault with – either for things in their public or private lives, or things they have said or done. And, sometimes I do critique them – directly and in person. Yet, I am always grateful – always publicly articulating and demonstrating my deepest appreciation for their support when I needed it. Though it might have been long in the past… theirs was a supportive and unhesitatingly given shoulder shared in the right place and at the right time.

• How are you demonstrating your gratitude for small acts of kindness?
• What are you doing to helping others in need?
• And, most importantly, what opportunities have you passed up to say, “Thank you” for a benevolent act?

Whether it happened yesterday or ten years ago, reach out with an attitude of gratitude.

“I am thankful for small mercies. I compared notes with one of my friends who expect everything of the universe, and is disappointed when anything is less than best.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Plant Seeds!

What kinds of seeds are you sowing in the fields of your mind?

‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ (Matthew, 13:31-32).

All of us sow seeds.

If you are in the garden or backyard, you can sow seeds of thorny shrubs, poisonous plants, or trees that bear life-sustaining fruits. However, some of our most important seeds are sown in the fields of our mind. When you ask questions they become like seeds. They will blossom and bear fruit. Depending on your questions, the fruits can be bitter or sweet. I believe that many of our problems occur when we sow the wrong seeds and ask the wrong questions of life. For example, we too often ask ‘why’ questions when we ought be asking ‘how’ questions. “How can I get out of this financial mess?” Rather than, “Why me?”

Plant seeds which will grow ideas, strategies, possibilities, and solutions to empower your life.

According to Dottie Walters, “Anyone can cut an apple open and count the number of seeds. But, who can look at a single seed and count the trees and apples? We cannot imagine that this small object is even alive. Yet when it is placed in the soil, a transformation process is started – one that gradually – in time, will nurture and give sustenance to humans, birds and insects.

The smallest question is also like a seed. When it is put in the fertile soil of your mind it contributes to your “tree” of knowledge – which will then produce many “fruits”. Yet when we look at the question (like the seed), we cannot see its mighty potential – a potential which lies hidden from casual observation.

Like seeds, your questions will blossom larger than life in the fields of your mind and in the acres of your life.

Caution: Be careful that you not sowing seeds of thorn trees, poisonous plants or parasitic vines in your mind! Ensure that you are sowing seeds of empowerment, creative, positive possibilities and success.

By asking the right questions in the right ways, you will be transformed beyond anything currently visible or even imaginable.

(From Ask, Seek, Knock! by Marcus Mottley, Ph.D.)

Make Yourself Unforgettable

You may be good. You may even be great. But are you UNFORGETTABLE?

Whether you’re competing for a candidate, a contract, a client, a job, or anything else of value, there’s nothing more critical to your success than your ability to stand out as a uniquely qualified, valuable, appealing individual — someone whom other people really want to work with, work for, know, and help.

It used to be that a top-notch education, exceptional talent, and a positive attitude were enough to distinguish a person as truly exceptional. If you had all three, you were pretty much guaranteed an open road to wealth and achievement.

But what is it that will make you stand out today, when everyone seems to be offering those advantages?

The surprising answer can be found in this brief true story:

Ted drove a truck for a small family-owned manufacturing company, and his wife was about to have a baby. Complications arose during the delivery that resulted in a $20,000 hospital bill. His wife and baby were healthy, but Ted had a major financial crisis on his hands: Fine print in his insurance coverage seemed to indicate that the bill would not be covered.

As Ted had no means of paying the bill out of pocket, he went to see Warren, the owner of his company, in the hopes that he might be able to intercede with the insurer. Warren listened to Ted’s problem and promised to call the insurance company himself to find out why Ted’s expenses weren’t covered, and what could be done about it. A few days later, Warren let Ted know that he had spoken with the insurance company and cleared up the confusion. The hospital expenses would be fully covered, and Ted wouldn’t be receiving any more bills.

Ted thanked Warren profusely for his help and never forgot the way his boss went to bat for him. It wasn’t until Warren’s funeral, years later, that Ted learned the truth. The insurance company hadn’t agreed to cover Ted’s bill. So Warren had paid it himself.
Now, Warren could have dealt with this situation in any number of ways that would have marked him as a good boss. What he did do elevated him to an entirely different stature.

There’s only one way to describe a person like Warren. He was a CLASS ACT.

Class acts are the kind of people who make tough challenges seem easy and big problems seem small. They stay cool, calm, and collected, no matter what the circumstance. They get the job done extremely well, but they do so without arrogance, braggadocio, or any need for praise and recognition (although they always get it!).
Class acts can be counted on to play the game of life at the highest levels … and inspire everyone around them to do the same. They feel good about themselves … and they make other people feel good about themselves as well. Class acts are able to lift themselves up … without ever tearing anyone else down.

In turn, class acts receive the respect and admiration of virtually everyone they meet. People want to be associated with them. People bend over backwards to help them. People leap to their defense. People line up to spend time with them and part ways with them feeling positive and energized.

Educated, talented, motivated people are a dime a dozen these days. But class acts? They’re a rare breed. You can spot them right away. And you never forget them.

Which is why if someone identifies YOU as a class act, you will have a tremendous advantage over everyone else you’re competing with — even people whose other, more concrete, qualifications and experience may surpass yours!


From Dale Carnengie: Class Act System

Why Good Employees Leave

by Louise Kursmark, Monster Contributing Writer

Rather than finding yourself in a serious staffing shortage a few months or years down the road, take the time now to address retention issues at your company.
In any employment market, good companies want to keep their best people. But when labor becomes scarce, as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects it will for the next decade or so, employee retention becomes an increasingly critical priority.

What, then, can companies do to retain the people they worked so hard to recruit? From an informal survey I conducted of more than 100 executives recently in a career transition, several important facts emerge.

Compensation

The Issue: While just 31 percent of respondents indicated making more money was their primary reason for job hunting, it's evident that paying competitive salaries is an important retention tool.

What You Can Do:

1. Use industry surveys and other data tools to stay informed on wage trends.


2. To benefit both company and employees, tie increased pay to meeting specific goals aligned with business objectives.


3. Collect data from exit interviews to document trends from your departing employees, then use this data to make a business case for increasing salaries across the board.


4. Survey employees to find out what perks, benefits and forms of compensation other than money will help keep them on board.

Management and Retention

The Issue: In the survey, comments about poor management abounded. For 29 percent, the fact that they "did not like, respect or get along with their manager" was a significant factor in their decision to leave.

According to Irving Stackpole, president of healthcare consulting firm Stackpole & Associates, "It's absolutely clear that the reason people stay in jobs are the relationships that they have -- primarily with their supervisor." And when those relationships are strained, many people leave.

What You Can Do:

1. Improve managers' leadership, communication and interpersonal skills through coaching, training and feedback. Rate these key skills in their evaluations, and tie compensation to performance.


2. Create a safe environment and process for employees to bring up concerns with their managers. Address problems quickly.

Communication

The Issue: When asked what advice they would give management to keep talented staff on board, survey respondents repeatedly mentioned better communication of company goals, performance expectations and value/appreciation of staff work.

What You Can Do: Consider this sampling of ideas from the survey, and compare how your own company and its managers operate:

1. Provide clear vision, strong and consistent communication, teamwork and respect for workers' efforts.


2. Share the company vision/mission clearly and regularly.


3. Collaborate, communicate and listen. Happy employees accomplish amazing things.

Case Study: Why One Good Employee Left

For one senior executive, the decision to leave his job came down to listening and respect. After leading a successful turnaround of his division, he was excited to learn that the board of directors was launching a CEO search to replace the departing top executive. Because of his knowledge of the company and undisputed successes leading one of its most challenging divisions, he felt he was a strong candidate.

After drafting a resume and cover letter that put forth his vision of the key challenges and growth opportunities facing the organization, he assembled a strong list of references and alerted each to expect a call from a board member. He sent in his package with confidence that he would be able to expand on his ideas during an interview.

A few months later, he is actively searching outside the organization. His interview turned out to be a 20-minute meeting with a board member who clearly hadn't read his documents or contacted any references. "I felt disrespected," the worker says. "It's not that I thought I was a shoo-in for the job, but I expected to be given a fair shot."

Thus, the company will lose a top performer, because an executive didn't take the time or extend the courtesy to listen.

Be Proactive

Rather than finding yourself in a serious staffing shortage a few months or years down the road, take the time now to address retention issues at your company. You can create strategies to improve your company's ability to carefully preserve and develop its most valuable asset: Its people.

This article originally appeared on Monster.com. Copyright 2006 Monster.com

Mediocre Managers

The High Price Companies Pay for Mediocre Managers

Weak management can wreak havoc in even the best organization and send the most talented employees running for the exits, say the authors of First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently.

The smartest executives know that the most competitive market they operate in each day is not the market for their product; it is the market for the best employees for their company. In a global economy that continues to race along as if fueled by an unending supply of double cappuccinos, companies are finding it more and more difficult to attract and retain talented employees. Human resources executives and consultants search for ever more generous pay packages to hold on to the best workers at every level.

In their bestseller, First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman of the Gallup organization conclude that focusing on pay and perquisites is misguided. A company can offer employees generous compensation, benefits, and wonderful perks such as health clubs and daycare centers, and still lose their best workers. What many otherwise excellent companies miss, according to the authors, is that one mediocre manager can wreak havoc in even the best organization and send the most talented employees running for the exits.

The two researchers gathered information from more than 80,000 managers in more than 400 companies. They found that the single biggest stumbling block to corporate success is bad management in a company's middle levels. Buckingham and Coffman don't dither: "The manager was the critical player in building a strong workplace." Their findings fly in the face of the long-accepted nostrum that as long as a company has a strong leader at the top, creates an attractive corporate campus, complete with a health club and concierge, and provides generous pay and benefits, it will have no trouble attracting, motivating, and retaining talented employees. Wrong, say the Gallup duo. Employees want excellent management at every level.

Companies, according to the authors, have overlooked the "manager" issue. Senior managers in companies are guilty of the same omission: They have failed to train staff to be effective managers, and they have failed to supervise managers' performance effectively. Companies are awash in information, performance metrics, and statistical analyses of products and markets. But, asks the duo, what is top management doing to capture information about the effectiveness of their managers and the impact the managers are having on their direct reports? Far too little, they conclude.

Buckingham and Coffman observe that each manager creates a culture within his or her department. The end result is that a company has as many cultures as it has managers. That culture may be positive and strong or it may be destructive and at odds with the culture top management is trying to create. Companies need to recognize the fact that each company is a collection of cultures. One significant benefit of this finding, the authors stress, is that the company does not have to go outside the organization for best practice assessment. They've got best practice somewhere within their own organization. They just need to find it and then learn from it.

The best manager will focus on helping his or her workers answer the following key questions with vigorous affirmation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

These are fundamental questions, but the authors argue that too many businesses miss the mark because they stray from the fundamentals. They aim too high and forget about building a strong foundation. Executives tend to run past the basics as they stampede to the latest book, the newest theory, or the hottest guru.

Buckingham and Coffman found that the best managers work each day to create heroes in every role. These managers level the playing field and help each employee discover how best to grow within the organization. Outstanding managers are adept at "holding up the mirror" when they give performance feedback. They meet with their direct reports on average once a quarter to talk not only about the quarter just ended, but more important, to set new goals and objectives for the next quarter. The focus of these meetings is on the future. The great manager sees herself or himself in partnership with each worker.

This does not mean that great managers are soft. Indeed, they are firm believers in tough love. Employees who do not excel don't last long. Great managers believe in excellence and create an environment in which anything short of excellence is not tolerated for long. But the key distinction between great managers and others is that great managers understand that employees who underperform do not do so because they are stupid, inept, or uncooperative. Rather, the manager realizes that the person has been miscast and put in a position where his or her strengths do not match the skills needed to excel.

Buckingham and Coffman conclude that exceptional managers want to set up their employees for success. They want to help employees become more of who they already are. They want to treat each employee with dignity and respect. They recognize that they cannot change a person's nature or characteristics; they can only facilitate. Great managers focus on the basics, which, as the authors point out with no small degree of distress, flies in the face of conventional wisdom. The first step, therefore, to developing great managers within a company is, as the title of this insightful book tells us, to "break all the rules."

Copyright © 2000 the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Leadership: Towards A New Ethic

By Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D

In this age of Enron, Global Crossing, Worldcom, the Vioxx debacle at Merck and political leaders who succumb to bribes and vulgar behaviors, a critical and invasive spotlight is being placed on the ethical practices of leaders in both the private and public sectors. Any honest examination of leadership practices today will assert that ethical practice among global public and private sector leaders is un-arguably quite lacking. Leadership ethics, I would argue is at a crossroads.

Joanne B. Ciulla in “Ethics, the Heart of Leadership poses that “Power and authority in today’s world stem not from position or coercion, but from trust, commitment and values shared with those who are led.” Well, whereas I might agree that, power and authority might not stem from coercion, they do stem from position. And, I could possibly be persuaded to also agree that positions of “power and authority can emerge from the trust and commitment of the followers, personnel and share-holders. But, I would strongly disagree that such “power and authority” stem from any “shared-values” among leaders such as those at Enron, Global Cross, Worldcom, and even at Merck and the people who “follow them.”

This is also the case in political arenas where the power and authority emerge from the voters' beliefs that elected leaders represent their yearnings and desires, as well as their goals and objectives. In a sense many political leaders do represent the yearnings and desires of many of their constituencies… in the sense that they have the same yearnings for the trappings of power and success: money, social status, and the authority to direct others to do their bidding. The difference is that they want these things for themselves first... and somewhere down the road - for the people in their constitunencies.

Often times, leaders such as those at Merck and Enron, just like politicians and elected personnel, start out by making fabulous promises and commitments in order to get votes – either from shareholders or from community stakeholders. When they do get to positions of power and authority… their commitments begin to recede into the background as they begin wrestle with their personal agendas and desires. In many cases, they renege on their commitments and betray the trust of the their shareholder or stakeholder constituents.

According to Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus, “Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.” And, that is at the heart of why leadership ethics is at a crossroads. Do we have leaders who are worthy of our trust, fully committed to our common interests and who share our values?

Bernard M. Bass and Paul Steidlmeier of the Center for Leadership Studies, School of Management at Binghamton University in New York, “The ethics of leadership rests upon three pillars: (1) the moral character of the leader, (2) the ethical values embedded in the leader’s vision, articulation, and program which followers either embrace or reject, and (3) the morality of the processes of social ethical choices and actions that leaders and followers engage in and collectively pursue.”

I would argue that of the three pillars that Bass and Steidlmeier identify, the first pillar, “The moral character of the leader” is the most important. It is like a super-pillar on which all other pillars depend. Why? Because in today’s world, even in our so-called democracies, the ‘leader’ is endowed and invested with enormous authority and huge decision-making powers that can impact the lives (and deaths) of thousands of people.

With the stroke of a pen, any one of today’s private or public sector leaders, can impact billions of people around the globe. From President Bush to President Chavez, from Rex Tillerson, president of ExxonMobil Corporation to G. Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr, President and CEO of General Motors, from Steve Hills, president and general manager of the Washington Post to Tian Congming, president of Xinhua News Agency (China News Agency) – all have the power to influence billions of people – positively and negatively.

We are at a cross roads of ethical leadership because, while the world is apparently moving towards theoretical democracy, we are increasingly dependent on individuals who ascend to the throne of global power and authority. And, if recent events in both the private and public sectors can be seen as yard sticks, ‘followers’ (shareholders and stakeholders) need to be vigilant, cautious and exercise more independence in decision-making. They also need to be less trusting and demand total transparency in the process of public and private sector governance.

What can leaders do?
According to Bass and Steidlmeier ‘modern western philosophy tacitly assumes that there is no morally valid leadership without the consent of the led.’ Therefore leaders must remember that one of the central tenets of western philosophy, and indeed, democracy is that all ‘all authority emanates from the governed.’

Since ethical leadership rests on the ‘moral character of the leader’, modern leaders must also embrace Confucian notion of the ‘moral sage’ and ‘superior person’. This is similar to Plato’s idea of the ‘philosopher king’ whose wisdom and purity allows him to rise above base idealism and personal faults like greed, favoritism and lust.

Leaders must privately uphold the values that they publicly espouse whether these are moral, religious or spiritual mores. The leader who goes to church on Sunday and robs his shareholders on Monday is certainly demonstrating an immoral character – no matter what he says publicly. The leader who argues for a pay raise, in addition to a multiple million dollar salary while he is downsizing his workforce, while his company's profits are down andwhile shareholders are losing money is definitely demonstrating a greedy character. A leader who preys on the vulnerable within his organization and coerces them into activities that serve his base interests is demonstrating a character ingrained with lust and depravity. The moral character of a leader is as important as his visionary ideas, his creative decision-making and his strength in motivating people to embrace a shared future together.

Finally, the western world has promulgated a philosophy where each person is responsible for himself, and every individual pursues his own self interest. Seemingly, based on the constant stream of negative examples, today’s leaders have passionately embraced this individualism to the exclusion of a leaders commitment to and resposnibility for his 'followers'. This needs to change.

According to Rawls (1971) the legitimacy of leadership depends on granting the same liberty and opportunity to others that one claims for oneself. The legitimacy of leadership rests on telling the truth, keeping promises, distributing to each what is due, and employing valid incentives or sanctions. Leaders who follow these principles recognize not only the pluralism of values and diversity of motivations among their ‘followers’, but also recognize that he or she exists (in their mantle of leadership) solely to serve the interests of their shareholders or stakeholders and not their own.

Transformation from the Inside... Out

The word “Transformation” suggests changing something from one thing to another… from one state of being to another state of being; it suggests creating something new from something old… it suggests moving across and over and through boundaries and obstacles in order to form new realities, new skills, new competencies, new products and new services.

In order for transformation - whether personal, social or organizational to occur, I propose that a radical shift in mindsets, in thinking, in the mental models of the people involved must occur.

The key here is that in order for transformation to occur on the outside - this radical shift must occur on the inside. Not inside families, or societies or organizations - but within the hearts and minds - feelings and thoughts - of each individual.

Transformation - whether within organizations, communities, families or individuals - starts within each individual - from the inside... and then to the outside.


Posted by Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.
www.SpeakTrain.com
mpowerme@SpeakTrain.com

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I am excited at the prospect of using my blog to share very useable and worthwhile information with everyone who is interested in how to transform their lives.