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In Leadership, The Eight Ways Of Right Action. (Part 2)
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The Leadership Factor
What is the last leadership opportunity that you passed up?
When I posed this question to a group of employees who had been
singled out for their leadership potential:
50% named the title/position they failed to apply for or
had not been offered.
10% said they hadn't been offered an internal position
but had passed up a leadership position in an outside
organization or a chance to lead their extracurricular sports.
40% said that they hadn't been offered any leadership
position and therefore had passed up no opportunities.
I was certain that every one of them had missed a prime
leadership opportunity that they were not even aware of. Ask
yourself if your department, team or organization is the best
that it can possibly be? Are you giving your best to make the
situation better?
If there is one project in your department that is delayed, if
your group is challenged to do more work with less budget, or if
you have yet to exhaust all of your talent to move the group
forward--you have passed up a powerful opportunity to step out
in front and establish yourself as a leader. Leadership is not
about the title you have but the decisions you make and the
actions you take.
Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities seize common
occasions and make them great. --Orison Swett Marden
Becoming a leader is about developing a reputation for producing
value-added results. It's taking a position when a project is
off track. Leaders don't wait for permission of position. They
look for the possibilities and suggest what can be done rather
than why something can't be done. Look for what you can do to
impact a situation versus why you can't be the one to do it.
When you have ability to influence your environment and the
people around you toward positive result you have the leadership
factor.
The leadership factor is a measured combination of vision,
determination, skills, actions and results. It is a conscious
decision to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done in
a time of uncertainty or chaos. Here are ten steps to help you
plot your course, engage others along the way and keep focused
on the end result.
1. Look for leadership opportunities. Leadership
opportunities are present whenever there are unresolved business
problems or issues. Within your organization, department,
workgroup, or team identify an opportunity or issue that needs
to be solved. Think about the questions that continue to come up
but no one has found an answer for. Consider the feedback that
you get from internal or external customers about what they need
or would like more of. If your organization is like most you
shouldn't have to look far--more unresolved problems equals more
chances for you to step forward as a leader.
2. Find the GAP and build a bridge. There is an old
proverb that says a leader must be a bridge. The person who
emerges as the leader of the group is the one who is adapt at
seeing the option between the two seemingly opposite positions.
To raise your visibility and develop a reputation of leadership
look for the two unconnected shores that you can bridge. A
bridge might be between the old way and the new way, the past
and the future, the majority group and the minority group,
between company policy and customer needs, between what is
available and what is needed. Lead by finding the critical link
between today's challenge and tomorrow's opportunity.
3. Do your homework. Examine the problem from all sides.
Ask a series of "why" questions. Why is this happening? Why have
we not been able to solve this before now? Why is it important
to solve this issue? Why have
previous attempts failed? Why are
other departments resisting the changes? Asking "why?" without
judging the answers helps you develop a deeper understanding of
the situation. When you can see the problem from many angles and
as viewed through different eyes you gain the wisdom of multiple
perspectives.
4. Clarify the GOAL. It's the goal. It's the goal. It's
the goal. Determine what your group needs more of. Communicate
clearly how tackling this issue will help the group recoup lost
time, maximize limited resources, reduce costs, speed up
processes and/or improve return on investment. You will gain the
attention of those around you when you can effectively tell them
what they will gain for their efforts. You will benefit by tying
your work directly to the improved results.
5. Develop a list of viable options. Excellence is said
to come from having many options. Once you have others focused
on the goal, ask for their input on how it might be achieved. As
a leader you don't need to have all of the answers. You do have
to set the direction, suggest paths for getting there and
stimulate the thinking of others in development of creative
solutions. It is important that you continually test any
proposed suggestions against the desired result. Ask yourself
and others, "Will this help us reach the goal?"
6. Select the best option(s). Given enough money,
people, time and resources almost any problem can be resolved.
Leadership is about determining how the goals will be reached
within the time allowed, the budget given and the available
physical and human resources. As a leader look for ways to
leverage what you have readily available. The best option is the
one that gets you to the goal with the least overall costs.
7. Identify roles and tasks. As a leader of the effort
you may not have the authority to assign specific people but you
will have to clearly define roles required. Too often we assign
tasks simply out of habit and not because they are necessary for
goal achievement. Constantly check the progress and don't be
afraid to throw out any unnecessary tasks. There should be NO
tasks on your project list that you can not show are absolutely
required to reach the end goal.
8. Track and report your success. Report what you and/or
your team accomplished. Quantify the results as much as you can.
If your goal was to increase productivity by 25% and you only
gained a 15% increase, report it! Make sure to link your results
to the organizational goals. While you may not have hit your 25%
target 15% may still represent a considerable savings or gain to
the company.
9. Report your learnings. As important as it is to
report your success you must also report what you learned from
the process. Focus on what you learned personally. Consider what
you learned about the business, your customers, teaming, and
your own decision making ability. Ask for feedback. Include
group learnings. Leave a record of the pro's and con's for
others who may face the same challenges.
10. Look for the next opportunity. Don't take too long
celebrating your last win. For as good as things seem success is
a moving target. Keep your eyes and ears open, your next
opportunity may be right around the corner.
About the author:
Valarie Washington, President of Think 6 is a knowledge broker
helping companies improve organizational effectiveness, team
performance, and individual productivity. Author of "Performance
Case Analysis", she delivers high impact training to
corporations throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Contact Valarie at washington@think6results.com or by calling
630-705-1189. Visit us at www.Think6Results.com.
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