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Calvin O Iszard: Posted on Monday, May 13, 2013 7:21 AM
“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw...I’m too busy sawing!” Steven Covey - Seven Habits
"P" = Prime the Pump! When teaching Leadership to my college students - who I'm sure have no idea what priming a pump means - I tell this story.
When growing up in rural southern New Jersey we did not have city water at first. We had a well of fresh cool, pure water and a hand pump in the kitchen (hard to believe but true). My grandmother always kept a small mason jar of water next to it - to prime the pump. That small bit of water added to the machine "got it going" as my granny would say.
And she scolded me if I forgot (which I did a lot at 7 years) to fill the jar first before I needed a drink or to wash my face. And that's the point. Take time to plan ahead or there won't be the desired result. A wise leader knows that they must sometimes give their employees a "priming" to get them going in the right direction. A little bit of coaching can result in large job improvements and better results.
And a wise leader also knows that they must always make some time for this - like Covey says, if one doesn't take the time out to sharpen the saw, the job is much harder in the long run. |
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Posted on Monday, May 06, 2013 9:00 AM
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” Milton Berle
"O" = Open Your Door: a simple act - just opening a door.
We do it countless times each day. But for some managers the door is a symbol of their power and office rather than a passage to help them learn, manage and explore. For some they shut the door to keep problems at bay or at least out of sight.
When I worked for a major corporation I reported to a Vice President whose office was on the top floor of a 30 floor building. All the doors on this floor were open - however beneath each desktop was a button and when pushed the door automatically shut. When this happened one knew they were going to the "woodshed for a corporate spanking" for some mistake or problem.
This open doors were not appreciated - they were feared.
When a business leader opens the door to their office this is a sign to all that they are welcome to come in and that the manager is also interested in what's happening on the floor of the business.
Recently, a new mayor was appointed to office in Hamilton Township, NJ. One of Mayor Yeade's first acts was to have the door removed from her office. This indeed was a sign that there would be no closed door deals and that her administration was going to be very transparent - extreme yes, but it seems to have worked - as this act has been discussed and reported by many of the town's employees and it was even mentioned in the local press.
Open your door! - who knows who or what may enter - it could just be a great opportunity! |
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Posted on Monday, April 29, 2013 2:35 PM
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." John Wooden - Good basketball player - great basketball coach
"N" = Notice the Little Things - Many managers (not leaders) are so focused on their problems and other's mistakes - they sometimes are oblivious to the everyday clues of what's wrong, and more important, what's right with their organization.
And many times its the little things that they do (sometimes unconsciously) that have great impact on some employees.
I tell the story of when I was VP of an independent commercial TV station - one day centered on my own problems I passed our new "cub reporter" in the hall early in the morning. She said, "good morning" and I gave her a passing grunt. A few minutes later the news director knocked on my door - "What did you do to our new reporter, she's in her office crying??"
And then I realized that for her, being new, this slight from the boss was very serious. She needed feedback on how I liked her performance not just a grumpy greeting. My failure to stop and notice her in the hall was read that I wasn't all that please with her or her work!
Tip: A good business leader takes the time to be tuned to the feelings of staff. Sometimes people need feedback - sometimes they want just to be left alone. Noticing little changes in behavior can sometimes lead to big things - for the employee and the for the boss. |
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Posted on Monday, April 15, 2013 9:25 AM
"Leadership must be earned everyday - it is not given" Forbes - many attributions "L" = Leadership is earned. And it must be "re-earned" everyday. A manager says, "do this!" A true leader says, "let's do this?" It's as simple as that. A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group. -- Russell H. Ewing |
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Posted on Monday, April 08, 2013 9:03 AM
"...everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler..." Albert Einstein While popular usage translates it as 'Keep it simple, stupid', Johnson translated it as 'Keep it simple stupid', and this reading is still used by many authors. There was no implicit meaning that an engineer was stupid; just the opposite. The principle is best exemplified by the story of Johnson handing a team of design engineers a handful of tools, with the challenge that the jet aircraft they were designing must be repairable by an average mechanic in the field under combat conditions with only these tools. Hence, the 'stupid' refers to the relationship between the way things break and the sophistication available to fix them. SOURCE: www,princeton.edu Managers live by the rules and if there is no rule they invent one. Leaders work with their staff to create environments that are simplified, encourage thinking and they reward new approaches and solutions to problems. Managers look to the past for answers. Good business leaders look to the future! |
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Posted on Monday, April 01, 2013 1:22 PM
“You're going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it's always their actions you should judge them by. It's actions, not words, that matter.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Rescue "J" = Judge...your team - but judge yourself first. And always judge with documented facts about both. Don't ever fear having your subordinates rate you and your work. When I teach a college Leadership class and talk about this judging, a basic management task - I would immediately ask the class to judge me.! "What should I keep doing? What should I stop doing? What should I start doing?" This always shocked the class - most of their teachers would never ask these questions? But feedback should be something that not only cascades down to the employee - but something that bubbles back up to the boss. That's the basis of true judgment and a building block of leadership |
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Posted on Monday, March 25, 2013 11:02 AM
"You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won-loss record of the referee" -- Napoleon Hill "I" = Involve: Many "'managers" think that letting their employees know what is expected of them is involvement. A "leader" involves employees in shaping what and how to do tasks. A friend of mine, the program director of an independent television station, tells this story - he assigned one of his staff to direct a live talk show, immediately after this person had finished an hour of a very fast paced newscast. The production manager came to him after the first week of some fairly sloppy programs and asked a very simple question. "Could you, a former TV director, do what you are expecting of your staff ?" After a long pause -- together they made immediate changes right then and there. By involving the supervisor in the solution as well as the problem made a big difference -- my friend reported that both shows from then on were very well done! TIP: "Involve" rather than "decide" who does what and when -- it always pays off. |
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Posted on Monday, March 18, 2013 3:22 PM
"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." Satchel Page - great baseball player "H" - Hire Your Replacement! So many less confident managers fear the success of their own people. They seem paranoid that if the spotlight falls on a subordinate; they just might be reporting to them soon. The true "leader" in business hires their replacements - and shines in their successes. Tip - always give your reports the credit when credit is due and sometimes even when it's not - it reveals much more about a boss's "management style" - then an "att-a-boy" from the Vice President of Whatever. A major company's CEO was once asked, "If you give your staff too much credit, too much training - they just might leave you for greener pastures. He replied, "And if you don't they just might stay." |
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Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2013 11:15 AM
"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."--Lao Tzu |
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Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2013 10:41 AM
Fairness is not an attitude. It's a professional skill that must be developed and exercised. "F" = Fair is Fair. In business a good leader must handle each person and problem with fairness - a skill that, many times, is hard to learn. We all have favorites. We sometimes allow some folks "some slack" for a number of professional and non-professional reasons. That's human nature. So, one has to work against our nature - to be fair, especially in business. Tip: There are always two sides to any story, as my grandmother Ethel would say. "Your side, their side and the truth is somewhere inbetween." It best to get all sides of the story or issue before making a decision or handing out praise or punishment. Remember "boss watching" is the biggest pastime in any business situation and others will have an opinion on what and when -- fair is fair. |
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