The 3 groups of people you are trying to lead (and who to focus on!).

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing me say this, but I truly value my work as a coach and trainer due to the sphere of people I get to do it with. The main reason is that they challenge me to always be thinking and learning based on their requests and questions they ask of me. Recently I was co-facilitating with my supervisor a Gallup StrengthsFinder workshop for a group of executive students and at the end, one of the participants asked us “Who is this content directed to or for?” WOW, what a great question so that got me thinking out loud about an answer!

I mean seriously, I (and I bet a number of leadership thought leaders and authors) have never considered that question before. We have more leadership speakers, coaches, books, videos, pod/vid casts, and curriculums than any other time in history yet I believe not many of us have considered who or for what audience is all this content directed toward or for what purpose.

As I was pondering the answer it occurred to me that the 20-60-20 Rule of organizations may apply here. This concept is loosely based on the Italian economist Pareto’s Principal of the 20-80 rule that postulates that 80% of our results are derived from the first 20% of our efforts. Such an idea has been extended to the idea that 20% of a workforce produces 80% of the results, revenue, etc. Therefore, in any given organization:

• The Top 20% of a team are the joiners, true believers, early adopters, and motivated.
• The Bottom 20% of a workforce are what I call C.A.V.E. Dwellers (colleagues against virtually everything!) and are negative, complacent, and non-productive.
• The Middle 60% constitutes the muddled-middle and are the untapped potential of an organization. They are ABLE but need to be well led in order to be WILLING!

This concept of the 20-60-20 rule has had some research validation and if you review Gallup’s research on workplace engagement, it aligns accordingly with 15% of employees very engaged, 15% of employees actively disengaged, and the remainder not as engaged.

With all the preceding being said, I believe most leadership content and training content for leaders and managers is directed toward helping them lead the middle 60%. If you look at the more recent leadership literature with its emphasis on vision, connecting, persuasion, including, coaching, and other high-touch management techniques and strategies, it is about moving the undecideds that have huge potential to the engaged or true believer side of the bell curve.

As leaders, we must be strategic in terms of where and how we direct our efforts in terms of our teams. If you think about it, such efforts such as motivation, work enhancement, and persuasion are not needed for your top 20%. We just need to maintain those relationships, because that group is so self-motivated that they do not need to be “supervised”. Inversely such high-tough leadership efforts are often wasted on the bottom 20% of team members since it does not matter what you do since they will still be unhappy and unproductive. This is where we need to bring resolution to the relationship by[WF1]  candid conversations focused on fit, attitude, and if the right person in wrong role scenario is at work.

This leaves the middle 60% to direct our efforts and such relationships need to be nurtured. In tech industry leader Kim Scott’s book Radical Candor, she classifies this large group of middle performers in two groups:

• Higher Growth/Lower Performance Trajectory
• Higher Performance/Lower Growth Trajectory

In other words, they are either performing very well but are not as deliberate in seeking growth or work enhancing opportunities OR they are focusing on high growth efforts, but their performance is not quite up to par. In either case, this is the sweet spot of most leadership content since the vast majority of it presents so many great strategies, mindsets, and techniques to address. Again, this is where “radical candor” becomes so important in helping move the middle to the positive side of the bell curve.

Let’s face it, as a leader you only have so much bandwidth to spend on leading. If you have read any of my previous blogs, I make it clear that effective, next level leadership is tough and requires an enormous amount of emotional and physical energy as well as time. Again, that is why we need to become more strategic in terms of how we spend it.

As leadership author and athletic performance expert Jim Loehr states, leadership success is more about energy management than time management. I truly want all people to be successful but the squeaky wheels in the bottom 20% can, if we let them, overwhelm our time and energy. Often, it is not that they are incompetent or ill intentioned, they are just not in the right field or role. We should do what we can to help them but eventually they have to make a choice as their fit and satisfaction in their current role. On the other hand, we need to make sure we are giving the top performers what they need but often they do not need much from us. They are so equipped and aligned in their roles they will continue to flourish where they are (if they are happy there then leave them there!) or they will eventually move on to other roles and challenges (and help them do that!).

The bottom line is this, decide who you need to invest in and use all the great advice, tools, strategies and your own great judgement available to you! I encourage to complete an “audit” of everyone on your team and decide where they line-up in the 20-60-20 categories. Then decide what action steps you need to take to maximize your team.

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

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 [WF1]

The ONE question you can NEVER stop asking!

If you ever read my blog, you know how frustrated I get for my clients when they describe far too often the dumpster fire that is their work environment. From toxic bosses to hyper competitive co-workers it seems to never end. This always has me thinking out loud that maybe if we constantly asked ourselves one key question, we can turn this around.

Prior to my more recent roles, I worked for a major university in South Florida. As a senior member of the leadership team, when faced with a difficult decision or an “undefined problem:” with no clear answer (a nod there to author Ron Heifetz) my supervisor would always ask us, “what is in the best interest of the student?” That very simple but transformative question was our magnetic north. It became the NEXUS of ultimate decision making. It mirrored the wisdom of author and faculty member John Schuh who would encourage student affairs professionals to always look out for the interest of the student because there would always be someone who would look after the interest of the institution. To this day I try to approach my work from this very principle. Whether it be an executive MBA student or a freshman, liberal arts major, we must always be asking what is in their (not mine or our) best interest!

As leaders, I encourage us to start asking this very question. When faced with a decision, an opportunity, a challenge, or a pivot, before ANY answer is offered, start with this question - What is in the best interest of _____________?

-       The student

-       The employees

-       The patient

-       The client

-       The customer

-       The constituent

-       The community

I know this is going to sound harsh but as every leadership or history book I ever read instructs us, the moment you stop asking that question, is the second you are no longer relevant as a business, school, hospital, government, agency, or organization. It may live on life-support for a while, but it will eventually entropy.

You might as well shut it down right then and there. You are though being of value. Close the door, turn out the lights and go do something where you are not going to bother anybody!

So why do we hesitate to ask this very basic question?

Cost – maybe the leader or the organization just is unwilling to pay the cost of the answer. Keep in mind the cost can but does not always means financial costs. It could mean the cost of our reputation, our pride, our status, our position, or our ranking in the marketplace.

Change – when we ask this critical question, the answer often requires us to change direction, change strategy, change our assumptions, change our beliefs, or change how we treat those in our charge.

Consciousness – it is hard thing to face that maybe we are not as good as we think we are as leaders and organizations. Often, we think we know what is best for others but unless we are constantly testing that “theory in use” we can quickly operate under old and/or incorrect information. It has become obvious to me that very few senior leaders at the highest levels of business, government, education, etc. have the moral and emotional bandwidth to face and then act upon an unpleasant reality. Ironically, it is those very leaders who we most want to follow!

Do me and, more importantly, you and your stakeholders a favor this week or the next time you find yourself around a conference table wrestling with a tough issue. Ask out loud, “what is in the best interest of _________________” Sure, you may get some blank stares but maybe, just maybe, you will open up an incredibly powerful conversation that will have important positive impacts.

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

LEVEL-UP your Career in 3 (not entirely easy!) Steps.

Professionals who want to “next level” their career trajectories will not do so unless you have a plan. It is just that simple and just that challenging at the same time! One of the many things I truly enjoy about coaching and training established professionals is that they often challenge me. Inevitably one will ask me the “how do I?” question which gets me thinking out loud about creating a tool or process that will be of value.

In John Maxwell’s great book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, he makes the clear case that no one grows and improves by accident. It takes intention and strategy to do so. The problem is, however, that many are not willing to pay the price for growth and development for a variety of reasons:

Growth Takes Investment –

If you want to level-up, you are going to have to invest energy, effort, time, will, and sometimes money. Dreams can come true, but they do not come for free! If you are not willing to invest in yourself then why should you expect others to do so?

Growth Reveals Gaps –

None of us wants to feel we are inadequate or incompetent. The challenge, however, comes when we start taking a deep dive into our capabilities, we will experience some “ouch” moments. Just the other day I was reviewing the results of a 360 Maxwell Leadership Assessment that tracked my progress on the 5 Leadership Levels with a group of former team members. I appreciated the fact (eventually!) that they trusted me enough to be candid because they set me on a path of leadership improvement I never would have pursued if I had not been aware of some key blind spots!

Growth Requires Change –

As Maxwell often states, it is possible to change without growing but it is impossible to grow without changing! Herein lies the issue. We often concerned about the changes that will occur both within and around us when we start to improve. We are concerned about the reactions of those around us. Don’t be. As I once heard John Maxwell say, “when average people start to talk you out of something, you know you are on to something!” Further, leveling up requires that we become that person we aspire to be. That means we are going to have to start being the grown up in the room, exceed expectations, and perform at a higher level.

So back to one of my client’s questions. “Hey Bill, all this talk about professional development is great but how do I start and how do I know when I have got there?” First of all, start where you are. There will never be an ideal time to start any growth initiative so you might as well just jump in! I will provide a more detailed process below but a great place to start is to identify the leadership, organizational, and your industry-specific technical skills and qualities needed to get to the next level.

According to a study completed by the Business Higher Education Forum, the researchers identified that a skill such as Data Management appeared on over 3.5M positions announcements and Project Management appeared in over 2.3M. Just in case you believe you can skimp on the ‘soft” skills, Communication skills appeared in over 9.1M position announcements!

Again, it is difficult if not impossible to grow professionally unless you have a plan. In response to client needs, I developed an MSExcel based spreadsheet that allows clients to identify, operationalize, and track their progress on certain growth domains. I have attached a link below to the document and have provided a brief summary:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dWbg1WgNS966h6NDHzMmUyMCmXzbh_md/view?usp=sharing

Competency ID and Ranking – First, DEFINE what competency or skill you want to improve. This can be based upon prior assessments, work scenarios and/or personal aspirations. List no more than 15 key GROWTH AREAS or goals. To get started, Inventory what you already HAVE. List those Personal Qualities, Content Areas and Skills Sets that are SOLIDLY in your realm of expertise and mastery.

Gap Analysis – Next, identify the Growth Areas that you WANT or are Aspirational to obtain Next Level roles, opportunities, etc. Finally, the Gaps or Areas for Development are what you NEED.                                                                                               

Once NEEDS are identified, list your TOP 3 and ONLY attempt to develop 3 areas at any given time! Now you are ready to Design a Learning and Growth Strategy. For each competency identified, create three Learning and Development Strategies. These can include but not limited to: Books and Learning Systems, On-line or Continuing Ed Courses, Shadowing Opportunities, Seminars, Micro-Internships, Informational Interviews, Podcasts and Video Cast series and Webinars. Make sure to indicate DUE DATES for completion.                                                                                              

SUCCESS METRICS – Once you have developed a GROWTH STRATEGY, establish METRICS or INDICATORS for talent, skill, etc. obtainment on 3 PROGRESSIVE LEVELS                                                                               

• Foundational - what will base-line or FOUNDATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT look like?                                                                                      
• Intermediate - what will INTERMEDIATE PROGRESS look or sound like?                                                                                  
• Advanced - how will you know you have gained ADVANCED MASTERY?                                                                                                                                                                        

As you can see, this takes some effort, but the Return on Investment will make it more than worth it. A word of caution, once you open this door of development, there is no going back. What you were and did prior will no longer be sufficient for you. You will want to be the kind of person who wants to do and be more! Finally, I urge you to help others in their leveling up efforts. When God has given you the ability, experience, and dispositions to do something very well, it is not just a nice idea to teach others what you know, you have a solemn responsibility to do so!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Executive Presence: You have the SKILLS, now you need a STRATEGY!

I know you. You’re a go getter. You go get it and bring it back on a pallet. You bring home the bacon and the eggs with a side of mimosas! You are incredibly skilled and capable, however, too few people recognize you for such. This has me thinking out loud that it is time for a strategy!

Now I also know what you’re thinking. What has happened to Dr. “servant leadership is the only viable leadership strategy” Faulkner with all the trimmings of humility and being other-centric?!? Trust me, I am still here, and, by the way, it still is! That’s the point and perhaps my different take on establishing an executive presence strategy since in my version, it is predicated on the belief that if you focus on adding value FIRST, the recognition will follow!

As a review, what does it mean to have Executive Presence? According to Jun Medalla of Business Insider, these traits line up as:

• Composure – being self and other aware.
• Connection – the able to not just communicate but to connect with others.
• Charisma – the ability to influence others where you are!
• Confidence – in your abilities and comfort in your interactions.
• Credibility – simply knowing what you are talking about.
• Clarity – the ability to communicate purposes and passions so that everyone understands
• Consideration – for others and their perspectives.

ALL of the above can be learned and practiced and I would wager you got the basics covered! Remember, a confident presence is more about who you ARE versus what you DO or SAY. So far so good? Of course, and that is more than half the equation and as I often say, if you truly do your best, it will always be more than good enough!

But we still need a strategy to move forward. I recently reviewed a book by Paul Warriner called the Recognition Book: 50 ways to stand up, stand out, and get recognized. Combined with some of my own ideas, a strategy focused on building executive presence is built on 3 key foundations:

Who you ARE – I referenced this in the above discussion. Know who you ARE in terms of your unique personal brand which is made up of your style, personality, knowledge, expertise, etc. I often encourage individuals (and organizations) to create a unique and memorable brand by answer the following three questions.

• What do you VALUE?
• What do you DO BEST?
• What do you want to be KNOWN FOR?

How you treat OTHERS – treating others with courtesy and respect is an incredible impact multiplier. It’s just classy! I recognize that some ultra-competitive ladder climbers may experience short-term gains, but inevitably they will flame-out, mainly because their teams will leave them and no one wants to work with them. At the end of the day, it is the ladder builders who eventually get noticed and rewarded for their efforts. Always remember that no one is successful unless a lot of other people want them to be!

The VALUE YOU PROVIDE – this is where we really get into the “how to’s” of a strategy and Warriner provides some great ideas:

•        Take on organizational volunteer and community engagement roles
•       Meet an unmet need within your team. Some extra work that everyone knows needs to get done but no one has yet to step up for.
•       Represent and network on behalf of your organization – this can be at an event, presenting at a conference, serving on a board or community organization on behalf of your organization.
•        Mentor and help on-board others. Remember, executive presence is a 360 proposition, including not just senior leaders but peers, younger team members, and other stakeholders.
•        In turn, be willing to be mentored and coached. Many organizations have internal mentoring programs and spending time with a senior leader will provide invaluable insights.
•        Stay relevant and current by investing in your own professional and personal growth.
•        Be fully present in prepared for meetings giving everything and everyone the attention deserved.
•        Be constructive and positive when others are being negative, sarcastic and cynical. Trust me on this one, leaders worth following are looking for true believers!
•        Contribute to discussions and feedback forums in a solutions-oriented manner. Even if a good idea has been presented, add to it!
•        Walk through the room slowly. This is a habit proposed by author and leadership expert John Maxwell. Essentially, when he is about to speak in front of a large audience, instead of hiding out backstage somewhere, he walks around the crowd introducing himself and thanking them for attending. In a similar way, instead of just running into your office first thing in the morning or sitting down at a meeting, say hello to folks and introduce yourself to newcomers.
•        Present and carry yourself well. This speaks to the traits of what executive presence is but I often heard that you should dress and comport yourself for the job that you want not just the job you have!
•       Be punctual – these days one of our most valuable commodities is time and nothing lets someone know you value them as to when you value their time.
•        Share credit and take responsibility – how you handle yourself when things go well and even when things go bad will say a lot about you and people will notice.

Now you may be thinking, “hey, I do a lot of this already” and that’s the point. Building executive presence does involve a strategy but it is not one that is contrived and manipulative. It stems from who you are and what you do. The premise is along the same lines as John Maxwell’s book on Influencing Others. Essentially how we build influence is NOT by being manipulative or conniving, but by being just a really good person!

One final note about why you should focus on building executive presence – mainly because a lot of people need you to! Believe me, there are far too many ladder climbers out there being the squeaky wheel representing their own narrow interest. We need the ladder builders to have a seat at the table so that they can advocate for their teams, tell senior leaders what they need to hear, propose solutions that are right versus just expedient, and make things better because that is what leaders worth following do!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

The 5 Heroic SHOULDS of Servant Leaders.

The heroes of the new millennia will be servant leaders, quietly working out of the spotlight to transform the world – Ann McGee Cooper and Duane Tramwell (Hero as Leader to Servant as Leader). What a great quote from Ann and Duane! I have often written about servant leadership, but I have become more and more convinced that the only viable leadership approach left to salvage our businesses, schools, universities, hospitals, and governments is that of Servant Leadership. Therefore, more and more I have been thinking out loud about what Servant Leaders ARE, KNOW, and DO!

It is my belief that leadership manifests in those three ways:

Who we ARE – this is about our character, out values, and our habits as individuals.  The best leaders have a clear since of who they are but they are always looking to improve. They are constantly monitoring and calibrating their motives and attitudes to be on solid ground with their mission, their people, and their own integrity.

What they KNOW – I have often heard it said that leaders are learners. In fact, if you study the habits of some of the more well know entrepreneurs, you will find they are voracious consumers of information, books, and perspectives. They are constantly reinventing themselves and not resting on old information but seeking new frontiers of knowledge. Effective leaders are always learning in order to be effective with their teams and their roles.

What they can DO – Obviously, effective leaders have a bias toward action. They are experimenters and doers. They have tremendous amounts of credibility with their teams because they have learned the processes and strategies to implement and execute ideas. From basic organization to more complex project and people management skills, leaders worth following are always updating their own skill-sets.

With these dimensions in mind, I would propose that truly skilled servant leaders should KNOW they can DO the following and are able to do so because of who they ARE.

Listen without Judgement – in far too many conversations, we are evaluating instead of just listening. I once heard author and pastor Andy Stanley say is best when encouraged leaders to not “how” an idea to death! Often when eager and gifted team members bring ideas forward, our first reaction is to get into the “hows” such as “how are we going to do that, how are we going to pay for it, or how are we gong to find the time to do that?” Instead, we should start with “wow!” as in “Wow, that is a great idea or Wow, I really appreciate your initiative!” See the difference?

Be Authentic – as leaders, we need to be authentic and real to our teams. That does not mean we wear every emotion on our sleeve, but we never try to portray an image but be the leader we want to be! The leader that cares more about people than things, takes most of the blame but shares more of the credit, and that admits mistakes and makes things right.

Build Community – great leaders know how to build community in the workplace, but they know it is not easy. They have to focus on:

            The people they gather

            The value they want to intentionally add

            The direction and strategies they set to create community

If all the above are in alignment, then the possibility exists to build a caring, supportive, and accountable community (versus the dumpster fire that too often typifies most work environments!).

Share Power – this is tough for many. But leaders who are emotionally mature and secure have no problems with this. They know the best way to lead an engaged and incredibly productive team is to allow members to “own” their work and, subsequently, their results! Simply put, this takes courage on the part of the leader. Primarily because their own leaders are hesitant to do so! Heroic leaders who know they should share power and do so out of habit, usually experience incredible returns on such an investment.    

Develop People – finally, and speaking of investments, the best ones you can make as a leader is to invest in your team members. Developing others may not be the only factor in personal and organizational success but I can guarantee neglecting to do so will be a primary source of failure! Heroic leaders intentionally develop their team members but in a way that is customized to their goals, learning styles, and personal strengths. Robert Greenleaf, the founder of Servant Leadership, often wrote, the best way to determine if someone is an effective servant leader is to observe if their followers are happier, wiser, stronger, and better off due to the efforts of their leader.

As leaders, there are many things we should be doing but I would like to encourage you to do the difficult things, the inconvenient things, and the heroic things. Anyone can lead at baseline, but it takes a special person to lead at a higher level because they simply have a higher calling to do so!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Who invited all these people? Multi-Generational Leadership in the workplace.

We now have five distinct generational cohorts in the modern workplace. With young at heart Traditionalists wanting to still make an impact, Boomers delaying retirement and post-Millennials now emerging, it is getting interesting out there! Throw in us grumpy GenXers and a whole bunch of wacky Millennials, I have been thinking out loud about what interesting times we now live and lead in!

Recently, I had an opportunity to present a workshop on Multi-Generational Leadership for the alumni of a prestigious business school with my great colleague, Kelly Noble (the most un-Millennial, Millennial I know!). Just presenting to such a life-span diverse audience was fascinating along with the dynamics that emerged. Whereas there is an entire cottage industry of speakers, books, and curriculums that highlight the Millennials in the workplace, such efforts are insufficient because they only address one cohort, albeit now the majority one. In order to be leadership effective, therefore, leaders need to attend to key principles in leading a cross-generational teams. These are purposively broad since we need to be very nimble in our approach. Essentially, leaders who have age-diverse teams should focus on the following:

Generationally Inclusive –

It all starts with the driving belief that ALL ages add value to workplace. Unfortunately, even in this time to heightened sensitivity to diversity issues, age discrimination is rampant and the most unchecked and unmonitored. The very fact that some career advisors encourage older candidates to not include years of graduation and employment chronology is telling. Instead, as leaders we should hire for and focus on candidate’s assets versus any age-assumed deficits What a great opportunity we must capitalize on the years of experience and wisdom of perhaps an older candidate and the innovative digital skills and energy of younger ones. Within work units we can match older team members with younger ones for intentional “Mentoring/Reverse Mentoring” where skills and wisdom are cross-pollinated.

Constantly Adaptive –

As leaders, we need to be incredibly nimble and adaptive when it comes to leading, especially when leader across cohorts. Do we have Leave Policies that now capture the preferences of modern-day parents? Do we allow team members the flexibility to care for their aging parents? Is work scheduled and located in such a way that it allows for flexible schedules and time zones but at the same time fosters consistent contact and interaction among team members. Are we encouraging “micro-internships” for younger workers so that they can gain the skills they are so often accused of not having?

Skills-Based Instructive –

The multi-generational workplace is the perfect conduit for 360 Learning up, down, and across generations. Organizations and units that are not learning are soon out paced.

As a leader, you should ensure that communication, tech/digital skills, people-facing communication/interpersonal and business process skills are front and center along with industry-specific innovations.

Talent-Focused Innovative –

Whether you realize it or not, the improved economy has started a veritable “arms race” for talent. If we want the best person for the roles we need to fill, then we need to expand our notions of the “ideal candidate”. We need to be focusing more on what is RELEVANT versus what is RECENT. In other words, there could be skills and competencies some candidates have already mastered. Accordingly, we should hire for: what author and speaker Tim Elmore calls the 3 Cs - Competence, Character, and Chemistry as opposed to age assumptive skills sets. In short, our focus should be on what candidates can DO versus what they ARE!

Contribution Celebrative –

Perhaps one of the most important leadership maxims is that “what you reward gets repeated!” We should be cautious about what we are over emphasizing and what we are over-looking. We can do that by expanding our view of what constitutes a noteworthy “contribution”. Our reward systems and metrics cannot exclusively rely on money metrics. We should also include new innovations, increased efficiencies, client satisfaction and retention, etc. In such a structure, younger, less experienced team members know they are making significant impacts along with their more business savvy seniors.

The bottom-line is this. If you have been in your role for nine months, you “own” that job. Your success will eventually be dependent on the team you have assembled. Make it great one by making it an inclusive one!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

As Leaders we strive to do well In spite of our flaws (and often because of them!)

As Leaders we strive to do well in spite of our flaws and often because of them! I think one of the many things that hold us back from attempting great things is that we do not believe we are worthy to do so! I have been thinking out loud why so many great leaders do not step up to serve their schools, organizations, and communities. Of     course, I have a few ideas.

Social Media – I have no issues with social media. In fact I wish it was around when I was completing my education(s). Having access to such platforms then would have made it much easier to connect with and keep up with classmates and colleagues. The problem is its anonymity. When anyone for no other reason than their desire to pull others down can weaponize it for that very purpose. All of our shortcomings as well as successes are now laid bare for all the world to see. Only the most self-deluded who believe such things do not matter or believe they will “get a pass” are willing to invite the exposure.

Selective Attention Disorder – our society certainly has evolved to an epidemic of selective attention disorder. Politicians and others will gladly highlight the negative behaviors and decisions of others and opponents while conveniently failing to mention their own or that of their allies. In other words, when considering who we want to follow as leaders, we often highlight agreeable behaviors yet downplay character flaws. It does not matter that an individual has a lifetime of accomplishment for others, some youthful indiscretion or ill-advised comment can sink any ambitions to want to serve the public good. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be judged on our total body of work?

The Perfection Pedestal – we often expect our leaders, especially those in high profile organizational or political roles to be perfect. Now I am no way contradicting my leadership philosophy that leaders should have a strong moral and ethical core by any means, but NO ONE is perfect. I believe the best thing that a high profile leader can do is to readily admit that but at the same time commit to the be the best “work in progress” they can be.

In listening to David Brooks’ book, The Road to Character, he highlights many of the influential leaders and thinkers of (mostly) the 20^th century. He focuses on those individuals who were notable leaders in monumental conflicts such as World War II and the very early leaders of important social movements. Authors and influencers of their time that were tireless advocates for social change are also highlighted. Brooks makes a concerted effort to highlight their laudable accomplishments and impact but pulls no punches of their moral failings. Pride, avarice, infidelity, nepotism, etc. are all brought out in the open in challenging detail. Seriously, these were some messed up people! But, they still did amazing things.

I think the point that Brooks is attempting to make is the title of this week’s blog. The best leaders, in spite of their flaws, can and do accomplish great things. Further, in some cases it is because of their flaws that they attempt to do so as a kind of atonement. To make things better for others because they are well aware of a time when their focus was entirely upon themselves.

This is the encouraging news for the rest of us. Now I am going to make an assumption that most people who read this are moderately solid people, morally speaking. In the great line from the movie, Lost Horizon, the citizens of this blog are “moderately honest and moderately happy”! In other words, your life on most days is not a dumpster fire!

With that being understood, I would like to offer the following encouragements (because being a serial encourager is kind of my thing!).

Moral Failings Do NOT Define You, Your RESPONSES to them DO! –

We all make mistakes. We all have character flaws. We all have blind spots in our awareness of how we treat others. Such negatives, however, should not impede our potential for doing really great things. In fact, some of the most compelling stories I have ever heard are ones of redemption and courage to overcome a past to create a better future for both the individual and others. Even on a less dramatic scale, such responses still matter. Apologizing for tense interactions and admitting mistakes goes a long with team members and those closest to you in repairing trust.

Focus on Your WORTHINESS (vs Deservedness) –

In my humble opinion, there are few things in this world that we really deserve (except in my case a stern talking to sometimes!). As my father often told me, the world don’t owe you a living thus there is not much we are entitled to. I do believe, however, that we are worthy of many things. Worthy of love and kindness. Worthy of the opportunity to prove your worth. Worthy of forgiveness, Worthy of the benefit of the doubt. Worthy to lead by serving and serve by leading if we really want to! The problem, however, is that sometimes when we resolve to do something really good, we allow either self or other imposed doubts to stop us. That inner voice that speaker and master coach, Paul Martinelli calls “Mr. Ugly”! For instance, we say to ourselves, you know I really would like to help out in my local community but then Mr. Ugly shows up uninvited and challenges you. “Who do you think you are?!?” When that happens, just go ahead and invite Mr. Ugly to work for the competition and you remind yourself that you are not perfect but you are worthy!

Quit Talking Yourself Out of Opportunities –

The preceding leads me to my next point of not talking yourself out of opportunities because you feel you are not worthy of them. Trust me, if you don’t feel you are worthy of seeking a new role or leadership opportunity, I guarantee someone else does! As I always share with my clients, it is someone else’s job to tell you “no”. It is your job to say “yes” to yourself! We live in an imperfect world but the ONLY way we are going to make our schools, hospitals, businesses, and communities better is when we as flawed people step up . . . . bad hair days and all!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite you to contact me.

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

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