Start with No!

Hi! Welcome back.  I’d like to begin this blog post with a shout out to two of my most frequent readers, my friend George in D.C. and my Ex-neighbor Gerrie in Southern Indiana.  Although you two haven’t posted comments to my blog directly I see your comments and encouragement on Facebook and I appreciate it greatly.

I’ve been looking at the topic of Leadership lately and will post more items in the future if I believe the insights would be beneficial to you.  I get my material for this blog by reading various books and articles and today I’d like to start a short series on the book “Start with No!” by Jim Camp. 

I found this book at my local library the New Albany (Indiana) Public Library which if you haven’t been to your local library lately I would highly recommend you schedule a visit.  I can think of no better place to immerse yourself into any subject or topic you are currently interested in then by going to your local library.  I know for me Ms. Paulette Gibbs and her staff at the New Albany Public Library have been a great help anytime I ask for guidance in selecting a book or assistance in looking for an answer to my question.

Start with No! is actually a book about the art of negotiating but while I was reading it I thought of my current project which is establishing my organizational and staff development consulting business which I call Yurway Coaching Consultants.  In the next few posts I’ll list and describe briefly Mr. Camp Thirty Three rules.  I have no idea why he settled on the number thirty three but I think you’ll soon see why I believe they are insightful for both negotiations and starting a small business.

Here are the first five rules in the order that he describes them:

·         Every negotiation is an agreement between two or more parties with all parties having the right to veto-the right to say “no”.

·         Your job is not to be liked.  It is to be respected and effective.

·         Results are not valid goals.

·         Money has nothing to do with a valid mission and purpose.

·         Never, enter a negotiation-never make a phone call-without a valid agenda.

Mr. Camp disputes the idea of win-win negotiations in his first rule “everyone has the right to say no” I believe he is stating the obvious that no matter what you are negotiating either party can walk away at anytime and to be successful you must take the time to find out what the real needs of your adversary in the negotiations are and clarify to them what your needs are.  That is the true way to “win, win” negotiations not some watered down solution that everybody agrees to but nobody wants, like say “Obamacare”.

His second rule dovetails off the first, your objective in an negotiation is not to be liked but respected and effective working to obtain a goal that will not only satisfy your needs but also that of your adversary in the negotiations.  You’ll note I’m saying adversary and not colleague for instance that is the tone of Mr. Camp’s writing but before you dismiss him as too aggressive and uncaring read through these and the other rules I’ll post on subsequent blogs and determine for yourself whether Mr. Camp is being too aggressive I don’t believe so.

The third rule “results are not valid goals”  means that if you for example wish to be successful and who doesn’t that you have to define that success and set benchmarks for your journey.  It’s not enough to state that I what to make a million dollars in revenue this year, you’ve got to set goals and objectives that will get you to that stated result the million dollars in revenue in this case.  What are your goals for your business or life have you written them down or at least can you verbalize them it asked?

The fourth rule “Money has nothing to do with a valid mission and purpose” dovetails off of the third rule which is how Jim Camp presents his thirty three rules for negotiations in Start with No!  Each rule is a stepping stone for the next rule he presents.  Money is a result and not a mission or purpose perhaps the folks in Washington and Wall Street should be reading this book!

Finally the fifth rule “Never, enter a negotiation-never make a phone call-without a valid agenda.”  Basically means always have a plan of action for what you are doing whether in negotiations or in business.

What did you think about these first five rules?  Can you see a benefit in knowing them and applying them in your next negotiation, your business or your life?  Have I whetted your appetite for Jim Camp’s book Start with No!?  Hopefully so I’d love to see your comments please feel free to leave me yours and until next time all my best!  Jer.

How to Develop a Leadership Program--John C. Maxwell

Hi! Welcome back.  As I wrote last time I’ve been writing about leadership for over a month now looking into what others consider the major aspects and traits of a good leader are.  Today I’d like to continue writing from John C. Maxwell’s book The 5 Levels of Leadership.  Maxwell not only wrote about the qualities of leadership but also outlined his program on how to develop leaders.  Since one of my reasons for doing this blog is to impart knowledge about how to improve people and the organizations that they work in I feel this post should be very beneficial to many of you.  Below is what Mr. Maxwell does to create a culture that supports leadership, some of the questions he asks when others ask him about developing a leadership program and his explanation in his own words about developing leaders within an organization.  I hope you find this information useful to you in establishing your leadership programs.

Maxwell writes to develop leaders you must create a culture that promotes leadership.  Below are some questions you can ask yourself if you want to create leaders in your business:

1.       What percentage of the payroll goes into leadership development?

2.       What kinds of formal training do we do?

3.       To what extent do we reward leadership?

4.       Do we have a cadre of good mentors?

Maxwell further states that if you want to develop a culture that creates level 5 leaders, then do the following:

1.       Champion Leadership, define and model good leadership within your organization.

2.       Teach Leadership, train leaders on a regular, frequent and consistent basis.

3.       Practice Leadership, help emerging leaders to plan and execute, fail and succeed.

4.       Coach Leadership, review emerging leaders’ performance and correct their errors.

5.       Reward Leadership, reward good leadership with pay, resources and recognition.

Maxwell provides guidelines for Leadership Development:

1.       The process must occur daily.  The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.  No one ever got good at anything they seldom practiced.

2.       The process must be measurable.  Although growth begins inwardly, it must be proven outwardly.  Therefore, the goals of growth must be something that can be seen and verified by you and the person you mentor.  If they don’t know where they’re going, how will they know if they get there?

3.       The process must include things they value.  If you include things the protégé desires they will be more motivated to achieve them.

4.       The process must align with your strengths.  You can only coach people in areas that you know and do well—in areas that are your strengths.  As you prepare to develop people, teach from those strengths and encourage those you mentor to seek out others who can help them in areas where you can’t.

Mr. Maxwell explains in his own words how to develop leaders within an organization.  ” I began to look for opportunities to put leaders in situations where they could learn experience-based lessons.  For example, whenever there was a problem in the organization, I didn’t solve it myself.  Instead, I sent one of the leaders I was developing to try to figure it out.  Afterwards, we’d discuss how he or she solved the problem and what he or she learned.  To help their communication, when leaders were ready, I’d give them an opportunity to speak: to various groups, to the leaders, or the entire organization.  Afterwards, we’d talk about what went wrong and what went right, and what they could do the next time to improve.  If I wanted to help them develop their influence and improve their teamwork, I’d ask them to recruit a team of volunteers for an event or a program and work with that team to follow through.  You get the idea.  When you lead an organization, you can’t be focused on just fulfilling the vision or getting work done.  Every challenge, problem, opportunity, or initiative is a chance for you to pair potential leaders to leadership development experience that will change who they are.”

That’s pretty good practical advice don’t you think?  Many of us don’t have the status to develop and instill leadership within us or others or so we believe.  However Maxwell states a key point when he mentioned that “You can only coach people in areas that you know and do well—in areas that are your strengths.”  What areas are you strong at?  How could you impart that knowledge or skill to others around you?  Looking to improve your leadership skills?  Review the past posts on the subject at this blog and sent me a comment if you care to, until next time all my best!  Jer.

The 5 Levels of Leadership-- John C. Maxwell

Hi! Welcome Back.  I’ve been writing about Leadership in this blog for about a month now.  At first it was in preparation for a project in Leadership I have with a local church, but after spending the last month studying what leadership is from various perspectives I’m coming to realize that leadership and its study are really as Author Jim Kouzes says “In the end, leadership development is self-development.  The mastery of the art of leadership is really about the mastery of the self.”

Maxwell believes that leadership is all about influence.  He states that “If people can increase their influence with others, they can lead more effectively.  If you boil leadership down to its essence, it is influence.  Leaders help people work together to accomplish goals that benefit everyone involved.  How does one person get others to do something willingly, excellently, and consistently?, by influencing them.”

Today I’d like to present Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership and in later posts look at how he develops leaders by looking at his leadership development program.  As you read Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership think back on what you have done and ask yourself where you stand on Maxwell’s 5 levels?  What can you do to improve your leadership standing?

The 5 Levels of Leadership

Level 1 Position, People follow you because they have to.  You have leadership “rights” based on the position you hold.

Level 2 Permission, People follow you because they want to.  You’ve developed relationships with your followers, they begin to trust you.

Level 3 Production, People follow because of what you have done for the organization.  You have achieved some results and are gaining influence and credibility because of what you have done.

Level 4 People Development, People follow because of what you have done for them.  You are reproducing yourself by developing others on your team.  You are beginning to develop leaders within your team or following.

Level 5 Pinnacle, People follow because of who you are and what you represent.  People respect you for who you are and what you have accomplished.  At this level leaders mentor people to become better leaders.  As an example John Wooden, former College Basketball Coach at UCLA.

Did you find yourself at one of Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership?  Did you find where your boss stands on Maxwell’s 5 levels?  How does your bosses leadership skills effect what you do or can do for others within your organization?  What steps can you do to further your self-development if you have a level 1 positional leader? 

Thanks for reading my blog.  Please stop and give me your feedback by posting a comment below.  I’ll be on assignment during the middle of next week so my next blog post will probably appear next Thursday or Friday, until then all my best!  Jer.

Deepak Chopra’s thoughts on responsibility and leadership

Hi! Welcome Back.  Today we come to the end of Deepak Chopra’s acronym for leader with the letter r.  I wanted to break Chopra’s acronym down because I felt that he had some very profound ideas to express in each letter of his acronym.  Today’s meaning attached to the letter r mentions the leader’s soul and although I haven’t heard that mentioned a lot went studying the topic of leadership in the past I have come to believe that it is a very important trait in anybody we think of as being a leader.  The soul is to my understanding the essence of a person so it stands to reason that for somebody to become a leader they must on some level share a bit of their soul with their followers.

If you’ve come to my blog site recently and haven’t seen the other thoughts Chopra attaches to the word leader here they are:

L = Look and listen.  Do this with your senses, as an unbiased observer who has not judged anything in advance.  Do it with your heart, obeying your truest feelings.  Finally, do it with your soul, responding to the vision and deep purpose it provides.

E = Emotional bonding.  Leading from the soul means going beyond the melodrama of living in crisis mode.  It requires recognizing and clearing away toxic emotions so you can clearly understand your own specific needs, and those of others.

A = Awareness.  This means being aware of the questions that underlie every challenge: Who am I?  What do I want?  What does the situation demand?  A leader must continually ask these questions of herself, and inspire her team to ask them for themselves.

D = Doing.  A leader must be action-oriented.  In whatever he does, he must serve as a role model, holding himself responsible for the promises he has made.  This requires persistence and tenacity, but also the ability to view any situation with flexibility and humor.

E = Empowerment.  The soul’s power comes from self-awareness that is responsive to feedback but independent of the good or bad opinion of others.  Empowerment isn’t selfish.  It raises the status of leader and team together.

Now let’s conclude Deepak Chopra’s discussion of leadership with his thoughts on R = Responsibility. 

Leading from the soul means taking responsibility for more than the group’s needs.  It means having concern for everyone’s personal growth.  This responsibility begins with your own evolution.  In eight areas of your life you have the power to be guided by your soul: thoughts, emotions, perception, personal relationships, social role, environment, speech and the body.  In all of these areas your behavior affects the people you lead.  If you evolve, so will they.

That’s it for today.  I hope if you’re following me on this blog that you’ll write me a short comment about what you think of it and offer any suggestions for future topics as they relate to organizational and staff development.  Until next time thanks for reading and all my best!  Jer.

Empowerment: Another Leadership Trait from Deepak Chopra

Hi! Welcome back.  I’ve been writing these past few weeks about leadership and I’ve been reviewing what various people believe constitutes want leadership is.  You can see what I’ve written in the past by checking out my blog archive to the right.  Most recently I’ve been writing about Deepak Chopra’s acronym on the word leader.  Today’s letter is E and these excerpts come from Chopra’s excellent book the Soul of Leadership.

E = Empowerment. 

Empowerment is the fruit of successful action.  Doing and having power go together, since without the power to sustain your vision through difficulties and resistance, your vision will wither away.  This isn’t ego empowerment, which is driven by the demands of “I, me, and mine”; you are empowering others at the same time as you empower yourself.

The belief that power isn’t compatible with spirituality is misguided.  At the source, there is a field of infinite possibilities.  Packaged with every possibility is the path to achievement.  Your soul unfolds both at the same time.  Your power is validated by what you can manifest as reality.

When thousands of people were asked what they most wanted from a leader, four desires topped the list: trust, compassion, stability and hope.  The tools for building trust are honesty, candor and competence.  Compassion makes people feel cared for.  When you know what it feels like to walk in someone else’s shoes there is no choice but respect.  The tools for building compassion are empathy, respect and gratitude.  The tools for building stability are reliability, support, and peace.  Hope is intangible because it rests upon belief.  As a leader you must keep the horizon full of promise.  When we lose hope, we become directionless.  Therefore a leader must provide clear direction, a definite step-by-step plan.  Eventually people will find their own direction, but until then you as leader must provide it.  Providing guidance means holding out the values that need to be restored, such as self-confidence, competence and worthiness.  Through your showing that you see these values in others, they will begin to see them in themselves.  When you show others a concrete way to move forward, you give them a reason to have faith.  The tools for building hope are direction, guidance and faith.

Boy! I don’t know about you but that last paragraph has many pearls of truth and wisdom in it.  Empowerment is a word we hear a lot about these days but it seems that few leaders that I have been associated with in my career could or would use it in their practice of leadership, why?  Were they so insecure about their positions and skills that they didn’t wish to share the problem solving or decision making process with others, for fear of losing their status or authority?  Were they so wrapped up in who ultimately would get the credit for the work that they didn’t want to share the responsibility? 

In my experience I think that is what happens to many people in leadership positions, they have the title of leader but don’t know how to develop themselves as a leader and are afraid if they relinquish control of a process or project that they are giving away their status as leader.  What do you think?  Do you agree with my comments?  Have you had leaders that have empowered you?  If you are a leader do you use empowerment to strengthen and lead your charges?  I hope you’ll comment and thanks for reading my blog.  Until next time all my best!  Jer.

Doing: A Leadership Trait from Deepak Chopra

Hi! Welcome back.  We’re making our way through Deepak Chopra’s acronym for a leader we’ve look at the letters L, E, and A so far and today we’ll talk about what the letter D stands for which Chopra describes as Doing.  Below are Deepak Chopra’s thoughts on doing as a function of leadership.  These excerpts are taken from his book the Soul of Leadership.

D = Doing. 

Doing is a skill.  It is based on five steps that make the difference between success and failure.  Whenever you are in a position to lead:

1.       Be action-oriented.  The atmosphere around you must be dynamic.  Everyone in the group should feel energized by the call to action.

2.       Act as a role model.  Be willing to do the same things you ask others to do.  That way you will recruit others to act.  A leader doesn’t have to perform the jobs he assigns; if you can, however, that’s a great advantage.  A leader serves as a role model in giving of himself completely.

3.       Commit yourself to good, honest feedback.  Show that you want to hear the truth, and when you give feedback to others, be candid but positive.  Emphasize their contributions first and foremost.

4.       Be persistent.  There will always be setbacks and obstacles.  The course of any significant project never ran smoothly.  When others are secretly worrying about failure, your unflagging persistence is a strong asset.

5.       Take time to celebrate.  Every time there’s a significant achievement, create an atmosphere of celebration around it.  Work and nothing but work will eventually deplete people’s enthusiasm.  By celebrating milestones along the way to final success, you give everyone a taste of that success in advance.

Doing, do you recall what the Chinese philosopher Confucius said about starting a journey?  As I recall he said that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  In my own life when I was a younger man I aspire to get a college education, but my parents had never gone to college and although I lived in a “college town” I had no idea what it would take to get my degree.  I had enrolled in college immediately right out of high school but after doing well the first semester I began to lose interest and yearn for the open road. 

I travel out West for a couple of years first with a good friend Mike Buza to California and then the next year by myself to Arizona.  After returning from Arizona I attended and graduated from Western Wisconsin Technical Institute, now called Western Wisconsin Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  I then transferred to a private college outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin but dropped out again and went back home to work as an accounting clerk.  After working several years I was denied promotion and I knew that the only way I was going to reach my dreams was to return and complete my bachelors degree. 

I remember a Vice President of the saving and loan I was working for told me the last day I was employed that I should in his words “eat the elephant one bite at a time”, it other words do something every day to reach my goals.

Can you remember a goal that you strived for and accomplished but thought at the time that it was a mountain too high to climb?  How did you get to the summit of your goal?  What did you do each and every day to make that dream a reality?  Why not drop my a comment and share it with me?  I look forward to our time together until next time all my best!  Jer.

Awareness, Leadership Traits from Deepak Chopra

Hi! Welcome back.  I’m continuing my review of Deepak Chopra’s acronym for a leader, so far we’ve look at the letter L and E today it’s the letter A which stands for Awareness.  Below is Deepak Chopra’s thoughts on awareness and what it means in regards to leadership.  These excerpts are taken from his book the Soul of Leadership.

A = Awareness. 

Awareness is the birthplace of possibility.  Everything you want to do, everything you want to be, starts here.  To be a successful visionary, you must be as aware as possible.  At every moment, many paths lead forward.  Awareness tells you which is the right one to take.

As a leader, your own awareness affects everyone around you.  Those whom you lead and serve depend on your grasp of the situation.  You must reach inside for the right response.  You alone can raise the group’s awareness from lower needs to higher needs.  To do that, you first must fulfill each need in yourself.

Awareness is a synonym for consciousness.  There is no limit to what you can change, because consciousness brings light to every aspect of life.  But if your c is constricted, everything else will be too.  On the other hand, if you are in a state of expanded awareness, everything else will expand.  The most ancient wisdom traditions say, “know that one thing by which all else is known.”  That one thing is consciousness itself.  Nothing has a greater power of transformation.

Awareness is innate—you don’t have to seek it outside yourself.  But expanded awareness must be cultivated.  Below is Deepak Chopra’s Awareness Program:

·         Stop struggling

·         Keep listening to your inner voice

·         Mediate in order to reach the core of your awareness

·         Test your boundaries

·         Remain centered

·         Look beyond your personal beliefs

·         Gather information from every source

·         Learn to have clear intentions

·         Value inner peace

At first glance this one trait seems obvious right?  How can one be a leader without being aware of what’s going on around them or what’s possible?  Sadly, many times people in leadership positions “can’t see the forest from the trees”.  Can you think back on a time when you missed the obvious signs or clues to a situation?  We all can that’s why we are human.  All of us struggle with some situation or predicament at some point in our lives; at present my predicament is trying to get a marketing brochure together for my new business.  Think about what problems you maybe going through at the moment could Chopra’s awareness program work for you?  Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think about this blogspot, until next time all my best!  Jer