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Observe Leadership in Action

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 6/5/2012

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” –Heywood Brown, American journalist

I’ve been watching a lot of high school baseball recently. I have a nephew whose team is in the state high school tournaments—and, at least as of this blog post, they are continuing to win and make their way to the state finals.

As I’ve been enjoying the “national past time,” I’ve been paying a lot of attention to leadership. Leadership in baseball (as in organizations) happens at all levels. You can learn a lot by observing leaders in action—both in and outside of organizational life. And, in baseball, as in organizations, you can observe leadership in action on a regular basis (and you also notice the implications of a lack of leadership). Here’s what I’ve noticed:

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Never Forget the ‘Why’

Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 5/23/2012

As I’ve trained and coached new managers over the years, one area I try to focus some attention on is connecting the “manager” to the “individual.” So often we are forced to wear the “manager” hat at work. The “manager” cares about what gets done. The “manager” is interested in the assignment of tasks, the completion of projects, and the quantifying of results.

But what about the “individual?” We as “individuals” care about the why. The “individual” wants to find the connection between who I am as a person and who I am as a manager. The “individual” asks questions like, “Why did I become a manager?” “Why should others follow me?” “Why do I do what I do?” “Why am I putting in so much effort?”

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Walk a Mile…

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 5/17/2012

“We always admire the other fellow more after we have tried to do his job.”
–William Feather (1889 – 1981), American author and publisher
Shoes
An age old problem in business is how individuals work together. I’ve had several leaders say to me, “If we didn’t have to deal with all of this stuff, we could concentrate on running the business.” The “stuff” in question is human dynamics—what makes individuals and teams work; and, what most definitely gets in the way of productivity and performance.

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The Myth of the Charismatic Leader

Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 5/9/2012

When you hear the word “leader,” what images pop in your head? Often it’s the gregarious, outspoken, energetic, showman, whose personality seems larger than life – someone who is able to rally and motivate employees with their words. But what if you are not gregarious, outspoken, or a master presenter? Can you be a leader that others will follow?

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Tap into Talent

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 4/26/2012

“I would rather be surrounded by smart people than have a huge budget. Smart people will get you there faster.”
— former McKinsey associate as quoted in The McKinsey Way by Ethan Rasiel

I recently conducted some interviews and focus groups for one of our clients. They have been experiencing a lot of change over the past several months. Like so many others, they have faced budgetary cutbacks, downsizing, and trying to do more with less. Conducting this assessment was an opportunity to help them better understand current perceptions and lay the groundwork for managing ongoing change.

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Increase Resiliency in Your Employees

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 2/28/2012

It is no secret that the pace, speed and complexity of change is greater than ever before. According to some sources, the estimated rate of change doubles every 10 years. This accelerated pace of change requires more adaptable workers and nimbler organizations. Resiliency has become a core competency for employees at all levels. It is important to recognize that as a leader, you help create an environment which contributes or detracts from employees’ ability to be resilient.

Employees are more resilient when they work in environments characterized by support, trust, and open communications. What do you do to create this environment?

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Stop Holding Yourself Back

Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 2/14/2012

Over the last several months, I have been reading books from a few different genres – some are biographies, some are books on leadership, some are books on investment. What is striking is that even though these books tend to focus on different subject areas, I have gotten the same “advice” from many of them. That advice is, stop holding yourself back. Whether it’s the business classic Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill (1937) or the more recent Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hanson (2010), authors interested in getting the best out of their readers often focus on the power of self-confidence.

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Do Organizations Set Managers Up For Success?

Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 1/31/2012

Countless organizations talk about how much they value their employees or their “human capital.” They espouse how important their people are to the success of their business. While there certainly is good intention in their words, actions may not always line up when it comes to setting new managers up for success.

According to a 2011 Careerbuilder study, nearly 60% of managers reported never receiving management training. This is an alarming statistic when you consider the stress associated with being a mid-level manager. Often individuals at this level within an organization are caught between the frontline (i.e., customers and client interactions) and the upper-levels of the organization (i.e., implementing strategic initiatives).

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Build Relationships with Your Employees

Author: Diane Hamilton, Date: 1/4/2012

If you like college basketball, the names Coach K (Duke Blue Devils) and Pat Summit (Tennessee Lady Volunteers) are familiar. They are the two winningest coaches in Division I college basketball history. Both were honored by Sports Illustrated as the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year in 2011. You may (or may not) be a fan of their respective teams; either way, you can’t argue with their success.

The December 2011 SI article that honored the two coaches caught my eye—in part because I like college basketball. It also grabbed my attention because of a reference to leadership that goes beyond the obvious records and accomplishments that they both have achieved. For Krzyzewski and Summit, “coaching starts with understanding the individual,” wrote Donald G. Zauderer, a professor emeritus at American University in an assessment of the two coaches. “Both invest large amounts of time and energy in getting to know players—their values, emotional makeup, and hopes and dreams for a successful life.”

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Why Most Managers are Illogical

Author: Paul Dillenburg, Date: 12/20/2011

You as a manager or leader are illogical. While not ill-intended, the way in which you interact with your direct reports often disregards the rules of logic and weakens your organization. Here’s a test of logic: taking inventory of the amount of time you spend with your team of direct reports, how much time do you spend with your “low performers” and how much time you spend with your “high performers?”

Those of you that tend to spend more time with low performers are illogical – here’s why:

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Leadership Development Articles

Observe Leadership in Action

Never Forget the ‘Why’

Walk a Mile…

The Myth of the Charismatic Leader

Tap into Talent

Increase Resiliency in Your Employees

Stop Holding Yourself Back

Do Organizations Set Managers Up For Success?

Build Relationships with Your Employees

Why Most Managers are Illogical

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