A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by a journalist about what to do you really screw up a presentation at work. the basic question was, should you grovel and ask for forgiveness?

In our long conversation, lead by several expert questions from Matt Villano, I shared that we should take the mistake not as a chance to brown-nose the boss, to make sure we stayed in good graces, but to use it as a learning opportunity.

In short, I suggested that you:

- have a short conversation to share your disappointment with the presentation and ask for some feedback. this will allow you to find out how close your perception is to reality and find out the biggest areas for improvement.) At the close of this conversation, ask for a chance for a second meeting.
- before the second meeting, think about the feedback and build an action plan for how you will avoid a similiar situation in the future.
- Share your plan in the second meeting, asking for additional feedback and assistance as necessary.

Taking this approach will allow you to rebuild any trust that was lost by the poor performance and will allow you to significantly reduce the likelihood that it will happen again.

In the end, all of this good advice didn't make the article Matt was writing, but there was many other great pieces of advice, including some other thoughts from me in his Career Couch column in the New York Times Sunday August 20th.

You can read the article here. (It will require signing up for Times Select, a premium service, but you can subscribe for free for 14 days.)

Also posted in Leadership and Learning.

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Leaders are out front, taking others towards a future different than what currently exists. They are leading towards their vision of a desired future state.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a vision of a desired future state - though he called it a dream. And 43 years ago today at a civil rights rally he shared that dream with more than 200,000 others at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

I'll bet you know at least part of the speech . . .

" . . . Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' . . . I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. "

Dr. King acted as a leader on that day (and many others). He held his vision clearly in his mind, but just as importantly, he communicated it clearly with others.

As leaders that is our opportunity and responsibility - to share our vision in a way that is compelling, because when it is communicated with passion and with an understanding of how others will benefit, that vision can become a reality.

Some may want to shake their head and think that they can't communicate like Dr. King. Perhaps you couldn't address thousands with words as eloquent as his. But you can let your passion and your vision show through to those you lead.

Read Dr. King's words today and think about the lessons for you as a leader. Think about your vision of the future. Think about how others will benefit from that vision. then allow yourself to share that vision in a meaningful and compelling way.

Those you lead will be glad you did.

Also posted in Leadership.

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People sometimes ask me, "Should I be a manager or a leader?" My answer is "yes."

There are management books and leadership books, management courses and leadership courses. There are people who call themselves managers, and those who call themselves leaders.

The manager/leader question isn't an either/or question; it is a both/and question. Greater management skills make leaders more effective and managers will be more effective when they exercise the skills of great leaders.

Rather than trying to discriminate these skills, let's look at both sides of the coin for some competencies:

- A manager thinks short term, tactically, a leader has a longer term, more strategic focus.
- A manager plans how and when, a leader asks "what?" and "how?"
- A manager looks at the bottom line, a leader looks to the horizon.
- A manager knows the business, a leader knows the Customer.
- A manager focuses on improving existing products and processes, a leader focuses on the new product and the breakthrough process.
- A manager supervises, a leader influences.
- A manager builds success through quality, a leader builds success through employees.
- A manager sets standards of performance, a leader sets new standards.

You can read each pair as one thing is better than the other, but I'd encourage you instead to see the value in both sides of the coin. We need tactics and strategy, we need improvements and innovation. I could further define the manager/leader coin with more competencies, but these should be plenty to get you started.

Think about both sides of this coin - think manager and leader.

Also posted in Leadership.

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As leaders we think of many roles we play and we think of many characteristics that make us more effective. If you were to make a list of those roles and characteristics, I don't know if you would put generosity on the list or not.

I believe I would.

Remarkable Leaders are generous with their time, with their thoughts, and with their service. They remove barriers to others not just to reach the common goals, but to help those that are following.

When we are more generous in the right spirit - the spirit of focusing on the other person first, we can help others create miracles.

Think about your own level of generosity today and why you are generous, and then ponder this quotation:

"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present."
- Albert Camus, The Rebel

What are you giving... is it your all?

Also posted in Leadership and Teamwork

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In the April 2006 issue of Fast Company, there is an article about Dan Mintz, an American who has become a very successful businessperson in China. (You can read the full article here.) Early in the article a Chinese word is introduced - guanxi (pronounced gwan-she). According to the article, it is literally translated as "relationship building", but in practice it means "carefully cultivated clout, a culturally calibrated measure of respect, influence, and honor." The article goes on to say that it is a personal as well as political form of capital.

I've long been interested in learning words from other languages because it is through language that we create understanding. It is no coincidence that our vocabulary and our intelligence are closely linked - the more words we have in our mind the easier it is to express our thoughts and to think in new ways.

Guanxi is a word that does this for me - it expands my thoughts about relationship building. Relationship building is an important part of our lives in many ways - within the last two weeks I have had conversations or done training where relationship building has been discussed connected to Customer Service (even in very short relationships), consulting, leadership, facilitation, and sales. I'm sure you could expand this list and it doesn't even yet include our personal and family relationships.

So here are two questions for you: In the relationships you are working to build now, how would the components of guanxi - respect, influence, and honor - influence your behaviors and choices? Do you think about those factors when building a relationship?

I encourage you to think about those components in the coming days. Recognize that if you want to gain respect, influence, and honor, you will do best by focusing on giving those things first.

Build relationships by putting the other person first - respect them at higher levels, influence them not for your gain but for theirs, and honor them highly.

The dual lesson in this post for me is both the power of the insight gained by adding a new component to relationship building and that these insights came from a new word I learned from another language. I encourage both to think about the lessons of guanxi - both in terms of relationships and vocabulary.

Also posted in Customer Service, Leadership, Learning, Teamwork and Training.

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A long time reader to my Unleash Your Potential newsletter recently sent me a question, the answer to which I thought would make a good blog post. Here it is:

"How do you give negative feedback and express it in a positive manner? I know about "sandwiching" your response with the positive - but are there any other ways you could suggest? Your help is greatly appreciated."

- L. Turner, Jr., Pharmaceuticals

Ah, the sandwich technique. One we've all heard of, and most of us have used it. I don't know about you, but when I eat a sandwich I am typically more interested in the meat in the middle than in the bread. Unless the bread is an awesome sourdough or something, I likely don't remember it at all - instead I remember the turkey, ham or brisket that might have been inside. (Case in point, when was the last time you told some one you had a whole wheat sandwich for lunch?) So even if you are placing some really good positive feedback around the meat, the meat is still the message and what will be remembered.

And that is our goal - for our feedback to have an impact and to be remembered. So how else can we do it, besides sandwiching it between some "enriched white bread" positive feedback?

In this short post I'm going to suggest two things to help you give negative feedback more effectively and easily.

Make it about them. First and most importantly, your feedback will be heard, received and used much more successfully if you make the feedback about the other person. You may be thinking . . . it is their feedback, of course it is about them. Not so fast my friend. If you've ever felt anger or frustration when giving feedback, that feedback isn't about the other person - it is about you and your feelings. Feedback says as much about the giver as it does the receiver. When we as the giver are clear in our intent to help the other person succeed or improve, the other person will be able to tell that and your feedback will be much more successful (and easier to deliver!)

Help them see the benefits and consequences. Don't just tell them what they did wrong. Help them see the implications of their efforts. Let them see how others were impacted, how results changed, how it made you feel. Beyond this, help them see the benefits of improved performance. When people have a vision of how something will be easier, less dangerous, more fun (insert any other appropriate benefits here), they are much more likely to change their behavior to achieve those results.

There are more ideas and ways to help your negative feedback be heard, above are just two. I'd love your experiences and suggestions added as comments to this post.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning, Teamwork and Training.

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On Saturday I was delivering some Customer Service training to the parking, gates and security staff for the 150th Indiana State Fair. Whenever I work with groups on this important topic, I try to find ways to help them see that it is the Customer who writes their paycheck.

In both sessions, after thinking I had already made this point clearly, I tried again, by asking this question:

How would you treat each Customer if you knew that their full $6 ticket price was going into your pocket?

In the morning session, I heard, "I'd say thank you. Thank you VERY much. And please come again."

In the afternoon session, I heard, "I'd treat them like gold."

There it is. Most everything we need to know about Customer Service emanates from those two answers: thank them and value their business, and treat them like gold.

It is easy to treat "nice" and "pleasant" Customers this way. It is our job when serving Customers to treat them ALL that way (even when they are mean, grumpty and irrational). We may not get their full $6 ticket fee, but without them we don't get any check at all.

Also posted in Leadership and Customer Service.

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In this week's >Unleash Your Potential, I recommend an article in the August issue of >Scientific American called >The Expert Mind. (You can read my review >here.)

This article cites lots of research about a very interesting topic -- how we become an expert. Perhaps the most interesting thing to me is mentioned only in passing - the training vs. talent question (the human potential version of the chicken and the egg).

The article says,

"Teachers in sports, music and other fields tend to believe that talent matters and that they know it when they see it. In fact, they appear to be confusing ability with precocity. There is usually no way to tell, from a recital alone, whether a young violinist's extraordinary performance stems from innate ability or from years of Suzuki-style training."

The preponderance of research described in the article leans towards training as the bigger determinant of expertise development than innate talents. Specifically it uses the phrase "effortful study" - that when we engage in effortful study we move forward more quickly. That is in part why someone might play a particular card game for years, but another person who practices effortful study - intently focusing on improving - may zoom past the skill of the other person quickly.

This all leads to a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that perhaps inborn talent isn't as important as we might have thought - in other words we can become highly skilled - an expert - in most anything we desire. The potential bad news is that it will require effort. Alas, as any economist would tell us, there is no free lunch.

The best news comes in combining the good and bad news together. When we take our innate abilities, skills and interests, and apply effortful study in those areas we will move forward even faster, accomplish even more, and enjoy the journey towards higher levels of expertise immensely.

Whether trying to become a chess Grandmaster, a expert chef, a top trainer, or a world-class leader, the message is the same. Effortful study - intentional, focused and motivated effort will move your towards your goal.

It's time to get started.

Also posted in >Leadership, >Learning and >Training.

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A couple of weeks ago I had the great fortune of meeting a long time reader of my Unleash Your Potential Newsletter. Conchita Serri, Director of the Office of Affirmative Action at Santa Clara University told me about a project that she has been involved with called the Global Women's Leadership Network. The purpose of this network is:

" . . . building an international network of women leaders. We empower those who dare to transform their organizations, their communities, and the world. Our programs cultivate international leaders and establish worldwide connections that will support their success. Through these women, we touch the lives of many more."

Earlier this week they concluded their World Leaders of the World program - which brought together 19 woman leaders from 9 countries including: Afghanistan, Kenya, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States.

I didn't have to talk to Conchita very long to be inspired not only by the goals of the program, but by the stories of the remarkable leaders that are involved - both as participants and faculty.

I share this you because if you read more on their site you will be inspired by these women. I share this because you may know someone who might be a future participant in this program or become a valued part of this network, and I share this with you because you might feel lead to donate funds to help make this program successful for the long term.

As leaders we need to continually see the handiwork of other leaders to be inspired and reminded of the ways our leadership skills can positively impact the world. Take a few minutes to learn more about this Newtowork, and I believe you will be both inspired and reminded.

Also posted in Leadership and Learning.

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When leading a workshop on facilitation skills recently, I had groups brainstorm possible uses for a paper clip as a way to illustrate some points about our creative potential and ability to brainstorm more effectively. One of the possible uses listed by one team was "trade it for a house."

I didn't understand and was told by a participant, "yeah, this guy started with a paper clip and ended up with a house."

I was puzzled, but didn't think much more about it.

Yesterday when I read Bob Burg's Winning Without Intimidation newsletter, he mentioned a video that everyone should watch - about a guy who started with one red paper clip and traded with people who had different items (14 trades it turns out) for a house.

This is the best 8 minutes of video I've ever seen on the internet - and among the most interesting and inspiring I've seen produced by network television (the video is a segment from ABC's 20/20).

Rather than telling you more about it, I urge you to watch it. Think about it from a creativity perspective, from a motivational perspective, and from the perspective of persistence.

You'll like it. You'll learn from it.

Here it is.

And you'll never look at a red paper clip the same way again.

Also posted in Creativity, Leadership and Learning.

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After a somewhat planned, but not announced hiatus, I'm back to blogging.

It has been like a vacation, and just like a vacation from our work it has been refreshing. I have some great stuff to share, and will do so starting today.

I hope you have missed me, and I hope to earn your regular readership again, starting right now! :)

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