Timeless Principles for Leading in Business and Life
Copyright 2017 by Steve Smith
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Leadership Axioms Timeless Principles for Leading in Business and Life
Steve Smith Business & Executive Coach
Forward Axioms are self evident statements that are widely held as truths within a given field or discipline. They are universally accepted principles that require no proof. Leadership axioms are universally accepted principles for achieving the highest level of effectiveness and integrity throughout one’s career. The 14 axioms contained in this book have been assembled, practiced and honed for more than 30 years. They have served me and many of my colleagues well in the rapid, continually changing world of business.
I am confident that adopting these axioms will guide you towards your own level of leadership greatness.
Table of Axioms 1.
Decision Making
8
9.
Authority
24
2.
Accountability
10
10. Priority Setting
26
3.
Building Trust
12
11. Direction
28
4.
Mindset Time Zone
14
12. Intention
30
5.
Communications
16
13. Excellence
32
6.
Delegation
18
14. Servant Leadership 33
7.
Initiating Change
20
15. Self Assessment
36
8.
Feedback
22
16. Priority Focus
38
Introduction Leadership requires a fundamentally clear sense of self. From the core beliefs you hold and the way you think about your circumstances, to your behavior patterns and the actions you take, everything you hold true reflects the kind of leader you are and will be. This book assembles the most impactful leadership attributes that can and will serve you well on your journey to great leadership. While not a complete list of all the traits that will make you successful, these axioms will enable you to build more trusting relationships, communicate more clearly, act more confidently and achieve greater results for your business and your life over time.
Your challenge (after reading this book) will be to use these axioms for yourself so you can begin to take control of your own leadership development.
Leadership Axioms
1
Leadership Axiom #1 Decision Making: Choose the ‘difficult right’ over the ‘easy wrong’.
2
Leadership Axioms
As a leader, you make decisions daily; some routine and low level, some extremely important. Depending on the nature of the decision to be made, there are two things that drive your decision-making rationale: 1. The reason why you need to make the decision and 2. What you believe the consequences of that decision will be. When you choose the ‘difficult right’, you are deciding to do what is best for everyone involved knowing that the initial actions could be difficult to execute but the ultimate outcome will make your organization much stronger. When you choose the ‘easy wrong’, you are deciding to do what is expedient or popular. These decisions are disguised as quick solutions but carry consequences that insure your issue returns as a much bigger problem.
Choosing the difficult right, while sometimes unpopular in the moment, demonstrates your ability to address the needs of your business. To your employees and others who depend on your company, this builds trust and creates loyalty.
Leadership Axioms
3
Leadership Axiom #2 Accountability: If you ‘expect it’ be prepared to ‘inspect it’.
4
Leadership Axioms
From an early age, people are taught to be accountable to others (parents, teachers, bosses, etc.). We are generally not disciplined at being accountable to ourselves. Setting high performance standards is the hallmark of good leadership. Getting everyone to perform at those levels is a sign of great leadership. This requires an understanding of human nature and the belief that if you are there to insure great work is carried out, people will achieve it and respect you for it. Once everyone recognizes that your commitment for great work and your desire to develop people who can perform at this level benefits them, your people will respect and adopt your way of thinking.
Holding people accountable makes them better performers. Consistently holding people accountable makes you a better leader. What you expect, you must inspect!
Leadership Axioms
5
Leadership Axiom #3 Building Trust: Acknowledge publicly, admonish privately.
6
Leadership Axioms
According to recent workplace engagement surveys, employees put acknowledgement for good work at the top of their list. And while getting a pat on the back from the boss is encouraging, being recognized publicly sends positive messages on many different levels. Employees also want to know if they are not living up to your expectations so they have a chance to improve. This feedback, while valuable, is better received when it’s done in private. It shows respect for the employee and builds trust for the boss. When you provide sincere, objective feedback to your employees, publicly or privately, your true intentions about how you view relationships and the importance you put on trust will be revealed.
Knowing the difference between addressing behavior or performance in public vs private, reflects caring and instills trust and loyalty throughout the workplace.
Leadership Axioms
7
Leadership Axioms #4 Mindset Time Zone: Learn from the past; live in the present; think in the future.
8
Leadership Axioms
Being a successful leader starts with how you think and what you focus on. Your ability to make good decisions comes from learning from past experiences. Your ability to implement strategies comes from observing progress in the moment. Your ability to move the organization forward comes from your clarity about the company’s future. With so many things occupying your time and cluttering your field of vision, it’s vital to respect and honor your mindset time zones. Recognize that your past, present and future mindsets all have leadership value but only if you are aware of when and why you are in each. Operating with the right mindset conveys a sense of ‘being real’ to everyone around you. When your presence is aligned with the purpose of your organization, people are more likely to take you and your role seriously. Be clear about the mindset you live with and how it affects your impact on your organization.
Leadership Axioms
9
Leadership Axioms #5 Communication: Seek to understand before expecting to be understood.
10
Leadership Axioms
Communication is simply messages that flow in two directions; what you say (send) and what you hear (receive). Sending (most often speaking) delivers direction, observation and feedback. What you receive (hear), however, is more important to leadership. The act of listening conveys attention, importance, respect and openness which are all essential to understanding the reality of those around you. Understanding how well people respond to your direction and feedback comes with spending time on the listening side of the equation.
When you seek to understand the circumstances, the motivations and the thinking of your employees, you learn the effects of the things you communicate and demonstrate. Only through asking great questions and listening can you learn how effective your communications are. Your ability to communicate effectively starts with understanding others perspectives and ends with learning how to improve the message you send.
Leadership Axioms
11
Leadership Axioms #6 Delegation: Assign responsibility to people who want to grow, not to people with space on their plates.
12
Leadership Axioms
Delegation works best when the receiving party has as much invested in taking on the new responsibility as the person delegating it. Delegation can always be legislated but the responsibility for insuring a successful outcome will be much more difficult. The people on your team that want to grow and rise within your company are the best people for delegation. These folks are hungry to prove themselves. They are likely waiting for more to do right now! If balancing work loads is your concern, delegate your most important assignments to your best people and lighten their load by shifting lower level duties to the ones who lack initiative. This way, the message is clear. Step up and be rewarded or stand by and handle the mundane. Use delegation liberally, not as a means of ridding yourself of your unattractive tasks but as a way to develop your most valuable team talent.
Leadership Axioms
13
Leadership Axioms #7 Initiating Change: Getting a different outcome requires taking a different approach.
14
Leadership Axioms
Leaders make it a priority to develop others so they will perform their best. So when the outcome misses the target, what needs to change to better the result? Oftentimes, the initial response is to do it again, the same way, over and over until THEY get it right. When organizations fall short of their goals, someone has to take responsibility for initiating a new course of action. While individual team members may have stumbled in their duties, it’s likely that another, better approach will achieve the results that has been eluding the team thus far. It’s the responsibility of those in change to initiate this direction. Taking the time to assess how you initiate goals, launch campaigns or give the green light to projects, can add clarity to what went wrong and how to improve company-wide performance in the future. Change is a choice. Doing the same thing is a less promising choice, but still a choice!
Leadership Axioms
15
Leadership Axioms #8 Feedback: Ask permission first or it will be viewed as unnecessary, unwanted or unappreciated.
16
Leadership Axioms
Developing people requires feeding back observations about behavior, and performance. Feedback can be positive or critical but should always be objective and should always be received openly. Giving productive feedback that will benefit the employee should not be a surprise. It should be offered as a suggestion that the employee is willing to hear. They may not like the message but if they agree to receive it, they are more likely to carefully consider your council. When feedback is forced on someone, regardless of it’s intended benefit, the tendency is to dismiss it or downplay it. When this happens, neither the leader or the employee benefit. A good practice for providing feedback is to ask the recipient if they are willing to receive it. By first asking permission, you put greater value on the feedback and sincerity for giving it. You know you’ve done this well when the receiver doesn’t like what they hear but thanks you for telling them. Leadership Axioms
17
Leadership Axioms #9 Authority: You have as much as you dare to use.
Warren Buffet
18
Leadership Axioms
Authority is about power. Great leadership may reflect authority but does not depend on it. When authority is granted or assigned as part of a leader’s role, the tendency is to use it ineffectively until the person gains confidence as a leader. Most great leaders are extremely effective with influence and direction without relying on the level of authority they possess. This means that just about all leaders have more than enough authority to get the job done. They just may not be balancing their ‘power’ with their ‘influence’. The best way to build influence is by understanding what’s important to each of your people and consistently acting in accordance with what you believe. Build your leadership influence by harnessing the power of personal relationships and using your authority as a backdrop. The authority that is most valuable is the authority you never have to use.
Leadership Axioms
19
Leadership Axioms #10 Priority Setting: Know the difference between ‘important’ and ‘urgent’.
20
Leadership Axioms
There will never be enough time to do all that presents itself to you. Working harder and longer to accomplish everything is a short lived, energy wasting strategy. It will drain you of all creativity and strategic thought. Devote your focus and energy on the things that serve your business best. These are the important priorities. You’ll know the urgent ones because they vary in levels of importance but all scream to be done NOW! One way to separate the two is with the 3-pile methods. Create 3 piles; one for ‘do now’, one for ‘delegate’ and one for ‘dismiss’. The first pile is your priorities. Urgent matters are emotionally charged. Important matters are laced with promises of improvement, reward and greater satisfaction.
Leadership Axioms
21
Leadership Axioms #11 Direction: Own it yourself before giving it to others.
22
Leadership Axioms
Every organization needs someone to provide direction. If you are the leader, this is you! Effective direction is dependent on clear communication, support, monitoring and a belief by the leader that the direction being given is the right way to go. Many times, the direction you must give, has been given to you without your input. From on high, you are now responsible for delivering the message to your team. Your people are smart enough, without you admitting it, to see that you are doing what you’ve been told and may not endorse what you are asking them to do. Before you pass this direction along, take time to invest yourself in the direction you are about to give. Have a discussion with the folks above you if it will help. Effectively delivering direction to your team means you first must own it. If you own it and can convince others of this, your people will more likely execute the direction you provide.
Leadership Axioms
23
Leadership Axioms #12 Intention: Judge others by their actions, not by their words or appearance.
Peter Marino appears on 60 Minutes
24
Leadership Axioms
A leader must frequently make assessments (judgements) about someone’s intent. Are they making a statement with their appearance. Are they sending a message with their choice of words. Many times, the intent a leader may be observing is completely unknown to the individual in question. Intention in the workplace is best observed in people’s actions. Regardless of their thoughts or their personal philosophies, their actions demonstrate their decisions and illustrate their purpose. It’s important to assess people’s motives and perspectives correctly. This way, you do not rob yourself of integrity and trust.
Leadership Axioms
25
Leadership Axioms #13 Pursuing Excellence: Do your best no matter how trivial the task.
26
Leadership Axioms
Excellence is a life philosophy; a state of mind. You either view what you do with excellence or you don’t. By demonstrating excellence in everything you do, you project a sense of value for who you are. As a leader, people look to you when standards are set. Will you reflect the standards you require in your own role or exempt yourself from the rest of the team. Since excellence is a state of mind rather than a particular skill or ability, any inconsistent approach on your part sends mixed signals to everyone around you. Demonstrating excellence in everything you do sends a more powerful message than demanding excellence but not being willing to live up to it. People follow leaders hoping to become better themselves and need to believe that ‘personal best’ is valued by the leader they follow.
Leadership Axioms
27
Leadership Axioms #14 Servant Leadership: The team comes first, period!
28
Leadership Axioms
Leading may mean standing in front but it doesn’t mean you come first. It’s the team who makes the organization successful and the leader who guides, nurtures and motivates a successful team. The decisions you make must be for the betterment of the team, not yourself. The mindset you operate with, the trust you build and the change you initiate must all be to develop a group of top notch employees, not to showcase your talent. As an individual contributor, it was all about you and what you produced. Now that you lead others, it’s how faithfully and consistently you serve their needs. Servant leadership is a philosophy that utilizes natural feelings about serving others to improve their lives with building better organizations. When you serve, you benefit others. When others benefit, the team wins. When the team wins, you win!
Leadership Axioms
29
Self Assessment You now have some new leadership approaches to work with. Which of these skills is most important for your current leadership role and level of development? How much effort do you need to apply using these skills to take your leadership effectiveness up? The following self assessment will enable you to score and select the skills that will benefit you the most. Take a few minutes to grade yourself. Use a 1 to 5 score to rate each axiom as you see yourself now. Then, rank each axiom to determine which areas of development represent your highest current priority. Committing yourself to improving your highest priority areas will have the greatest impact on your leadership results.
30
Leadership Axioms
Axioms
Rating
Priority
Decision Making
______
_______
Accountability
______
_______
Building Trust
______
_______
Mindset Time Zone
______
_______
Communications
______
_______
Delegation
______
_______
Initiating Change
______
_______
Feedback
______
_______
Authority
______
_______
Priority Setting
______
_______
Direction
______
_______
Intention
______
_______
Pursuing Excellence
______
_______
Servant Leadership
______
_______
Leadership Axioms
31
Priority Focus: List three areas you will focus on to improve your leadership skills. Remember to include what action you will take and when you will do it. Priority #1: _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Priority #2: _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Priority #3: _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 32
Leadership Axioms
“The older I become, the more I realize that being successful at anything; business, careers, hobbies, relationships or life itself required four simple things: Passion, Vision, Commitment and Action. The only thing separating you from the success you want is the choice you make about whether or not to pursue it.�
Steve Smith is considered the catalyst for charge by the California Business Journal. He has delivered performance based coaching and strategy based business techniques to over 400 businesses across the US and around the world. His specialties in leadership, management and marketing make him an ideal coach for professionals preparing to become world-class business owners or company executives. Steve speaks to various business and trade groups, writes for a collection of online publications and hosts a new podcast show called ‘Business Wingmen’. He graduated from Frostburg State University, Frostburg Md. with a degree in business management and minors in accounting and sociology. Steve and his wife Sharon of 38 years live in Lake Forest, have 2 grown children and 3 grandchildren. In his spare time, he and Sharon travel on their motorcycle. You can reach Steve at: 949-951-9163 or visit him at www.GrowthSourceCoaching.com