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1)  Patrick Lencioni in “Death by meeting” suggests that well run meetings are pivotal for success and are not to be underestimated! He famously proposes that leaders should address tactical or strategic matters in separate meetings. A simple proposition! But most of us still sit through hours discussing the staff picnic, only then to jump to company direction for three years.

2) Here are two magic little questions to insert into a meeting half way through proceedings:

What has been most useful in the meeting so far?

What is required to make this meeting better for the remainder of the time?

Keep people away from continuing to debate the content of the meeting but make sure each person contributes an answer.  You will be amazed what is said and how it helps the meeting improve.

3) Peter Hawkins suggests that senior teams have two empty chairs left spare in a meeting. One can be for staff and one for customers or other stakeholders. In a serious debate people can occupy the chairs and speak on behalf of the stakeholders. Richer and more representative decisions may arise.

I’d love to know other ways you have improved your meetings?

Leaders need to Zoom in close to the details and personal relationships involved with the work

Leaders need to Zoom out to the bigger picture and the wider context.

Leaders tend to be comfortable with one or another focus. Most of us can immediately say what focus we default to:

Zoom in:    The detail/information/ immediate people involved/data

Zoom out:  The abstract/ longer term/ wide view

Both zoom positions are required but being flexible in focusing attention is a huge skill.  Increasing the ability to zoom in and zoom out, moment to moment, takes practice. Here are a few questions that can help test the zooming ability.

What am I spending most of my time looking at? (Zoom out)

What is in the background and what is happening in the wider context? (Zoom out)

Have I become to remote from the actual issues, what further specific information might be required ? (Zoom in)

What are the important general principals and enduring truths here? (Zoom out)

Have I seen enough to make an informed decision? (Zoom in)

How connected am I with the day to day world of my people involved with this issue? (Zoom in)

Happy leading with zoom function!

(You might want to read along with the lyrics below)

Verse 1

Seems like everybody’s got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the tale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and
Smile:)

Why is everybody so serious!
Acting so damn mysterious
You got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can’t even have a good
Time.

Pre-chorus.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
Well pay them with love tonight…

Chorus:

It’s not about the money, money, money
We don’t need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world change,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain’t about the (ha) Ka-Ching Ka-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world change,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Verse 2.

(Listen, Okay.)
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all UNITE!
And it wasn’t low blows and video Hoes,
Am I the only one gettin… tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can’t buy us happiness.
If we all slow down and enjoy right now
Gurantee we’ll be feelin
All right.

Pre-chorus.

Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (ha)
Can you feel that (yeah)
Well pay them with love tonight…

Chorus:

It’s not about the money, money, money
We don’t need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world change,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Ain’t about the (ha) Ka-Ching Ka-Ching.
Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world change,
Forget about the Price Tag.

Bridge.

Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Price Tag!

Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Lala-Lala-Lalala ay!
Price Tag!

Chorus:

It’s ain’t about the money, money, money
We don’t need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world, world, world, world, world world change,
OooOOoooooOOOOh! Yeah!

Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Aint abouth the uh. Cha-Ching Cha-Ching
Wanna make the world change,
Forget about the Price

Break it Down.

Money, money, money, uh
Money, money, money
Wanna make the world change
Forget about the Price (yeah)

Aint about the money, money, money
Aint about the mah-money, mah-money, mah-money
We just wanna make the world change
Forget about the Price Tag

Aint about the uh Cha-ching, cha- ching
Aint about the yeah Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world cha-ange, ch-ange, cha-ange ange
Yeah, yeah, yeaaaaaahh

Bright people are making drastic decisions in order to stay in tune with themselves. More and more clever people are jumping away from traditional pathways and carving out a new future that feels more authentic and free. In doing so, they not only transform their own life but they also inspire others. Sometimes it involves trading in the fast lane, and it always involves taking a risk to go against the expected flow of things.

Leaders start by asking brave questions like:

What am I not prepared to give up on – in this one life of mine?

What gives me energy?

What is the real essence of who I am?…and if I only had a few years to live what would I being doing right now?

In what she calls her “drop out memoir”, Margaret Roach tells her story of moving from the Editorial Director of the Martha Stewart empire in New York to a rural cottage and garden.  She says “I was a ‘big success, people told me… but the secret I never spoke in reply was my belief that I had a long ago given up on me”.  In this 4 minute video check out Margaret’s new life and ask yourself

What are the things that would make the biggest difference to me and everything around me?

And your answer may hold the essence of your next step towards true leadership.

Managers are often dismayed about the unhealthy culture of their organization. Shifting a large, remote and intangible culture can feel overwhelming. OD and HR experts are relied on to roll out change programmes. However it is a myth that systematic, centralized programmes can shift a culture on their own.

.

.What if culture is shifted moment by moment, one person at a time?.

What if change can be initiated anywhere, by anyone?

One person can have a big impact . Here are 3 things you can do today to cultivate a healthier culture:

1) Define your own principles and lead by example
Begin to model the behavior you want to see more of. Decide on a handful of bottom line values you will never compromise such as impeccable honesty, risk taking, supporting colleagues and reinforcing new ideas. Keep your integrity by never neglecting these core principles.

2) Make a stand
Speak up and be prepared to make a point. Act when you see behavior that contradicts your principles. If someone is edging across the line of your principles, gently call it. Refuse to be pressured by peers and the existing way of doing things when contradicts your own principles. It is so easy to be lulled by the status quo and other strong personalities with powerful roles. Have courage!

3) Reward others
When you see new behavior or someone trying to make a change privately or publically acknowledge them. Recognise small changes you want more of. Never underestimate how long it takes to communicate new messages. Repeat, reinforce, and prompt more times than you feel comfortable with. Become a broken record – it takes commitment.

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There is no perfect organisation out there, no completely healthy culture somewhere else. Start with what you have and what you can do today. What have you done today to support a healthy culture?

It is good to gather together, and to identify patterns and trends emerging at this time. But instead of strategic planning the concentration should be on strategic learning. Change the focus from controlling and predicting, to learning and “adapting”. Ask learning questions such as:

What were the most important things we learnt last year?
How can we learn better together?
What is preventing us learning together?
What might be the biggest learning for this year?
What are the blocks to effective functioning together moving into this year?

Strategies emerge as problems are faced together and solved and when people learn new things.  As Henry Mintzberg says “ I have found in all my years of research that organisations learn their way into interesting strategies through small ventures that arise from all sorts of people”

You might be surprised to realize that those mid life crisis type of feelings are a normal part of real leadership. Your emotions are a prelude for stepping into the leadership arena. Read more in a short article by Loretta by clicking here Leadership not midlife crisis!

We adopted “busy” as a friend, that we now can’t get rid of. It used to be a badge of honour to say “I am flat out busy”. It used to make us feel needed, to feel important. But it has become just standard practice. It has become a habit, an addiction and an excuse. It gets us off the hook from thinking too hard about what is important.

We can make 2011 the year of “less busy”. One by one we can turn the ship around.

But… it is not just a matter of pausing more and prioritizing better. What is required is a radical readjustment and a bold attitude:

• Insist on realistic expectations
• Push back and say no!
• Value our resilience, our work and ourselves
• Fight for each other
• Think harder, work less.

Support for your new intention to be less busy comes from Michael Bungay Stanier Watch this short video to feel a bit inspired.

Taking on a leadership role in a new organisation is a huge transition and leaders often place unrealistic expectations on themselves. Make a good impression! Understand everything! Make decisions fast! Take care with these expectations – they can trip you up;

Mistake number one: Get some quick wins

In a bid to prove value, leaders aim for fast runs on the board. They want to be perceived as willing to make tough decisions and take prompt action to solve problems. It is typical for new leaders to make big changes in the first month.

Mistake number two:  Roll your sleeves up

Newly appointed leaders are keen to demonstrate their commitment and show that they are prepared to work hard. Getting stuck into detailed tasks and diving into facts and numbers is a natural tendency. Working long hours is too!

Mistake number three: Stick with what you know well

Previous behaviors and strategies are the obvious place to try to leverage success in a new role. It is easy to resort to the comfort of familiar tactics.

There are better approaches that can achieve longer term results:

Take your time

Wanting to quickly demonstrate expertise is seductive, but  first getting to know the territory is vital.  The pressure to perform immediately can be mostly self imposed.  Give enough time to really understand the challenges and try to resist making fast decisions.

Focus on everyone else

The spotlight is on a new leader and it is easy to become too focused on making a good impression and providing answers. Everyone else is interested in his or her own agenda.  By listening more, saying less and really exploring the needs and issues of others, a new leader will establish trust.

Stay above the detail

At the early stages of a new appointment all the details are not so important. An overview can be maintained  by scanning, looking for patterns, making links between functions and identifying gaps.  Diving into detail and tactical action will look busy and productive but is less effective.

Become the learner

A new context will require new approaches.  Rather than being the expert, the leader who is confident is always willing to be a learner.  Being the naive questioner can yield important information. Adopting a learning attitude will encourage good connections with people and create new ideas.

A common struggle for leaders is how to deal with difficult people. It is a big reason for abandoning a leadership goal or for leaving a role.

Ordinary “people problems” and messy emotions are a normal part of day-to-day leadership. But how many of us have the skills to know what to do in the face of unethical colleagues, toxic employee attitudes or controlling bosses…  especially when we become “hooked”. Being hooked is when the internal reaction is bigger than the circumstances would typically cause and when you don’t have much control over what you do next.

Crowley and Elster offer some excellent tips for leaders who are challenged by people around them. As well as their two best-selling books, they also provide great short video resources for common people challenges that you or your people may encounter. Read the sample chapter about “boss baggage” to get an idea of their approach.

Becoming skilled at unhooking and learning to manage challenging people is a leadership art! Begin by unhooking physically (move away for a moment) unhooking emotionally (take deep breaths). You can ask yourself:

What’s happening here?

What are the facts of the situation?

What’s their part?

What’s my part?

What are my options?

For dealing with really difficult people you may need an independent sounding board in order to unhook and start to feel powerful again.