Oprah Winfrey’s success in creating and protecting her brand can be attributed to what she doesn’t do as what she does do, according to Harvard Business Blog writer John Baldoni.  Oprah was quoted to say, “”I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds it.” (Read the full article here.)

Baldoni goes on to explain the three pieces of advice for people wanting to build their own leadership brand.  He says to

1. Practice What You Preach
2. Act on Principle
3. Insist on Integrity

Because everyone plays a leadership role in any organization, what do you do to help your company build your leadership brand?  What does your company do – or fail to do – to help support its brand amongst others in your industry? Share your story. We would enjoy hearing from you.

It’s about your team.  It’s about the people who choose to work with you on a daily basis.  Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, talks about how when a leaders is successful, the whole team takes credit, not just the one at the top.  Read the full article here.

Goldsmith says, “Truly great leaders…recognize how silly it is to believe that a coach or a leader is the key to an organization’s success. The best leaders understand that long-term results are created by all of the great people doing the work — not just the one person who has the privilege of being at the top.”

Who is the best leader you’ve ever worked for?  Share your story with us!

It’s the end of the calendar yer, the fiscal year, and the start of the holiday season.  Family is traveling in from out of town, gifts are being purchased, holiday parties are planned and attended by all.  It’s a busy time of year!

It’s also the time of giving.

We give to our churches, schools, loved ones, neighbors, etc.  Businesses usually take this time to thank customers, vendors, supporters, but we also need to take the time to thank the internal employees who drive the business strategies.  Phil Holberton, leadership and management expert, writes that as leaders, we need to be sure to take the time to thank these employees, not just give them a turkey or other material gift.  Read the full article here.

Genuine thank you’s help the employees feel valued, opens the lines of communication, and also contributes to the motivation for the team.  Holberton writes, “Simple gratitude is the three-in-one oil that lubricates the organizational structure and develops the path(s) of least resistance.”  In this past year, it’s been hard on individuals and businesses alike.  Recognizing the efforts made by your employees will go a long way in helping boost the morale of the employees who have been through the ups and downs with you this year.

This is not to say that leaders don’t feel stress though.  Holberton says leaders feel stress, but that, “We need to identify the possibility for anxiety and be forgiving to our colleagues and ourselves.”  This year, let’s all be more forgiving of each other and more thankful for the efforts of our employees.  We can all understand the outside stresses of family and how it can affect us at work.  With a little more understanding and a genuine thank you, we can all contribute to the success of  everyone.

What does your company do to thank your employees?  Are you trying anything new this year?

dWe have ideas.  We have innovative ideas.  How do we get those ideas from abstract concepts to tangible processes? One step at a time.  Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor at Harvard Business School, writes about how businesses, even in these turbulent times can still succeed if we all take it 15 minutes at a time.  Read the full article here.  She takes a cue from Woody Allen’s comedy routine about aliens.  He says, “the advanced civilization that we should really worry about is the one that is just 15 minutes ahead.  That why they’d always be first in line for the movies, they’d never miss a meeting with the boss…and they’d always be first in every race.”

Kanter calls this the 15 minute competitive advantage, where change happens in short segments, not waiting for breakthrough moments to transform companies, businesses, and people.  The key is to learn something in each of these segments that one can build upon in subsequent segments.  After multiple sequential 15 minute segments, eventually the breakthrough comes and “transformation will be underway.”

Our Personalized Leadership Development Program™ is like this.  Without realizing it, our program participants go through 15 minute segments, learning in each one something to carry through to the next segment, and before they know it- transformation has begun!

Have you witnessed the 15 minute competitive advantage at your office?  How does your company incorporate these concepts to help build your success?

Have you made changes to your benefits package, your promotion process?  Did you have layoffs this year?  You may have adversely affected those remaining employees in the form of their engagement levels.  Wikipedia defines employee engagement as “an employee’s involvement with, commitment to, and satisfaction with work.”  Business Week writes, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, benefits consultant, employee engagement has dropped by 25% this year, mostly due to people who were fortunate enough to keep their jobs being left with a bad taste in their mouth regarding their “company’s layoffs, bonus and benefits cuts, and a halt in promotions” (read full article here).

HR Magazine provides a chart of the survey findings that shows 41% of employees believe the changes made by their company have had a negative effect on their work quality and customer service.

Employee engagement is a huge piece of creating and providing a successful work environment and product/service to customers.  Studies show that “an engaged workforce has a 44% lower turnover, generates 33% higher profits, operates at 50% higher productivity, enjoys a 50% safer environment and scores 56% higher in customer loyalty” (Source: Gallup Poll, 2006).

What has your company done to help combat these negative feelings?  Are you seeing the benefits from these efforts? We’d like to know the upside and the downside of changes different companies have made during this past year.

Bruce has it down pat….he possesses great skills in motivation and leadership in his band that easily translate into leadership in the workplace.   Stew Friedman, professor at Wharton, points out the three strongest points for why Bruce Springsteen is the best boss. Read the full article here.

1. Devote yourself fully to your people and never let up

2. Create community by connecting people to something bigger than themselves

3. Appreciate what’s good; express optimism

Whether at work or at home, effective leaders are best when they are fully present in the moment and positive.  Leaders are most influential when they can draw people together for the greater good. You’ve shown great leadership prowess if you can create chores at home that translate into positive family teamwork, or engage employees positively in a big project that will positively impact the organization or community.

How do we measure up to Springsteen?  Our client feedback tells us we’re positive and fully in the moment while working for a strong common cause. Still, we’re careful not to get complacent, as we continue to earn their top appraisal.  Today’s touchdown does not win tomorrow’s game of being the best boss. How do you measure up to Springsteen?

www.leadershiptrust.org

Note. Our last blog invited you to be on the lookout for Part 2 of the RWHRMA talk, which addresses how HR team players can create buy-in once they have decided which of the 40 initiatives (of which 10 were presented last week) they wish to introduce in their quest to make HR a strategic partner to the business.  If you would like to receive all 40 low-cost and no-cost initiatives, email info@leadershiptrust.org.

Even if HR team players have all the aforementioned tips well versed and can articulate well these suggestions, without the edge of inspirational leadership built into their personalities (their delivery systems), they will not be able to create the degree of buy-in these leadership initiatives should demand.  Best practices in leadership development can make the difference.

Have you ever made a suggestion at a staff meeting only to receive little or no acknowledgment, and minutes later discover someone else saying the same only to receive the recognition that rightfully belonged to you? That’s a leadership issue, and self-awareness/emotional intelligence leadership training can bring out the authenticity of who you are at your central core, which is always laced with confidence and credibility. You may know you’re brighter than certain others  around you who seem to exude a credibility to which people tend to be more responsive.  Even the Wall Street Journal offered an article suggesting that high intelligence can interfere with effective leadership.  So, if you want to know what this is all about, and if you are serious about life-changing leadership, there is no better leadership training than one steeped in self-awareness and emotional intelligence. People who have a pervasive and far-reaching influence on other company players represent your best investment in leadership training. Keep reading for best practices for your ROI once you decide to invest in your future by investing in either yourself or those you would send for state-of-the-art leadership development. Read more…

Want a sure-fire, low-cost way to raise morale at the office? Celebrate Halloween at the office this year.  It’s an inexpensive, fun way to build up the team morale, improve the atmosphere at work, and have some fun in the workplace.  F. John Reh writes on About.com with regard to this same topic.  Read the full article here.

As I was saying last week to the HR Managers at their RWHRMA October meeting, it doesn’t take much to improve morale and boost the energy of your employees.  To help celebrate the occasion, invite your employees to dress up and give an award for the best costume and another award for best decorated door or cubicle entrance.  The award can be a simple certificate printed off the computer.  How about a covered dish lunch where your staff brings in their best spooky treat?  Or a pumpkin carving contest?  You can trick or treat from office to office to see other team members that you ordinarily wouldn’t converse with on a daily basis.

All of these ideas are low or no- cost options to boost the level of fun in the workplace, build some team morale, and enjoy the holiday!

www.leadershiptrust.org

Note. This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion on how HR can make themselves a strategic partner to the business via compelling initiatives designed to lift morale, energize the workplace, and resultantly increase revenue.

Following are some low-cost/no-cost ways to up the morale during this down economy, thereby upping both productivity and the revenue. For remaining 22 fool-proof ideas along with 7 Mistakes Managers Make During a Downturn Economy, email info@leadershiptrust.org for the rest of the ways to rev up morale.

1. Get rid of  “subordinates” – call your employees Teammates instead.
2. TRANSPARENT, open and honest – how much? GIVING Bad news better than no news
3. Periodically hold a Q and A session with senior team members and invite everyone – decide meeting space based upon how many sign up to be there.
4. Consider Going Virtual on Fridays or whatever time frame your particular system can support.
5. Food always feels nurturing, so offer donuts or pastries or chips when there are gatherings.
6. Barter/trade when possible with vendors–clean trade/ zero funds
7. Tell those in customer service to say, “My pleasure” rather than “No problem.”
8. Good news notice board /compliments clients, photos having fun, newspaper clippings
9. Hiring – offer lower wage during probationary period. (Research Georgia Works Program)
10. Be on the lookout for articles with tips for specific departments and forward them on in order to position yourself as a strategic partner to the business.

Note. Be on the lookout for Part 2, which will address how HR team players can create buy-in once they have decided which of the 39 initiatives (of which 10 are presented here) they wish to introduce in their quest to make HR a strategic partner to the business.

www.leadershiptrust.org

On Saturday, Oct 3, The Leadership Trust® team walked in the annual fundraiser event sponsored by the NC Hearing Loss Association.  Our team raised over $2400 for hearing loss research.  We raised enough money to propel Doc Holly to the #1 spot for the entire state of North Carolina!  To learn more about how you can contribute to this great cause, please click here.

Thank you to all who contributed!!  Hearing loss affects over 32 million Americans, and improving awareness of such an important cause is near and dear to our hearts.  We are looking forward to next year!