Does anyone remember when SHRM came out with the research findings that 15% of our career success is the result of expertise while 85% is the result of interpersonal skills? Leadership is all about relationships, which explains why today’s leadership development industry represents a plethora of ways to increase career success via leadership/personal development. The biggest challenge is getting at root cause. Too many approaches only target the symptoms described in 360s without getting at root cause, thereby undermining permanent, positive change or rendering one to appear “scripted”. Getting at root cause is the fastest route to one’s authenticity. When you experience yourself making a meaningful human connection with another person, you experience authenticity and trust. Amazing what those kinds of relationships create in the name of workplace harmony and revenue. And based on “wherever you go, there you are,” relationships at home improve either at the same rate or faster for most people who make root-cause changes in the name of leadership training. You just can’t go to the next higher level without going to the next deeper level. Want to learn how this is done? Stay tuned.

We’re doing some major renovations in our office kitchen and bathroom areas and have some self-awareness reflections to share regarding customer service. Labor includes electricians, plumbers, and skilled labor, which means, most importantly, a project manager to coordinate all this.

Our own clients know that self-awareness is really other-awareness, and we find that those who are high in self-awareness coordinate well because they are considerate of others’ schedules and can appreciate “time is money” for everyone beyond themselves.

We will be reporting on how things turn out, given we have had a bit of a mixture going on here so far in terms of the “awareness” factor.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have several locations and compare how the team does after the members experience a Self-Awareness Workshop versus a team without self-awareness training? Stay tuned!

The other day I watched “Michael Phelps equal the record for medals won by an Olympic athlete when he claimed silver in the final of the 200m butterfly as Chad le Clos of South Africa took victory with the final stroke.” But what I observed next was perhaps a stunned Phelps seemingly snub the friendly attempt of the gold medalist who was reaching out to acknowledge Phelps with a pat on the back.  Le Clos’ gracious gesture did not even earn him eye contact. Not even a murmured, “Congrats.” Nada. So maybe Phelps was stunned and oblivious. All the same, this is a perfect example of how mindfulness would have offered Phelps a chance to appear gracious in his loss to Chad le Clos.  By contrast, Le Clos’ comments later to the press showed leadership at its best:  “Michael’s my hero, and I didn’t expect to win.”

[It should be noted that much later Phelps was seen engaging Le Clos in congratulatory fashion. Timing is such a critical piece in how people perceive leadership dynamics.]

On November 17, 2011 I found myself trapped in my car after a driver lost control of her car in a 70 MPH zone on I-40 and crossed over the median hitting the driver in front of me, whereupon both vehicles hit me at full impact. Coming to a screeching halt within nanoseconds of the speed limit left me counting my blessings when I could see the tragic loss of life within mere feet of my car.  With nearly 80 health-care appointments behind me along with my first post-wreck workshop, I can say that I am a better me. This does not mean I am back to baseline to previous functioning along with some valuable expenses to draw upon for future reference. What it means is that I experienced an internal shift within myself that I really like. My personal faith has deepened right along with my appreciation for some of life’s smallest matters only because I elect to attend to them. I manage stressful events better than before, and create time for others when there is absolutely nothing in it for me other than the pure pleasure of giving. What’s especially interesting about all this is the fact that I would have described myself before the accident exactly as what I just wrote. The difference is all in degrees, which is exactly what separates good leaders from great ones.  Foregoing a life threatening situation, what else can give people that 212^th degree that takes them to a whole new level?

This is a quote coined by my nonagenarian mother. I have always regarded it as speaking to the degree of one’s leadership effectiveness. So how do mature leaders (people) differ from those one might otherwise regard as immature? I think we can best see those differentiators during periods of stress or crisis. An anonymous phrase comes to mind regarding how someone mature is likely to behave in the thick of dissention – i.e., “like a clock ticking away in the midst of a thunderstorm”. This conveys remaining calm while methodically moving forward with no alarms unnecessarily going off, and so forth. When two people are behaving maturely in the face of dissention, there is no escalation of the crisis.  Better yet, when two people are calmly focusing on the facts without regard to who is right or wrong but rather simply focusing on what is working or not working, resolution is much more likely to emerge and in a timely manner. All it takes is for one person to get hooked by the other’s melodrama, and suddenly you now have two people spiraling downward creating additional problems and possibly irreparable damage. Maturity is not an easy construct for researchers to measure, but it is so important for leaders who are committed to be their best.

America’s Top Intellectual Minds Map Out Successful Business Strategies  

How do busy people become and stay successful? Insight Publishing is pleased to present Dr. Holly Latty-Mann, Ken Blanchard & Deepak Chopra in an exceptional compilation of resourceful people who will tell you how they learned how to be successful. They will share with you their secrets and reveal some remarkable insights on how to set goals in life and how to accomplish those goals.

Dr. Holly Latty-Mann, co-founder of The Leadership Trust®, is a well-established authority in the leadership and “loveship” industries. Armed with two doctorates in psychology with her dissertation on mate selection plus years of global success helping thousands of executives achieve breakthroughs via self-awareness processes, Holly nevertheless claims it is the wisdom from her own intensive personal work and faith journey that gives her an extra edge in her role as change agent.  Holly’s involvement on a grassroots committee for holistic, integrative medicine while interning at Duke Medical Center inspired her to rework this medical model to help people everywhere achieve breakthrough success both at work and at home.    

Want to know more? Want to order a copy? Contact us!

Today Skip Weisman posted an article onto The Leadership Trust Group on LinkedIn regarding how leaders must become comfortable doing the uncomfortable. If you think about it, it’s the same process how people become either heroes or villains – simply repeat the same behavior over and over until it feels natural. We can grow up or down depending on our focus. It all boils down to personal choice.

Click here to visit The Leadership Trust group on LinkedIn to read the full discussion.

Bob joins the team, and the honeymoon period is over. Are others’ morale soaring or plummeting? Are you seeing alliances and/or alienations among various people? Are you seeing morale soar and people grow?

Jennifer leaves the team. Does the morale escalate or de-escalate? Are alliances formed and strengthened among certain people who remain? Or is there a different scenario that unfolds?

Social pschologists study group dynamics from many different angles. Start a discussion with your own experience. I’ll supply what the research has to say about whatever the various dynamics. Pose a question for a quick response. Learn how to avoid repeating disaster and other tips. On the upside, learn what practices work and cause teams to thrive.

As the 2010 Olympic games approach, we invite you to watch the games with a new perspective- as a leader.  The opening ceremonies are a great example of what it looks like when great resources-human capital- of different kinds, different backgrounds, and different origins come together to achieve a common goal.

Olympic coaches and successful leaders are both familiar with performance management.  As a leader, that is our job.  We are responsible for getting all the pieces of our organization to fit together cohesively for the success of everyone.  We are tasked with developing our resources-  our human capital- to the best of their ability, so they can compete in the marketplace for us.  Much like the Olympic athletes have undergone many years of training, we too, should put in the time for our employees to develop and to grow in their skills so they are at their best.

So let’s all watch the 2010 Olympic games with a new appreciation for what it takes to be a good leader!  To learn more about the 2010 Olympic games, visit the official website.

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!