Developing Leaders

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership: 40

Ron Hurst — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:16:47 +0000

40. Leaders give everyone a cause.

Maybe I am getting a bit tired of this series but this rule seems so obvious as to be silly. Yet is it?

The other day I was considering the management model of theory X versus theory Y. As a manager myself the first time I took the test I was so far Y as to think the test was a hoax. Then other students in my graduate class began to rationalize their X viewpoint. I was floored how could anyone be that brain dead. After all this is an age of enlightenment. America has learned its lesson, people want to be empowered engaged, trusted. People have altruistic reasons, meaning generating reasons to work… Right?!

Wrong! Some do yes and others show up for a paycheck and are content to do exactly what they are told and no more each day.

So leaders do give many a cause and others don’t pay attention. They just keep doing their job and no more staying out of the realm of meaning generation. This is not to say that a leader should just give up, no they should work all the harder at their influence skills and try to get everyone on board. There are times though that they must be realistic and lead the majority rather than the entirety.

ChallengeGo online and take the basic theory X versus Theory Y test. Here is one I found online here (THEORY X Y Test) for no cost. It is not perfect but will make the point.Take the test focusing on how you manage and what kind of style you have. If you are way on the X side you just may have discovered why it is such a frstration and chore to motivate employees to follow your vision.

Oh ya the standard clause. Neither theory is right or wrong it is simply a representation of how people respond to situations.

The Complete Leader

Ron Hurst — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:45:17 +0000

What is the complete leader?

This is a model I have been working on for the past 5 years. Essentially the model reflects the simplicity and complexity that is leadership. A leader is not a cookie cutter set of skills and attributes that you collect like boy scout badges.

NO! leadership is a unique combination of attributes, unique to the individual leader. Leadership happens in a specific context that no two leaders face identically.

So to be a complete leader we must discover who we are as a person. Then we dig deeper to learn what our skills and potential leadership attributes are. We then leverage these to develop our own leadership perspective and voice.

This is the complete leader, a unique person who understands who they are and what the leadership context they face is. No two are alike, no two will reach their potential the same way.In the Complete Leader model we will discover how we best develop ourselves as leaders and leverage these aspects to their maximum.

The first two segments of the Complete Leader Model are nearing completion. Order your copy today!

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership 39

Ron Hurst — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:22:53 +0000

39. Leaders have great stories. I remember a time a few years back when a colleague had said to me, “we don’t tell stories anymore”. This statement cut deeply, he had verbalized angst I had been feeling for some time but not yet committed to words. He was right.Stories are how groups share meaning, share values, share emotion, share culture. A leader as a master story teller, sound peculiar? It shouldn’t, a good leader will master story telling and use it effectively for the betterment and learning of the team.Challenge: Reflect back on the past year to a time when your team had a win, overcame an obstacle, provided outstanding service. Consider what was at the root of the event. Was it an outstanding group effort, a masterful problem solving ability by a team member, a compassionate act? Determine from the root of the event what the moral is and how it relates to team values or culture. Tell the story.

Ron on Twitter

Ron Hurst — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:44:01 +0000

I finally did it. I signed up on twitter.

I am late to the party to be sure. In this respect it woluld be easy to say I am a follower and that would be true.I decided though that twitter has a purpose for us here at developing leaders. I will not be cluttering up e-space with random thoughts, no I plan to post a simple leadership perspective on how I am feeling when I think about posting on Twitter. Real time raw thoughts on leadership. I hope you find them valuable.

You can find me at twitter @Ron_at_Dleaders.

The easy way is to click on the follow button in the Twitter window bottom right on the blog.

Lead well

Ron

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership 38

Ron Hurst — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:18:14 +0000

38. Leadership is a performance.

Okay when I first read this rule by Tom Peters I was thinking he was going to discuss performance as in measurable progress against a goal but he took a left turn here. He is talking about a performance as in being on stage. We discussed this very point in rule # 14, Leadership is an Improvisational Art. Leaders know that they are always on stage and to ignore this leads to problems. We must manage our behaviors to be consistent with the goals of our enterprise and at the same time be aware of the cause and effect relationship our personal behaviors have on followers. Be upbeat and positive and see if your team doesn’t have a brighter outlook. Come in tired and worn down and watch as your teams performance starts to ebb.

Challenge: Act slightly out of character for a day and watch how your team responds. Be smart about this don’t get them thinking you belong under psychiatric care.

Leadership Challenge: Ron Style…

Ron Hurst — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:36:19 +0000

Everyone

Great news! After a grueling 8 months of leading an organization by day, evenings in B school obtaining an MBA and spare time split between family friends and volunteer leadership roles, I am happy to announce that I finished school and am taking the summer off. Well I am still going to lead my organization, still hanging with family and friends and still building, with your help, the Developing Leaders community.

In the next day or so you will start receiving a new series of emails that are a series of experiential leadership challenges. Not to steal the thunder of one of my favorite leadership books “The Leadership Challenge” no this is a journey of risk and fun we can take together. I tell you what, I will do all the challenges myself as well. Lead from the front… Is there any other way????

If you are wondering how you can participate, join the Developing Leaders Mailing list today! Check out the link in the bottom right side of the website

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership #37

R Hurst — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:35:12 +0000

37. Leaders show up. Ya! That is the whole point, the leader always shows up. They understand the power of relationship, of connection, of presence. A leader will be present. This concept is so fundamental as to be obvious and hard to even write about.Challenge: The next time you find yourself in an uncertain or anxious moment that is shared with others, see who speaks up to lead you and others through the moment.

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership #36

R Hurst — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:33:13 +0000

36. Leaders give respect. Have you ever heard of transformational leadership? It is in my estimation the most effective model. It involves the leader helping followers to transcend their own personal goals for a larger meaningful goal. One aspect of the leader in this model is their ability to see the best of their team. When you look at a follower you look past their faults to their unique skills and abilities. You assure them through your eyes and your words your confidence in them. Yes leaders give respect and so much more they give meaning and purpose.

Challenge: Remember the team member you wrote off? The one that couldn’t do anything right, always the pessimist…Yeah them, identify three things in them that they do well and then share with them these things

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership #35

R Hurst — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:28:49 +0000

35. Leaders are community organizers

Well apparently they are, Barack Obama. Need we say more

Challenge: Leading in a volunteer community role is a powerful way to do a leadership gut check. Take on a role, do a crappy job and see if anyone follows, not likely. So that is the challenge, volunteer for a community service leadership role. See if the organization of your choice will accept your services then see if anyone actually follows.

50 Posts 50 Rules: Tom Peters on Leadership #34

R Hurst — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:22:50 +0000

34. Leaders know: Energy begets energy.

Way back when I was a teen I noticed something strange. I had certain friends I really wanted to be around. It was like they radiated energy, you could literally recharge yourself in their presence. I never forgot those early experiences. At the time I was too young to realize these gifted people were leaders. As of yet I had no idea what a leader was really. Later in my 20’s, in a leadership role myself I discovered the opposite side of this same coin. When I burned brightly, like a brilliant lamp of energy for a cause or purpose, there came others around me who seemed to feed off of my energy. When I slowed down their interest waned when I ramped up closer they came. This frustrated me at the time as it seemed that these folks were being rather self centered. The thing was I did not get it. This is what leadership is about. Someone people are attracted to for the right reasons. I am not talking about charisma but purpose. When you are connected to your deep seated purpose people will be attracted to the energy you radiate for that purpose. They will want to be near you support you and catch on to the dream of accomplishing something great. Likely they will not even realize they are doing it, they will just want to be around you.

Challenge: Who is it that you just want to be near, be around. Who is it that you feel recharged to interact with. Ask yourself what behaviors do I see that make me feel this way. Maybe even offer them some affirmation of what they are doing