Leading in Uncertain Times

By Susan Tomlinson

Unless you are one of the Super Rich then there will be very few who will not have been touched by the credit crunch, rising fuel and food prices and global economic and environmental changes. Alan Greenspan predicts that 'the current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War' (FT, 16 March 2008).

In this situation the natural reaction for businesses is to stop recruiting, lay off staff and spend as little as possible on training and development. Bucking the trend is likely to be a more successful option. Evidence from the last downturn showed that those companies who laid off or failed to develop key staff struggled to regain ground when the economy bounced back.

Developing and retaining leaders will be critical to organizational success in the long term. Towers Perrin-ISR researched global high performing organizations and compared their employee opinion survey scores with those of other global companies. The global high performers outperformed the rest in leadership effectiveness by 14%.

Leaders who can steer a path through stormy waters, manage costs and identify new growth will be in demand in a tighter more competitive environment. To succeed leaders will need to

• Have the courage to take tough and effective decisions
• Build the confidence of employees by communicating a strong vision for the future
• Sustain high performance for themselves and their team
• Be alert to innovative and imaginative solutions

The quickest way to support and develop leaders is through bespoke coaching programmes that focus on the business in hand.

Susan Tomlinson provides bepoke solutions to improve the motivation and performance of managers and their teams. She specialises in helping women in business to build confidence and success. Get her valuable tips and resources and the workbook "Speaking for Success" at http://www.realcoachingsolutions.co.uk/productsandservices/success.htm

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Strategic Thinking For Leaders

By Bryant Nielson

The process of strategic thinking allows us to analyze situations and problems - and then prepare the plan that will take us to new levels or through a change. First, let's look at the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning, and put our focus on thinking. Strategic thinking is the input to planning, the creation of a vision for the future. Strategic planning, then, is the roadmap from where we are to where we want to be, the answer having appeared in our thinking process. We probably do quite a bit of strategic thinking in all aspects of our lives, but it's necessary to put it on a formal level in order to really take action. What are the benefits of strategic thinking?

First, strategic thinking allows us to solve problems collaboratively and from varying perspectives. In a true strategic thinking process, even if the only person involved is you, different perspectives will emerge. Second, strategic thinking helps us manage change. We are able to analyze not only where we want to be after a change, but also the impacts and issues that will occur during the change. Finally, strategic thinking for its own sake creates new possibilities and opportunities. Sometimes a broad range of topic categories in a brainstorming session can lead us to fantastic new ideas.

The process itself revolves around asking questions. To start, honesty will be of great importance in the answers to the questions you'll ask. If you're employing strategic thinking techniques for yourself, you'll have to take a good look in the mirror and be honest about what you see. First, you must determine strengths and weaknesses, of the person, group, or company. The best tool for this is a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. Take a large sheet of paper, divide it into four quadrants, and label each as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are usually easy to determine, but what about opportunities and threats? This takes more analysis, more future predictions based on fact.

Once you've answered your SWOT, you have to ask, "just what is the big picture?" This is where you'll think about where you or the organization needs to be. In a family situation, let's say conflict arises every night at bedtime. Obviously the place you want to be is conflict-free. In filling in the big picture, don't overcomplicate matters - yet. It's easy to paint a picture of the ideal if you don't cloud it with detail. Leave that for your planning process.

Next, consider all points of view. Andy Grove, the former chairman of Intel Corporation, always said that the best way to solve a problem was to take yourself and your emotions out of it - and observe it as an outsider. Of course this again means that you'll have to take a hard look at yourself and your group. This also means that after you've looked at the overall situation, you may have to go back in, still as an outsider, and analyze why people feel and act they way they do when confronted with the problem.

Finally, you must determine what will drive the change when you go forward. What will drive the move from where the group is now to where it will be? Your powers of observation will come in very handy at this point - you must find out what motivates people. What inspires them to action? You can also use the observation as a way to determine the group's capacity for the change. In a corporate environment, you may find yourself hoisting change on the wrong group, or a group that's simply not equipped to handle it at the time. From there, the problem becomes which group to move to or how to equip the current group.

One of the best ways to begin any type of strategic thinking is to hold a brainstorming session. GE held sessions like these under Jack Welch - and they later became a formal problem solving vehicle that all business units took part in. It could be as informal as the family sitting around the kitchen table discussing the issues. Or, let's say it's a church group that's about to embark on a big change in policy, doctrine, or business. In either case, you as the natural leader should strive to get everyone involved, record the honest feedback of the group, and use it to shape the vision.

Once you've been through the thinking process, you'll be ready to create a plan of execution - that roadmap from where you are now to where you want to be.

Copyright 2007-2008 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved.

Bryant Nielson - National Corporate Sales Trainer - assists executives, business owners, and top performing sales executives in taking the leap from the ordinary to extraordinary. Bryant is a trainer, business & leadership coach, and strategic planner for many sales organizations. Bryant's 27 year business career has been based on his results-oriented style of empowering.

Subscribe to his blog at: http://www.BryantNielson.com

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Leadership Tools For Inspiration and Motivation

By Bryant Nielson

Inspiration and motivation are musts for any leader. You can have perfect structures, awesome communication, and loads of emotional intelligence, but they aren't worth much if your group is not inspired and motivated to keep moving. What are some of the ways you can inspire and motivate?

First, you should take the time to encourage others. Don't confuse this with coaching - this is simply the act of telling people in the group that you believe in them and that their work is valuable to you and the organization. When you encourage this way, you can also cross the line into empowerment. Sometimes, you can encourage a person by telling them that you believe in their abilities to make decisions - and allow them to do it. Encouragement and empowerment go a long way to create an inspired atmosphere. Jack Welch famously said that the best way to harness people's power is to "let them loose, let them go."

With this newfound empowerment, you should try to create energy in other ways. For example, you must know what motivates people. In community organizations, it may be the motivation to create a better world, to help people. In your family, members could be motivated by personal factors or just the desire to do something, like playing soccer or taking ballet. In corporate situations, you may find that money, praise, or the promise of advancement motivates some people. When you look for motivation, think about your group and break it down from there. Remember that creating energy involves putting the spotlight on others' successes. Many times, the leader of a group is the one who receives the congratulations when things go well - if the members of your group truly contributed to the effort, you should have no problem giving them credit. The fact that your group is competent will only make your leadership look brighter. With empowerment and the spotlight comes accountability. If someone falls short of a goal, you must find out why and hold that person accountable for it. It's a way of teaching that the authority of empowerment comes with serious responsibility. We'll talk about coaching in an upcoming Foundations of Leadership article.

Show your investment and commitment to the group. It may be easy to empower, but what do you do when a person seems to reach their zenith with nowhere else to go? It may be time to send them for education or conferences. Think about the possibility of rotating people in the group through other areas of responsibility. You, as the leader, must prove that you are committed to success and that you are willing to invest in group members to keep them. This is probably easier in corporate situations, where there may be a budget for education or rotation. What about a community organization? Think about the ways you can show investment in the group where cost may be a factor. Perhaps cross-training group members in other functions could be a way to show that you value their contributions and that you're willing to do what it takes to keep them around. When you go home, take the time and money for soccer teams or dance lessons - as long as the accountability is there, you can prove that you want to see advancement.

The spirit of inspiration and motivation continues by driving for results. One of the best ways to do this is to set realistic but challenging goals - you're already aware of the group's abilities and motivations, so why not give them something to reach for? And show urgency in your drive for results - goals should always have a challenging timeline attached to them. Of course, any forward movement will almost always run across challenges and obstacles. You have to show that the momentum must continue in spite of the obstacles and challenges. You can either move the obstacles out of the way or challenge the group to come up with creative ways to go around the obstacle. Either way, you're inspiring the group to keep moving and keep thinking. Are goals and timelines applicable outside of corporate settings? In most cases they are. Think about your community and family involvement and what kind of goals you can set in order to keep people motivated.

When you inspire and motivate a group, you'll be surprised at the energy and loyalty you'll create.

Copyright 2007-2008 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved.

Bryant Nielson - National Corporate Sales Trainer - assists executives, business owners, and top performing sales executives in taking the leap from the ordinary to extraordinary. Bryant is a trainer, business & leadership coach, and strategic planner for many sales organizations. Bryant's 27 year business career has been based on his results-oriented style of empowering.

Subscribe to his blog at: http://www.BryantNielson.com

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How To Develop Qualities Of Leadership

By Joandra Evaline

Of the many qualities of leadership, leaders are mostly renowned for great vision and for taking action to make their vision a reality. Leaders know how to enlist others to help them achieve goals. They know how to create strategies and encourage others to change behaviors.

There are several vital leadership qualities:

* Listening: Good leaders will listen to other points of view and opinions, and they do it in a positive way. They will take the time to figure out how to base their strategies and goals on their followers' needs.

* Good communication: Leaders are comfortable expressing themselves clearly. They know when they should speak calmly and when to speak to motivate. They are easy to follow because their directions are easy to understand.

* Leaders are good at explaining problems. They help their team members see and face the obstacles that are in the way of achieving their goals. Better still, a good leader knows how to help and encourage the team to find solutions.

* The ability to delegate. This is one of the most important qualities of leadership, but one that is frequently overlooked. Leaders know the strengths and skills of their team, and they capitalize on these strengths by giving each team member tasks that contribute to the goals.

* A good leader knows how to show appropriate appreciation to team members who have done well. Good leaders know when to reward their followers.

* Leaders are respectful. In general, they strive to treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated. By following the Golden Rule, they don't just demand respect, they demonstrate that they deserve respect.

* Good leaders are goal setters. They have the ability to set goals that are clear, understandable, and attainable.

* Good leaders tend to embrace creativity and innovation to reach goals.

* Good leaders don't just come up with strategies, they do their best to keep everyone involved in the plan.

* Good leaders encourage integrity, ethics, and good values in the workplace. This is one of the most important qualities of leadership.

According to John Quincy Adams, a leader is someone who inspires others to dream, learn, do, and become more. If you motivate people to do these things, you are on the right path to becoming a good leader.

Make Sure To Visit Our Websites - Leadership Games, Leadership Theories and Leadership Traits For Everything You Need To Know About Becoming A Great Leader.

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