by Jane Perdue | Leadership
I’m a guest writer over at SmartBlog on Leadership today!
Do you know how to lead?
The division CEO and chief financial officer glared ferociously at each other after a heated exchange. Twelve others sat tensely around the conference room table, silently assessing their limited options: Do the politically expedient thing and side with the CEO, or do what’s mostly right for the business and side with the CFO?
This lose-lose outcome has it all—power gone wrong, ego overload, and one-track thinking—and plays out all too frequently in businesses of all sizes.
Trapped on the dark side of leadership, some individuals get “so fixated on finding a shortcut to the goal that they may not be too particular about the means they use to reach it,” observes David C. McClelland, psychological theorist and 30-year Harvard University professor. When will leaders learn my-way-or-the-highway isn’t the only option?
3 ways to lead with an open mind
Read more…
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Quotes on how to lead
Only an open mind still has room for new knowledge. What is outgrown and used up must be discarded to make room for what is yet to be learned. ~Robert Fulghum
If people could regard the events of their own lives with more open minds, they would frequently discover that they did not really desire the things they failed to obtain. ~Andre Maurois
Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid. ~Gilbert K. Chesterton
Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for those who have the vision to recognize it as such. ~Henry Miller
It is perfectly possible to have an open mind and live a very principled life, without holding one’s beliefs dogmatically. Having an open mind means being prepared to question even your most central beliefs if there is occasion to do so.
It means being open, when the time comes, to having your mind changed by an argument better than one’s own. It means being able to think both sides of an issue, both the side you think is true and the side you think is false. It also means being able to suspend your beliefs, to play devil’s advocate, and to detach yourself somewhat from your own beliefs, actions and feelings. Only living with an open mind gives us a chance to grow and change, for change is inevitable, while growth, unfortunately, is not. ~Jeff Mason
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
“It’s official in my mind. My boss is a total jerk. Know what he told me this morning? He thinks my decision to implement the automated expense tracking system was a bad one.”
“Did he say why?”
“He says it’s going to create problems with the field sales staff because I didn’t consider other options or involve other people.”
“You did those things, right?” (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
You know, if it weren’t so sad, this leadership story would be funny in a sick kind of way.
I’ve been wrangling with the local post office for two months over a book I’d purchased that never made it to my mailbox. I have no doubt the book was delivered somewhere; it just wasn’t delivered to me.
In my first chat with the local pooh bah, Mrs. W. promised to immediately check into the matter and call me the following day. Of course, she didn’t call. When I called her a week later, she was shocked to learn that no one in her department had contacted me with an answer. She’s been similarly shocked three more times. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
Want to be a positive leader who embraces possibility with childlike wonder? Who practices inclusion without judgment? Who turns dreams into reality? Who inspires others to do the same?
You can if you’re willing to put the 7 c’s of leadership to work!
Before we can lead others well, we have to lead ourselves, and the 7 c’s of leadership help us do just that.
Through our work and experience, the TJG team has discovered that effective leaders have mastered what we call the 7 c’s: character, connection, cognition, capability, compassion, confidence, and commitment.
So, when people ask us about the “secret sauce” for leadership success, the TJG team asks, “How’s your 7c’s of leadership?”
Putting the 7 c’s of leadership to work
A 7c leader has character.
- They walk the talk for being good and doing well.
- Their ethics and integrity are above reproach because they’re authentic, honest, transparent and have a moral center.
- They radiate positive energy and determination.
- They’re self-disciplined.
- They treat those with and those without power the same.
- They invite the elephant in the room to dance.
A 7c leader fosters connection.
- They know what values and beliefs are important to them, and they practice them in their daily living in doses large or small.
- They make the time to communicate and connect with others.
- They actively listen with their head and heart to what others have to say because understanding their point of view is important to them.
- They know when to be mindful and when to take action.
- They drive the balance between stability and stimulating change.
A 7c leader has cognition
- They’re self-aware, and actively use their self-knowledge to relate to others.
- They know their strengths and put them to good use both for themselves and in service to others.
- They know their weaknesses, and work to minimize any negative impact they may have.
- They seek out feedback; then listen and reflect on what they heard.
- They embrace discipline and entrepreneurship.
- They practice simplicity yet know when to take the deep dive.
A 7c leader has capability
- They dare themsilves to stretch the limits of their potential and inspire those around them to do the same.
- They seek to learn and understand because they want to grow their comfort zone.
- They practice empathy and accountability with themselves and those around them.
- They’ve gotten comfortable oscillating between collaborating and competing, confidence and humility, and control and empowerment.
- They know when to go fast and when to go slow.
- They focus on and equally value people, principles and profits, not sacrificing one for the other.
A 7c leader has compassion
- They’re unafraid to smile and laugh.
- They’re fearless in showing love and joy.
- They say thank you to someone every day.
- They share grins and gratitude.
- They’re there for others.
- They’re tolerant of and embrace differences.
- They know when to speak with candor and when to use diplomacy.
- They celebrate similarities and differences.
- They set boundaries for, and appreciate, what’s mandatory and what’s discretionary.
- They care for themselves, their team, organization, community, family and whatever else they hold near and dear, and are secure enough to show that they care.
A 7c leader has confidence
- They exude quiet courage by taking a stand for what’s good and what’s right, even if doing so is unpopular.
- They show grace under pressure.
- They acknowledge their fears without letting them rule their lives.
- They’re joyfully spirited.
- They show strength of mind and will.
- They believe in themselves.
- They know they bring value and help others believe the same about themselves.
A 7c leader has commitment
- They hold themselves accountable and assist others in doing the same.
- They’ve dedicated themselves to practicing 7C performance.
- They seek out.
- They communicate.
- They live up to their potential.
- They celebrate.
- They’re courageous.
- They dare to be sincere, caring and authentic.
- They make a positive difference.
How’s your 7C leadership going?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
Years ago I handled labor relations in a meat processing facility where every employee had a singular function. Someone ran the slicer, someone else the grinder, etc. Everyone knew and accepted the very narrow parameters imposed on their job duties.
An exchange with a client this morning prompted my walk down meat packing memory lane. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
Employees complain in engagement surveys that their bosses don’t treat them with respect or as unique individuals. Yet on the flip side, research shows that bosses who treat people with kindness, respect and dignity are “seen as less powerful than other managers.” This is a dreadful paradox: We want to be treated with kindness yet don’t respect those who do.
What’s up with that?
In the workplace, kindness—being friendly, generous and considerate—is often dismissed as a weakness because of the negative stereotypes that cling to it: pushover, sucker, patsy or nice guy (or gal) who finishes last.
Kindness isn’t typically rewarded at review time, given that most business performance is evaluated on what’s done rather than how it’s done.
Soft skills such as kindness lose their sizzle (if they ever had any) when compared with off-the-charts sales and other impressive bottom-line impacts delivered by the tough guys whose bad behavior often gets overlooked.
Because we see the it’s-all-about-me behaviors rewarded more generously than the we’re-all-in-this-together ones, “Managers see respect and power as two mutually exclusive avenues to influence, and many choose the latter,” says Batia Wiesenfeld, et al, in “Why Fair Bosses Fall Behind.”
Nice is about me; kind is about you: So how does a character-based leader who wants to treat employees with dignity escape the paradox of the kindness hamster wheel?
5 ways to end the paradox of kindness
1) Choose kindness over rudeness despite the personal cost.
If you want to treat people kindly, then do so, fully aware that your choice can be costly. Research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicates that men who are agreeable earn less money per year (upward of $10,000) than those who opt to be disagreeable.
2) Commit to the Goldilocks principle of getting kindness just right.
“Kindness, like many other traits, has an optimal level that makes it a virtue as opposed to a vice,” writes William Baker and Michael O’Malley in “Leading with Kindness.” Combining empathy with accountability is a skill set that no kind leader should be without.
3) Embrace a both/and approach to leadership.
Truly kind and effective leaders understand they can both provide candid feedback and disagree with people, and leave others’ self-respect intact. Don’t confuse kindness with being likeable. Offering an alternative point of view doesn’t make you unkind.
4) Learn what power really is.
From all the media accounts of power run amok, it’s gotten a bum rap of being all ego-centric and self-serving. Hooey. One can do well, show kindness, and be as powerful as all get-out. Dare to be kind. Buck those kindness-as-weakness stereotypes and encourage those around you to do the same.
5) Break the cycle.
Accept kindness from others without typecasting them as powerless. Flip the stereotype on its head by recognizing that those who treat you kindly are being truly powerful. They’ve courageously chosen to not follow the me-centered path.
The next time someone shows you respect, cares what you think or deals with you fairly—in short, treats you with kindness—don’t sell them or yourself short by presuming they’re without influence or smarts or power.
What are some negative ways you’ve seen kind leaders treated?
I’m delighted to be guest posting at SmartBlog on Leadership so you’ll see this post there, too!
Image credit before quote: morgueFile
