home | site map | privacy policy |
|
It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1)
Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. But, I was left wondering if the most important part of the cheese story was ever addressed profoundly enough. I am talking about the idea that it is not all about the cheese! If the books we are buying are any indication of the change we are seeking, then our ideas for what drives and motivates people are in deed changing. A majority of the "success" books I see on the shelf are significantly different from those a year ago. From trying to become a "Rich Dad" to just being a good dad; from becoming a "One Minute Millionaire" to learning how to go from "Good to Great". The bulldog mentality is giving way to the "Love Cat" lifestyle. The last ten books I purchased have the words accountability, trust, or integrity on the title. Even books relating to business success in highly competitive markets have changed in focus from "becoming" successful to the "attributes" of successful people; foremost among them, by the way, is integrity. We are longing for more than the traditional learning about leadership or motivation. We are realizing that true leaders (at every level) share traits we would love to package into a mandatory training program for all our employees. Unfortunately, our existing model for training people has become as segmented as the business strategies we use in our companies. Partly, because of the emphasis we place on identifying the cheese (the environmental and monetary drivers), not the things that drive us to chase after them. In spite of the valuable lessons behind principle-centered and integrity-based leadership, we keep overlooking the overwhelming influence of individual values upon the workplace. What keeps us from speaking honestly about values is the misguided fear that, if we talk about values at work, we will cross the invisible line where business and personal life should separate. Yet, when you deeply examine what motivates people to do the right things (to support customers, to be accountable to their employers) you find the values that drive them. You find THEM. Businesses that can shift their focus from purely strategic planning, to values-driven mission and vision, build a stronger foundation for long-term success. That foundation also becomes a catalyst for leadership training programs. Remember that employees are people, and people are ultimately driven by their core values and influenced by yours. You have to make a conscious effort to understand the values of your employees (understanding the values that drive them, you, and your organization; and establishing common ground for communicating and dealing with conflict). Teach Them How To "Drive" Building a leadership training program that addresses values will strengthen the core of your company and will help develop employees into leaders. The tough part is doing it. So instead of teaching people how to behave, why not teach them how to drive? There are many analogies I use to illustrate how people learn and interact with each other. My favorite is something my business partner Troy Darling and I call the "Merge Point Method", or Merge Point. If you have ever driven in a busy city like Miami, you know that driving brings out the best and worse in people. While I am the type of driver that courteously allows others to seamlessly merge into my lane, there are plenty of others who, for their own reasons, will cut me off or drive like maniacs to get ahead of me in traffic. How we interact with others on the road (and elsewhere) is a direct expression of our values and how we negotiate the "merge points" of life; those places at the end of two merging lanes when both you and the adjacent motorist have to decide who will volunteer the right of way. Merge Points are where we decide how to act, based on our sense of civility and cooperation. At the Merge Point we integrate or disintegrate. And for many of us that means knowing how to make the right choices at the Merge Points of: ? Mission Based on Goals VS. Mission Based on Values When you evaluate honestly the patterns of behavior and the supporting tactics and strategies that make relationships "stick", you will notice a pattern of conscious choices at these Merge Points. These are the choices that keep marriages together, build life-long friendships, and enable organizations to work cohesively and safely. They are the same enablers that improve the quality of work, and life at work; the patterns that consistently increase productivity, efficiency, and customer care. Find them in individuals and you find genuine and wise people who lead with empathy and trust. Take time to evaluate your current leadership training programs. Are they achieving the right results? Are they building leaders? Or are you getting stuck at the Merge Point? More about Merge Point in part II of this article. Julio Quintana is a writer and speaker based in Weston, Florida. Learn more about his practice and The Merge Point Method at http://www.merge-point.com
Leadership is best defined by the quality of your thoughts, decisions and actions. It is also underpinned by the quality of the tools you use in your role. Be seen to bring true leadership to your organization and act with the authority that it brings to you.
MORE RESOURCES: Wanted: Evolutionary leadership with a heart The Times of India Nurses in County Jails Demand Leadership Change Willamette Week Federal minister Dominic LeBlanc says he supports PM, but doesn't deny leadership organizing report The Globe and Mail Medical Education Leadership University of California San Diego Be Bold summit champions women in leadership - UND Today UND Blogs and E-Newsletters Opinion | Bad Leadership Is a National-Security Threat The Wall Street Journal Empowering women in STEM: Journey of leadership, growth SiouxFalls.Business NMDSI features UWM professor in new thought leadership program University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Will the free world choose isolationism or leadership? Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG UWLP Publishes Research Summaries on Leadership, STEM, Male Allyship Utah State University Swanger Award winner leaves behind legacy of service, leadership University of South Carolina Leadership lessons from a geographer's perspective - UND Today UND Blogs and E-Newsletters New Democrat Coalition Leadership Supports Three Security Funding Bills that Support Our Allies and Deliver Critical ... New Democrat Coalition Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has a new leadership team after several of her top aides left Oregon Public Broadcasting Northwestern and CERN Step into Collaborative Leadership Role, Fostering Innovation in Open Science - News Center Feinberg News Center News Flash • Agile Academy and Supervisor's Leadership Acade City of Norfolk (.gov) Exclusive: Omeat's tumultuous year: staff cuts and leadership shake-up at startup with 'elegant' new approach to ... AgFunderNews Five on 5: Women's Leadership Connection KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2 A Call to University Leadership: Tackling Antisemitism on Campus - AJC Advocacy Anywhere | AJC American Jewish Committee Munich Re announces leadership shakeup in APAC and Africa Insurance Business Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership American Council of Trustees and Alumni Leadership Institute Addresses America's Literacy Challenges at the National Education Learn Right Summit PR Newswire Tourism Leadership Council April Connection Luncheon Connect Savannah.com Forum on Leadership 2024: Voices of Freedom, with an introduction by Ken Hersh George W. Bush Presidential Center A Call To Rethink American Leadership: "We Must Stop Outsourcing Responsibility For Our Democracy" The Diane Rehm Show BP Reshapes Its Leadership Team Rigzone News Transitions: The Cougar bids farewell to departing members, hello to new leadership - The Cougar The Daily Cougar Iowa Republican leadership releases flat income tax plan WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather Why Rare Leadership Is Well-Done at Omaha Steaks WCBE 90.5 FM Top 10 Leadership Theories in 2024 Simplilearn Mundelein team shines at FBLA Leadership Conference Daily Herald DCE HOSA member advances to International Leadership Conference wausaupilotandreview.com TSMC, Sk Hynix Partner to Strengthen HBM Technological Leadership StreetInsider.com Collaborative leadership in addressing sexual and domestic violence Utah Public Radio Hammonds graduates from Sheriff's Leadership Institute - Washington Daily News thewashingtondailynews.com Here's what we learned at the Restaurant Leadership Conference Restaurant Business Online Owens Corning Named 2024 Manufacturing Leadership Award Finalist Roofing Contractor Mesa leadership class to reveal project April 18 at Oakwood Creative Care | Mesa Independent Daily Independent Coalition of U.S. legislators call for American leadership to secure justice for Artsakh and the Armenian Genocide Armenian Weekly Nurse Leaders Named Fellows in Nursing Innovation ChristianaCare News LeadershIP 2024 CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies Fear Mongering and Name Calling is Not Good Policy or Leadership. It's Time to Return Decorum to City Hall. Santa Monica Daily Press Orbán to Brussels: Time to shake up 'bad' EU leadership POLITICO Europe Crestcom International Named a 2024 Top 20 Leadership Training Company by Training Industry Newswire UW College of Ag to Host Leadership Symposium in Laramie April 22 The Cheyenne Post Donald M. Payne, Jr.: A beacon of leadership, impact, and compassion New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics Rail News - Watco restructures executive leadership. For Railroad Career Professionals Progressive Rail Roading Fortune Favors' leadership wins Wisconsin's Small Businesspeople of the Year Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3 Paretohealth adds two to executive leadership Captive International Leadership changes announced for Orangeburg County schools The Times and Democrat Goodman honored with Frank E. Bentley Sr. Leadership Award Times-Enterprise Leadership changes redraw ranks at local architecture firms RichmondBizSense Husker notes: Linebackers stepping into leadership roles Omaha World-Herald Charlotte-based Maya Hotels transitions leadership to children Business North Carolina |
RELATED ARTICLES
Leadership - L.P.B It! "Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things, but the absence of vision."- AnonymousThis article in for anyone who is currently unsure, unknowing, on-the-fence, and/or otherwise "searching" for the answer to whether or not he/she can be an effective leader. Women in Leadership - How to Get Promoted It is often much harder for women to get promoted than men. The most common characteristic of successful women is that they know how to express their excellence in a male dominated environment. Being an Extraordinary Leader Through Tough and Challenging Times Tough and challenging times will surely come. That is a given. Secrets of Creating Success with Ease Do you ever strum your fingers on the desk top as you look down at your work and think, 'Right, how can I do all this lot without really working?'Brought up in an era with a clich that went: 'You must work hard for a living' my attitude to work conflicted with what I'd learned from my elders and peers. I felt 'wrong' because I wanted to be lazy. How To Get To Know A Disabled Person When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, what is your initial reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? Awkwardness? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone. Chances are you don't regularly associate with someone who is disabled, so these feelings are quite common. Having Fun In Leadership "Don't measure your life by your goals, but rather by what you are DOING to achieve them."-UnknownOne of the biggest mistakes leaders make is getting so wrapped up in achieving results, they forget to ensure that people are having fun along the way. Mr. Shoaffs Simple Strategies to Success (Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Sampler single CD)My first mentor, Mr. Shoaff, over a six-year period from the time I was 25 to age 31, taught me some extraordinarily simple things, before his untimely passing at age 49. Why the Squirrel Kept Winning! I had the good fortune (or misfortune depending on your climate perspective) of living in Minnesota for ten years. The Summers were beautiful, Fall was spectacular with the changing colors of the leaves on trees and winter was,?well, damn cold. Listening Like a Leader Our studies of the most effective people in corporate America show that the top 2 percent are effective not because they executed best practices well. They did not make the most phone calls or have the best processes. Learn How to Lead People "Who rules or guides or inspires others"Having excellent guide skills is one of the most importantabilities to possess in today's fast-paced world. We need thesupport and cooperation of other people to help us in reachingour goals. The Power of the Leader Within - The Keys to Martial Arts Life Mastery, Key#1 "What do you want to be when you grow up?"Remember that question from your younger days? Adults seem almost programmed to ask it, don't they? Maybe you remember asking that same question to your own or another's child recently. Remember?I do. Pure Discipline General George S. Patton was born on November 11, 1885 on his fathers ranch and vineyard in Los Angeles County over what is today the city of Pasadena and much of the UCLA campus. Wisdom From The Rock He grew up in Brooklyn, the son of an ex-con father and with a Mob-connected uncle who earned a living as a loan-shark. He credits his father continually saying, "Never lie, never steal," as an influence in his making a better career choice. Leadership and Followership in a Team Setting Many solopreneurs work in a team environment either with their client's staff, or with subcontractors. Having spent over 20 years in a teaming environment before becoming a solopreneur 13 years ago, I know that during the course of any highly functioning team effort, the leadership and followership roles flow back and forth between the members. Leadership A Perspective From Tao Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C. 7 AAA Ways To Succeed! [Abounding Abundant Ample Ways To Boost Your Growth!] This may come as a surprise but there are reliable,effective and powerful ways to improve your ability to learnnew things. If you will allow me to use leadership skills training asour example, you will see how poor learning forces us tosuffer through any one or more of the following problems: - leadership training programs usually cost serious money -in fact, some programs are outrageously expensive - leadership training programs last for a very short time -quite a few of them run for only one or two days - many leadership training programs fail to give studentsways to confidently resolve problem situations or meet andovercome their daily challenges - less than 1% of all leadership training programs combinecoaching and mentoring follow-ups with classroom lessons - most leadership training programs like to do 'raw datadumps'- the vast majority of them do NOT give you chances to'blend' your learning experiences with supervised support orpractical feedback In this article you will discover how to find, use and takeadvantage of every kind of performance improvement learningopportunity you encounter. Leadership Skills Training Empowers Problem-solving and Visioning Leadership skills training programs empower you to influence, persuade or inspire others. Well constructed training programs should result in improved, more effective leadership skills for your colleagues and you. Two Leadership Traps: How To Get Out Of Them and How To Avoid Them (Part 1) You've heard of the Peter Principle: "People are promoted to their level of ultimate incompetence". But what the Peter Principle doesn't tell you is the nature of the incompetence. Quality Leadership The Lakota tribe of Native Americans has no word in the language for "I" or "me," only "we" or "us." Mahatma Gandhi insisted on traveling in third class carriages (on the train)because, as he explained, 'there is no fourth class. Building Teams and Teamwork A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals who care deeply about each other and are fiercely committed to their mission. They are highly motivated to combining their energy and expertise to achieve the common objective. |
|
© 2016 Definition Of Leadership & Career Consulting Limited |