I can’t remember how I came across this book, but I don’t think is well known. I thoroughly enjoyed it so much that I wanted to take the concepts and teach them to other people. It centres on how anyone can be a leader, it’s about mindset, not title, but also explains how to drive performance and achieve your (business) goals. My synopsis of the key points is below.
Held accountable to: results, relationships, behaviours
“What do you need to do to get there?”
What do you have to know, and be able to do, to succeed?
What does it take to do your current job well?
Character strengths: integrity, resilience, caring, collaboration, poise
That’s one way of looking at this situation. What other approaches would work?
A passion is the thing that brings out your best effort
Passions related to best performance: results, rewards, involvement, having fun, creating something extraordinary, a higher purpose, a significant cause.
Different people have different passions
“Results-driven”
Results vs effort (“results are what count” said the boss)
Intentional connection between the effort and the desired result
Rewards + recognition, performance-based pay
[what awards am I in the running for if I do a great job?]
Purpose/ the dream
Sense of Duty to others
Adding value
Talents:
1. Creating a clear vision with a sensible plan to achieve it and guide the process to completion. translating data to understand customer behaviour, orchestrating the flow of meetings, organising and delegating, holding effective individual conversations, solving problems, making painful decisions
2. Impact how people perform by articulating a message about what’s possible for them to achieve and how they can make it happen: having an inspiring persona, public speaking, writing, teaching, coaching.
Speaking: connect, convey, convince
“Coaching happens by observing real-life business behaviours in the workplace and then discussing them afterward in private”
Show you are a good listener and others will listen to you [behaviours]
Self-confidence gives people an opportunity to succeed “whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right”
Past successes (challenges overcome, lessons learned, feeling of success), future goals (benefits for you and for others)
Silent mentors… you don’t have to talk to them you just emulate their behaviour
Improving an ‘intangible’ asset requires taking baby steps (time-spaces learning)
Effectiveness is intentionally acting in a purposeful way that improves results in a desired outcome
Irrational beliefs, eg people behave as you expect them to (not true!)
Irrational reaction to anyone who tries to tell you what to do
Apologise, ask for forgiveness, forgive yourself
Write an “objective observer” letter about an event – reframe a negative experience to a positive one. Be grateful.
Sacrifice… what are you not going to do?
Boundaries- people and how much time you are willing to spend with them so you avoid being emotionally drained as well as time poor
1-3-6 method. Pick one thing to focus on (outcome) in your company, what 3 things can you do personally to improve the outcome? What 6 things should you stop doing so you can focus time, energy and resources on what matters most?
“What’s stopping you from doing it now?” (Probably one of the 6 things you should stop doing)
Excellence: do something as well as you can do it while learning how to do it even better the next time [reflect]
The power of baby steps
Move away from negative emotion producing thoughts towards positive emotion generators
Strategy vs execution – can’t be both/ do both at the same time
Empower people to think and don’t just put them in ‘slots’
Think about the ‘in between’/ blank spaces on an org chart
If you are stuck in negative emotions of helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism and doubt, it will be multiplied in others
Connect people’s passions to the work they’re doing
Don’t compare people to others, identify their strengths in comparison to their other traits – what are they better at than anything else?
You won’t help others by focusing on the negatives; what they’re not good at
“Managing requires helping people to understand themselves”
Believe the person has the potential to make a significant difference
[stop, start, continue & why]
What are your beliefs? Which ones are empowering?
How have you been successful in the past? Preview a future success
Purpose & how the employee wants to make a difference
Schedule a quarterly 90 min meeting with employees to discuss them – their hopes, place in the organisation, strengths, talents, behaviours
Employees need to know they matter and that their contribution is important
Event – thought – emotion [separate the facts from the story, recognise thoughts and emotions as something outside of your control, happening to you not by you, be an observer]
Train your employees to sacrifice good ideas to do a few things remarkably well – teach people to make decisions about what not to do
1 hour thinking time per week [just think about what this could do for you!] Make it clear that you value imagination
You actions make you a leader, not your title
1. Identify the outcome you want to improve in your organisation
2. Identify the people who will have the greatest impact on that outcome
3. Identify 3 or 4 main ideas that will help them affect this outcome
4. Determine how you will influence those people to think through those ideas before they make any decisions regarding the outcome they’re trying to improve
*think before you act*
Thoughts before actions, influence how others think
*anyone can be a leader* but also, not everyone will have the traits of a leader, even if you have just a few of these traits, you will be an effective leader
1. Step into the role of leader (anyone, “what’s stopping you?”, walk your talk “you will be judged by what you do, not by what you say”, figure out how you personally can make a difference, know where you stand/ have an opinion/ make a decision, stay calm, walk away from a bad situation, persevere, deliver a speech with key messages)
2. Vary your method of communication to groups (tell a story, emotion causes people to act, finish with a call to action, facilitate a conversation – culture, clarity – explain a complicated process, paint a picture of what success will look like, use analogies consistently, speak calmly, or get loud and intense – eg Ron said stop the meeting)
3. Provide one-on-one leadership (use handwritten letters or notes, ask a clear and meaningful question, observe someone in action and provide feedback, encourage people and say you’re proud, pick up the phone, or have face to face conversations)
4. Be a behind-the-scenes leader (research a topic and share your findings, rally behind a cause/ higher purpose, speak highly of another person’s idea, support someone in front of others, introduce two people who could collaborate, share examples of what is possible by looking at those who have already done it)
Employees want: money, challenging and meaningful work, growth, autonomy, work with others in a meaningful way, belief that their efforts contribute in some way.
Managers want: the above, plus working with people to help them succeed, healthy relationships with employees, help and grow employees, continuous progression in results and employee development
Performance framework
1. Values & competencies (values are what people deem important and drive their behaviour, values for different roles can be different, competencies imply the absolute to perform the job)
2. Common procedures
3. Goals
4. Timeframes
Management responsibilities:
1. Clarify the framework
2. Teach, coach, mentor
3. Follow through on the expectations you created
4. Stay out of the way
You’re only a leader if you cause people to think more effectively
Keys to building a good team:
1. Start with why, the purpose of the team
2. Four values of a team (open-mindedness, respectfulness, caring, honesty)
3. Effective communication (understand the person – how they process ideas, what they need, how they make decisions, what they are inclined to do, how they guide other people in a group- 8 needs – autonomy, mastery, recognition, fulfilment, influence, final decision-maker, well-liked, impressive. Decision making styles: quick, relationship, logical, get-it-right. The controller, collaborator, rules follower, visionary – how influence a group. Parent/ child/ adult. Effective communication – make sure you are being understood by asking to repeat back what you said
Accountability converts relationships into performance
Map:
1. Clarify your purpose and your specific objectives
2. Understand yourself (your character is who you are on a habitual basis)
3. Apply yourself toward fulfilling your purpose and achieving your goals
