Should Women Rule The World? May 5, 2008

Before you answer that question, let me explain! I just finished a thought-provoking and insightful book written by Dee Dee Myers, entitled, “Why Women Should Rule The World.” The former White House Press Secretary for President Clinton challenges all of us to consider the possibilities if women were to reach the top ranks in every field. This is not a male bashing book nor does it attack men in any way. Rather, this compelling and sensible read emphasizes the positive strengths women can offer any organization.

Drawing from interviews with successful women, extensive research and her own experiences, Myers presents a compelling case of why women are quite capable of being in charge!

Here are some highlights and quotes:

• Genetically speaking, men and women are incredibly similar; 99 percent of our genetic material is the same. Hmmm, I thought. Only a 1 percent difference; that doesn’t seem like very much. But when I read that chimpanzees differ from humans by just 1.5 percent, that small difference is pretty darn big.
• Do men and women lead differently? Is there such a thing as a “female style?” A recent analysis of forty-five separate studies addressing the questions found that the answer was “yes.” Women are slightly more likely to be “transformational” leaders, collectively setting goals and empowering their teams to achieve them. Men are more likely to be “transactional” leaders, letting subordinates know what is expected, rewarding them for their success, and holding them accountable for their failures. Not surprisingly, some leaders did not fit neatly into one or the other of these categories, but there was, nonetheless, a measurable difference based on gender.
• Not only do women have a somewhat different style; it’s more likely to be successful. It’s further evidence that there is more than one way to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, that different leadership styles – regardless of their gender – can get the job done. And that gives everyone more options; it creates a more flexible, more adaptive and ultimately more productive workplace.
• The areas of the brain that track gut feelings are larger and more sensitive in the female brain, according to brain scan studies. Therefore, the relationships between a woman’s gut feelings are her intuitive hunches are grounded in biology. Among other things, women are particularly sensitive to what other people may be feeling. An analysis of 125 separate studies found that, “women are better than men at decoding emotional messages – and better at spotting lies.”

As a mother to a boy and girl, I have my own unscientific observations of how the two sexes think and act differently. Currently, as I post my entry, my daughter has emptied her entire closet on the floor and started to iron each piece of clothing with her toy iron and board. In the meantime, her stuffed animals surround her each with its own tea set. Occasionally she’ll stop to refill every cup, give her “friends” a kiss, and stroke their fur, all the while engaged in full conversation with each of them as she continues conducting her daily chore! While at the same time, my son is playing baseball and running around the house using stuffed animals as the ball, smashing them with his bat, and hurling them through the air. This is the same boy that at the age of 2, would construct his PB&J sandwiches in the shape of a weapon and go around shooting his potato chips. Don’t get me wrong, my daughter has lots of energy, loves to get muddy and is very busy. But their creative play is instinctually different. A combination of nature and nurture no doubt.

Men and women are different but equal. Consequently, when building a healthy leadership team, be attuned to the distinctions, welcome the diversity, embrace the differences, and appreciate the vast array of skill sets and gift mixes both genders bring to the board table! What do you think?

Follow The Leader March 24, 2008

“Followership has recently been studied as a key to understanding leadership. To follow, people must feel confidence in the direction in which the leader is headed. They are enabled and empowered to do their part in accomplishing the stated objectives.” Susan M. Heathfield

I appreciate and value following a great leader. It’s refreshing, rejuvenating and rewarding. Further, the process is both educational and healthy, and I welcome opportunities to step aside, listen, learn, and follow directions. As a leader, don’t be reluctant to follow. Instead, embrace the experience as an occasion to sharpen your own skills.

Recently, I was asked to co-produce and write a video package with another producer for a current freelance gig. Before we started the project, I made a concerted effort to let him lead. He’s seasoned, talented, experienced, and extremely creative. Plus, he has been working on the project for many months. I allowed him to cast the vision, conceptualize the graphics and formulate the outcome. Meanwhile, I focused my energy on executing his expectations. As a result, the piece was well- produced, well-crafted and much more successful than if I were giving the orders.

Quite frankly, this particular producer is a gracious and humble leader and a person of character and integrity. I’m a much more effective follower when I work with a notable leader – one whom fits Vince Lombardi’s description:

“Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth and character. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the character.”

As a student, I gain such a tremendous perspective and respect for the teacher. And, honestly, it’s a nice break.  Next time, seize an opportunity to step aside, take direction well and embrace moments to follow the leader!

Is Your GPS ON? March 17, 2008

When I landed my first TV job, I quickly noticed the entire team frustrated with our Newsroom Manager. Once we received our assignment, we spent hours enterprising, researching, interviewing, shooting, producing, editing and writing stories, only to hear that our final draft really wasn’t quite what she wanted. There wasn’t any direction from our leader, resulting in wasted time, energy, and resources. My reaction – to begin a quest to climb the corporate ladder. My thinking was along the same lines as the old adage, “I can do this better.” (Boy, was I naive).  A few years later, I had my first position in middle management and from that moment, I gave my team players clear direction while efficiently communicating and always leading them down the perfect path – right? WRONG – so very, very wrong! I made the same green, inexperienced, novice mistakes. I, too, had to suffer the consequences of not concisely explaining expectations to my team players. Here are some humbling lessons I’ve learned along the way that I still struggle to implement:

A Leadership Global Positioning System (GPS) Guide

1. Provide Road Maps – Before you hand out any assignment, cast the vision. As the leader, often you’re the only one who understands the big picture. Keep in mind, everyone is focused on his or her individual task so they need an explanation of the entire mission. “Vision points us in the right direction. It helps us get focused, get energized and get great results,” explains Ken Blanchard.
2. Handout Clear Directions – Explain your expectations by expressing what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. If necessary, convey steps to get them from point “A” to point “B.” People can’t read your mind. I suggest after handing out an assignment, put it in writing. This can simply be a follow-up email outlining your aspirations.
3. Stop for Direction – Don’t be afraid to check in with your teammates along the way. Then, if you notice someone is going astray, address the issue and give him or her the proper tools to get back on track. Offering suggestions and providing feedback is considered healthy dialogue. Address mistakes constructively and up front – don’t just drop little hints. I call that, “passive aggressive leadership.” You want to dodge this annoying behavior at all cost.
4. Avoid the Scenic Route – The best way to avoid your team players from “taking the long way” is to merely communicate. I was recently reminded of the importance of communication in every environment while reading John Maxwell’s book, Qualities Of A Team Player. Maxwell retells one of my favorite Aesop fables called, “The Lion and The Three Bulls.”

Three bulls lived together for a long time in a pasture. Though they ate and lived side by side, they never spoke to one another. One day a lion came along and saw the bulls. The lion was very hungry, but he knew that he could never attack three bulls at once because together they would over-power him and kill him. So the lion approached the bulls one at a time. Since one bull never knew what the others were doing, they didn’t realize that the lion was working to separate them. The lion, who was crafty, succeeded in dividing them, and once he successfully isolated them, he attacked them individually. Thus he overcame all three of them and satisfied his hunger. Aesop concluded the story by stating, “Union is strength. But there can be no union without good communication.”

Use your Leadership GPS and you’re likely to send your teammates down the right path, time and time again, well before all of you get too far off course.

Can you hear me now? March 10, 2008

“When you ask people about the best leader they ever had, one quality is always mentioned – they are good listeners. Test the power of listening for yourself by taking time to listen and focus on others.” Ken Blanchard

Have you ever felt as if your supervisors were listening but didn’t hear a word you said? Ah, then I must have been your manager at some point in the past! Well, at least I could have. In all honesty, this has been one of my greatest leadership challenges. This is a discipline I deliberately pursue. At times, I think everything I have to say is so very urgent – and I mean EVERYTHING! After all, I don’t have time to listen; I have important tasks to complete, deadlines to meet and emails to write! I sometimes get so preoccupied with my own thoughts and so focused handing orders and direction out – that I miss out. Getting too busy to hear what others on my team have to say results in missed opportunities in capturing the full vision and potential of my team members and making true connections and relationships with them.

The truth is – I don’t learn unless I listen. Listening lets people know they are important. Asking questions makes them feel as though their opinions count. “Shutting up” enables us to discover diverse points of view from others. Authentically, genuinely and earnestly becoming immensely interested is what my team has to say, both personally and professionally, allows me to grow and develop into a mature and effective leader.

In his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith writes, “80% of our success in learning from other people is based upon how well we listen. In other words, success or failure is determined before we do anything.”

Goldsmith calls listening the one skill that separates the great from the near-great. So, what are the stories your key players are sharing? What creative ideas are flowing from their sudden brainstorms? What barriers are preventing you from creating authentic relationships? Learning about their likes, philosophy, and daily walk, enables you to assemble fellowship amongst your team. It not only elevates the growth and development of the people in your organization; it also forms unwavering community in the work place.

Put people before paper. In other words, drop what you’re doing and take a few minutes to spark the conversation, listen to the funny story, the family crisis, the creative burst of energy and create an atmosphere open to others’ ideals. For just a few deliberate moments, forget the responsibilities on your to-do list, and open your ears to people’s lives, ideas, and discerning words of wisdom.

As Christians, we’ve been taught to listen to God. But I once read a devotion that teaches that Jesus is known as “The Listener” because He invites us to share with him our prayers, our requests, our hopes and our dreams. After all, often before Jesus responds, He first listens to our heart. Before we respond to our team players, first we need to listen to their thoughts about anything – about everything. So I challenge you to ask yourself are your team players screaming, “Can you hear me now?”

Catching People In The Act! March 3, 2008

‘Catching people doing things right is a powerful management concept. Unfortunately, most leaders have a genius for catching people doing things wrong. I always recommend that leaders spend at least an hour a week wandering around their operation catching people doing things right.’ Ken Blanchard, Leadership Smarts.’
 
Imagine if every CEO, Vice President, Boss, and Department Head adhered to Ken Blanchard’s advice. The ‘work-place’ would be more like a ‘doesn’t feel much like work place’ – a celebratory atmosphere where we reinforce the positive, strive toward the vision and excel with excellence.

‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…’ 1 Thessalonians 5:11
 
It wasn’t too long ago when my 8-year old son’s teacher told me that after a child in his class started to cry and was frustrated with an assignment, Gentry went over and gently gave him a hug and quietly helped him finish his project. During our commute home, I celebrated Gentry’s act of kindness explaining that I was not only proud of his humble leadership but also his display of grace and mercy. Gentry beamed, he glowed, and he smiled joyfully while hearing genuine positive feedback. Although I was authentic in my praise, I unmindfully motivated my son to continue to make loving choices. For most of us, praising our kids comes naturally.
 
Funny thing, words of affirmation never grow old no matter our age. Nothing exhausts a team member more than when a supervisor only points out mistakes – it’s demeaning, demotivating, and discouraging. Recently, I was asked to recruit a team of volunteers to help prepare an Easter Dinner for over 40 folks serving at our church during the biggest ministry weekend of the year. Yes, these volunteers get the big picture, but regardless, I know sacrificing time from family during a holiday isn’t easy. Personally, I’m already making plans to insure that every team member knows he/she is appreciated and treasured. Whether a goodie-basket, gift-card, hand-written note – I want all of them to know I’m proud to serve by their side.
 
‘I firmly believe that providing (positive) feedback is the most cost-effective strategy for improving performance and instilling satisfaction.’ Rick Tate
 
After all, it takes very little time, it takes very little effort, and it costs nothing, yet in the end if gone unrecognized, it can cost you EVERYTHING as a leader. Take time this week to develop the team players surrounding you by catching them in the act of doing something right.
 
Continuing on this positive note, I want to personally thank all of you who have responded to my blog or sent me encouraging emails – your feedback is very well appreciated. I’m passionate about healthy dialogue discussing leadership smarts! Until next week…

Leaders Speak Many Languages February 18, 2008

I have a 4-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. It didn’t take me long through trial and mostly error, before I quickly realized they are so incredibly different. One really is from Mars…but I won’t disclose which! They are different sexes, have different love languages, and react to discipline in different ways. Although I don’t understand why exactly, I’ve learned to simply accept it and ultimately embrace it. My daughter, Oharah, is joy-filled yet emotional, thrives on words of affirmation and reaches her fullest potential through positive reinforcement. My son, Gentry, is sweet-spirited, yet sensitive, prefers quality time (being grounded and sent to his room is like serving a life sentence in his eyes). The greatest mistake I can make as a parent is to not parent them as individuals. If I were to try and lead them both in the same way, I would fail. It would be a frustrating and fruitless method. As a mother, I must speak two different languages to my very two different children.

Isn’t leadership quite the same?

“Interactive management is a process of dealing with people as individuals in order to build trust, openness, and honesty in the manager-employee relationship, thereby improving productivity in the organizational setup. To treat your employees as unique individuals, you as the manager must understand what makes them different from one another. With this knowledge, you can go about managing your employees as unique individuals with unique personalities, problem, and needs. This ‘custom-tailored’ approach to managing employees in an organizational setting is one of the major thrust of interactive management.” The Art of Managing People, by Tony Alessandra.

While leading volunteers, all of whom have different skill sets, unique talents and individual gifts, we must make appropriate adaptations.

“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.” 1 Peter 4:10

As director of the kid’s worship service at my church, I had a wonderful group of volunteers with a plethora of amazing capabilities. There’s the successful attorney who thrives backstage with thoroughness, efficiency and excellence, A Phd with the gift of helps who cheerfully arrives early Sunday morning to set up the stage and chairs, A creative writer with great stage presence, full of Chutzpah, smart wit, and perfect comedic timing. The interactive 35-minute production designed for kids and their parents is chocked full of drama, video, and music.  Over 100 volunteers, with much preparation and diligence throughout the entire week, are assimilated to pull off the worship service effectively. There are costumes, props, scripts, PowerPoint presentations, music, set up, tear-down, marketing, creative teams – just to name a few details involved in this incredible ministry! During this process, it’s rather evident that each volunteer leader speaks a different language. I don’t manage the CPA the same way I do the Creative Artist. I cast vision differently, I shepherd differently, I encourage differently, and I recruit differently. I’m the same leader, yet the way in which I communicate is quite distinct. For example, some of my favorite volunteers to manage are the artists. 

Ah, the creative geniuses of the church have great strengths; they accomplish art I can’t even dream up. Artists of video, drama, music, design are single-mindedly devoted to their craft, and often see the world in shades of gray rather than black and white. Many of them resist quick or simplistic conclusions. These right-brained thinkers don’t accomplish tasks by going to meetings, checking to-do lists, or conforming to strict deadlines. These out of the box volunteers are invaluable to a team, however; they are deep thinkers, build relationships and put people before paper. In other words, when approaching an artist in your church, don’t simply begin by ordering assignments. Rather, strike up a conversation about their week, their life, their feelings. Invite them out for coffee, a show, your house for dinner. These passionate souls feel emotions deeply and you’ll gain their respect when treated like an individual. These guys demand authenticity and consistently need to know why they’re doing what they’re doing and how they’re making a difference in His kingdom. How fun are they; so polar opposite of other team members. For instance, I managed an over-achiever volunteer who is Vice President of Marketing. Whenever I call her, she much prefers that I make my point and make it quickly. She wants a list of things I need and a deadline and then for me to hang up and let her get busy. This self-starter doesn’t want to be micromanaged, and surely doesn’t have time for conversation. So, I simply make my request, make my point and follow up a day or two before the event. If I acted like that with my creative artists, they would certainly screen my next call!

“You must give proper honor to all who serve so well.” 1 Corinthians 16:17

Don’t be afraid to lead each person as an individual. Study their personality, learn their likes, dislikes, understand their dialect and always be flexible with your management styles.

“Inflexibility is one of the worst human failings. You can learn to check impetuosity, overcome fear with confidence, and laziness with discipline. But for rigidity of mind there is no antidote. It carries the seeds of its own destruction.” – Anonymous.

Discern your team member’s personal lives, assimilate their professional roles and productivity will increase within your team and organizational setting.

Michael McGraff states, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

Amen to that, Michael! Become a bilingual leader and you will attract a diverse group of uniquely beautiful individuals most likely the type who illustrate talents, gifts, and abilities well beyond your own! 

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A Leader’s Leader February 13, 2008

All great leaders SERVE! James C Hunter author of, “The Servant,” said it best:

“Leadership begins with the will, which is our unique ability as human beings to align our intentions with our actions and choose our behavior. With the proper will, we can choose to love, the verb, which is about identifying and meeting the legitimate needs, not wants, of those we lead. When we meet the needs of others we will, by definition, be called upon to serve and even sacrifice. When we serve and sacrifice for others, we build authority or influence, the ‘Law of the Harvest,’ and when we build authority with people, then we have earned the right to be called leader.”

After all, does not the greatest leader who ever walked this earth share in this same philosophy? The most beautiful depiction of leadership in scripture is when Jesus humbly got on his hands and knees and conducted the traditional footwashing ceremony. “The Message” translation from John 13:12-17 is my favorite:

“So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer.”

Jesus’ illustration should fill us up with truth and conviction that, if embraced, can be quite rewarding. This profound ritual should guide us in a new direction toward the way we influence others, especially in the case of leading volunteers. Part of healthy management in ministry is guiding volunteers with mercy, with benevolence. As Christian leaders we need to exemplify true grace. Furthermore, leaders need to cast the vision and respectfully explain the mission clearly, often and creatively. We leaders need to start asking volunteers to accomplish the mission for the body of Christ, rather than demanding volunteers to perform tasks for our own purpose. We need to view volunteers as individuals and, in order to successfully accomplish the big picture, walk along their sides rather than walk over them.

In order to build loyal unpaid leaders, we need to build relationships; we need to build trust. In order to gain trust we need to lead with love. In order to lead with love, we need to realize these amazing people are treasured. Proverbs 18 states it beautifully while reminding us that a person’s words “can be life-giving water.” Volunteers want to feel needed, wanted, and appreciated as well as feel confident they’re making a difference in His kingdom. We need to give them words of affirmation.

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:10

Let’s commit to view these priceless brothers and sisters as our Father views them and to treat each individual servant with depth and joy.

One by one, He cleansed their soles and as a result replenished their souls. A genuine testament that The King of Kings is truly a Leader’s Leader!

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