Lead & Mangement

The Leader Who Had No Title

2010-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Leader Who Had No Title - by Robin Sharma

I came to know about this book through a recent book review by The Straits Times. The book review itself did not satisfy my curiosity and I asked for a copy from the library to have a look at it. It is an interesting book talking about how all of us as individuals, working either for ourselves or for any organization, and regardless of the position we hold, can make a real difference to the outcome at the personal and the organizational level. It is about personal and business mastery and the realisation of full potential in us. And It is about the lessons for success and happiness in life.

I find the book to be very relevant. It serves as an affirmation of our belief and our value system. Like what the book has suggested, all of us can contribute to the success of our projects and our organization either as a technical specialist, a project manager or a supporting staff. And our contributions are measured based on the value-add we have created and not the title we hold i.e. it is outcome and performance-based, not title-based. In that sense, we are all leaders in our own right and have the choice and power to drive positive outcomes out of any negative conditions.

There are also many other useful lessons we can learn from this book. Some of them are listed below for your reference:

1) You need no title to be a leader with the help of the 4 natural powers all of us have:

Natural Power #1 - Every one of us alive in this moment has the power to go to work each day and express the Absolute Best within us. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power #2 - Every one of us alive today has the power to inspire, influence, and elevate each person we meet by the gift of a great example. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power #3 - Every one of us alive with life can passionately drive positive change in the face of negative conditions. And you need no title to do that.

Natural Power #4 - Every one of us alive to the truth about leadership can treat all stakeholders with respect, appreciation, and kindness - and in so doing raise the organization's culture to best of breed. And you need no title to do that.

2) Success is created through the performance of a few small daily disciplines that stack up over time to produce achievements far beyond anything you could have ever planned for. Failure, on the other hand, is just as easy to slip into. Failure's is nothing more than the inevitable outcome of a few small acts of daily neglect performed consistently over time so that they take you past the point of no return.

3) It has never been so important to be someone others respect. It has never been so important to keep the promises you make to your teammates and customers. And it has never been so essential to be authentic.

Happy reading and have a good month ahead

Manage change in Work

2009-04-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

Change is constant. The organisations either accept that change is a good thing or they failed!!!

The amount of anti-change attitudes that we hear around the organisation when delivering training - not necessarily associated with the delegates themselves but some of the anti-change stories that we hear from them would make your hair stand up on end!

It is a tough job to manage change.

In a Change Management Course when a delegate asked the following question:
"How can I sell what change will mean to my team? What can I say to them to make them aware of the opportunities that change will bring?"

There are some pointers of what the individual will miss out on if we do not change as a organisation:

# 1

"Miss out on the potential for new career opportunities with the new organization. Your company is looking for employees who can embrace change fast. You have the opportunity to be viewed as a valuable contributor and one who make a difference"

# 2
"Miss out on the possibility of shaping your destiny and reality. If you get on board quickly with the changes, you may be able to create a need and select employees to help you fill the need. Be purposeful as you explore your options.

# 3
"You'll get smarter. There is scientific proof that changing our patterns and ways of doing things creates new neural pathways which make you smarter"

# 4
"Miss out on the opportunity to expand your network and your ability to develop new relationships. Relationship is essential in work place. Keep in mind, it's not what you know but who you know that matters"

# 5
"Miss out on the chance to learn new skills and behaviours which will enable you to progress through the ranks a lot quicker. Make you more marketable to the outside world. Who would you rather employ? A person who has gone through and experience a lot of forward thinking change or someone who has stood still for the past 10 years? Get used to feeling a little incompetent and confused for a time in order to learn new skills which will help you in the future"

# 6
"Give constructive criticism and provide specific recommendations for how to make the changes work rather than just having a moaning session about them"

# 7
"Become informed. Learn all you can about the proposed changes.

How will it be carried out? What do they mean? When? Make sure that YOU know all of the facts. Make sure you have found out yourself. Don't find out what is happening through the company grapevine - "

# 8
"No matter how pro or anti change you are - CHANGE WILL HAPPEN.

So it's best to accept this fact rather than keep on banging your head against a brick wall. Give it a go"

# 9
"Learn to control the controllables. With regards to the change, what can YOU manage? What can YOU control and what things do you have NO CONTROL over whatsoever? List these down and make a plan of action of how you can deal with each. And the uncontrollables?
Well, you have the choice - you can either "Let them go and accept that you can do nothing about them" or you can drive yourself completely nuts and try to drive 200mph with the handbrake on!"

# 10
"Nothing is as EVER as bad as it first seems"

Manage your change more effectively with this ten tips!

Action coaching: how to leverage individual performance for company success

2009-04-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Personnel

February 2000

David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo

The Action Coaching methodology provides organizations and their coaching-minded leaders with the knowledge and tools required to evaluate problem situations, mediate effective solutions and align the needs and behaviors of employees to the organizational imperatives of their companies. The authors include a number of tools to employ in the coaching effort, among them are:

a clear definition of Action Coaching plan;
an eight-step Action Coaching plan;
a detailed discussion of motivation;
a discussion on conflict, and how it can help individuals and organizations meet their goals and needs; and
a list of barriers to personalizing leadership, and how to overcome them.

Accountable leader: developing effective leadership through managerial accountability

2009-04-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Leadership

November 2008

Brian Dive

Centered around three themes — leadership, accountability and organizational structure — this book explores what it means for managers to be held accountable at every level and argues that most leadership-related problems arise from the ineffectiveness of organizational structures that lack accountable jobs. You will learn in this summary:

The 10 key management accountabilities
Why organizations are so often lacking clear accountabilities
How to develop leadership in an organization
How the Decision Making Accountability (DMA) Solution Set provides the principles needed to address the accountability of leaders
The Seven Elements of Decision Making Accountability
How leaders are held accountable at the various Work Levels within an organization

29% Solution: 52 weekly networking success strategies

2009-04-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

29% Solution: 52 weekly networking success strategies

Success / Career Techniques

January 2009

Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and Michelle R. Donovan

This book will help you develop your networking skills, increase your connections, and become part of the roughly 29 percent of people who are, in fact, separated from the rest of the world by just six degrees. You will learn in this summary:

How to create your own future by setting networking goals and profiling your preferred client.
Why "Givers Gain" should be your networking mantra.
How to master the top 10 traits of a master networker.
How to break out of the "cave dweller" mentality.
How to get the maximum value for the time you invest in networking.
How to gain success from doing what others don't.

8th habit: from effectiveness to greatness

2009-04-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Leadership/September 2005/Stephen R. Covey/No. of pages: 409

The 8th Habit shows you how to tap the limitless value-creation promise of the Knowledge Worker Age. It shows you how to solve the major contradictions inherent in organizational life. You will learn in this summary:

The power of win-win thinking.
How to increase your influence.
There is a connection between leadership style and success.
The importance of the Balanced Scorecard.
How to create 8th Habit leadership.

7 hidden reasons employees leave:

2009-04-08T01:35:00.000-07:00

7 hidden reasons employees leave: how to recognize the subtle signs and act before it's too late

Subject:Personnel/ Human Resources

Date:June 2005

Author: Leigh Branham

In this book, the author knocks down the wall that separates employee from employer in an effort to forge an open discussion on employee disengagement and what organizations need to recognize and actively pursue in order to retain their best people. Using data gathered from interviews and surveys, he isolates each reason, tells companies what to look for, and translates the needs of employers and employees into a common language, enabling them to better understand one another. You will learn in this summary:

How companies and employees can better communicate their expectations of one another.
The importance of finding the right people to fill the right positions at the right time.
Why coaching and feedback are critical to engagement and retention, and how companies can form deeper relationships with their people.
What the new career realities are in today's business climate.
Why some managers are hesitant to recognize employees, and what senior leadership can do about it.
How to help employees maintain a consistent work-life balance and minimize their levels of job-related stress.
How managers can regain the trust and confidence of their employees.