Soaring Eagle Enterprises is currently undergoing some significant web page remodeling. Most of the main pages are built and on-line while some other minor pages remain in the revision process.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Summer Semester Professional Development Schedule
The summer semester professional development class series is up and available for viewing at www.soaringeagleent.com. Please follow the event link to the schedule page to see the great offering for the summer at CSN.
Leading Leaders
Leading other leaders. Some people compare it to herding cats. Some people describe the “which way did they go? I must know because I am their leader” paradox. Others will tell you that it is the most frustrating, but yet most rewarding part of the leadership equation.
Dr. Paul Hersey probably best described the phenomenon of leading other leaders in his work on Situational Leadership. Dr. Hersey clearly identified different skill sets related to managing and leading people based on their skill set and based on the particular leadership situation. His groundbreaking work identified some of the possible disconnects when leaders utilize the same skill set to manage leaders as they do when they supervise entry level workers. In his model, when leading leaders, you can no longer be directive, use a cookie cutter approach and overly define the process details and steps.
Of the additional tactics to lead leaders, fuzziness may be the most important. Although we may have perfect clarity on an end result and how it looks and feels, we must allow our emerging leaders the opportunity to add their clarity. This is an extremely important step that transfers ownership of a project or idea. If we fill in all of the details, it will always be our idea and our process. If we allow our subordinate leaders to fill in the details, the process becomes theirs. It also has great impact to stimulate their creative and systemic thinking.
A subset tactic that is closely related to fuzziness is polluting the soup. Some of you have heard this presented in just a little different way but the message is the same. Polluting the soup is leading with your idea and then requesting other suggestions and input. Sounds okay on the surface, but unfortunately, when your idea is articulated, it will greatly diminish the other input from subordinate leaders. The effective leader will utilize the greatly unappreciated skill of keeping quiet and letting the subordinate leader or leaders play the ideas and suggestions.
Prepare for the curiosity of three year olds. If you have a problem in answering questions and responding to the “why” query, you may not be ready to lead other leaders. If your response pattern includes “because I said so”, “because it has always been that way” or even “it is what it is”, you will need to change your approach. New and emerging leaders will question and challenge. Like kids, it is what they do. Brushing it off produces a future eerie silence that replicates the status quo. Answering, as best you can, produces innovative leaders that balance the possibilities with the realities.
The presentation, even subtly, of opportunities to subordinate and emerging leaders is a great way to evaluate talent and even test drive and motivation. When an opportunity is presented, do the leaders run with it or do they require pushing? Do they pick up on the clues and react without any follow-up needed? Do they personalize the project or idea? Do they continually run it back to you for validation or do they shoot for the end result? Lots of questions yet the answers become very telling about the skill set and readiness of the leader that you are guiding.
Feeding opportunities also allows you to see if any of your leaders are willing to get a little dirty. It is very telling when an emerging leader sacrifices comfort and personal vanities in order to achieve the objectives of the opportunity.
Another critical element in leading leaders is allowing them the opportunity to fail. By far and away this is the most challenging facet for many of us. To allow someone the chance to stub their toe is pretty priceless and more valuable than any other type of learning. Even with our experience and depth of knowledge, until they try it their way, they will never be satisfied. It takes a great deal of leadership maturity to allow others to fail and be there to pick them up and restore their desire to achieve.
Let the cat rodeo begin.
Dr. Paul Hersey probably best described the phenomenon of leading other leaders in his work on Situational Leadership. Dr. Hersey clearly identified different skill sets related to managing and leading people based on their skill set and based on the particular leadership situation. His groundbreaking work identified some of the possible disconnects when leaders utilize the same skill set to manage leaders as they do when they supervise entry level workers. In his model, when leading leaders, you can no longer be directive, use a cookie cutter approach and overly define the process details and steps.
Of the additional tactics to lead leaders, fuzziness may be the most important. Although we may have perfect clarity on an end result and how it looks and feels, we must allow our emerging leaders the opportunity to add their clarity. This is an extremely important step that transfers ownership of a project or idea. If we fill in all of the details, it will always be our idea and our process. If we allow our subordinate leaders to fill in the details, the process becomes theirs. It also has great impact to stimulate their creative and systemic thinking.
A subset tactic that is closely related to fuzziness is polluting the soup. Some of you have heard this presented in just a little different way but the message is the same. Polluting the soup is leading with your idea and then requesting other suggestions and input. Sounds okay on the surface, but unfortunately, when your idea is articulated, it will greatly diminish the other input from subordinate leaders. The effective leader will utilize the greatly unappreciated skill of keeping quiet and letting the subordinate leader or leaders play the ideas and suggestions.
Prepare for the curiosity of three year olds. If you have a problem in answering questions and responding to the “why” query, you may not be ready to lead other leaders. If your response pattern includes “because I said so”, “because it has always been that way” or even “it is what it is”, you will need to change your approach. New and emerging leaders will question and challenge. Like kids, it is what they do. Brushing it off produces a future eerie silence that replicates the status quo. Answering, as best you can, produces innovative leaders that balance the possibilities with the realities.
The presentation, even subtly, of opportunities to subordinate and emerging leaders is a great way to evaluate talent and even test drive and motivation. When an opportunity is presented, do the leaders run with it or do they require pushing? Do they pick up on the clues and react without any follow-up needed? Do they personalize the project or idea? Do they continually run it back to you for validation or do they shoot for the end result? Lots of questions yet the answers become very telling about the skill set and readiness of the leader that you are guiding.
Feeding opportunities also allows you to see if any of your leaders are willing to get a little dirty. It is very telling when an emerging leader sacrifices comfort and personal vanities in order to achieve the objectives of the opportunity.
Another critical element in leading leaders is allowing them the opportunity to fail. By far and away this is the most challenging facet for many of us. To allow someone the chance to stub their toe is pretty priceless and more valuable than any other type of learning. Even with our experience and depth of knowledge, until they try it their way, they will never be satisfied. It takes a great deal of leadership maturity to allow others to fail and be there to pick them up and restore their desire to achieve.
Let the cat rodeo begin.
FREE Personalized Everything DiSC Management Style Report
For a very limited time, we are able to offer a free sample of the Everything DiSC Management Profile.
This very powerful and personalized tool will allow you to pinpoint your management and leadership approach, strengths in your style and challenges that you may face. This is an $80.00 value for free.
Follow this link: http://www.everythingdisc.com/training309/. Indicate you need an access code and when you enter the website, please indicate you were referred by an Inscape Consultant and enter my name (Tim Schneider) below that. No strings attached, just a free Everything DiSC profile.
Soaring Eagle Receives DiSC Award
For the fifth consecutive year, Soaring Eagle Enterprises has been honored as a leading distributor and user of DiSC profile products.
Soaring Eagle Enterprises is a ten year distributor for DiSC personal profile and assessment products and has been honored multiple times as a leading provider.
Read the press release: http://www.soaringeagleent.com/Inscapeaward2008.pdf
Congratulations to Colleen Lohide and David Zamarin
Congratulations for great career moves to Dave Zamarin and Colleen Lohide.
Dave is returning to the desert southwest as vice president of marketing for Sol Casinos. Colleen received a much deserved promotion to a management position with a major security company.
Best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to a couple of great people.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
How to Start Each Day with a Positive Outlook
1. Open a new file in your computer.
2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: 'Do you really want to get rid
of 'Barack Obama?'
6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'
7. Feel better?
GOOD - Tomorrow we'll do Nancy Pelosi!
2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: 'Do you really want to get rid
of 'Barack Obama?'
6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'
7. Feel better?
GOOD - Tomorrow we'll do Nancy Pelosi!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Spring Training 2009
And speaking of optimism. The end of February and the first of March mark the beginning of Major League Baseball's Spring Training.
Each year, all team gather in either Arizona or Florida for a month or so to get in shape, evaluate players and hone the skills needed to be ready for a hundred and sixty two games.
Regardless of payroll level, depth of talent or last year's record, they have one object and that is to win the World Series.
How great would it be if business could have a spring training. One month a year to hone skills and focus energies. One month to commit to winning the prize. One month to evaluate talent and make the appropriate personnel moves.
Bottlenecks-Poor Leadership and Organizational Dynamics
I have the opportunity to be associated with a local organization that offers a great perspective of poor leadership and organizational effectiveness.This particular group bottlenecks all decisions and points of concern back to the CEO. The organization has several quality professional staff members but they are powerless to act without the blessing of the CEO.
This creates, among other things:
1. Powerless and empowerment-less team members that cannot solve issues or think on their own.
2. Unneeded delays in responding to routine and common requests.
3. Lack of morale and sense of total purpose among team members.
4. Isolation and lack of availability from the CEO (he is too busy approving everything).
Take a look at your own organization and decide if too much is bottle necked by applying a 10% rule. If 10% or less of all decisions need to be run up a level (or run to your level), you are a healthy organization. If more than 10% of all decision points require one-up approval, you need to look at efficiencies, organization and empowerment of team members.
Optimism
With all the news lately, a little perspective is important.
1. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is still higher than the same date in 1998. Just 11 years ago.
2. Over 92% of Americans are working.
3. Over 90% of home loans are paid on time. That percentage is higher when considering only owner occupied homes and excluding rentals and investment properties.
4. The gross domestic product of California, Michigan, Texas and New York are higher than most nations their size and bigger.
5. For as tough as things might seem, immigrants from all over the world flood our borders.
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