With March comes the ‘madness’ of the NCAA basketball tournaments for men and women. Teams and their fans will all be proud, excited, and hopeful as the first games tip off. As fans we like to be connected to winning teams and celebrate championships and other accomplishments. If you watch some of the tournament games, notice the energy and enthusiasm generated in the crowd when the game starts and then how different that is for the winning and losing teams’ fans at the end of the game.
Which energy do you want in your organization and in your own job? Of course, we want to have the energy and enthusiasm of the winning team. However, such energy and enthusiasm is rarely evident in most organizations. While sustaining that level for 40 hours rather than 40 minutes is one factor, another key reason is the scoreboard. Most organizations lack a clear scoreboard or feedback system to clearly and frequently tell everyone how they are performing personally and collectively so they can step up to meet the challenge at hand. No wonder, according research on workplace engagement, most employees do not feel like champions or members of a winning team. They may not know what their score is or if anyone cares what it is.
If you want to develop some leadership insights while also enjoying the games, notice the differences between the winners and losers: the effectiveness of the leadership; the team members fitting their individual roles while also working together; and how they all respond to feedback from the record of the results they produce. Then consider what parts are present or missing from your team. If you would like further insights on how to create a winning team, let us know. Our mission is to develop winning teams for our clients – without the ‘madness’!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Earn More Spend Less
Our 2012 theme to Occupy Prosperity could be like a resolution to lose weight and fade to a faint memory a few weeks into the year. Resolutions usually fail because they focus on the end result rather than the action steps that can be influenced and predict the end result. Weight loss for example is assured if calories burnt regularly exceed calories consumed. Those two variables can be influenced by watching what we eat and how active we are. Together they very reliably predict weight loss or weight gain.
To Occupy Prosperity two fundamental variables that can be influenced and will predict the end result are earning and spending on both business and personal levels. For businesses payroll is usually the biggest expense and of course increasing sales is the quickest way to improve bottom line results. The two actually go hand in hand. We recently showed a company how they could increase gross profit from 1.5% to 7% by reassigning employees to roles where they were a better match to requirements of the job. With minimal investment their ROI was 1,500%! Optimizing sales by selecting the right people and using targeted individual development of existing employees the training scrap rate is reduced. For other positions reducing expenses of turnover, training, and low productivity can all be influenced by implementing a well-designed workforce development process.
On both a business and personal level we have found a vehicle that combines both expense reduction and income generation. Actually it was costing Peak Pathways NOT to be a member of Team National. Taking the concept of group buying power to the internet with national name brand products and retailers, as well a locally owned businesses, substantial discounts and rebates are available on many common things people and businesses buy every day. On top of that there are several other ways to generate significant income by bringing in new members.
Let us know how we can help you influence and predict a prosperous 2012!
To Occupy Prosperity two fundamental variables that can be influenced and will predict the end result are earning and spending on both business and personal levels. For businesses payroll is usually the biggest expense and of course increasing sales is the quickest way to improve bottom line results. The two actually go hand in hand. We recently showed a company how they could increase gross profit from 1.5% to 7% by reassigning employees to roles where they were a better match to requirements of the job. With minimal investment their ROI was 1,500%! Optimizing sales by selecting the right people and using targeted individual development of existing employees the training scrap rate is reduced. For other positions reducing expenses of turnover, training, and low productivity can all be influenced by implementing a well-designed workforce development process.
On both a business and personal level we have found a vehicle that combines both expense reduction and income generation. Actually it was costing Peak Pathways NOT to be a member of Team National. Taking the concept of group buying power to the internet with national name brand products and retailers, as well a locally owned businesses, substantial discounts and rebates are available on many common things people and businesses buy every day. On top of that there are several other ways to generate significant income by bringing in new members.
Let us know how we can help you influence and predict a prosperous 2012!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Occupy Prosperity
Despite all the concerns early in 2011 carmageddon did not materialize in southern California and therefore the clever term for a high volume traffic detour and traffic jam was not the word of the year. The winner was occupy – as in Wall Street. Controlling, engaging, and inhabiting each seem to be a few of the actions implied by that word and in those contexts occupy can be an appropriate descriptor for any intended objective. For example: occupy – bankers; journalists; main street; customers; sales; employees; health etc.
Our theme for 2012 is Occupy Prosperity. In 2012 we will offer insights to help our readers prosper as business owners, leaders and employees. Since Peak Pathways was founded in 2003 our objective has been and remains to help people succeed in work and life. The emphasis to Occupy Prosperity in 2012 is to help all of our readers and clients achieve more in 2012. In addition to the articles for learning about successful leadership and workforce development strategies this edition also includes information to nominate yourself or someone else to participate in the launch of our first Leadership Charisma groups.
We wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!
Our theme for 2012 is Occupy Prosperity. In 2012 we will offer insights to help our readers prosper as business owners, leaders and employees. Since Peak Pathways was founded in 2003 our objective has been and remains to help people succeed in work and life. The emphasis to Occupy Prosperity in 2012 is to help all of our readers and clients achieve more in 2012. In addition to the articles for learning about successful leadership and workforce development strategies this edition also includes information to nominate yourself or someone else to participate in the launch of our first Leadership Charisma groups.
We wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Charisma and Engagement
For the last few months I have been highlighting specific principles and behaviors of Leadership Charisma. Each of those past articles can be accessed through the newsletter archive. This month summarizes and ties it all together.
The principles of Leadership Charisma are WIIFM and the Charismatic Equation. WIIFM – What’s In It For Me. Essentially that principle states that leaders who are seen to be charismatic in the eyes of their people are those who make it their business to always know precisely what it is that interests and motivates their people. The Charismatic Equation states that the extent to which you are perceived as being charismatic is directly proportional to the extent to which people either feel or fare better after each interaction with you. These two principles are the foundation for the six key behaviors we identified: Communication; Tailoring Your Vision; being a Beacon of Positivity; displaying Energy and Enthusiasm; Recognizing the Greatness in Others; and the Power of Belief in People. Collectively they give us the definition of Charisma “... a special quality of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires allegiance and devotion.”
It is striking to see how closely parallel Charisma is to Employee Engagement “... a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort in his or her work.” Charisma and engagement are two sides of the same coin!
If you are interested in learning more about Charisma and Engagement we have two free offers this month. One is a Self Leadership Charisma assessment that you can complete in a few minutes online and learn how charismatic you see you yourself. If you would like to have this free personal information simply send an e-mail to info@peakpathways.com and within a few days you will receive an invitation to complete the online assessment. The second offer is for a free case study of how Peak Pathways’ client Woodmen of the World has increased employee engagement since 2008. More information along with details for requesting that are in the Featured Case Study article below.
Also we are happy to announce that early in 2012 we will begin Leadership Charisma group coaching for individuals who want to meet regularly with a coach and trusted peers from other organizations to develop leadership skills while also giving feedback and support to one another to succeed in meeting the challenges of leading people. Specific information will be released in the next few weeks however if you or someone you know would like to be one of the first to have an opportunity to participate please send an e-mail to info@peakpathways.com
Enjoy celebrating the holiday season and make 2012 a wonderful year in all respects!
The principles of Leadership Charisma are WIIFM and the Charismatic Equation. WIIFM – What’s In It For Me. Essentially that principle states that leaders who are seen to be charismatic in the eyes of their people are those who make it their business to always know precisely what it is that interests and motivates their people. The Charismatic Equation states that the extent to which you are perceived as being charismatic is directly proportional to the extent to which people either feel or fare better after each interaction with you. These two principles are the foundation for the six key behaviors we identified: Communication; Tailoring Your Vision; being a Beacon of Positivity; displaying Energy and Enthusiasm; Recognizing the Greatness in Others; and the Power of Belief in People. Collectively they give us the definition of Charisma “... a special quality of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires allegiance and devotion.”
It is striking to see how closely parallel Charisma is to Employee Engagement “... a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort in his or her work.” Charisma and engagement are two sides of the same coin!
If you are interested in learning more about Charisma and Engagement we have two free offers this month. One is a Self Leadership Charisma assessment that you can complete in a few minutes online and learn how charismatic you see you yourself. If you would like to have this free personal information simply send an e-mail to info@peakpathways.com and within a few days you will receive an invitation to complete the online assessment. The second offer is for a free case study of how Peak Pathways’ client Woodmen of the World has increased employee engagement since 2008. More information along with details for requesting that are in the Featured Case Study article below.
Also we are happy to announce that early in 2012 we will begin Leadership Charisma group coaching for individuals who want to meet regularly with a coach and trusted peers from other organizations to develop leadership skills while also giving feedback and support to one another to succeed in meeting the challenges of leading people. Specific information will be released in the next few weeks however if you or someone you know would like to be one of the first to have an opportunity to participate please send an e-mail to info@peakpathways.com
Enjoy celebrating the holiday season and make 2012 a wonderful year in all respects!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Power of Belief in People
We have been highlighting Leadership Charisma since April and will conclude the series next month with a summary of the key principles and behaviors that are fundamental to it. This month brings us to the last of the specific behaviors that make leaders charismatic – belief in people.
A critical factor in driving a leader’s charisma is the extent to which they believe that the people who work for them are capable of great things. Charismatic leaders always let their people know that they KNOW that each one of them is capable of great things – they let each of them know that they can see the greatness in them.
A leader’s expectations of their people have an enormous impact upon their performance. All modern research says that one of the critical factors shaping how people perform in real life is very directly and strongly affected by the expectations that their leaders have of them – if you set and communicate high expectations for each of your people they will generally raise their performance to meet these expectations.
People will tend to stretch themselves to meet the expectations that a respected leader has of them. This is why Dale Carnegie suggested that you could get the best from people by ‘Giving them a high reputation to live up to'.
This brief quotation from Leadership Charisma says it perfectly – “develop positive expectations of your people and everything you do or say, consciously and subconsciously, will reflect those expectations: raising the self-esteem of each and every one of them, and in turn their expectations of themselves – which is also critically important.”
This is because the research also shows that people’s expectations of themselves and their opinions of their own capabilities are amongst the greatest predictors of their actual performance.
When a leader cultivates a genuine belief in the ability of all of his or her people to achieve at a much higher level than they do now, or even at a higher level than they previously believed they could, then he or she automatically raises those people’s views of themselves – their self-esteem soars and this triggers higher performance than was previously possible.
As they begin to perform at a higher level, then their expectations of themselves are raised even more, driving their performance even higher again.
Bottom line: if you have positive expectations of all of your people then, consciously and unconsciously, you will continually transmit those expectations and support your people in raising their performance and self-esteem.
A leader who makes his or her people feel that they are capable of much more than anyone else has ever made them feel is irresistibly charismatic – and drives the engagement that results in the productivity and organizational success that only charismatic leaders enjoy.
A critical factor in driving a leader’s charisma is the extent to which they believe that the people who work for them are capable of great things. Charismatic leaders always let their people know that they KNOW that each one of them is capable of great things – they let each of them know that they can see the greatness in them.
A leader’s expectations of their people have an enormous impact upon their performance. All modern research says that one of the critical factors shaping how people perform in real life is very directly and strongly affected by the expectations that their leaders have of them – if you set and communicate high expectations for each of your people they will generally raise their performance to meet these expectations.
People will tend to stretch themselves to meet the expectations that a respected leader has of them. This is why Dale Carnegie suggested that you could get the best from people by ‘Giving them a high reputation to live up to'.
This brief quotation from Leadership Charisma says it perfectly – “develop positive expectations of your people and everything you do or say, consciously and subconsciously, will reflect those expectations: raising the self-esteem of each and every one of them, and in turn their expectations of themselves – which is also critically important.”
This is because the research also shows that people’s expectations of themselves and their opinions of their own capabilities are amongst the greatest predictors of their actual performance.
When a leader cultivates a genuine belief in the ability of all of his or her people to achieve at a much higher level than they do now, or even at a higher level than they previously believed they could, then he or she automatically raises those people’s views of themselves – their self-esteem soars and this triggers higher performance than was previously possible.
As they begin to perform at a higher level, then their expectations of themselves are raised even more, driving their performance even higher again.
Bottom line: if you have positive expectations of all of your people then, consciously and unconsciously, you will continually transmit those expectations and support your people in raising their performance and self-esteem.
A leader who makes his or her people feel that they are capable of much more than anyone else has ever made them feel is irresistibly charismatic – and drives the engagement that results in the productivity and organizational success that only charismatic leaders enjoy.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Recognize the Greatness in Others
Leadership Charisma suggests many new and insightful ways to lead people in ways that get them more engaged with their work. This month however we highlight one of those behaviors that most people know is essential to good leadership – recognizing the actions of those who work for you. But do you know why it works?
There is one key reason that charismatic leaders get such great results from
something as simple as making a point of recognizing when their people do a good job – and it is all to do with chemistry. Our amazing brain chemistry plays a large part in the effectiveness of recognition. When you give one of your people praise or recognition – and the higher the level of recognition the better – it triggers a release of the ‘feel good’ chemical Dopamine into their brains, increasing their sense of pride, wellbeing and pleasure.
Providing recognition primes your people's brains to understand that repeating the behavior that triggered the recognition will result in even more praise, which in turn results in further pleasure enhancing doses of Dopamine into their brains.
For the charismatic leader one of the most powerful ways of activating the ‘charismatic equation’, and making people feel good about their work and organization, is simply providing recognition in a genuine and authentic manner.
There is one key reason that charismatic leaders get such great results from
something as simple as making a point of recognizing when their people do a good job – and it is all to do with chemistry. Our amazing brain chemistry plays a large part in the effectiveness of recognition. When you give one of your people praise or recognition – and the higher the level of recognition the better – it triggers a release of the ‘feel good’ chemical Dopamine into their brains, increasing their sense of pride, wellbeing and pleasure.
Providing recognition primes your people's brains to understand that repeating the behavior that triggered the recognition will result in even more praise, which in turn results in further pleasure enhancing doses of Dopamine into their brains.
For the charismatic leader one of the most powerful ways of activating the ‘charismatic equation’, and making people feel good about their work and organization, is simply providing recognition in a genuine and authentic manner.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Energy & Enthusiasm
Since April each month I have highlighted the key principles of Leadership Charisma – WIIFM and the Charismatic Equation; and a few of the specific behaviors that make leaders charismatic – communication, vision and positivity. The series continues this month by considering the behavior of energy and enthusiasm.
You’ll occasionally meet some energetic and enthusiastic people who are not charismatic, but you’ll never meet a charismatic person who is not energetic and enthusiastic. The charismatic’s seemingly boundless energy, the perpetual motion that sees him or her take more decisive action, get more done and display more enthusiasm than anyone else, is hugely attractive.
Energy and enthusiasm are fundamental elements of charisma. To become charismatic you will need to master them.
Look what happens when you’re with someone enthusiastic. You automatically tune in and immediately start mimicking that person’s mood and behavior – psychologists call it ‘mood contagion’. You have unconsciously decided that you like what you see and how he or she feels, and you set yourself up to get some of that ‘feel-good’ factor for yourself.
Remember how the ‘charismatic equation’ said that you are charismatic if people feel better after interacting with you? Tap into your natural enthusiasm and you’ll infect all of your people with the positive energetic buzz that comes from that enthusiasm.
For any leader enthusiasm is critical – for a charismatic leader seeking to engage his or her people to the maximum it is absolutely indispensable.
If you want to learn more about Leadership Charisma and how you can become eligible for a free copy of the book, contact us at (402) 332-3031.
You’ll occasionally meet some energetic and enthusiastic people who are not charismatic, but you’ll never meet a charismatic person who is not energetic and enthusiastic. The charismatic’s seemingly boundless energy, the perpetual motion that sees him or her take more decisive action, get more done and display more enthusiasm than anyone else, is hugely attractive.
Energy and enthusiasm are fundamental elements of charisma. To become charismatic you will need to master them.
Look what happens when you’re with someone enthusiastic. You automatically tune in and immediately start mimicking that person’s mood and behavior – psychologists call it ‘mood contagion’. You have unconsciously decided that you like what you see and how he or she feels, and you set yourself up to get some of that ‘feel-good’ factor for yourself.
Remember how the ‘charismatic equation’ said that you are charismatic if people feel better after interacting with you? Tap into your natural enthusiasm and you’ll infect all of your people with the positive energetic buzz that comes from that enthusiasm.
For any leader enthusiasm is critical – for a charismatic leader seeking to engage his or her people to the maximum it is absolutely indispensable.
If you want to learn more about Leadership Charisma and how you can become eligible for a free copy of the book, contact us at (402) 332-3031.
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