How Leaders Cope

Looking at life there are many opportunities to dwell in misfortune, misunderstanding and pain. Usually at the centre of all of this strife is the fact that we feel we cannot cope with what is taking place around it.

Leaders can get to this point at anytime - number crunches, people issues, client retention, operational controls...there are a lot of balls to juggle.  It is easy to say 'just breathe' but it can still feel overwhelming. 

Leaders who focus on good planning, solid obstacle anticipation and great delegating find they are not feeling the same disorganized stress.  At the same time, life happens - kids get sick, parents need someone to attend appointments with them, there is a flood in your basement and on and on.   Life is not slow, it is fast.  Life can also be very complex. 


Well, here goes. Take Control. (I don't usually get too spiritual but I truly believe that you are never given more than you can handle by the universe or then powers driving it) At the very least this gives us the ability to cope, and here is how:


1-believe in yourself, you can get through it

2-care about yourself, make decisions that align with your values

3-have courage. Risks are not easy; taking on new challenges, wading through tough times takes courage. Dig within yourself to find it. It is there.

4-realize your worthiness. You have been put on earth for a reason, you are worthy of the successes and celebrations that will cross your path. Celebrate! Be successful! Get through the hard times and move forward.

You can do it! Take control. Surprise the universe, and yourself!
 
Solid leaders ensure their team has a mechanism that can help them cope.  It can be a simple as an open door policy or more advance, like a resouce hotline that provides professional advice or care.  Helping your team cope can be a simple as asking how they are doing each day - by learning about them, understanding what pressures they have outside of work, you can be a sounding board, a release valve or a safe haven....a place for rest and focus.
 
What do you do to cope?  How do you help your team cope?

How Bad is Your Leadership?

Have you ever stopped to think about your own leadership and if you are falling into traps that make your leadership 'bad'?

This can take your breath away if and when you stop to think about here.

Take a moment and consider this....as a leader are you focused on others or are you focused on self-preservation?  With the challenges that come at leaders daily, it is possible to stop thinking about the former and focusing on the latter...especially if the job (and the title) is on the line.

Here are a few ways to stop this:

• self-preservation leads to no longer changing...this is the downfall of leaders and companies all over the place
• analyse why you are in self-preservation mode - what is threatening you?  What are you afraid of?
• remove the obstacles by confronting them - whether they are in your head of physical you will have to move beyond them to feel safe and ready to grow again (getting a coach to help you sort this out will do wonders)
• look at why you are doing what you do...is it still aligned (and is the company still aligned) to your own personal values.  If it is not, is it time to make a change?

Remember, the leadership you provide influences the attitudes of those who follow you. That influence can be either positive or negative.

This free download can help you examine the leadership you are receiving and maybe even highlight some traps that you could fall into if you are not careful.  How to Survive Poor Leadership - click to download.

Learn from Your Clients

Sometimes the student becomes the teacher.  This is also true about clients.

In the last few months I have mentioned Unique Abilities and have also spent time learning about what my clients and friends think of my unique abilities.  Not only that - I have spent time thinking through the best part of my day - always with clients, always interacting, always framing and creating a shift. 

By doing this I have found where I love to be on a daily basis.  What better way to drive my sales and bottom line than to spend my time doing what I do best, according to my clients and my unique abilities.  So off goes the lightbulb - what if I structured all of 2012 around that.  Simply doing what I love and know that I can get results with clients to help them be successful.  Great idea.

Here is what you can look for this year:

• more Mastermind Teams in-person and online/teleseminar format - including a quarterly women's only group launching late Spring
• 3 new programs only - Client Attraction, The Soft Side of Starting a Business & Get to the Heart of Your Business
• new newsletter format (Notes to Self! - you may as well learn what I learn so that you can take best practices or avoid my mistakes!)
• VIP Program called The Solstice VIP Group
• product line of downloads for all existing webinar programs

Sounds like an ambitious 2012....and when you write it down, or type it out, it has a certain flavour of reality about it.

Good leaders know they need to take time to ensure that everything aligns  - whatever goals you have by department, they need to align with the overall corporate goals, align with the culture and values of the company and include the ability to stretch the team..develop people while reaching those goals.

What have you done to set up 2012 for a successful conclusion?  You know you need to begin with the end in mind.

Year in Review

I spent some time looking at last year...2011.  What was good?  What was great?  What did I like or not like?  How did it really go.

By now, you have already completed your business plan (if not, click here and let's get started) so looking at the rest of the picture, now that you have your numbers should be a pretty interesting exercise.

Here is what I learned:

• I love my clients...they push me, they drive me, they inspire me
• I love the coaching work that I do - in private sessions and in Mastermind Teams - my passion is seeing others get that ah-ha moment and make that shift to a new space or frame or mind.
• I love the relationships that I get to build, expanding my network and simply meeting very cool, interesting people that eventually may become clients - no worries if they do not.
• I love marketing and business planning - this is where I can work out new strategies and tactics as well as share my secrets with others.

So as well as the love part of my business, there is a need for the opposite to exist; in other words, it's not all roses....

• I do not like the tracking, paperwork and tedious stuff that goes along with running your own business.
• I do not like the lack of value that gets placed on my time - by myself and by others.  I can easily get distracted, especially online....others can distract me by engaging me into enterprises that may or may not need my expertise...just sound interesting.
• I do not like my tough road ahead to help entrepreneurs and executives understand their need for a coach....and for a business plan....and for a marketing plan....to eliminate the tendency for others to fly-by-the-seat of their pants.

Taking all of this into consideration, I have been able to enhance my own 2012 business plan to include some of these items...more of the stuff I love, less of the stuff I don't except for the last one----this will be my focus - to get business leaders to understand the need to plan to get results, not just believe they will happen.

What about you?  What did you find in your own evaluation of the 2011 stuff that was not strictly the dollars and cents?  Share please - we can all use the insights.

The Help

Have you seen this movie yet?  My husband and I went last week. I have not, in a ver long time, sat and watched the movie credits through to the end.  The entire crowd in a very full theatre sat through the credits.  We were all in awe....or waiting for something to happen next and it never did.

Why is 'The Help' a subject in a leadership blog?  Go see the movie.  It is about change - changing times, changing attitudes, changing believes and the difficulties that come with change - getting others to understand the change, being the lone trailblazer, against all odds sticking to your beliefs, your values....holding your values up and holding onto them in the face of crisis and emotion and knowing that you could run and be just like everyone else, or be yourself.

An amazing story.  An eye-opener.  A true miracle to watch.

Leadership DNA

So....what are you made of?  What can you say, comprises you, or your leadership?
How do you know that what you have is what it takes to be a leader?

Leadership DNA is a project that I have been working on for a while.  It has been living in the back of my mind - germinating - so to speak.  It has come to light in the form of a series of half- day workshops that will begin in the Fall of 2011 in my local market.  But this is not a commercial, more of an introduction to what has been developing and why.  (If you would really like to read more about it go to my website http://www.solsticegroupcoaching.com/ and look at 'Leadership')

I have discovered (and I don't usually write about myself, but I am today) that leaders come in all shapes and sizes, experiences and inexperiences, and -as if you didn't already know - a variety of interests and ideologies that make them up.  At the same time, they seem to all be focused on one particular outcome - that the service of others - their company, their team, their community, comes before their ego.

I have also discovered that there is a lack of understanding about leadership - what it is, what it can do, how it can influence and connect with others.  All off the leadership traits are personal and reflected outward in a manner that creates a positive and motivating environment. 
It is sharing what you know. 
It is providing value without further intention.
It is being yourself and responsible for your actions, accountable to the world around you.

Look at yourself - what do you think?

Leadership and Culture

I work with numerous leaders. One common topic in the first six months of this year has been culture. Developing one, enhancing one, changing one....culture becomes top of mind when companies are in start-up, some cultures simply evolve. Some are deliberately developed and some are deliberately changed based on the needs of the business and it's development. (If you want to read a great culture story, check out Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh from Zappos.com!)


The leaders that focus on culture can see that culture is the direct outcome or output of their mission and values (those of the company too). It is how activity takes place, how relationships start and a built, how all decisions are measured....."does it match our culture?"

So why is it that leaders in emerging companies are only just now recognizing that they actually hold the keys to culture or perhaps better said, the tools to sculpt the culture?  To me this is leadership 101. Build the business with the mission and values that are displayed in the culture.

Organizations shifting priorities or specialities or niches need to take the culture and help it adapt to the new priority. Shifting a culture is about changing the processes and interactions of people. Not easy, but can be done. It takes a measured plan, key outcomes that can be measured and of course a lot of leading by example.
How has your organization evolved over the last few years?
What culture shifts have occurred or are you spotting that need to take place?
As the leader, what are you waiting for?

Lead a Life of Service

There is a relationship in life to service. By living a life of service, you are in fact following a path that provides for others. It is a selfless life. Not selfless in the manner of giving everything away (unless you want to). In business, service is how we take care of our customers or clients, how we take care of each other -co-workers, colleagues, peers, leaders, support teams.

Service can be described in the following ways:
• A way to make others happy
• A transaction in exchange for payment, either for a product or experience
• The opportunity to care for others
By taking the description of service and applying it to our companies and our teams, you can begin to form a structure or even parameters to develop a service-oriented value base. By developing a service culture or atmosphere, you will then start relating how the organization operates to the benefit the customer will derive. The golden rule -treat others how you wish to be treated, or treat others how they would like to be treated, certainly lend themselves to a service environment. Understanding that service is for both internal and external customers, the rules still apply.

Should the type of customer influence our level of service? Absolutely not! The goal of a service-driven organization is to build confidence in the company- both internally and externally, and to empower good decision making based on a service philosophy. Internally, team members will make decisions in the best interest of then external customer. Externally, customers will make the decision to purchase your product or service on a regular basis.

Service requires skill. Service requires the ability to communicate, including verbal and written skills, listening skills, ability to empathize, get buy in, commitment to achieve and execute as well as admit mistakes, correct them and move forward.

Service requires patience and the ability to resolve conflicts, the ability to introduce and implement change, the ability to create a vision and build a plan to reach that vision. Service sounds a lot like leadership. In fact, leaders are in the service business.

Service provides confidence, builds relationships and creates opportunities where people can be empowered, develop and grow. Teams understand how to build relationships because of the service model they embody everyday and have a mechanism for making decisions because of the value set that service provides.

Whether you have chosen a life of service or fallen into it, you can begin to see that life and the experiences life brings lends itself well to service of others. Leaders frequently call upon stories, past experiences to teach others lessons that they have learned along the way. Sharing is service. Being available is service. Lending a hand is service. Providing feedback and open, honest communication is service. Service comes from the most authentic part of us. Service does not single out anyone but instead creates an equal footing for all. Do you lead a life of service?

Get Inspired

With my past experience and surfing the Internet, I have always looked for sites or businesses that inspire me.
I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful leader named Don Soderquist.  He now operates a leadership center in Arkansas.  It is called the Soderquist Center and their philosophy is quite straight-forward:

'No matter what business you are in, values matter'.

As simple as it sounds, it is not always true.  The Soderquist Center provides many services, and best of all, it provides a newsletter that keeps you focused on developing your leadership through the examples of others.

Take a few minutes and surf the site, you can connect with them on Twitter or Facebook, or just check back every once in a while to see what's going on.  This is not a paid blog.  I am sharing my resources with you!

Inspiration from Young Leaders

Look around and see who is in your neighborhood.  It is amazing the leadership you will find in your own backyard or on the ball diamond or nearby soccer pitch.  Leadership is in action all around us. 

As adults, we sometimes overlook that one of the main features of leadership is caring.  The ability to look out for others, eliminate perceptions and work towards a common goal.

One particular inspiration is an aspiring athlete.  Though he has been told numerous times that his height may keep him from getting very far, he is out playing his sport every day.  He has built a regime for fitness, cardiovascular improvement, sport-specific skills and found teams to play with that make a difference to his skill level.  He will not allow what others have said to negatively affect his performance.  He actually has set out to prove them wrong.

At the same time as he is out there working, he teaches others to play, takes his time with thier skill-level and approaches each day and each shot as the gift that it truly is to him.  His passion will lead him to his future.  The skills he is acquiring now will make his future a success.

A Point Above the Rest

You Can Be A Point Above the Rest

You are a Leader

You don't need a title to be a leader. Your leadership is reflected in your actions, your values, your words...simply - in who YOU are in your work, your community and your life.

Leadership is an attitude ...and when you are leading a team, their attitude reflects your leadership.
Points of Leadership:

1. Disciplined
2. Decisive
3. Focused
4. Visionary
5. Empathetic
6. Energetic
7. Communicator
8. Sets Example
9. Develops Others
10. Build Teams

We are all leaders, and we can move this world to a new vision of the future.

         

Have Courage

There are a lot of words that can describe courage - bravery, guts, nerve, daring, pluck, even audacity and heroism. If you act authentically, you will definitely be a person who has courage. Courage is not only for leaders and risk-takers; courage is a trait you have when you act within your values.



Acting authentically tells us that you have a set of values that reflect in every decision that you make, every action you complete, every thought that you have. Many times we can be pulled in directions that may not correspond to our values. This is the time that courage steps up and helps us to find the decision or action that keeps us true to ourselves. You could call yourself ‘plucky’ at this time!


Having courage to do what is right, even in the face of doing what is easy takes courage and the risk you assume by doing so, may lead you to understand how you operate in the face of adversity and pressure. Keeping a strong focus on our values makes having ‘guts’ easier.


Following that, we can also say that standing up against what is wrong and speaking out to defend others who need it can certainly be called courageous and brave – think of the last time you spent a few minutes debating right and wrong with someone. Did you step in to the conversation to make a point because you felt compelled to help them understand your viewpoint? Did you take a risk by doing this? You acted with your conscience and values – congratulations! You are courageous.


Here are a few circumstances that define courage:


Following your heart instead of your peers


Staying out of gossip and disrespectful behavior


Letting others take the lead for their own benefit instead of your own


Taking responsibility for your actions


Apologizing


Sticking to your message, even when others do not agree


Follow the rules – be the example that everyone follows


Look for better ways to do everything – challenge and continuously improve


How courageous are you?