Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Leadership Challenge: Do You Exercise Your Moral Muscle?

November 20, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: As a leader, you will be tested. These tests will not rate your IQ as much as your moral fiber. Who are you? What are you all about? When people come into contact with you, what do they remember? What do you want them to remember about you? If you don’t have the ‘moral muscle’ to stand up to the daily grind that often accompanies leadership, then you need to put yourself first and make the time to exercise! In this post, we’ll take a look at one of our coaching clients who experienced an opportunity to flex his ‘moral muscle’ and in the end, display its strength… Enjoy!

We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do… We’ve Got Spirit, How About You?

Dennis Deaton at Quma Learning has written a great piece, titled ‘The Ownership Spirit’ that acts as part manifesto, part instruction guide to a better life. Whether you are a leader or follower, Deaton would instruct that if you can identify your one grand ‘key’ you’ll be able to take control of your circumstances. He moves beyond works such as ‘The Secret’ inasmuch not only do your thoughts become things, but if you take responsibility for your actions, and perhaps most importantly own your mistakes and learn from them, life will become much more rewarding.

Moral Muscle

It was Deaton who in a recent email brought to light the concept of ‘moral muscle’ and the inherent need to exercise it. Similar to most muscles, if left without activity a state of atrophy sets in. This state of atrophy leads to further deterioration and ultimately does not leave you in your best position to make moral decisions moving forward (be those decisions quick, or more elaborate/thought-out ones).

Does This Ever Happen To You?

One of our clients at Tip of the Spear recently faced a moral dilemma. This C-Suite leader was contacted by an executive recruiter about an ‘opportunity’ that might be right for someone in his network. As things turned out, the ‘opportunity’ was ideal for none other than him (Shocking, right?) All of our leaders high potential recognition, leadership development, even our Centered Executive Coaching initiative had prepared him to take full advantage of the opportunity that was now at his proverbial ‘doorstep’.

Moral Muscle Fatigue

There was only one problem (Ok, there were multiple problems, but for our sake we’ll boil them down to the most important one)… In a word, it came down to what our C-Suite leader would describe as a test of his ‘moral fiber’. You see, our leader had been with only this organization for his entire career. “They took a chance on me, bringing me in as an entry-level analyst with little/no applicable experience. While I might not have had the fanciest degree from the best college, my tenacity coupled with leadership development allowed me to put myself in the best position at seemingly the right times throughout my career here. How could I leave?” The decision to stay versus go weighed heavily on the leader’s head and heart. He was fatigued beyond belief for one of our Centered Executive Coaching sessions.

Moral Muscle Meets Moral Compass

In the end, our leader decided to stay. His organization was none-the-wiser, as he never used this recruitment to better his position with organizational leaders. Instead, he chose to come away with many lessons learned. After asking himself “What can I learn here?” he realized the following (Obviously a condensed list):

My current company has provided me with so much.
The skills learned here are valued highly by others.
This is the organization that I want to retire at.
The people I work with are my family.
I will review future opportunities to see if they are better ‘fits’ for me at that time/place.
Money isn’t everything (but it sure helps!)
Who I am will not change, regardless of where I work/who I work with.
I need to strive to do my best work every minute of every day.
I will inspire others to achieve there best.
I will prepare my ‘moral muscle’ by exercising it daily through reflection/meditation.
While I won’t look back with regret, I will look forward with anticipation!

Summary

Our leader reacted in rather typical fashion, or perhaps atypical depending on how you look at it. While he wasn’t too concerned about this ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ passing him by, he was confident that he had made the right decision at that time. Ask yourself if you were given the same opportunity how you would react… Would it be different? Would it be the same? What would you consider? Would your ‘moral muscle’ come to assist/fail you?

If you’d like to learn more about the Tip of the Spear Business Advisory Services, consisting of our Leadership Development programs using ‘The Leadership Challenge’ methodology, Centered Executive Coaching programs centered with Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centered Coaching methodology, or are Communication Skills Training for Leaders series please use the CONTACT US page of this website.

The Leadership Challenge: Conducting Post-Mortem Reviews

November 18, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: If you’re like most of the leaders we work with at Tip of the Spear, you’re moving forward. Sometimes you’re achieving your goals on-time/on-target, others you seem to be failing forward… Either way, you’re moving ahead! So this got us thinking… What if there was a way in which we could move forward faster after implementing a new initiative (i.e., change)? Our solution: The Post-Mortem Review. In this post we take a look at the post-mortem and how it can help you as a leader… Enjoy!

The Post-Mortem Review

As a leader, you have a specific focus at your organization. Typically, we see that as identifying future direction, establishing alignment around the proper course, and insuring that you arrive on-time/on-target. But what if you don’t arrive on-time/on-target? Will you boldly establish new direction/alignment and head off again? Will anyone follow you?

Measure Twice, Cut Once

When we started with the Centered Executive Coaching initiative at Tip of the Spear, we knew that we were on to something different in the executive coaching/business consulting world. One of our executive coaching clients at the time asked why we were asking so many questions, and what the ‘metrics’ were to either support/determine baseline measurement. The reason was that we were measuring not only where we were at, but more importantly establishing goals for where we wanted to go during our initiative.

The Initiative Launch Sequence (ILS)
With the start of any new initiative, there typically is a flurry of excitement (and cause for pause if there is resistance to change). The typical Initiative Launch Sequence (ILS) consists of the following steps: Conception, Projection, Development Planning, Production. In our leadership development programs we typically set the tone that while there is much preparation needed for such launches, you not only need to establish a goal time period for when results will be achieved, but most importantly when you will begin/start the initiative! We’ve seen way too many leaders waste time prepping/planning/preparing only to never start (or start way too late!)

Centered Executive Coaching Questions

However, with all this in mind the real learning moment comes not only upfront, but at the end of the initiative. Something we like to call a ‘Post-Mortem Review’. This review, similar to an autopsy, attempts to identify the following:

In reviewing unsuccessful ILS events, what went wrong?
In reviewing unsuccessful ILS events, what went right?
Was there a single ILS stage that caused potential not to be realized?
Were there multiple ILS stages that caused potential not to be achieved?
Keep people out of your post-mortem identification process!
Focus on processes in your post-mortem identification process!
Do you move from initiative to initiative, without proper post-mortem review?
What areas do you explore in your post-mortem review?
Do you consolidate lessons learned in post-mortem reviews?
Who participates in post-mortem reviews?
Are you too exceptional to conduct post-mortem reviews?
Is your leadership ego in the way of post-mortem reviews?
Is everyone speaking the truth (open/honest) in post-mortem reviews?

The Results

The results from conducting Post-Mortem Reviews have allowed leadership who actively conduct such meetings is that future results are achieved faster. There is less waste (time/money), greater production, increased alignment of personnel, and better results. The leadership challenge of conducting post-mortem reviews can be greatly relieved (and that’s a relief, right!)

If you’d like to learn more about Post-Mortem Reviews, or any of the Business Advisory Services at Tip of the Spear including Centered Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, and our Communication Skills Training for Leaders offerings use the CONTACT US page of this website.

What are Your 2015 Leadership Development Goals?

November 14, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: You have been called to lead a company that is planning to expand nationwide or globally. You have the responsibility of leading a new team, keeping costs in check, and also to select the best people from the headquarters to lead those other offices. You will obviously need communication skills and financial know-how to achieve these goals. But this doesn’t end here, because leadership development is intimately linked with an individual’s personal development. The following are some of most crucial leadership development goals that you can set for yourself… Enjoy!

#5 Be More Open

Success leads to self-confidence, and self-confidence (many times) leads to arrogance. Many CEOs consider themselves intellectually superior to others, and thus, they don’t feel the need to listen to what people have to say. In fact, we have seen some really snobbish ‘leaders’ who don’t mind cutting off a person when contradicted. But what this does is stop people from sharing their ideas with you, and you will never get any honest feedback on any professional decision that you take. This, my friends, is the ultimate recipe for corporate disaster. Try to be more open to what other people are saying for the simple reason that you don’t know everything, and exposing yourself to a variety of viewpoints only leads to your intellectual growth.

#4 Listen Like you Mean It

Following from the previous point, being open doesn’t mean that you just sit like a dummy when people are talking. , waiting patiently for their turn to get over so that you can correct or enlighten them with your knowledge. This is not the way to go. Instead, when you ask for other people’s opinions, do listen carefully. Turn towards them, look them in the eye, and continue nodding from time to time. Even if you don’t agree to what is being said, your employees and colleagues will still feel respected by these small gestures.

#3 Take Command Over your Emotions

When times are rough and the economy is in shambles, your organization will look up to for directions. Even when you don’t have all the answers, your confidence and self-assurance can help calm them down. Consider the example of Winston Churchill. His personal emotional downturns and bouts of depression are well-documented, but he was always managed to assure the people around him and give them hope even in times as horrible as the Second World War. So learn to keep your emotions under your control.

#2 Health is Wealth

The corporate world is slowly accepting the wisdom behind this adage. As a leader, you are supposed to energize and mobilize your workforce. But how you can you do that, as you are on the verge of burnout due to lack of sleep, unhealthy eating, and excessively long work hours?. Not to mention, workplace stress is on the rise. To counter all this and to ensure your long-term success as a leader, start taking care of yourself. Learn to work smart and delegate more often. Go home, spend time with family, meditate, and get a good night’s sleep.

#1 Keep Yourself Informed

Finally, a trait of successful leaders is that they are constantly learning. This is a key attribute that will help you in the face of changing business conditions. Read voraciously, blogs, trade journals, and books. Teddy Roosevelt used to read at least one book per day when he was President. I think you can manage one a every week.!

In addition, attend seminars and trade shows to meet like-minded professionals. Best of all, consider taking on a mentor to help you with leadership development.

Summary

To sum up, while corporate training and financial wisdom helps you rise the ranks to become CEO, maintaining your effectiveness as a leader depends on personal development as well, especially in terms of how you engage with people and manage your physical/emotional health.

If you’d like more information about Tip of the Spear’s Business Advisory Services, consisting of Centered Executive Coaching, Leadership Development through ‘The Leadership Challenge’ methodology, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders use the CONTACT US page of this website.

So You Want to Create a Leadership Development Program? 5 Tips!

November 13, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: If you have a started a company and want to expand in the next couple of years, then you need to understand the way American work demographics are changing. As more than 10,000 employees have already reached 65, the typical job scenario where there were hundreds and thousands of applicants for a limited number of positions is about to change. Hence, if you need to talent to drive your company forward, it most probably has to come from within. In this article, we list down 5 tips to create a leadership development program that fulfills this purpose… Enjoy!

#5 List Down the Leadership Challenge(s) That Needs to be Addressed

To start off, the very first thing you need to do is prepare a list of essential leadership challenge(s) that need to be tackled in the development program. For instance, you need to have a rough idea of what kind of leadership team you want to run your organization, and the crucial talent and abilities should they posses.

#4 Honestly Evaluate Where Your Team Stands Now

Now that you have listed the goals for the leadership development programNext, you have to indentify the strengths and weakness of your team to determine how close or far away they are from achieving those goals. Ask yourself:

Is my team organized?
Can they motivate their subordinates?
Are they organized?
Do they communicate effectively?
Do they exemplify ethics and gravitas?
Can they resolve conflicts? (Also see which team member actually causes the conflicts)

It will be better than your list down the goals and the answers to the above questions side-by-side. Leave some space in between to write down the solutions required to fill the gap.

#3 Take your Team On-Board

Once the ‘paperwork’ is complete, you need to interview the strongest leadership candidates in your firm to determine the best practices for applying those skills. Since they are the ones being trained, the feedback of your team is highly important, especially when it comes to assessing factors like:

The most rewarding (and challenging) aspects of the job
The best strategies for employee motivation and conflict resolution
The best strategies for measuring success
The ways in which the company should hire and coach new employees

#2 Choose the Best Training Method

If you are dealing with multiple employees and managers that need to be trained for future leadership positions, then you should look for a variety for training methods. Encourage them to take on online courses and improve their reading. There is a great wealth of unearthed leadership literature, plus new webinars and podcasts that they should stay vary of. Plus there are seminars, retreats, presentations, and personal mentoring. The method you choose depends on:

The skills that are need for leadership development
The accuracy of gauging feedback of that method
The time you want the effects of the training to last

#1 Hire a Leadership Coach

While the above-mentioned training methods are highly effective, there is much benefit in hiring a leadership coach. A leadership coach can help in the following ways:

By easing your transition from a specialist to a all-round leader
By acting as your sounding board and offering you valuable insights for self-improvement
By brining additional expertise to the table
By focusing on a key leadership challengebehavioral (such as the inability to confront bad employees)

Summary

If you want to secure the future of your organization, you need to invest in your existing talent to become the leaders of tomorrow, and this can only be achieved with a robust leadership development program.

Leadership Development Around The World

November 12, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Maya Angelou once wrote that …‘what is true anywhere is true everywhere’. While the later author had a different context in mind, herThis quote is relevant to the world of business, especially when we talk about leadership development. Latest research shows that business leaders around the world face uncertainties as we head into 2015. In this article, we discuss the major leadership challenge(s) organizations across the globe face… Enjoy!

#5 Efficient Management

So much to do and so little time to do it is a major leadership challenge, not only in America but in countries like India and China as well. It should also be added that along with time, personal health and stamina are also valuable commodities that a leader cannot afford to spend excessively. So before a leader starts to manage a business, he needs to learn how to manage his own time and energy. This calls for prioritization, strategic thinking, and more delegation. This is especially true when you also have to manage the internal politics and act as mediator between the various stakeholders to avoid conflict.\

#4 Employee Development

When we talk about a greater need of delegation, we first need to have talented employees that can be trusted with important organizational tasks. Not only is the modern leader responsible for hiring people that have the potential to serve as future leaders in the firm, but he must also mentor and coach them. Employee development is a pressing need for businesses that are struggling with a lack of skilled applicants, especially in Egypt.

#3 Motivating the Workforce

It is not enough for the senior management to verbally tell the employees how valued they are to the organization. Actively inspiring and motivating others to ensure both operational efficiency and job satisfaction is also part of developing a company’s human material. Economies like Singapore are increasingly researching ways on how keep employees motivated.

#2 Team Management

It is not enough to hire and nurture skilled employees. As a leader, you also need to bring all these people on the same page as team and facilitate their individual and collective growth. One of the best ways to lead a team is to hire an executive coach for the entire group. That way, the workforce development becomes streamlined. Spanish and British companies especially need to pay attention to their leaders’ team management skills, and so do organizations at home.

#1 The Leader as Change Master

Finally and most importantly, leaders need to understand that they operate in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. This means that no matter how hard you work to create an innovative, efficient, and healthy organizational, both internal and externals factors will continue to disturb this stability. This environment can only be tackled by leaders that are flexible and open to change. Surprisingly, countries like England list receptivity resistance to chance as a top leadership challenge.

Summary

To sum up, the modern leader faces common challenges regardless of the country s/he works in. They are responsible for not only supervising, but training and motivating diverse groups of people to make the workplace more efficient and to achieve company objectives. Now that these common challenges have been identified, finding effective strategies to counter them will help leaders of tomorrow to run profitable companies, even in uncertain economic conditions.

Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

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