Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

Is Leadership Development a Waste of Time?

November 11, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Less than 10% of all employees trust their leaders. Only 40% of leaders have a high view of their organizational leadership, while only 1 in 4 people in HR are satisfied with its company’s senior management. Meanwhile, investments in leadership development continue to be rolled out in billions. But since we are not seeing the necessary results, many question the very need of paying for leadership development. So we thought we’d ask… Is leadership development a waste of time? Unequivocally we can say that we don’t agree, and here are three reasons why… Enjoy!

A Leader Connects the Dots

Taking an example of sports entertainment, the demise of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) serves as the perfect example of how a lack of leadership can bring a multi-billion dollar corporation to the ground, even when they have all the right tools in place. WCW hired the top wrestling talent and executives not only from its rival promotion, but from international companies as well. It had wrestling stars that actually made sports entertainment popular in the 80s. Then there were celebrities like Jay Leno and KISS who made frequent appearances on the company’s shows. Most importantly, WCW has the backing of a media giant.

So what went wrong? To start off, no one knew who the boss was. Decisions were made at the last minutes, and no one was there to control the inflated egos (and inflated paychecks) of the top stars. In the end, the company was acquired by a rival promotion which WCW had outrun in TV ratings for a better half of the late 90s. The difference: this other company was run by an innovative leader.

A Leader Motivates

When only 7% of employees trust the top executives in their company, we have a serious issue of workplace motivation. Yes, good paychecks, job security, and employee benefits go a long way in motivating people to bring out their best for a company, but let us not forget the role of a leader in maintaining job satisfaction in his team.

We can relate this from personal experience how many people resign on the spot when they hear about a senior manager leaving the company. While they may not admit it when given job satisfaction surveys, the reasons that employees give for resenting work boils down to leadership. They will use words like ‘low morale’ and ‘poor communication’, they are obviously talking about the quality of leadership in the company.

Once again, even if all pieces of the puzzle are in place, employees will still feel de-motivated if there is no genuine leadership above themto guide them.

A Leader Gives Direction

Finally and most importantly, a leader plays the same role as an editor of a major publication. You see, no matter how many great writers contribute to The Chicago Tribune or The New Yorker, what makes a publication stand out is its unique voice that resonates through every piece of content in its pages, even the ads. A typical newspaper editor has to sift through millions of words everyday to bring out the best articles and stories that stick true to the publication’s overall theme.

This is exactly what a leader does. Using robust communication skills, he instills the company’s vision into each of his employees so that everyone works towards a common goal. He spots the best talent, and deals with the bad seeds effectively. But while an editor may work in anonymity, CEOs and other business leaders are constantly being monitored, both by their team and the industry at large.

So, considering how important leaders are, the cost of not paying for their coaching and development is too significant to be expressed in numbers.

Summary

There is a definite dearth of effective leadership in corporations across the globe, which is why we cannot disregard the importance of leadership development. At the same time, unless such programs are tweaked to take these challenges into account, we are not going to see radical changes in the way things are run.

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.

As a Leader Do Your Presentation Communication Skills Suck?

November 7, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: While this might not be the main criteria on an executive’s job description, giving presentations is a regular feature of your C-Suite career. Most CEOs think that their position in the organization will ensure that everyone will listen to what they present and accept it wholeheartedly. But when it comes to long-term success as a leader, this is not the best strategy to follow… In other words, it’s not a given! Following are some effective leadership development skills that will help you give great presentations… Enjoy!

#4 Have Technical Command Over Your Material

Preparation is key. If the audience gets the slightest impression that you are speaking impromptu (see next point), then they will not take your presentations seriously or perhaps take it too lightly. Any future endeavor in this regard will just be a waste of time. So even if you are an expert in the topic you will speak on, you should still develop a logical outline on paper.

#3 Speak, Don’t Read

While you have prepared notes and PowerPoint slides, you should NOT read off them. Your presentation should be like a conversation, not a robotic repetition of facts and figures. You have to develop a nice balance of intense preparation and impromptu speaking to make your presentation as natural as possible. For instance, you can choose to include some humor or comment on a recent cultural event to increase the audience’s interest in what you have to say at the opening, middle or closing (It’s complicated, right?)

#2 Command Attention

As mentioned at the outset, you simply cannot expect people to pay you complete attention simply because you’re a C-Suite executive. Instead, you have to make sure you’re using the right body language and gestures to ensure that your audience is really listening. Stand upright, and maintain eye contact with the audience are two examples of proper presentation body language.

#1 Be Concise

Writing or speaking more is not considered authoritative any more. Consider what Winston Churchill had to say on the length of the speech:

‘If you want me to speak for two minutes, it will take me three weeks of preparation, it will take me a week to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready now.’

There is much wisdom in this quote. You have to respect people’s time and get straight to the point. When you are clear and succinct in your presentations, your audience will not resent it (but actually anticipate it).

Summary

Presentations being a vital part of leadership communication skills, you have to use the tips given above to boost the quality of your presentations. Pay special attention to the general mood of the audience, and based on that, use a mix of preparation and casual conversation, all the while using body language to command their attention.

How to Ensure Leadership Development Succeeds

November 6, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Here at the Tip of the Spear ‘The Point!’ blog we have highlighted the importance of investing in leadership development. We have also talked about how effective leadership development is in terms of ROI (such as with Executive Coaching). But all these benefits are only possible if the leadership development is approached in the right manner. In this post, we list four tips to make a leadership development endeavor successful… Enjoy!

#4 Measure Results

More often than not, the effectiveness of a leadership development program is judged by the satisfaction of the executives. While there is nothing wrong in using satisfaction as a criterion, Bbut satisfaction doesn’t always guarantee effectiveness. In fact, satisfaction can also mean that executive wasn’t challenged at all during the development training. Money wasted. The same is true when you only use participant feedback. In this scenario, the trainee will learn to game the system and perform in a specific manner simply to ‘pass the test’.

That is why it necessary to use effective systems to track progress and measure changes in the leader’s behavior over time. If participant feedback proves to be ineffective, imagine the implications ofconsider using 360 degree-feedback, where the results of the training exercises are shared with others. Of course, you can still say that the leader will only perform under the fear of negative feedback in this case as well, instead of experiencing genuine behavioral changes. But more on this in a while.

In the long run, the true measure of leadership development success is productivity boosts, cost savings, improved job satisfaction, and increased profits.

#3 Personal Development

While leadership training focuses on improving the corporate performance of managers and executives, many a times this involves prying a little in the trainee’s personality as well. Sometimes, a reluctance to change and improve as a leader often stems from the person’s mind-set. Employees, fellow managers, and even the board of directors don’t feel comfortable in addressing these issues, but this is where a leadership coach comes in. He will identify the root cause of why the leader is acting in the way he does, which may prove to be a little discomforting at first (see the point on satisfaction above), but this is necessary. Maybe the person is an introvert, or he has trust issues. These need to be resolved so that company objectives are fulfilled.

#2 Context is King

Many things come under the leadership umbrella: writing, speaking, listening, body language, confidence, personal grooming, emotional intelligence, and so on. You may excel at some of theseleadership skills, while lack at others. The key is to identify which areas of your leadership persona are most relevant to the company’s overall goals (or current strategic needs), and then to determine which of these skills need improvement. For best results, leadership training should only be focused on 1-2 core areas.

#1 Development on the Job

Finally, considering that the leader is the most crucial element in the organizational structure, it is hard to determine the mode of training. Should he take some time off work, be trained after work, or during the job? Every option has its pros and cons, but theThe third one seems to be the best, considering that this will not affect the company’s operations in any way. For example, if the trainee is an introvert and he needs to make a presentation on the company’s financial progress in the last quarter, the coach can teach him how to face a crowd with confidence. Thus, he is not only being trained while working, but the quality of his work will improve in the process. Not to mention, you will get feedback from the very people you are leading.

Summary

Once again, the only way in which leadership training can succeed is when it is approached with the right frame of mind. Underlying issues need to be identified, the training should be contextual, and most importantly, there should be a robust method to track results.

Top 5 Leadership Communication Skills That Will Get You Promoted

November 6, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: When it comes to moving up the corporate ladder, it is things like integrity, a polished appearance, and communication skills training for leaders that take you to the very top. But there is a caveat. While years of integrity and robust communication skills take you to the C-Suite, only one mistake can bring you back to square one. In this post, we list 5 Communication Skills that will lower the chance of this happening… Enjoy!

#5 Excelling At Public Speaking

This is a given! Reaching the proverbial ‘Ivory Tower’, doesn’t mean that you get to lock yourself in a tower (or room), detached from your workforce and clients. On the contrary, you need to face the audience, both in front of you and behind the cameras sometimes. Note that a leader needs to be proficient at both group interactions and one-to-one interactions.

#4 Create Engagement

This follows from the previous point. Leaders, both men and women, have the ability to make their presence known when they are addressing a room. This not only entails oratory skills and the ability to make the message as concise as possible, but also good posture and body language. We typically see leaders attempting to lead, but with little/no one following them! With this in mind, during your presentations/conversations you might want to look to engage your audience with questions.

#3 Exude Self-Confidence

As a leader, you get to make all the decisions and get all the credit for the organizations success. But as mentioned at the outset, the leader gets all the blame, because s/he is expected to know all the answers. Think of it as success being the father of many, while failure is relegated to fatherhood of a few. As an emerging executive, it is your job to have an opinion, and stick to it. But more than that, you also have to develop the ability to make your opinion known and accepted by your workforce without being confrontational.

#2 Enter Empathy

Many executives feel that they should be at an arm’s length from their workforce. However, true leadership entails that you engage with the people who work with you. This means that you improve your listening skills and make your audience feel valued. Turn your attention towards them completely and maintain eye contact. This is will cause your workforce to believe that they have a leader that listens to them. This will also allow them to see you as someone that can relate/understand where they are coming from (i.e., empathy).

#1 Laugh at Yourself

This doesn’t mean that you become a stand-up comedian. However, leadership communication skills do involve a sense of humor and the ability to engage people in casual conversations from time to time. You should also use some self-effacing humor from time to time while also taking cues from culture headlines to improve the receptivity of your message.

Summary

Being promoted involves that you ramp up your communications skills, especially drawing attention towards yourself speaking, while gauging the audience’s body language and facial expression to see how well they are receiving the message.

10 Leadership Development Goals for 2015

November 5, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Leadership development is the need of the hour for 2015 (or it should be!) More and more organizations are recognizing this need, which is resulting in billions of dollars being spent on training C-suite executives. However, a leadership development program is effective only when the objectives are clearly defined. Here are 10 leadership development goals that you can consider working in 2015… Enjoy!

#10 Greater Interaction With Your Team

Stop hiding behind your desk. Open your cabin door on a regular basis, and try to interact with your colleagues and employees. Emphasis on interaction. Most CEOs like to speak in monologue, even in front of an audience. Avoid that, and instead, increase two-way communication with your team.

#9 Action Based on Data

Intuition is not enough when you are leading a business. You need to stay up-to-date on your data, not only from the company archives, but from market surveys, reports, white papers, and trade journals etc. While innovation is essential for long-term growth, when there are budgetary concerns, you need implement strategies that is known to work.

#8 Strive for Clarity

Today’s business climate is marred by volatility. Leaders need to be on the go to stay at par with competition. While this calls for leaders that are flexible, it is equally important that they should know to communicate with clarity. Whether it is informing your team of a new business policy or introducing a new communication system in the office, you should learn the art of getting straight to the point without wasting a moment.

#7 Meaningful Messages

This follows from the previous point. Improving communication is one thing, but needless meetings, emails, memos, and presentations only interrupt your team instead of helping them work better. So, while you should entertain casual conversations with your colleagues from time to time, for the most part, you should speak only to add value to your listeners.

#6 Be Open to Criticism

In this age where employee/management trust is at an all-time low, those leaders are lucky that a team that speaks honestly to them. Once you assure people that you will give their opinions a fair hearing (even if they go against something you said and did earlier), you not only build trust with your team, but you always know what is going on in their mind.

#5 Talent Development

The leader of tomorrow actively participates in finding and nurturing employees that will implement those instructions to the best of their abilities. If you want to lead the best team, then you essentially need to handpick the topmost talent in the organization.

#4 Pick Out Future Leaders

In line with #5, a mark of a true leader is that he prepares others to take his position when his time is up. If you the company that you ran with such fervent passion to reach new horizons, then you need to develop leaders from your team that will carry your mission forward with the same vigor.

#3 Return to the Basics

As mentioned above, leaders are responsible for taking fast-paced decisions. However, instead of constantly focusing on the short-term decisions, you need to go back to the mission statement of the company. See whether the company is going on track and whether the mission statement needs some amendment or not.

#2 Be Open to Suggestions

See #6. As you encourage people to share their opinions, you get to understand a crucial business issue from all angles. For instance, it is the sales team that knows which marketing messages work the best, which can help you create the most effective marketing strategy on a tight budget.

#1 Empower your Team

Finally and most importantly, a wise and dynamic leader is essential to boost a company’s bottom-line. However, when all the thinking and decision making rests on one man’s shoulders, then he wouldn’t be able to avoid burnout for long. What needs to be done is to teach every person on your team to think for themselves. They should be able to contribute meaningfully when it comes to finding solutions for unique business problems. This way, the success of the company will not be dependent on individuals.

Summary

To sum up, as we enter into 2015, you should create leadership development goals for yourself and make all efforts possible to achieve them to stay on top of your game.

Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

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