the leadership challenge

The Leadership Challenge: Evangelism

May 27, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: In the May 2015 Harvard Business Review (HBR), Silicon Valley’s “Entrepreneur Expert” Guy Kawasaki wrote an article on Evangelism, and the power that leaders have in proclaiming “good” news about their organization. So we asked ourselves… “What if the concept of “evangelism” isn’t in your DNA? What then?” So in this post, we’ll take a look at three (3) key acts Kawasaki points towards to accelerate your evangelism efforts… Enjoy!

Evangelist: To Be OR Not To Be?

So there you are… The leader of an organization (be it a startup, or an existing organization where you act as “intrapreneurial” leader). If you can’t evangelize about your organization, who will? But what will you evangelize about? And who will you evangelize to/with?

In the May 2015 HBR article by Guy Kawasaki titled “Managing Yourself: The Art of Evangelism” he takes a look at how you can “proclaim good news” about your organization (The literal translation of evangelism). In other words, how will you share with the world how your organization’s product/service makes the world a better place, and without it there would surely be a void. He points to three (3) specific areas that you, in an effort to overcome the leadership challenge, can put to work on the road to evangelism (and global domination!)

Evangelism Act #1: Public Speaking

Once upon a time, I sat on a Board of Directors for a non-profit that had as its main marketing arsenal public speaking. The organization found that it was a great way to share results from research conducted, and if audience participants liked what they heard there was always the potential for turning prospects into clients.

Here are eight (8) leadership development tips for success when speaking in public:

Deliver Quality Content
Omit Sales Pitches
Customize for Audience
Entertainment Focus
Storytelling
Meet Audience Before
ID Controllable
Practice, Practice, Practice…

Evangelism Act #2: Social Media

The opportunity is adrift at sea it would appear when organizations attempt to coral social media. While ROI can be very difficult to ascertain from such efforts, there might be a short cut you can employ with a consistent evangelistic message.

Here are nine (9) leadership development tips for success when leveraging the power of social media:

Offer Value
Make it Interesting
Take a Chance
Be Brief
Be a Connector
Go for Drama
Grab Attention
Hashtag it Up
Stay Engaged

Evangelism Act #3: Network

If you’re only as good as the books you read and the company you keep, you’d better look to continue to expand both of these numbers as you move forward. Shoot to read no less than a book (yes, one – 1 – book per week!) and add no less than 10 members to your LinkedIn Network weekly. To play off Keith Ferrazzi (Ferrazzi Greenight), the leader in the “networking” space who wrote the book on the topic, build your network before you need it (akin to the dig your well before your thirsty advice).

Here are seven (7) leadership development tips for success when networking:

Network – Just Do It!
Questions are King
Don’t Be a Dolt
Follow Up/Follow Through
Leverage Email (and the Phone)
Make Yourself Easy to Connect With
Help Others (They Will Help You!)

SUMMARY

So should you use the power of evangelism to further propel your organization, your product/service, yourself? The answer is a one that should leave you perhaps scratching your head as to why you’re not (But then again, it may be a time management issue, right?)

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Employee Recognition

May 21, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Gallup reports that employee engagement is at an all time low. The recruiting field warns that the “War for Talent” will become increasingly difficult to wage successfully. With these two signs pointing towards greater recognition of employees, we started wondering why is it then that employee recognition is so difficult for so many? In this post we’ll take a look at employee recognition, and five (5) actions you can take to recognize your stakeholders as a leader… Enjoy!

We Recognize Our Employees (Don’t We?)

Randy was a relatively new team member in an archaic organization whose new CEO screamed “We’re going to change, like it or not! The foundation for this change is going to be our people… The most important asset this organization has” to the press. It was this battle cry that got Randy excited enough to leave his previous organization and sign-up/on with the current company. He was a hard worker, as well as a subject matter expert that participated in several leadership development programs and knew the value of executive coaching firsthand.

So it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that Randy was the pole-position leader on the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) board for the organization. That’s right, although he was new to the organization, he steadily rose through the ranks and in short-order arrived at the top spot.

No Recognition = No Engagement = No Employment

Here’s where things got a little interesting (or at least our executive coaching conversation took a turn towards a very dark place!) You would think that he would have received a few “That a boy!” or “Great Job Randy!” nods from the superiors in the organization, stakeholders, anyone… But you’d be wrong (Dead wrong as it turned out!) To hear Randy tell the story, “It would have been great if someone had reached out to say ‘Congrat’s!’ to me. But no one did. Not at the time the reports were printed. Not after the reports were distributed. Not ever!”

You could imagine Randy’s confusion: Here he was a still relatively new employee in an organization. An organization whose CEO told everyone and anyone that employees are their most important asset. But an asset that received no recognition whatsoever. Needless to say, on top of Randy’s confusion, he was just plain old pissed with the situation. He lasted a few more weeks before he quit. He’s now being successful somewhere else.

I Wanna Be like Randy, Not Mike!

So what can you do as a leader in your organization to properly recognize your employees so as to have engagement levels soar and turnover diminish? The following five (5) actions are recommended from our leadership development and executive coaching conversations:

Action #5: Timeliness Counts

If you see someone doing something great, recognize them right then and there. Why wait for the Friday Staff Meeting or to get back to your desk to send out the email to the entire department? Instead, let them know that you recognize what they did, and more importantly that you appreciate it.

Action #4: Alignment Counts

Recognition hits new levels, and is shared by all, when the recognition comes in the form of alignment with business goals. Imagine our poor friend Randy and his smashing of the organizational KPIs… The alignment opportunities are endless to tout, that is if you actually do measure KPIs that effect your business!

Action #3: Authenticity Counts

Ever get one of those fake leadership moments? A moment where you’re not certain what they might have taught in the leadership development classroom, but whatever it was it didn’t work? If you’re employees aren’t getting the “real” you, ask yourself who they are getting? Odds are, if you have low authenticity you have low trust, and low trust moments are never a position of strength to lead from.

Action #2: Quality/Quantity Count

While Randy would have been happy with any recognition, our executive coaching research leads us to believe that the recognition should be in correlation to the business goals (See #4 Action above). Too much and it comes off as Pollyannaish… Too little and it comes off as skating the associate.

Action #1: Recognition Definition Counts

If you are confused as to the identification of just the right amount of recognition to provide, please stop guessing and ask your associates. They will tell you! We typically see leader after leader attempt to either “cookie-cutter” approach recognition programs or provide what they would like to receive. Neither is a good moment. Executive Coaching and leadership development should provide you with plenty of ammunition to overcome the leadership challenge at hand, especially when you ask.

SUMMARY

So there you have it… The problem of employee recognition as told through the saga of Randy and his former organization, along with five (5) actions you can take to insure that you are on the right path.

Sam Palazzolo

PS – You may enjoy several of the other posts I’ve recently written:

The Leadership Challenge: Why Aren’t There More Women In Leadership?

May 21, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: According to the Pew Research Center, there are few differences between men and women on key leadership traits such as intelligence, capacity for innovation, being compassionate, and organization. Today women represent only five percent (5%) of CEOs for Fortune 500 companies. So if that’s the case, why are the pipelines to C-Suite opportunities appearing to widen? In this post, we’ll look at four (4) critical lessons women in leadership can undertake to break-through the glass ceiling… Enjoy!

There Aren’t Opportunities Here for Women

Susie was a team leader for one of the organizations that I worked with on an executive coaching/leadership development engagement a few years back. I remember her, because sitting on the high potential selection committee allowed me to see that she was an exceptional candidate on paper, as well as in person. She was not only smart, but extremely extroverted and ready to take on any/all challenges on her desired path to the top of the organization.

So it was surprising for me to learn in a follow-up call that she was going to leave the organization that five years earlier she described as her “dream” company. What could have possibly happened? In our brief conversation I learned that while opportunities were talked of a lot, they rarely materialized in reality. In fact, Susie described the log-jam of women that were doing great things in the organization, but seemed to be bumping their heads against the proverbial glass ceiling. As such… She was moving on.

4 Critical Lessons for Women in Leadership

At the 9^th annual “Women Who Lead” conference lessons are shared regarding leadership from high profile women. Here are four (4) critical lessons presented:

Lesson #1: You Control Your Self Image

Let’s face it, we live in an image-centric world! Constant reminders can be seen on television of “that” family that really doesn’t do anything, yet we’re somehow attempting to keep up with them… It makes no sense!

While it’s an easy trap to fall into, avoid looking at others and attempting to alter who you are by the way you look. While the experts suggested that you determine what your image is, what people not only treat you like, but what they call you.

Lesson #2: We All Must Get Along

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, men and women both have to get along and work together. The advantages are numerous, but let me summarize them by saying that after every leadership development program I’ve identified that the perspectives each bring to the table are in fact different. Perhaps not as different as Mars or Venus, but different perspectives will bring about different methodologies that enhance the operation.

Lesson #3: Your Mindset = Your Success

If you have the right mindset, anything is possible. If you don’t have the right mindset, hardly anything is possible! Ensuring that you conduct the proper “check-up from the neck-up” is crucial if you want to continuously drive for success.

I typically have a conversation with executive coaching clients about goals, and ensuing targets along the way towards those goals. Most leaders, female and male alike, can typically rattle off these moments. It shouldn’t surprise you then to hear that when I ask them what their mindset will need to be like in order to accomplish those same goals that most get a confused look on their face… Almost like their mindset is an afterthought, or an outcome of accomplishing goals. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lesson #4: Become Risk Verse

What do you value as a leader? In executive coaching sessions I typically hear that most female leaders value a healthy balance of work and life. In the work-life, they value having alignment with the organization. Alignment within an organization specifically along goal, values, and culture components.

But what if you don’t have such alignment? What if you play it safe all the time? Remember, the spoils in life rarely ever go to the losers (and argue with me all you want, business is about winning!) Furthermore, spoils even more rarely go to those that play things safe (Read that as playing within your comfort zone!)

SUMMARY

In this post we took a brief look at four (4) lessons that women can review in order to consider when pursuing leadership positions. Controlling your self image, working together with men/women, your mindset adjustment (if necessary), and accepting risk are all part of the equation. Think of these as mere “starting line” considerations, as the race to attain/sustain leadership positions can be a long one. Equipping yourself with the right foundational strategies for leadership success will ensure that you move in the right direction.

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Should You Stay OR Should You Go? 5 Criteria

April 29, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Perhaps you’ve been pushed to the brink… Maybe you eye a greener pasture in the next meadow… Regardless, it’s often a difficult career decision for a leader to determine if they should stay with their current organization or defect to a new one. There are countless criteria that you can weigh to justify staying or going, so in this post we compile five (5) criteria to consider in your leadership career management moment… Enjoy!

The Clash Had It Right

The English punk band “The Clash” of the 1980’s might have been on to something for a leader considering transitioning from one organization to another. Here are the vocals lead singer Mick Jones belted out (as well as accompanying backup vocals in Ecuadorian Spanish):

Should I stay or should I go now? (Yo! ¿Me frío o lo soplo?)

If I go there will be trouble (Si me voy, va a haber peligro)

And if I stay it will be double (Si me quedo, es doble)

So you gotta let me know (Pero que tienes que decir)

Should I cool it or should I blow? (¿Me frío o lo soplo?)

Should I stay or should I go now? (¿Me frío o lo soplo?)

So the questions posed in the song are at the heart of the leadership transition moment… Should you stay OR should you go? There are a lot of reasons to stay at your current organization, but there also might be some pretty compelling reasons to depart. For example, you already know the “devil” you dance with day-in/day-out in the current company you keep. On the other hand, at a new organization there might be a better leadership team. Here then are five (5) criteria assembled to allow you, the leader, to assess this often tumultuous time.

Criteria 5: Are You “Taken Care Of” as a Leader?

Often times I hear from leaders during executive coaching horror stories of how they are not taken care of. They typically have low/no response when asked “Where’s the love?” Organizations not ripe culturally with respect, proper compensation, trust, innovation, and leadership development growth opportunities take note.

Criteria 4: Lack of Empowerment

There’s been a lot of headlines in the leadership development space regarding employee engagement recently, but not so much on the topic of empowerment. Unfortunately, empowerment lies at the heart of the engagement moment for most leaders and their organizations. Think of the concept of “Intrapreneur” and you get this criteria.

Criteria 3: Politics

Don’t think for a minute that there is an organization out there that is absent of politics! While it’s an idealistic moment, and one that many an executive recruiter will share with you to entice the recruiting effort, the reality is that every organization has politics. But are there less politics taking place, or perhaps those that drive in a more positive direction (That’s possible, right?)

Criteria 2: Trustworthy Leaders

Remember in these consideration moments that your ability to interview stakeholders at the potential organization should provide you with an accurate assessment of them, and no criteria to judge should weigh heavier than the trust the leaders in the organization have. I think Stephen M.R. Covey said it best that with trust, anything is possible… without it, well that’s another story!

Criteria 1: Recognition

When was the last time you received recognition in your current organization and was it appropriate? Real time feedback for example is a great barometer to judge not only if an organization provides accountability measurements to their stakeholders, but provides insight into how.

SUMMARY

I hope these five (5) criteria provide you with perspective on perhaps one of the more challenging dilemmas a leader can face in managing their career. In executive coaching sessions I’ve reviewed leadership issues ranging from being taken care of, empowerment, politics, trust, and recognition. These are just a few of the criteria you should weigh in determining if you should stay or go. So what will you do? Will you stay, or will you go? Remember The Clash inasmuch, if you go there will be trouble. But, if you stay there could be double!

Sam Palazzolo

PS – You may also enjoy some of the other recent posts I wrote:

The Leadership Challenge: Succession Planning

April 10, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: There is a growing leadership void left behind by retiring baby boomer leaders. Human Resource Executives are finding it difficult to identify/locate replacements. Part of the difficulty lies in defining leadership, developing leaders, and ability to deliver such development opportunities effectively. What’s a poor leader to do if they can’t identify/create a succession plan? Perhaps they could delay/refuse to retire? Seriously though, read on for details on the problems, as well as solutions to create successful succession plans… Enjoy!

Succession Planning is More Difficult in Today’s Economy

Nearly two out of every three Human Resource (HR) Executives that participated in a recent poll claim that succession planning is more difficult in today’s economy (The actual number was 59%). Their comments were captured in The Global Workforce Leadership Survey conducted by SABA (A large HR software service provider). With approximately four (4) million baby boomers retiring each/every year, there simply isn’t enough quality candidates to fill this void.

The findings of the survey show that the biggest obstacles for powering future business growth are threefold: (1) Differences in perspective surrounding leadership, (2) Leadership development, and (3) Accessibility to online tools for that leadership development.

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are – The Leader Within That Is!

Human Resource Executives report difficulties in identifying leadership in current employees nearly half the time (46%). Part of this difficulty lies in employees that rarely list leadership skills (only 36% do).

But this begs the question, and lies at the heart of this fundamental problem… What are Human Resources Executives doing if they (1) don’t cultivate a leadership development environment and (2) how do they not know their own employees?

Technical Skills Aren’t Enough

Marshall Goldsmith, one of my mentors in Stakeholder Centered Coaching, is famous for his line regarding “What got you here, won’t get you there.” In other words, according to Marshall your technical skills will get you your first leadership position, but it’s your non-technical skills that will get you your second. What exactly are these non-technical skills though?

Non-technical skills are often considered “soft” skills. They have nothing to do with the specifics of your job (Engineering, Finance, Marketing, etc.) However, they have everything to do with the performance/quality/results of your job. Think of these non-technical skills as consistent qualities that leaders posses regardless of function and you get the idea (Time management, project management, communication skills for leaders, etc.)

So Where Are All The Future Leaders?

I shared The Global Workforce Leadership Survey results with a client of mine, and her response was a classic! “Sam, what were you expecting? Have you ever tried to complete a job application on a SABA run software system?” In less than an instant I knew exactly what she was saying. The truth of the matter is that I have in fact completed a job application online using a SABA run system and found the process to be brain damage! I know that career moves are supposed to be taken seriously, and time to complete an application should not be a consideration. However, I seriously doubt that a Millenial generation (or any other generation for that matter) is willing to put themselves through this long, tedious, and laborious process. I doubt any of the other job applicant software packages are any easier though.

So if you, your organization are like the Human Resource Executives that participated in this survey, you probably are having a difficult time locating employees that want to step into leadership positions (or worse yet, are choosing incorrectly from your talent pool!) Here’s a thought… Why not ask current baby boomer leadership who should/shouldn’t be considered prior to their departure?

SUMMARY

So in this post, we’ve taken a look at how succession planning is more difficult in today’s economy, how part of the problem might just be human resource executives reliance on brain damaging software systems for applicant tracking, if you are relying on your technical expertise to carry you up the leadership ladder you’re kidding yourself, and a potential solution regarding how you can/should/might locate future leadership for your organization.

Sincerely yours,

Sam Palazzolo

PS – You may also enjoy some of the other recent posts I wrote:

Sam Palazzolo is the Managing Director at Tip of the Spear Ventures, an agile Venture Capital and Business Advisory Services firm specializing in Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders.

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