Hang out with really smart people and teams and some great lessons can’t help but rub off on you.
I was truly gifted in 2011 to gain access to and work with and support some remarkable professionals across a number of different market segments…from high tech to professional services to manufacturing, and I learned something with every engagement and encounter.
Here are Six Lessons Learned that Can Help Us All in the New Year:
1. It’s Critical to Think Deeply About Your Business: Strategy still counts. The strongest teams/firms I observed are the ones who took the time to step-back and evaluate their situation and rethink their futures. And then back all of that lofty thinking with action, learning and adaptation.
Call it what you want…I call it strategy work…and done right…asking and answering tough questions and then backing the ideas with key hypotheses and experiments is the corporate equivalent of a continuous fitness program.
2. Operational Myopia Guarantees Mediocrity (or worse): Conversely, the firms and teams mired in the muck struggled to get beyond the endless operational discussions and move towards the tough questions that help assess the current state and begin to identify options for the future. Yeah, everyone needs to make sales in the here and now. We all know that. Adding in the work of thinking about and adapting your business in pursuit of better serving customers, finding new customers, extending into larger growth areas or more attractive categories takes that extra level of discipline that separates the big winners from everyone else.
3. Leadership Counts. More than ever…and not just at the top. High performance firms have an unrelenting focus on developing people who can think critically, lead others to challenge convention and stimulate people to provide their best results. And given the past decade or so of leadership failures, people are quick to sniff out and mentally discard the disingenuous leaders. If you are leading others, you need to bring your “A” game, and the game isn’t about you…it’s about everyone else and what you can do for them!
4. Behold The Rise of the Integrator Leader: individual contributors who embrace the role of integrator…bringing together disparate groups and resources to solve problems are the future formal leaders in organizations. We are all well served to view our own roles through the filter of the new integrator leader. Build your network(s) internally and externally and learn to connect networks in pursuit of solving problems.
5. Diversity is a Strategic Asset to Build Competitive Advantage: While we predictably and annoyingly gravitate to those who act, think (and yes, look) like us, the true opportunity for greatness is in bringing together people of disparate backgrounds, ethnicities and ages and setting them loose to change something significant. The best leaders get this. The rest are still mired in the misguided thinking from another century.
6. If You’re Not Learning, You are Failing. Learning is more important than ever. The top performing professionals are learning everyday in the workplace (through experimentation), are pushing themselves personally to continue to grow in their respective fields, are filling classrooms and demanding more from an old and mostly broken educational system, and leveraging technology and unparalleled access to information to expand their thinking. There are no time-outs allowed when it comes to gaining and applying new knowledge.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
The short form:
Strategy isn’t a four letter word. We all need to find ways to break out of the day-to-day crunch to assess and learn and plan. Leadership skills are more critical than ever…and the best and most powerful leaders might not have people reporting to them. Diversity isn’t just an H.R. initiative, and if you aren’t learning every single day, you’re moving backwards at an accelerating pace.
May 2012 be a year of learning, growth and professional success.








Leadership Caffeine: Respectfully Speaking, Let’s Cure Respect Deficit Disorder
Respect Deficit Disorder (RDD) has officially been added to a list of maladies that includes Two-Dimensional Leader Disease (2DLD) and Tired Leader Syndrome (TLS).
In this era of runaway deficits, it seems that the need to treat others with respect…especially those who work for and with us… well..it has run away.
The extent of the disease is not entirely known, although it has been widely observed in congress as well as in a large number of workplaces and oddly enough, even in settings where treating people with respect might be expected to be a key criterion for success.
The CLD encourages anyone observing someone afflicted with this malady to direct them to the content below. For extreme cases, a stern rebuke from Mom about “treating others as you would like to be treated,” is recommended. If necessary, Mom should brandish the wooden spoon as a reminder of the implications of failing to improve.
Respectfully Yours, What Part of “Respect” Don’t You Get?
The one absolute certain thing about your day today is that you and only you determine whether you treat everyone you encounter with respect. Or not.
Too many of us will choose the “Or Not,” in spite of the fact that the simple and free but priceless act of showing respect is the most powerful lesson you will ever learn on the road to success.
For anyone leading others, respect is your most precious currency. Treat people with respect and watch resistance melt, collaboration and creativity flourish and joy or at least enjoyment begin to break out all around you.
Overheard…Contrast:
“She always pays attention to me…and listens to my ideas. Even when she’s busy, she takes time to pause and focus on me. The way she deals with me makes me want to do my best.”
With:
“If I’m lucky, he turns away from his computer screen when I have a question. Usually, he snarls something unintelligible and then waits for me to go away.”
I’m comfortable betting heavily that respect is not only correlated to high performance, but that there’s a causal relationship.
For those dealing with others, show respect to those approaching you, and you reduce resistance, gain customers, sell more, put people at ease during difficult times or simply ease the burden for a moment for someone during their journey.
How many times have you approached someone (especially the receptionist at the doctor’s office or the clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles) to be greeted by a look that says, “Who the f#$% are you and why are you standing in front of me?” While the behavior is inexcusable, the boss is truly to blame in this situation.
For those of you who operate small businesses, teach your people to smile! (see: Smiles, Sales and Leadership)
I don’t get why people fail the respect test so many times every day. The concept is as old as humanity and wars have been fought and lives lost over the lack of this free but precious act of human decency.
Showing Respect isn’t Showing Weakness and Conversely…
And while some may confuse respect with weakness, don’t fall into that trap. In fact, it’s the opposite. Showing respect requires you to sublimate your own desires or ego and focus on the other person. This takes self-confidence and discipline, both critical indicators of strength.
Good negotiators get this…great negotiators live it. Respect wielded liberally is a powerful force.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
Leading and living are a both a great deal more enjoyable and a heck of a lot more productive when every action is preceded by the act of showing respect for the person or group in front of you. If you are leading others, take time, pay attention and engage with people like they matter. If you are leading others who deal with others, have this conversation and then hold people accountable. And if all else fails, Mom will straighten you out.
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About Art Petty:
Art Petty is a Leadership & Career Coach helping motivated professionals of all levels achieve their potential. In addition to working with highly motivated professionals, Art frequently works with project teams in pursuit of high performance. Art’s second book, Leadership Caffeine-Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development, will be published in September of 2011.
Contact Art via e-mail to discuss a coaching, workshop or speaking engagement.