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Standing out in Today's Environment

8/31/2013

By: Amit Shah

There is a famous saying - “Leadership cannot be taught but it can be learned.” So how does one go about learning something that cannot be taught? Many individuals and corporations have struggled with this very paradigm.

In the past, a great number of corporations would fall into the trap of taking very skilled individual contributors and place them in leadership roles, thinking that if they are good at what they do now they will be able to teach them the leadership skills required to succeed in a management position. This is why countless dollars were spent sending managers to leadership conferences and summits at fancy hotels with very little to show for it.

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Lonely at the Top

8/24/2013

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Over the Pond Part 2 - Let's Cover Our Bases

8/11/2013

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By: Dawn Miller

“I want to cover our bases; there’s no prize for second base. We missed the boat last time and paid for it thru the nose. We need to have our i’s dotted and t’s crossed.”

I thank goodness for a well established relationship with my overseas counterparts in moments like this. There was a long, muted pause on the telecom. Then the response was, “Dawn, we do not understand. Can you repeat, please?"

I almost did repeat myself and was randomly reminded of a lecture my dad gave me and my little brother when I was 7 years old.

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What did you say? I can't hear you.

8/4/2013

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By: Eric Pearson

Feedback. We all need it, yet few of us take it serious enough or often enough to make an impact in our ability to lead others. When was the last time you asked someone their opinion, appeared to be attentive (smiling and nodding your head up and down at the appropriate intervals to give the impression of deep thought and consideration in what they are sharing) only to be lost in your own thought and at the end of the conversation realize you haven’t heard a word? I expect probably more recent and often than any of us wish to admit. Why do we continue to choose to fail to embrace the tremendous value of feedback?

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Breaking Away From The Herd

7/26/2013

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By: Tim Boyd

The term mob mentality was first circulated by the 19th century psychologists Gabriel Tarde and Gustave Le Bon. This term specifically describes the characteristics that emerge when people coagulate themselves into large groups of individuals. These characteristics are often referred to negatively and conjure up pictures of the mob brutality and anarchy in Charles Dickens’, A Tale of Two Cities.

General reference to the herd mentality does not usually refer to the beheading of the aristocracy and the destruction of entire parliament houses. It usually involves a simplistic element of peer pressure, in which people are encouraged to do something they normally wouldn’t do (jump off a cliff, smoke a cigarette, etc). The large group performs the act as a whole and the individuals partake in the experience due to an inherent fear of being left behind by the group. People fear that if they do not succumb to peer pressure they will be outcast from the group and left to fend for themselves … alone.

However, to be a leader sometimes is to be alone. As a leader, you have to consistently keep your head up and focus on all the options in front of you. You can’t let yourself get lost in the details … in things that don’t push you forward. Sometimes you have to migrate away from the herd in order to find your next path … the open door that will eventually lead you to the next big thing.

How many times have you been standing in a really long line to get into your favorite restaurant or the airport? Your head is down, immersed in your phone or otherwise preoccupied. You eventually ask yourself, “Why am I waiting in this line? Why is this line so long?” Surely this is the only option, you tell yourself. All other options have been checked. You eventually snap out of it and realize there that there is another door that no one else is using. When you step out of the line and head to the door you think to yourself … what if it’s not open? What will people think of me? Will they let me back in the line if it’s not open? People question themselves when they deviate from the norm. This fear based mentality has evolved over time in order to prevent individuals from being left behind by the group. However, when you find the door is open what happens? People start flocking to the new path and start questioning themselves as to why they didn’t think of it first.

As a leader you should never be afraid to make a decision based on your assessment of the current situation. You must realize that you have a unique perspective and a voice through which you can express your own personal thoughts and opinions. It has been shaped by decades of knowledge and experience. No one can take that away from you.

I was told a long time ago by a wise old man that as a leader, you must know when to lead and when to follow. This has become my mantra over the course of my career. Sharing with people your vision is just as important as working hard to make sure their ideas become realities. As a leader, you can’t force people to follow you. It is up to you to invite them on your journey.

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Lonely at the Top

7/22/2013

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By: Dawn Miller

When I think about leadership, I envision the strength, the momentum to build, create, to move people towards a common goal. I imagine also the strength of the following and perhaps the support and strength a lead takes from this. In times of a leader's personal need, I see another angle - the side where letting your followers see weaknesses can leave them astray - where only a select few should see the darker days. In these dark days, in absence of those trusted few, loneliness sets in.

A leader needs a close base of companions - those to show the 'freak out' moments of uncertainty, doubt, the emotionally frayed side that we all have from time to time. These are the counterparts that will keep this side close to heart - trusted advisers, friends.

A first transitional view of this is the first step into a managerial role and becomes more evident as responsibility grows to encompass a larger organization or multiple organizations. The unshakable resolve and comfort provided by the one that states with confidence, "we have a plan" or "things will be okay", brings tremendous strength and hope to those that follow. The 'friend base' shrinks the higher we climb up the pyramid. Perceived favoritism of friends or families, the desire to distance and sort thru support staff who seek favoritism thru false friendship tends to weed out a number of individuals. Time constraints and limits, required business dinners and events encompass more and more time – the potential pool shrinks further.

Yet there is still a need for the nurturing, true friendships. These must be held close and time set aside to grow and sustain.

There isn't always a plan. There isn't always a path or information. Perhaps the world is falling apart for that leader alone. In these moments, when the team's need is greater over self, individual strength, passion and courage are needed to pull forward.

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Navigating a successful career - It is not all about networking

7/20/2013

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By: Amit Shah

Two entrepreneurs started on a journey in 1998 that would lead them to create one of the most successful and iconic companies of the digital age. Their idea was simple; create a system for transferring money using Palm Pilots and other wireless devices. They observed that there were many petty transactions, especially among acquaintances, that required dealing with counting out dollars and cents or writing a check. Who wouldn’t want to send $10.83 with a couple of button pushes when splitting the dinner bill with friends rather than counting out change? They received a large amount of funding from Nokia and they developed a working product very quickly. Unfortunately, there was almost no traction in the market place.

The entrepreneurs began to realize that consumers were not yet comfortable sending money electronically – so they devised a plan to setup a website where people can test out the service and see how a transfer could take place and, generally, get more comfortable with the idea. Much to their surprise, the website was not only successful in teaching people how to transfer money online but it became the medium of choice among consumers of that time. So much so, that they abandoned the wireless idea completely and focused their full attention on the website, paypal.com.

What can this story teach us about managing our careers?

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I Don't Play Golf!

7/14/2013

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By: Dawn Miller

I dread the day I'm asked to play golf as part of a business regime. I played once - not well - and I wasn't invited back. So as my career progresses, in my free time I come up with lists of things to do with clients and colleagues that doesn't involve trying to hit a little ball with a metal stick. Believe it or not, there are other ways to occupy time, elicit good conversation and relax.

I recognize that an easy way to fit in with 'the good old boys club', I need to buy a set of clubs, take lessons and find an invite. It's a good thing I'm not a joiner (watch for upcoming blog 'Lonely at the Top'). I've also found many others enjoy good food and great conversation or relaxing and watching a sporting event at a bar and see them as excellent ways to get to know each other.

I know I will encounter a number of things in my career I won't like - attending assigned dinners or events, perhaps traveling more than I'd like to be away from my family - but at least I won't endanger my clients, partners or suppliers swinging a metal stick at a little ball.

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Over the Pond Part 1 - English Isn't Everyone's First Language

7/13/2013

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By Dawn Miller
I too often forget the difficulty communicating in a foreign language. My career provides the opportunity to work with different people from around the world. I have an advantage. Growing up in the United States, English is the language I know best and it's the worldwide business language. I dabble in other languages, but other than a handful of phrases that allow me to introduce myself, I'm mute.

My boss observed recently that when I'm on the phone with an overseas supplier, I speak differently - I use a different "voice". He likened it to the way he thinks I speak with my children. My initial response was filled with concern. Did I give the impression that I was talking down to them or speaking to them as if they wouldn't understand "big words"? What are my team's perceptions of the way I treat our supplier and is this the behavior I want them to mimic? My relationship with the supplier is outstanding . We effectively work through problems, negotiate and even spend time on 'water cooler' talk, even with our
distance. My intentions are certainly not to belittle my overseas colleagues.

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Leadership is a Mindset

7/8/2013

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By Noah Miller

Pleasantly surprised by the quality of engineering educators that I had the privilege of meeting over my two days at the conference, I sincerely enjoyed every hour I spent with like-minded servant leaders from both Academia and Industry. I met Professors, PhDs, and individuals from all over the country and we were able to share some of our passions and experiences for training the next generation to become better engineers through new learning technologies; including new techniques, ideas, and teaching paradigms, sometimes those that turn current pedagogy on its head.

Most memorable was my interaction with Dr. Ron Bennett, who hails from St. Thomas University in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. His servant’s heart was most striking and refreshing to find in a man that has accomplished much more than any of us could ever desire. He embodies the qualities for which we should all strive as educators (not just educators of engineers). Watching my mentor and one of my heroes, Mr. Eric Pearson, converse back and forth with Dr. Bennett was like watching two fine-tuned lumberjacks work the same handsaw on a great oak as they cut to the core of their passions for building up future leaders within the engineering community.

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Forward>>

Standing out in Today's Environment

Lonely at the Top

Over the Pond Part 2 - Let's Cover Our Bases

What did you say? I can't hear you.

Breaking Away From The Herd

Lonely at the Top

Navigating a successful career - It is not all about networking

I Don't Play Golf!

Over the Pond Part 1 - English Isn't Everyone's First Language

Leadership is a Mindset

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