BCA

From: Leading Effectively, Center for Creative Leadership

It’s no secret that good leaders are also good communicators. And the best leaders have learned that effective communication is as much about authenticity as it’s about the words they speak and write.

“Communication and leadership are inextricably tied,” says Susan Tardanico, CCL’s Executive in Residence. “How can you galvanize, inspire or guide others if you don’t communicate in a clear, credible, authentic way?”

The former broadcast journalist and 20-year corporate executive advises leaders to focus on these five essentials of leadership communication:

• Beware of the “say/do” gap. “This is all about credibility, which boils down to trust — one of the most potent, precious and fragile elements of leadership,” says Tardanico. “If your actions don’t align with your words, there’s trouble. And it can turn into big trouble if you don’t recognize and correct it swiftly and genuinely.”
•  
•  It is often difficult to see the say/do gap in yourself, so Tardanico says to rely on a few trusted colleagues to tell it to you straight and flag discrepancies. Of course, you have to be prepared to hear the feedback and address issues — which isn’t always easy.
•  
•  ”Rule of thumb: it’s better to say nothing or delay your communication until you’re certain that your actions will ring true,” she advises.
•  
• Take the complex and make it simple. “Being complex does not make you smart,” insists Tardanico. “There is power in clarity and simplicity.” She notes that people are already suffering from information overload, and your job is to distill complex thoughts and strategies into simple terms that your employees can relate to.
•  
•  ”The more memorable, the better,” she advises. “If you’re having trouble distilling something to its essence, it’s a sign that you may not have a clear understanding of it. That makes it impossible for you to communicate it to others effectively.” Tardanico also notes that leaders find it easy to get mired in technical jargon and business-speak. “Beware of this trap. Just say what you mean,” she urges.
•  
• Don’t fake it. Find your own voice. Use language that’s distinctly your own. Let your values come through in your communication. “I wrote for two executives who didn’t have a voice,” Tardanico recalls. “They wanted me to be the voice, to make them sound eloquent. They wanted to sound like someone else. Forget about eloquence — worry about being real.
•  
• People want real. People respect real. People follow real. Don’t disguise who you are. People will never willingly follow a phony.”
•  
• Be visible. Are you visible to the people who matter most — those who will help you achieve organizational goals? This is not about being seen on CNBC or making the rounds of the speaker circuit. “Visibility is about letting your key stakeholders get a feel for who you are and what you care about,” explains Tardanico.
•  
• Today, it’s easy to hide behind a computer and transmit messages to others without seeing or interacting with them. Although e-communication serves a valuable purpose, it is no substitute for face-to-face communication. “In today’s environment, people are burned out, confused and stressed,” Tardanico says. “They need to feel a personal attachment to you and the work that you believe in. They need to feel valued.”
•  
•  Tardanico recommends doing a “calendar test” to make sure you’re allocating time regularly to be out on the floor, in the factory, in the call center, in the lab, in the store. Show your people that you care about them and their work.
•  
• Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Stop, look and listen. Remember that effective communication is two-way. Tardanico says that good leaders know how to ask good questions, and then listen with both their eyes and ears. “It’s easy to be so focused on getting your message out — or persuading others — that you don’t tune in to what you see and hear.
•  
•  Because you’re in a position of authority, you won’t always get direct feedback. You need to read between the lines,” says Tardanico. “Listen and hear what is coming back at you. Look for the nonverbal cues. Sometimes a person’s body language will tell you everything you need to know.”

From: Leading Effectively, Center for Creative Leadership

It’s no secret that good leaders are also good communicators. And the best leaders have learned that effective communication is as much about authenticity as it’s about the words they speak and write.

“Communication and leadership are inextricably tied,” says Susan Tardanico, CCL’s Executive in Residence. “How can you galvanize, inspire or guide others if you don’t communicate in a clear, credible, authentic way?”

The former broadcast journalist and 20-year corporate executive advises leaders to focus on these five essentials of leadership communication:

• Beware of the “say/do” gap. “This is all about credibility, which boils down to trust — one of the most potent, precious and fragile elements of leadership,” says Tardanico. “If your actions don’t align with your words, there’s trouble. And it can turn into big trouble if you don’t recognize and correct it swiftly and genuinely.” It is often difficult to see the say/do gap in yourself, so Tardanico says to rely on a few trusted colleagues to tell it to you straight and flag discrepancies. Of course, you have to be prepared to hear the feedback and address issues — which isn’t always easy. “Rule of thumb: it’s better to say nothing or delay your communication until you’re certain that your actions will ring true,” she advises.
• Take the complex and make it simple. “Being complex does not make you smart,” insists Tardanico. “There is power in clarity and simplicity.” She notes that people are already suffering from information overload, and your job is to distill complex thoughts and strategies into simple terms that your employees can relate to. “The more memorable, the better,” she advises. “If you’re having trouble distilling something to its essence, it’s a sign that you may not have a clear understanding of it. That makes it impossible for you to communicate it to others effectively.” Tardanico also notes that leaders find it easy to get mired in technical jargon and business-speak. “Beware of this trap. Just say what you mean,” she urges.
• Don’t fake it. Find your own voice. Use language that’s distinctly your own. Let your values come through in your communication. “I wrote for two executives who didn’t have a voice,” Tardanico recalls. “They wanted me to be the voice, to make them sound eloquent. They wanted to sound like someone else. Forget about eloquence — worry about being real. People want real. People respect real. People follow real. Don’t disguise who you are. People will never willingly follow a phony.”
• Be visible. Are you visible to the people who matter most — those who will help you achieve organizational goals? This is not about being seen on CNBC or making the rounds of the speaker circuit. “Visibility is about letting your key stakeholders get a feel for who you are and what you care about,” explains Tardanico. Today, it’s easy to hide behind a computer and transmit messages to others without seeing or interacting with them. Although e-communication serves a valuable purpose, it is no substitute for face-to-face communication. “In today’s environment, people are burned out, confused and stressed,” Tardanico says. “They need to feel a personal attachment to you and the work that you believe in. They need to feel valued.” Tardanico recommends doing a “calendar test” to make sure you’re allocating time regularly to be out on the floor, in the factory, in the call center, in the lab, in the store. Show your people that you care about them and their work.
• Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Stop, look and listen. Remember that effective communication is two-way. Tardanico says that good leaders know how to ask good questions, and then listen with both their eyes and ears. “It’s easy to be so focused on getting your message out — or persuading others — that you don’t tune in to what you see and hear. Because you’re in a position of authority, you won’t always get direct feedback. You need to read between the lines,” says Tardanico. “Listen and hear what is coming back at you. Look for the nonverbal cues. Sometimes a person’s body language will tell you everything you need to know.”

From: Leading Effectively, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)

Is being a leader worth the effort?

If you find yourself asking this question, you are not alone. Most of us have doubts about our choice to lead at some point in our lives. But if you find you are adrift — going through the motions but not moving forward — it’s time to make a change.

Many leaders have too few hours and too little energy to bring their best leadership to bear, according to Sara King, coauthor of Discovering the Leader in You: How to Realize Your Leadership Potential. “As a result, leaders have begun to question their abilities, the direction their life has taken and their hopes for future impact,” says King. “We call this the problem of drift.”

Leading by rote wastes good talent and energy

If you stay adrift for long, you find yourself making decisions by default rather than conscious choice. You may feel frustrated, conflicted or unhappy. It takes a toll on your enthusiasm, vision and energy – all characteristics needed to lead effectively. “Leading by rote wastes good talent and energy, dilutes the talent and energy that others muster to create results and creates drag on company resources,” coauthor David Altman explains.

To boost yourself out of leadership drift, first consider some fundamental questions:

• Are you currently in a leadership role? How did you get there?
• Do you see yourself as a leader? Are you a leader all the time?
• How comfortable are you with your identity as a leader?
• Did you choose to become a leader or did it somehow choose you?

Then, take time to explore five issues to understand why you may be adrift and provide insight into how to take action:

1. Current organizational realities. What’s your context? It can be as broad as the social, economic and global trends affecting leadership today. It might be more specific to your industry, your organization or your leadership role. The goal is to understand the broader circumstances that influence your current leadership situation.
2. Leadership vision. A vision for your life describes what you see as the overall purpose of your life: what dreams you want to achieve, what goals you want to accomplish, the people you want to be with, the kind of life you want to have. To specifically look at your leadership vision, you want to ask, “What is the role that leadership plays in my life?” Being purposeful about what you want in life is important to being purposeful about what you want in your leadership situation.
3. Leadership values. Values are the standards or principles that guide your beliefs, decision and actions. The ability to understand your values and leverage them as a foundational cornerstone of your leadership choices is a critical contributor to effective leadership.
4. Leadership profile. Your leadership profile is your personal leadership tool kit. What do you draw on to lead? Your answer might include many factors, such as competencies, styles and experiences. Through careful analysis of your profile, you can assess what you see as your strengths and developmental needs.
5. Current personal realities. You have a personal life that has an impact on your work life and a work life that has an impact on your personal life. How you integrate all aspects of your life with your responsibilities as a leader is one of the most challenging tasks you will face.

The book authors, who combined have nearly 100 years of experience assisting leaders in the development of their talents and careers, have written Discovering the Leader in You to guide people through the five issues in a practical, relevant way.

“The most effective leaders are those who commit themselves to getting better day by day and week by week and then apply their skills to improving the lives of other people in the organizations in which they work or their communities,” explains King. “Facing these issues will hopefully encourage you to make more conscious choices about why, when, how and where you lead.”

This article was adapted from Discovering the Leader in You: How to Realize Your Leadership Potential, by Sara N. King, David G. Altman & Robert J. Lee.

From Leading Effectively, Center for Creative Leadership

Last April, noted futurist and author Bob Johansen was giving a keynote presentation on leading in a volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) world when a volcano erupted in Iceland.

As if nature were listening and decided to help Johansen make his point, the volcano Eyjafjallajökull spewed ash across Europe, halting flights and grounding about 10 million travelers worldwide. Commerce stalled, and routine business operations suddenly seemed vulnerable and volatile.

Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity are the realities of today and will continue to be so in the future, Johansen says. “It won’t be getting easier and leaders must accept this reality.”

But even the expert Johansen found the disruption hard to take. “The weather in London was clear — it looked fine. But I was stuck in London for a week; all my plans changed,” he recalls. “It is much more difficult to experience VUCA than talk about it! I thought: I can’t believe what a wimp I am about this! The point is that we have to experience these things — over and over — to learn and grow as leaders in a changing and uncertain world.”

Leaders will face challenges that have no solutions
In his new book, Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World, Johansen says that leaders increasingly will face challenges that have no solutions. Of course, they will have to make decisions anyway.

The VUCA world will also have both danger and opportunity, he explains. “Leaders will be buffeted, but they need not allow themselves to be overwhelmed, depressed or immobilized. Leaders must do more than just respond to the whirl of events, though respond they must. They must be positive change agents in the midst of chaos, creating the future. Some things can get better, even as other things get worse.”

To make a better future, leaders must seek out experiences and opportunities to learn and apply 10 new skills:

1.Maker instinct. Ability to exploit your inner drive to build and grow things, as well as connect with others in the making.
2.Clarity. Ability to see through messes and contradictions to a future that others cannot yet see.
3.Dilemma flipping. Ability to turn dilemmas — which, unlike problems, cannot be solved — into advantages and opportunities.
4.Immersive learning ability. Ability to immerse yourself in unfamiliar environments and to learn from them in a first-person way.
5.Bio-empathy. Ability to see things from nature’s point of view — to understand, respect and learn from nature’s patterns.
6.Constructive depolarizing. Ability to calm tense situations where differences dominate and communication has broken down — and bring people from divergent cultures toward constructive engagement.
7.Quiet transparency. Ability to be open and authentic about what matters to you — without advertising yourself.
8.Rapid prototyping. Ability to create quick early versions of innovations, with the expectation that later success will require early failures.
9.Smart mob organizing. Ability to create, engage with and nurture purposeful business or social change networks through intelligent use of electronic or other media.
10.Commons creating. Ability to seed, nurture and grow shared assets that can benefit other players &msdash; and sometimes allow competition at a higher level.

“The VUCA world of the future will be formidable and loaded with opportunities,” says Johansen. “The biggest danger is not being prepared — and you can control that by preparing yourself as a leader and readying your organization for an uncertain future.”

“Leadership is like a muscle. The more intelligently you train, the stronger you get.”

From Center for Creative Leadership, Leading Effectively e-newsletter

John Ryan, CCL’s president and CEO, is a big believer in giving leaders a serious workout. Based on CCL’s research and practical experience and Ryan’s 40 years of leadership in the military, higher education and nonprofits, he advises leaders to step up their leadership training in five areas:

1. Teamwork and collaboration are critical for organizations in two ways. Internally, you won’t get much done without it. Externally, you need partnerships with like-minded firms that advance your strategy, whether it’s developing new products or breaking into emerging markets. But fostering teamwork is not easy. In a recent CCL study, 97 percent of senior executives told us collaboration is a key factor in organizational success. But just 47 percent believed the leaders in their organizations are skilled collaborators.

2. Managing change. In our work at CCL, we have found a few key principles for tackling change. First, view it positively and, of course, with a sense of urgency. There’s no point in fearing change since it’s inevitable and we can’t control it. Second, focus on adapting plans as necessary to external pressures. We all had our strategic plans before the recent recession hit. Some organizations stubbornly stuck with them, believing things would return to normal quickly. Others saw a sea change in the marketplace and adjusted their plans accordingly. Third, it’s important to manage the resistance to change you are bound to see in your colleagues. It’s your role and responsibility to help them understand what’s going on externally and why your organization needs to adapt. Be sure to involve others in the design and implementation of major change initiatives, whether it’s a workforce restructuring or a new product development process.

3. Communication. As an executive with a demanding schedule, it’s easy to be cut off from the rest of the organization. We can all learn a lesson from A.G. Lafley, the retired CEO of Procter & Gamble. He was a great listener, often visiting consumers in their homes or joining them for trips to the store. In addition to being P&G’s CEO, Lafley also established himself as the company’s Chief Listening Officer. He knew that getting good ideas required asking people for input and listening to it very carefully. We should all be Chief Listening Officers in our own organizations.

4. .Learning agility. To succeed in a world where our work is always changing, where challenges are unpredictable and competition abounds, we need to be agile learners. We need to apply our new knowledge. Perhaps most of all, we need to believe we can rise to the challenge. There’s a growing body of neuroscience research that says we can learn new behaviors and modify deep-set behaviors at any age. It takes hard work and real focus, but all of us really can learn new and effective behaviors — and help take our organizations to new levels of performance.

5. .Judgment is at the core of leadership. Fundamentally, it’s about getting the most important calls right — when it comes to both people and strategy. Without good people judgment, you won’t have a strong team. Without a strong team, your strategy will not be executed effectively. Look first of all for men and women who have demonstrated strong performance, integrity and the desire to assume higher levels of responsibility. Watch out for candidates who treat others insensitively and abrasively and put their self-interests above the company good.

Strategy judgment calls require leaders to find new paths. Success depends on asking the right questions, experimenting and constantly adjusting your approach. It hinges even more on your level of humility. Are you too confident in your own judgment? Do you believe too strongly in your old ways of doing business? Do you think that because something has worked many times before, it will work again now? Do you have the humility to understand that even with great collaboration you will not get everything right, and that you can’t know everything yourself?