HQ not supporting communication? What’s stopping YOU?

“There’s a lack of communication across the organization.”

That’s one of the most common challenges leaders share with me, especially in large organizations or organizations spread across a wide geographic area. However, I hear the same complaint in smaller organizations too where leaders from different departments all park their cars in the same lot.

The problem is usually attributed to headquarters. That is, HQ or top management somehow doesn’t support, encourage or provide opportunities for department or regional leaders to interact, share ideas and best practices and generally support one another.

My stock answer is, “What’s stopping YOU?”

In THE SENSEI LEADER I share this idea:

“The most effective leaders are the people who do without being told, ask before being asked…”

We have literally no barriers to communication today––if we’re willing to communicate. We have free and open access to instant messaging, discussion threads and virtual meeting spaces through online and social media platforms including LinkedIn, Skype and Google Hangouts. For a modest investment, we can access any number of enhanced meeting tools through services like Go To Meeting.

There literally are no excuses––and the fact that top management has not provided you with specific tools or time to talk with your colleagues is certainly not a valid excuse.

Do it yourself!

The only argument I’ve ever heard in response to this suggestion is that HQ discourages or even prohibits this type of informal or unofficial interaction.

Then why are you working for that organization?

Granted, I only work with good organizations. In every company I’ve worked with, if there is a communication break-down it’s not usually intentional, it just devolved into that condition. These organizations welcome input for improvements and are grateful when leaders at all levels take it upon themselves to communicate with one another…

…as long as it’s about doing things better and not just to bitch and moan about HQ!

I also recognize that certain protocols need to be respected. It’s not right to jump over someone’s head or conspire behind someone’s back. Those practices are destructive and well, there’s just plain wrong. It’s also appropriate, useful and frankly, quite easy to include all parties in a discussion instantly––whether that person is an active participant or simply someone who should be in the loop.

Again given our access to communication tools, there is absolutely no reason you can’t make your voice heard when you need to share a concern, problem or idea with someone up the chain of command…

Whether you’re in the same building or in a different country.

Having said all this, there is absolutely nothing that replaces personal, face to face interaction.

Technology allows us to communicate frequently and without restrictions, but it’s also important to provide the opportunity for leaders at all levels of your organization to meet and interact in person, from the front lines to the C-suite. It’s also valuable to get representatives from all levels in the same room at the same time––at least once in a while! Many of the opportunities I have to work with great companies happen at exactly these types of meetings.

If you feel the need to communicate with other leaders in your organization to help you get your job done, to share ideas and innovate, to make your organization stronger––do it! Don’t wait for HQ to give the orders or call the meeting!

At the same time, involve the folks you answer to. Tell them you want more support in encouraging open communication and ask them to work with you to build and maintain protocols and processes that facilitate constructive communication––at all levels.

An effective leader asks before being asked––acts before being asked.

At all levels!

Jim kicks-off the 2016 Lessons in Leadership program with Leadership Greater Hartford

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 26, 2016

Contact: Alexandra Armstrong, RadioPRAlex@gmail.com

Direct Line: 207-751-4317

MAINE AUTHOR KICKS OFFLEADERSHIP GREATER HARTFORD “LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP” SERIES

Breakfast kick-off for the “Lessons in Leadership” series hosted by Leadership Greater Hartford.

(Brunswick, ME) –– Brunswick author and leadership expert Jim Bouchard kicked off Leadership Greater Hartford’s “Lessons in Leadership” series with a series of events this week. His book, “The Sensei Leader,” was chosen from a national search to be the topic of this years events.

Leadership Greater Hartford kept Bouchard busy with appearances on WTIC radio and “Good Day Connecticut” on FOX 61 in Hartford on Tuesday. He then addressed a luncheon audience of LGH members and guests, followed by an evening meet and great with an address by newly elected Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.

Events continued Wednesday with a sold out breakfast keynote and book signing to launch the Lessons in Leadership program.

With Amanda Raus on Good Day Connecticut, FOX 61

With “The Sensei Leader,” this year’s participants will focus on the essential characteristics of an effective leader including courage, compassion and service. As Bouchard says, these are the most important “human” aspects of leadership, too often missing today.

“Leadership is the highest expression of humanity,” says Bouchard, “And we sometimes for get that leaders are, above all, people. ‘The Sensei Leader’ is really about helping leaders become better people––that’s the key to more effectively serving the people who trust their leadership.”

Bouchard is well known locally as founder of Northern Chi Martial Arts Center where he served for over 20 years. He has also been active in community service with the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer at Long Creek Youth Development Center, where he is still an active volunteer.

Signing books at the Lessons in Leadership kick-off breakfast.

For more information about Jim Bouchard, visit ThatBlackBeltGuy.com and TheSenseiLeader.com. To schedule interviews or media appearances contact Alexandra Armstrong at Black Belt Mindset Productions: 207-751-4317 or email RadioPRAlex@gmail.com.

Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH) is the most comprehensive nonprofit community leadership organization in the country. It provides leadership training to individuals ranging from high school students to retirees, with community service projects featured in most programs. These projects and the program graduates continue to have lasting impact in the Hartford region.

For more information about how to be a participant or sponsor, or to inquire about customized training with Leadership Greater Hartford, call 860-951-6161 (x1800), email info@leadershipgh.org visit http://www.leadershipgh.org, or follow LGH on Facebook and Twitter @leadershiphtfd.

The Parent Trap in business leadership

It’s easy to fall into “The Parent Trap” as a leader today.

That is, you act, with best intentions of course, as a benevolent father or mother. You try to provide for every need or wish of the people you serve. You understand that in many ways, they depend on you.

Worst of all, you’re genuinely hurt when they don’t appreciate everything you do for them.

Unless you’re talking about your own children, you are a leader––but you are not a parent. Your role is to inspire, provide vision, create an environment that promotes true collaboration and a culture that recognizes, supports and utilizes the best skills and talents of the people you serve.

You are not responsible for every detail of their personal or professional lives.

An effective leader understands the power of autonomy––as a motivational factor and as an important aspect of a a highly productive culture. Autonomy means you match the right people with the required material and human resources and let them do their jobs. You manage the processes that enable your people to operate at peak levels of performance, creativity and innovation.

This type of environment is not possible when people are dependents. Dependency is both ineffective and inefficient. But why does it happen and how can you prevent it?

I had a meeting recently with an executive from a very impressive and successful health tech firm. She talked about her firm’s current leadership challenges. One of the most serious issues they were working through was the lack of delegation––the tendency of leaders to just “do for” the people under them.

The reason was obvious. They heavily promoted from within; and all these people were really, really smart! Everyone knew the answers––or knew how to find them. It was most often easier and faster to just do the work themselves––

For awhile.

I told her a quick story to illustrate the problem.

I had just finished teaching a martial arts class when a young man leaving the floor finished his water and thoughtlessly tossed the empty bottle back onto the dojo floor. I exploded!

“Get back in there and pick up your bottle! NOW!”

Mom witnessed the whole scene and locked her maternal gaze on me. I knew I was in trouble––I had scolded her little darling!

She approached me and much to my surprise her face softened and she just said “Thank you.” I was shocked.

She said that it was really her fault. She was constantly picking up after her son. When I asked why, she said it was usually just easier and faster to do it herself.

“Yes,” I said, “it is––the first few times.”

The executive almost finished the story for me. She understood right away.

“That’s it exactly,” she said, “but then our managers find that all their time is being used up doing things they should be delegating.”

The key is to do more with them than for them.

Solicit input…

It’s tempting when a problem or challenge arises to simply provide an answer––or promise a solution. This is especially difficult when you have the experience to deal with a particular situation.

It’s much more powerful in most cases to solicit input and participation rather than dictating a solution. Involve people in the solution and they own it––without you having to sell it!

Develop genuine collaboration instead of “buy-in”…

Speaking of selling, I can’t stand the idea of soliciting “buy-in.” Buy-in usually means you’re dictating a policy or process that you’ve already decided to implement, then you’re going to trick the troops into thinking it was their idea––or at least in their best interest.

When you involve all the stakeholders throughout the process, there is no need to solicit buy-in. They already own it!

Autonomy is more powerful than pay-offs…

There is still a tendency to think that providing tangible benefits, bonuses and rewards increases motivation. We have a couple of decades of research that should bury this belief forever.

Dan Pink clearly demonstrates that autonomy, mastery and purpose are the strongest motivations for nearly everyone.

It’s time to stop acting like a Mom handing out cookies for good behavior and start challenging people to bake their own. If you want to act like Dad, then be the Dad who shows you how to use the hammer to build your first birdhouse, not the Dad who takes the hammer out of your hand because you’re not doing it right.

Ultimately, gap in aspiring leaders in business very often looks just like the family with the 30 year old son living in the basement.

Whose fault is it?

The son is coddled and given shelter from every challenge. Instead of standing on his own, he retreats to his parent’s home where he is given love, food and shelter. Soon the son devolves to a dependent state where he can accomplish nothing on his own––and where too often he feels as if the whole world is against him.

If you want leaders to develop, the best thing you can provide for them is the opportunity to lead. You’ve got to let them make mistakes. You offer encouragement, guidance and the resources they need to perform––and most important, the space and time to learn and grow.

If you do for them all the time, you’ll never get them out of your basement!

Over 25 years of teaching martial arts I told dozens of parents that if they wanted to raise strong, independent––productive and happy children, they must let them stand on their own. That’s what the martial arts experience is supposed to provide.

Now that I’m teaching this philosophy to business folks, I say the same thing.

If you want to develop effective, productive and engaged leaders––then let them lead. Don’t even attempt to satisfy their every need and desire, no matter how good your intentions––

Provide them with the environment where they have the opportunity to satisfy those needs and desires themselves.

Parents should be leaders, but leaders should not necessarily be parents!

SPECIAL POST: THE SENSEI LEADER chosen for “Lessons in Leadership” by Leadership Greater Hartford

I’m honored and humbled to announce that THE SENSEI LEADER has been chosen as the 2016 book for the “Lessons in Leadership” series by Leadership Greater Hartford.

Thank You Leadership Greater Hartford!

Here is the official announcement:

NEWS FROM LEADERSHIP GREATER HARTFORD

Acclaimed Author and Black Belt Martial Artist in Hartford to Kick-off Leadership Book Discussion Series

For immediate release: January 21, 2016
For more information: Carin Buckman carin.buckman@leadershipgh.org
860-951-6161, Ext. #1600

(Hartford, CT) – Jim Bouchard, author of three books: Think Like a Black Belt, The Sensei Leader, and 8 Strategies for Effective Leaders, will be in town to kick-off Leadership Greater Hartford’s sixth Lessons in Leadership series on Wednesday morning February 24, 7:30 a.m., at The Chrysalis Center in Hartford. A book signing will follow the breakfast discussion.

Bouchard is a business speaker and trainer who tours internationally teaching personal and professional mastery and leadership for corporate and conference audiences. He appears regularly on TV and radio broadcasts, including BBC Worldview and FOX News.

This year’s Lessons in Leadership the series will feature Bouchard’s The Sensei Leader: Effective Leadership Through Courage, Compassion, and Wisdom. The book outlines the essential qualities of leadership using the teachings, techniques, and philosophies of martial arts. It presents an intimate portrait of the human side of leadership and encourages the discovery of the leader in each of us.

Bouchard shares, “Through my life in martial arts, I transformed myself from dropout, drug abuser, and failure, to successful entrepreneur and Black Belt. With more than 30 years of practice, study, and teaching, I’ve developed the tools needed to master life, career, and business. I share the principles of Black Belt Mindset, and teach you how to use those principles to reach your fullest potential— and help other people reach theirs!”

Lessons in Leadership is a breakfast book discussion series for area business, educational, and nonprofit leaders interested in improving their leadership understanding and skills. Participants grow personally, meet leaders of different disciplines, and have the opportunity to share diverse perspectives and identify common interests.

Registration for the February 24 Kick-Off and book signing is on a first come, first served basis. 
The cost is $20 per session. Registration is free for Leadership Greater Hartford and HYPE members, as well as employees of BlumShapiro, The Walker Group, and The Chrysalis Center. Register online at http://www.leadershipgh.org for scheduling and more detailed information. For questions contact Maggie Irving at 860.951.6161 x1500 or Maggie.Irving@leadershipgh.org.

This series is co-sponsored by BlumShapiro and The Walker Group and hosted by The Chrysalis Center at 255 Homestead Avenue, Hartford. MetroHartford Alliance’s HYPE is an organizational partner.

Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH) is the most comprehensive nonprofit community leadership organization in the country. It provides leadership training to individuals ranging from high school students to retirees, with community service projects featured in most programs. These projects and the program graduates continue to have lasting impact in the Hartford region. For more information about how to be a participant or sponsor, or to inquire about customized training with Leadership Greater Hartford, call 860-951-6161 (x1800), email info@leadershipgh.org visit http://www.leadershipgh.org, or follow LGH on Facebook and Twitter @leadershiphtfd.

Leadership is not luxury––it’s hard work. The example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Too many people associate leadership with privilege. Genuine leadership is responsibility, not luxury.

True leaders are servants who embrace hard work and lead by example.

A few months ago I was speaking near Altanta. While there I visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Center. Within a short walk you can visit his birth home, his tomb, and the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church where King preached and the launchpad of much of the civil rights movement.

Whenever I visit a historic site I’m always most deeply moved by the simplest, most mundane displays and artifacts. I think it’s because these items provide an intimate connection to the humanity behind the legends.

In Atlanta, it was Dr. King’s traveling kit that brought tears to my eyes.

King understood and embodied the ideal of leadership by example. He knew that as he asked others to stand up against the authorities in acts of civil disobedience, that they would be subjected to violence, brutality and arrest. He knew that he could not ask others to face these dangers unless he was willing to do the same hard work.

Most of the images of King show him in suit and tie as he gave speeches, in his robe as he preached, or wearing a tuxedo to accept the Noble Prize. What we don’t often see are his real work clothes.

The display that really got to me featured the clothes Dr. King wore, and the few items he travelled with when he knew he would be arrested.

There is a denim jacket, a pair of jeans and plain white cap. A very small suitcase contains a few spare items––a clean shirt, shaving kit, hairbrush and a few books.

What really got me were the boots. Just a pair brown work boots––any sheen long since lost to hard wear and mileage.

These were not the polished shoes of someone who only leads from the pulpit, the platform or the corner office. These boots were, quite literally, made for walkin’.

Leaders do have advantages. They are the difference makers. They may enjoy some notoriety. They may travel more, see more, do more and maybe in business, make more money.

Maybe.

Most leaders are not famous, rich or privileged. Most leaders go about their business serving others without fanfare and sometimes without acknowledgment or even the gratitude of others.

Dr. King’s expression of leadership certainly took him to places he never imagined before he accepted his role in fighting for civil rights. He travelled the world and earned the respect, if not the admiration of millions including scholars, intellectuals, presidents––even kings and queens.

And yet when it was time to do the hard work, he pulled on those beat up old brown boots and went to it.

Leadership is, above all else, sharing.

The most important and meaningful expression of sharing is to share experience. Anyone can give orders.

A genuine leader pulls on a pair of boots and walks a mile or two with the people he serves. He sits in the same cell. He eats the same food––or goes without. He nurses the same blisters on his feet and takes the same blows.

If you want to be a genuine leader; if you want to earn the respect and trust of the people you serve––do as Dr. King did.

Pull on your work boots.

Management versus Leadership… Why all the confusion?

After studying dozens of articles highlighting the difference between management and leadership, listening to dozens of business people debate the topic and after spending hours in deep thought on the subject––I’m left with one important question:

What the hell IS the difference?

Seems like I’m back where I started, right? Not so much.

To keep it simple, let’s look at the generally accepted distinction between a leader and a manager, succinctly expressed by Warren Bennis:

“The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.”

Many people believe that a manager is more of a process person; someone who executes the directive and articulate with functional aspects of the operation. The manager is not necessarily innovative or involved in crafting the vision of the organization, but rather in making sure the vision is made real.

If you accept that definition, then the leader is someone who provides the vision and inspires the creativity and innovation that drives the organization forward. The leader focuses on developing talent and manages the interpersonal and emotional aspects of the organization.

Wait a minute––the word “manages” snuck in there!

The new age approach is a bit less constrained. A manager benefits by developing leadership skills, and a leader in today’s complex environment needs to have some knowledge of each of the technical and functional operations of the business.

In my life as a martial artist, I spent a lot of time thinking about one of our most ancient symbols––a symbol that represents nothing less than the fundamental operation of the universe itself. That’s right, the entire workings of the universe reduced to one simple and iconic symbol:

This symbol and the idea it represents helps us understand the conflict between the leader and the manager too. This is the Taiji symbol. It’s parts, the famous “yin” and “yang” represent a dynamic interplay of forces, which is how we experience life and the universe.

Neither side is dominant, though either could be more apparent, tangible, apparent or important at any moment. However, life as we know it doesn’t function without both. In the natural course of things, dominance is a temporary condition, and there is always a tendency toward relative and dynamic balance.

I could spend a lot of time talking about how this all works, but lets stick to the subject.

“Leader” and “manager” are not necessarily distinct or separate entities.

Think of manager and leader more as roles than as defining characteristics. The two should be able to co-exist in the same person––and that person is well served by developing skill in both roles.

From WJS.com:

“…in the new economy, where value comes increasingly from the knowledge of people, and where workers are no longer undifferentiated cogs in an industrial machine, management and leadership are not easily separated. People look to their managers, not just to assign them a task, but to define for them a purpose. And managers must organize workers, not just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results.”

Let’s take a look at the Taiji symbol again from a business perspective:

You can apply this philosophy a number of ways…

You can see the two roles in the individual––and as a leader, especially in yourself. You work to maintain a relative dynamic balance between your role as a leader––centered on the people you serve, and your role as a manager––paying attention to the functional operation.

In this just remember one important fact––you don’t lead process, you lead people!

In your role as leader, it’s important to understand that you can’t treat people like machines.

Each individual in your organization can apply this principle, right down to the front lines, regardless of management responsibility or position of authority. You may not want to move the lifer on the loading dock to a management position––and he may be perfectly happy where he is. However, better that person understands and accepts at least some rudimentary management functions, at least as they apply to his specific function. And the organization is greatly strengthened when leadership is cultivated in everyone, from the C-suite to the front lines.

You can also apply this concept to your organization as a whole, or any of its departments.

It’s safe to assume that any particular person might be better suited to management rather than leadership––and of course vice versa. In this case, it’s important to maintain a relative dynamic balance between high performers in both areas.

If you have a highly effective manager that just doesn’t get the people side of things, you can balance that manager with effective leaders. Don’t give up on developing that person’s leadership skills, just acknowledge that there may be limitations that need to be addressed.

Likewise, highly effective leader may be limited in technical aspects of the operation. The larger, more complex or more technological the organization, the more likely this is. Compliment that leader with a team of skilled managers and technicians.

Do this and you empower each person to perform at their highest level in harmony with their greatest strengths and talents.

Note carefully my repeated use of the word “dynamic.” Balance is not a static condition. A relative state of balance is only maintained through constant adjustment. Sometimes situations need to be managed––at other times, leadership is called for. Become skilled at reading the situation and the environment and apply each role accordingly.

There is one more great question that is often debated in business leadership circles:

“Management or leadership––which is more IMPORTANT?”

I am firm in my answer and opinion––leadership.

Managers who are poor leaders can function productively under effective leadership. Poor managers without effective leadership just don’t last very long.

The leader and manager can effectively co-exist in the same body and in the in the same organization. The key is constant development of both management and leadership talents and skills.

Take one last look at the Taiji symbol. Look at it for about a minute or so and you’ll notice that it looks as if it’s moving. That’s by design.

When it comes to developing your leadership and management skills––keep moving. Never stop.

“Perfection is not a destination––it’s a never ending process.”

The ONE thing every leader MUST DO before the New Year

If you’re normal there are probably a few things that will just not get done before the end of this year. There is one thing you must absolutely not put off until the New Year:

TAKE A BREAK!

Not just any break. Set aside at least two or three hours to just sit and reflect on the past year. Make sure you’re somewhere free from distractions. Take a walk if you need to or lock yourself in your office or a comfortable room.

You should be thinking about these questions:

• What successes did you have that you want to repeat or expand upon next year?
• What specific failures do never want to repeat or experience again?
• How have I become a better leader over the past year?
• What do I need to do to improve as a leader in the New Year?
• What leadership style did I use effectively over the past year?
• What style should I learn or expand upon?
• How did I best express compassion and empathy for the people I served last year?
• How can I be more compassionate?
• What new skills, talents and abilities do you want to learn or expand?
• In what situations were you caught unprepared and how can you change that for the future?
• Were there any situations in the past year where you were lacking in confidence?
• When were you the most confident?
• Could you have been more flexible or adaptable in handling any particular situation over the past year? If so, how?
• Were there any times when you communicated poorly or felt you were misunderstood?
• Were there any times when you knew with certainty that you got a message across loud and clear? How did you do it?
• Who did you mentor over the past year? How effective were you?
• Did you provide adequate training, mentoring and coaching to the people you serve––personally and professionally? If so, in what areas were you most effective? Where can you provide more?
• What material, emotional and spiritual resources do you have at your personal disposal right here and right now?
• Are you ending the year with adequate resources in each of these areas? A surplus? Are any of these resources depleted or inadequate for the coming year?
• Who did you meet or connect with over the past year that helped make you a better person or leader? How did they help and will you stay connected?
• Who do you want to meet or work with?
• Who should you part ways with––and why?
• What two or three things would you like to change in yourself over the next year?

And the most important question of all:

• How can you better serve the people who respect and trust your leadership?

Feel free to add to the list, but you should at least think about these items.

This is not about planning. That comes later. Notice there is nothing in these questions about how you’re going to change anything. This is just an exercise to help you take inventory––to identify what it is you’d like to change or do in the coming year.

Now you might not need two hours to answer these questions. You might get it done in ten minutes.

Take the two hours anyway––minimum.

This isn’t just about answering the questions, it involved thinking about your answers. Let it sink in. You may change your responses a few times.

If you’re comfortable with your answers before the two hours is up, just sit and think and let it all set in. You’re programming your mind for the coming year. You’re getting rid of some of the clutter.

After you finish your session, give yourself at least a couple of days before you start any serious planning. Give yourself some time to reflect and consider your responses and how you might best move forward.

That’s it.

Just give yourself a break, reflect on the past year, and start the New Year with a meaningful assessment of where you are––and where you want to go.

This may turn out to be the most productive two hours you’ve invested all year!

Happy New Year!

 

ASPIRING LEADERS: Focus on experience, not rewards

The following is an excerpt from Jim’s latest book, 8 STRATEGIES for ASPIRING LEADERS…

When I listen to leaders and managers today, they tell me that “entitlement mentality” is one of the biggest obstacles for aspiring leaders. Too often candidates freshly minted out of college show up at their first job interview with a pre-determined list of demands or a set idea of what they “deserve.”

You “deserve” nothing––until you prove your actual value––through performance.

One of my friends is a stock trader. When he started, the standard for hiring was a college diploma. His degree was not even in finance or business; he held a degree in English.

Times have changed. His firm now requires an MBA for consideration for entry level stock trading and broker positions. The degree is required just to qualify for the chance to train for those positions.

He asked me if I knew what “MBA” stands for. “Of course,” I said, “Master of Business Administration.”

“No,” he replied, “It means––might be acceptable!”

Aspiring leaders are competing for recognition and opportunities in a crowded market and employers in many domains have plenty of great candidates to choose from. If you really want to excel and exploit opportunities for advancement, it’s important to stop focusing on the rewards. You’re not there yet.

Focus on the experience.

This means taking full advantage of every opportunity to gain experience and on-the-job knowledge, no matter how insignificant or menial it might look at the time. The part-time job you take running the night shift at a burger joint to pay your student loans may be more valuable to you in the long run than taking a paper pushing job that promises higher pay and company expense account.

A couple of years ago I was doing a workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs. I asked each of them to give us a quick summary of what kind of business they were starting.

One guy said he was starting a restaurant.

He had a lot of his ducks in a row. He had a good business plan, he had a solid vision and had researched his market and competition.

As far as administrative skills were concerned, he knew what he was doing––he had been a corporate executive for years. He was starting over because he had been aged-out of the position he held for about 30 years. He even had strong financial backing from friends who had encouraged him––which led me to my next question.

“With all your experience in business, why are you going to open a restaurant?”

I already knew the answer––I’ve heard it a hundred times in these workshops: “Well, all my life people have told me what a great cook I am.”

“Have you ever worked in a restaurant?”

Again I knew the answer. For the record, he said no.

I told him the best advice I could give him right now was to go get a job in a restaurant. Not only did I tell him not to apply for a management position, but I told him he should start at the very bottom. “Wash dishes, mop floors, wait on tables––do anything to get you inside the restaurant business and learn it from the bottom up!”

I had to add, “The best thing you’re going to learn is that you either love it––or hate it! Either way, it’s better to find out now before you risk what you have left of your life savings!”

I don’t just pick on the restaurant business. This philosophy works for every business, martial arts included.

Nowhere was this experience gap wider than in the financial markets before the big meltdown of 2008. In his book, The Big Short, Michael Lewis describes an entire generation of eager young “executives” who earned big money, but did nothing but process forms and operate what amounted to a legal gambling scheme.

Few of these people became the business leaders of the future. Most of them were simply glorified high-tech assembly line workers, without the invaluable practical experience working with their hands would have provided.

As soon as the proverbial shit hit the fan, these young financial mercenaries were lost. They had no real skills; many in fact did not even understand the economic basics that made their short, albeit profitable careers possible. They didn’t understand the true functions of the mortgage market. They didn’t really know how the derivative markets worked or how to protect assets with real capital.

They were simply playing a high-stakes video game. Eventually they lost––and so did we.

What became of these people? Watch The Wolf of Wall Street and you’ll get a pretty good idea.

What if more of them had passed on the lucrative bonuses and fast paced lifestyle and instead focused on positions that would give them solid experience in building, growing and managing a business? What if they delayed instant financial gratification for sound leadership training?

What if, instead of ripping us all off, they turned their energies to providing real value?

And you’ll provide much more value and enjoy more substantive and lasting rewards if you focus on doing something with meaning and purpose.

Focus on doing something that excites you, something that brings you joy––

Not just something that builds the resume.

Consistent, effective leadership is no accident––it takes practice

Consistent, effective leadership is no accident. It’s the result of dedicated practice, evaluation, learning, growth and development.

An important part of any dedicated practice regimen is continual reinforcement. Or as I say in every workshop:

“Validation is just as important as education.”

This is especially true for experienced leaders at the highest positions. The importance of continual reinforcement and validation extends to all levels––so why do I emphasize it as a priority for veteran leaders?

To be blunt, it’s because sometimes you forget about it!

I know you’re busy and you’ve got lots of people to worry about, but it’s important to take care of yourself too. You’re not the best leader you can be if you’re not at your best.

First I want to be perfectly clear about what I mean when I say “validation.” When you already know or possess the traits and skills that make you an effective leader, the best way to maintain those traits and skills is to practice. This means exposing yourself to constant reminders of the traits, values and strategies that enable you to lead effectively.

When I conduct a workshop with genuine leaders, I’m usually not challenging their credentials, their quality or their conduct. These people are not usually looking for some new leadership method or some secret technique that guarantees performance.

Top leaders do my workshops because we’re singing in harmony––that is they know they need to keep their swords sharp.

Reinforcement and validation of best practices is the most effective way to maintain and encourage effective performance, support of core values and ethical behavior. Don’t just take my word for it––let’s check the science.

Ethisphere.com reported on some interesting research by noted Duke behavioral economist Dan Ariely:

In one of these experiments, a finding that could offer a suggestion for those charged with creating and maintaining an ethical culture emerged. When a simple moral reminder was added to the exercise – when a group of students was asked to recall the Ten Commandments prior to completing the exercise – no cheating was observed despite the fact that no one in the group was able to recall all ten.

“This result was very intriguing,” said Ariely. “It seemed that merely trying to recall moral standards was enough to improve moral behavior.”

Not only moral behavior. In 30 years of training martial artists, I learned that the most powerful technique for improving any type of performance was to remind students of expectations, then reinforce and validate positive action and results.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t correct and even, I have to admit, sometimes berate my students––all in good nature of course! I also found, however, that there were several things I could do as a leader to improve the performance of my students and reduce the need for correction:

#1 Identify specific expectations and express them clearly.

#2 Remind them of these expectations regularly and often.

#3 Validate all improvement, progress and good performance.

I don’t expect top leaders to learn anything new in my workshops. I’m not teaching anything new! What’s so new about the importance of a leader as a teacher and mentor? About the power of expressing yourself skillfully, openly and honestly? Are courage, compassion and wisdom new leadership traits?

No––genuine leaders understand that no matter how much experience we have, we all need to work on the basics. We all need reminders and we all need to pay attention to the fundamentals. I’m honored when they find my workshops and books validating for their leadership style and practice.

Aspiring leaders will often discover new ideas. That’s great too––but it’s not enough to learn leadership strategies and techniques. It’s critical to put those concepts into practice––and to practice them with commitment throughout your career.

It’s simply human nature––we sometimes prioritize functional tasks above personal and professional development. It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of preparing a budget or responding to a critical change in the market.

That’s when we forget the basics––that an effective leader you must continually polish communication skills, be empathetic and accessible to the people you serve, to study and assimilate leadership techniques and maybe even most important, to continually improve yourself as a professional and as a person.

Bruce Lee famously said:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

If you want to improve and maintain a high standard of excellence for the leaders you develop––and to improve and maintain the highest standard for yourself and your top leaders––practice.

That means reinforce, always––the basics.

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It’s time to reinforce the strength and quality of your culture––of your leaders––at all levels.

Don’t worry, it’s always time!

Book Jim for a half for full day workshop, or on an ongoing basis to help your people become better leaders––and to help your leaders become better people.

Or––start by giving everyone on your team access to Jim’s powerful leadership strategies and techniques through his books. Volume discounts of up to 70% on books, bundled packages and self-study programs! Discounts available on orders as few as 10 units!

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS or call 800-786-8502

Be Thankful for those you serve

This is an extremely short post.

A leader is, at the most basic, a person who has the ability to attract willing followers, and the will to serve them.

What’s important in this relationship is this:

No followers––no leader.

Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to take stock of everything you have to be grateful for. For a leader, your greatest appreciation must be for your followers.

Be Thankful for the People who…

…trust your wisdom and guidance.

…share your vision.

…expand your capacity to perform by sharing their talents with you.

…respect your authority.

…are inspired by your example.

…appreciate your compassion and courage.

…willingly follow your leadership.

No matter how hard you work, no matter how much you believe in yourself and no matter how much authority you control, are a genuine leader only because People are willing to follow and you are willing to serve.

You are a true leader because of the People you serve.

For those People, Be Thankful!