The Toolbox

In business everyone has techniques and skills they use to accomplish what is expected of them. The situation you are in will determine the technique you choose from your internal toolbox of skills.

In my professional career my role has consistently been in a leadership capacity. As a result, I have been in many situations where I have had to defend my business reasoning against opposing views. I would often express myself with firmness and confidence. In fact, I would often become aggressive and raise my voice to make my point. Several years ago I was in a strategic meeting with a few co-workers of mine including my boss and a Senior Director who had flown in from the corporate office. The nature of the meeting was to present my analysis of an account I was managing, point out the challenges at that time and provide my recommendation. At the conclusion of my presentation the Senior Director dismissed my summary and began to intimate the challenges at hand were a result of my mishandling of the account and that he was in town to "fix it". This was not accurate and so I interrupted to set the record straight. I was very stern, raised my voice to show I was taking command of the situation and laid into him holding nothing back. At the conclusion of my point, the Senior Director had to excuse himself from the meeting.

About three months later I was in a different situation and was challenged by a manager on a decision I had made. In defending my decision, I used a technique similar to that of my face-off with the Senior Director. My boss called me and said he had heard how I had reacted and wanted to talk about it. He said to me, "To a man who's good with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." He continued to share with me that I was very good with my hammer but needed more tools in my toolbox. This statement made me realize I needed to focus on developing my communication skills.

Although I believe there is a time and place for using a "hammer", having a diverse toolbox makes you a stronger leader. Some additional tools I have focused on developing are:
1) Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
2) When I sense I am becoming defensive - take a short break.
3) Ask lots of questions - you will uncover important information and learn what motivates others.
4) Pay attention to how other people communicate.

Leadership Part 3: Developing Problem Solvers

A great habit to cultivate among your employees is to think like a problem solver. The ability to solve problems or a disposition toward working toward solutions versus giving up is one of the best characteristics someone can have in business and life. To inspire this mind set among your team, simply require your employees to present two solutions to every problem or concern they bring to you. Over time you will see fewer and fewer problems being brought to your attention because they will be solved without your direct involvement. This skill is portable into other areas of business that will benefit both the employee and your company. When faced with difficult business challenges your employees will have the confidence to meet them head on. Last, you may not always be available and having fostered an environment that empowers employees to problem solve takes the pressure off of you.

Leadership Part 2: The Outside Expert

I remember learning early in my management career that familiarity diminishes credibility. What this means is the longer you lead a group of people the more they get used to hearing your vision and begin to take it for granted or even disassociate with it. How do you ignite the spark in your team when you encounter this? There are two simple answers. One, send your team to a conference in which the theme echos your vision. Two, bring someone in from outside your organization to present to your team.

Option One
Anytime someone attends a conference they are bound to hear a message or concept being delivered by a speaker they have not listened to before. Although the message or concept is likely not a new one (compliments your company's vision or core values), this will typically motivate them and provide that surge of excitement that was seemingly missing.

Option Two

Evaluate your network of contacts and focus on people who share a similar business outlook or that are in the same industry as you are. You can also find someone in a completely different industry that has a similar philosophy on customer service, account management, etc... If you don't have anyone in your network its time to start making new contacts. For example, if your company and team place a high value on customer service then make a list of the 10 best places you have received customer service. Include retail, restaurants, salons, personal trainers - anywhere you feel the service is excellent. Next, call and request a manager or senior staff member from one of these organizations visit your next team meeting and talk about their business and their perspective on customer care. If there is a specific area that you want highlighted, or draw a parallel to, let the presenter know ahead of time so they can incorporate it into their message. I have successfully done this when I brought in authors, insurance representatives, personal shoppers and restaurant managers to name a few.

It may not hit your team right away that the message they just heard from an "Outside Expert" is the same thing you have been telling them all along - but does that really matter? The goal is to get everyone motivated and excited again.

Leadership Part 1: Negatives Up & Positives Down

A leadership role within an organization implies you support the direction and decision makers of the company. When you are frustrated do not let the people you are responsible for see you complain or behave in a negative manner. For you to publicly complain is unprofessional and sends your direct reports the wrong message. Rather, you should share your frustrations with your manager. This is the appropriate way to express your concerns. Depending on your experience level it is likely you will learn something you did not already know and your perspective will change. This way you remain professional in the eyes of those that report to you while you have an opportunity to develop the business relationship between you and your boss.

On the other hand always share any positives you observe or learn about with the people you lead. This includes any comments or recognition from senior management outside of your department. In essence you want to keep the moral high and positive among your team. If you consistently share positives with your team they will feed off of it and focus on trying to reproduce similar results.