Being honored for his leadership style, David Baker gave a speech in his usual way, soft-spoken, that won him the advanced leadership award of the year. Most people at the dinner thought that David spoke soft because of a leadership secret he found that worked and worked well in his 35 years being the CEO of WXT company. What most people did not realize was that David always spoke softly all of his life. David, an introvert is a tough leader and gets results by the way he leads.
The quiet revolution is moving forward and gaining steam as I write this. According to research, there are between 40-70% of CEOs and other executives who consider themselves as being introverted. With this in mind, even though they are introverted, these
We often read books and articles expounding on leadership traits or skills that a leader should possess. Do not let the cover fool you. There are many people who do not seek the spotlight, even though they are corporate leaders. They do not need the trappings of leadership- they just lead.
Leaders lead not through their loud speeches, but rather by doing what needs to be done, and by example. The gruff, non-nonsense company leader may be just as much a leader as the soft-spoken one. Optimize who you are. Some leaders who are soft-spoken, introverted, and quiet; while others are extroverted and like to be in the limelight all the time. Allow yourself to be who you are even with demonstrating your active listening skills, and look carefully into what your leadership style is. Think about the idea that you can expand your horizons by demonstrating more of who you are through your leadership style and work on how you want that to be.
Kenneth Chase, a 57 year old vice-president never wanted to be president or CEO of the organization he has worked at since graduating from Penn State University. As a self-confident leader is usually soft-spoken, Kenneth’s dynamic leadership brought forth his great insights and vision for his company that demonstrated his creativity as it began as an artist, and then switched his major to business. He did not plan on being a corporate leader, but he has made the position comfortable enough that he has been there for over 20 years.
Many people may look at themselves and say, “I am soft-spoken, quiet and opinionated”. These are some of the same people who notice that almost all charismatic people are soft-spoken.
There are some people who are naturally soft-spoken and it may be part of their emotional make-up. Sometimes it is taught in families as to not raise your voice even when you get angry. Others are introverted so they do not speak up or are slow to respond because introverts have to think first before saying or taking any action.
Some believe that soft-spoken people are creative and mask a hidden agenda. Others believe being soft-spoken is a sign of weakness. When people use their actual strengths, they can be powerful in their own way. Many people do not understand that.
Talking softly actually makes others listen to you more. Some might say that people who talk over others are self-absorbed and have a skewed self-esteem issue that they rarely listen to what others say. They are too busy listening to the sound of their own voice.
Having a brilliant mind which gives her unique ideas, even though she prefers to make policy based on what she observes, Megan Anderson is one of those creative types who likes management by walking around. She likes to talk to employees and get their opinions, suggestions, and feedback because when changes need to take place, Megan wants the buy-in from her workforce as to the changes she wants to implement as it affects them as well.
Megan is soft-spoken and remains quiet when she is in a large group, such as networking events. She prefers not to have attention put on her because she gets flustered and blushes. She prefers one-to-ones instead.
With the quiet revolution taking place within leadership, and more and more quiet leaders demonstrating that they are getting results beyond their expectations. Soft-spoken leaders are not shouting their secret leadership skills, strategies and techniques from the rooftops; they still keep a low profile and look forward to stellar years due to their leadership and how they do what they do.
For a 30 minute complimentary session to see how we can help you for the leadership skills you may be seeking, please contact us at 602-405-2540 or email nburgis@successful-solutions.com
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
MBWA (Management By Waking Around)
Why do some leaders quickly implement change and inspire their team(s) to exceed all targets- while others try everything possible and their team(s) barely meet expectations?
For many employees, one of the most popular questions they are asked every morning is “How are you?” By the way, this question is stated not by a co-worker, but by their boss. Many ineffective managers and leaders have distinguishing factors such as not asking good questions or offering little or no help, support or even encouragement or suggestions to their employees to be more productive. Many leaders do not avail themselves to the potentially useful techniques that help them manage better either because they do not know them or do not believe in them.
Management By Walking Around or MBWA for short, was pioneered by the two men who started HP-Hewlett-Packard (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard) in the 1940’s. The “HP Way” of MBWA was based on the concept that employees are capable of being part of the problem solving process and that a team approach to creating new business ideas and innovating ways to solve problems was far superior to the “top down” approach of management coming up with all the answers and dictating them to their employees.
The idea behind MBWA, according to author Tom Peters who popularized the term, is simple: “Managers can be a lot more effective when they wander around the work site. Companies that perform the best are the ones whose managers actively go out into the trenches and listen and engage with their employees.
Managers can best engage employees by asking how their day is going, what barriers they face, what problems they see, how the organization could do better, and how management can help them do a better job. Some may remember the notion of management by walking around as an old idea that is coming back in many companies.
Some organizations who have used “management by walking around” focused on leading that resulted in productivity improvements of at least 30%. Effective managers have their fingers on the pulse of their projects, their teams, and the organizations. Some of the ways “Management By Walking Around” improves leadership includes:
· Motivates employees to achieve individual and team goals
· Focuses the team’s attention on business priorities
· Increases the ability to drive cultural change
· Builds company spirit
· Reinforces company values
Management By Walking Around builds trust and relationships, motivates the staff by management allowing employees to take an active role in the company they work for, and creates a healthy organization.
Management By Walking Around recognizes and appreciates the employees who help make you successful. Managers who practice this style, take note of the following:
1. Speak with People One-on-One as this builds trust.
2. Get to Know People more on a personal basis as this shows your interest in them. Tell them something about yourself.
3. Be Prepared to hear some things you would rather not hear. Some things may not be going so well. Accept these things as information that may be useful to you without being critical of the employee who presents the information.
4. Always Ask people for their ideas on how their work could be improved. Listen carefully to their ideas.
5. When You Notice something out of line, make a mental note and go back later to address the problem.
6. Practice MBWA with everyone as often as you can. Be humble. Let them show you how to input the data.
7. Try to Catch Employees in the act of doing something right. Notice the things that are right and express your appreciation. This builds loyalty.
These are simple and powerful tools for you to use daily. Today, many business owners and leaders walk the floor only when a crisis occurs. They think their presence will calm their employees. The trouble is, that is not effective if you have been hiding in your office before you notice a problem has hit. MBWA only works (and does work) if you do it regularly and you really want to know what is going on in your organization. So Instead of staying in your office all day, every day, visit your employees on a regular basis, and discover how to improve your leadership with your employees and your company.
“Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.”
- Dianne Feinstein
For a 30 minute complimentary session to see how we can help you for the leadership skills you may be seeking, please contact us at 602-405-2540 or email nburgis@successful-solutions.com
For many employees, one of the most popular questions they are asked every morning is “How are you?” By the way, this question is stated not by a co-worker, but by their boss. Many ineffective managers and leaders have distinguishing factors such as not asking good questions or offering little or no help, support or even encouragement or suggestions to their employees to be more productive. Many leaders do not avail themselves to the potentially useful techniques that help them manage better either because they do not know them or do not believe in them.
Management By Walking Around or MBWA for short, was pioneered by the two men who started HP-Hewlett-Packard (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard) in the 1940’s. The “HP Way” of MBWA was based on the concept that employees are capable of being part of the problem solving process and that a team approach to creating new business ideas and innovating ways to solve problems was far superior to the “top down” approach of management coming up with all the answers and dictating them to their employees.
The idea behind MBWA, according to author Tom Peters who popularized the term, is simple: “Managers can be a lot more effective when they wander around the work site. Companies that perform the best are the ones whose managers actively go out into the trenches and listen and engage with their employees.
Managers can best engage employees by asking how their day is going, what barriers they face, what problems they see, how the organization could do better, and how management can help them do a better job. Some may remember the notion of management by walking around as an old idea that is coming back in many companies.
Some organizations who have used “management by walking around” focused on leading that resulted in productivity improvements of at least 30%. Effective managers have their fingers on the pulse of their projects, their teams, and the organizations. Some of the ways “Management By Walking Around” improves leadership includes:
· Motivates employees to achieve individual and team goals
· Focuses the team’s attention on business priorities
· Increases the ability to drive cultural change
· Builds company spirit
· Reinforces company values
Management By Walking Around builds trust and relationships, motivates the staff by management allowing employees to take an active role in the company they work for, and creates a healthy organization.
Management By Walking Around recognizes and appreciates the employees who help make you successful. Managers who practice this style, take note of the following:
1. Speak with People One-on-One as this builds trust.
2. Get to Know People more on a personal basis as this shows your interest in them. Tell them something about yourself.
3. Be Prepared to hear some things you would rather not hear. Some things may not be going so well. Accept these things as information that may be useful to you without being critical of the employee who presents the information.
4. Always Ask people for their ideas on how their work could be improved. Listen carefully to their ideas.
5. When You Notice something out of line, make a mental note and go back later to address the problem.
6. Practice MBWA with everyone as often as you can. Be humble. Let them show you how to input the data.
7. Try to Catch Employees in the act of doing something right. Notice the things that are right and express your appreciation. This builds loyalty.
These are simple and powerful tools for you to use daily. Today, many business owners and leaders walk the floor only when a crisis occurs. They think their presence will calm their employees. The trouble is, that is not effective if you have been hiding in your office before you notice a problem has hit. MBWA only works (and does work) if you do it regularly and you really want to know what is going on in your organization. So Instead of staying in your office all day, every day, visit your employees on a regular basis, and discover how to improve your leadership with your employees and your company.
“Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.”
- Dianne Feinstein
For a 30 minute complimentary session to see how we can help you for the leadership skills you may be seeking, please contact us at 602-405-2540 or email nburgis@successful-solutions.com
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