Jobs and CareersLoosen Your Grip to Stay in Control
By John Kenworthy
What helps distinguish leaders and managers is about control and, quite literally, how "hands-on" you are.
When you first learn the game of golf, the chances are that you grip thew club tightly. After all this is basically holding onto a stick that you will swing through the air and hit a ball. Allowing the club to "follow-through' - if you don't hold on tight, the club might just go as far as the ball.
(I appreciate that many of you reading this may not have ever played golf, for you some alternatives, perhaps liken the tight grip of a golf club to:
* the tight grip of the reins of a horse
* holding your dog on a very short leash
* holding on tight to your child's hand )
New golfers have to learn how to 'let go' - to relax their grip. If a tight grip is a 10 on a scale, we want a 4 out of 10.
The same is true of leadership and the way we hold on to our people. Hold on too tight (micro manage) and people have little freedom to use their own skills and strength. Hold on too tight to the club, and it is the golfer doing all the work.
So the question is: "who should be doing the work?" The manager or leader or the member of staff? The golf club is weighted for a reason. If you allow the club to do the work, the swing and striking of the ball, becomes almost effortless. Relax your grip on your team and allow them to excel at what they do, and the work becomes almost effortless.
Once you know, as a golfer, that the club is designed to do the job of striking the ball and your job is simply to swing and allow physics do to its job, you can relax. Maintain just enough control to ensure alignment, direction and distance and the ball will fly according to the club used, and the size of the swing. If you want a long distance, you use a long club and a full swing. A short distance off the fairway onto the green requires a shorter distance club and a smaller swing. The power to achieve the distance lies in the tool being employed and the chosen swing - the rest is pure physics.
So what can we learn as a leader? Isn't it the same. Make sure that you are using the right tool - the person needs the right skill set (and/or mindset) to do the required job. The leader's job is to have a little control to ensure that the skills are employed in the right direction for the right distance - that's about judging how far it is to the goal and translating that into the swing itself - in the case of people, the swing is influence and motivation... let the staff do the rest.
And just like that golf ball landing exactly where you both planned and wanted it to be for the next shot. You celebrate. Unlike golf though, praise your club and thank them for their effort. After all, they did all the work!
When we use this metaphor on our golf leadership workshops, the feedback is instant. Hold tight onto the club and the golfer has to use a great deal of effort and the ball often ends up being pulled, pushed, sliced or hooked - going two thirds of the required distance. Relax the grip maintaining directional control and the ball flies straight to the full distance of the club and swing used.
(For non-golfers... try this with a horse, hold tight, the horse will slow down even when you whip it! You dog on a short leash stays by your side whilst pulling your arm out of its socket! Your child dangles from your hand as you cross the road.)
Yet, new golfers on particular, find their grip tightening in more difficult situations. The very moment when they need to be most at ease, most truly controlling, fear envelops them, pressure builds, the grip tightens and the ball goes astray.
The same is true of business leaders under pressure. Listen to the media hype about the doom and gloom of the current economic situation and fear can easily creep in to the mind. Many leaders respond by tightening their grip on their people and their business, believing that the tighter they hold, the more control they have and the more likely they are to survive and pull through. Albeit, they expend huge amounts of effort, feel incredibly stressed, and more likely to explode a blood vessel!
Tough times in business are better served by leaders keeping a clear head, a loose grip, maintain direction and let your people do what they do best. Let's face the truth here, even a behemoth the size of AIG can't control the market, what makes you think that you can? My advice, ignore the noise (media doom and gloom), look for the opportunities and focus on the goal and it's direction, choose the right club, loosen your grip and let your club do the work.
Loosen your grip and you'll have more control.
Visit us at http://celsim.com to find out how we can help you in your development and how we use the game of golf to develop your leadership.
=================================
Is it Part of the Task of Good Leaders and Experienced Leadership to Help People Avoid 'Burnout'?
By Sandy Shaw
The financial crisis may be all over by the time you read this! And the global warming crisis, and the moral crisis, and any other crisis you can think of. No. They won't blow away that fast.
One could easily become spiritually and emotionally drained in these pressurized days. Is it the task of good leaders and good leadership to help people avoid 'burnout?
Jesus Christ teaches people, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". Yes, it is a yoke and a burden but it is not dangerously heavy.
Do not become a victim of burnout. No disciple of Jesus in the New Testament suffered from burnout, so is there any practical help? Yes.
Eat well. God says that it is not smart to stuff yourself with sweets. Stop drowning in junk food. Educate yourself regarding good wise nutrition.
Know where you are going in life. Set specific goals and do not let mindless routine control you. Resolve problems before they become chronic and drain your energy.
People who wait upon God renew their strength, soar on wings, run without becoming weary, and walk without feeling tired. That amazing man, Isaiah, speaks teaches us about this with such practical simplicity.
Say "No". learn to say "No". That can be a lesson we need to be taught, and when learned it is worth gold. If you have enough on your plate do not take on more commitments. Find out to what God would have you devote your time and talents.
That goes for food and drink too.
God says that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.
You would not allow someone to come and make a mess of your house. It is important to look after that house of yours in which God wishes to dwell by His Spirit. Treat your body responsibly.
There is a time to blow out the candle. Do not miss out on essential sleep.
If you burn the candle at both ends, you soon discover you are not very bright.
Yes, good experienced leaders can help a lot in the most practical ways at times.
Sandy Shaw.
Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.
His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.
Sandy Shaw
sandyshaw63@yahoo.com
===================================
Know the Inflection Points in Your Career
By Matt Angello
People too often make the mistake of viewing the skills required to advance in an organization in much the same way they view the ascension itself, in a steadily upward course along a fairly predictable path. They figure out the behaviors and skills that pay dividends for them early in their career and they reason that if they just keep it up, their future is pretty much secure. Too bad it just doesn't work that way.
Critical "inflection points" present themselves during the course of a career. They typically occur in a transition move, i.e. individual contributor to supervisor, mid-manager to department head, functional leader to general manager, senior manager to executive leader, senior executive to CEO. They are by definition "inflection points" because the requirements for success change at the next level if the individual is going to continue to be successful. Sometimes these changes are obvious, other times they are nuanced.
The problem is that too many people either do not recognize the change, or do not see the need to change. After all, the behaviors and skills they have employed up to that point are like "old friends." They have reliably served them and have been the formula for success. So they go back to the same well, again and again. But like a friendship gone terribly bad, the skills betray them as they prove ineffective at the next level. Predictably, their advancement stalls.
The key is to recognize when you are at such a point and do something about it. It will probably involve increased (or first time) responsibility for people, customers, strategy, new functions, or a significantly larger role with broad impact. Talk to others in similar roles, do some developmental reading, seek a mentor, hire a coach. But by all means, do not stand pat.
Keep in mind that there are indeed times when "the more things change, the more they really do change."
Matthew Angello is the Founder and Principal of Bright tree Consulting Group.
Bright Tree Consulting Group, LLC is a boutique firm that offers an array of highly personalized and effective coaching and consulting services for executives and companies seeking to unleash their potential, move their performance to the next level and prepare for future challenges. Our focus is on the development of pragmatic and actionable programs that are tailored to address the specific challenges and needs of the individual executive or company. http://www.brighttreecg.com
=========================================
Slow Down Your Decisions and Get There Faster
By Matt Angello
The skill and behaviors required for leadership changes as you move up the organization ladder. The skills and behaviors that work so well at lower levels, or in different circumstances, can become impediments at higher levels or when the job focus is different. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the realm of decision making.
Early in their careers, people often learn to make quick decisions, usually based on some subject matter expertise or because they find themselves in predictable circumstances. Because these decisions are amenable to fast resolution, these folks are typically rewarded for their "bias for action" as evidenced by this decisiveness. These decisions do not lend themselves well to participation by others and so the individual increasingly comes to rely on their own judgement.
Using this well honed skill for the fast decision, the individual begins a steady progression up the organization ladder. Then a funny thing happens. They get promoted to executive leadership. Continuing along their well worn path, they pride themselves on making the fast decision. They do so privately and in meetings. Wanting to evidence their bias for action and because they are terribly busy, they truncate discussion around issues where they already know the answer.
Soon though, they start to notice that their people are not as engaged in meetings. There's not as much discussion. People seem to be waiting for direction on way too many issues. Then one day, our leader has a discussion with the CEO who expresses his concern that our executive's team seems to be weak. Or worse yet, one of those fast decisions turned out to be dreadfully wrong because important details were overlooked. Another career comes to a screeching halt...
What our executive didn't appreciate is the importance of engaging their team in the decision-making process. They didn't realize that if every decision was made for the team, the best people would leave and those remaining would simply sit back and let the boss decide. The members of the team would either "walk out" or "check out."
Our executive didn't understand that it is essential to engage others in decisions, especially important ones, so that the decision benefits from collective experience, intelligence and intuition. Equally important, the team members know they've been heard and had an opportunity to put their mark on the decision. As a result, they work doggedly to ensure the decision was the right one.
As your career unfolds, be wary of this pitfall. If you are a strident fan of the quick decision, I offer you this simple advise- slow down and get there faster.
Matthew Angello is the Founder and Principal of Bright tree Consulting Group. Bright Tree Consulting Group, LLC is a boutique firm that offers an array of highly personalized and effective coaching and consulting services for executives and companies seeking to unleash their potential, move their performance to the next level and prepare for future challenges. Our focus is on the development of pragmatic and actionable programs that are tailored to address the specific challenges and needs of the individual executive or company. http://www.brighttreecg.com
By John Kenworthy
What helps distinguish leaders and managers is about control and, quite literally, how "hands-on" you are.
When you first learn the game of golf, the chances are that you grip thew club tightly. After all this is basically holding onto a stick that you will swing through the air and hit a ball. Allowing the club to "follow-through' - if you don't hold on tight, the club might just go as far as the ball.
(I appreciate that many of you reading this may not have ever played golf, for you some alternatives, perhaps liken the tight grip of a golf club to:
* the tight grip of the reins of a horse
* holding your dog on a very short leash
* holding on tight to your child's hand )
New golfers have to learn how to 'let go' - to relax their grip. If a tight grip is a 10 on a scale, we want a 4 out of 10.
The same is true of leadership and the way we hold on to our people. Hold on too tight (micro manage) and people have little freedom to use their own skills and strength. Hold on too tight to the club, and it is the golfer doing all the work.
So the question is: "who should be doing the work?" The manager or leader or the member of staff? The golf club is weighted for a reason. If you allow the club to do the work, the swing and striking of the ball, becomes almost effortless. Relax your grip on your team and allow them to excel at what they do, and the work becomes almost effortless.
Once you know, as a golfer, that the club is designed to do the job of striking the ball and your job is simply to swing and allow physics do to its job, you can relax. Maintain just enough control to ensure alignment, direction and distance and the ball will fly according to the club used, and the size of the swing. If you want a long distance, you use a long club and a full swing. A short distance off the fairway onto the green requires a shorter distance club and a smaller swing. The power to achieve the distance lies in the tool being employed and the chosen swing - the rest is pure physics.
So what can we learn as a leader? Isn't it the same. Make sure that you are using the right tool - the person needs the right skill set (and/or mindset) to do the required job. The leader's job is to have a little control to ensure that the skills are employed in the right direction for the right distance - that's about judging how far it is to the goal and translating that into the swing itself - in the case of people, the swing is influence and motivation... let the staff do the rest.
And just like that golf ball landing exactly where you both planned and wanted it to be for the next shot. You celebrate. Unlike golf though, praise your club and thank them for their effort. After all, they did all the work!
When we use this metaphor on our golf leadership workshops, the feedback is instant. Hold tight onto the club and the golfer has to use a great deal of effort and the ball often ends up being pulled, pushed, sliced or hooked - going two thirds of the required distance. Relax the grip maintaining directional control and the ball flies straight to the full distance of the club and swing used.
(For non-golfers... try this with a horse, hold tight, the horse will slow down even when you whip it! You dog on a short leash stays by your side whilst pulling your arm out of its socket! Your child dangles from your hand as you cross the road.)
Yet, new golfers on particular, find their grip tightening in more difficult situations. The very moment when they need to be most at ease, most truly controlling, fear envelops them, pressure builds, the grip tightens and the ball goes astray.
The same is true of business leaders under pressure. Listen to the media hype about the doom and gloom of the current economic situation and fear can easily creep in to the mind. Many leaders respond by tightening their grip on their people and their business, believing that the tighter they hold, the more control they have and the more likely they are to survive and pull through. Albeit, they expend huge amounts of effort, feel incredibly stressed, and more likely to explode a blood vessel!
Tough times in business are better served by leaders keeping a clear head, a loose grip, maintain direction and let your people do what they do best. Let's face the truth here, even a behemoth the size of AIG can't control the market, what makes you think that you can? My advice, ignore the noise (media doom and gloom), look for the opportunities and focus on the goal and it's direction, choose the right club, loosen your grip and let your club do the work.
Loosen your grip and you'll have more control.
Visit us at http://celsim.com to find out how we can help you in your development and how we use the game of golf to develop your leadership.
=================================
Is it Part of the Task of Good Leaders and Experienced Leadership to Help People Avoid 'Burnout'?
By Sandy Shaw
The financial crisis may be all over by the time you read this! And the global warming crisis, and the moral crisis, and any other crisis you can think of. No. They won't blow away that fast.
One could easily become spiritually and emotionally drained in these pressurized days. Is it the task of good leaders and good leadership to help people avoid 'burnout?
Jesus Christ teaches people, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". Yes, it is a yoke and a burden but it is not dangerously heavy.
Do not become a victim of burnout. No disciple of Jesus in the New Testament suffered from burnout, so is there any practical help? Yes.
Eat well. God says that it is not smart to stuff yourself with sweets. Stop drowning in junk food. Educate yourself regarding good wise nutrition.
Know where you are going in life. Set specific goals and do not let mindless routine control you. Resolve problems before they become chronic and drain your energy.
People who wait upon God renew their strength, soar on wings, run without becoming weary, and walk without feeling tired. That amazing man, Isaiah, speaks teaches us about this with such practical simplicity.
Say "No". learn to say "No". That can be a lesson we need to be taught, and when learned it is worth gold. If you have enough on your plate do not take on more commitments. Find out to what God would have you devote your time and talents.
That goes for food and drink too.
God says that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.
You would not allow someone to come and make a mess of your house. It is important to look after that house of yours in which God wishes to dwell by His Spirit. Treat your body responsibly.
There is a time to blow out the candle. Do not miss out on essential sleep.
If you burn the candle at both ends, you soon discover you are not very bright.
Yes, good experienced leaders can help a lot in the most practical ways at times.
Sandy Shaw.
Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.
His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.
Sandy Shaw
sandyshaw63@yahoo.com
===================================
Know the Inflection Points in Your Career
By Matt Angello
People too often make the mistake of viewing the skills required to advance in an organization in much the same way they view the ascension itself, in a steadily upward course along a fairly predictable path. They figure out the behaviors and skills that pay dividends for them early in their career and they reason that if they just keep it up, their future is pretty much secure. Too bad it just doesn't work that way.
Critical "inflection points" present themselves during the course of a career. They typically occur in a transition move, i.e. individual contributor to supervisor, mid-manager to department head, functional leader to general manager, senior manager to executive leader, senior executive to CEO. They are by definition "inflection points" because the requirements for success change at the next level if the individual is going to continue to be successful. Sometimes these changes are obvious, other times they are nuanced.
The problem is that too many people either do not recognize the change, or do not see the need to change. After all, the behaviors and skills they have employed up to that point are like "old friends." They have reliably served them and have been the formula for success. So they go back to the same well, again and again. But like a friendship gone terribly bad, the skills betray them as they prove ineffective at the next level. Predictably, their advancement stalls.
The key is to recognize when you are at such a point and do something about it. It will probably involve increased (or first time) responsibility for people, customers, strategy, new functions, or a significantly larger role with broad impact. Talk to others in similar roles, do some developmental reading, seek a mentor, hire a coach. But by all means, do not stand pat.
Keep in mind that there are indeed times when "the more things change, the more they really do change."
Matthew Angello is the Founder and Principal of Bright tree Consulting Group.
Bright Tree Consulting Group, LLC is a boutique firm that offers an array of highly personalized and effective coaching and consulting services for executives and companies seeking to unleash their potential, move their performance to the next level and prepare for future challenges. Our focus is on the development of pragmatic and actionable programs that are tailored to address the specific challenges and needs of the individual executive or company. http://www.brighttreecg.com
=========================================
Slow Down Your Decisions and Get There Faster
By Matt Angello
The skill and behaviors required for leadership changes as you move up the organization ladder. The skills and behaviors that work so well at lower levels, or in different circumstances, can become impediments at higher levels or when the job focus is different. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the realm of decision making.
Early in their careers, people often learn to make quick decisions, usually based on some subject matter expertise or because they find themselves in predictable circumstances. Because these decisions are amenable to fast resolution, these folks are typically rewarded for their "bias for action" as evidenced by this decisiveness. These decisions do not lend themselves well to participation by others and so the individual increasingly comes to rely on their own judgement.
Using this well honed skill for the fast decision, the individual begins a steady progression up the organization ladder. Then a funny thing happens. They get promoted to executive leadership. Continuing along their well worn path, they pride themselves on making the fast decision. They do so privately and in meetings. Wanting to evidence their bias for action and because they are terribly busy, they truncate discussion around issues where they already know the answer.
Soon though, they start to notice that their people are not as engaged in meetings. There's not as much discussion. People seem to be waiting for direction on way too many issues. Then one day, our leader has a discussion with the CEO who expresses his concern that our executive's team seems to be weak. Or worse yet, one of those fast decisions turned out to be dreadfully wrong because important details were overlooked. Another career comes to a screeching halt...
What our executive didn't appreciate is the importance of engaging their team in the decision-making process. They didn't realize that if every decision was made for the team, the best people would leave and those remaining would simply sit back and let the boss decide. The members of the team would either "walk out" or "check out."
Our executive didn't understand that it is essential to engage others in decisions, especially important ones, so that the decision benefits from collective experience, intelligence and intuition. Equally important, the team members know they've been heard and had an opportunity to put their mark on the decision. As a result, they work doggedly to ensure the decision was the right one.
As your career unfolds, be wary of this pitfall. If you are a strident fan of the quick decision, I offer you this simple advise- slow down and get there faster.
Matthew Angello is the Founder and Principal of Bright tree Consulting Group. Bright Tree Consulting Group, LLC is a boutique firm that offers an array of highly personalized and effective coaching and consulting services for executives and companies seeking to unleash their potential, move their performance to the next level and prepare for future challenges. Our focus is on the development of pragmatic and actionable programs that are tailored to address the specific challenges and needs of the individual executive or company. http://www.brighttreecg.com
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