How To Lead With Purpose

“Purpose is the why behind everything within an organization,” says author John Baldoni, of the book, Lead With Purpose.

Baldoni also believes that it is up to leaders to make certain that organizational purpose is understood and acted upon. And, to harness the talents of their employees, leaders must recognize their responsibility to instill purpose in the workplace.

Other recommendations include:

• Make purpose a central focus
• Instill purpose in others
• Make employees comfortable with ambiguity
• Turn good intentions into great results
• Make it safe to fail (as well as prevail)
• Develop the next generation

According to Baldoni, purpose forms the backbone of what an organization exists to do; upon which you can build vision and mission.

To define an organization’s purpose, you must ask three questions:

1. What is our vision — that is, what do we want to become?

2. What is our mission — that is, what do we do now?

3. What are our values–that is, what are the behaviors we expect of ourselves?

Some of my other favorite observations from the book are these two:

• We follow leaders not because they bring us down, but because they lift our spirits with their attitude, words, and examples.
• No job is complete without a review. Look at what went right as well as what went wrong. Understand that failure is not grounds for dismissal.

Lead With Purpose draws on extensive research, field work and interviews with dozens of organizational leaders. It also includes the results of an exclusive 2010 leadership survey conducted for the American Management Association (AMA) by NFI Research.

Baldoni is a recognized leadership educator, coach and speaker, and the author of Lead by Example and Lead Your Boss.

How To Step Up During Six Critical Leadership Moments

The book, Step Up, shows readers how to step up to the plate during six critical leadership moments.  Readers learn how to:

• Use anger intelligently in the workplace.
• Recognize and deal with terminal politeness.
• Make decisions when no one else is making them.
• Take ownership when others are externalizing a problem.
• Identify and leverage pessimism.
• Inspire others to take action.

And, before you start to read the book, you can take (via a QR code in the book) a fifteen-minute online Step Up Leadership Assessment, which will give you instant feedback on your leadership readiness and point you to the most relevant chapters in the book.

The book's two authors recently shared these insights with me:

A Conversation with Henry Evans and Colm Foster, authors of Step Up

What is a “leadership moment”?

• These are moments when leadership is required in order to see a problem solved, opportunity seized, momentum changed, relationship(s) built, or when the intelligent expression of emotion is required to drive a desired result. Leadership moments are when there will be an “easy thing” to do or a “right thing” to do, and you choose the “right thing,” even though it may be hard to do so. Some of the moments are counter-intuitive and will contradict some of the prevailing wisdom about leadership.

What are common misconceptions about leadership?

• That people who have the formal position of “leader” are good leaders and/or are always ready to lead. Another misconception, in our experience, is that people at all levels of organizations sometimes feel helpless and think that without a formal title they cannot lead.

Many books outline how to harness positive energy. Are negative outlooks—pessimism, skepticism, criticism—ever useful?

• In short, yes. The emotional intelligence community, ourselves included, have taught that emotions such as anger and frustration should be banned from the workplace. We have now changed our view. In our research and work with clients, we observe that the intelligent use of emotions like anger can lead to better business outcomes and stronger relationships. Stupidity is a problem, but not always anger, if channeled productively. Pessimists are often misunderstood and under-appreciated. Sometimes your pessimists are providing a counterbalance for unbridled optimism.

Are the six leadership moments important for both managers and non-managers? Can mastering how to act in the six moments help people advance in their careers?

• Yes. Leaders must demonstrate these qualities, and we promote the use of the six moments as criteria for reward and promotion across teams. We also believe that if you are working for someone who does not possess these qualities, you should train up, or trade up (get a new boss). Lastly, when you find yourself in a moment when you and your team are experiencing a leadership void, you can learn-how and when to demonstrate leadership in those same moments. You don’t need the title. You simply need to know how to recognize the moments when leadership is required, and of course, what to do when you are in one of those moments. If you demonstrate these qualities consistently, people are likely to view you in a new light, that of a leader.

What’s an example of a leadership moment in the news that a prominent leader stepped up to?

• Just a few weeks into the job, GM’s new CEO Mary Barra stepped up to the company’s recall crisis. The evidence looks like a leadership void may have led to the crisis and Mary stepped in to show very publicly how to turn this into an opportunity to lead.  She has been much more open, transparent, and accountable than auto company leaders have traditionally been about recalls. She still faces huge challenges ahead to solve GM’s crisis, but she has already been an inspiring example of how we can all step up and show true leadership when needed.

What can readers of your first book, Winning with Accountability, expect with Step Up?

• Winning with Accountability is a language-based system for driving better business results, and building better relationships through the language you use when making and requesting commitments. Step Up focuses on the six critical leadership behaviors required for leadership, regardless of your title or formal position. As with Winning with Accountability, you can expect more ideas that are easy to access, immediately applicable, and which naturally connect to your current business reality. In both books, we are action-focused, not theory-focused.

The Importance Of Your Soft Skills

Soft skills, all too often deemed the less important skills for a leader, are needed now more than ever.

• Soft skills are interpersonal skills that demonstrate a person's ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with others in one-on-one interactions as well as in groups and teams.

According to Maxine Kamin, author of the book, Soft Skills Revolution, "The practice of soft skills aids in communication and promotes problem solving, negotiation, conflict resolutions, and team building."

Each of the book's nine chapters, listed below, provide dialogue, questions, tips and recommended activities:

1. What Are Soft Skills?
2. The Hidden Side of Communication
3. The Power of Positive Intentions
4. Tack and Diplomacy
5. The Challenge of Problem Solving
6. Soft Skills and Teams
7. The Personality Factor
8. Taking the Sting Out of Feedback
9. Conflict and Cooperation

One of my favorite parts of the book is where Kamin explains the common expectations of staff members when it comes to the Principles of Reciprocity.  They are:

• Courtesy
• Greeting
• Cooperation
• Expediency
• Listening
• Supporting
• Remembering
• Following through
• Understanding
• Honesty
• Accurate work
• Initiative
• Problem solving
• Technical expertise
• Documentation
• Reporting

Image what a business can accomplish when all its team members practice the Principles of Reciprocity.

Kamin, M.Ed., is the founder and president of TOUCH Consulting, Inc.

How To Demonstrate Integrity As A Leader

Some words of wisdom from author Thomas Teal:

Integrity in management means:

1. being responsible
2. communicating clearly
3. keeping promises
4. being an honest broker
5. avoiding hidden agendas
6. knowing oneself

Also, explains Teal:

• Great managers serve two masters; one organizational, one moral.
• Managing is not a series of mechanical tasks but a set of human interactions.
• One reason for the scarcity of managerial greatness is that in educating and training managers, we focus too much on technical proficiency and too little on character.

You can find more advice and expertise from Teal in his book, First Person: Tales of Management Courage and Tenacity (Harvard Business School Press, 1996)

The Definition Of Meaningful Work

There are so many good things to learn in the book, Helping People Win At Work, by Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge. Among those is the section about how to define meaningful work.

Their definition consists of these seven attributes.  Work is meaningful when it:

1. It is conducted in a manner that is "good and proper" in all respects.
2. It positively affects our company and our communities, giving our work an impact that extends beyond ourselves.
3. It provides learning and growth, offers challenges, requires creativity, pushes us to surpass limits, and creates exciting results.
4. It provides recognition and rewards for our achievements.
5. It allows us to succeed as a team while excelling as individuals.
6. It allows us to enjoy the ride, bringing humor and fun into our work.
7. It fuels passion!

The New Beta Way To Lead

It's these chapter headings in the new book, The Fall of the Alphas, that first grabbed my interest:

• Corporate Anthropology
• Plows and Primates
• Boomers and Bonobos
• Information Changes Everything
• The Top of a Different Pyramid
• Eliminating Elitism
• Managing Ego
• It Takes Two to Beta

Next, it was author Dana Ardi's premise that convinced me to read her book:

• “Today’s American corporate world is a tale of two cultures.  One, more traditional and common, is centralized and hierarchical.  I call it Alpha.  The other, smaller and rarer, is decentralized, horizontal, and inclusive.  I call this one Beta,” explains corporate anthropologist Dana Ardi. 

Drawing on her vast experience as a venture capitalist, organizational design expert, and management consultant, Ardi argues that the future belongs to the Betas.

In her new book, The Fall of the Alphas:  The New Beta Way to Connect, Collaborate, Influence – And Lead, she shows why the Beta model is the key to both business and career success.

With the advent of the Information Age and increasingly rapid waves of technological change, the Alpha model – which Ardi likens to an army, led by a commander-in-chief in which information flows in only one direction – is on its way out, explains Ardi.  The Beta model is taking its place.

• According to Ardi, the Beta environment functions like an orchestra – where the conductor plays a coordinating role, but each member’s input is distinct and critical, and a variety of musicians can have solos.  “Beta companies are communities, not armies,” she writes.  “They are made up of shifting, project or process-based teams instead of rigid functional silos.”

Drawing on such examples as Amazon, Zappos, Timberland, and Green Mountain Coffee, Ardi explores what it takes to build a Beta company – one that is positioned for success.

She emphasizes that Beta leaders and organizations:

• Help people succeed at what they’re good at, rather than forcing them to become people they’re not.
• Empower people to expand their skill sets based on their individual needs, rather than on a prescribed syllabus
• Encourage people to confront and solve problems together, working collaboratively on the organization’s. shared mission.

At the core of Beta are the three “C”s, says Ardi.  These are:

• Communication:  Executives in Alpha organizations tend to hoard communication.  Veteran employees often keep knowledge to themselves to protect their positions, while departments withhold information due to inter-departmental competition.  In Beta companies, communication is viewed as a resource that should be harvested constantly.  Fluid communication is facilitated and encouraged.  Ardi stresses that this is critical if companies want employees to view their leaders as authentic, and in order for companies to provide real value to their customers.

• Collaboration:  The Alpha paradigm is all about the individual, but “going it alone” simply does not work anymore.  “Bosses and employees need to work together to solve problems and accomplish shared goals,” writes Ardi.  “The more collaborative opportunities a business offers, the more employees will feel a sense of ownership . . . resulting in vastly higher levels of productivity, efficiency, and loyalty.”  Building collaboration also demands a new approach to recruitment – one that focuses on finding employees who exhibit confidence and a willingness to think outside the box.

• Curation:  Increased communication and collaboration demands a new style of leadership, one Ardi calls “curating.”  “Beta leaders need to be curators, not commanders,” she explains.  “They need to be able to collect, sort, analyze data, and edit all communication and collaborative streams of information that could potentially influence their business.”  This means assembling employees – all of whom are individual experts capable of idea generation – and encouraging them to think new thoughts in different ways and challenging them to do new things.

Ultimately, asserts Ardi, the Beta paradigm not only offers the best opportunity for organizational success, it also provides individuals with the chance to achieve the emotional and psychological satisfaction often lacking inside Alpha organizations.  In her book, she explains how the Beta approach enables people to climb to the top of a different sort of pyramid than the one that leads only to the CEO’s chair.  Instead, employees at all levels are given the chance to be their best selves.

• “The long-term success of both new and existing companies requires abandoning the old Alpha leadership and structural model and adopting the Beta paradigm,” argues Ardi.  “The Beta approach will help you recruit, manage, and retain the kind of talent you and your organization need to profit today and tomorrow.”  With insight and practical guidance, The Fall of the Alphas show companies how to transform from Alpha to Beta, becoming more effective, flexible, and profitable in the process.

Dana Ardi, Ph.D. is the founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisors. She has served as a Partner/Managing Director at CCMP Capital and JPMorgan Partners, and was a Partner at Flatiron Partners.  Earlier in her career, she was an operating executive at R. R. Donnelly & Sons and at McGraw-Hill.  She also has a background managing and leading executive search firms.

Taking The Stage Is The Newest Handbook For Business Women And Their Supporters

Judith Humphrey's new book, Taking the Stage:  How Women Can Speak Up, Stand Out, and Succeed, is based on a program that has been delivered to over 400,000 women worldwide.

Filled with practical and actionable advice, the book is ideal for women at all stages of their career and for the managers and executives committed to supporting and guiding these women on their leadership journeys.

"This book deals with the qualities and desires deep within all of us," says Humphrey.  "It is our birthright to be heard.  We were born with voices -- loud, penetrating voices - and there is absolutely no reason why women should feel obliged to surrender those voices in the face of obstacles," adds Humphrey.

Divided into four parts and covering 25 themes, this "handbook" for women teaches readers how to make the most of every opportunity by understanding how best to:

• Speak up confidently, even when others don't agree
• Convey your accomplishments without self-doubt
• Be assertive but not aggressive
• Deliver clear and convincing messages
• Move beyond "minimizing" language and apology
• Find your own powerful and authentic voice
• Achieve confident body language and a leadership presence

Humphrey is the founder of the Humphrey Group, a firm that teaches executives and leaders to influence and inspire their audiences.  Her previous book is, Speaking as a Leader.

Thank you to the book publisher for sending me a review copy of the book.