In August, Ian Grimbleby, a senior manager with our firm, joined Leadership Modesto. We asked him to tell us about his experience so far.
Ian, what made you want to be part of this organization?
I moved back to Modesto from Scotland and wanted to reconnect with the local business community. This program offers insight into every aspect of Modesto – from governmental, to social, to cultural issues. I have really enjoyed getting to meet people who are passionate about our community and the people who live here.
The organization’s stated mission is to “identify, educate and motivate potential community leaders.”
What is the Leadership team like?
We have 23 people on our team representing a wide mix of ages and backgrounds. The diversity of the team is part of the benefit of joining – we get to experience the city from a number of different perspectives.
There are so many community and civic organizations you could join, what is different about Leadership Modesto?
It’s a one year program with a finite commitment (one Friday per month) but you get exposed to many different aspects of Modesto. It’s not just about learning. We are required to take on a project that will give something back.
What has surprised you the most?
Something has surprised me every day! There are aspects of our cultural and arts community that I hadn’t appreciated before. I really enjoyed our Downtown Architecture Tour by the Modesto Art Museum and learning more about The State Theatre. I had no idea how many people and Non-Profit organizations are working behind the scenes, often with very small budgets, to do great things in the community.
I am also surprised that more large companies aren’t encouraging employees to participate in this program.
To find out more about Leadership Modesto, click here.
Isn’t it surprising, with all of the concerns over fewer and fewer people reading, that electronic gadgets like the Kindle, Nook, and iPad are selling like hotcakes. Has it suddenly become cool to read again or are we doing it because we’re so enamored with gizmos? (And remember… these “Gremlins” shouldn’t get wet, either.)
While I’d like to believe that reading interests are being re-Kindled, I think that, within a few months, a lot of these gadgets will be attracting more dust than interested eyes.
It’s kind of like business planning. A new fad, conference, or article can suddenly prompt an executive or owner to rally the troops for a hype-filled strategic or tactical planning session. However, within a few months, weeks, or even days, the fire has died and there’s no sign of any change as a result of the efforts. Why?
We love the event more than the product. We like buying the latest technology so much that we convince ourselves that it’s going to get us to read more. But then we find that it takes time to sit down and read, that there are distractions like family, TV, commitments, etc. that get in our way.
Likewise, the planning session is fun and everyone feels great about the process. We’re convinced that this time will be different. But, Monday morning comes and the phones ring, orders need to get out, production needs to ramp up, fires need to be put out. There’s no time for doing the things that we committed to do in the meeting that made us feel so good.
Our good intentions are not executed. Nothing changes.
Before you schedule your next planning session, think about how you’re going to implement the strategies that come out of it. As Stephen Covey said, “Begin with the end in mind.” Based on our experience in leading many companies through these sessions, here are some suggestions to consider up front.
Get consensus and commitment – Be sure that everyone is fully committed to taking the steps necessary to implement change. Change must be directed from the top. Time, resources, and personal agendas must be set aside for the good of the company. Remember, when it comes to a breakfast of ham and eggs, the chicken is supportive, but the pig is committed. Without commitment, your efforts will probably fall flat.
Organize initiative teams – Establish teams of individuals to drive the initiatives that support the plans. By delegating the responsibility to a small team of excited team members, you’ll get much better results more quickly than if you try to micro-manage the process. Their enthusiasm, commitment, and attention to details will produce a much better outcome, too.
Establish deadlines and milestones – Commit to establishing clear targets, deadlines for completion, and periodic milestones to measure your progress. People need clarity in the execution and are much more likely to follow through if they know what is expected of them.
Follow up on progress – Establish a regular schedule of meetings or report dates in order to measure and monitor your progress. We’re all motivated by deadlines, especially if we’re held accountable for meeting them. Make it clear what is expected and when.
So grab your iPad and schedule the time in advance. Map out your planning session and your plan for implementation. With all the improvements you make, you may actually find time to read that Kindle that’s sitting on your bedstand.
And more importantly, which one has the biggest impact on your success as an employee? EI is Emotional Intelligence and IQ is your Intelligence Quotient. We’ve all taken IQ testing, but how many of us know if we are Emotionally Intelligent or not?
In studies conducted by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves (Authors of Emotional Intelligence 2.0), your emotional quotient or EQ has been found to account for “58% of performance in all types of jobs”. They’ ve also found that 90% of top performers are high in EQ. And yet we worry more about traditional intelligence when we hire.
While IQ can not be improved over time, the great thing about our Emotional Quotient is that we can improve it. We can learn and get better at managing, understanding, and harnessing our own emotions and helping others manage theirs.
According to Bradburry and Greaves, there are two main areas of emotional intelligence – personal competence and social competence. On the personal competence side – there are two aspects : self-awareness and self-management. Start out by mastering personal competence and then you can move on to social competence.
Think about the last time you blew a fuse. Do you remember observing your own behavior? Once you observed it, were you able to change the way you acted? If only we could anticipate our behavior and change our actions before we blow that fuse. It is possible if you take the time to learn and practice. That’s how you become personally competent.
As we head into the New Year, it’s a great time for us all to reflect on our skills and to think about our ability to observe and control our emotions.
They give up pleasure, endure pain, practice at ungodly times of the day, all so they can be a little bit better than they were yesterday. There is no financial payoff, no medal, no crowd of followers. What is it, then, that keeps the non-elite Olympic athletes going, dedicating their lives to pursuing excellence in their particular sport, knowing they will never have a realistic chance to compete for a medal?
You keep up on all the latest trends. You update your technology way ahead of your peers and competitors. You look forward to the new industry magazines to see what you can do next to maintain your competitive edge. Of course, you put up with your employees’ complaints about constant change and “bleeding edge” technology, but you kind of enjoy the challenge.
So, let me show you cutting edge technology. I was exposed to this video featuring a young man from India, Pranav Mistry, who is an intellectual giant currently working at MIT. Recognizing that humans intuitively use objects and gestures, he set out to combine these natural instincts with computer technology. Imagine displaying a watch on your wrist by drawing a circle on your arm with your finger, taking a photograph by making a square by joining your thumbs and forefingers, displaying a phone keypad on the palm of your hand and making a call by tapping the display with your finger.
The possibilities are staggering. And… he is willing to make the source code open to anyone who wants to advance the technology.
The next time your employees tell you that you need to ease off on the changes, show them this video. Then watch their jaws drop.
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“The leader leads, and the boss drives.” – Theodore Roosevelt
The holidays are a great time for managers and business owners to ponder this question. Are you more like Rudolph or the Grinch?
Consider Rudolph. He’s the guy at the front of the sleigh. He’s lighting the way so the rest of the team can willingly follow him on a journey towards a clear destination. He’s pulling his weight and sharing the burden for the on-time delivery of a very important cargo and a VIP passenger. He’s inspirational. Rudolph is a leader.
Now let’s take a look at the Grinch. If we ignore the fact that “his heart was two sizes too small” and focus on his behavior, we notice a very different management style. He sits on the top of the sleigh and cracks the whip as his little dog Max struggles to propel the sleigh towards Whoville. He decides the direction but doesn’t share his plans in advance. He cajoles, manipulates and forcibly drives his sleigh towards Whoville at what we can only imagine must be great physical cost to his poor employee. If we look beyond the possible worker’s compensation issues, wage and hour violations, and general abuse of employee rights (not to mention the cruelty to animals thing), and just focus on the motivation and information-sharing aspects of this relationship, we can see that this is a dysfunctional one. The Grinch is clearly a boss.
As managers, we often resort to what seems to be the easiest approach – we act like bosses. We forcefully drive our team towards what is often an unstated goal. We might use a carrot or a stick, but either way we are driving our team and pushing them forward, not leading.
Here’s to more Rudolphs and fewer Grinches in 2010.
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