Attitude is Everything

It’s the first Friday of February, so today I bring you the second post by my colleague, Mark Murphy.  Last month Mark authored a blog titled, Networking and Trust.  Today, Mark writes about something close to my heart.  The subject is Attitude is Everything.  See if today’s post resonates with you and if it does, feel free to post the URL on Facebook or Twitter.  Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to help someone else with their attitude.  Enjoy!_______________________________________________________________________

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” —Antoine de Saint Exupery

Our attitudes and beliefs drive our behaviors; our behaviors in turn determine results.  For example, some managers could have the belief that people over 50 are incapable of embracing technology; therefore deciding that anything having to do with innovative technology on a project should be the responsibility of younger IT team members.  This could potentially cause problems on the team. There may be older members of the team who are quite tech savvy and some younger team members who aren’t.  We sometimes make assumptions which can be inaccurate and can cause trouble if not clarified. Remember, Steve Jobs was in his 50’s as is Bill Gates.

The See-Do-Get cycle from Dr. Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, illustrates how our attitudes drive behaviors which ultimately determine results.  As an example of how the model works, let’s take a cue from history. 

Imagine that we are all physicians in the 15th century. What was the belief system held regarding illness in the 15th century?  Where did it reside in the body? Answer:  If you were sick, you were thought to have bad blood – a condition that meant that you were probably evil to some degree. If that’s our paradigm, the way we “see” things, what do we “do” to heal patients? We bleed them. What kinds of results do we probably get? Dead people. 

As physicians, we’ve taken the Hippocratic Oath.  We sincerely have a desire to help people.   It’s obvious we’re not getting very good results. We determine that we have to “do” something different.  If our paradigm doesn’t change-- the belief continues to be that illness comes from bad blood--and taking small quantities of blood isn’t working, what should we do?  Take more blood out! Possibly get them more involved in their healing process by letting them put their own leaches on. What are the results? Exactly, even more dead people.

Let’s imagine one of us, we’ll call him Louis Pasteur, comes up with a very heretical idea that it’s possible illness doesn’t necessarily reside in the blood, but actually comes from  tiny particles in the air that we can’t even see that we’re going to call “germs”.  If that becomes our new paradigm, what might we do differently?  Answer: We could separate or quarantine patients so they don’t spread disease.  We could begin to sterilize instruments between patient visits.  We could wash our hands.  If we were to begin to do some of these things, we would eventually get different, and possibly better, results.

Does that mean the paradigm of illness residing in the blood is completely incorrect?  Of course not. There is Leukemia and many viruses that are blood-borne diseases.  Does it mean the belief is completely correct either?  

No – as managers we need to be willing to be flexible and adapt our paradigms to a diverse set of facts.

“I have never learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” —Dudley Field Malone

- Mark Murphy, FranklinCovey Consultant             

Copyright © 2012 - Mark Murphy

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If you are interested in learning more about our 7 Habits Solutions, consider setting up an appointment to meet with Mark and your FranklinCovey Client Partner.  Schedule an appointment today with our online appointment book (top right side of this page.)

Enabling greatness one organization at a time,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Organizational Trust - Alignment

Over the last 2 weeks, I have shared to posts by my colleague, Dr. Todd Wangsgard:

·         Trust - The Key to Confidence

·         Relationship Trust and Your Behavior

Today’s post wraps up this 3-part series.  Todd elaborates on Organizational Trust & Alignment.  Enjoy!

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Leadership and Team Trust – Keyword: Alignment

(Part 3 of 3)

I intend for employees to work well together. But sometimes they don’t.

I intend for people to understand the department’s goals. But sometimes they aren’t clear.

I intend for the production line to remain “up” all shift long. But sometimes it isn’t.

I intend for my kids to just know that I love them. But sometimes they wonder.

The difference between what we intend and what is could be called a credibility gap.  As we examined in my first blog posting in this series (see Leadership and Trust: Keyword – “Confidence”) every person, organization, team, process, or piece of equipment portrays some level of credibility. Credibility is the sum total of one’s integrity, intent, capabilities, and results. The gap I’ve described in the examples above is typical of that rift between good intentions and actual capabilities and/or results that occurs when something is out of alignment.

High trust teams require alignment.

This is where the leader can leverage his or her efforts to build personal credibility at the Self Trust level and the increased trust that comes from key behaviors (see my second posting Leadership and Relationship Trust – Keyword: “Behavior”) at the Relationship Trust level. These combine for the leader who must create trustworthy systems and symbols that are aligned.

A mid-level manager at a large auto manufacturer with whom I work quite closely expressed frustration when he had done everything he could to be a more trustworthy leader, develop relationships of trust, and still find that people were failing to “deliver the goods” on the job.  It wasn’t until he took a closer look at his department’s systems and processes, that he found one of them was broken.  He tried hard to be fair.  He was tireless in his communication.  He treated his associates with dignity and respect and expected the same of them.  However, the computerized system that made work assignments each day – determining which stations each associate would work at – kept putting some people on the same processes, shift after shift.  This created issues of boredom, repetitive motion injuries, low morale, and resentment.  “After all,” associates would think, “I’m sure the boss keeps me here because he doesn’t like me.”

When things get out of alignment and we fail to address them, people will quickly assume the worst.

It wasn’t until he discovered that there was a break-down in the training reporting system that ensured associates were qualified in the computer system to work in other areas that he was able to apply a quick and effective remedy.  He aligned the system with his good intentions.

Ask your team to examine the systems in your department – communication, budgeting, training, meetings, performance, etc. – and get their input on where these could be better aligned.  Your interest and concern alone will generate trust, not to mention the many ways you rebuild and refine systems and processes that ensure your team remains credible and successful, long after you are promoted.

And if your kids begin to wonder how much you care, give yourself an alignment: Tell ‘em and show ‘em!

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Thanks for coming back over the last few weeks to read Todd’s posts.  We hope they have been insightful have given you some insight into the powerful framework within our Speed of Trust Process. 

If you would be interested in visiting with Todd and your Client Partner, please consider scheduling an appointment in our Online Appointment Book (upper right hand side of this page).  Click here to learn more about Todd’s background and how he can help improve your team or organization.

Aligning organizations through The Speed of Trust,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

PS - Have you read The Speed of Trust yet?  Click here to view an invitation to an upcoming keynote with the author, Stephen M.R. Covey.  An executive books summary is provided on this page.  Enjoy!

Relationship Trust and Your Behavior

As a continuation from last week’s post, please enjoy Part 2 of 3 in a series by my colleague, Dr. Todd Wangsgard.  Todd expounds on Trust and how it impacts relationships.  Enjoy!

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Leadership and Relationship Trust – Keyword: “Behavior”

(Part 2 of 3)



Actions speak louder than words.

Years ago Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The7 Habits of Highly Effective People, (and father to Speed of Trust author Stephen M.R. Covey) found himself teaching a workshop in Oregon where a participant related to him during a break some of the challenges he was facing due to his past indiscretions.  Dr. Covey was careful to bring out the principle that:

You can’t talk your way out of a problem you’ve behaved your way into.

Years later in his research, SMRC noted that while it is true you can’t talk your way out of a problem you’ve behaved your way into, it is true that:

You can behave your way out of a problem you’ve behaved your way into.

Once the leader establishes and continues to build personal credibility through the Four Cores (see my Part 1 blog posting, Leadership and Trust – Keyword: “Confidence”), it is critical to examine and practice the behaviors that will allow him or her to build trust in relationships with individuals – personally and professionally.

Let’s look at the headlines.

Without divulging specifics on these stories, let’s uncover what business headlines from the past few days suggest to us about the importance of trusting behaviors:

·         Fast food CEO has big plans to flip its ranking

·         Auto manufacturer changes body style to appeal to customers

·         Board of private company opens the books to dispel rumors

·         Company makes good on broken promises

Each of these speaks to the behaviors that are being demonstrated in order to build or rebuild trust. Those include at least five from SMRC’s 13 High Trust Behaviors list, such as Listen First, Get Better, Create Transparency, Confront Reality, and Right Wrongs.

Simply put, trustworthy leaders lead out when it comes to behaving in ways that builds confidence and they inspire others within their ranks to do likewise.  And just because you may have slipped and lost the trust of someone significant, it is often easier than you thought to rebuild that trust by quickly identifying the key behaviors that were/are missing and behaving your way back into the other person’s good graces.

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Join us next Friday as Dr. Wangsgard wraps up this 3-part series and discusses the power of Leadership and Team Trust.  Click here to learn more about Todd and the programs he can facilitate for your organization.

Restoring relationships through The Speed of Trust,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

PS - Check out our upcoming Speed of Trust event on LinkedIn!

Trust - The Key to Confidence

This week’s post comes to you as one of a three-part series.  Dr. Todd Wangsgard, a FranklinCovey Consultant, elaborates on Trust as the Key to Confidence.  Enjoy! ______________________________________________________________

Leadership at the Speed of Trust

A three-part series by Dr. Todd Wangsgard

Leadership and Trust – Keyword: “Confidence”

(Part 1 of 3)

 

Author of The Speed of Trust, , defines trust as “confidence born of the character and competence of an individual or organization.” This simple yet complete definition of an otherwise squishy subject takes into account both the feel-good side of trust in character as well as the practical side of one’s reliability in competence. Both character and competence lend confidence to those who would consider following any leader. And more than ever before, trust (or confidence) is sought after by an increasingly globally savvy audience of human beings who see the impact that geo-political activities are having on their individual well-being.



SMRC (as we affectionately call the author at FranklinCovey) also boldly asserts that, “trust is the key competency of the new global economy.” Again, as you replace “trust” in that sentence with “confidence,” one can see how the currency of trust is not just a “nice-to-have,” but rather an absolute imperative for leadership effectiveness under any circumstances. It is key, because without it, business plans, corporate promises, financial metrics and reports all come under the scrutiny of one question: “Yes, but what should we believe?”

The Speed of Trust book and classroom experience offer several models of thinking to better understand and define trust that breaks the subject down into understandable water cooler discussions. The Four Cores of Self Trust that subdivide Character into one’s integrity and intent and Competence into capabilities and results. The Five Waves of Trust that any leader must assess and develop within, including Self Trust, Relationship Trust, Organizational (or team) Trust, Market Trust, and Societal Trust. The 13 Behaviors of High Trust, including Talk Straight, Create Transparency, Right Wrongs, Get Better and nine others.  (Click here to learn how The Speed of Trust Process works).

I recently worked with a successful CEO in the manufacturing and fulfillment business who has truly lived out the kind of trustworthy behavior described by SMRC. He has worked side-by-side (while the CEO) with frontline employees on the manufacturing line to learn what they do and to help keep costs down during a recent recession (Show Loyalty, Deliver Results, Confront Reality, Practice Accountability). He has made an effort to get to know every single employee in the company and remembers to send them a hand-written birthday greeting each year (Demonstrate Respect, Show Loyalty). While announcing a 15% pay cut for himself, he asked all exempt associates to accept a 7½% pay cut to help off-set their losses or agree to termination with a 3-months’ salary severance package (at their higher rate of pay). No one left and all were subsequently rewarded with “back-pay” on their lost wages after a couple successful intervening years and given a sizeable bonus (Talk Straight, Create Transparency, Show Loyalty, Get Better, Keep Commitments).

The confidence that Stephen writes about and that I’ve witnessed in industry over the past 25+ years starts with a leader who has genuine confidence in himself or herself and in the associates who choose to follow. Give them a leader they can trust (the Self Trust wave) and you have a foundation upon which you will build lasting relationships, enormously successful organizations, and a brand that generates intense loyalty and growth.
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Do you want to learn more about Dr. Todd Wangsgard and the offerings he can facilitate for your organization?  Then follow this link to read his bio.  If you would be interested in visiting with Todd by phone, then please contact me to set up a meeting with Todd and your FranklinCovey Client Partner.  Check in next Friday as Todd brings you Part 2 to this series.

Helping build confidence in organizations - one at a time!

Sincerely,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

PS - Are you interested in learning how to leverage trust in your organization?  Consider joining us in Dallas to hear best-selling author, Stephen M.R. Covey deliver his Speed of Trust Keynote on Feb 16, 2012.  Special pricing avaialble for groups of 10 or more.  Ask me about how to get a free seat!

Networking and Trust

Today I bring you a post, written by my colleague, FranklinCovey Consultant, Mark Murphy.  Mark resides in Dallas, TX and has facilitated our programs for clients all over the globe.  Mark holds a M.S. in Organizational Behavior from BYU and brings nearly 20 years of facilitation experience to his clients.

Mark provides you with great insight today to focusing on TRUST while building your network.  As you consider connecting with others in 2012, keep these thoughts in mind.  Enjoy!

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Have you heard of Paul Revere?  Have you ever heard of William Dawes?  Both men came from the same social class and had similar educational backgrounds.  Both men rode out from Boston on the night of April 18, 1775 to announce the beginning of the Revolutionary war.  Paul Revere rode north while at the same time William Dawes rode south.  They traveled through towns that were demographically similar.  But only Paul Revere raised a militia and became famous.  Why?  In a large part because of the trust developed in his relationships.

According to the Harvard Business Review article How to Build Your Network, “Paul Revere was an information broker, a person who occupies a key role in a social network by connecting disparate groups of people.  Because Revere targeted other well-connected people during his ride, his news spread widely and quickly, as explained in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.

The article goes on to say that “networks deliver three unique advantages: private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power.” I want to focus here on the first of the advantages--private information. 

These days, public information is easily available through the internet and other sources.  But precisely because it is so easily accessible to so many people, public information offers much less of a competitive advantage in today’s business environment.  Private information, on the other hand, provides unique information not found in the public domain.  Private information is also, by its very nature, more subjective and less verifiable.  Therefore, its value depends on how much trust exists in the network of relationships.

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, says of trust, “you know it when you feel it.”  In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen MR Covey says, “Simply put, trust means confidence.  The opposite of trust—distrust—is suspicion.  When you trust people, you have confidence in them—in their integrity and in their abilities. When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them—of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record.  It’s that simple.” As trust goes down, costs go up, and everything slows down.  As trust goes up, costs go down, and things happen much faster.

Could the trust accrued in his network of relationships be a factor in Paul Revere’s success?  Could that trust have something to do with the speed with which his message was accepted and acted upon?  I believe so.  Are you a Paul Revere or a William Dawes?

- Mark Murphy, FranklinCovey Consultant             

Copyright © 2011 - Mark Murphy

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Are you interested in learning how to build trust in your circle?  Consider joining us in Dallas to hear best-selling author, Stephen M.R. Covey deliver his Speed of Trust Keynote on Feb 16, 2012.

Do you want to learn more about Mark Murphy and the offerings he can facilitate for your organization?  Then follow this link to read his bio.  If you would be interested in visiting with Mark by phone, then please contact me to set up a meeting with Mark and your FranklinCovey Client Partner.

Also, keep your eyes open for more posts from Mark in 2012!  Become a member of this blog and you can make comments on our posts.

To your networking success in 2012!

Sincerely,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Achieving Goals

Every year, millions of people will embark on a new journey to set New Year’s Resolutions.  Organizations will set new strategic goals.  Also, every year people and companies will both FAIL… again!

One key reason is that most people and organizations, have never established their core values, written a mission or vision statement.  As an individual, if you don’t know what your values are, then it is hard to get passionate about new goals.  As an organization, if your people don’t have a clue what your mission is then it is difficult for them to get engaged around your new company goals.  Consider reading a previous post titled, The 5 Stages of Performance Improvement.

It is important to re-visit your list of values, mission, vision and goals often.  If you don’t, it is easy to fall off track.  If you visit them too late, it may be difficult to achieve the goal.  Overtime, you and your people will lose confidence in themselves and in you as a leader.  Remember, at the end of the day, the success or failure of an organization depends on its leaders. 

Are you inspiring trust in the teams that you lead?  Are you executing your goals with precision year after year?  Are you unleashing the talent of the people that you have hired?  If the answer was “No” to any one of those questions, then consider making one of your goals to meet with your Client Partner in January of 2012.  I imagine you’ll be pleasantly surprised as to how FranklinCovey can help you create Predictable Results the coming year and beyond.

To your success in 2012!

Sincerely,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

PS - Do you lead an organization of at least 150 people?  If so, consider being my guest at our upcoming showcase, Creating a Culture of Execution on Feb 7^th in Dallas.

Leading Generations in the Workplace

Today I bring you an article, written by my colleague, Senior FranklinCovey Leadership Consultant, Haydn Shaw.  Haydn is FranklinCovey’s top thought leader around the topic of Generations in the Workplace.  He is the author of Leading Across Generations FranklinCovey’s popular ½ day workshop and a book on the twelve generational sticking points coming out in early 2012. Here are a couple of comments from two business owners at an association convention in Vegas in March:

“I thought the session was about how to hand over your business to your kids.  So I was surprised when it was about how to lead an organization of different generations.  I’m not sure I would have come if I had known, but I’m glad I did.”

“It’s really made me rethink my attitudes toward the Gen Xers and Millennials.  And I realized I am running this business the way my dad did. No wonder my kids aren’t that interested in the business. I’m going to do things differently now.”

As you think about leading your teams differently in 2012, consider Haydn’s thoughts below.  Enjoy!

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The People Challenge of the Next Decade - by Haydn Shaw

Why are people surprised at the impact the generational differences are making: because we’ve not faced this before.  For the first time in history we have four generations in the workplace and five generations of customers:

Too early to name the fifth generation but they influence discretionary spending of their parents and grandparents.  (Percentages in workforce developed from Bureau of Labor Statistics data)

With nearly a quarter of the baby boomers leaving the workplace in the next four years (the recession may push it back three or four years) and being replaced by the Millennials, figuring out how to resolve

the eleven main generational conflicts is the people challenge of the next decade . . . or two. “Ninety-six percent of Baby Boomer business owners say an exit strategy is crucial to their company, but eighty-seven percent don’t actually have one.” (BusinessWeek SMALLBIZ August/September 2008). According to The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), 76 million Americans will retire over the next two decades but only 46 million will replace them.  No wonder it’s called a war on talent. You can’t get predictable business results in these unpredictable times without dealing with the generational challenge.  It’s that simple.

Generational conflict is impacting everything we do, from how we communicate to when we want to work and how we respond to customers. If we don’t figure out generational conflict points, internally work slows down, and externally our sales and customer satisfaction scores drop.

To read the rest of Haydn’s article, click here to download the PDF file.

As Haydn mentions in his article, “Generational conflicts are inevitable and preventable. They are inevitable in all organizations, but real problems are preventable if you’ll apply these five approaches.”

Here are links to our 3 most popular Generational offerings:

·         Leading Across Generations  (½ day consultant/facilitator-led workshop)

·         Resolving Generational Conflict: Webinar (the 2-hour webinar)

·         Keynote Speech with Haydn Shaw

For more information, please contact me today.  I’ll be happy to set up a meeting with you and your regional Client Partner.

Wishing you better leadership and team synergy in 2012!

Sincerely,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

PS - if you want to meet Haydn in person, consider joining us in Dallas on January 17^th.  Haydn will be facilitating a condensed version of our flagship Leadership program.  Click here for details.

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