Which One Do You Use: Hard and Soft Leadership

The greatest leaders you ever met had the ability to understand and use two basic principles of leadership: hard power and soft power. Unfortunately, many people use hard leadership to get things accomplished. Basically, they use their power of position to force things to get done. This ultimately creates a my way attitude as perceived from you subordinates. Because they are afraid of you or the consequences that you will bring if they do not perform the eventually lower their own goals to meet your expectation.This leadership style will always limit you from reaching your full potential. And, as the leader, you will never gain the full power you wish for.

Now,  soft leadership is about changing your teams thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in a project to align with yours. Together, you move forward as a single unit to exceed the original goals. Soft power creates synergy among the group. Exclusively using hard power creates a pecking order and fear. 

The truly outstanding leader knows how soft and hard power work. Through their wisdom, they  know when to use each one effectively. Those are the leaders I wish to follow, work around, and learn from. You can go any where and learn about hard power. Together, I will show you how to use soft power. Together we will make a big Splash on the Matrix and place you on the Cutting Edge of Performance.

Actions Create a Resonance Splash on the Matrix.

I recently read an article in which the writer attempted to explain why "leadership" should be changed to "resonance" in looking at the impact of people on an organization. The argument attempted to explain that positive images, memories, emotions and influence have a greater impact than the original actions on the organization, when looking at the broader context of organizational effectiveness.

Sounds like an interesting idea and concept. I also have interesting ideas that are simply short sighted or backwards. I understand the idea of resonance of actions but the writer  misses the larger picture. If you look at the issue from a cause and effect pespective, the cause is the "action" and reasonance is the "effect". If you have no action taking place there is no effect, hense no resonance. It's like looking at a tidal wave. An earthquake, meteor strike, or under water nuclear blast starts things in motion. Then the water rises and creates the tidal wave that reasonates around the globe. It is the initial action which caused the resonance, not the other way around.

From the matrix point of view. All actions. either positive or negative,  create a Splash that are felt by the people you influence.  The larger the Splash the greater  impact on the Matrix. If you are low in the organization your actions will resonate to a smaller pool. If you are higher in the organization your actions will reasonate with a larger body of water. Positive actions create a greater Splash and you gain credibility in your orgnaization. Negative actions create a Splash which may cost you your career. In the end, you may feel the tidal wave of resonace, but it was caused by someones inital actions.

A New Lesson from West Point

If you look at West Point Football team’s roster you will see something out of the ordinary. One of their Captains is not a starting player. You may think, “so what”? It t is a big deal, really. Think about it, a team captain is not one of the starting team members. This really is a big deal, and I will explain why.

First, just because your star players have athletic ability does not necessarily mean that they can lead and motivate their fellow players. Secondly, it shows a second tier athlete has the ability to motive others to do their very best, even if it is better than he can do. What a leader! He places the teams well being over his need to succeed. The team recognizes his abilities as a “leader” over “athlete” and chooses him to be one of their captains. (Just to point out, this is a military academy and developing leadership a backbone of the program.).

How does this translate to you and your business? It’s simple; don’t just look at your star performers on the quarterly spread sheet. Look at the intangibles which  everyone brings to the table. Your “star employee” may be the one who motivates and sets everyone up for success. If I was faced with loosing one of those employees, I would choose to loose the employee with the higher numbers, over the person who creates the environment for organizational success. The person who creates the environment conducive for overall success will help develop a long line of outstanding performers. Today, go out and look for the person on your team who creates that environment that helps you succeed.

Influence: Positively Impact Thoughts, Feelings, Actions

The true mark of a person’s leadership skills is not the ability to make a decision or order team members to complete tasks. No, the true mark is the leaders’ ability to influence the team members to want to accomplish the task. Influence is derived from the leaders’ ability to change team member’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. The more adept someone is in the ability to positively influence the team  the bigger Splash they make on the Matrix.

The Changing Face of Professional Firefighters

The Virginia Department of Labor predicts by the year 2020 over 50% of the workforce will made up of woman. Over the past 20 years law enforcement has made tremendous gains in recruiting woman to join our profession. The fire professions have attempted to make gains but as still far behind. Over the next few months, Jackson Baynard and I will be exploring the implications of the changing demographics of the fire professions.

We will be exploring these changes from several aspects. The item that easily stands out is the cost of retrofitting the fire stations. Many stations are old and are not equipped with separate bathrooms or bunk facilities designed for men and females.

That is a matter of cost, but there are other considerations. The CPAT test used by many fire agencies to initially evaluate potential employees is extremely rigorous and many people fail to get past this test. This test has been shown to be valid and a predictor of the physical attributes necessary to be successful. Should the test requirements be lowered? Would that endanger people? Because the CPAT test is valid and people from both genders pass, and fail the test, should it continued to be used in its current form?

Once more woman join the ranks of career firefighters will management and supervisory styles need to evolve, of course they do. As woman set the example and move up the ranks how will this potentially impact agencies? A woman will break the ceiling and become a Fire Chief. This will further create more opportunities for woman as professional fire fighters. However, as a pathfinder it will come will its own challenges and rewards.

To anyone, with any understanding of the changing demographics of the work force, it is not the question will woman be joining the ranks of the professional fire fighter. The question to ask, is anyone preparing for the change? We shall see, and I hope we will make a positive change.

Catalyst for Something Great

When you go to Barnes and Noble and go to the Management section you find the leadership and management books thrown together. That's because even many of the authors either do not know, or ignore, the simple fact that management and leadership are completely different. Actually they can be compared to two magnets repelling each other. Management is about sustainability through processes. Leadership is about breaking barriers through innovation and courage.

However, just to throw people off, good management is the foundation of an organization and leadership is the material you use to build the structure. Together, they become the catalyst for something great, or not.

How strong is your foundation? What is the material you used to build the structure?   

Transformation by going down the Road Less Travelled

Robert Frost once wrote a poem that people know but seldom live by: “The Road Less Travelled”

“Two roads diverged in the woods and I took the road less travelled by. And that has made all the difference.” The joke goes the reason no one went down the road is the bridge was out. But what is the true nature of this poem and the blog that attempts to prove transformative guidance to leaders?

The first question to be answered is not why the road is less travelled, but why the person took it. Was the person naturally curious? Where they board of the tedium of their lives, a natural feeling of inward turmoil we all have as we hit middle age? The important thing is the person took the leap of faith to go somewhere the average person does not tread.

The second question to be answered, was it worth it? Without knowing anything of the journey, I can say without equivocation “yes it was”. The person who attempts this journey, and it would be a journey, must have the mindsets  “whatever happens, I am open to the outcome”. The person saw, heard, smelled, and most assuredly “felt” something that the average person trying to live by their status quo lives will never know. This one fact sets this person apart from everyone else. Are you this type of person? Be honest, are you?

As individual human beings, members of  communities, managers, and leaders every day we face those cross roads, seeing  them or not. Most of us take the road more travelled because it is easier, unfortunately helping to keep us in our mundane worlds. We take the road more travelled and wonder why our own lives, employees, and companies are stuck in ruts. All the while we hold others in awe wondering how they became successful. Well, it’s simple, sometime in their lives they took the road less travelled. They “felt” something people who never take the chance will never feel.

If you want to go to the next level for yourselves, your employees, or you organization, open up your eyes. Look for the road less travelled, turn your feet, and begin to walk down the path. It takes courage, but open yourself up to “feel” the experience of taking the road less travelled. It will be the beginning of transforming you as an individual, a supervisor, into leader.  

Go out and find your road less travelled and enjoy the experience.

Are You a Leader or Coward when making Internal Transferrs?

I am often asked by business owners, division managers and supervisors questions in regards to employee discipline procedures. Most of those questions can not be answered in a simple blog. However, one particular situation creates a lot of friction, the internal transfer. In a lot of cases the employee may have problems, not with only with their immediate supervisor but also with the second level up supervisor. In many cases this is the second level manager. Eventually, the second level manager has enough and requests that the employee is transferred to another division. The issue of transferring your problem employee is another important topic for another day.

In many cases, second level managers simply sign the orders of transfer  and orders the first level supervisor to tell the employee he or she is moving to an new assignment. In some cases the first level supervisor can not even provide guidance as to why the employee is being transferred. The employee is upset because they felt they have been wronged. The first level supervisor feels like an idiot for having to break the news, and the second level manager looks like a coward.

Listen up second level supervisors, it is not OK to send the next level down to do your dirty work. You look like a coward and the image gets reflected around the entire organization. If you have a case to move someone,  bring them in the office and professionally tell the person the reasons for the transfer.   In the end, you will look like a stronger leader for having the courage to take personal responsibility for your actions. Your subordinates will respect you more and the employee will have a chance to understand the reasons for the transfer from the person who ordered the move. 

Being in a leadership position is not always easy. With the increase in pay comes the increase in responsibility. If you are afraid, or do not know how, to talk to employees about performance issues contact Integritas Leadership Solutions, LLC and we can help you learn these skills.

Power of Your Passion is the same as E=MC2

The power of passion in an individual can be written out: Passion =>E=MC2. That right, the power of passion is unstoppable when released.  

What are you passionate about? Not something that you really, really, really, like, but something that creates heart pumping adrenaline flowing through your chest? You know that feeling; you know the amount of energy that creates. Well, that energy level is picked up by other people around you and energizes them. That passion becomes the catalyst that can bring up your entire team.

 Go out today and find someplace quiet. Stop focusing on tomorrow, your bills of today, and look inside at what you are passionate about. If there is nothing, then remember what you were passionate about; the something that really got your blood flowing. (Once you remember that feeling of passion which stirred your insides you will want it back, look out its addictive.) Then rekindle that little something and let its fire begin to grow. Eventually, it will grow larger and begin to take over your life. Your energy levels will increase at work, even if it is old hat to you. People will feel the energy and it will pick them up. You can be that catalyst that improves organization and the lives of your team members from the inside.  

Multi-tasking and your Effectiveness on the Matrix

Today in our high speed lives we are tasked to do more in less time. So, now everyone tries to multi-task to accomplish everything at the same time. Well, the news is in. You are not as effective when you multi-task. You actually become less effective and lower your score on the Matrix.

Let me explain my rationale on this one. It takes between 30 seconds and one minute for you mind to switch to a new task, refocus, and reengage before making a second of progress on the new task. Say you have three tasks and 15 minutes to accomplish each one. When you multi-task, AKA juggle, looks what happens. You spend one minute on each task and then move on to the next one and so  on until the 15 minutes is up. Each time you spend one minute on each you never really have time to refocus and reengage. So, you mind is actually on all three tasks at once and you never focus. SO, things get missed and your effectiveness goes down.

If on the other hand, you spend 5 minutes on each and then move on you are more effective. You mind has time to switch, refocus, and reengage and you still have 4 to 4.5 minutes of time to be effective. In the end, in both scenarios you accomplish both tasks in the 15 minute time frame, but which one do you think was more productive? Think about it the next time you are faced with multiple projects and a limited time frame.  Rethink your multi-tasking time management and make a bigger Splash on the Matrix.

Heart and Brain: Essential Organs to Make a Huge Splash on the Matrix

Have you ever said a supervisor has no HEART? Well, if they only use their brains for analytical thinking, guess what, they are not leaders they are managers. If you have someone who cares a lot about people, uses to much heart, but can not make a decision then they too are also not a leader or manager. Actually, they should be looking for another occupation.

Managers do just that, simply manage. They make decisions and it does not matter if anyone cares, or will even follow the changes. They are great for watching automated assembly lines.

Leadership requires more. It requires the ability to think through a problem, determine a favorable outcome, the correct pathway to that outcome; and, wait for it, the ability to sell the vision to their subordinates and inspire them to go out and reach that outcome.

To make the biggest Splash on the Matrix you have to show your team members that you know your job. Then, show you have the ability to apply your knowledge to a given set of circumstances, correctly. Then create the vision of what the resolved problem will look like. Lastly, be able to inspire people who have to do the work to go forth and perform to their highest abilities. Weakness in any one category impacts you splash. Follow the process every day and you too will make a great Splash on the Matrix.  It sounds easy, and it is. You only have to use the process a few times a day and you will soon see how your effectiveness explodes. Good Luck!

Celebrate your " Full Potential Day".

I have found something for everyone to think and reflect on in your own lives.   When every child is born he or she is an individual with their own unique qualities. Overtime, most of us slowly begin to conform to the norms set by others and begin to loose our own uniqueness. Each year, we celebrate our birthdays as we slowly loose the creativity, and potential, which makes us unique individuals.

Let’s celebrate a new day, “Our Full Potential Day”. Today, stop competing with the Jones’ record and start competing with your own record. Imagine competing with yourself to break your own records. Once you break your record, be it in sales, customer service satisfaction, making widget or any other record you wish, you start over again trying to break that record. Wow, watch the explosion of your potential and impact on your life. Your creativity will double, and then double again, because you will have to find new ways to break your old records. Bam, change your attitude from one of conformance back to a unique individual with unlimited creativity.

Imagine, as a supervisor or manager, your entire team trying to beat their individual records. Get ready, you will make a splash on the matrix and people will start beating down your door to find out where you found such a motivated team. You can reply, “I didn’t, they were born that way.”  And you would be right!  

Use R4 to turn your life into a Dynamo of Power

Are you tired of being tired, and want more from our work/life balance? From the first day we join our professions are days are numbered. Think about it, once hired you will eventually leave; one way or another you will leave. As we go further along through the years we become distracted, loose focus, and eventually become lethargic as we sail our schooner on the Sea of Apathy. But there is hope! We have R4 to help you get out of the doldrums’ and rejuvenate yourself and your career.

No one intentionally gets apathetic about their careers, it just happened. Time to get out of denial and reclaim your given right to be happy, motivate, and excited about your life and work! Use R4: Reset, Reassess, Reconnect, Reinvigorate

Reset: Bam! Take a look at your work life balance, a true examination of your life, thoughts, and feelings. Are you happy how things are going? Did you once have more energy and zest for life? Well, if you want to improve you need to hit the Reset button. Make the commitment that things will be different. Change the course of the schooner from the Sea of Apathy and head to the Tranquil Ocean. You must make the commitment. You are worth the time, just hit the Rest button and go after it!

Reassess: Time to go back and look at your priorities. Do you have any? Do you have too many? Is this where you want o be in life? Well, a little secret, priorities are a list from 1 to whatever number you want. Go back and number your “chores” and turn them into priorities. As we move along in our careers we often feel our time with our families or retirement become higher priorities than work. I said priorities are numbered, right. I didn’t say they were all in the same path. You can have an outside of work set of priorities and a different road that has at work priorities. The problem people have is when they try to make both roads converge. Don’t keep them separate. While at work, reassess you priorities.  Determine what you want out of your work and set those priorities. Do you want to learn new skills? Well take the bull by the horns and go learn new ones. Do you need new challenges or want more responsibility? Well, go out and take more on, don’t wait for someone to bring something to you. GO GET IT! Once you have reassessed, don’t get bogged down by the new challenges that come along.  Make a set of challenges and list them from 1 to what ever number you want. When you finish number 1 the next one in line becomes the new number 1. Work your way down till you have finished all number 1’s. 

Reconnect: This may scare your friends, family, boss and coworkers! Start over and make the connections that you once had and made your work enjoyable. (If your new work priorities indicate you need a new job then make the connection with a recruiter at a new business, make the call and make the connection.) Go out and talk to your co-workers. Talk, don’t bitch. Make the connections to people and find out their interests again. You may have more in common than you once thought.

Reinvigorate: Once you have reset you attitude, determined what is important through the reassess process, reconnected to those around you and made new connections with people you have begun to meet, you will begin to be reinvigorated. Once your life’s priorities are in alignment with who you really are then everyone stand back, because you are about to be a dynamo. You will have more zest for life and begin to live life and not muddle through the time you still have on this earth. Go out be daring, and make a Splash on the Matrix.

Bring Forth: Energy, Effort and Enthusiasm to Transform Your Team

What can I say, the three most important elements any supervisor can bring to work is his or her Energy, Effort, and Enthusiasm for their profession. Notice, I did not say job. What ever you do for a living you should strive to be the very best, make it your profession, at least till you find another one. No one ever became successful aiming to be mediocre.

When you bring your positive energy, perform the best that you can everyday, and work with a high level of enthusiasm, you become infectious to others. Even the most disgruntled person will eventually turn around if you follow these simple rules.

I know, there are days that you just don't have a lot of energy. Well, that happens! But you make the conscience choice on how you use the energy you have. You can choose to to use it to make positive change and help someone or not. When you come to work, and you lead people, they know when you are having a hard time pushing forward. If you have developed a good foundation using the three "E" principals, your people will help pull you forward.

Everyone knows when their team leader, supervisor, manager, etc does not show any effort. be the example! Go out and do your job, show then how to perform their jobs, and get dirty. Show them how to do the tough jobs and they will never be able to look at you and say, "he or she won't do it, so why should I". Be the person who they look up to and say, "Wow, if they can do it, so can I." or, " They can do it, now I have no excuse." When your people see you working hard they have no choice but to work hard also.

Nothing creates a atmosphere of high performance than having a team leader who comes to work everyday with a level of enthusiasm that you can not help but to be caught up in. You make the call. You choice to show enthusiasm that make everyone want to walk through fire to to help you out and make you a success, or suck the wind out of sails of everyone and make them want to join another profession.

Notice I wrote, "your people". If you truly want to be a team leader everyone who works around you become "your people"; this includes the person down the hall, the maintenance man, receptionist, or simply the person who needs a little help that day. When you stop being a manager and see people as "your people" and not as your subordinates, then you transform into a leader with incredible opportunities, not just for your self, but those around you. When you become the three "E's" you will become the person that people look up to and want to work around. You become the myth, the enigma that others claim to be.

What holds us back?

Two words: FEAR, Vulnerability

FEAR: False, Expectations, Appear, Real

Yep, I said it; don’t hit me! Does that sound like I’m afraid? Nope, this concept is too important to be afraid. But people are afraid all of the time. People with chronic anxiety know what I’m talking about. We all have a level of concern about the events in our lives, some controllable, some not.  Most of us have expectations on how the events play out. Some look at the worst case scenario to justify our actions, or more likely in actions.

Fear starts with the letter “F” for False. Most of the time, our greatest concerns, or “fears”, over a particular event does not come true. When things work out, many people say, “Wow, I dodge another one”.  Hell that leads directly to the letter, “E” for Expectations. Let’s try and say, “I have positive expectations for this or that event. Positive in that it will work out, or I will have a good time today. Not, “I’m positive something bad, like a meteor hitting my new car on the way home from the show room, will happen to me today”.  “A” is for Appear. Things are never as bad as they appear. (Objects in the mirror appear closer than they really are.) “R” is for Real. Is your “fear” in your head or is it real? Most of the time, your concern is about something that could happen, but will not MOST of the time.  Change your attitude from “Oh crap, this is going to hurt” too “Man, I’m going to experience life to the fullest and you can change your “fear” to Full Experience Appears Reasonable. 

It should be easy to understand how getting over your FEAR will make you a better person, leader, and a starting point to transform yourself into the ideal level on the Matrix. Go out and make a Splash.

In the next post we will discuss Vulnerability. Vulnerability is not saying you should lay on top of a fire truck wearing only a European Speedo thong with the mesh front. That would be stupid, but  people are given the equivalent advice every day.

The Challenge

You must always be yourself because no one else can be you. It sounds simple and naïve but it is true. No matter how much you try, you cannot be anyone else but you. You can change your hair color, the way you smile, and the way you respond to people; but, you cannot change your essence. You are who you are, so begin to be happy with yourself. Develop yourself. Today, I challenge you start to live life flamboyantly through the activities that allow you to be happy. How does this relate to the Matrix? Have you ever worked for someone who is miserable? Have you worked for someone who is phony? If you have, and I bet you have, my challenge makes perfect sense.  If you are trying to be someone else stop! When you live life flamboyantly, and to the fullest extent possible, you will see great changes in your life.  

The Amazing Matrix Splash

With a Splash the Matrix program came into existence with a goal to improve leaders and managers. As a team we developed Integritas Leadership Solutions, LLC. to develop public safety personnel, but that was only the beginning. We made a “Splash” greater than we ever dreamed we could make.  We found organizations all over the nation were clamoring to ask us how to improve their managers and leaders. See, we learned a long time ago that there are stark differences between leaders and managers. If you go any book store you can find hundreds of books describing books on leadership and management. Most combine the elements together; we separate the elements, break them down, and tailor our training to our clients needs. We truly feel that we are only successful when our clients see grow and realize their potential.  In the past few years, we have authored ground breaking articles, co-authored books, spoken at national seminars, and simply been amazed by the potential waiting to be unlocked by others. Together, let us begin the journey to your success.