3 Simple Practices of Leadership

When I worked as an executive on loan to my industry at the time, one of my roles was to create grassroots volunteer groups to promote new technologies. I gathered industry stakeholders and built what I felt were comprehensive promotion plans to move the local effort forward.  My team members were excited and charged off to execute the plans.

When we had our next meeting, the enthusiasm had waned a bit and not much had been accomplished.  By the third meeting, the crowd was even smaller and I began to hear comments about how much there was to accomplish and they still had their “day jobs”.

After much discussion, research and soul searching, I realized that while I utilized many of the great leadership suggestions I had learned earning my MBA, they didn’t overcome the fundamental issue that I had made my plans too complex and difficult to follow which created a lack of trust in my plans and, sadly, in me.

I was devastated and learned a valuable lesson.  I can be the smartest and nicest leader in the world, but if I can’t build trust within the group I am leading, whatever my big dream may be will have less chance of succeeding.

Volumes have been written on leadership and I find most of them boil down to creating trust.  Charles Green wrote in a piece on leadership in the April 3, 2012 issue of Forbes in which he wrote that “…the key success factor (in leadership) becomes the ability to persuade someone over whom you have no power to collaborate with you in pursuit of a common mission”.

So how does that relate to the world of SMPS?  Leadership opportunities come to us in many forms and with the flatter management hierarchies, more frequently.  When those come to us, it typically requires us to work with others to be successful.

I have found that making the collaborative effort as simple as possible is a huge start to gaining the support of others needed to be successful.  From that work, I have developed what I call the 3 Simple Practices of Focus, Consistency and Accountability.

FOCUS

Focus is essentially defining the journey you want to complete.  Creating Focus is typically not an issue. I believe we are all born planners and in our industry, we are always planning!

However, as I painfully learned, how we develop our focus does create hurdles.  I have already mentioned the frustration I faced when I made my plans too complex.  So, pick your goals carefully and strategically.  Limit them to no more than three at a time. Ask yourself who benefits when you reach your goal.   You?  Your team?  Your Company?

Remember the acronym S.M.A.R.T.  which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable and Time limited.  Putting your goals against each of these elements will make it easier to achieve your goal and easier to gain consensus.

Dreams don’t become goals until you add a completion date.  Obstacles also arise in creating goals that aren’t specific or don’t have a measurable outcome.  When you write your goal, put it away for a day or two and envision the outcome. Will those you need to join your effort see it the same way as you?  Is it measurable so you will know when the actual goal you seek has been attained?

The Focus needs to gain consensus as Green alludes in his Forbes article.  We have to persuade people to join our effort and going off on a plan with no consensus among may work occasionally, but it’s a chore and a risk to your success.

If you are the boss, resist the urge to create “edicts” for your department.  Our CEO has made sweeping organizational changes in our company that are proving to be beneficial.  He could have “announced” his goals but, as he put it, he “socialized” his ideas first by discussing it with his key managers.

He refined his ideas and when they were unveiled, he had significant consensus and the employees embraced his changes. He has solidified his position as a leader because we trusted his idea would benefit us and the company!

CONSISTENCY

My experience has shown that the execution of a plan is really the most difficult.  Think of the times we have encountered great efforts to establish focus dying “on the shelf” or getting lost as we struggle to complete our “day jobs”.  Want a key foundation to being a leader?   Establish yourself as a person who can stay on track. Persistence and perseverance to any degree, in my mind, are keys to building trust.

While Focus is establishes the ultimate goal, consistency establishes the tasks you need to complete on a consistent basis in order to be successful.  The tasks can be one time tasks or repetitive process building tasks.

When building your tasks, make sure you don’t normalize behavior that deviates from the facts at hand.  Be cautious of shortcutting or “jury-rigging” action steps. Doing so can derail your effort in a heartbeat!

ACCOUNTABILITY

My experience leads me to consider that accountability is the most difficult element of the 3 Simple Practices.  We normally equate accountability in a punitive way. We hear about a person or organization being “held accountable” for their actions—a situation we all hope to avoid.

My meaning for accountability is using one’s experience, position or leadership to help someone successfully complete their goals.   I continually find instances that highlight the benefits of approaching a goal with a supporting partner or mentor and my experience supports that research.

If you want to be most successful in reaching your goal, find an accountability partner who will share your success. You want a person who will be supportive, a cheerleader, a resource and, most importantly, a consistent and firm confidant who can push you when needed.

When you find that person, ask them to make a small commitment of time to review your progress on a regular basis that is no less than quarterly but is frequent enough to keep you on track.  These aren’t performance reviews, they are progress updates and should last no more than 30 minutes, preferably less.

To keep the process simple, use an agenda that covers:

• The results of your work during the most recent time period
• What you intend to accomplish during the next time period
• What roadblocks you have hit and how you intend to solve them
• Where you need help (don’t be afraid to ask)

It takes some practice, but properly done, these updates efficiently and effectively keep you on track and building your role as a trusted leader.

Finishing the 3 Simple Practices

The 3 Simple Practices don’t stop there.  In today’s business and social world, we tend to forget two important “final touches” to success—saying thanks and celebrating.

Most importantly, remember to thank the folks who helped you achieve your goal.   Take the time to make a special phone call or send a hand written note—not an email, text or voice mail.  Make it personal!

Don’t forget to celebrate successes.  Celebrating the achievement of milestones is as important as celebrating the achievement of your goal.  It keeps us motivated and you can even make the celebration part of the thank you.

Now that’s leadership!