Learning Leadership

Learnings from The Three Laws of Performance

One of my mentors recently recommended that I read The Three Laws of Performance written by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan.

Here's the key take away's I learned from speed reading the book:

• What is being communicated causes most of the problems - Most of the time problems don't just arise from no where. Usually problems are created from what we communicate, and what we fail to communicate.
• Make it easy and simple - People are able to apply things they understand and that are simple to learn. However, making things simple and easy isn't always easy. It's hard work and takes time to take things that are complex and make them simple. In the end, the effort is worth it. Any person who is a successful speaker or writer knows the effort and time it takes to make things simple and applicable.
• Leaders determine what others experience by their own communication and how they "frame" certain things - Leaders are the filter of what others experience by what they communicate or what they fail to communicate. One of the things I noticed about President Obama was how much and how often we communicated in the first 100 days of his presidency. Every day in a different area of the country he was communicating about the current state of our nation and what his administration was doing to fix things. 
• Out past determines our future - Often what has happened in our past positions us for what we do in the future. Unless, we have something extremely drastic that changes our future and causes us to make a shift in our life.

There is and always will be a lack of resources

It doesn’t matter if you are leading in the nonprofit sector, business community, or government, you’re always going to face the problem of not quite having enough money. The fact that money is scarce is what makes it valuable.

As many of you know, A Day of Hope is a volunteer based program (I earn my income working full-time for United Way). I often catching myself saying, “If I only had the financial ability to hire that person to do "this" and to do "that" for A Day of Hope.”

But, I believe once I had that financial ability to hire someone to do the job, I probably would find myself wanting more money to hire someone with more skill.

It’s natural for a leader to always want more. Leaders are always pushing the envelope hard in an attempt to grow their organization. They always want more of what they’re doing and they want things to be better.

Lack of resources is always going to be a problem for a leader in any context. So, it’s not the increase in resources a leader needs to always seek, he needs to seek an increase in innovation and ingenuity.

He’s got to be creative to come up with ways to not just raise money, but to get the best and most capable work from the people he leads.

Morale in a Recession

With employment reaching numbers we haven't seen since 1982, 401(k)s and retirement accounts being cut to 40 percent of what they were only months ago, it's no secret that morale of our country is going downhill.

As leaders it's our job to communicate to the people we lead content that will help them keep their morale up during difficult times such as these.

Here is some interesting stats from The Modesto Bee on morale that might help you as a leader. Once you get to the page, scroll down to the bottom to where it says, Figuratively Speaking (I would post the stats here, but I do not have copyright permission).

About a year ago I wrote a short article on Morale at Helium. The article was written in a very different context at that time because we weren't even thinking about a recession (which is one of the reasons that we're in one), but I think you still might find a few useful ideas in the article.

Chapter 1 of Young Leadershp ebook

My ebook, Young Leadership: How a young person can make a difference in his organization and community which I gave away free has been pretty well received. It is a very short ebook, only about 17 pages, but it provides some simple principles that young leaders can learn and practice to do a better job of leading in their organization, regardless of their age.

Below I've given you the first chapter. If you're interested in reading more from the ebook, go here.

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Young Leaders Deal with "Stuff"

Hopefully I'm not the first person to tell you that being a young leader working for a nonprofit organization is difficult. I was given a reality check at the first nonprofit organization that I worked full-time for when two of my coworkers walked in the door and expressed their feelings of not wanting to work that day. I remember thinking, "We are working to make a difference in our community and in the world, how could they not want to be here? How could they say they would rather be at home than working here?"      

I quickly realized that everything which happens in for-profit companies happens in nonprofit organizations. Examples are:
- There will be people who hate their job
- Coworkers are going to fight with each other and not work as a team
- People will complain

As a young leader you probably have had similar experiences and I hope to share with you what I've learned that has helped me on my journey. As a young leader you will realize very soon that you are not the go-to person, you are the go-do person. There will be times where you're singled out and selected to do the grunt, nasty, non-fun work.

Sometimes there will be days where you give your very best effort and you feel like you did a great job on a task or project, but your Supervisor or Manager won't say anything about it. They might not even acknowledge the fact that you finished, but rather will just tell you what your next project or task might be.

The first job I had for a nonprofit organization was the lowest paying job I've ever had. I made more money by the hour washing dishes at a restaurant while in High School than I did with a full-time salary at my first organization. As a young leader that's the price you have to pay when you're new to the nonprofit sector. When you're at the bottom of the organization chart you are there for the reason that you haven't proved yourself yet. When you were hired you didn't have a prior track record of bringing and adding value to other organizations. Hence, you are paid as little as legally possible (which is usually the federal minimum wage) and you're given a chance to prove that you deserve more.

Nothing is more frustrating than working for someone who is less committed to making a difference than you. This often happens when a young leader works hard to grow and improve, but his Supervisor doesn't take the steps and hard work to improve. This causes the young leader to pass his Supervisor in motivation, skill, and leadership ability—which becomes the most common reason that a young leader moves to another organization or transfers to a different department within that organization. 

A good friend of mine was working for a company where he had spent half a decade of extremely hard work and sacrifice to do the best job he could. He had made every step and taken advantage of every opportunity to improve himself to do his job. As a result, when he approached his Supervisor to ask for a raise, he had outgrown her in ability to judge and recognize great talent and what it was worth. She responded by telling him he needed to stop worrying about learning and growing, and focus on doing and teaching what he already knew.

As a young leader he was continuing to develop, learn, and grow while his Supervisor was not. After this conversation he realized that his leadership ability exceeded her leadership ability, and as a result he went to another company where he could continue to grow and develop.

My  goal isn't to discourage you from leading. I want to convince you that even though you might be at the bottom of an organization, there will be times and circumstances where you will feel like giving up. There will be times when you're working hard, seeing zero progress, and feel that you are not making a difference. These things are going to happen, and they are just part of the price you have to pay to become a nonprofit leader.

I’m sure you’re filled with enthusiasm and passion to make a massive difference in the world. However, to make a massive difference in the world you first have to make a small difference—and you start that small difference as a young leader. There are several steps and principles that a young leader must acknowledge and use before he can expect to make a big difference. The first of these steps is committing to personal growth and development.

Leadership Link - In Times of Volatility

For a few months I've been listening to Dan Mulhern's Everyday Leadership podcast. It's a syndicated podcast from his weekly radio show in Michigan.

Last week Dan shared some insight on the volatile times that we're having in our country right now.

His post, In Times of Volatility outlines three steps to effective leadership in volatile times. They are:

1. Be more visible
2. Interpret reality in a larger context
3. Focus people's attention on things that make a difference

For more great (free) insight from Dan on leadership, you can go here.

Interview with Mark Sanborn, author of The Encore Effect

The following interview is a new monthly interview series I will be conducting with leaders and best-selling authors.

For the inaugural month I'm very excited to interview Mark Sanborn, author of The Fred Factor, You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader, and his latest book, The Encore Effect.

The Encore Effect was just released on Sep 2nd, and Mark was gracious enough to share some answers to a few questions I had about the book which I wanted to share with you.

Enjoy. . . . .

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Christopher Scott: What is the basic message of The Encore Effect?

Mark Sanborn: The goal of any remarkable performer is to receive an encore. That means our "audience" (boss, customer, colleague, spouse, etc.) demands more of us and what we do.  The only thing better than getting a customer to come back again is to be so good that the customer demands you come back.

CS: I believe The Encore Effect is your seventh book, but seems to have a slightly different message than the previous six. What motivated you to write a book with this message?

MS: I decided to write a book on how to make any performance—at work or at home—remarkable.  I took the same approach as my previous two books in trying to make a complex process simple and accessible. Seth Godin wrote about making products remarkable; I wanted to give readers a process they could use to make the important performances of their lives remarkable.

CS: I read a story on your blog about your publisher wanting The Encore Effect’s subtitle to read, "How to be remarkable in ‘everything’ you do" but you wanted the book’s subtitle to read, "How to be remarkable in 'anything' you do." Could you explain your reasoning for that?

MS: Not everything we do needs to be remarkable. Trying to make everything remarkable is a form of perfectionism. Filling out a form needs to be done accurately, not remarkably. By identifying the important performances in our lives, we free up time and energy to invest where they’ll provide maximum return.

CS: Often people say, "If you done it, it aint braggin." With that said, could you share a story about a time you had a remarkable performance as an example for our readers?

MS: As a professional speaker I need to know why clients should choose my services. I have learned from feedback from many clients over time that I tailor and personalize my presentation to each organization and audience. To say that I'm very good at doing that, and better than most, isn't bragging; it is part of my value proposition proven by past performance.

CS: In the book you share the six Ps of a remarkable performance: Passion, Preparation, Practice, Perform, Polish, and Pitfalls. Of the six Ps, which do you believe is the most important in creating remarkable performances?

MS: That's like asking which organ is the most important in your body—you need most of them to live a healthy life! All six of the "Ps" are important and work together in the process.

CS: You mention passion as the first P. Do you believe someone can still deliver a remarkable performance if they are not passionate at what they do?

MS: Passion is very important; you can be good without it but it is tough to be truly remarkable if you lack passion. It is the difference between playing all the notes correctly and playing the notes correctly and with passion. The latter is an inspired performance.

CS: In the chapter on Perform you say, "One hallmark of a remarkable performance is authenticity." One of the issues nonprofit leaders face in the area of fundraising is people accusing them of not being authentic. Because we have to build relationships to raise money, sometimes people question our intentions. Any thoughts about this related to fundraising?

MS: We are drawn to authenticity and repelled by a lack of it. Be yourself, but always choose to be your best self so that people know not only what they’re contributing to but also whom they're contributing to. In the book I point out that high performers are never acting and pretending to be who they're not; who they truly are is part of the performance. That's why in the chapter on performance I say, "Be the performance."

CS: In the chapter on Pitfalls you say talk about lethargy and procrastination. Both of these are very common in the nonprofit sector relating to volunteerism. Many people know they want to help out and volunteer, but very few people have the discipline to follow through and make the time. What advice do you have for someone who has wanted to volunteer for a long time, but just hasn't seemed to make it happen yet?

MS: I'll add to the overuse of a tired but true saying: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For someone who has thought about volunteering that might be as simple as going online and getting the phone number of a place they want to volunteer. The second step is calling and saying, "How can I help" It may not be easy, but it is always simple to get started.

CS: I love when you stated, "No matter how good you become, you can always become better." But, I have had times when I felt very good at what I did, but couldn't seem to improve. Times when I was working hard to improve and become better, but just couldn't seem to take my performance as a leader to the next level. How can someone break through this?

MS: George Leonard is his classic book Mastery pointed out something that has been very helpful to me over the years: improvement happens in plateaus and increases, not in a steady upward sloping line. That means that you get better and then stay at that level for awhile, even while practicing and polishing. Don't be discouraged by the plateau as it is part of the process. Take heart in knowing that plateaus almost always precede performance improvements.

CS: For a young person who is just starting in their career, what do you believe should be the first step to developing a remarkable performance?

MS: Study the best performers in your field, the established practitioners as well as the leading edge and innovative newcomers. Understand where your craft is coming from and where it is headed.

CS: After reading The Encore Effect I believe there is a connection between remarkable performances and a leader's ability to get people to act. What are your thoughts on that?

MS: The only thing more remarkable than improving your own performance is helping another improve his or her performance. The goal of remarkable performance is to become a remarkable person and I believe leadership is always about helping others to become better.

CS: Since reading your book I have "2LU" written on my computer monitor and meeting notes. Could you explain "2LU" to our readers?

MS: Everybody talks about reaching "the next level." That means there is little competitive advantage in improving only as much as everyone else. I suggest "two levels up" or 2LU as a way of reminding yourself to aim higher than your competition.

CS: Are you currently working on your next book? If so, what will be the message and when should we see it on a bookshelf?

MS: I'm not officially working on the next book but I know what it will be about. If your readers want to access my new ideas first, they can visit www.marksanborn.com where they can read my blog and sign up for our free monthly ezines. Of course I really encourage everyone to visit www.TheEncoreEffect.com where they can learn even more about this how to be a remarkable performer.

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Below are some additional links to interviews and articles where you can learn more about The Encore Effect book.

Go here to listen to a 10 minute interview with Mark.

A very popular resource for leaders, Leadership Now blogged about the book here.

Another reader shared his personal experience after reading the book.

Anna Farmery conducted a great two part audio interview with Mark which can be listened to here and here.

Update on 9.24.2008 - Mike Dellosso says The Encore Effect caught his "fancy" and he decided to write a personal review.

Update on 9.26.2008 - I found this unique review of Mark's book with him answering some faith based questions which were very interesting.

Update on 9.28.2008 - Jessica Travis, a professional book reviewer compared The Encore Effect to the highly popular and best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life. Any book mentioned in same sentence as The Purpose Driven Life is always worth a read.

Update on 9.28.2008 - Randy & Kelly give testimony that The Encore Effect is a great book to carry around with you to read quick bits of information when you might only have a few extra minutes.

Update on 9.29.2008 - Katrina is offering to give away a free copy of The Encore Effect.

Update on 10.5.2008 - A lengthy review has is here that talks about how The Encore Effect mirrors The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Update on 10.19.2008 - Patricia Fripp talks about her brother who is written about in the book.

Update on 10.20.2008 - Tom Suddes gives a short and sweet testimony. A very unique review was also written here.

Update on 10.25.2008 - Trevor Harrison gave a great review on his blog.

Update on 11.5.2008 - A lengthy review of the book has been posted on the Leadership Coaching News blog.

An Invitation to the Cataylst Conference

One of the benefits of coordinating our local Maximum Impact leadership event was the two free tickets I received to attend the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta on Oct 9th & 10th of this year.

I'm attending this year's Catalyst event in Oct, but I have been unable to find someone to attend with me as my guest. I've approached six different leaders in the faith based community, but none have been able to take the time away to attend the event.

I'm offering my extra ticket for free to one of my blog readers, or to anyone who submits information based on the following criteria to me by Sep 25th.

The person requesting my extra ticket needs to:

• Either be a staff member at a church, or volunteer at least two hours per week at their church
• Have a genuine interest in leadership and see it as something they want to learn more about
• Email me a list of the leadership books he have read
• Be able to attend both days of the Catalyst Conference on Oct 9th & 10th
• Provide his own transportation to and from the event, and have a place to stay in Atlanta
• Provide a brief explanation (less than 200 words) of why and how he will benefit from attending this event

This might seem like a lot of work, but I believe it's well worth the effort for someone who would like a free ticket to this great event.

If you meet this criteria or know of someone who would benefit from attending Catalyst, have them email me at christopher.lynn.scott@gmail.com with the information requested above by Sep 25th, and I will review all submissions and select the person I believe will benefit the most from attending the event.

Update on 9.28.2008 - All inquiries for the Catalyst Conference ticket I have are closed. If you have additional questions, feel free to email me.

Podcast Interview with Christopher Scott

I recently participated in my first podcast interview with Lisa Haneberg, author of many books and the Management Craft blog.

Even though I consider myself a podcast rookie, Lisa and I had a great chat about the differences of leadership in the for-profit and nonprofit sector.

Here's a link to the interview in case you were interested in listening and learning. . .

Tom Peters on Leadership

If you're a reader of the Tom Peters! blog you might have come across his 459 slide Power Point "Master Presentation" on leadership that he recently updated.

Tom's leadership Power Point is packed full of short insightful thoughts and principles of leadership that is well worth the time it takes to read.

Enjoy. . .

80 Resources for Leaders

I'm very thankful for a kind reader who sent me this link, http://www.jobprofiles.org/library/guidance/managers-handbook-80-opencourseware-collections.htm.

The site has links to many great leadership slide shows, videos, and MIT classes.

Enjoy. . .