Leadership

5 Ways Leaders Can Shine

October 1, 2021 by Laura Lollar

People aren’t complicated. Human nature is fairly predictable. And we don’t need a plethora of rules and regulations to define every possible way a person might step out of line. We can boil it all down to the basics — a few simple things most people want and the five ways leaders can shine.

The Principle of Legitimacy in Leadership

At the 1814 Congress of Vienna, an idea was proposed to help restore to power the lawful monarchs from royal families who ruled before Napoleon. Titled the Principle of Legitimacy, it was a governance guideline to ensure peace and order. It included five common sense concepts that most of us would agree should be the basis for sound leadership:

Rules don’t change: people like to know what they can count on. No one likes to be evaluated against a moving target. Some say a sense of certainty is one of the greatest human needs.
Authority is fair: remember when you were a kid and you got punished for something your sibling did? We didn’t like it then and now that we’re grown up, fairness is even more important. However, fair doesn’t always have to mean equal. People need different things and deserve to have their circumstances take into consideration.
Things make sense: the reasonable person wants to see a pattern, cause of action, greater purpose and ends that justify the means. Nobody likes to feel like they fell down the rabbit hole. Too often policies are established that work for one team but are totally nonsensical for another.
People have a voice: they want the opportunity to raise issues, express concerns, identify gaps. Freedom of speech is a bedrock right of the people of our nation. Many organizations do themselves in when people don’t feel free to speak up. Too many problems go unsolved because people don’t want to be labeled, “not a team player.”
People need to be heard: some say we humans are one big walking ear. In over 35 studies, listening was identified as a top skill needed in business today. Yet, fewer than 2% of us receive training in listening skills. Read this Harvard Business review article on listening.

Ensure the above listed needs are addressed in every major workplace training such as internal and external customer service, sales initiatives, employee engagement, job satisfaction, harassment prevention, teamwork, communication skills and leadership. Most definitely leadership. Then embed then in performance reviews for frontline supervisors, team leads or anyone managing a group of people for whatever purpose, even if it’s the neighborhood bake sale.

Another Approach and Ways Leaders Can Shine

Sometimes it’s easier to say what we won’t do versus what we shall do. Otherwise you have an increasingly long and complicated set of rules that try to capture every possible way people can mess up. (If you’ve been a supervisor, project lead, parent or teacher you know how creative people can be!)

You could define your mission by simply stating, “We agree to do nothing to embarrass our constituents, compromise our values or (the best one yet) require a lawyer.”

Or, “We agree to do nothing that is disrespectful to one another and requires an intervention from the boss or the Human Resources Department.”

Can you see how those simple statements could benefit a team when trying to establish norms of behavior? They define what people will NOT do versus what they SHOULD do. This limits the parameters greatly. You can start broad and then, if necessary, narrow the scope.

What was true in 1787 and 1814 is still true today. Let’s keep things simple, easy to communicate, able to withstand the test of time and establish guidelines the average person can understand. That would make life a whole heckuva lot easier for people we interact with and ensure you get better engagement no matter what the project, policy or plan.

How to Be a Leader People Will Follow

September 15, 2021 by Laura Lollar

Recently, I watched as a highly influential public figure, business owner and community leader treated someone with an impairment with a level of respect, kindness and consideration rarely seen these days. He was a leader people will follow. Those who succeed, in business, in school, at work and in their communities, are not always those with thousands of “friends” or followers. They don’t necessarily have a blue check mark next to their name on Twitter or the title of “influencer” on LinkedIn. They succeed where it counts — in the way they treat others, no matter whom they may be. Strong leaders do the hard work and still remain gracious.

They…

1. Learn from the past

Smart leaders take pains to learn why things are being done the way they are. They believe in the old adage, “Those who cannot remember the past, are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana, writer and philosopher) We are on this earth for just a blip of time and we’re not the first to face certain challenges or aspire to those BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals). Some say there are no new ideas. Centuries of lessons learned came before us, and we don’t have the corner on innovation with many things. We should be wise enough and humble enough not to put people through costly, stressful, time-intensive exercises in futility. Most people have a head on their shoulders and can think for themselves. Our leaders don’t have all the answers.

2. Acknowledge others

Leaders say “thank-you,” look people straight in the eye, offer congratulations and generously share the success of others. They look for opportunities to give colleagues and fellow team members the spotlight. Most of all, they respond. Good leaders know the worst thing you can do to a person is to ignore them. It’s the fastest way to devalue one’s worth and demoralize the team. Recognition is everything.

3. Ask for Feedback

They don’t school or scold if they don’t agree with the opinions of others. If they have more knowledge or experience in a matter, they don’t discount the input they just received. They take notes. They say, “I’ll get back to you on this.” They appreciate it when people take the time and make the effort to offer suggestions. And they are open to the idea there may be more than one way to skin that proverbial cat.

4. Extend Invitations

Wise leaders know that some are just waiting to be asked to participate. They seek out people who are often overlooked — the wallflowers, the quiet ones, the people who aren’t normally considered one of the “cool kids.” These are the folks who will work their hearts out for a worthy cause, if given the chance to help.

5. Are Loyal

Loyal leaders remember old friends and those who helped them get where they are now. Rather than allow themselves to be blinded by the flash of flattery, fast talk and the glitter of groupies, they put their faith and trust in those who supported them way back when.

6. Aren’t Afraid to Apologize

Leaders aren’t perfect. The pressure to deliver can be intense and there’s never enough time or money to consistently do it right. But when they screw up, they fess up. No waffling and no blaming others.

7. Know the Difference Between Confidence and Arrogance

A colleague and author has said, “Politicians aren’t kings.” Well, community and workplace leaders aren’t either. True leaders know they are in service to customers, co-workers and constituents. They may exude confidence, but humility keeps them grounded, approachable, credible and trustworthy. Arrogant people in power are seen as obnoxious.

8. Are Committed to Solving Problems

Strong leaders remove obstacles. They do not play politics with people’s lives. Their job is to make things better, not to deflect, exacerbate, inflame or ignore unintended consequences. True leaders remember who they were “hired” to serve, the mission that guides them and foundational principles that gave them the opportunity in the first place.

In Summary

I’ve been fortunate to worked with and for a number of talented leaders throughout my career. Leadership is a tough position to be in. You can’t make everyone happy and too often end up on the firing line, literally and figuratively, when they speak up to raise important issues. While we may not always agree with their positions, we have to give them credit for being wiling to take the heat. If you’ve never risked it all — job, reputation, friendships, business opportunities, personal safety — you can’t imagine how difficult it is to hold the line and do what’s right. That’s what leadership courage is all about and an example of how to be a leader people will follow.

The Directive Driver Personality Style

December 30, 2020 by Laura Lollar

I once had a client who was the directive, driver personality style. She supervised a large department for a financial services company. She was a wonderful lady to work for — fun, smart and very good at her job. We got along great. While debriefing her results on the DISC personality assessment, she said something that surprised me.

“Laura, you’ve said it’s important to greet people when I come into work and ask how they’re doing. I make the effort to do that, but I do it because I know it motivates them. It’s what some need from me to do their best work. I do it because I know it gets results.”

She knows it’s what good leaders do. They adapt to what their employees need, even if it’s not something that comes naturally or is important to them personally.

This supervisor’s motto was “Git ‘er done!” She was all about results and getting down to business. Protecting people’s feelings was not her main concern. Her focus was on the work. But she knew not everyone on her team had the same style and would respond to the same kind of treatment. Some wanted the “touchy feely” approach to feel like their manager cared about them as a person. So she adapted her style to match what her people needed.

Benefits of the High D Style

These folks make great leaders. They are action oriented, wired to take on challenges and overcome opposition. They move through the world quickly and love to solve problems. They’re task oriented (vs relationship), thrive on a variety of assignments and opportunities to excel. Good with change, they will challenge the status quo.
They are great entrepreneurs because they don’t get easily discouraged. They make good courtroom lawyers and possess a great deal of bench strength and self-confidence. Control, power and authority are important to them. They’d rather ask for forgiveness than seek permission. Some believe that rules are meant to be broken or at least bent.
They feel the need to push harder and will rely on their own internal fortitude vs outer forces (like research or committees) to accomplish their goals. They respect people who challenge and stand up to them.
Our High D folks make things happen. They persevere and overcome overwhelming odds. They take on large responsibilities, seize the reins of leadership and achieve great things.

The Evil Twin

But just like all our personality styles, some behaviors taken to extremes reveal the dark side or an “evil twin” that can slow their success.

High D people can be intimidating. One supervisor I coached was surprised her team members wouldn’t bring their problems to her. She’d say, “I don’t understand why they don’t come to me.” Well, she came on SO strong that it made it doubly difficult for an employee to raise issues. She was too abrupt. Her preference for short, direct answers made it difficult for some to explain their circumstances without feeling cut off.
Directive driver personality style folks can show impatience. They’ll cut to the chase and don’t care for a lot of detail or backstory. They want short, direct answers and don’t like to waste time. When handing out results of the DISC Personality Assessment I try to walk people through the report in a logical sequence. My High D folks have already flipped to the end and are ready to move on.
They may become workaholics. Task accomplishment is primary and relationships often take a back seat. They are driven. Success may be defined as status, titles and public achievements. They push themselves and can go overboard engaging in activities to earn recognition at the expense of other priorities.

How to Get Constructive Outcomes

Taken to extremes, their evil twin needs to listen to others, take time to build relationships, get input, include people in the decision-making process and explain their reasoning. Some may perceive them as lacking empathy and being overly forceful.

Since most of us have a secondary style, our directive driver personality style folks can call on different traits to work better with others. They don’t have to change their personality, but can adapt to use strengths that complement their hard-charging nature.

Half the battle is to become aware of how others see us. Ask more, tell less. Seek out those with opposite styles vs “look alikes” to join your team. Recognize your definition of success is filtered through your personal preferences and you could get better results by experimenting with another approach.

There is no one “best” personality style, but knowing more about ourselves makes it easier to learn what jobs to pursue, why some friendships last longer than others and what we can do to build self-confidence. We also raise our chances of success by better understanding our kids, customers, co-workers, spouses and business partners. Ultimately, turning the lens inward and building self-awareness turns life into a happier ride!

Why Embarrassment Makes You a Better Leader

October 1, 2020 by Laura Lollar

Have you suffered from embarrassment? Are you letting it keep you from forging ahead towards a worthy goal or being of service to others? Did you know embarrassment makes you a better leader?

We were having lunch, my friend and I, catching up on business and life. But there was a purpose for our meeting that had a lot to do with his future plans. So after the small talk, he told me his story.

“I was passed over for promotion. It took me totally by surprise and put an end to my career. The worst part was, everyone knew it. I went from being the ‘go to guy’ to someone they’d pass in the hall with little more than ‘hello.’ My opinions were ignored. Invitations dried up. It was the longest year of my life.”

But the opinion he held of himself was more significant than the reaction of co-workers. It shook his self-confidence and made him question the future.

“How can I help others achieve great things when I wasn’t successful in my own career? What gives me the right to offer advice when I feel like I was a failure?”

Can you improve a relationship after you’ve been divorced?
Can you still parent if your child took a dark path?
Are you considered a community leader after losing an election?
Does depression keep you from offering hope to another?
Are you ashamed of something in your life you’re using as a reason to keep from moving forward?

My friend almost did. And that would have been a darned shame. It’s because of that experience his value increased.

No one wants to follow someone whose never been tested. You have figured out ways to bounce back from disappointment, rejection and loss.

Like Thomas Edison, you’ve learned thousands of ways NOT to do something. You have learned how to navigate rough waters.

Do not let your worth be defined by one sliver in time. And don’t let the wisdom and experience you’ve gained from life’s ups and downs go to waste.

If you allow this one event to keep you isolated and diminished, someone somewhere will suffer because they didn’t have access to lessons you learned.

You offer others a high value alternative to what, too often, is the norm.

“Big head, no brain. Big snake, no rattle. Big boat no paddle. Big belly, no heart.”

(From the song, Big Hat, No Cattle by singer Randy Newman)

You may not be perfect, wealthy or powerful by popular measure, but people of substance recognize battle scars as stripes on your sleeve.

In basic training, they took away our civilian clothes and issued fatigues, a version of the working man’s overalls. Only after we passed numerous tests and weeks of training did we get to wear our dress blues. Basically, you had to “earn your clothes.”

You have earned your clothes and through your struggles have built a great deal of equity in character and competence.

And you’re not alone. Many around you have forged ahead despite tremendous turmoil. You can tell who they are. There is wisdom in their eyes, patience in their soul and compassion in their heart.

Those are the folks with the biggest impact on others. They’ve earned the right to say they are leaders.

Best Leadership Story Ever!

September 17, 2020 by Laura Lollar

If you’re looking for real life examples of great leadership traits, this is the best leadership story ever! When I graduated from high school, I decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. The idea of earning money for college, building a career and seeing the world intrigued and excited me. My friends were surprised. My parents were supportive. There was just one small problem – I had to lose 20 pounds to meet the Air Force weight requirements.

So all summer long I ate hard boiled eggs and green salads. I ran around the neighborhood trying to jog off the weight. And slowly it did come off.

Then came the big day when my parents drove me to the Induction Center in Buffalo NY. I was eager to board the plane to basic training, but first there was a physical to face.

I sucked in my breath and stepped on the scale. The little old man with the bald head and wire rimmed glasses moved the weight slowly across the bar. I froze and watched as it settled in place just short of the goal. And my future fogged over as he said, “I’m sorry, young lady, but you don’t pass. You’re three pounds too heavy.”

I was devastated. Who knew how long I’d have to wait before I could join. Facing my siblings and friends would be embarrassing. We’d already said our good-byes.

So I waited for my recruiter, Terry Nichols, to find me as I sat in the hall pondering my fate. He was a tall, thin man who had been very encouraging during my Summer of Sacrifice. He was eager to hear my news, but could tell something was wrong.

I’m not going Terry,” I said with the tears starting to slip. “I still have three pounds to lose.”

He sat quietly for a minute, then jumped up and asked, “How bad do you want to join the Air Force?” He asked. I replied, “It’s the most important thing in my life.”

“Okay then, we’re not done yet.” And he opened the door to the stairwell and said, “Follow me.”

Together we ran up and down the stairs of the Federal Building in Buffalo NY until my legs were so wobbly I could hardly stand. He ran those stairs beside me, ahead of me and behind me urging me on. He could have just let me give up, but he didn’t.

After I could run no more, Terry got me scheduled for a re-weigh. The little old bald man with the glasses was surprised to see me back. I stepped up on that scale and watched again as he moved the weight across the bar. And it stopped at half-pound-too-heavy. I looked deep into that man’s eyes and prayed for a miracle.

He leaned over and whispered, “Young lady, I’m going to let you pass. But if you EVER tell ANYONE about this, I’ll haunt you till the day you die!”

So, I tell this story every chance I get and I haven’t been haunted yet. Here’s what I learned about leadership skills that day:

Nothing motivates people more than the example others set and we need only take the first few steps to inspire them.
Leaders can get just as much mileage by running beside their people as well as in front.
The “scales” can only measure so much — one’s character is measured by commitment and action.
If you want to join the team, you must be willing to do the hard work ahead of time.

Mia Anstine on Good Leadership Skills

August 16, 2020 by Laura Lollar

I admire folks who display good leadership skills just by being who they are. I also admire people who focus. They concentrate their energy in one area and pursue it with all their might. (Some of us have been known to chase the proverbial shiny object now and then.)

Mia Anstine is one leader who is focused — big time.

She is an advocate for her industry, an outdoor writer, licensed outfitter, hunting guide, keynote speaker, range safety officer, firearms and archery instructor. She is the founder of MAC Outdoors and host of the MAC Outdoors Podcast. She serves in a volunteer leadership role for a number of organizations, including the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and Safari Club International (SCI). She was also the first American woman featured on the cover of Field & Stream magazine.

I’ve watched Mia’s career from a distance for almost a decade. We’ve never met in person, but I came to know her through the Women’s Outdoor News and social media sites. I was interested in her perspectives on leadership in the outdoors industry and she was gracious enough to share her time to be interviewed.

As a hunter education instructor, Mia has seen increasing numbers of women and young people attend her classes, along with the men. In face, women hunters are the largest growing demographic. In the U.S., there were 1.8 million registered female hunters in 2001, but by 2013 those numbers grew by 85 percent, up to 3.3 million. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, women now account for approximately 15% of hunters nationwide.

It’s Possible to Be Credible and Humble Too

It’s assumed men already know about hunting, but that’s not always the case. And it can be intimidating for anyone, male or female, to admit how little we know and be willing to seek out instruction. At the two-day hunter ed class I attended (way back when), it was wonderful to see how welcoming and supportive the instructors and fellow classmates were. There were no stupid questions. And there’s nothing like mastering a new skill to build self-confidence.

Mia: “The more we do any activity, the more we learn how much more there IS to learn. Instructors talk about our personal experiences, how we’re not perfect and why it’s important to continue learning. It is possible to be credible and vulnerable at the same time.”

Seek First to Understand

From her website: Mia grew up in a small house on a dirt road along the San Juan River. Her father hunted to put food on the table. Mia’s mom grew a garden, sewed, and taught her daughter how to fish. Her great-grandfather used to visit the area for annual hunting trips and passed on his skills to Mia’s father, who passed them on to her.

Mia: “In ranching communities, there are urban young adults who want to learn cattle ranching. They’ve spent time with one cattleman and think they know it all. But if they spend time with a variety of ranchers and pay close attention, they will learn so much more.”

“Good instructors and facilitators take time to feel out the crowd, ask questions and try to get to know their students. That way you can better assess their knowledge and skill level, then tailor the training to their needs. You provide just enough support so the person believes success was a direct result of their own efforts.”

Don’t Underestimate Others

It’s easy to underestimate people because they don’t fit the right image. Maybe they’re too young, too old, not well spoken enough, low-key vs. flashy. I wish I had a nickel for each time I’ve heard about a hiring mistake based on a person’s image vs. their substance.

Mia: “I participated in a Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt a few years ago. I went as a mentor to be paired with another hunter. They paired me with a 15 year old girl. Her Dad was a hunting guide and she had hunted before, so I didn’t have to be so much of a teacher. I felt no pressure. We had both hunted antelope before. This little girl became MY mentor. Her discipline, restraint, ability to pass on a shot if she wasn’t perfectly comfortable was admirable. She passed three times. It was neat to have a young person be someone you admire. It showed me she had good parenting.”

Leaders Need Backup Too

Even confident people benefit from someone saying, “Go get ’em.” Or encouraging them with words like, “You can do it.” Without that kind of support from mentors, loved ones or someone they respect, some will give up. But for those who don’t quit, it sure makes the journey easier knowing someone’s got your back. Good leadership skills grow when mentors and others show support.

Mia: “That young lady…her parents obviously spent time with her. She is very confident, but having her parents behind her made a difference. When People don’t have someone backing them up, it’s harder for them to be confident. In one of my hunter ed classes, a parent called their child “stupid” when they didn’t pass the class. That will take a toll on a person, especially a young person.”

One of these days I hope to meet Mia in person. She’s been a role model for more people than she will ever know. Visit her website at MiaAnstine.com and find her on most social media sites.