Fourth Quarter 2013-  Issue 14

At the End of the Day-  “Focused Participation”

 

I recall a leader who had visited an operating facility and listened to the results that were shared with him in a quarterly meeting.  One particular result that made an impression on him was from a manager at the facility whose results had significantly improved.  When the leader asked what drove these results, the manager replied that he began to focus on the situation and had simply gathered the relevant information, started looking at it, made it visible and shared it with his team and they all concluded this was not acceptable and developed a plan to address it.  In other words, he focused and gained their participation.  He went on to say they worked together to constantly see if their efforts were working and when they were not, they made the necessary adjustments.  In this situation, the power of “focused participation” drove performance up exponentially.

“Focused participation” can be summarized as follows:

• Gather relevant information on a specific matter
• Look at it closely
• Make it visible
• Share it with key colleagues

From this focused participation, a positive and inclusive work environment will lead to the following:

• Alignment with the need to improve it
• Development of a plan to address it
• Monitoring the progress of the plan (feedback)
• Making adjustments to the plan as necessary
• Achieving or exceeding targeted results

Getting others to focus and concentrate in today’s technology, sound-bite-driven world is a management/mission critical goal for today’s leaders.  To focus, or give someone or something your undivided attention, is paramount to being engaged.  When others see and feel the leader engaged in a positive way (not necessarily micromanaging), their participation levels rise.  They become open to more and more possibilities and everyone wins.

By the way, the leader, whose full attention they had was me, appreciated the efforts of the manager and his team at the operating facility and thanked them for a great job!

–Mario Flores

                                    Mario Flores.  All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written consent.

 

Third Quarter 2013- Issue 13

At the End of the Day- “A Favorable Leadership Culture: Believing in Your People”

In today’s professional world, it is common for the employer to forget one of the most important duties, LEADING his/her people.  Employers adopt negative behaviors that have an equally negative influence on the employees.  When the work environment is discouraging and overly critical, the work quality suffers, and the organization as a whole, begins on a downward spiral.  Many times an employer will lose sight of themselves as a leader entirely, yet they will campaign with the message that they “believe in their people”.  He/she will act or behave in ways that show them as anything but a leader.  Here are some of the behaviors that are seen today:

• Lack of effective delegation.
• Curtail growth opportunities.
• In general, insensitive to their employees’ feelings.
• Avoid taking the time to fully understand a situation.
• Check the checker’s work.
• Untrusting of their employees.

Everything in life has an equal and opposite reaction.  When leaders do everything but lead, the employees are the ones that feel the repercussions.  On the receiving end, the people react or behave in the following ways:

• Their self-confidence takes a “hit” and is compromised.
• Continuously, their efforts are well below optimal performance level.
• They complete the bare minimum.
• They lose the passion that got them into the field in the first place.
• Idea generation and innovation becomes non-existent or virtually non-existent.
• Because trust is earned, they lose the ability to trust in their employer.

True belief in people is demonstrated by employers as they allow their people time and space to think and act.  The employer can reclaim his/her leader (and not “just the boss”) status if they are secure in who they are as a person and as a professional.  Truly believing in people illustrates that people are the most important part of the work environment.  Also, it is crucial to keep things in context.  It is easy to say one believes in their people when everything is going right.  The challenge for leaders is to believe in their people when the chips are down.

The Bernard Bass “Transformational Leadership Style Model” includes these four elements:  the Influential, the Inspirational, the Intellectually Stimulating and the Individual Consideration.  Each of these elements exists when the leader’s behavior reflects that they believe in his/her people.  In turn, the people will be more likely to go above and beyond for their leader, as well as other colleagues.  When the leader of the organization truly believes in his/her people, it results in a positive leadership culture.

—Mario Flores

                                        Mario.Flores.  All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written consent.

       

Second Quarter 2013-  Issue 12

At the End of the Day-  “Execute”

 

A critical element of being trustworthy is being competent.  This competence shows up in a leader’s capabilities and results.  Another way of saying this is that an effective leader is not just strategic (although this too is critical) but is effective in execution– gets things done (primarily through working with others on the team).  A culture of execution sets the stage for what an organization must do well.  By executing on its short and long term plans on a daily basis, the organization will sustain the type of leading edge performance that will keep it superior to the competition and drive the most value to the organization’s stakeholders.  Effective execution means achieving results by doing the job right the first time (quality), in the most efficient manner (cost), with the customer being the first in line (service).

Employees in execution-leading organizations are empowered and strive for creativity, innovation and connectivity in their jobs as they execute their short and long terms plans and gain fulfillment in doing so.  An effective leader recognizes the employees for their execution through genuine respect, praise and appropriate recognition and rewards.

It is amazing how sustainable results are a remedy for many things.  The results-driven earned trustworthiness gives credibility to the leader, the employees, the organization, the brand, the product and/or the service.  When the leader raises the bar in setting performance expectations, creates a culture of execution and empowers the employees to perform, the organization’s world class potential is tapped and employees respond.  While a leader’s vision and direction is vital to the organization, it is the commitment to execution and performance excellence that is the basis for sustained growth.

–Mario Flores

                                    Mario.Flores.  All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

First Quarter 2013- Issue 11

At the End of the Day- “Self Confidence & Humility”

 

A leader’s self-confidence is critical if leaders want to be convincing to their followers.  Self-confidence as discussed here is “the absence of self-doubt” and having a “believe in yourself” mindset.  Self-confidence is very important to be able to push through challenges and barriers encountered in achieving leaders’ visions and goals.  Self-confidence is rooted in the exhibition by leaders of strengths and the utilization of assets they possess.  It is using these strengths and assets in a prepared manner that allow leaders to move forward with their agendas.

However, when leaders rely so much on their self-confidence, they can miss a more important quality that helps establish sustained leadership performance over a longer period of time.  This quality is humility, that of being humble towards their achievements.  It is this quality that gives others an opportunity to express their ideas and creates a powerful motivator for them.  When leaders have self-confidence AND humility, they avoid moving into a state of arrogance and myopia.  They are comfortable with who they are, what they represent and are more likely to be in a state of giving than receiving and continuous learning.  It does not mean that they are not assertive in setting forth their views and opinions.  It simply means that they are more apt to be better listeners, better encouragers, better synthesizers and better at adding context to the text.  Without humility, leaders who rely solely on their self-confidence risk falling into an arrogant belief that they did it or can do it by themselves.  The difference between being confident and arrogant is sometimes said to be knowledge.  The self-confident leaders are knowledgeable and more collaborative while the arrogant leaders think they are knowledgeable relying primarily on their own personal myopic lens. Sustained performance over longer periods couples self-confidence with humility.  This combination also forms the basis for the transformational leadership style component “individualized consideration” where leaders effectively develop individuals as the leaders that will carry out the long term sustained performance into the future long after the leader is gone.

In the book “Good to Great”, a self-confident and humble leader is the highest level of leadership in the Level 5 Hierarchy.  It is moving from the Level 4 to the Level 5 leader that leads to sustained performance over long periods of time.  Self-confidence is perhaps the most important emotional behavioral trait in leading yourself and others.  However, it should never be relied upon by itself.  The combination with humility keeps leaders well-grounded and allows them to fully embrace the potential around them.

–Mario Flores

 

Mario.Flores.  All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Fourth Quarter 2012-  Issue 10

At the End of the Day-  “Being and Walking With The Troops”

 

As a leader who wants to be transformational and build a sustainable favorable leadership culture, being and walking with the troops is an authentic action that such a leader can consistently take.  In Bernard Bass’ Full Range Leadership Model, the leadership style referred to as Transformational Leader has the following four components:

• Idealized Influence (Actions speak louder than words)
• Inspirational Motivation (Exciting the masses/sharing the Vision)
• Intellectual Stimulation (Thinking outside the box)
• Individualized Consideration (Being compassionate and developmental)

It is much easier to show the transformational leadership style when the leader walks among the troops.  When the leader gets out of his/her office and physically visits the work locations throughout his/her national or other geographical footprint, the leader feels a connection to the troops.  It gives the leader the opportunity to see the work the troops are doing, which is a source of pride for them.  It gives them a chance to give the leader their perspective which often includes suggestions on how to make the business better.  It provides the leader a platform to model the behavior that includes active listening, asking and allowing questions to be asked and to share or reiterate the vision, the direction the leader is taking the organization.  In doing these things, the leader is creating an environment, a culture, where the people are motivated to be open and always striving to be the best they can be.

Many positive stories are often shared by the troops with the leader that illustrate tremendous teamwork– with a keen “eye” on efficiency and on the customer permeating the culture.  It is this positive energy that allows the organization to deal from a position of strength, addressing the challenges and opportunities in a constructive and successful way.  Walking among the troops also cultivates the relationships that are critical in establishing an environment where there is mutual respect with an understanding, valuing and caring for each other.  Building these relationships internally provides the foundation to build and solidify cross-functional relationships externally as well.  Through these relationships with others, partnerships are built and a spirit of teamwork serves as a catalyst for development and growth within the organization.

Yes, being and walking with the troops is invigorating for the leader and for the troops. Done in a consistent and sincere manner, all four components of Bernard Bass’ transformational leadership model can be achieved in the leader’s quest to build a sustainable favorable leadership culture.

–Mario Flores

                               Mario.Flores. All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Third Quarter 2012- Issue 9

 

At the End of the Day:  “Reflecting- The Key to A Leader Staying in Balance”

 

Today, the 24/7 of never-ending stimulation, and the ruthless pounding of information into our brains, leaves us with barely any time to step outside the line of fire and reflect.  I am sure you have heard the phrase, “sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses.”  More often than not, that saying is repeated after someone has hit a “brick wall,” in one form or another.  But when was the last time you actually stopped to smell the roses and appreciate the beauty of the rose?  Allowing ourselves time to pause and reflect on our priorities is a crucial step in our quest for leading a balanced life.  I have learned that true success in the workplace will parallel success outside the workplace.

As the leader, the one thing you must do is spend quality time reflecting, focusing, and making adjustments on important things like:

• Your health–How well do you take care of yourself?
• Your spouse and other family members–Where on the “totem pole” do they sit?
• Your friends–How many close friends do you have that are not in your workplace?
• Your spirituality–Are you at peace with your higher power?
• Your work–Are you being fulfilled with your job?  Are you performing to your fullest potential in every aspect of your job?
• Your happiness–Are you happy?

 

What blind spots have you developed?

With the downpour of information coming at us from every which way, the development of blind spots becomes quite common.  These are areas in our life that are either right under our noses or within our full control, yet we do not take the time to “look.”  Most often, it is the workplace that creates the blind spots in a leader’s life.  One can become so tactical, even myopic, that blindness appears.  It can cause them to miss the strategic big picture, the creative input of their colleagues, as well as simple improvements to doing ordinary things.  I would say that at this point, the leader has become unbalanced.

A good way to determine if you are balanced is to take time out of the day to examine and reflect on the priorities in your life.  It is important to bring in people who can help you reset, or make behavioral changes, which will lead to more balance.  You will find that as a leader you lead yourself and others much more effectively.  It is amazing, how being in balance, you will find yourself appreciating the “beauty of the rose.”

–Mario Flores

                          Mario Flores. All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without  written permission.

Second Quarter 2012- Issue 8

Note from Coach Mario- At the End of the Day- “The Power of Story”

 

A key differentiator a business leader must have is the sense of story.  By telling a riveting story the business leader appeals to a different part of the human being that is governed by the domain of the right brain.  When engaging the right brain of an individual through story, one taps into a part of the individual where the heart connection occurs.  When the right brain is coupled with the left brain directed aptitudes of the mind, the performance can go from meeting expectations to extraordinary results.  I want to illustrate the power of story by telling a story about teamwork.  Here is the story:

I was in midtown Manhattan when the tragedy of September 11, 2001 occurred and for several days afterwards.  I observed something that I never thought could happen.  The greatest city in the world, the City that never sleeps, came to a huge pause.  On the flight home Saturday morning, I took a few moments and wrote a  poem about September 11 that reflected on that giant pause.  I would like to share it with you.  The intent of my message is not to revisit what occurred on that terrible morning, but to have a basis for recognizing how our Company illustrated the ultimate in teamwork in restoring telecommunication service to our Nation.  The poem is entitled, “The Day The City Closed-September 11, 2001.”

“The Day The City Closed-September 11, 2001”

On a clear, blue sky day

When everything seemed fine,

Something “eerie” on the way

Would somehow change time.

 

For a moment, stunned in silence

Not a word was spoke.

Only disbelief and more silence,

Then crushing clouds of smoke.

 

The day when The City came to a close,

Lockdown, shutdown, nowhere to go.

Like a scene from make believe

No life, taxicabs, not even a show.

 

No planes, trains or way out.

Only time to rescue, search for meaning, and think of

Family, friends and neighbors, with love no doubt.

Funny how sometimes it takes “hitting a brick wall” to wake you up.

 

No words can explain what went on that day

Only that somehow we would never be the same.

Emotions, feelings, weren’t sure of the way.

What once seemed normal would be forever changed.

 

The day when The City came to a close

Lockdown, shutdown, nowhere to go.

No life in the eyes, only ashes rose.

With wounded Time Square, even George Cohan froze.

-by Mario Flores

 

Although the greatest city in the world came to a close, Verizon and our employees did not.  Instead, our employees went into high gear to deliver what would be the most incredible telecommunications restoration efforts in the history of the telecommunications industry, bringing back service levels in a matter of days, including the financial heart of the world, the New York Stock Exchange.  The power of teamwork is what accomplished this incredible feat.  I don’t believe I have ever experienced such a proud feeling of being an employee of Verizon as I did when we helped bring this nation back onto its feet and allowed it to once again stand tall with pride.

As we move forward, we should never forget the tragedy of that day.  But let us remember the power of teamwork–that in our everyday lives can, on a relative basis, deliver the type of accomplishments of that incredible day and the days thereafter.  The power of teamwork brings people together, regardless of artificial barriers–different functions, departments, levels, geographic locations–simply to get the job done.

 

The power of story taps into the heart connection and when coupled with the mind, extraordinary things happen.

–Mario Flores

 

                     Mario Flores.  All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

 

 

 

First Quarter 2012- Issue 7

Note from Coach Mario- At the End of the Day- “Clarity of the Business Message”

 

I am amazed at the number of times a leader will provide a 35,000 foot view of where the organization is heading with their vision yet wake up at the end of the year with the results being far from expectations.  Casting the vision is an important pillar of effective leadership.  However, if the organization, at all levels, does not receive and understand the direction in terms that are “execution meaningful” from every employee’s perspective, it is entirely possible and very likely that the results will be less than anticipated.  This is why it is important to get everyone “on the same page.”  A leader can do this by delivering with clarity the business message.  The organization’s direction is important, but the communications from the top cannot stop there.  The leader must communicate what the strategic priorities and key initiatives are and how they synchronize with the vision and mission of the organization.  Critical to the communication and clarity of the business message are the expected outcomes or targets of those strategic priorities and key initiatives.

To position the organization to achieve the best results possible, clarity of what is required and why should be shared with everyone in the organization.  With today’s technology and the many social mediums available, this pervasive, mindful communication can occur efficiently with a personalization that can be heartfelt by those hearing the message.  Of course, whenever possible, delivering the business message in person not only adds the necessary clarity but allows the leader to connect with the employees in ways that technology is not able to accomplish.  The human touch delivered in person is felt long after the leader has left the front lines.  Sharing appropriate context in the business message also adds clarity.  A leader’s perspective with a brief summary of the organization’s evolution to the present and a discussion of external factors, challenges and opportunities facing the organization will “bring home” the message adding richness to the understanding of what is being requested of the employees.

A leader who ensures clarity of the business message at the beginning of the year with every employee and has frequent execution status communications (how are we doing) with the organization throughout the year stands the best chance of being connected to the employees and other key stakeholders while “landing the plane” by the end of the year from 35,000 feet and very possibly exceeding the expected results.

–Mario Flores

 

                       Mario Flores.  All rights reserved.  No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Fourth Quarter 2011- Issue 6

Note from Coach Mario- At the End of the Day- “Trust- Creating and Sustaining A Favorable Leadership Culture”

Trust permeates every fabric of our being and significantly impacts the culture we operate or live in.  When trust exists over a sustained period of time, a culture is enriched with self-efficacy, open and honest dialogue and relationships that lead to amazing levels of performance.  When trust does not exist, a much more guarded mindset and actions are front and center.  Just think about some of your favorite products that you have come to trust and the time saved knowing that you do not have to read the fine print on their label.  Now think of the people in your organization that you trust and enjoy working with and whom you do not have to read the fine print or read between the lines of their character or competence.  The trust is high and the productivity is at sustained high levels.  Now think back on the products where they may look like your favorite products but something is not the same about them.  Maybe it is the different label or maybe a word used in the product identification that causes you to have to read the fine print.  You might ask more questions or spend more time looking or inspecting because you are somewhat guarded about their contents.  Over time you may develop that trust, but it requires more in time, energy and/or in resources.  So it is with people that you may not have a trusting relationship with.

In his book, “The Speed of Trust,” Stephen M. R. Covey discusses the principle of credibility or believability that allows us to establish and sustain trust at all levels.  At the epicenter of credibility is our character and competence along with four cores, Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results.  When evaluating your trust in others or your own trustworthiness, picture a “trust matrix” where you would or would not put a check mark under each credibility core.  Are the people (i.e. boss, direct reports and peers) in your “trust matrix” of good character, good intentions, with impeccable expertise, knowledge and skill and a good track record?  How about your own trustworthiness?  Is it based on your good character, good intentions, excellent knowledge and skill and a record of producing sustained results?

As a leader, your responsibility includes creating and sustaining a favorable leadership culture.  A culture that houses trust as a cornerstone has the best chance of sustaining a favorable leadership climate when substantiated by the four cores of credibility, Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results.  A culture without trust is like exploring a dark cave without the proper lighting.  The footing can be treacherous and costly.

                                                                                                                                     —  Mario Flores

             Mario Flores.  All Rights Reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Third Quarter 2011- Issue 5

Note from Coach Mario-At the End of the Day-“Accountability”

Throughout the year, I am sure you have encountered many instances where individuals have taken the initiative to be personally accountable for their actions that have resulted in excellent results.  As leaders, one should always be on the look-out for these situations and recognize these individuals for a job well done.  As the business leader, holding individuals and organizations accountable requires seeing accountability as a cornerstone or pillar of effective leadership.  Holding accountability requires:

• Setting and communicating expectations.
• Following up to ensure clarity of the expected results.
• Periodically planned results review meetings that compare actual to planned expectations.
• Appropriate actions from significant deviations of expectations.
• Having a multiple stakeholder perspective.

Accountability is the preface to achieving great results.  Without accountability, accomplishments will often go unrecognized or will be seriously jeopardized.  Individuals who understand purposeful expectations and have a sense of accountability are highly motivated to undertake the challenge and often go beyond expectations.  Being held accountable allows individuals to feel empowered and lead either themselves or others to great achievements.  Being held accountable also spurs innovation and creativity inside individuals.  When one has personal accountability they ask more of themselves and “dig deeper” thereby accomplishing beyond what was envisioned.  Accountability is a key element of being an effective leader and people want to be held accountable.

As leaders you should evaluate the accountability models you have in place, including the tools such as balanced scorecards that include planned expectations.  With good accountability models and clear expectations communicated and received, people will feel empowered to achieve the expectations and you will be more effective in your leadership role without micromanaging.  However, without effective or any accountability models, the predictability of the results is at the mercy of simply what happens, which may or may not align with your expectations.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -Mario Flores

                                  Mario Flores. All Rights Reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.