Books – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

The Philosophy of One Team & Extreme Ownership

May 25, 2020/0 Comments/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Leadership is not always about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about the ability to bring a group of people together around one goal.

Today’s post is by John Piester, President of RedPeg Marketing.

Nearly four years ago I became President of RedPeg Marketing. I quickly encountered many firsts in my 20+ year career that I wasn’t sure I was prepared for, namely becoming the leader of a then 21-year-old privately owned agency with roughly 45 employees.

For the first time in my professional life, I’d have the overall responsibility for the success or failure of an organization and, in turn, everyone who worked there. I’d been in leadership positions before across business units, work groups within companies, sports teams — but this felt different. Bigger. Was I ready?

A team is only as good as the people on it

As a young boy, I learned the importance of being part of a team from watching my dad coach football and basketball for a local high school. Unsurprisingly, sports have always played a huge role in my life and I know it helped me learn valuable lessons about leadership that I’ve been able to apply throughout my career as well. The most important takeaway for me is that a team is only as good as the people that are on it.

Are You Promoting Responsibility? Are You Sure?

May 4, 2020/2 Comments/in Books, Customer Service, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Managing a team comes in many different forms and requires a lot of different skills, check your ego at the door and rethink how you’re promoting responsibility in your organization.

Today’s post is by Lonnie Wilson, author of Sustaining Workforce Engagement (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Several weeks ago, I had two experiences that reminded me of the nature of responsibility; and management’s role in promoting and sustaining a responsible workplace.

First, a student of mine sent me the following email, “Coach, there is next to no sense of responsibility here. Nothing happens when dates are missed, goals are ignored, etc… I may be going bonkers. Can we talk?” We talked.

Second, I was at the 10 am production meeting of yet another client when Dave, the day shift production coordinator made the following report to Mark, the plant manager. “Mark, the critical shipment to Quality Industries went out first thing on schedule. Raul and his crew got it 100% completed. It has been picked up. But Mark, you need to know that Raul had to work 32 hours of overtime.” At which Mark replied, “What is wrong with Raul? Didn’t he read the notice from the home office we got just this week that costs are over budget and for the rest of the year there will be no hiring, no expedited freight and especially no overtime? What is wrong with that guy? Can you get me his home number?” Dave responded, “I knew this would be an issue, so I asked Raul what happened. He told me that 4 of his crew, who carpool together, got into an accident on the way to work, a serious one. None of our guys were hurt, but the other driver was drunk and two of his passengers were taken away by ambulance. The guys said they would be a couple hours late, at least, and probably miss the entire shift, while the police investigated it. So, Raul held over 4 people from swing shift.” Mark replied, “Well let me advise the boss; there will be hell to pay by someone.” Dave interceded and said, “Hold on Mark, before you make that call, you’ll want to know this overtime was not just regular overtime but double time and a quarter. He only had a few minutes to decide and had tried to call you; but said no one picked up. It was 10:50pm.” Mark exploded “Holy shit, how am I supposed to explain that? This may cost Raul his job.”

Rethinking Gen Z and Millennials in the Workplace

April 27, 2020/0 Comments/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Millennials and Gen Z workers are passionate and searching for meaning in their work. It’s time to ditch the lazy and entitled cliches society attributes to these generations.

Today’s post is by Heidi Ganahl, author of SheFactor (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

News flash: the promising new grad you just hired is already looking for her next job.

The numbers don’t lie – Generation Z and Millennial women are only staying at their jobs for an average of 18 months. In comparison, the national average for salaried employees is 4.6 years, according to an Economic News Release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The American workforce has changed dramatically since Millennials came on the scene. This phenomenon has left many of us wondering why the ways we engage, reward, and retain employees have not changed with it.

Today, especially with a historically low national unemployment rate, companies cannot afford to lose their ambitious new talent. The costs of turnover and training can add up in ways that go beyond the measure of profit margins. Reputation, recruitment, and employee turnover can add up to about half of an employee’s annual salary. Let that sink in for a moment.

If you want to retain Millennials, your organization’s leadership must give them better reasons to stay.

The Missing Piece in Leadership: External Mastery and Results

April 20, 2020/0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Leaders need both personal mastery and situational awareness to make the right call at the right time. Six mindsets ensure they grasp their realities to ensure success.

Today’s post is by Dr. Mary Lippitt, author of Situational Mindsets (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

How would you define leadership? Most people would answer that a leader possesses an effective leadership style, impressive skills, and stellar character. And they would be correct. Yet, those three factors miss an essential component. Leaders must consistently deliver results despite new customer requirements, new technology, changing regulations, and incessant competition. The common leadership definitions overlook the importance of situational realities and goal achievement. Historically, we have focused on internal aspects that are stable or slow to change. While skillsets evolve, character and style are relatively stable. Leadership has focused on internal aspects of whom the leader is and the job skills the person possess. This individual focus overlooks external accomplishments. The irony is that those accomplishments are why some leaders are remembered and honored.

We celebrate George Washington, Winston Churchill, and Mahatma Gandhi for their impact. All of them successfully dealt with challenging and rapidly changing situations. And our more recent leaders, from Bill and Melinda Gates to Steve Jobs, are known more for their work than their internal style. Of course, aptitude, skills, and style count—but they do not comprise 100 percent of what makes a leader great. We must expand our definition of leadership to include external mastery, or the ability to understand reality and leverage it to produce results. It is the missing piece of leadership.

Leadership Through the Lens of Wellbeing

April 13, 2020/1 Comment/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

One way to instantly see if your workforce is being effectively managed is to ascertain how they feel about work.

Today’s post is by Dr. Ian Hesketh and Sir Cary Cooper, authors of Wellbeing at Work (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Starting with the basics, it is without doubt that the relationship workers have with their immediate line managers is the one that can impact most on their wellbeing. The relationship can be the key to happiness, positivity, commitment, productivity and performance. The good news is that this skill can be developed and honed, resulting in optimum working efficiency. Therefore, it is well worth the investment in your leaders, at all levels. We suggest that at its very basic level leadership can be broken down into just three elements. These are, knowing yourself, knowing your people and knowing your business.

One of the most popular frameworks of leadership is that of transforming leadership. Initially coined by James Downton in 1973 following his research into charismatic leadership, it was influenced largely by Bernard Bass, and his instrumental book Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. Bass established what it was about leadership that inspired extra ordinary achievement and contributions of extra-role effort. He explored what were the traits that great leaders seem to have; concluding with four major tenets. These leadership attributes, commonly known as the 4 ‘I’s’, are:

Becoming a Net Exporter of Talent

April 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Developing your team so well that they begin being poached by others and letting them go to those other teams is exactly how to develop your organization.

Today’s post is by Mike Figliuolo, Managing Director of thoughtLEADERS

Want to build your team? Get rid of the people who are on it. I don’t mean go about firing people in a flurry. Become what I call a “net exporter of talent.”

You need to develop your people to the point that they’re ready for new challenges. Build their skills. Make them more valuable to the organization. Grow them and build upon their responsibilities. And once you can stand back and admire the fruits of your labor, send them somewhere else to work. Actually, if you’ve done a good enough job developing them, others will be trying to poach them from your team.

Madness you say? Don’t be too quick to judge. The benefits of becoming a net exporter of talent are many. Before we get into them, let me elaborate on how to become said exporter. First, recognize almost everyone on your team wants to grow. Your obligation as a leader is to provide those opportunities and help people succeed in them. Once you’ve expanded the skills and scope of your team members, you’re ready to begin.