Management Information |
3 Keys to Being a Fearless Executive
In my work with business executives, I have come to the conclusion that most individuals in positions of influence got there accidentally. This may sound harsh to those of you in the business world reading this article, but the truth CAN be harsh, much like the medicine our mothers gave us as young children. There is a bright side, however, to this fact: Those of you who put in the effort can rise far above the average executive. Here are three tips to do that, and quickly: 1. Learn to love responsibility As strange as this may sound, to be a better executive in the business world, you have to want to assume more responsibility - not only for your actions but for the actions of those you lead. This means taking on tough assignments early in your career (or all the time)- the ones that nobody wants. It also means that you must learn to make decisions, and make them quickly and effectively. To do this, most executives follow a two step process. A. They figure out what data they need to make their decision. I always ask those that I'm coaching or working as a consultant with the following question: "What do you need to know in order to make the decision?" This serves to focus their mind quickly on the solution to whatever dilemma they are facing. B. They find someone who has that data. Once they know what data they are looking for, top leaders and executives in the business field search for the person who can deliver that data, quickly. It might be the head of the division, or it might be a mid-level manager. It might be the front desk staff. Once they get the data they need from the correct person or position within the company, top executives quickly move ahead with their decisions. Not all decisions work out, but top executives waste far fewer hours struggling with and lamenting decisions they've made. They understand that it goes with the territory of being near the top of the company pyramid. 2. Never let your head get bigger than the doorway The higher up an executive is, the fewer cell phones and pagers he has on his or her person. Really! I have found top CEO's far more approachable and amiable to discussion than mid-level managers. They simply don't take themselves too seriously, even though they are serious about their jobs and careers. This may be due in part to the fact that many top CEO's were once mailroom clerks or the like, and they understand that where you've come from is just as important as where you have ended up currently. Perhaps it is also due to a tendency to welcome opposing opinions as opportunities to learn rather than subjects to attack. Strong executives - those that lead fearlessly - learn just as much from their interactions as they teach. If you find that your head no longer fits through your office doorway, you've got problems. Learn what top executives already know - learning is a continual process, and people are the most important assets any company will have. Keeping these things in mind allows them to gain a proper perspective on business and life. 3. Envision the future, delegate the mudane Top leaders in every field master this principle quickly. Many executives wallow in mediocrity due to a lack of understanding of this principle. Warren Bennis, one of the foremost experts on leadership, wrote about this principle in the book, The Unconscious Conspiracy, over thirty years ago, though the ideas in his book are just as relevant in today's business world as they were then. Top executives understand that getting bogged down in everyday, mundane tasks and details drastically reduces their effectiveness as a decision maker for their company. Committees, meetings, memos, phone calls - these are all obstacles to true leadership and should be delegated at every opportunity. To be a better and far more fearless executive, focus more on the future and delegate that which will impede your doing so. In sports, top head coaches surround themselves with even better assistant coaches - and it is the assistant coaches who take care of the mundane and decidedly boring tasks, such as travel arrangements, banquet preparations, recruiting schedules, etc. This allows them to focus on how to build a better team tomorrow, and to take action on their ideas and plans. In business, the exact same process occurs. Learn to better focus your energies on the leadership duties that will position the company better tomorrow rather than keep the company where it is today. Copyright (2005) Leif H. Smith, Psy.D. All Rights Reserved. Performance expert Leif H. Smith, Psy.D, is the president of Personal Best Consulting, a consulting firm located in Hilliard, Ohio. To learn more tips and techniques to immediately improve performance in your life and to sign up for his FREE monthly advice newsletter, visit http://www.personalbestconsulting.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Employee Discipline: How to Nip Problems in the Bud Are you uncomfortable with delivering disciplinary action, even involving employees you know deserve it? You're not alone. Disciplinary action is one of the least favored tasks a supervisor must occasionally perform. Hire Winners: Avoid These 10 Interview No-No's Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? I'm sure many of us have at one time. The purpose of the interview is to obtain good information about an applicant to make a wise selection decision. Team Motivation - Tough Enough to Care Sir Alex Ferguson has just celebrated his 1000 game incharge of Manchester United, probably the world's mostsuccessful soccer team.I have a great deal of respect for Sir Alex as a manmanager. Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training.In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Get Meeting off To a Great Start When asked what part of their job they find a major time waster, many will answer loud and clear.. 6 Simple Steps to Dealing with Difficult Managers The challenge of managing difficult managers can be rather daunting, especially when you inherit them! If they are your own born and bred, then hopefully they would have evolved into great managers!Experience shows that difficult managers are difficult because they are angry and frustrated about something or somebody (even themselves - especially where they are, or have become, a square peg in a round hole of a job), so the steps to take are these:-Always a first is to build great relationships with your people. This involves protected one-to-one time, where they feel valued. Crisis Management Tips The term crisis management has different connotations. In this article, I will try to provide pointers that can be used in most situations:Is It A Crisis In The First Place?:This question is important to ask, as there are many situations that go wrong because the right person to handle it is not around. Innovation Management - Six Crucial Steps Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. How to Reduce Temporary Employee Turnover The use of temporary services to stock a farm of employees is beneficial in a number of ways for an employer, and detrimental in others; but the one that will always be heard is that good labor is hard to find when using these services.This is a very real and expensive reality for some, and the blame always falls on the employee. Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure the Right Things. Measure the right things. It's not enough just to measure-you have to measure the right things. Executives and Emotional Self Awareness A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Improving Workplace Safety This article relates to the Safety and Working Environment competency and explores how your employees feel with regard to their physical and environmental working conditions, the quality of their equipment and tools, and overall attention to safety within the workplace. Every organization is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees. Looking through the Glass Ceiling - Women in Management Women have made tremendous contributions to society at every level; consider Joan of Arc, Golda Meier, Indira Gandi, Condalezza Rice.In writing this article my attention is to open the eyes of small business and no way patronise female mangement or give offence. Why Saying Well Done Works Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work that day, full of self-belief and wonder that she had made the leap at last.In her last job, she had always felt that she was unsuitable, in fact below par, for the place. Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in common, more than 50 percent end up on the rocks. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 23 percent ever recover the costs of walking down the corporate aisle. Organizational Techniques - Tickler and Chron File One of the biggest problems we encounter in our consulting with businesses, and our students is time management and organizational techniques. This article will concentrate on some good organizational strategies. Why Free Agent Thinking Is Good For Your Company It's no secret! Day after day the news is riddled with companies who are moving operations to other countries or completely closing their doors. Those who remain must transform themselves to lean, mean, businesses with a constant eye on reducing costs. Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. Hiring Productive Employees: A Checklist for Assessing Their Appeal The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on whether or not they get hired. Their characteristics also indicate the level of their productivity. No Time to Focus on the Big Picture? Try Focus Management E-mail, voicemail, "got a minute?" interruptions, multiple projects and competing priorities. Whether it is in work or in life, we all understand the importance of "seeing the forest for the trees. |
home | site map | contact us |