the ten priorities in business leadership creating inspiring leaders and incredible teams – by:...
TRANSCRIPT
The Ten Priorities in Business Leadership Creating inspiring leaders and incredible teams
Richard Preece
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Background l What is it?
• Leadership program developed from a Character Based Education program used very successfully at Hyde School for students and parents.
• Experiential program utilizing workshops practicing giving and receiving feedback on Ten Priorities of Leadership.
• Applies to all levels of any type of organization or team. l How does it work?
• Group workshops sharing experiences with the Ten Priorities giving and receiving feedback.
l Why does it work? • Practicing sharing experiences increases openness, trust and
collaboration which then continues in day to day work. • Ten Priorities are “common sense” , easy to incorporate into daily lives. • It is an “experiential” session (rather than lecture or training).
l What is the result? • Creates a shift in the individual and team mindset, culture and
collaboration • Increases personal leadership confidence • Increases trust and team work
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ My Story l During 20 years in business management I continually searched for ways to
improve my leadership capabilities in the desire to not only improve my skills but feel fulfilled in my work. I took training classes, attended seminars, read every book I could get my hands on, listened to successful leaders, practiced everything I learned, but still felt incredibly empty and really did not fully enjoy my work and certainly did not feel fulfilled. I became very disillusioned and constantly wondered if I was in the right career.
l When my kids started at Hyde School and I was required to take the same personal growth program, I was skeptical. I expected little and at first put in little. I was guarded, careful, tentative and mostly in my head trying to make sure I sounded good and looked good. As I listened to others open up, I decided to trust in the process and let go of my ego. My layers of resistance dropped, I put in more, opened up more and started to get it. I then started to trust myself more. Sharing experiences and receiving feedback started a profound shift in how I thought and acted as a leader. Every discussion peeled away a protective layer and increased my self awareness and strengthened my confidence to trust in myself.
l I now love every day at work, I am thrilled to work with wonderful people, I am excited to take on new challenges. Every day is a new adventure. I feel fulfilled.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ How does the Workshop work?
l For each priority a member of the group will start by answering the following questions…
l What does this mean to you? l How do you think this applies in your work? l Where have you experienced this in your work? l How did it work out? l Where could you practice this more in your work?
l Then the group will discuss, share their experiences and give feedback.
l That’s it!
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Why does it work?
l Power of Feedback…
l Practicing sharing challenges, giving and receiving feedback is the core of the program
l Learning the skills to share challenging experiences openly increases personal self awareness
l Learning the skills to provide challenging feedback in a positive and constructive way increases self confidence and trust
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Truth Over Harmony ¢ Principles over Rules ¢ Attitude Over Aptitude ¢ Set High Expectations and Let Go of the Outcome ¢ Value Success and Failure ¢ Allow Obstacles to become Opportunities ¢ Take Hold and Let Go ¢ Create a Character Culture ¢ Humility to Ask for and Accept Help ¢ Inspiration: Job #1
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Truth Over Harmony
l Focus on truth first and foremost, building trust, and creating authentic harmony
l It is my responsibility as a leader to be honest with myself and others. Only when I am honest will I be fully contributing to the team. If I am not honest in my feedback I am holding others back in their growth
l It is only through sharing the truth that our peer, teams and even ourselves can grow. Choosing harmony over truth results in short term ‘benefits’, but is counterintuitive as resentment builds and issues are masked. Through truth, although painful and sometimes difficult to share, we get to a place where our relationships are authentic and ultimately more productive.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Principles over Rules l Principles define what we stand for, helping us apply good judgment and
focus on what’s best for the company l Principles provide the guide that helps us understand “why” and allow and
require interpretation in different situations. Rules are definite providing the “what” and allow no interpretation in different situations. Both have value.
l For example for a project manager to deliver a project successfully the principle might be “deliver the product that delights the client” the rule might be “apply the project life cycle discipline with rigor”. Both have value. There may be times where interpreting the principle may require flexibility in the way the project life cycle is utilized. There are times when all the right steps are taken in the project life cycle but the end product does not delight the client – why?
l It’s important to understand the deeper meaning and intent or objective which will allow us to make the best decisions in difficult situations. When following the ‘principle’ you always remain on the right path as the ‘rules’ can change; sometimes the ‘rules’ need to be challenged and it’s only through understanding the principle can you do that.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Attitude Over Aptitude
l Best effort at all times. Life is 10% what happens and 90% how I respond
l Approaching a situation with an open mind and positive attitude can help us succeed when things become challenging. Attitude does not replace Aptitude. Both are of value.
l For example, think about the sports team that has all of the super stars (Aptitude) but loses to the team without the super stars who practice with discipline, play with enthusiasm and work as a team (Attitude).
l With an energetic, positive attitude, obstacles become challenges and problems become opportunities
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Set High Expectations and Let Go of the Outcome
l Set stretch goals, then let the team take ownership. Aim High, Give Your Best and Accept what happens
l By setting high expectations for ourselves and for others we not only make it clear what is to be achieved but also show the confidence that it is achievable. Holding ourselves or others accountable for delivering on an expectation encourages ownership and growth.
l Providing guidance during difficult situations is helpful and allows learning and growth. Stepping in and taking over may address the immediate situation but it may not help with learning or growth.
l Sometimes even though we set a high expectation and give our best, something beyond our control causes us to fail. This is when we need to let go, learn from the situation and move on.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Value Success and Failure
l Success is important but failure can be a powerful teacher enabling real growth
l Success can be a good teacher if we look back and understand what enabled the success, but often we simply move on to the next situation. Failure can be just as good a teacher if we are honest and understand the cause of the failure, but often we rationalize or blame and do not learn. Both are invaluable teachers if we learn from them.
l For example there is a famous basketball player who when asked how he could hit so many free throws in a game he replied “for every successful free throw in a game I have made at least a 100 failed free throws in practice”.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Allow Obstacles to become Opportunities
l View problems as challenges to be overcome and learning experiences.
l Greatest growth is often during struggles It is in the challenging times that we learn something about ourselves and our teams. It is the journey through the struggle that teaches us what we need to adjust in order to grow to our full potential.
l By recognizing our strengths and being honest about the obstacles that stand in our way we are able to apply our strengths to work through the obstacles. The obstacles thus become opportunities for us to identify our strengths and put them to practice. This is where our growth occurs.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Take Hold and Let Go
l Take responsibility and action for what you control or influence and let go of what of others should be responsible for.
l Recognizing what we are responsible for and what we can control, then having the courage to take action, rather than feeling responsible for what we cannot control or what is outside our area of responsibility.
l Letting go can also mean recognizing and giving up attitudes or behaviors that have held us back or made us less effective in the past.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Create a Character Culture
l Role model the priorities with integrity all day every day
l Living every day with awareness and conscience. Practicing all aspects of the ten priorities in relationships with others, thus being a role model influencing the culture of your community. Being fully present and engaged at all times. Also remembering to enjoy the journey and have fun.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Humility to Ask for and Accept Help
l Sharing our personal struggles and reaching out for help builds trust and makes us stronger
l Recognizing when we are struggling with something, accepting our limitations and reaching out to others for help not only helps us through our challenges but strengthens our connections and relationships with others. It also inspires them to similarly recognize when they are struggling, to then reach out and accept help. Thus our community becomes more connected and stronger.
l It takes strength to make yourself vulnerable to someone else and ask for help, but through that vulnerability you are ultimately made stronger. You are made stronger through the knowledge you gain from asking for help and through building a stronger relationship with the person you asked for help.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Inspiration: Job #1
l We all want to be inspired; when we role model these priorities we will inspire others
l When we live with character and conscience every day others around us believe that they can too – this is inspiration. The purpose of inspiration is not to achieve a goal or to be recognized but to light the fire within others that brings out the best in them. It is incredibly infectious and unstoppable in the most positive way.
Ten Priorities – in Business Leadership
¢ Where has this worked so far?
l Facilitated over 50 workshops face to face and virtual in North America, Europe and India within Franklin Templeton Investments.
l Transitioned program management to Training and Development. l Facilitated many workshops with Hyde School teachers, parents and
students.
¢ What is next?
l Exploring the potential of a book, web site with online community and offering the program to other companies.