10 Identifiers of Leadership

1. Leaders have passionate enthusiasm! Attitudes are contagious and team “leaders” understand that they are role models.

2. Leaders model the company’s values and “walk the talk.”

3. Leaders pull their teams up the hill, face them and don’t turn their backs.
"old-school managers" push employees up the hill.

4. Leaders are not necessarily the best talent, they are skilled at recognizing and utilizing talent.

5. Leaders develop others, place a high value on the “we,” and discourage the “I.”

6. Leaders know when to let other and better “leaders” lead... when the situation demands it.

7. Leaders listen and provide positive reinforcement and constructive feedback.

8. Leaders turn problems into opportunities.

9. Leaders understand that everyone falls, but not everyone fails.

10. At the end of the day... managers may think about the tasks that were completed, leaders reflect on the people that completed the tasks.

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Questions? Well...I'm Not Sure What To Ask.

Do you have any questions?

What questions do you have?

We all do this. Whether it's a kind gesture, a teaching situation, a closing tactic, etc. its a general practice we all do.

That's the problem, it's too general!  And the main reason why most people respond with, "no questions at this time" is because they are not sure what to ask.

We need to be more specific by giving them memory joggers. Below are some examples of providing memory joggers, guaranteed to generate more questions. (examples are from many different types of situations, business and personal.)

***What questions do you have about:
- cost?
- warranty?
- commissions?
- benefits?
- next steps?
- side effects?
-deadline?
- troubleshooting?
- results?
- the agenda?
- your responsibilities?

I'm sure there are many more, but you get the drift.

Call to action- the next time you ask , "What questions do you have? "
Remember- Specific is Terrific!

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TEAM- What Hat Do You Wear?

Team dynamics fundamentally never change.
Yesterday I was reading an article about team dynamics, first published in the 1940s. Though the experts, yesterday and even today, don't agree on exactly how many roles there are and how to name them, 10 general personality types are consistently identified.

I personally witnessed this at BNI Leadership Training last week in several team exercises I facilitated.

*Here they are:

1. Task Leader. May or may not be the designated leader; a nuts and bolts, roll-up-the-sleeves-and-get-busy-type.
2. Social-emotional leader. Concerned with emotional heartbeat of the group; good at solving interpersonal problems.
3. Tension-releaser. "Breaks the ice" with appropriate humor at the right moment.
4. Information provider. Has research skills that stand out above all others. Could end up doing unfair amount of work.
5. Central negative. Always plays the devil's advocate role in discussions but in a non-threatening manner.
6. Questioner. Constantly seeks clarification and more information.
7. Silent observer. Speaks little, observing and taking in all information. When he or she speaks up, people listen.
8. Active listener. Listens attentively, sums up others' points of view. Good for keeping discussion on track.
9. Recorder. Has good recording skills and little interest in participating in group discussion.
10. Self-centered follower. Constantly questions opinions is a non-supportive way. Unlike the central-negative person, the self-centered follower is concerned only about personal interests.

So...which one are you?, or are you several?

For more team dynamic and leadership wisdom,  please read my book---

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

* Teamwork notes
“Copyright (9-23-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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We Have Lift-off!?

Entrepreneurial experts around the world continue to debate over why small businesses fail, however they do agree on one thing; now more than ever entrepreneurs need to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.***

We have all heard the buzzwords:

“Branding”

“Point of Difference” (POD)

“Unique Selling Proposition” (USP)

“Secret Recipe” (from yours truly)

Think about this; every Fortune 500 company has a brand, a trademark and a tagline. Did you ever ask yourself, why?... Yes!...we all know the answer!
Because it is a fundamental business strategy!

So why do millions of entrepreneurs fail to create a “Secret Recipe”?

David F. D’Alessandro (best selling author ) says it best:

~ A business based on brand is, very simply, a business primed for success. ~

***Sources: Small Business Administration, Entrepeneurship.org, Personalbrandingblog.com
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Back to (Leadership) School

Leaders: Take the Test

1= rarely or never

2= once in a while

3= sometimes

4= fairly often

5= very frequently or always

1. I seek out challenging opportunities that test my skills and abilities                           

2. I appeal to others to share my dream of the future as their own.

3. I involve others in planning the actions we will take.

4. I let others know my beliefs on how to best run the organization I lead.

5. I find ways to celebrate accomplishments.

6. I am consistent in practicing the values I espouse.

7. I get others to feel a sense of ownership for the projects they work on.

8. I look ahead and forecast what I expect the future to be like.

9. I look for innovative ways we can improve what we do in this organization.

10. I praise people for a job well done.

Add them up!

If your score is less than 42...its time to go back to school!

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

“Copyright (8-28-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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Don't Give Me that Work/Life Balance Cop-Out.

A few weeks back I went to a party with a friend. The host had a rule: no one was allowed to talk about their work.

 Really?!

I'm a business owner, my work is my life and I love it.
I actually don't want to be around people who don't love what they do...boring!
It's a fact that 67% of people working for someone else hates his or her job...I feel sorry for them.

Life is too short to hate your job. Its 50% of our waking hours!

And when it come to business owners...We must love what we do,  or we will fail!

Three tactics for battling the "lets not talk about work" crowd.
1. Tell them,  I love my job and enjoy talking about it with others who love their jobs.
2. If you are wasting your life in a job that you don't like to talk about, then I'm not sure being around you is a positive thing.
3. Don't give me that work/life balance cop-out...if you love your job its all about work/life harmony. Blending the love of your job with the love of your family, friends and personal activities is a Win-Win for life.
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3 Steps for Successful Change

Frank A. , God rest his soul, was the best "back-room" manager and the best leader when it came to changing the culture.

I first met Frank in the early '70s working third shift at my first Giant Eagle.

He was often transferred around from store to store to train and motivate the night stocking crews.
One of the first things he did when he went to a new store was to clean, scrub and wax, and paint the backroom.
" You got to show them that you have arrived." Frank would always say. "Physical changes first, something they can see... then after you get their attention, things will start happening."
It worked! I saw it for myself. After Frank arrived in our store, production dramatically improved.

Are you looking to make a changes in your business? Continuous Improvements?

Whether you have employees or are an army of one. Home office or brick and mortar.
Implement the following three steps for successful "change".

1. Change your appearance: new hairstyle, new clothes, loose weight, etc..

2. Change your work environment: start meeting at a different location, redecorate / remodel your office.

3. Never ever use the word "change". Call what your doing "continuous improvement". (Only leaders like the word change.)

In the words of my old friend Frank... " You don't have to ever say we are changing things around here... just show them that the improvements work and change will follow."

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