Posts Tagged ‘leaders’

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Thoughts On Leadership: Leaders Need Those Who Know How

By Gino Blefari | August 18th, 2011 0 Comments

Last week, we looked at the importance of planning ahead from Simon Sinek’s book “Start With Why.” This week is a further look at the book, specifically on Chapter 8 and the discussion of ‘Those Who Know WHY Need Those Who Know HOW.’

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 8: Start With Why, But Know How, that I wanted to share with you:

The pessimists are usually right, to paraphrase Thomas Friedman, author of “The World Is Flat,” but it’s the optimists who change the world. Bill Gates imagined a world in which the computer could help us all reach our greatest potential. And it happened. Now he imagines a world in which malaria does not exist. And it will happen. The Wright brothers imagined a world in which we’d all take to the skies as easily as we catch the bus. And it happened. WHY-types have the power to change the course of industries or even the world…if only they knew HOW.

WHY-types are the visionaries, the ones with the overactive imaginations. They tend to be optimists who believe that all the things they imagine can actually be accomplished. HOW-types live more in the here and now. They are the realists and have a clearer sense of all things practical. WHY-types are focused on the things most people can’t see, like the future. HOW-types are focused on things most people can see and tend to be better at building structures and processes and getting things done. One is not better than the other, they are just different ways people naturally see and experience the world. Gates is a WHY-type. So were the Wright brothers. And Steve Jobs. And Herb Kelleher. But they didn’t do it alone. They couldn’t. They needed those who knew HOW.

“If it hadn’t been for my big brother, I’d have been in jail several times for checks bouncing,” said Walt Disney, only half joking, to a Los Angeles audience in 1957. “I never knew what was in the bank. He kept me on the straight and narrow.” Walt Disney was a WHY-type, a dreamer whose dream came true thanks to the help of his more sensible older brother Roy, a HOW-type.

Walt Disney began his career creating cartoon drawings for advertisements, but moved quickly to making animated movies. It was 1923 and Hollywood was emerging as the heart of the movie business, and Walt wanted to be part of it. Roy, who was eight years older, had been working at a bank. Roy was always in awe of his brother’s talent and imagination, but he also knew that Walt was prone to taking risks and to neglecting business affairs. Like all WHY guys, Walt was busy thinking about what the future looked like and often forget he was living in the present. “Walt Disney dreamed, drew and imagined, Roy stayed in the shadow, forming an empire,” wrote Bob Thomas, a Disney biographer. “A brilliant financier and businessman, Roy helped turn Walt Disney’s dreams into reality, building the company that bears his brother’s name.” It was Roy who founded the Buena Vista Distribution Compan that made Disney films a central part of American childhood. It was Roy who created the merchandising business that transformed Disney characters into household names. And, like almost every HOW-type, Roy never wanted to be the front man, he preferred to stay in the background and focus on HOW to build his brother’s vision.

In nearly every case of a person or an organization that has gone on to inspire people and do great things, there exists this special partnership between WHY and HOW. It is the partnership of a vision of the future and the talent to get it done that makes an organization great.

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Wednesday Wellness : Is there a perfect body shape for all activities?

By Tammy Parkinson | August 18th, 2011 0 Comments

Over the weekend, I joined a riding group in the Sierra Foothills on a “bike shop” ride.  It was completely last minute and I went more for the comradery, exercise and scenery.  I only knew one or two of the 50+ riders.

As I hopped on my bike, bleary eyed at 7:30 in the morning, I was quickly humbled by the level of athleticism.  It was everything I could do to keep up with the “middle/slower paced” group.

On a 4 hour bike ride, you really have time to think and ponder ideas.  One that kept coming up for me was the varieties of shapes and sizes of each of the riders.

One might “assume” a fit rider would be tall, young, lean, and have muscular legs.  I have to tell you, the age range was from late 20’s to late 60’s, and just about every height and weight passed me by at some point!  (and  I mean ripped by me!)

I kept thinking about what “athleticism” or an “athletic” body is.  Society dubs what “should” be a perfect shape, yet these perfect shapes often have no strength or health.  We are “shaped” as apples, pears, eggplants, green beans and about any other vegetable or fruit we can dream up!  That doesn’t mean we aren’t “perfect” if we have something other than a magazine emphasized body.  What we DO with our shape, how we emphasize what we are designed by nature to do is up to us; and if we hone in on what our specific body is good at…we can improve in ways we can’t yet imagine!

I find that I excel better at endurance sports and get crushed at most fast quick activities (that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun…I just don’t do as well!)  I know several who have beautiful perfect “shapes” but are challenged on a 3 mile walk.

Who is to say what our “perfect” is except ourselves (and maybe our doctor).  As long as we try to do what we can with our physical bodies, our best is a gift!

Go out there, look around, notice what you like to do and what you find your body likes.  Explore new things; try your hand at activities you are inspired by.  No one but YOU can know what you are capable of! Maybe I’ll see you ripping by me on a bike ride!

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Monday Mojo: Tell me to kiss off, but don’t blow me off

By Tom Tognoli | August 15th, 2011 0 Comments

Earlier this month my close friend, who is a VP for a company here in Silicon Valley, and I went with our families on vacation together to Maine. While on the trip, I was talking with my buddy about some of the keys to being successful in life. We decided that if you want to know one sure fire way to completely sabotage your growth and success in business it would be to blow people off.

One of the biggest things that drive successful people crazy is when people blow them off or give them the old “well…maybe” brush-off. What makes successful people successful is they are DESISIVE and they hate it when they leave someone an email or a voicemail (sometimes 2 or 3 of them) and it is like their messages vaporize into space. It is why most people have hundreds or in some cases even thousands of emails in their inboxes. These types of people don’t want to deal with situations that may be uncomfortable so they blow the sender off instead of just dealing with it. If you want to make a simple job seem a lot harder then just keep putting it off. Most people are people pleasers and they may not have the courage to deliver bad news directly. They will duck dive around the issue at hand instead of just saying NO. They will just reply with” maybe”, “I will get back to you later” or they will blow the matter off all together. I am here to tell you that procrastinating your decisions in life is a death wish for your business and relationships.

If you want to make more money, be more successful, create not only better but also lasting relationships, be more respected, and downsize the amount of stress in life, find the courage to just say it like it is. Don’t avoid it. The person you are dealing with will not always like your answer, but trust me, even if your answer is NO, they will appreciate not being put through the ringer and they will respect you more for it. Tell them “yes” or tell them “no”, but do not tell them “maybe” or worse yet, don’t blow them off just because you don’t have the courage to say NO.

My message is simple this week. Be decisive and have the courage to communicate your decision. I promise it will have a huge positive impact on your life and business.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Learning to Ask the Right Questions

By Gino Blefari | July 14th, 2011 0 Comments

“There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us.”
- Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why

Learning to lead starts with learning to ask the right questions.

In the early 1900s, no man had ever successfully piloted an airplane. A highly qualified man named Samuel Pierpont Langley was dead set on doing it. He was a senior officer at the Smithsonian Institution and mathematics professor at Harvard, and he had the devoted support of his two close friends, Andrew Carnegie and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as the War Department (and its $50,000 grant).

Langley also had a dream team of some of the best minds and talents of his day, and the finest materials to work with. The press was following his every move. It seemed Langley would be the one.

But as we all know, he wasn’t. So, what happened?

Wilbur and Orville Wright ended up being the first ones to take flight. These two brothers didn’t have a college education and they didn’t have the kind of backing that Langley did. What they did have was an enthusiastic and dedicated team of people in their hometown who helped them as they worked on their flight machine in a small bicycle shop.

The brothers didn’t have the finest materials around like Langley and it was just a small group that witnessed them take flight in 1903 – not the gaggle of press Langley was getting.

What was the key to success? It obviously was not the connections, funds, education, or materials. If so, Langley would have been the first man to pilot an airplane. The key to success was why. The Wright brothers started with why. It was their greatest passion and dream to fly, and that passion inspired those around them to succeed. They truly led their team as opposed to just directing them.

The Wright brothers’ story shows that a contagious passion is the strongest component of leadership. Starting with why opens the doors – the right question.

This story is one of several that Simon Sinek examines in his book on leadership called “Start with Why.” In your leadership journey, he says, it’s important to start with this question of why and to learn to ask the right questions. This is because if you start with the wrong questions, eventually even the right answers will steer you the wrong way.

If two brothers who nobody knew could take this concept and become the first men to fly, then we as leaders can surely use this to truly lead our teams to success.

As Sinek says in the book, “There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us.”

“Great leaders are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained. Those who truly lead are able to create a following of people who act not because they were swayed, but because they were inspired. For those who are inspired, the motivation to act is deeply personal. They are less likely to be swayed by incentives. Those who are inspired are willing to pay a premium or endure inconvenience, even personal suffering. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people- supporters, voters, customers, workers- who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.”
- Simon Sinek

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Thursday Thoughts: Bob Parsons’ 16 Rules for Success in Business and Life

By Gino Blefari | July 7th, 2011 0 Comments

Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy.com, the largest accredited domain registrar in the world, sold his company for $2.25 billion this last week on July 1. Parsons credits his success in leadership, business and life in general to 16 rules he developed and lives by every day. The rules cover everything from specific advice for problem solving and decision making to more general lessons about the way the world works. I want to share Parsons’ rules here:

  1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. Nothing significant happens when we’re in our comfort zones.
  2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing isn’t working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.
  3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
  4. Accept the worst thing that could happen and make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.” Parsons says his father used to tell him when he was struggling to get his technology company going, “Well Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
  5. Focus on what you want to happen. Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
  6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is you can get through it by focusing on the present and not looking too far into the future. You can get through anything one day at a time.
  7. Always move forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop trying new things. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better every day in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen: Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
  8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
  9. Measure everything of significance. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
  10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for awhile. You’re guaranteed to find problems there.
  11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect from a distance. Even the planet Earth looks like a peaceful place from far enough way.
  12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
  13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks.
  14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.” There’s also an old Asian saying: “A wise man keeps his own counsel.”
  15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
  16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, we’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. Parsons says his little brother always reminds him, “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”

The biggest leadership takeaway for me from Parsons’ 16 rules is Rule #7: Always move forward. By focusing on small daily improvements, you’ll eventually see huge advantages. This is doable, positive and a great leadership philosophy. Now get out there and do it.

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Thoughts on Leadership: The Marks of a Mentor Leader

By Gino Blefari | March 17th, 2011 0 Comments

Last week, we looked at the 10 characteristics every leader must understand, adopt and live by. This week is a further look at characteristics and action steps you can take to attain these core traits.

I’ve been sharing key insights from Tony Dungy’s book, The Mentor Leader. In Chapter 4, “The Marks of a Mentor Leader – Characteristics that Matter,” Dungy divides leadership characteristics into three groupings: trustworthy traits, leadership attributes, and relational qualities.

Below are the key points from Chapter 4:

  • Character is the foundation on which all leadership is built. It is the fundamental mark of effective leadership.
  • The kinds of people we have on our team will affect our ability to get the results we want.
  • In times of crisis, people gravitate toward the person of highest character.
  • As leaders, we must be able to explain why one path is better than another.
  • If the people in your organization can’t rely on you, how are they going to follow you?
  • Mentor leaders need to exhibit confidence – not a false bravado, but an inner sense of security.
  • Above all, mentor leaders must be genuine. People know a fake when they see one.
  • In order to lead effectively, mentor leaders must be willing to get into the trenches. They must get involved.
  • Faith, simply stated, is belief put into action.
  • Long-term success requires faith – faith that your efforts to plan and execute the process will lead to the desired outcome.
  • Leading with faith requires a level of optimism that isn’t always easy to maintain.
  • Mentor leaders are capable of continual growth.
  • The key is being willing to listen – and act.
  • In addition to knowing the importance of the cause, people want to know that their leader has their back.
  • The best leaders, according to Tony Dungy, are those who are engaged with the people around them.
  • Being available and approachable is necessary for effective leadership.
  • Loyalty takes trustworthiness and integrity to another level.

The following are the Action Steps found at the end of Chapter 4 that will help you strive to attain character, as well as the other core traits, attributes, and qualities of a mentor leader:

Action Steps

1. Review the trustworthy traits, leadership attributes, and relational qualities discussed above and evaluate whether you need to give additional attention to them in your own life.
2. Are you accountable? Think hard about how those around you would describe you to others.
3. Do you accept responsibility when appropriate, or do you always look to place the blame on others?
4. Do you make sure that people are recognized – specifically, by name, where appropriate – when credit is to be given?
5. If you are not presently accountable, look for ways in which others can see that you are willing to share the responsibility for things that go wrong.
6. Do you live with integrity? Take an honest look at whether others would agree that your word is your bond.
7. Many people still resist the idea that leaders should be available and approachable. Evaluate your own perspective. Determine how you can begin to build strength into the people you lead.
8. Are you loyal? When was the last time you went to bat for someone, especially against the tide of popular opinion?
9. Are you comfortable with not being the most knowledgeable person in the room? Are you secure enough to teach and share with others the things you know that will help them to be better at what they do?
10. Are you the same person in public as you are in private? Can people rely on your sincerity?
11. It has been suggested that character is demonstrated when no one is watching. Are you a person of character? Are you helping and encouraging others to build their character as well?
12. Are you shepherding those around you? Your family? The people you lead? Would you place yourself in harm’s way for their sakes – either physically or professionally?
13. Are you willing to change? Are you continuing to develop your knowledge and skill to become the most competent person you can be?
14. Do you exhibit faith in what you’re asking others to believe in?

Which personal attributes do you already bring to the table, and which ones do you need to improve? Some traits, such as personality, are what they are, and that’s fine. Mentor leaders should simply be who they are. There’s no need to try to be someone else. However, other traits, attributes, and qualities that are central to mentor leadership can be identified, acquired, and improved.

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Thoughts on Leadership: 10 Characteristics of Successful Leaders

By Gino Blefari | March 10th, 2011 0 Comments

People often ask me to share the secret to successful leadership. What’s the one magical thing that drives people to positions that demand responsibility and respect?
 
This question assumes that such a single secret exists, that one key will open the door. But that is simply not the case. The truth is that the recipe for true leadership contains a complex blend of characteristics that shift in importance through time and changing circumstances.
 
This is not an easy answer, but no one ever said leadership is easy.
 
Here are 10 characteristics – in no particular order of importance – which I believe every leader must understand, adopt and live by:

  1. The ability to listen
     
  2. The ability to acknowledge challenges and change to overcome them
     
  3. The ability to form one-on-one relationships
     
  4. The ability to surround yourself with like-minded people; not to be mistaken for “yes” men
     
  5. The ability to know yourself
     
  6. A refusal to let others dictate how you do certain things
     
  7. The ability to communicate
     
  8. Extraordinary optimism and confidence
     
  9. A passion for what you do
     
  10. Strong patience and dedication on the road to results

Successful leaders continually work to refine and strengthen these characteristics, which will stand the test of time and help them weather the inevitable storms of business life. Ultimately, the best and most successful leaders never give up. They stay intensely focused on the goal and lead their team toward it.

The good news is that all of these leadership characteristics can be learned. The bad news is it’s not easy to do. After all, you can’t build a strong house in a day. It takes attention to foundation, load-bearing walls, and a carefully crafted roof – and this takes time. Cultivating these strong personal characteristics is the key to success in business and leadership.
 
There’s no one silver bullet, but it can be done. Where there is a will, there will be a way.

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Thoughts on Leadership: The Top Five Thoughts on Leadership of 2010

By Gino Blefari | December 30th, 2010 0 Comments

Want to check out the best-of-the-best in the world of Thoughts on Leadership during 2010? The following list is the top five blogs viewed and commented on in 2010. Each helps people find not only the best leadership advice being put out today, but also gives you the tools and confidence to help bring out the leader in you.

  1. The 10 qualities of a true leader
    How do you know if you have a strong enough desire to be a leader? Follow all the essential traits to be a true leader and with that enthusiasm to work hard, your progress toward leadership will accelerate.
    Read More
     
  2. Embrace a positive attitude for success
    Your attitude may play a bigger role in your life than you may think. It is up to you on how you want to use it to achieve success. Maintain a positive attitude and you’ll be surprised on how your life will change and how quickly you will climb the success ladder.
    Read More
     
  3. The 93% Rule: Nonverbal Communication
    Do you ever stop and think how your words may articulate one thing, but your nonverbal gesture can mean something completely different. Nonverbal communication, believe it or not, makes up the majority of our daily communication. So next time you are interacting with one person or a group of people, remember that your nonverbal expressions can reveal your true feelings about something.
    Read More
     
  4. The Golden Rule for Leaders
    All you have to do, really, is think of how you would like to be treated in any given situation, and then act accordingly. Apply the Golden Rule to your everyday behavior and you are sure to succeed.
    Read More
     
  5. Leaders Make Energy and Passion Contagious
    Do you want to show your energy and passion more at work? Then read more about Southwest Airlines’ founder, Herb Kelleher. He followed the footsteps of GE’S Chairman Jack Welch. They both loved what they did and not only inspired themselves but all the employees around them to create a lively organization. Perhaps if you pursue these gentlemen’s management rulebook, you too can catch this passion and energy.
    Read More

If you embrace the principal, that each of you can be a leader, you will find within yourself a greater desire to succeed and to perform at a higher level because you represent something larger than yourself. My hope is that each of you has your most successful year ever in 2011. Strive to make it so and recognize yourself as a leader in this company; a company of leaders.

Happy New Year and see you at the top!

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Thoughts on Leadership: Embrace a positive attitude for success

By Gino Blefari | December 2nd, 2010 0 Comments

Perceptions matter. And it’s not just how others perceive you – it’s how you perceive the situations you face. This constitutes your attitude, and attitude is a powerful tool for effective leadership.

Attitude is one of the most critical attributes for success. A positive attitude in leaders produces results in more ways than one. “Your attitude determines your altitude,” as the saying goes.

I’ve often heard many speakers say: Keep your thoughts and attitude positive because your thoughts become your words and your words become your actions and your actions become your habits and your habits become your destiny.
 
A negative attitude can significantly weaken your efforts and set back your leadership potential. Negative attitudes tend to produce the kinds of people that others don’t want to do business with. They tend to hinder your results.
 
As an example, think about how it becomes impossible to make a sale when you really need it. Or how when you’re trying really hard to persuade someone, they just won’t listen. People have a keen sense for desperation and it tends to drive them running in the other direction. The same thing happens when you have a negative attitude. You exude negativity and it causes people to avoid you.

A negative attitude will cause a person to focus only on the obstacles rather than the opportunities and solutions. The negative mind gets caught up in problems and tends to feel very stressed. Stress hinders creativity, which means a negative attitude often stands in the way of progress, productivity and leadership.
 
In contrast, a positive attitude allows you to deal with the inevitable challenges to creativity and resourcefulness. A positive person is creative and makes the best of every situation in their path to leadership success.

The takeaway here is that attitude plays a critical role in determining success or failure. The difference between 5 percent of people who do well and the other 95 percent who do not is attitude – not innate talent, money or “being at the right place at the right time.” No – it’s attitude. You need to look, act and feel successful before you’ll ever achieve success as a leader. And that all starts with a positive attitude.
 
How can you turn a negative attitude to positive? The same way positive people maintain their upbeat outlook – by eliminating the negative inputs, influences and factors in life and instead introducing positive ones. The good news is what you focus on expands and the bad news is what you focus on expands.
 
Take control of what you feed your mind. Cut out the negative messages you receive throughout the day from news outlets, billboards, magazines, websites and even family and friends. Make a point of being the one who decides what goes into your head. If you don’t, someone else will.
 
Acquire, maintain and protect your positive attitude and you will see your life improve in more ways than one. You’ll likely enjoy living more and your success will grow in the process. You’ll attract more positive people to be around because positive attracts positive and negative attracts negative.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Your attitude determines how you experience life and how successful you will be. It either pulls you down or lifts you up. It’s your choice.

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Thoughts on Leadership: How Leaders Can Build Momentum on the Road to Success

By Gino Blefari | November 18th, 2010 0 Comments

Momentum is a force you need on your side as the leader of any type of business or organization. It is often the decider between winners and losers.

In the book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” John Maxwell explains that, “Momentum is really a leader’s best friend. Sometimes it’s the only difference between winning and losing.”

Momentum is when things happen easily, where one success follows another and forward growth comes quickly. Momentum allows leaders to move past mistakes and opens possibility for change. It motivates people throughout the organization to achieve more. It makes leaders look good.

Here’s an amazing story of recent momentum in a major sports team:

Last Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys, a team with a 1-7 record going in and under new leadership, played the New York Giants, arguably the best team in the NFC. The Cowboys won. Under these challenging circumstances, what was it that pushed this underdog team to victory?

It was the Cowboys’ first game under new head coach Jason Garrett, and they played like an entirely different team compared to the rest of the season. They looked like the talented, confident and capable team that fans expected to see going into this season. They believed they could win. And it all started with momentum.

The first thing Cowboys Coach Garrett did after taking over the team was create momentum. He reminded the players to be great every day so that they could be great in the big moment on Sunday. The process, as he refers to it, is about stacking one “great day” on top of the other. He grabbed attention, tightened rules and raised expectations.

“You feel a different vibe around here,” defensive end Stephen Bowen said. “We worked really hard last week and we showed what we get when we work hard. I felt it just from the beginning of the week it was going to be a different effort. Everybody was all in behind Coach Garrett, and you see how we played out there.”

Garrett explains, “I thought our team responded and the intensity was there in all areas. We were challenged in all areas and I think we stepped up.” Most important was the result – a dominating performance against the NFC East leading Giants, ending the Cowboys five-game losing streak, while making it clear that new management has taken over.

While achieving momentum, it is important to overcome any barriers that come your way. If problems or obstacles occur, do whatever it takes to get past them and move forward. That same problem will become easier as you see more and more success.

The Dallas Cowboys did not look back and did not look forward. They were 100 percent in the now and wanted to build on the good things they were doing and eliminate the bad. The players understood expectations and limitations. Players responded to their new coach with the kind of performance that showed this team still cares and has built the momentum.

Creating momentum is not easy. Do the little things that build momentum in your life today. Give yourself to excellence today – it will give you something to build on when tomorrow comes. It takes hard work and effort, but once you have momentum, it can not only change your business and team but your life too.

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