“For over fifteen years, Matt has worked with small and mid-size businesses helping them to envision their future and then make it happen. Matt spent the early part of his career in public accounting working as an auditor, providing his clients with assistance on primarily financial issues. As his career developed, he became increasingly aware of the disconnect between business leaders and change management. As Director of Growth & Profit Solutions at Cain Ellsworth, Matt’s focus has shifted to supporting business leaders as they implement change in their organization. Using his unique gifts and talents, Matt is able to help leaders assess where they are now, where they want to be in the future, and how they can get there. More importantly, he provides coaching and accountability to ensure that their plans get implemented and real change occurs. Matt is a thought leader on change management in the business community. Check out his newly published book “The Change Advantage” and his weekly blog at www.cainellsworth.com/blog.asp. Matt received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska in 2000. He joined the firm in 2007 following several years at a regional accounting firm and a large insurance company. Matt and his wife, Alyssa, live on the family farm with their twin daughters. Whatever time isn’t spent chasing the kids is spent chasing the dog.”
Busy or Valuable?Click to open Busy or Valuable?
There is a large segment of the population, including a lot of leaders, who value “getting stuff done”. The more tasks we complete, the more valuable we are. If we can keep checking things off our to-do list, then we must be doing our job well. What if most of the things you’re checking off the list aren’t worth that much? What if the tasks you complete aren’t that valuable? What if you’re busy doing things that don’t matter?
Less is MoreClick to open Less is More
“Strategy” is one of the oldest buzzwords in business. People throw around terms like “strategic planning” or “strategy development” or “strategic thinking” on a regular basis. One of the problems with strategy in most organizations is that there really isn’t any. If you’re the leader, you have a responsibility to break that cycle. You have a responsibility to emphasize the importance of thinking strategically.
Change or ElseClick to open Change or Else
It’s probably the understatement of the last two years to say that we live in an uncertain world. The military uses the acronym VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity – to describe certain chaotic situations, usually those involving combat. While we fortunately are not in combat situations, VUCA still accurately sums up the world our businesses are operating in.
Delegation’s Not for AmateursClick to open Delegation’s Not for Amateurs
I don’t know anybody who isn’t busy. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone, especially a person in a position of leadership, say something about how they just don’t have enough to do. And whenever people have lots to do, or feel like they’re too busy, they start to talk about how they need to delegate more. That’s a great idea, but there are a few things to keep in mind that most leaders don’t think about:
It’s Not About YouClick to open It’s Not About You
Mentor is a word that gets thrown around a lot. People talk about their mentors, or about people their mentoring. At some point in their careers, most leaders will end up mentoring somebody. It may be formal or informal, but either way the image of a wise older person sharing all their wisdom with a younger student isn’t necessarily accurate. More than talking, mentoring is about listening.
TeamClick to open Team
One of the things that gets mentioned a lot in leadership seminars and workshops is the importance of teams. Do you have a highly effective team? Do you do a good job of leading your team? Does your team achieve their goals? All good stuff. But what does any of that really mean? What does it really mean to have an effective team? How do we know when that’s happening? How do we make it happen?
An Ongoing BattleClick to open An Ongoing Battle
We as leaders – human beings in general, really – want to do things once, do them really well, and then move on to the next thing. We have a tendency to struggle with things that need doing over and over again. We want to motivate our employees once by doing something fantastic, and then we assume they’ll stay motivated for the rest of their careers. That’s not how it works.
Listen & LearnClick to open Listen & Learn
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson
There is nothing more important for leaders than communication. Technical skills are great, understanding markets and customers is important, but without communication none of that really matters. Leaders have to be able to communicate with people on any level, whether they’re customers, employees, vendors, members of the community, governmental agencies – the list goes on and on.
Unfortunately for a lot of leaders, “communication” is just another word for “talking”. Leaders get asked a lot of questions and get asked for their input on a regular basis, and soon they’re talking constantly. Whether it’s a conscious choice or just a habit, it just becomes the norm that whenever they’re in the room, they drive the conversation.
The problem, of course, is that no matter how much fun talking may be, communication is a two-way street. You cannot claim to be doing your job as a leader without communication, and you don’t have communication if you don’t listen.
Do you really think you have a monopoly on good ideas or information? Of course not. But how do the ideas of others or the knowledge you need make it to you if you don’t listen? And your listening as a leader can’t be limited to just a few people. You can learn from anyone, and great ideas can come from anywhere, and if you’re talking all the time you’ll miss them.
The next time you’re in a meeting, or on a call, or just having a conversation, pay attention to how much talking you’re doing. It isn’t that you can never speak; but the idea that you should dominate every conversation you’re ever in is ridiculous. Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not that great.
Practice being a productive listener. Make a point to ask questions and then actually focus on the answers. If someone comes to you with an idea, don’t immediately start talking about how great or terrible it is. Listen to what they have to say without trying to direct the conversation.
Listening is the most important piece of the most important part of your job. Don’t ignore it, and don’t pretend it doesn’t matter. Make the effort to become a great listener, and watch the change happen.
You Can’t Be Aware by YourselfClick to open You Can’t Be Aware by Yourself
Being aware of ourselves is one of the biggest challenges leaders face. Everyone is watching you all the time and you need to recognize what they’re seeing. You need to be intentional about the messages you’re sending, and you can’t do that if you don’t know what some of those messages are.
What Does Leading Look Like?Click to open What Does Leading Look Like?
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, ‘We did this ourselves.’ “ – Lao Tzu
There are a lot of ways to look at leadership. For centuries, it almost meant something like “dictator”. Leaders ordered people around and people did what they were ordered to do. If they didn’t, there was usually some kind of punishment.
That is not the world we’re living in today. The majority of today’s workforce won’t just do what they’re told because you said so. You’re not just ordering people around; What you’re really doing when you lead in today’s world is influence those who are following.
Sometimes as leaders we prefer the old way; It’s definitely simpler. We say what we want and that’s that. Everybody gets the same message, and if they don’t understand it, too bad for them. We don’t have to take time thinking about what motivates and energizes people, and we certainly don’t have to worry about the fact that they’re all motivated and energized by something a little bit different.
If that’s what you’re hoping for, too bad. That method is gone and it’s not coming back. If you really want to influence people, you have to actually think about the best way to do that.
A good first step is thinking about the person or people you’re trying to influence. What gets them out of bed in the morning? If you’re asking them to change, or to try something different, or do something more, you have to understand what would make them want to do that. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but “because the boss wants me to” doesn’t motivate people. They’re not really interested in what’s in it for you. They need to hear what’s in it for them.
And why shouldn’t they? As leaders we all know we’re not some all-knowing being that people should blindly follow. People’s lives are their own and they have a right to know why they’re doing things. Besides, if you can’t explain why, then maybe you don’t really know either.
Your job isn’t to order people around, it’s to influence them. You don’t influence by making demands, you influence by helping others see why it’s in their interest to do what needs to be done, and then helping them do it.