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Below is video from our recent webinar on “6 Best Practices for Gaining End-user Adoption of New Technology.” In this video Dave Colaizzi discusses the value of Executive Sponsorship in gaining end-user adoption of new technology.

Below is video from our recent webinar on “6 Best Practices for Gaining End-user Adoption of New Technology.” In this video  Dave Colaizzi discusses the value of Focused and Aligned Leaders in gaining end-user adoption of new technology. In addition, he discusses best practices for creating a focused and aligned leadership team.

To thrive in today’s current economic conditions, organizations must adapt rapidly. In fact, the stakes for executing new and distinctive strategies to strengthen an organization’s position, improve efficiency, and build greater customer loyalty have never been higher – either adapt or die. However, if organizations and their leaders do not link strategy changes to the long-term compelling purpose of their organization, any change could quickly be perceived as a reactionary or “flavor of the month” strategy. The need for rapid change inherently creates a challenge – what should a leader do to successfully translate changes in high-level strategy into meaningful actions that inspire and encourage action from others?

In our last newsletter, we defined leadership as an “influence relationship between leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes” (Joseph C. Rost). This definition highlights the fact that leaders and followers share equal responsibility for ensuring that strategies are successfully executed. Although responsibility is shared, what is required from each group differs greatly.

High-performing leaders are able to lead others through the process of executing innovative strategies by focusing and building strength through these five key behaviors:

• Communicating goals and the ongoing progress toward those goals.
  The goal setting process is very fluid and requires constant communication from the leader. As goals change, it is vital to communicate three important things: what is changing, why it is changing, and how the changes will help the overall organization achieve success. Once new goals are established, revisit progress against those goals and celebrate successes as appropriate.
• Influencing those involved to continue toward overall progress.
  As a leader, you do not always have to have the answers to how changes in strategy will impact every member of the team. However, as the leader you must be able to engage people in action planning and the change management process by directly involving them in the process of determining how they can personally contribute to achieve specific organizational goals. Remember that the people who are most directly affected by the strategy should have an opportunity to identify the best ways to implement the new strategy within their job responsibilities.
• Maintaining a strong emphasis on results.
  High-performing leaders focus on results. In order to successfully deliver results, there must be clearly established metrics and measurements in place that help to determine what success and failure will look like. As changes in strategy are made at the organizational level, be sure to revisit your metrics and measures and adjust them as needed.
• Removing obstacles that hinder progress.
  There is nothing more frustrating for people than being asked to execute changes, but at the same time feeling powerless to act because obstacles hinder the work that needs to take place. As a leader, one of your biggest assets can be your level of seniority within the organization and the power it provides to remove obstacles hindering people from affecting change. Once a new strategy is announced and new goals are established, be sure to encourage your people to identify obstacles. Than do whatever is within your authority to remove them!
• Resolving issues and challenges quickly and fairly.
  With any strategy change, you can expect that issues and challenges will arise. Some of these issues can include overlapping responsibilities, redundancy of work, and process breakdowns. Your response to these changes will greatly impact how effective your team will be in achieving its new goals. Unresolved issues quickly halt momentum and rapidly erode trust. Be sure that as issues arise you address them quickly and fairly. Don’t leave today’s work for tomorrow!

The organizational dimension of leadership is critical to a leader’s effectiveness and ultimate success. To be a successful Organizational Leader, you must be able to lead your team through the process of translating changes in strategy into clearly understood and measurable actions.

For more information about Organizational Leadership or Five Star’s High-Performance Leadership Model™, contact Dan Hupp at 412-802-2500.

Interested in learning how to develop high-performance leaders in your organization? Sign-up for our free webinar on September 2.

Our last blog began the discussion on the importance of Relationship Leadership by examining the first key behavior of effective leaders: Exemplify Personal Values and Integrity. It’s true that leaders in today’s modern workforce must be able to master critical relationship skills in order to achieve success and get things done on a day to day basis.

So much of what constitutes effective relationships between leaders and their employees begins with mutual trust and respect. In order for leaders to afford their employees the kind of necessary autonomy it takes to get work done, their workforce must feel empowered to act.

Inspire Empowerment through Purpose and Influence.

Empowerment is a term that has been rejected by many since first introduced in the 1980s. It lost its luster mainly because it was thought of as an entitlement by employees. “Good” managers thought they were obligated to “empower” employees. This led to near anarchy in some organizations.

Peter Block did an excellent job of defining empowerment in his book, The Empowered Manager. Peter stressed that empowerment is a decision made by the employee, not a gift given by managers. This choice is made by each individual who decides that his/her success fully lies within his/her own responsibility. If there are factors in the organization that inhibit an individual from achieving high performance, he/she is obligated to use influence to change or remove the obstacles. Empowered employees accept the full accountability and responsibility for personal and organizational success.

Leaders can inspire their employees to choose empowerment. It begins by creating a passion for their work and the work of the organization. Last week in this blog we explained how leaders base their relationship with others on the foundation of core, shared values. Leaders must use these values to give employees meaning in their work. This creates a sense of ownership in the business and further inspires employees to use influence to continuously improve their work and the work of others.

Are you inspiring a sense of ownership and empowerment in your workforce? What are you doing to give your employees meaning and purpose in the work they are doing? Are you able to gain the benefits of providing all of your employees with the level of empowerment they need to run their part of the business?

Visit our blog next week to learn the next key behavior for effective Relationship Leadership.

There are two important dimensions of every high-performing leader. Most agree that high-performing leaders must be effective strategists, innovative and inspiring; in a sense, they must master the first dimension, Organizational Leadership. The second, the one less often mentioned, yet equally important, is the relationship side of leadership. A leader cannot execute a brilliant strategy without help. This article focuses on Relationship Leadership and defines what a leader must do to build the kind of relationships that enable high-performance.

Five Star’s High-Performance Leadership Model™ illustrates the connection between Organizational and Relationship Leadership and depicts how this type of leadership helps sustain a competitive, high-performing organization.

Joseph C. Rost, in his book, Leadership for the Twenty-First Century, describes leadership as an “influence relationship between leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.” Mr. Rost’s definition highlights the fact that leadership is about building trust and commitment, using an approach that promotes a common, compelling purpose.

Values-based leadership builds trust-based partnerships. In other words, the everyday values and actions of a leader have a direct impact on the level of trust and commitment that leader is able to gain from employees.

In order to master Relationship Leadership, a leader must embody the following behaviors:

• Exemplify Personal Values and Integrity.
  Everyday actions build a reputation. Your integrity, as demonstrated by your values, is directly responsible for whether or not your peers and employees trust you. Be the kind of leader you would want to follow.
• Inspire Empowerment through Purpose and Influence.
  Empowerment is something that is earned, not given freely. Leaders have the opportunity to inspire people to do their best by providing a compelling purpose. Leaders must hold people accountable and continually raise the bar. Once the workforce is empowered, team members accept responsibility to exercise influence of their own.
• Provide Open Access to Information.
  Employees rarely appreciate the closed door treatment, hearing only bits of information at a time. It’s true that as a leader, there are some things you may not be able to share with your workforce. However, it’s important for you to let your employees know that they can expect to receive information in a timely manner. Give them the means to search for and find the information they need when the need it.
• Build Trust-Based Partnerships Internally and Externally.
  The only way to receive trust is to earn it. Be ever-focused on developing strong relationships by modeling the kind of behaviors mentioned above. Since people know you by your actions, strive to be the kind of trusting leader that your workforce and client base can trust and respect. This trust-based partnership sustains over time by the results achieved through this partnership. Everyone wants to be part of a winning cause.

The relationship dimension of leadership is critical to a leader’s effectiveness and ultimate success. The type of strong partnerships a leader is able to build has a direct impact on his/her ability to execute strategy and sustain a high-performing organization.

Our next newsletter will discuss the equal importance of Organizational Leadership. Over the next month, we will be expanding on the behaviors of Relationship Leadership on the Five Star Blog.

For more information on Five Star’s High-Performance Leadership Model™, contact Dan Hupp at 412-802-2500.

How do leaders get things done? They can’t do it all themselves. Leadership involves an influence relationship between leaders and followers, who work together toward a mutual purpose. Leaders in today’s modern workforce cannot ignore the critical “relationship” side of leadership. Successful leaders rely on strong, trust-based partnerships with employees, customers, and/or clients in order to achieve success. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to examine each of the four key behaviors of effective Relationship Leadership and define what a leader must do to build the kind of relationships that enable high performance.

Relationship Leadership Behavior 1 – Exemplify Personal Values and Integrity.

Each one of us has a reputation that is created by everyday actions. In other words, what you do, the way you act, and the words you say play a direct part in building your reputation. Have you created the kind of reputation that commands the respect of your peers and employees? Can they trust you?

A leader with strong relationship skills exemplifies personal values and integrity. A leader’s values and integrity, and his/her ability to remain true to those values, forms the foundation of trust in relationships. Leaders demonstrate integrity in everyday actions by staying true to their values, but this is never as evident as when they stay true to their values when met with opposition or adversity. We identify a leader by listening and watching for him/her to take a stand, particularly when times are tough. Leaders who are effective relationship builders understand their values, communicate them clearly to others, through speech, action, or inaction, and are able to generate passion for those values. It is this kind of courageous leadership that draws the attention and respect of others.

In his book, The Radical LEAP, Steve Farber differentiates “extreme leaders” from posers on the basis of authenticity, their ability to demonstrate their values as a means of “proof.” Extreme leaders prove their commitment to their values and their organization’s compelling purpose through their every day actions and decisions. They don’t avoid making waves or taking required risks if it means being true to their values. For true leaders, doing what is right is the only option.

If this description of a leader sounds exciting to you, then the message is clear: “Be the kind of leader you would want to follow.”

Visit our blog next week to learn the next key behavior for effective Relationship Leadership.

In our last blog, we identified five common mistakes made by first time managers. These mistakes included:

1. Failing to set and communicate expectations
2. Failing to revisit, re-communicate, and reinforce expectations
3. Failing to address people issues quickly before they become significant challenges
4. Overlooking your role as a coach
5. Underestimating the power of words

In addition to these mistakes, there are five additional common errors made by first time managers.

1. Taking everything personally
   Most people take an incredible amount of pride in their work. However, as one makes the transition from the role of individual contributor to a people manager position, he/she must understand that not every problem or challenge that arises is a direct result of his/her actions. Managers, especially frontline managers, are the face of the organization to their employees. Therefore, situations will arise where employees will feel and express opinions about their current situation even when you have very little involvement or direct responsibility. When these situations arise, remember to listen and ask how you can offer assistance within your sphere of influence. However, be careful not to take everything personally because there will always be situations outside of your control.
2. Taking accountability for actions
   As stated above, not every challenge is a direct result of your actions. However, there will be situations where your actions will have a direct impact on someone or something. As you transition to a management role, it is critical to understand this and quickly take accountability for your actions. In fact, the fastest way to lose the trust of your employees, peers, and boss is to fail to do so. As you transition into your first time management role, be sure to assess situations and challenges honestly and evaluate how your actions directly or indirectly contribute to them. Then, take immediate action.
3. Using a one-size fits all approach for handling situations
   People and organizations are inherently complex. In order to effectively manage these complexities, it is vital to acknowledge that using a one-size fits all approach to handling people and situations places one at a severe disadvantage. Although every person has a natural preference for handing situations, not every situation requires the proverbial “hammer.” As you transition into your new management role, take some time to assess how you naturally respond to situations, and then seek out additional resources that can help you adapt when you’re outside of your comfort zone.
4. Not asking for help
   As a manager, there will be times where you will feel clueless! Working with people and managing teams of people can be challenging for even the most experienced manager. In order to excel, you must ask for help. As you transition into your new role, seek out people who have experience, books and resources that can provide information, and colleagues who can offer advice and support when needed. You do not have to handle everything on your own; take advantage of the resources available to you!
5. Forgetting to realize it’s not about you anymore
   One of the toughest challenges first time managers face is moving from a position of individual contributor with direct responsibilities to a management role with direct responsibility for a team’s performance. Each of these roles is critical to an organization’s success, but ultimately each has its own set of unique responsibilities and expectations. The most effective people managers understand this and respond in such a way that places the success of their team at a higher priority than their own personal success.

If you have stumbled across this blog posting and are in the process of transitioning into your first management role, Congratulations! Your organization obviously acknowledges your competence and strong people skills, or else you wouldn’t be in this position. Switching roles isn’t easy, but if you enter your first time management position armed with the knowledge of what could happen, you set yourself up for success. Learn from the common challenges identified above, and let us know how it goes!

Frontline mangers play a critical role in every organization. They serve as the face of leadership for large segments of the workforce and are responsible for leading their direct reports in a direction that supports the overall strategy of the organization. Yet, frontline managers are often first time managers, people who are promoted into a management role as a result of their exemplary performance as an individual contributor. This scenario is very common, but it typically leaves most first time managers ill-prepared for the situations and challenges they face as they transition into a management role. Over the next two weeks, we will be identifying ten common mistakes made by first time managers and how to avoid them.

Here are the first five:

1. Failing to set and communicate expectations
   Expectations are the lifeblood of any relationship. They help establish the boundaries that guide the work that must be done, how it should be done, and when it must be completed. First time managers often incorrectly assume that their direct reports will inherently know what their leader expects from them. As a first time manager, be sure to invest the time to discuss your expectations with each member of your team and with your team as a whole.
2. Failing to revisit, re-communicate, and reinforce expectations
   Once expectations are set, they must be consistently revisited, re-communicated, and reinforced. By failing to do any or all of these actions, the value of setting initial expectations diminishes. Therefore, be sure to devote time for ongoing discussions with your direct reports to discuss expectations and any variations (both good and bad).
3. Failing to address people issues quickly before they become significant challenges
   The process of managing people can be incredibly rewarding; however there will be challenges along the way. Oftentimes, some of the most challenging situations for first time managers arise from the complexity of managing people. These challenges, if left unattended, can quickly turn into larger issues that have significant ramifications. However, the good news is that most of these significant challenges can be avoided if they are addressed early. As you move into a first time manager role, address people challenges as soon as they arise.
4. Overlooking your role as a coach
   To be a great manager, you must be willing to be a great coach. A great coach does the following:
   • Creates a safe environment in which people see themselves more clearly by listening, asking focused questions, and helping team members reflect on experiences.
   • Observes team members in action and helps identify gaps between where they are and where they should be.
   • Understands and anticipates potential obstacles and offers corrective feedback when needed.
   • Asks questions of team members to help them reflect on experiences and identify future agreed upon behavioral changes.
5. Underestimating the power of words
   As a manager, what you say to your team members can have long-lasting effects. Your words can serve either to motivate or de-motivate them simply because of your role. As you interact with your direct reports, be aware of both what you’re saying and how you’re saying it.

Visit our blog next week to learn the remaining five common mistakes made by first time managers and how you can avoid them.

Do you happen to know someone who fits this job description?

The value of a great Executive Sponsor cannot be understated.

Great Executive Sponsors turn frustrated groups of people into highly effective teams that enable each individual team member to use their strengths to execute with laser precision. Without a great Executive Sponsor, most strategic projects are doomed to fail due to lack of organizational commitment and the team’s inability to overcome certain obstacles alone.

Given this apparent need for Executive Sponsors, why is there such a shortage of great Executive Sponsors in today’s business world?

The answer to this question is somewhat unclear. However, the typical reasons for lack of Executive Sponsorship include time challenges and conflicting priorities that prevent an executive from investing the time necessary to become a great sponsor. These are valid “symptoms,” but have you ever considered that a possible root cause for the shortage of great Executive Sponsors in most organizations is lack of focus and alignment among leaders?

If a leadership team is not focused and aligned around a shared vision or a compelling organizational purpose, all projects quickly become “top priority projects” that must be implemented congruently and with immediate urgency. Ultimately, this lack of focus limits the effectiveness of everyone, including executives.

For a leadership team (and ultimately the organization) to become high-performing, each member must be willing and able to work together to achieve the organization’s compelling purpose. A compelling purpose provides direction and helps leaders evaluate the ultimate priority of projects and initiatives, and as a result it enables executives to allocate the necessary time they need to serve in the ever-important role of Executive Sponsor.

What do you think? Use the comments section below to offer your ideas as to why there is a lack of great Executive Sponsors.

The face of leadership is changing, literally. It’s common knowledge that over the next 5-15 years, many current leaders will be exiting the workforce. Much has been written about the merits of developing leaders now to fill the impending pipeline shortage. This makes sense. However, a fundamental question remains. How is your organization identifying the emerging leaders it needs to develop?

Since the importance of emerging leaders is a timely topic, we’ve recently been asked that very fundamental question ourselves. In response, we have identified several strategies that when implemented together help an organization identify its emerging leaders, both internally and externally.

Bring high-potential leaders in the door in the first place.

• The hiring phase offers a great opportunity for your organization to engage emerging leaders right off the bat. Seek to hire talented individuals with demonstrated or potential leadership qualities.
• Make the interview count. Add questions to the interview slate that are targeted at leadership. In this way, you give the potential candidate the opportunity to acknowledge his/her leadership qualities.
• Even if the most ideal interview process for identifying emerging leaders is in place, there is one important step left. Current managers must understand what potential leadership looks like. If they don’t, they will miss important cues given by the candidate.

Evaluate with a standard assessment.

• Once talent is brought into the organization, develop a fair process for evaluating high- potential leaders. Create a standardized system of measurement to ensure that all emerging leaders are evaluated using common criteria and behaviors.
• What should this system of measurement include? An effective system of measurement includes an assessment of common behaviors against expectations and an opportunity to write open comments.

Validate with current leaders, peers, business partners, and customers.

• Once an emerging leader is identified, it is vital to validate assessment data against the perceptions of those who work with the high-potential leader. The first step of this process is to facilitate a consistent chain of communication with their current leaders to gain their input and recommendations on what development areas currently exist and what opportunities could be made available to help accelerate potential.
• Encourage peer assessment, because peers help shed light on the true character of a potential leader and the consistency of that character.
• Before beginning to develop an emerging leader, don’t forget to ask for input from business partners (HR, for example), because they can provide confirmation that the potential leader is in good standing.
• Sometimes an outside opinion offers the kind of perspective you may need to help understand key behaviors deemed valuable to leaders in your organization. A great way to gather such information is by asking customers for their insights on the emerging leader. Customers deliver experiential feedback on how successful the potential leader has been in living up to expectations and representing the values of your organization.

Make sure your organization is ready for the imminent leadership challenge. Take the chance to turn this future challenge into a great opportunity by effectively identifying emerging leaders now.