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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Communication

March 13, 2013 Is Competition In Business Always A Good Thing?

We’ve constantly been told that to succeed, you must compete early, often and without fail. Good leaders stoke a competitive drive in their employees, the common knowledge says. Competition leads to innovation, innovation leads to breakthroughs and advancements in the industry as a whole, and this leads to a greater flourish in the economy. Or so the thinking goes.

I believe that some competition is good, but is there such a thing as too much competition, or negative competition?

When I was a member of the corporate world, I vividly remember feeling the need to compete with my coworkers–to be the first to get my project done, to be the most consistent, most creative member of the team, always looking up the ladder for opportunities of personal promotion. This was a very real atmosphere in many of the places I worked, and while it did prompt us to work harder and look for ways to innovate, it also created an environment of distrust, bitterness and at times, outright hostility between employees.

This is the downside of competition. I believe that internal competition actually creates stress and robs valuable energy that would otherwise be spent on the creation of remarkable business strategies. Healthy teams, after all, are built on unity and clarity of vision, trust, and mutual respect. They are NOT built on an environment of selfishness and back stabbing.

As a leader, it’s vital that you are aware of the culture of your business and make a point to reward teamwork and support. Address issues of negative competition early on, and be clear that the “make way for number one” attitude doesn’t help the organization as a whole, it hurts it.

When in doubt, use this rubric for determining between good and bad competition: healthy competition motivates and pushes the organization forward, while unhealthy competition poisons the workplace atmosphere, which in turn hinders growth.

In the big picture, unity and trust are your biggest allies for true innovation and success.

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March 6, 2013 Speak Up! The Growing Need for Great Public Speakers

From a leadership standpoint, the ability to speak before people–and do it well–is one of the most invaluable skills you can possess.

Yet most of us have trouble getting up in front of a crowd, which is completely normal. I was terrified when I first began giving talks, and I’m sure my early talks had a lot of room for improvement. But now, because I speak so often, speaking before a group doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve been tweaking my skills for the past few years, and one of the most rewarding feelings is knowing that I’ve effectively captivated an audience.

Toastmasters is a world-wide organization that trains people in public speaking. They offer a few tips that help beat the initial fear we get right before it’s time to step up in front of a crowd.

1. Know Your Material. They suggest that you speak on things you’re truly interested in, and know more about it than you include in your speech.

2. Practice. And practice out loud, at the volume you plan on speaking, and repeat the speech over and over, until you’ve memorized it entirely.

3. Relax. Monitor your breathing and any tension you might be harboring in your shoulders. Keep your breathing steady and slow, and try to keep your muscles loose.

4. Don’t apologize for any mistake you make during your speech. The audience probably didn’t notice it.

5. The audience is on your side. It’s easy to slip into the thinking that the audience is hostile to anything you have to say, which is absurd. They wouldn’t be sitting there if they weren’t interested. They want you to succeed.

Being comfortable in front of a group lets you most aptly convey your personal brand to many people at once. In person, you can show your true personality, your speaking style, and the things that really make you excited. Doing this well takes practice, but it is one of the better ways of promoting your ideas.

Give it a try!

Reference

http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp

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February 27, 2013 Take Another Look At Your Weak Points

The fact is, you have strengths. But you also have weaknesses that can get in the way of your goals. I’ve talked a lot about the importance of finding your strengths and developing the skill of being able to plug these into the world around you.

Today, I want to address your weaknesses.

Remember in high school, when your counselor encouraged you to be “well-rounded?” “Pick up an instrument if you’re an athlete,” they said. “Take up painting if you’ve never done it before.” Essentially, they prompted you to flesh out your world and your experiences.

At a certain point, whether we were in high school or college, we honed in on our strengths. We polished them, trained to be able to apply them and, as a result, our focus was taken away from other potential strengths.

I want to talk about the areas in our lives that we’ve abandoned during our drive toward our strengths. It is true we have strengths and weaknesses, yes, but this does not mean that we shouldn’t expand into other areas of interest.

And I don’t mean just pick up another hobby. Hobbies are great, but I’m thinking a bit bigger here. I’m thinking about treading into the dangerous waters. The places you’ve avoided because they were places that made you uncomfortable.

These are the places that truly test you and spurn growth. Staying attached to one strength or skill-set has its advantages, that’s for sure. You can become one of the best at whatever it is you do well. But in the meantime–and this is the downside–you lose a greater perspective of the world. This one life on this Earth contains an immense amount of opportunity, so why would you stick to one bitty corner the whole time?

You know by now that you’re not good at everything. But that doesn’t give you license to simply throw your hands up and say, “This isn’t my strong point,” every time you encounter a situation that plays to your weak points.

This week, consider things you aren’t so good at, and give them another try. You may surprise yourself; the story goes that Einstein failed math in grade school.

Keep on growing!

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