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“Creating Successful Leaders”

May 3, 2014 Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel’s Five F’s For Successful Leadership

In this snippet from one of her talks, Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel gives us her five characteristics every good leader needs.

Her five F’s are:

Fast

Focused

Flexible

Fluid

Futurized 

I like how she not only establishes some very important leadership attributes, but also stresses the importance of being able to jump from one skill to the next. In a leadership role, you need to be fast on your feet as things develop on the fly. At the same time, you must stay focused on the project and on the people working with you. The attribute that lets you do this is flexibility. You must be able to be on high gear in one moment, then slow it down to address the needs of an individual, and then turn it back on high gear.

From experience, I can tell you that all this running around and focusing on all the various needs of the organization gets exhausting. Many leaders burn out pretty quickly. This is why I think Dr. Bethel’s last point, being futurized, is a very fitting point to end on. Having vision and being forward-thinking are what keep you centered and motivated. So, while you might get tired from all the running around and changing gears to address new developments as they pop up, you won’t burn out, because you know what you’re working toward.

What are your thoughts on Dr. Bethel’s five F’s? What kind of leadership principles are on your list?

Have a great week, it looks like spring is finally upon us!

 

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April 23, 2014 4 Tried And True Follow-Up Tips For Business Prospects

In the big, bustling world of business, it is absolutely crucial that you make a memorable impression (the good kind of memorable!) right away. This is as true for job seekers as it is for veteran business people hoping to make big waves in their career.

The key, I’ve found, is prompt and consistent follow-ups. Here are some principles that have given me success:

1. Hang on to the contact info of business prospects. Whatever works best for you. I know folks who keep a case for business cards. I like to write down the contact info in my planner on the same day that I met them. Either way, keeping track of who you meet and how you can get a hold of them is a sure-fire way of optimizing your chances of success.

2. Contact prospects sooner, not later. A rule of thumb is within the first couple days of meeting them. You want to keep their memory of you fresh in their minds as that ideal option for them to take advantage of.

3. Remember first names, and use them. People respond well when you use their first name. It shows you view them as a unique individual, not just another business lead. Do you best to get their name the first time. It can be tough, but think about how you’ve felt when someone has said to you, “I’m sorry, what was your name again?” That’s never good for business.

4. Never burn bridges. Many leads turn out to be dead ends, but don’t let this get you down. You never know when a prospect who has turned you down in the past may approach you in the future, but they certainly won’t do so if they had a negative experience interacting with you. Stay positive, hang on to their business card, and keep that door open.

Good luck!

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April 17, 2014 Malcolm Gladwell: Your Chances Are Actually Pretty Good When You’re The Underdog

In his new book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell focuses not only on dispelling the fears attached to being an underdog, but even goes so far as to show how in many cases, being the underdog gives you an advantage. He summarizes some key points in his New Yorker article:

“David’s victory over Goliath, in the Biblical account, is held to be an anomaly,” he writes. “It was not. Davids win all the time.”

He highlights research conducted by political scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft, who looked at all the major wars fought in the last two hundred years, paying close attention to the underdog of each conflict. His findings were surprising: roughly one in three wars were won by a nation that was way out of its league.

That’s a staggering stat on its own. Conventional wisdom would tell us that the underdog should never win, and when he/she does, it’s a fluke. But Arreguín-Toft’s study shows that underdogs win all the time. And that’s not even the most surprising finding.

In the David and Goliath story, David first tries on armor and a sword in preparation to face Goliath. But he’s not comfortable in heavy armor and a big sword. He’s familiar with stones, a sling, and his plain clothes. So he opts to use what he’s most used to, and we know what happens from there.

Similarly, Arreguín-Toft wondered what happened when the underdogs in his study “acknowledged their weaknesses and chose an unconventional strategy,” as Gladwell puts it. “He went back and re-analyzed his data. In those cases, David’s winning percentage went from 28.5 to 63.6. When underdogs chose not to play by Goliath’s rules, they win.”

The Takeaway

1. It’s okay to be the underdog. Own it. Use it to your advantage. Don’t be discouraged when you feel out of your league. Everyone feels this way from time to time.

2. Underdogs win all the time. And it’s not a fluke. Think of all the successful people and businesses that started out with an idea or vision that everyone around them laughed at. There are too many to count. They were all the underdogs at one point.

3. Use what you’re comfortable with to succeed; don’t play by the giant’s rules. Be aware of your unique strengths even in the face of a daunting challenge. Don’t ever let your self-saboteur tell you that you aren’t good enough for the task. It isn’t true.

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