6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: 6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

 There certainly are many lessons that can be applied from Military leadership to the Business world.  From a former Navy Seal, here are six:

 1.  Lead from the front

 2.  Respect the chain of command

 3.  Take calculated risks

 4.  Make a decision

 5.  Empower people and delegate

 6.  Have compassion  

Read the complete article below. 

Article by Brent Gleeson

I don’t think that anyone who has served this country in the military would argue that those experiences didn’t impact the rest of their lives in some shape or form, especially during war time where combat is involved.  I served five years as a United States Navy SEAL with combat deployments to Iraq and Northern Africa.  What I gained from that time of service set the tone for my life after the SEAL teams and provided me the tools for success in entrepreneurship and growing businesses.

The 6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

1. Leading from the Front:  This one is obvious but I feel rarely followed.  It takes intense focus and consistency for a leader to do this all the time.  For a SEAL officer, it starts with simple things in training such as maintaining a head count for your boat crew amidst chaos and being in better physical condition that the enlisted guys.  In a growing company it is critical for the leaders to lead by example and be as consistent as humanly possible.  This means following the processes and procedures set by the company, not breaking promises, and not asking anything of anyone that you are not willing to do yourself.  In combat as in business, the best leaders lead from the front, get their hands dirty, and show their team that they are willing to do what it takes to accomplish the mission.  
2. Respect the Chain of Command:  This part is crucial and is just as important from the top down as it is from the bottom up.  This also takes focus and consistency.  In the SEAL teams, each platoon of 15 SEALs has an Officer in Change (OIC), a Second Officer, and then senior enlisted leadership consisting of a Chief and a Leading Petty Officer (LPO).  In my opinion the SEAL teams equate more to an entrepreneurial environment whereas the traditional military is more like corporate America.  That said, even in a dynamic fast paced environment where the lines of hierarchy are sometimes blurred, chain of command is still very important.  The senior leadership in an organization must never undermine the authority of middle managers by going around them.  The result is a complete disintegration of structure and a very confused work force.
3. Ability to Take Calculated Risks:  Not surprisingly risk taking behavior is a common trait amongst the ranks of the special operations community.  Being a risk taker is one thing, but having the ability to make decisions on the fly with the available intelligence and take calculated risks is an entirely different skill.  Let’s face it, everything in combat is risky.  We gather as much intelligence as possible then have to develop and execute a plan based on what we have.  That is why strategic planning and contingency planning are imperative.  Running a business is the same way.  The leadership must make decisions based on available information and must take some risks in order to gain market share and grow competitively.
4. Make a Decision:  The worst thing a leader can do in combat is NOT make a decision.  When bullets are flying and the team is awaiting orders critical to making a dynamic shift in a plan that has most likely gone to hell, a leader must react quickly and calmly under extreme pressure.  Sometimes in an after action review it may be determined that certain decisions were not the right ones, but that is why we have “lessons learned” and constantly evolving tactics.  As many of us know, running a start-up is very similar.  Things are happening, plans are changing, opportunities are arising that must be taken advantage of, etc.  The leaders must make decisions every day under pressure.  The best way to ensure sound decision making is to have a strategic plan with multiple contingency plans to support it.  Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!  And keep in mind that making the decision not to make a decision on a certain issue at that time is still a decision!
5. Empowerment and Delegation:  No good leader assumes they know everything and the best ones surround themselves with amazing talent.  The success of any sports team, military unit, or business doesn’t just come from great leadership and management; it comes from excellent team members and a collaborative environment.  I have been blessed with an amazing business partner and unbelievably talented team.  It is important to provide parameters and then allow the team to operate somewhat autonomously within those boundaries which fosters creativity, empowerment, and a sense of ownership when goals are accomplished.  And then of course, acknowledging team members for hard work is very important.

6. Compassion:  It may surprise some of you that compassion is an important quality for a solider to have.  We must have compassion for our teammates, for the innocent civilians overseas, and even for the enemy.  A good leader understands that compassion is a key ingredient in the recipe for success.  When running a business, the leadership team must be sensitive to the needs and desires of the team.  A happy team will be a hard-working and successful team.  Transparent feedback and 360 degree reviews should be a part of the normal communication flow up and down the chain of command.  When the team knows they have a voice and that management values their input, the bond of the group only grows stronger.

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”-General Dwight D. Eisenhower  In the SEAL teams, blood, sweat, and tears is a part of the job and recognition for that is not usually given nor expected; but in the “real world” recognition is an important part of good leadership and keeping morale high.

6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: 6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

 There certainly are many lessons that can be applied from Military leadership to the Business world.  From a former Navy Seal, here are six:

 1.  Lead from the front

 2.  Respect the chain of command

 3.  Take calculated risks

 4.  Make a decision

 5.  Empower people and delegate

 6.  Have compassion  

Read the complete article below. 

Article by Brent Gleeson

I don’t think that anyone who has served this country in the military would argue that those experiences didn’t impact the rest of their lives in some shape or form, especially during war time where combat is involved.  I served five years as a United States Navy SEAL with combat deployments to Iraq and Northern Africa.  What I gained from that time of service set the tone for my life after the SEAL teams and provided me the tools for success in entrepreneurship and growing businesses.

The 6 Key Traits for Military and Business Leadership Success

1. Leading from the Front:  This one is obvious but I feel rarely followed.  It takes intense focus and consistency for a leader to do this all the time.  For a SEAL officer, it starts with simple things in training such as maintaining a head count for your boat crew amidst chaos and being in better physical condition that the enlisted guys.  In a growing company it is critical for the leaders to lead by example and be as consistent as humanly possible.  This means following the processes and procedures set by the company, not breaking promises, and not asking anything of anyone that you are not willing to do yourself.  In combat as in business, the best leaders lead from the front, get their hands dirty, and show their team that they are willing to do what it takes to accomplish the mission.  
2. Respect the Chain of Command:  This part is crucial and is just as important from the top down as it is from the bottom up.  This also takes focus and consistency.  In the SEAL teams, each platoon of 15 SEALs has an Officer in Change (OIC), a Second Officer, and then senior enlisted leadership consisting of a Chief and a Leading Petty Officer (LPO).  In my opinion the SEAL teams equate more to an entrepreneurial environment whereas the traditional military is more like corporate America.  That said, even in a dynamic fast paced environment where the lines of hierarchy are sometimes blurred, chain of command is still very important.  The senior leadership in an organization must never undermine the authority of middle managers by going around them.  The result is a complete disintegration of structure and a very confused work force.
3. Ability to Take Calculated Risks:  Not surprisingly risk taking behavior is a common trait amongst the ranks of the special operations community.  Being a risk taker is one thing, but having the ability to make decisions on the fly with the available intelligence and take calculated risks is an entirely different skill.  Let’s face it, everything in combat is risky.  We gather as much intelligence as possible then have to develop and execute a plan based on what we have.  That is why strategic planning and contingency planning are imperative.  Running a business is the same way.  The leadership must make decisions based on available information and must take some risks in order to gain market share and grow competitively.
4. Make a Decision:  The worst thing a leader can do in combat is NOT make a decision.  When bullets are flying and the team is awaiting orders critical to making a dynamic shift in a plan that has most likely gone to hell, a leader must react quickly and calmly under extreme pressure.  Sometimes in an after action review it may be determined that certain decisions were not the right ones, but that is why we have “lessons learned” and constantly evolving tactics.  As many of us know, running a start-up is very similar.  Things are happening, plans are changing, opportunities are arising that must be taken advantage of, etc.  The leaders must make decisions every day under pressure.  The best way to ensure sound decision making is to have a strategic plan with multiple contingency plans to support it.  Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!  And keep in mind that making the decision not to make a decision on a certain issue at that time is still a decision!
5. Empowerment and Delegation:  No good leader assumes they know everything and the best ones surround themselves with amazing talent.  The success of any sports team, military unit, or business doesn’t just come from great leadership and management; it comes from excellent team members and a collaborative environment.  I have been blessed with an amazing business partner and unbelievably talented team.  It is important to provide parameters and then allow the team to operate somewhat autonomously within those boundaries which fosters creativity, empowerment, and a sense of ownership when goals are accomplished.  And then of course, acknowledging team members for hard work is very important.

6. Compassion:  It may surprise some of you that compassion is an important quality for a solider to have.  We must have compassion for our teammates, for the innocent civilians overseas, and even for the enemy.  A good leader understands that compassion is a key ingredient in the recipe for success.  When running a business, the leadership team must be sensitive to the needs and desires of the team.  A happy team will be a hard-working and successful team.  Transparent feedback and 360 degree reviews should be a part of the normal communication flow up and down the chain of command.  When the team knows they have a voice and that management values their input, the bond of the group only grows stronger.

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”-General Dwight D. Eisenhower  In the SEAL teams, blood, sweat, and tears is a part of the job and recognition for that is not usually given nor expected; but in the “real world” recognition is an important part of good leadership and keeping morale high.

The Curse of Incremental Improvement

Some of the “greatest business decisions” of all time came about because someone invested the time and effort needed to make a product what it should be instead of just good enough.   Check out a few cautionary paragraphs on   The curse of incremental improvement.     

     by blogger,  Seth Godin       www.sethgodin.typepad.com

In an industrial, competitive culture, most things are just barely good enough.

Cell phone calls, if they were any worse, would be unusable. MP3 files sound not nearly as good as they could. Car mileage goes up, but really slowly. When something makes a huge leap (like the iPad did), it's headline news, because it's so rare.

The market will switch to a competitor when the competitor is just good enough to warrant switching (I know that's obvious, but it's worth stating). As a result, R&D departments ship a product out the door the moment it is just barely good enough to grab enough share to pay for itself. The thought of, for example, working on the CD for six more months before declaring it 'done' would have been considered short-term economic stupidity. As a result, we are saddled with thirty years of sub-par music--if they'd just held on a bit longer, it would all sound so much better.

The challenge kicks in for the individual or organization who thinks what they've launched is just barely good enough--and it's not. Prematurely declaring that it's done means that your incremental improvement doesn't seem important to anyone else. And so you flop.

Better to make it better than it needs to be.

Top 5 Things Employees Want & Need to Hear from Management

As a leader here are TOP 5 THINGS TO DELIVER TO YOUR EMPLOYEES

1.  Where are we going?

2.  What will it look like when we get there?

3.  What difference are we making?

4.  Why is it important for you to be there?

5.  Why should we help you get there? 


This is all about creating a clear and defined Vision & Mission for your firm.  And then making sure that your team is clearly aligned with this Vision. 

This is provided by Vistage Speaker, Holly Green.  Managing Director of   www.thehumanfactor.biz


         Read more details at:      http://bit.ly/SKIEj6

PEERNOVATION - How to Get It!!

Innovation can be viewed as creativity realized!!  And outside influences can help you think in different and creative ways. 

Here are some parameters to generate innovation:

  1.  Destination  - know where are you headed

  2.  Confidence  - in your ability to get there

  3.  Craft your own solution  - must come from within you 

Read more by  clicking here    Expand your contacts and ideas to outside your Industry. 

4 Leadership Lessons from the Founding Fathers!!

Can we still learn about leadership from our founding fathers?  Here are 4 Leadership Lessons that appear timeless. 

Margaret Mead said:   “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”   Imagine what this could do to change your company. 

The lessons are:

  The courage of convictions

  The Sanctity of sacrifice

  The fulfillment of faith

  The power of purpose 

Read the article from Fast Company by    clicking here

See how these principles can impact your leadership. 

Innovation: Lessons to be learned from 3M

Who is the most Innovative company?  Likely that most people would say Apple.  Well, do you know that there is a $30 BB firm that has been historically "fostering organic growth  by inventing entirely new, market changing products?"   Yes that firm would be 3M.....the inventor of Post-It pads and Scotch Brands.

How do they do this?  Read more at:      click here   


Their time tested principles include:

      - Dedicated R&D, long-term development and separate from concept to launch efforts

      - Apply and use Open Innovation; host ideation sessions with members of all departments

      - Foster a culture of innovation by allowing team members to take risks in a protected environment

      - Reward and encourage creativity

How many of you use some of these concepts?  You might just want to study more about 3M to apply to your need for Innovation.  

10 Things Great Bosses Do !!

How do you compare?  I recently found this interesting article regarding the 10 Things that Great Bosses Do.  Most seem like common sense....however think about your firm.  How many of your managers would exhibit these traits?

Things like:

  - Entrust their employees with responsibility....and then hold them accountable

  - Behave like a mature adult......genuine and empathetic

  -  Promote a can do / customer service attitude

  -  Work their tail off.....and be hands on, when necessary

  etc. 

Read more at    click here.  

Compare yourself....you may just find some things that need to be changed. 

THE REAL LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM STEVE JOBS

Walter Isaacson, author of the book about Steve Jobs life recently captured the Key Leadership Lessons from Jobs in a recent Harvard Business Review article.  When he asked Jobs about what was he the most proud..... the answer was not any particular product.  It was Apple the Company!! 

Among the key principles were these items:

  Focus
  Simplify
  Take responsibility end to end
  When behind, leapfrog
  Put products before profits
  ..... plus several more

To read the article  click here  

So, do you focus and simplify the items to prioritize in your firm.   Or do you try to do too many things and lose focus? 

INNOVATION IS ABOUT ARGUING....NOT BRAINSTORMING!!

How to argue productively?  Conduct deliberative discourse. 

Interesting idea.  I noticed this concept in a recent article in Fast Company by Daniel Sobol. 

Here is an excerpt:  

we use deliberative discourse--or what we fondly call “Argue. Discuss. Argue. Discuss.” Deliberative discourse was originally articulated in Aristotle’s Rhetoric. It refers to participative and collaborative (but not critique-free) communication. Multiple positions and views are expressed with a shared understanding that everyone is focused on a common goal. There is no hierarchy. It’s not debate because there are no opposing sides trying to “win.” Rather, it’s about working together to solve a problem and create new ideas.
So we argue. And discuss. And argue. A lot. But our process is far from freeform yelling.

Here are five key rules of engagement that we’ve found to yield fruitful sessions and ultimately lead to meaningful ideas.

  1.  No Hierarchy

  2.  Say No,  because

  3.  Diverse perspectives

  4.  Focus on a common goal

  5.  Keep it fun

Read the full article   here   

CAPTAIN KIRK AT 80!!

 Can it be true?  Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is 80!  

Tomes have been written about StarTrek.  I just came across a recent Forbes article that looks at the leadership style of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk and distills five key lessons on leadership from this iconic TV series.  

StarTrek’s (and therefore Captain Kirk’s) creator, Gene Roddenberry, had a distinguished military career in World War II as a bomber pilot. He was no stranger to combat and understood well the nature of leadership and command which he brought to the series.

Here’s the five lessons on leadership from Captain Kirk…and you can learn more about each  by reading more here. 

Lesson 1: Never Stop Learning

Lesson 2: Have advisors with different world views (join a Vistage group,ok?)

Lesson 3: Be Part of the “Away” Team

Lesson 4:  Play Poker, Not Chess

Lesson 5:  Blow Up the Enterprise!

FEED FORWARD

TRY  FEED  FORWARD  VS  FEEDBACK


Have your or your people struggled with the evaluation or feedback or 360 process?  What do they normally say about it?    Typically the comments are negative and they don't like it.  Results are short lived.

Well here is a refreshing alternative to that process from well known Executive Coach, Marshall Goldsmith.  Read more about it below and see what you think!! 

           Click here for more info


I have observed more than 50,000 leaders from around the world as they participated in a fascinating experiential exercise, in which I ask participants to play two roles.

In one role, they provide "FeedForward": They give another participant suggestions and as much as they can help with a specific issue. In the second role, they accept FeedForward: They listen to suggestions from another participant and learn as much as they can.

Step by Step

The exercise typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and the average participant has six or seven such sessions in that time. Participants are asked to:

- Pick one behavior they would like to change. Change in this behavior should make a significant, positive difference in their lives.

- Describe this behavior to randomly selected fellow participants in one-on-one dialogues. It can be done quite simply, e.g., "I want to be a better listener."

- Ask for FeedForward that might help them achieve a positive change in their behavior. If participants have worked together in the past, they are not allowed to give any feedback about the past. They are only allowed to give ideas for the future.

- Listen attentively to the suggestions and take notes. Participants are not allowed to comment on the suggestions in any way, nor are they allowed to critique the suggestions, even to make positive statements, such as, "That's a good idea."

- Thank the other participants for their suggestions.

- Ask fellow participants what they would like to change about themselves.

- Provide FeedForward - two suggestions for helping the other person change.

- Say "You are welcome," when thanked for the suggestions. (The entire process of both giving and receiving FeedForward usually takes about two minutes.)

- Find another participant and keep repeating the process until the exercise is stopped.

When the exercise is over, I ask the participants to complete a sentence - "This exercise was …" - with the one word that best describes their reaction to the experience. The words selected are almost always positive, such as "great," "energizing," "useful," or "helpful." One of the most common words used is "fun."

What is the last word most of us think of to describe the experience of receiving feedback, coaching, and developmental ideas? Fun!

Reasons to Try FeedForward

I ask participants why this exercise is fun and helpful as opposed to painful, embarrassing, or uncomfortable. Their answers offer a great explanation of why FeedForward can often be more useful than feedback as a developmental tool.

1. We can change the future. We can't change the past. FeedForward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past. Race-car drivers are taught to look at the road ahead, not at the wall. By giving people ideas on how they can be even more successful, we can increase their chances of achieving this success in the future.

2. FeedForward can come from people we have never even met. It does not require personal experience. One very common positive reaction to the exercise is that participants are amazed by how much they can learn from people they don't know. For example, if you want to be a better listener, almost any fellow human can give you ideas. They don't have to know you.

3. Face it! Most of us hate getting negative feedback, and we don't like to give it. I have reviewed summary 360-degree feedback reports for more than 50 companies. The items "provides developmental feedback in a timely manner" and "encourages and accepts constructive criticism" almost always score near the bottom on co-worker satisfaction with leaders. Traditional training does not seem to make a great deal of difference. If leaders got better at providing feedback every time the performance appraisal forms were "improved," most would be perfect by now!

4. FeedForward can cover almost all of the same material feedback can. Imagine you have just made a terrible presentation in front of the executive committee. Your manager is in the room. Rather than make you relive this humiliating experience by detailing what went wrong, your manager might help you by offering suggestions for future presentations. These suggestions can be very specific and still delivered in a positive way - without making you feel even more humiliated.

5. FeedForward tends to be much faster and more efficient than feedback. An excellent technique for giving ideas to successful people is to say: "Here is an idea for the future. Please accept it in the positive spirit in which it is offered. If you can use it, great! If not, just ignore it." With this approach almost no time is wasted judging the quality of the ideas or trying to refute the suggestions. This kind of debate is usually negative, wastes time, and often counterproductive. By eliminating judgment of the ideas, the process becomes much more positive for the sender, as well as the receiver.

6. FeedForward can be a useful tool with managers, peers, and team members. Rightly or wrongly, feedback is associated with judgment. This can lead to very negative - even career-limiting - consequences when given to managers or peers. FeedForward does not imply superiority of judgment. It is more focused on being a helpful colleague than an expert. As such, it can be easier to hear from a person who isn't in a position of power or authority.

7. People tend to listen more attentively to FeedForward than feedback. One participant in the FeedForward exercise noted: "I think that I listened more effectively in this exercise than I ever have in my life!" When asked why, he said, "Normally, when others are speaking, I am so busy composing a reply that will make sure that I sound smart that I am not fully listening to what the other person is saying. In FeedForward, the only reply that I am allowed to make is 'thank you.' Since I don't have to worry about composing a clever reply, I can focus all of my energy on listening to the other person!"

When to Use FeedForward

The intent of this column is not to imply that leaders should never give feedback or that performance appraisals should be abandoned. The intent is to show how FeedForward can often be preferable to feedback in day-to-day interactions. Aside from its effectiveness and efficiency, FeedForward can make life a lot more enjoyable. When I ask manager how they felt the last time they received feedback, the most common responses are negative. When managers are asked how they felt after receiving FeedForward, they reply that FeedForward was not only useful, it was also fun.


    by Marshall Goldsmith

DIRTY, SEXY, MONEY !!

What does that mean?  All about money for your sales people.....right?  I have an upcoming speaker to my CEO Groups next month and was reading some of his material.  One of his blogs reminded me about the risks of compensating your people, the wrong way.  You might want to consider some of the insights presented below from Tom Searcy.


from  Tom Searcy, Hunt Big Sales        click here: for the website of Hunt Big Sales


In business, it’s all about the money.

Obvious, I know, but sometimes you’ve just got to seize the obvious, wrestle it to the ground and beat it senseless in order to make it work for you.

Companies get the money side of the deal—affectionately known as commission—wrong a lot of the time. If you want to land large deals, you have to change the money in a bunch of places if you want to make it work.

There are two simple ingredients that go into large accounts sales: time and people. Because it takes longer to land a large account than a small one, you have to hold the attention of sales people, who have the immediate gratification needs of a 3-year old, for a long time. The time-to-money ratio is not 1:1 for a sales person—the fact is that when you double the time it takes to land a deal you have to practically triple the money to keep them engaged.

Sure, part of that triple is built into the incremental commission of a bigger deal—and that can be a lot, depending on the size of the deal. But they’ll probably also need an extra something to keep them on task rather than getting distracted by little shiny objects, like deals that are small and fast to close. Stay with me.

So that’s the problem with time; you’ve also got to deal with people—not just sales people, ALL of your people. To land a whale, you’ve got to load up your boat with people of all skillsets (subject matter experts—or SMEs—who can speak the whale’s language), because one person (a sales guy) with a stick in the ocean is not going to cut it. How do you keep those people engaged as well? If they’re not seeing their efforts translate into money in a meaningful way (profit-sharing, bonus, spiff), they’ll too be distracted by the not-so-shiny-objects of their every day job.

To make this work, here are a couple of approaches:

1. Pay more for whales—spread it around. The sales representative is not the only person involved in the hunt. The fact is, after the initial interest is generated, the internal subject matter expert team does a lot of the heavy lifting.

2. Put a trophy-bonus on the wall. Don’t make it general, make it specific and personal. At one point in my career, I had a competitor for which I had a personal distaste. I wrote up on the wall that competitor’s top 10 clients and told my team, “I will pay a 20% premium on commissions for every deal we land from this list in the next 6 months.” We got 3 and it had a sweet taste.

3. Cut out the money on little deals. You can’t get people focused on bigger targets if they get similar ratios of money for smaller deals. Cut little deal commission in half. This is about changing behaviors and time investment.

Money is the driver and you have the gas pedal