A few years ago I took on some new leadership initiatives. It was the first time I was genuinely excited to try to be a better leader. I had recently been at a leadership conference and spent most of my time observing a great leader as he shared his story and taught on how to lead. I left inspired to increase my leadership capacity.

Later that week, I shared my excitement with a family member, pointing out some of the ways that “model leader” had grown his organization. My relative was quiet for a minute and then said, “Well sure, if you have a so-and-so in your organization, and he is just as dynamic and charismatic as so-in-so, then of course you are going to grow.”

I heard the same hogwash at a leadership event I attended with leaders from my church. They echoed the same sentiment. “We can’t grow like that church grew because we don’t have so-and-so, the great dynamic leader.”

It drives me crazy that people tie their expectations of effective leadership to the amount of charisma found in their leaders (or in themselves!).

Here’s a secret for you:

Great organizations are not dominated by charismatic, dynamic leaders that “pied-piper” everyone into drinking their kool-aid and getting in step with where the leader wants to go. Great organizations are lead by people like this:

• Humble, self-effacing leaders: humility is the hidden jewel of an indicator as to the greatness of a leader. It isn’t the only indicator but it is the price of admission. Pride and bravado are tools of the weak – humility and appropriate smallness are tools for the strong.
• Focused, detail oriented, target driven leaders: great leaders keep their eye (and the eye of the organization) on the ball. They know that targets need to be constantly remembered. They continually bring people back to what really matters and help them see the forest AND the trees.
• Steady, innovative leaders: many people believe that great leaders ride in on their white horses and make sweeping, fast paced, changes. While some leaders may pull this off, most great leaders understand that incremental innovation over a long period of time will trump wholesale changes made quickly. The exception to this rule is when the organization is on the brink of failure. In turnaround times, sweeping changes and fast pace trumps a lot of things. But the vast majority of the time, steady, innovative, progress in the right direction is key.

I understand why some people don’t buy this. The dynamic, charismatic personality is so often the one we want to be the great leader. We pull for them. We cling to them. The problem is our beliefs that this personality is needed to lead, and it keeps us from stepping up and leading as we need to ourselves.

Keep moving forward,

Greg

p.s. Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a really smart guy that thinks the same thing.

p.p.s. Speaking of incremental innovation. This is the last Friday Morning Memo you will receive. Next week you will have a whole new way to start the week.

[We've been innovating at Kanon Clarity. We aren't quite done yet, but I think you will like what we've been up to... See you next week]

We've all been there but what to do about it? I stumbled upon this great article about how to plan better meetings while surfing Alltop yesterday:

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/04/10-no-bull-tips-on-how-to-lead-team.html

Read it, do it, and quit boring people to death with your current meeting culture.

Keep moving forward,

Greg

Monday represent a lot of things for a lot of people. In our culture today it seems that Mondays mean an end to something good and the beginning of something bad. Just last week I was watching people tweet and update their facebook status with: “how can it only be wednesday?” or “TGIF tomorrow!”

Don’t get me wrong: I love the weekend. I love being with my family and friends and having some downtime and watching lacrosse games and relaxing.

But what’s so wrong with the week? During the week we get to build something, create things, add value, serve other people, lead things, etc.

Monday is the promise of a weeks worth of opportunity. Monday is potential.

Now it’s time to use that potential and go do something with it.

Keep moving forward,

Greg

p.s. If you need some inspiration check this out.

If you haven’t heard of Susan Boyle you probably haven’t watched news the past two weeks. If you have, you know that she has come out of nowhere and taken the world by storm with her performance on Britain’s Got Talent. More than 30,000,000 people have watched various YouTube versions of her performance in the past 14 days.

There was a philosopher in the middle ages that said, “God has hidden the greatness of men from themselves lest they be filled with pride”. Susan Boyle’s greatness was revealed and it took the audiences breath away.

You may not be an overnight success like Susan Boyle. You may not be performing in front of the world. But are you aware of your greatness? Within each of us is greatness that is waiting to be revealed to the world that is around us.

So the question is, where can you focus your time, talent, and treasure to reveal yours?

Keep Moving Forward,

Greg

p.s. Here’s the link for the performance.

Have you ever been in an organization that just doesn’t grow? Some organizations seem destined to stagnation which eventually leads to decline and death.

On the other hand, some organizations are full of life. Growth is second nature to them and they excel consistently year after year.

I’ve been in both and I don’t like organizations that don’t grow.

What’s the difference?

The growth or lack of growth in most organizations is directly attributable to the growth or lack of growth of it’s leaders.

Growing Leaders = Growing Organization

Dying Leaders = Dying Organization

Kanon Clarity excels at helping leaders and organizations grow. For a process that will help you begin developing your leaders check out Leadership Development 101.

Email greg@kanonclarity.com or call 410.967.7906 for help in developing leaders so your organization can grow.

We are 25% through 2009. It’s a good time to take a look at your goals for 2009 and see how you are progressing. Here are some questions to ask yourself and your organization:

• What progress are you making toward the goals that you set at the start of the year?
• What is getting in the way of accomplishing your goals?
• What goals need to be revised?
• What goals need to be added to your list for the remainder of the year?
• How is the current climate affecting your goals and what can you do to adjust your plans in light of this climate?
• What changes or course corrections will move you toward your goals more effectively?
• What changes do you need to make personally to help you accomplish your goals?
• What technology can you implement to help you accelerate your progress towards your goals?
• What obstacles do you need to eliminate or mitigate that are slowing your progress?
• What relationships need attention to help propel you further and faster?
• What support systems can you put in place to help you accomplish your goals?
• Are there areas where you need to focus more in the next quarter than in the previous one?

This is just a start. The key is reviewing your progress and making appropriate changes now to help you get from where you are to where you want to be.

Flexible Strategic Planning

For those in need of help with strategic planning and goal setting check out our Strategic Planning 101 page. This is a straightforward process that any organization of any size or type can implement using our 8 step process. Email me today if you need help developing or implementing a strategic plan for your organization (greg@kanonclarity.com).

Keep moving forward,

Greg

Ever notice that things that are obvious to an outsider looking in are often hidden from the people on the inside? Many times the most needed changes are changes that cannot be seen by the leaders and team members of an organization.

That’s often where Kanon Clarity’s assessment tools play such a vital role in helping organizations close that gap on where they want to go. We offer multiple assessments that are designed to uncover specific areas where organizations and individuals can capitalize on their strengths, mitigate their weaknesses, and make course corrections to help them navigate in the right direction.

Here are a few of the tools we offer:

• DISC Analysis: The DISC analysis evaluates individual communication styles. It identifies your primary  style (Dominant, Influencer, Stability, Conscientious) and helps you understand how your style effects how you communicate with others. The most frequent reaction I get is “I can’t believe that the DISC was that accurate after answering so few questions”.
  • Example: Kanon Clarity is working with US Lacrosse using the DISC analysis to enhance the effectiveness of the leadership team and to aid in the coaching of the top seven leaders within the organization.
• Harrison Assessment: The Harrison offers a multifaceted look into dozens of specific traits. It uses a unique paradox graph to show how an individual functions in 12 key roles (such as communication, strategy, delegation, motivation, etc.). The Harrison is an excellent tool for employee selection, development, and retention. The Harrison is also extremely useful for individuals who are trying to get a clearer picture of career path options and possibilities.
  • Example: We use the Harrison with our portfolio companies (Kanon Group, Kanon Exteriors, Wordswell, Kanon Clarity) as a standard part of our hiring process. In addition, each newly retained coaching client is given the Harrison as a baseline for moving forward in the coaching and development relationship that we have.
• The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI): The LPI is a 360° evaluation of how leaders are performing in the 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership. Peers, employees, and supervisors give objective feedback on how often the leader is displaying the specific practices.
  • Example: The LPI is valuable at multiple levels of any organization to provide detailed insight into where leaders are highly effective and where they are in need of more attention.

These are just a few of the tools in the Kanon Clarity toolbox. We also offer specific tools on strategic planning, personality assessment (i.e. Myers Briggs), and others to evaluate almost any aspect of your organization. Email me (greg@kanonclarity.com) if you have any questions about these tools or how to implement them in your organization.

Keep moving forward,

Greg

p.s. If you didn’t catch the feedback on last weeks memo check out the comments at the bottom of the page. Seems that I struck some emotions. Join the discussion. I would like to hear your thoughts.

I’ve been asked a few times lately, “What’s with the ‘keep moving forward’ thing?”  That phrase is in most of my emails. My employees hear it from me dozens of times per year. My kids have a relentless Keep Moving Forward theme in their life.

On March 30, 2007, Meet the Robinson was released to theaters. My family and I went to watch Meet the Robinsons on April 12, 2007.

March 2007 was a deadly month in Iraq. In fact 2007 cost us more U.S. lives than any other period in the last 38 years. 1971 was the last year that we lost more than 900 soldiers in the same year. I was born in 1971.

The world of 1971

If you had read the newspaper in 1971 here’s what it would have told you:

• Thousands of US and Vietnamese troops are embroiled in a battle for Vietnam
• Richard Nixon installed secret taping systems in the White House
• The U.S. Capital was bombed
• 117 die in twisters that ripped through Mississippi and Louisiana
• The USSR performs nuclear testing of weapons
• Charles Manson sentenced to life in prison
• 13,000 antiwar protesters are arrested in 3 days
• 36 hospitalized during Grateful Dead concert; drunk LSD apple juice
• President Nixon announces 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents
• 1,000 inmates riot and take control of a prison in New York
• 6 KKK klansmen were arrested for bombing 10 school buses
• 90 Russian diplomats were expelled from Britain for spying

What’s the point?

In 1971 the world seemed to be in deep turmoil. The same was true in 2007 when the news from Iraq was constantly about the “never ending campaign”. The same is true in 2009: the world is still in deep turmoil. This time the turmoil is in our banks and financial institutions. Here’s the truth: very little of the news that was reported in 1971 or even 2007 was of any lasting value.

The fact is most of what you read in the newspaper is worthless information. The vast majority of what was written in the newspaper in 1971 and 2007 will never be heard again. Do you think it is going to be different in 2009?

So what does matter?

The news is paralyzing. It grips people with fear and uncertainty and it stops progress. What we need is creative, hard working people to use their imaginzation, inginuity, and intelligence to create solutions for problems that are solvable, add value and push us forward even during difficult times. Of course the economy is a major issue. We all know that. What matters is how we react to it. Are we going to be fearful and hide from it, or are we going to understand the times and push our economic future to a better place?

My advice for 2009: don’t watch the news. Don’t worry about the market or the economy. You won’t add a day to your life or a hair to your head by worrying about it. You know we are in trying times. Now get out there and do something about it.

Keep moving forward,

Greg

p.s. If you can’t see the clip on your computer go rent the movie. The man that coined the phrase was quite remarkable:

“Around here however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney