LEADERSHIP Pay Attention, Improve & Guide Presented by: Keith L’Esperance, SPHR/MSAS-HR Risk Manager/Training Officer City of Rapid City, SD Adapted from Walk The Talk “Listen Up, Leader”

LEADER Hmm. What exactly does that mean?

LEADER Dictionary defines it as a “short length of material for attaching the end of a fishing line to a lure or a hook”

LEADER What one word comes to mind when you hear the term LEADER?

LEADER How many “leaders” do we have in this room? Right here – Right now?

Ever Wonder What Motivates Employees? TAKE THE TEST

The #1 most important issue – Appreciation Let’s have some fun & see how that works

CHARACTER MATTERS!!!

The Character Continuum Without integrity, you can never develop trust……

The Character Continuum Without trust, you can never develop people…

The Character Continuum Without developing people, you can never maintain a following….

The Character Continuum Without followers, you have no one to lead!!!!

CHARACTER MATTERS!! IT ALL BEGINS WITH INTEGRITY

CHARACTER MATTERS!! I would like to ask you a very important question.

CHARACTER MATTERS!! When is a lie small enough that it doesn’t matter?

Keep Your Promises Keep the promises you make & your employees will trust you.

Speak out for what you think is important No one can read your mind. Tell your employees how you feel & why. They can’t guess.

Err on the side of fairness You have to make tough decisions – it’s what you get paid to do. Always try your best to be fair.

Do what you say you are going to do No should be no & yes should be yes. ALWAYS!

YOUR CHARACTER MATTERS!! IT’S WHO YOU ARE!!

EVERYTHING YOU DO COUNTS!!!!!

When you became a manager, everything you do became exaggerated. You ARE under a magnifying glass. You need to lead without excuses.

All are watching everything that you do You are always leading. You can’t never lead. Employees pay attention—even when you think they’re not.

Everything you do counts There are no “time-outs” with leadership. Every single thing you say & do says volumes. Yes, it does count!! So Make It Count!!

Employees have expectations of you... 1) Hire really good people. This is one of the most important things you can do.

Employees have expectations of you... 2) Let go of the people who are not contributing. The Equity Theory.....

Employees have expectations of you... 3) Treat your employees with respect – on & off the job. ALWAYS!!

EMPLOYEES WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU’RE HEADED!!!!

Have you ever gone somewhere feeling almost blindfolded & did not have a clue what was going on?

Share Your Vision!! Your employees know what the overall vision is. Do they know yours? Fill them in & let them help you make a plan. They’re amazing when they’re all on the same page.

Tell your employees how they’re doing!! Just because you don’t always get told how you’re doing, the buck stops somewhere. Let it be with you. Tell ‘em!!!

Show your employees that you care!! Remember the employee survey? Money, promotions, interesting work weren’t #1. Being appreciated is!!!

Tell them how the team is doing & how they fit into the big picture!! If they don’t know how you’re keeping score, they’ll never feel they’re contributing to the whole.

WHAT YOU REWARD GETS DONE!!!

We’re not sure what we should do!! If you change the rules & don’t tell anyone, how do you expect your employees to meet the expectations?

We don’t know how to do it!! Training. Why does it seem to be pushed down the priority list? Teach what you want done, give ‘em the tools & they WILL get it done. I promise you that much.

Your reward system is not aligned with team goals!! Reward for doing a good job—deal with less desirable performance consistently & fairly. Just don’t punish star performers by giving them the workload & letting the mediocres be, well, mediocre.

Sometimes YOU present employees with obstacles!! Unnecessary meetings, ignoring or deferring requests for help, being inaccessible – all these & more can derail your best intentions & objectives.

PRAISE An interesting concept Let’s experiment & see how that concept works

DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE CHANGES!!!

A wise person once said…… “The only constant is change.”

Motivate away from complacency Comfort zones can be a tremendous enemy & rob your group of its potential. It’s hard to then adjust to changes that occur.

Make changes when things are going well rather than in times of trouble The Paradox of Change – “The best time to do it is when it seems the least necessary.”

Make changes when things are going well…… Accepting change improves in direct proportion to: the amount of trust you have earned…..

Make changes when things are going well…… Accepting change improves in direct proportion to: how much input your employees have in the strategy.....

Make changes when things are going well…… Accepting change improves in direct proportion to: how much they understand about the change……..

Make changes when things are going well…… Accepting change improves in direct proportion to: the timing.

Positive or negative – we follow your lead Whatever attitude you display, YOU influence the outcomes by your lead.

Positive or negative – we follow your lead “The longer a problem festers, the more energy & emotion it takes to solve.”

TAKE A STAND!!

“The opposite of Courage is Conformity. Conformity means not having the guts to make decisions that will make us successful.”

Have the Courage.... to accept responsibility!! Nothing happens when you look to place blame or find excuses. Blame is looking backward. Responsibility is looking forward.

Have the Courage.... to seek the truth!! You need to search for the truth & the facts to make your decisions & not rely on rumor, innuendo, tradition & false perceptions.

Have the Courage.... to take risks!! That includes both you & your employees. Failures do lead to successes. Just ask Thomas Edison the next time you see him.

Have the Courage.... to stand up for what’s right!! This is one of the toughest choices you have to make as a manager & as a person. Anyone can do things right. Not everyone does the right thing.

Have the Courage.... to reject cynics!! The world is full of cynics. Are you one of them or do you look them in the eye & say “Not on my watch?”

Have the Courage.... to give us freedom to be successful!! Give us the tools, the trust & the guidance to accomplish objectives & learn from mistakes. Just ask those who took the risks & failed & won & failed & won & failed & won

Have the Courage.... to persevere!! When faced with adversity, if you’re right, stand your ground. Don’t give up your vision or your employees. You’ll know when you might have to – the vision – not the employees. It takes courage to persevere.

Have the Courage.... to accept responsibility for your role!! You have the power to communicate up & down the line, help find solutions, create a successful atmosphere. You ARE the role model & your leadership is ALWAYS needed.

WE WANT TO WORK FOR THE BEST

YOU need to be the very best! You need to commit to learning & creating a learning environment. Old proverb says “Information is….

Take the time to learn – now more than ever! Continue to grow & learn yourself. If you quit seeking knowledge, you send the message of mediocrity. You’re here for the conference to learn, aren’t you????

Give us tools to learn, too – books, videos, tapes, seminars! Creating a learning environment is only limited by your imagination.

Teach us how to lead. Reward us & we will hunger to learn more! Give your team the tools & then let us grow with it. You want to be that positive influence that helped us succeed because someday…….

Finally, enjoy your job & have balance in your life! Optimism breeds optimism. Everyone wants to succeed – just not at any price. Be that positive role model the everyone admires.

Leaders must decide on what matters in life before they can live a life that matters. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner “A Leader’s Legacy”

The Marble Theory

A closing thought……

The Cornerstone Principles of Leadership

THANK YOU!!!