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THIS WEEK
Taking Responsibility for Leadership
ALSO IN THIS EDITION
Taking Responsibility for Leadership |
When I talk with many business owners I hear the same thing. "People just don't step up – they sit and wait to be told what to do. They don't show initiative". What can I do?
This problem is common no matter if you are in a government department of a few thousand staff or a small business with just one employee. People are struggling with the whole issue of responsibility – and their part in the puzzle.
If there are that many people struggling with the issue is it a society or cultural problem where we have bred a few generations of no-hopers, or is it a skill problem?
What I am going to suggest may seem radical, but in my personal experience the problem is not necessarily with the lack of skills of the employees. The problem could be with the lack of skills of the manager/leader.
You see when people step into a management role, generally they are not presented with a manual on how to be a great manager or leader. They bring with them the skills they have developed throughout life coupled with a whole kit-bag of beliefs about what a manager actually does.
If you ask a manager to define what they do, they generally say something along the lines of "we plan, allocate and control resources to get work done".
That is true ... as far as it goes. But that belief is what in itself causes the problem.
A brilliant book called "The Responsibility Virus" by Roger Martin puts it this way.
When you say "I'm in charge" it almost always carries with it the unspoken "...and you're not". Sending that signal prompts the other person to say "Fine, you're in charge and I'm not" and triggers off a whole series of interesting and less than helpful reactions.
Many managers come in with good intentions and start by taking responsibility for critical choices facing their organisation. When faced with problems they go it alone, work harder and do more and don’t collaborate or share the leadership burden.
What happens is they create well-intentioned subordinates, who believe when the chips are down, managers should be given the latitude to jump into the fray and take control, whether their leadership capabilities are up to the task or not.
At the first flinch of passivity or hesitation from their subordinates, managers step in and try to fill what he/she sees as a void. This causes the passive party to see himself/herself as marginalised which prompts a further retreat by them until they have abdicated all responsibility to the manager. At the end of the cycle the passive party is distant, cynical and lethargic.
The manager tends to become contemptuous of the employee and angry at having to bear the full weight alone. What the manager then tends to do is flip into an under-responsible stance to insulate them from pain and say things like “I was set up”, “Nobody else played their part”.
Passive employees then feel the pain of failure and often flip to over-responsibility, making sure they are never again put in the position of being dependant on a leader that lets them down, creating an endless loop.
Managers create the seeds of their own problems by their approach. The difficulty comes in that just telling managers to stop being a leader and telling employees to step up and take initiative just doesn't work.
What is needed is a radical shift in skills and thinking on the part of the manager to step into leadership. The issue is that in most organisations, the company is over managed and under lead. Companies need more leaders and less managers.
Leaders use their skills to influence others to take action that benefits both them and the organisation. Yes, they own and can use the traditional management skills ... but they have more. They have the ability to work with and influence people in a positive way to get the work done. They have the awareness of their own personal style and the capacity to modify it to help people understand and get behind the idea they want to promote.
So ... if you are faced with a loop of under-responsible employees, ask yourself "What part have I played with creating this situation?" and then take the step into leadership to ask yourself "what skills do I need to learn to become a better leader and not just a better manager".
Stepping into leadership is one of the hardest roads you can take. It is a lifelong journey with lots of wrong turns and cul-de-sacs along the way. But it also the best thing you can do for both you and your business.
| Copywriting Tip of the Week - Taking Online Leadership |
Many businesses want to be the first to the market with a new invention or innovation, but if you are a small, medium or online business this can be a very costly exercise. The reason is you will need to educate the market on your new product or creation.
More money is to be made with a market that has some awareness of the product as the hard initial work is done. That said, you still want to be in the initial wave of public interest rather than at the middle or end of the product cycle.
You then adopt a leadership role for your copywriting in terms of:
- dominating the search engine rankings,
- showing how you are different/better than your competitors,
- adding massive value and bonuses,
- adding in new features or tricks,
- demonstrating your credibility.
Someone so rightly said "I find a parade of people forming and then get in front of them" - that's the best and most profitable way for most businesses to market.
Barely a week goes by when I am not contacted by lots of people wanting to learn how to become copywriters. There are lots of ways you can learn the craft of words - from journalism degrees, through to marketing qualifications or in my case through a psychology degree.
But formal degree qualifications are not for everyone. So I have been checking out what is available on the market in terms of distance courses as well as short seminar based courses.
What I look for was brilliant up-to-date content. I wanted to make sure that the content came with support as I know that the most effective way to learn to write is through having mentors or coaches critique your work and to help you overcome any writing blocks. Unless the copywriting courses have both things - you are unlikely to become a brilliant writer.
Finally, I contacted the owners to make sure that they came from the right heart space.
Well ... I have found a few great courses on the market and this is the first of them.
Bernadette Schwerdt runs the Australian School of Copywriting. Bernadette has created an exceptional program and is a truly lovely person. She knows her stuff, has a great ethos with her tutoring and her content is fantastic. I have checked out some of the work of her recent graduates and I can tell you the quality they turn out is great!
If you are thinking of learning how to be a copywriter, then check out the Australian School of Copywriting (then forward me your resume once you have finished your studies - I would love to hear from you!)
True leaders learn from the past rather than just repeating less than helpful patterns. In this post I look at some recent research about what successful businesses did in the last recession.
| 7 Ways Heart Harmony Can Help Make Your Business Fly |
- Review your marketing material to add punch and power or develop new marketing collateral from scratch.
- Create compelling web copy that not only sells - but is a powerful magnet for search engines.
- Craft interesting and well researched articles to position you as an expert in your field.
- Be the secret weapon in your next tender, proposal, offer or award nomination.
- Need simple HR information fast? Grab one of our template kits.
- Be personally mentored by Ingrid as she shares the very strategies that have made her clients millions.
- Have Ingrid speak at your next conference or training event.
Drop us an email or call Ingrid on +61 7 3351 8844.
Taking Responsibility For Customer Complaints
exuberantly yours
Ingrid
Heart Harmony
PS: This week's Small Business Tips blog also included posts about Smiles Increase Risky Decisions
Legal Stuff: This newsletter is intended only as a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter.
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertarial information. But - unless I know and trust the product I will not recommend it.
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