Leadership Insights

from   LeadershipOD.com
August 2010- Vol 1, Issue 3
In This Issue
Leadership Tips
Topic Ideas for Daily Meetings
 
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Greetings!
I want to say thank you to everyone that filled out our survey last month. We really learned a lot about the interests of our readership and we also got a lot of great ideas about the title we should use for this publication. We have decided on Leadership Insights. It should be noted that The Gospel According to Mike was strongly considered.
 
Overwhelmingly the opinion was that this sort of message should come on a monthly basis, so that is our plan. We also learned that many of you are procrastinators as the most common answers to our questions were, "I might get to it later" and "I thought about it but didn't do anything". So maybe we will look for an expert on that topic, certainly not me.
 
We will continue to publish articles about getting the most from yourself and your team. I hope that you will help us spread the word about Leadership Insights by forwarding it and asking your friends to subscribe. The articles will build on each other, so be sure to visit our archives for previous issues.
 
Thank you again for reading and thanks for your continued support of LeadershipOD.
 
Sincerely,
Mike Rothschild, LeadershipOD
Leadership Tips from Mike Rothschild
 
Dr. Mike Rothschild
Sharing the Vision
Last month, we discussed Defining Your Vision and prior to that, we talked about Becoming a Leader.  It is really important to follow those steps before moving on to the next level in your Leadership Development.
 
Staff communications and building staff morale are the most common issues that I am asked to help with. In a team setting - a vision, a mission and a set of goals are wasted unless the entire team is intimately familiar with them all.
 
To have a unified and motivated team there must be a deliberate system of communication.  The system needs to include opportunities for everyone to listen AND to share. 
  
Follow these steps to develop a strong communication system within your organization: 
 
1)Commit - In order to have excellent staff communications, you first have to commit to success.  There will be challenges and roadblocks to your goals, but once you have committed, you will continue to adapt until you have a strong system.
 
2) Decide what to Communicate - Meetings without agendas soon turn into "complaint sessions".  Decide the purpose of the communications overall then break it into little bites that can be spread out over time.  (See the next article for an idea to get started.)
 
3) Develop a Communication Plan - Every organization is different and needs a different blueprint of communications.  Some practices are run by family members, others have multiple locations and some are staffed by primarily part time people.  Look at several options of methods to communicate and pick the best.  Some tools you can use are meetings (before, during or after office hours), e-mails, message boards, conference calls, video conferencing, etc.  Beware - There is not a perfect plan and that is ok. (Click here to see the plan for my practice.) 
 
4) Implement the Plan - You have taken the time to carefully develop a communication plan.  Now start.  I recommend a little at a time.
 
5) Adjust the Plan - Your first try will not be perfect and even if it is, it will not stay perfect.  It is important that you schedule a time to make adjustments to your plan.
 
This may sound complicated and that's because it IS complicated.  It is a critical component of becoming an effective leader and is worth the effort.  The rewards are a motivated, dedicated and aligned staff and will come with time.  Stick with it.
A New Idea for Daily Meetings
 
Dr. MorrisDr. Jason Morris recently asked a great question.  He has recently implemented daily meetings at all of his offices, but was having trouble keeping them relevant.  "We review the schedule and then we are done.  I have tried reviewing a patient's record and many other things, but the staff is not really getting engaged." 
 
It is best to have a daily review of one of the principles or values of the organization.  At WGEC, we use the 20 Basics, "loosely" based on the Ritz Carlton.  However Dr. Morris has not yet developed his 20 Basics.  His question, "What can we talk about?" 
 
The recent death of Coach John Wooden brought to light his famous Pyramid of Success. It contains 15 building blocks that will lead to success when practiced.  LeadershipOD's recommendation is to use each building block as a topic for your daily meetings.  A 4 - 6 minute discussion about one of his proven methods for success followed by a quick review of the schedule and any special situations for the day. 
 
On Coach Wooden's site, each building block can be clicked and you can read more about how to use each of these principles.  They can enhance any organization and can be repeated several times.
 
Dr. Morris has promised to let us know how it goes.
 
LeadershipOD now offers Executive Coaching services 
 
Executive Coaching is a planned series of "assignments" designed to clarify your vision, set your goals and better use your team to accomplish your goals and is now available through LeadershipOD.com. 
 
The essence of the program is to help you get "unstuck" for your dilemmas and guide you to Unlock Your Potential.